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Table of Contents
Fitness Secrets
1. Adam Kessler A. How To Get Your Booty In Shape Before Summer1 B. Pumping a Little Iron Might Just Prevent Osteoporosis..4
2. Alton Skinner A. A Quick and Easy Dynamic Warm-up For Junior Tennis Players......6 B. A Quick and Easy Flexibility Program For Junior Tennis Players.8 C. Building A Better Junior Tennis Player.13 D. Quick and Easy Drills For Improving Junior Tennis Players Speed Agility and Quickness17
3. Andrew Voris A. Are Trainers Focusing on Functional Training too Much and Not Enough on Fat Loss?...........................................................................20 B. Developing a winning training program!...................................................22
4. Andy Salazar A. Get Fit with Resistance Training...24 B. Multi-Set Training for Ultimate Fat Burning and Lean Muscle Mass......26 C. Reach Your Fitness Goals.29
5. Arnel Ricafran A. Six Pack Abs Expert Reveal The Top 10 Worst Abdominal Exercises.30
6. Arthur J. Zanelli A. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS).34 B. Fitness Tips for Travel...36 C. Functional Training39 D. How to Jump Higher..41 E. Practical Application and Training for Speed43
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8. Bob Mittleman A. Practice Makes Perfect----Or Does It?.....................................................47 B. Stress and Exercise49 C. Want To Improve Your Exercise Routine and Accelerate Your Ability To Reach Your Goals? Train with a Heart Rate Monitor..51
10. Boyd Myers A. Personal Training - Sometimes, the Un-Profession...57 B. What is Your Weakest Fitness Link?.........................................................60 C. Which is Most Important Lifting? Diet? Supplements?.........................62
11. Brad Scott A. How To Define Your Primary Fitness Goal..66 B. Lower the Weight and Increase Your Strength......68
12. Brian T. Rurak A. Exercise: The New Years Resolution. How You Can Stick to Your Goals and Lose Weight.....................................................................71
13. Bruce Kelly A. High Intensity Training: Why You Should Do It..........75 B. Power: Why Everyone Needs It78
A. B. C. D.
Exercise and Your Family.80 Exercising and the Older Adult.82 Family Fitness for the Entire Clan.84 Senior Fitness, Aging Gracefully...86
15. Carlos Torres A. 5 Biggest Fitness Myths.88 B. 8 Biggest Workout Mistakes..90 C. 10 Minute Workout92 D. The Gun Show.......94
16. Chad Cannon A. 5 Reasons To Join a Boot Camp Fitness Class......96 B. Fit, Firm, Fun.............................................................................................97 C. Fitness Inspiration......................................................................................98 D. Fitness Made Simple..................................................................................99 E. Losing weight? If not, Read below! Functional Training is The Way To Go!.............................................................................................101 F. Thirty Minute Fitness...............................................................................103
18. Chris McCombs A. Morning Fat Burn from an Orange County Renegade Personal Trainer......................................................................................................107
19. Clint Howard A. 5 Tips for Fitness Success........................................................................109 B. Tips for Safe Exercise in Pregnancy........................................................111 C. How to Instantly Shave 5 to 10 Strokes Off Your Golf Game!...............114
21. Curb Ivanic A. How to Avoid Running Injuries...............................................................123 B. Is Your Workout a Waste of Time?.........................................................126
22. Dale Andrew A. Realtor Fitness: 17 Jealously Guarded Secrets for Smaller Waists and Bigger Profits for the Physically and Financially Fit Realtor...........128 B. The Office Workout: Bodyweight Exercises You Can Do At The Office...........................................................................................130 C. Whats Your Fitness Goal? Why Are You Going to The Gym?.............133 D. Why Women Shouldnt Lift Weights......................................................135
23. Daniel Remon A. 5 Ways to Vary Your Cardio...................................................................138 B. Exercise for Busy Professionals...............................................................140 C. Golf Fitness & Conditioning....................................................................142 D. The Top 25 of Exercise............................................................................144 E. Workouts that Travel...............................................................................146
26. David Herber A. How Can I Benefit From Weight Training?............................................154 B. Setting Realistic Body Transformation Goals In Preparation For Your Wedding...................................................................................156 C. Women Who Train With Weights Win Weight-Loss War......................158
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27. David Virgo A. Announcing Four Important Reasons For A Fitness-Weight-LossProgram In Your Bid For Superior Cricket Fitness.................................161 B. Discover A Simple Secret To Increasing Power in Your Shots and Adding A Yard of Pace To Your Bowling.......................................164 C. Discover The Different Forms of Physical Fitness Training That Will Boost Your Cricket Fitness..............................................................166 D. How Solid POSTURE Fitness Training Will Help Determine The Quality Of Your Cricket Fitness Foundations.........................................168
28. David Wehrenberg A. 7 Secrets to Beating the Police Drill Instructor at His Game in Physical Fitness Training and Graduate the Academy............................170 B. Fitness Injury Prevention Series Part 1 for Police Recruits and Officers..............................................................................................173 C. Fitness Injury Prevention Series Part 2 Examining Knee Injuries for Police Recruits and Officers...............................................................176 D. Fitness Injury Prevention Series Part 3 Ankle Injuries for Police Recruits and Officers...............................................................180 E. Injury Prevention Series Part 4 Acute vs. Chronic Injuries for Police Recruits and Officers...............................................................183 F. Five Secret Principles of Physical Exercise Training!.............................188
29. Denis Kanygin A. Postural Exercises - Solution to Your Lower Back Pain.........................190 B. What are Russian Kettlebells and Why It is The Ultimate Training Too.............................................................................194
31. Doug Jackson A. How to Exercise Safely During Pregnancy...........................................200 B. How to Stay Motivated During Cardio..................................................202
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32. Eric Johnson A. Do You Know Where to Go Next? Use These 6 Exercises to Bring Your Body to the Next Level.........................................................204 B. Faster Reflexes now!................................................................................206 C. Spend Less Time in the Gym! Lose Fat and Gain Muscle Faster!..........207 D. Start Here! Read these 5 tips before you begin your training program...209
33. Geoff Kalmbach A. 5 Fitness Tips for Beginners....................................................................211 B. Ab Wheel Insanity...................................................................................212 C. How To Deal With Shin Splints..............................................................214 D. Keeping Fit After 50................................................................................216 E. More to Core Than You Think................................................................218
34. George Hearn A. The Case for Explosive Training-Part 1..................................................220 B. The Case for Explosive Training-Part 2..................................................222
36. Han Ayden A. Ab Training Increases Waist Size............................................................226 B. Cardio Confusion - To Do or Not To Do?...............................................228
37. Holly Leonard A. 7 Secrets to Getting Maximum Results In Minimum Time From Your Health And Fitness Program!................................................230
B. In Fitness, Some People Need a Push......................................................234 C. The Biggest Fitness Mistake....................................................................236 D. Working Toward Fitness..........................................................................238
39. Ibsen Alexandre A. Medicine Ball Training At Home............................................................240 B. Why Avoiding Cardio and Focus More on Weight Training Will Help YOU get Better Results and Lose Weight Faster...................242
40. James Cipriani A. Total Body Transformation: Part 1 - Training.........................................245 B. Total Body Transformation: Part 3 - Supplements..................................250 C. Total Body Transformation: Part 4 - Cardio...The Good, The Better, and The Best!........................................................................253 D. Total Body Transformation Training: Part 5 Plateau Busting Through Periodization...................................................258
43. Jason Goggans A. Cardiovascular Exercise...........................................................................265 B. Resistance Train To Loose Fat and Look Great......................................273
44. Jason Morgan A. Can You Stand The Heat? Exercising Safely During the Summer Months.....................................................................279 B. The Evolution of Physical Fitness...........................................................281
A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. I.
7 Components To Optimal Athletic Development..................................285 Exercise Machines Suck..........................................................................290 Lifting Weights For Youth Athletes is Dangerous?................................293 Strength Training For Athletes................................................................295 The 7 Secrets To Developing The Complete Athlete..............................297 The Need For Speed.................................................................................303 The Significance of a sound Strength & Conditioning Program.............305 Turn Your Golfing Partners GREEN With Envy....................................308 Workout Preparation for Optimal Sports Performance...........................310
46. Joe Thiel A. I Don't Want Big Muscles!......................................................................312 B. The Top 5 Training Myths.......................................................................314
47. John Kent A. Are You Sick & Tired Of Not Getting The Results You Want From Your Exercise Program?......................................................316 B. When Is The Best Time To Do My Cardio?...........................................318
48. John Preston A. Designing Resistance Training Workouts...............................................320 B. How to Develop an Effective Cardiovascular Exercise Program............322 C. Introduction to Workout Design..............................................................325 D. Periodization: The Personal Trainer's Secret to Designing Exercise Routines...................................................................328 E. Understanding the Variables of Weight Training....................................330
49. Jonathan Wong A. 3 Real Life Reasons Not To Jog..............................................................333 B. 5 Factors for Fitness Success...................................................................337 C. 7 Great Gifts For The New Fitness Junkie...............................................341 D. Critical Elements Of A Modern Warm-Up (NEW)...............................1512
50. Josue Cano A. 3 Tips To Achieve Maximum Acceleration For Athletic Performance...346 B. Boxing Your Way To Fitness: Burning The Calories Big Time.............347
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51. Kenneth Reed A. Functional Fitness Training Will Take You To New Heights For Real Life Situations!............................................................349
52. Kevin Hensel A. Golf Warm-Up Exercises.........................................................................351 B. Stretching 101..........................................................................................354 C. Stretching Survival Guide: Lower Body..................................................358 D. Stretching: the Forgotten Workout..........................................................366
53. Kevin Valluzzi A. Can Women Get Bulky From Lifting Weights?......................................370 B. Why Interval Training is the Best Form of Cardiovascular Exercise for Burning Calories and Losing Weight!.................................374 C. Home Workout vs. Gym Workout...........................................................380
54. Kim Ball A. How to Get a Flat Stomach......................................................................383 B. Is Your Cardio A Waste of Time?...........................................................386
55. Kristin Goodenough A. Are You Afraid of Boot Camp? Don't Be Afraid, It Isn't As Scary As You Think It Is! What To Expect From Your Fitness Boot Camp Experience............................................................................390 B. Are Your Workouts Boring? How to Bring Out Your "Inner Child" and Learn How to Play and Have Fun Again While Working Out!........394 C. Attention Women: Are You Building a Strong Pouch or a Six Pack? 8 Tips to Losing Your Belly Bulge Once and For All!.......397 D. How to Keep Your Kids From Driving You Insane This Summer! The Smart Mom's Survival Guide To Getting Kids Off the Couch and Moving Their Body..........................................................................399 E. Real Women Getting Real RESULTS at Boot Camp!............................403
57. Linda Copeland A. The Fabulous Five: Smokin' Hot Cocktail Dress Workouts....................408
58. Liz Modrell A. Lift to Lose: The Importance of Strength Training for Women..............413 B. Measuring Fitness Production..................................................................415 C. Starting an Exercise Program...................................................................416 D. Why Work With a Personal Trainer?.......................................................418
59. Marci Lall A. How to Get Rid of Your Arm Flab for Good!.........................................420 B. Why Circuit Training Will Help You Lose Weight Faster......................422
60. Mario Hostios A. Exercise Away Your Aches And Pains!..................................................424 B. Too Much Cardio Can Make You Fat!....................................................426
61. Mark H. Saunders A. Overtraining.............................................................................................428 B. The basic principles of Training and Nutrition........................................430
62. Mark Hibbitts A. Running When Pregnant and After the Birth? Is It Safe?........................433
63. Mark Mogavero A. Flexibility: The Cornerstone of Any Fitness Program.............................436 B. Machines are NOT safer than Free Weights............................................438 C. Moderate Cardio, Light WeightsHow this is keeping people fat.........440 D. The Best Exercise Out There? The Deadlift............................................442
65. Max Hoyt A. 12 Reasons Every Adult Should Weight Train........................................447 B. Fitness Myths Exposed............................................................................450
66. Michael J. Norwood A. Core Training: What Is It and Why Do I Need It?..................................454
67. Michael P. Keenan A. Cancer Related Fatigue and Exercise......................................................457 B. Exercise and Pregnancy: An Overview of Program Design....................461 C. Fibromyalgia and Exercise: An Overview for Program Design..............464 D. How we Measure Health and Fitness.......................................................466 E. Squats verses Leg Extensions: Open and Closed Kinetic Chain and The rationale for Strength and Function..................................................468
68. Michael Reyes A. 4 Great Fat Burners!.................................................................................471 B. 6 Cheap At-Home Workouts!..................................................................473 C. 6 Fitness Myths Revealed!.......................................................................475
69. Michelle Cox A. Fit At 50 And Beyond..............................................................................477 B. Golf Conditioning For The Golfing Athlete............................................478
70. Mike Hansen A. At Home Golf Fitness Assessment..........................................................480 B. Fitness Equipment For Your At Home Golf Workouts...........................481 C. Golf Fitness For Juniors...........................................................................484 D. Stay In The Game of Golf........................................................................486 E. The Big Five............................................................................................488
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71. Paula Jager A. Baby Boomer Fitness will Keep You Rocking........................................490 B. Free Weights vs. Machines......................................................................493 C. Women and Strength...............................................................................495
72. Peter Vasilis A. Oprahs Doing It, How About You? Discover The Secrets Of The Latest Fitness Craze!...................................................................497 B. Weighing In On The Issues of Women & Weight Training The Fastest Way To That Lean, Fit, Sexy Physique!..............................499
73. Phil Beckett A. Basic Home Fitness Guidelines...............................................................501 B. Body Building Routines Made Simple But Effective..............................503 C. Body Building Tips And Tricks...............................................................506 D. Home Fitness Machines Shouldnt Cost You A Fortune.........................508 E. The Best Body Building Supplements Can Make a Difference in Your Body Building Efforts.....................................................................511
74. Randy Gruezo A. How Not Working Out Your Lower Body Significantly Reduces Strength Gains For Your Upper Body!!!...................................514 B. Why Our Senior Population Should Train Fast and Why Training Them Not To Is Killing Them!!!..............................................516 C. WOMEN ONLY!!! Heavy Weight Training = Toned, Sexy Body!!! PERIOD!!!...............................................................................................519
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77. Robert Collier A. Abdominal Training Tips for Injury Prevention and Improved Function...................................................................................526 B. Common Causes of Ankle Injury and How You Can Prevent a Re-Injury..................................................................................529 C. How To Keep Motivated With Your Exercise Programme.....................532 D. The Core - What Is It, How Does It Work And Why Is It Important To Connect To Your Core?......................................................................534
78. Robert L. Selders, Jr. A. Aging Gracefully. How Training Female Athletes Can Increase Your 'Gray'.................................................................................536
79. Robert Morrison A. Choosing a Personal Trainer....................................................................539 B. Egos and Heroes......................................................................................540 C. How Much Can Women Achieve?..........................................................542 D. Variation & Stagnation............................................................................544
81. Roxayn Daniels A. Get Lean & Fit With a Mini-Circuit Fitness Program: A Personal Trainer Shares One of Her Favorite Time-Saving, Results Generating Workouts!.................................................................549 B. Post-Pregnancy Fitness: A Personal Trainer and Mother of Two Provides 6 Tips to Help You Get Started on an Incredible Post-Pregnancy Transformation...............................................................552 C. Weight Training Advice for Women: How to Avoid 5 Very Common Mistakes Women Make in the Gym and Get Optimal Results in Minimum from Your Strength Training Program...................555
82. Ryan Kollock A. Fitness Success in 5 Steps........................................................................558 B. Training Guidelines for Pregnant Women...............................................561
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83. Shannon Corey A. Find the Best Personal Trainer For You..................................................563 B. No Gym? No Problem!............................................................................565
85. Shondelle Solomon-Miles A. Bulking Up": Is This Really A Problem For Women?............................570 B. To Exercise or Not to Exercise?..............................................................572
86. Stan Small A. Fitness Can Be Fun! Really!....................................................................574 B. In Search of the Elusive Six Pack............................................................576 C. Pleasure, Pain, and Fitness.......................................................................579
87. Stephen Holt A. Fitness Program Tip - What to Stretch, What to Strengthen...................582 B. Get Off Your Rear!..................................................................................586 C. How You Can Get Your Fitness Program Back on Track with 8 Simple Steps.........................................................................................590 D. Inner Thigh Lies - Discover the Truth about Inner Thigh Exercises.......593
88. Tim Chudy A. Men's Fitness............................................................................................596 B. The 5 Deadly Sins To Avoid When Beginning A Fitness & Nutrition Program....................................................................598
89. Tim Rudd A. Best Exercise Ever For Flat Abs..............................................................600 B. Would You Like a Strong, Leaned Toned Body?; Got Core Training!...602
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90. Timothy Kret A. How To Choose A Personal Trainer........................................................604 B. Special Report: Choosing a Personal Trainer..........................................608
91. Todd Elliott A. How To Create Awesome Abs, Just Like The Models You See In The Magazines......................................................................612 B. Position Your Arms For Maximum Growth............................................615
92. Todd Painter A. The 5 Best Exercises to Get a Higher Vertical Jump...............................617
94. Velma Esprit Garnes A. Walking You and Your Family- Healthy for Life...................................620
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Nutrition Secrets
1. Adam Kessler A. Fiber Does More Than Just Lower Cholesterol.......................................623
2. Alan Courtenay A. 7 Easy Ways To Cutting 250 Calories.....................................................625 B. Breakfast: It Really Is For Champions?...................................................628 C. Did the Cavemen Have it Right?.............................................................630 D. Nutrition Labels Revealed.......................................................................633
3. Alton Skinner A. Eating For Aces: A Quick and Easy Nutrition Plan for Junior Tennis Players...............................................................................636
4. Arnel Ricafran A. Six Pack Abs Expert Reveals His Eating Secrets In Achieving Six Pack Abs............................................................................................640 B. Six Pack Abs Expert Reveals The Truth on Fruit. PLUS What a Healthy Meal Should Consist of To Get Your Six Pack Abs...............644 C. Six Pack Abs Expert Reveals Why Weight Loss Shakes Are A Waste of Money...................................................................................646 D. Six Pack Abs Expert Reveals What You Need To Know About "Fat-Free" Labeled Foods.............................................................649
5. Babe Mooney A. The "Secret" Revealed.............................................................................651 B. Water - Too Little or Too Much?............................................................653
6. Bob Mittleman A. The Eight Deadly Pitfalls Of Exercise And Eating Right........................655
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7. Brad Scott A. Eating Right Made Easy..........................................................................660 B. How to Eat on the Go...............................................................................662
8. Brenda Terry A. Do You Think Drinking Diet Sodas Will Help You To Lose Weight?...664
9. Brian T. Rurak A. Where Is The Sugar Hiding? 'The Truth About Low Fat Foods and How They Can Be Sabotaging Your Weight Loss Pursuit...............665
12. Carol Klingsmith A. How to Lose Weight and Keep It Off-- Eat Your Vegetables!................672
13. Chad Cannon A. Fitness Recovery For The Recovering Low-Carb Addicts......................674 B. Keeping Kids Healthy During Halloween!..............................................676 C. Toning Up With Healthy Eating..............................................................678
14. Chris Hill A. Die With A T = Diet................................................................................681 B. How To Design A Nutrition Plan To Gain Muscle And Lose Fat All Year Around................................................................684 C. What Is A Calorie?...................................................................................690
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15. Crystal Quintana and Elaine Peabody A. Exercise Right By Eating Right...............................................................693 B. Grab N Go Snack Ideas............................................................................695 C. Never Diet Again.....................................................................................697
16. Curb Ivanic A. Does Everyone Need to Eat the Same Way? Part I.................................699 B. Does Everyone Need to Eat the Same Way? Part II...............................701
17. Dale Andrew A. Eat These 7 Energy Foods, Increase Energy Levels................................703
19. Dave Gleason A. Guaranteed Weight Loss Success Starts with the Food You Eat!...........708
20. David Herber A. Snacking Through The Stress: Saying "I DO" to Healthy Treats............710
22. David Wehrenberg A. Police Officers Pre-Fitness Meal To Out Last The Drill Instructor During Physical Training........................................................715 B. Supplements Are The Wonder Drugs!...................................................717 C. Water -A-Fluid Connection Keeping Your Body In Motion During Physical Fitness Training.............................................................726
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24. Debbie Sproule A. You CAN Take it with You! Fatloss Meal Planning for Busy People....731
25. Doug Jackson A. Cortisol: How it Interferes With Fat Loss and What to Do About It.......733 B. Cortisol: How it Interferes With Fat Loss and What to Do About It (Part II).....................................................................................................735 C. Cortisol: How it Interferes With Fat Loss and What to Do About It (Part III)...................................................................................................737 D. How Alcohol Affects Fitness...................................................................739
28. Gary Giamboi A. Negative Calorie Foods... Where's the Beef?..........................................744 B. The Myth of Negative Calorie Foods......................................................748 C. The Not so Sweet Side of Sugar..............................................................752
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31. Holly Leonard A. Discover The 9 Essential Strategies of Healthy Nutrition That Will Have Your Fit And Lean In Less Time Than You Ever Thought Possible.............................................................................758
33. Ibsen Alexandre A. New Diet, New Revolution, Is It For You?.............................................763 B. You Really Want to LOSE WEIGHT? Stop Counting CALORIES and Focus on INGREDIENTS.................................................................767
37. Jason Morgan A. Fuel: Fitness Meals In Minutes................................................................788 B. Fuel: Fitness Meals In Minutes PT.2.......................................................791 C. The Key To Weight Loss Success Change Your Eating Behavior.......794
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39. Joe Thiel A. Diets Not Only Do Not Work, They May Be Harmful To Your Health........................................................................................798 B. I've Had Enough With The Diets!............................................................800
40. John Kent A. Sugar - The Hidden Enemy!..................................................................802 B. Surviving the Big Mac Attack in Our Fast Food World!.........................804
43. Kenneth Reed A. Artery Clogging, Fatty, Greasy, Sugary Foods...Oh My!........................810 B. Personal Trainer In Baltimore Exposes What They Don't Want You To Know.................................................................................814
45. Kim Ball A. Are You Eating Enough Protein?............................................................821 B. Why You Should Stop Focusing ONLY on Calories..............................824
46. Liz Modrell A. Eating to Lose Weight: Diets Don't Work...............................................828 B. 3 Reasons Why You Need Nutritional Supplements...............................830
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48. Mark H. Saunders A. Drink Up!.................................................................................................835 B. What Is Your Excuse For Not Eating Right?...........................................838
49. Matt MacLeod A. As Food Portions Increase So Does Our Waist Line...............................841 B. Fad Diets And Diet Centers Add To The Growing Problem of Obesity.....................................................................................................843
50. Max Hoyt A. Common Diet Myths Exposed.................................................................845 B. The Skinny on Fats: A Guide to Help You Understand How Fats Help & Hurt Our Health..........................................................849
54. Peter Vasilis A. Fast Food And A Healthy Diet - How To Have Your Cake And Eat It Too!........................................................................................859
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57. Robert L. Selders, Jr. A. How to Eat During the Holiday Season: Tips for Enjoying Yourself Without Impacting your Waistline...........................................................870
59. Roxayn Daniels A. Whats In YOUR Supplement Cupboard?: A Nutritionists Recommendation for 5 Key Supplements that Will Make the Biggest Impact on Your Overall Health, Fitness and Energy...............................874
60. Ryan Kollock A. Have You Had Your Metabolic Tests and Received Your Customized Supplements?...........................................................................................878 B. Top 3 Supplements You Need, Period!...................................................881
61. Shondelle Solomon-Miles A. Airport Dining Sucks!..............................................................................883 B. Attention All Women: Diets Are A Recipe For Disaster........................885 C. Do Calories Matter?.................................................................................887 D. Do They Work? The Real Deal On Diets................................................889 E. Does Breakfast Really Matter For Weight Loss?....................................891 F. Stop Blaming Carbohydrates!..................................................................893 G. Weighing-In On Low Carb Diets.............................................................895
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62. Thomas Christian Jensen A. Sound Fishy? This Stuff's for Real!.........................................................898
63. Tim Chudy A. Cholesterol: The Good, The Bad, And 4 Ways To Lower It...................899 B. Danger: Are Liquid Calories Sabotaging Your Diet?..............................901 C. Diet Ups And Downs...............................................................................903 D. 3 Fatal Nutrition Mistakes You Are Making Right Now Bringing Your Fat Loss To a Screeching Halt.........................................905
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Weightloss Secrets
1. Adam Kessler A. Eating Chocolate Ice Cream Every Full Moon Promotes Weight Loss.............................................................................927 B. How To Stay Committed To Your Weight Loss Program......................929 C. Potential Diet Pill Might Cause More Harm Than Good........................931
2. Andrew Voris A. Obese Employees Factor in on Bottom Line...........................................933 B. Weight Loss Now, How Can I Lose Body Fat??.....................................935
3. Andy Salazar A. Burn Your Fat Pants.................................................................................948 B. The Secret Truth to Losing Weight.........................................................950
8. Brian T. Rurak A. Weight Loss: Diets and Supplements and Their Ridiculous Claims! No More Bogus Claims About Weight Loss...........................................961 B. Women and Weight-Loss: Common Mistakes You Are Making............965
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9. Clint Howard A. 10 Tips to Achieving Weight Loss for Good!.........................................968 B. Achieving Weight Loss With Proper Nutrition.......................................970 C. How to Maximize Your Metabolism.......................................................972
12. Dale Andrew A. Top Ten Lame Exercise Excuses Why People Who Want A Better Body Dont Want to Exercise..........................................978 B. You Want a Better Body, You Joined The Gym, Now What?................980
13. Dave Gleason A. The Biggest Loser is One of the Biggest Problems.................................982 B. The Most Important Part of Weight Loss is You.....................................984
15. David Herber A. Vicious Visceral Fat and How to Vanquish It.........................................990
16. Dean Carlson A. I Want To Lose Weight, But....................................................................993 B. The Get Fat Quick Plan-7 Steps You Dont Want To Follow.............995
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17. Diane Catrambone A. Lost Weight? Ten Tips for Keeping It Off Forever.................................997
18. Doug Jackson A. Bariatric Surgery Much Riskier Than Previously Believed....................999
21. Gregg Gillies A. 5 Weight Loss Tips You Can Use Right Now.......................................1008 B. Build Muscle and Burn Fat Fast With The 8 x 8 System......................1013 C. How To Get Rid of Love Handles.........................................................1017 D. Try This Muscle Building Fat Burning Solution...................................1020
22. Han Ayden A. Yoga For Weight Loss? You Must Be Kidding Me!.............................1022
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26. Jason Goggans A. If You Only Have 5-10 Vanity Pounds to Loose??...............................1034 B. The Fitness Triangle..............................................................................1037 C. The Weight Loss Secret Weapon...........................................................1041
27. Jason Zaretzky A. Is Your Weight Loss Program Failing You? 5 Strategies to Ensure Your Results..............................................................................1043 B. The Common Pitfalls Of Exercise Programs For Weight Loss.............1047
29. Jimmy Smith A. Fat Loss Answers...................................................................................1052 B. Fat Loss Books: Which Ones Are Worth Your Money..........................1054 C. Four Things You're Doing To Stay Fat.................................................1056 D. Solving The Mystery of Fat Loss...........................................................1058
31. Jonathan Wong A. Employee Waist Lines, Employer Bottom Lines..................................1062 B. Fat Loss Confusion................................................................................1067
32. Josue Cano A. How To Prevent Weight Loss Sabotage................................................1072 B. Look Great Naked Again.......................................................................1074 C. Losing Weight or Dropping Body Fat: What's The Difference?...........1076
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33. Kenneth Reed A. Family Matters.......................................................................................1078 B. Keep Changing To Get The Changes You Want!.................................1080
35. Kevin Valluzzi A. What Does Keeping An Exercise/Nutrition Journal Have to Do With Losing Weight?.........................................................1087
36. Larry Johnston A. Ten Changes You Can Make to Lose Weight.......................................1093
38. Marie O'Malley A. Belly Fat Bulletin: Three Secrets to Reduce Belly Fat..........................1097
39. Mario Hostios A. How To Lose Your Gut And Lift Your Butt!........................................1101
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42. Michael J. Norwood A. 3 Simple 'Fitness Parenting' Strategies to Help Eliminate Childhood Obesity.................................................................................1108
45. Randy Gruezo A. Why Isn't My Fitness Program Getting Me Results, Even Though I'm Spending Hours In the Gym (Part 1 of 3) !!!............1116
46. Robert Collier A. Permanent Weight Loss? How to lose weight and keep it off!..............1119
48. Roxayn Daniels A. How to Win the Body Fat War: 10 Strategies from a Personal Trainer to Turn Your Body into a 24 Hour Fat-Burning Machine!....................1126
51. Shondelle Solomon-Miles A. 5 Proven Ways To Lose More Fat In Less Time...................................1139 B. Can't Lose Weight? Syndrome X May Be the Culprit...........................1142 C. Desire: The Starting Point of Weight Loss Success..............................1144 D. Misinformation: The Root of Weight Loss Failure...............................1146 E. Motivational Techniques for Individuals Who Lack Drive & Enthusiasm...............................................................................1148 F. The Missing Ingredients of Weight Loss Success are NOT Motivation and Willpower............................................................1150
54. Tim Chudy A. Heres One Big Weight Loss Idea That Has Nothing To Do With Fitness Or Nutrition!..........................................................1156
55. Tim Rudd A. 3 Proven Strategies For Accelerating Your Fat Loss Results..................1158 B. Just Do It!; 8 Proven Strategies For Staying On The Fat Loss Track....1161
56. Timothy Kret A. Practical Weight Loss Solutions............................................................1164 B. The Latest Research on Cellulite and How To Get Rid Of It................1166
57. Todd Elliott A. Five Secrets About How To Get An Eye-Catching Beach Body Fast!...................................................................................1168 B. Discover The Fat Loss Secrets of a Natural Bodybuilding Champion..1171
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58. Travis Speegle A. 5 Surefire Ways to Fight Fat Fast..........................................................1182 B. Do What You Know!.............................................................................1185 C. How Do You Measure Up?....................................................................1187 D. Summer Is Almost Here! - There's Still Time To Get Into Swimsuit Shape for This Summer.........................................................1189
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4. Bob Cochrane A. 20 Ways to Boost Your Confidence......................................................1200 B. Body Confidence: How to Like What You See in the Mirror..............1202 C. Confidence is Perceiving Failure as Feedback......................................1205 D. Refocusing After Setbacks.....................................................................1208 E. You Are Great!......................................................................................1210
5. Bonnie Murphy A. Buzzword of the 21st Century: ObesityAdult and Childhood............1213 B. Exercise for Body, Mind, and Spirit......................................................1216
7. Brian T. Rurak A. The Truth About How To Boost Your Metabolism, Fitness Levels, and Weight Loss....................................................................................1223
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8. Bruce Kelly A. It Aint the Hamstrings..........................................................................1228 B. It Starts with the Feet.............................................................................1230 C. Soft Tissue Work: Why You Need It.....................................................1232 D. The Importance of Mobility...................................................................1234
10. Carol Kingsmith A. Drop Dead Gorgeous Takes on New Meaning......................................1238 B. Exercise Offers Relief for Symptoms of Chronic Disease....................1241 C. How to Stay Motivated on the Road to Health and Fitness...................1243 D. The Perfect Gift How to Give the Gift of Health................................1245
11. Chad Cannon A. 5 Healthy Tips That Get You Through The Holiday Season.................1248 B. 7 Easy Rules For Attaining More Energy..............................................1249 C. 7 Tips For a Healthy Lifestyle...............................................................1251 D. Tips for Being the Fit, Healthy Person You Want to Be.......................1253
12. Chris Hill A. Common Trends To Break To Become The Healthiest Ever................1256
15. Crystal Quintana and Elaine Peabody A. Breaking Through Obstacles..................................................................1262 B. Success is Often About Motivation.......................................................1264
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16. Crystal Reiber A. Back To Nature......................................................................................1266 B. If I Can Do It, YOU Can!......................................................................1268 C. Wellness...Simplified.............................................................................1270
17. Dale Andrew A. You Dont Need a Fitness Routine, You Need a Fitness Habit.............1272
18. Dan Cardoza A. Age-Proof Your Body (Part I): 5 Proven Ways to Look and Feel Younger and Healthier with Fitness and Nutrition........................1275 B. Age-Proof Your Body (Part II): 5 Proven Ways to Look and Feel Younger and Healthier with Fitness and Nutrition........................1279 C. Age-Proof Your Body (Part III): 5 Proven Ways to Look and Feel Younger and Healthier with Fitness and Nutrition........................1281 D. Age-Proof Your Body (Part IV): 5 Proven Ways to Look and Feel Younger and Healthier with Fitness and Nutrition........................1284 E. Age-Proof Your Body (Part V): 5 Proven Ways to Look and Feel Younger and Healthier with Fitness and Nutrition........................1287
19. Daniel Ramon A. Top 10 Tips for Motivation Success......................................................1289 B. Variety is Your Key to Success.............................................................1291
21. Dean Carlson A. Personal Trainers - Are They Worth It?................................................1295 B. Reaching Your Fitness Goals - Are You Choosing Wisely?.................1297 C. What's Your Excuse For Not Reaching Your Fitness Goals?...............1299
22. Denis Kanygin A. What Is Good Posture, Why Posture Is Important or Why You Should Have Listened To Your Mom....................................................1300
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25. Doug Jackson A. Goal Setting for Fitness: The Overlooked Factors................................1308 B. How Exercise Impacts ADHD...............................................................1310 C. How to Prevent Osteoporosis with Exercise..........................................1312
26. Erin Morgart A. Depression and The Obese.....................................................................1314 B. Metabolism and Energy Balance: Finding YOURS.............................1316
27. Gary Giamboi A. How Stress, Sleep, and Hormones Affect Our Weight Loss and Muscle Gain............................................................................1318 B. How We Stand.......................................................................................1322 C. Whats Breath Got to Do With It?.........................................................1324
28. Geoff Kalmbach A. Guess What Ladies . . .You're Not Kelly Ripa......................................1327
29. Gregg Gillies A. A Training Diary is a Vital Tool For Your Fat Loss Success................1329
31. Holly Leonard A. Discover How to Overcome Fear of Success and Unwanted Behaviors that Sabotage Your Health and Fitness Success...................1334 B. Finally Discover the Complete Formula for Guaranteed Body Transformation Success.........................................................................1338 C. How to Get REAL and PERMANENT Health, Fitness, and Weight Loss Results...With 100% Certainty Every Time!.................1344
33. Ibsen Alexandre A. How to Motivate Yourself to a Better Body Weight and Body Shape............................................................................................1351
34. Irene Diamond A. 10 Simple Tips for Giving a Great Message..........................................1354 B. Three Easy Steps For A Healthy Pregnancy..........................................1359
35. Jane Westreich A. Ask Not What You Can Do For Your Mother.......................................1362 B. Keeping Joints Healthy and Strong........................................................1364
36. Jane Yogel A. Abdominal FAT and The Middle Age Spread...................................1366 B. Forget About Quick Fixes Make Changes That Last!........................1368 C. Help, I Want to Feel Good What a Wellness Coach Can Do for You.............................................................................................1371 D. Rehabbing from Within.........................................................................1373
38. Jason Morgan A. Change Your Mind, Change Your Body: 10 Mind Set Shifting Tips for Fitness Success...........................................................1377 B. The Body You Want In Less Than 5 Minutes: False Advertising In the Weight Loss Industry...................................................................1381
41. Jill Thiel A. How Do We Get Our Kids to Care About Diet and Exercise?..............1388
42. John Kent A. The Secret Key to Unleashing Your Potential for a Total Body Transformation....................................................................1392
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47. Marci Lall A. 17 Simple Ways To Increase Your Energy Levels And Become More Active.............................................................................1408
48. Mario Hostios A. Getting the Best Deal on Your Gym Membership.................................1410 B. How To Add 30 Years To The Prime of Your Life!.............................1412
50. Mark Mogavero A. Drug Companies Thrive When You Are Sick.......................................1415
52. Matt MacLeod A. 3 Fundamentals to Transform Your Body.............................................1421 B. No Excuses for Excuses.........................................................................1422 C. Reality TV is Doing a Disservice to Audiences....................................1425
53. Michael J. Norwood A. Could Your Overall Negative Outlook Be Undermining Your Weight Loss Attempts?.................................................................1427
57. Pete Piranio A. Creating Momentum To Get Fit............................................................1439 B. Get Leverage To Get Fit........................................................................1442 C. How To Create Mental Muscle For Physical Change...........................1445 D. Unleashing Your Internal Power...........................................................1447
58. Peter Vasilis A. How to Fit Fitness Into Your Hectic Schedule 7 Quick Tips to Make Exercise a Daily Habit.......................................1450 B. The Silent Killer Read This Right Now Your Life May Be in Danger!.................................................................................1452
60. Randy Gruezo A. Maverick Miramar Personal Trainer Reveals 5 Shocking Secrets About Personal Trainers' Lives That They Don't Want You To Know About.............................................................................1456
61. Rani Yovetich A. Different Strokes for Different Folks.....................................................1459 B. Homeopathy (Similar Suffering)...........................................................1461
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63. Robert L. Selders, Jr. A. A Better Body NOW!...7 Secrets to Creating a Better Body After the Baby..............................................................................1464 B. Eternal Fairways and Greens...7 Tips That Will Keep You Playing Golf for a Life Time...............................................................................1466 C. Unstoppable! How You Can Chare Forward and Achieve All Your Fitness Goals Now........................................................................1468
65. Ryan Kollock A. Focus For a Better Body........................................................................1472 B. Motivated for Life..................................................................................1474 C. What's up with Reiki?............................................................................1477
66. Shervan Khanna A. The Evidence For Strength-Based Rehab For Back Pain......................1479 B. Living Stronger, Lasting Longer............................................................1481 C. Health Promotion...................................................................................1484
67. Shondelle Solomon-Miles A. Body Transformation Requires That You Set Goals.............................1487 B. Do You Believe You Can Lose Weight?...............................................1489 C. Visualization: An Effective Tool For Reprogramming Negative Belief Systems.......................................................................................1491
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69. Tim Chudy A. Exercise, Nutrition, and Menopause......................................................1495 B. How The Old Stay Young......................................................................1496 C. How To Optimize Your Fat Burning Potential......................................1498 D. The Ultimate Health & Fitness Secret...................................................1500
70. Velma Esprit Garnes A. Believe...................................................................................................1502 B. The Effects of Decreased Hormonal Activity on Bone Loss and Muscular Development in Pre-, Peri-, PostMenopausal Women..............................................................................1505 C. The Power to Commit to a Decision: Have You Really Made Up Your Mind to Get the Body You Want, or Are You Just Wishing for It?.......................................................................................1508
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Fitness Secrets
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You will also need to do cardiovascular exercise so that you can burn away excess bodyfat. Find a piece of equipment that will get your heart rate going for 25-35 minutes. You want to be able to speak sentences and not gasp for breath as you are training. Riding the bike, walking, elliptical machines are a great way to get your cardio work in and we'll help burn away that body-fat. If you can combine your diet and cardio, you will be able to show off that finely tuned rear end of yours because the body-fat will be gone. If you neglect either of one of them, you could risk making your butt a tad bigger. So, stay disciplined, work hard, and I think you could have the derriere that you will gladly want to show off at the pool this summer.
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This included eating more dairy foods such as yogurt, buttermilk, milk, or cheese. But some people are lactose intolerant. If that is the case, an individual could acquire their calcium from sources such as baked beans, oranges, molasses, almonds, or salmon. What was the result? A year later Kelley went back and pestered her doctor to get another bone scan. Her second scan showed much improvement in both her critical areas, moving her back into the normal range. My doctor said that the usual scenario is that once bone density loss starts, it does not stop, let alone improve! Kelley was ecstatic that she didnt have to resort to drugs and has resolved that the combined diet and exercise will become a lifestyle habit for her to prevent osteoporosis. My mentality is that I will continue to workout with Adam and his group indefinitely. They have become part of the team of professionals that are helping me reach my goal of staying active and healthy as I age, said Kelley. It is recommended that if you have some of the following risk factors, you might want to ask your doctor for a bone scan: Women over 50 and started menopause Caucasian or Asian, but all races can be affected An inactive lifestyle Low calcium intake throughout your lifetime Family history of osteoporosis Osteoporosis is often called the silent disease because there really arent any symptoms until it is too late. Before you know it your bones are weak and you are getting fractures. So if you have certain risk factors it is better to be safe than sorry. To learn more about osteoporosis and other health and fitness concerns, go to http://fitnessplanning.com, and sign up for their free newsletter. But, the best thing you can do now is start pumping iron and eating right and maybe you wont have to worry about dem bones.
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Walk on heels Walk on toes Right leg lunge, then rotate upper body to the left. Repeat on left leg, and alternate Lift right knee to hip level, then straighten knee, repeat on left leg and alternate Lunge sideways Skip Jog jog with knees high in front Jog with heels to buttocks Side steps Side step crossovers.
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Split step then shadow forehand, repeat for backhand 10 times each side Split step then shadow forehand volley, Repeat for backhand volley 10 times each side.
It has been my experience that when junior tennis players follow a consistent dynamic warm up they play better, practice better, and experience far fewer and less severe injuries. It is to a junior tennis player advantage to follow this quick and easy dynamic warm up program.
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Lower Body Stretch takes 5 minutes When you have time after an intense lower body toning session or cardio, this sequence will give you the ultimate lower body stretch. 1. Calf Stretch 2. Hamstring Stretch 3. Quadriceps Stretch 4. Chest Stretch 5. Upper Back Stretch Short Standing Stretch Ideal for cooling down after a cardio or when you are pressed for time, the short standing stretch features a few quick exercises for all the major muscle groups. 1. Calf Stretch Hold for 20 sec Hold for 20 sec Hold for 20 sec Hold for 20 sec Hold for 15 sec Hold for 15 sec
2. Hamstring Stretch Hold for 20 sec 3. Quadriceps Stretch Hold for 20 sec 4. Chest Stretch Hold for 15 sec
The Flexibility Moves By stretching the muscles in your arms, chest, back, and legs, you are eliminating tension, building your flexibility, and reducing your soreness. These moves are in order you perform at the end of each workout, you can also perform each stretch on its own at other times. This is useful if you find one area of your body is feeling stiff and sore. 1. Chest Stretch Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your leg slightly bent. Pull your tummy muscles in and keep your head, neck, and shoulders relaxed. Clasp your hands behind your back. Keeping your back straight, lift your arms behind you until you can feel a stretch across your chest. Hold for 15 seconds, then return to start.
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2. Upper Back Stretch Stand with your feet hip width apart and your legs slightly bent. Straighten your arms out in front of you and clasp your fingers together. Keeping your lower back firm and your body upright, gently push your hands away from you. Feel the stretch across your upper back and the back of your shoulders. Hold for about 15 seconds and then slowly lower your arms to the start position.
3. Triceps Stretch Stand with your feet hip width apart and your legs slightly bend. Raise one arm and place the hand over your back (as if trying to scratch your upper back). Now increase the stretch by gently pushing the elbow back with your other hand. Hold the position, feeling the stretch down the back of your arm for 10 seconds. Slowly return to the start position and repeat with the other arm.
4. Spine Rotation Lie on your back, with arms stretched out at shoulder level. Bend both legs to 90 degrees, then drop your knees to one side so one is touching the floor, but dont force the stretch. Hold for 15 seconds, then return to the start before repeating on the other side.
5. Glute Stretch Lie on your back on the floor. Bend the knee of one leg, but keep your foot on the floor. Cross your other leg so your ankle is resting just above the knee. Clasp the thigh of your first leg firmly by both hands, then gently pull it toward you. Feel the stretch in your bottom and your outer thigh. Hold the position for about 15 seconds or a little longer if you can, then slowly return your legs to the start position. Repeat the stretch using your other leg.
6. Lying Down Hamstring Stretch Lie on your back on the floor with one leg bent at the knee and your foot flat on the floor. Hold your other leg with one hand behind the thigh and one hand behind your calf. Keeping this leg as straight as you can, gently pull it toward you until you feel the stretch down the back of your thigh. Hold the position for 30 seconds, allowing the muscles to relax into the stretch as you do so. Slowly return to the start position. Repeat with your other leg.
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7. Standing Hamstring Stretch Place one heel in front of you and put your hands on your thigh. Bend your other knee and slowly bend forward from the hips. Feel the stretch in the back of your thigh, calf, and the back of your knee. Hold for 10 seconds, then slowly lean in a little farther to intensify the stretch. Hold for 10 seconds, then repeat on the other side.
8. Quadriceps Stretch Stand up straight, keeping your supporting leg slightly bent. Bend your other leg and holding the front of your foot, pull it up toward your bottom. Keep your knees together, hips pointing forward, and back straight. Feel the stretch in the front of your thigh and your hip. Hold for 20 seconds, and then repeat with the other leg.
9. Lying Down Quadriceps stretch Lie face down with your head on one hand. Keeping your hips on the floor, bring one leg behind you and hold the front of the foot. Keep your head down and neck relaxed. Hold for 20 seconds, and then repeat with the other leg.
10. Outer Thigh Stretch Sit with one leg in front of you and the other crossed over it. With one arm for support, use the other to ease your knee across your body. Feel the stretch in your outer thigh. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat with your other leg.
11. Inner Thigh Stretch Sit with your back straight. Place the soles of your feet together, then, holding your ankles, pull your feet in toward you. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds, feeling it in your inner thighs as you relax your legs down towards the floor. You can intensify this stretch by placing your elbows on your knees and, keeping your back straight, gently easing your body forward from the hips.
12. Calf Stretch Stand with your feet together, then step back with one foot, pushing into the heel and bending your other leg slightly. Keep your back straight, feet facing forward, and heels on the floor. Imagine a straight line running from your back heel to your head. Hold for 20 seconds, feeling the stretch in your calf. You can increase the stretch by moving your rear foot slightly back, pushing into the heel, and holding for a few seconds.
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Follow this program and notice how much better you look, feel, and perform in you next junior tennis match.
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off the court. You can experience harder serves consistently, you can play better in the heat, and you will find your energy level remains consistently high throughout a tournament. You can play better and better every day, every week, and every year. You can develop the type of habits that will improve you chance of success at the junior, collegiate, and the professional ranks. These same habits of planning and action will help you become more successful in adulthood. Any training program should apply the five basic laws of training to ensure improvement and keeping athletes free of injury. This is especially important for the young junior tennis player. Law Number One: Develop Joint Flexibility Most strength training exercises use the entire range of motion of major joints, especially the knees, ankles, and hips. Good joint flexibility prevents strain and pain around the knees, elbows and other joints. Ankle flexibility should be a concern for all athletes, especially beginners. Good flexibility prevents stress injuries. You must start developing ankle flexibility during pre-pubescence and pubescence so that in latter stages of athletic development it need only be maintained. Law Number Two: Develop Tendon Strength Your muscle strength improves faster than tendon and ligament strength. Sometimes lack of a long term view or improper use of the principle of specificity cause coaches and trainers to overlook the strengthening of ligaments. Tendons and ligaments grow with anatomical adaptation. Without proper anatomical adaptation, strength training can injure the tendons and ligaments. Training your tendons and ligaments causes them to enlarge in diameter and increases their ability to withstand tension and tearing. Law Number Three: Develop the Core Your arms and legs are only as strong as the trunk of your body. A poorly developed trunk is a weak support for your hard working limbs. Your training program must first strengthen your core before focusing on your arms and legs. Your core acts as a shock absorber for jumps, rebounds, and plyometric exercises. The core stabilizes your body and acts as a link between arms and legs. Weak core muscles fail, and limit your ability to perform to your highest level. You must pay more attention to your core if you hope to reach your tennis goals. Abdominal Muscles. Your abdominal and back muscles surround the core of the body with a tight and powerful support structure of muscle bundles running in different directions. Since many players have weak abdominals relative to their back, general and specific abdominal training is needed. Back Muscles. Your back muscles, including the deep back muscles of the vertebral column, are responsible for many movements such as back extension, extending and rotating the trunk.
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Your trunk acts as the transmitter and supporter of most arm and leg actions. The Iliopsoas. The iliopsoas is an essential muscle for hip flexion and running. It is not a large muscle; it is the most powerful hip flexor, responsible for swinging the legs forward. Tennis requires a well developed iliopsoas. Law Number Four: Develop the Stabilizers Your big muscles work more efficiently with strong stabilizers or fixator muscles. Stabilizers contract to immobilize a limb so that another part of your body can act. Improperly developed stabilizers may hamper the activity of your major muscles leading to reduced power and a risk of increased injury. Unfortunately, few coaches take the time to develop the stabilizers. Time should be set aside at the beginning and end of the year for stabilizer training. Your core muscles, rotators, and stabilizers should be developed using a long term progression. A casual approach to this area will do a disservice to a serious tennis athlete. Law Five: Train Movements, Not Individual Muscles Players must resist training muscles in isolation as if you are a body builder. The purpose of strength training for tennis is to simulate sport skills. Tennis skills are multi-joint movements that happen in a certain order, called a kinetic chain. According to the principle of specificity, your body position and limb angles should resemble those for the tennis stroke. When you train movements, your muscles are integrated and strengthened to perform the tennis stroke with more power. Therefore, tennis players should not use weight training alone, but should broaden their training program to include medicine balls, rubber cords, shots and plyometric equipment. Exercise performed with these devices allows you to mimic the tennis stroke more easily. By following the techniques in this article, you will succeed, like the thousands of others using them, in becoming the best athlete you can. To be sure, there are costs involved in this process. It takes time and dedication to stretch each day, to consume a proper diet, to lifts weight to increase your power and reduce the risk of injury. But in the final analysis, there is nothing so potent realizing your full potential in order to carry yourself like a champion athlete, and to feel the power and strength of your body and your mind. It will all be worth it if it allows you someday to stand there holding a championship trophy or sign a letter of intent to a major college as your friends and family watch you proudly and praise your for doing your best. Lets get started!
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Quick and Easy Drills For Improving Junior Tennis Players Speed Agility and Quickness
By Alton Skinner
Junior Tennis is a complex sport. It requires speed, agility, balance, quickness, reaction time, power, strength and endurance. Unfortunately there is rarely time to develop all these attributes alone. It becomes crucial to use a training program that incorporates most of these areas of skill. Those that are most important in junior tennis are speed, agility and balance. Can this junior player run down balls that the average player can't reach, can this junior get from area a to b quickly and on balance and ready for the next stroke? These are just some of the question you a faced with when developing a speed and agility program for a junior tennis player. Below is a sample program that addresses the need for speed, balance and quickness. Perform each drill for 2 minutes total. Divide into 4 sets of actual work with a brief rest period. Perform this junior program two times per week following a skill training session. Perform Drills for 30 seconds with 20 seconds rest between sets Drill One: A-Skip For Height: Supplemental Speed Purpose Increase hip extension, flexion strength, and ankle stiffness Procedure
Skip using perfect posture and arm action The knee on the recovery leg should be brought high and stay fully flexed while keeping the ankle close to the gluteus and dorsiflexed. When the recovery knee is at the highest point, the opposite ground foot should emphasize plantar flexion. Keep the upper body in an upright and steady position at all times: the foot strike should be quiet but explosive, emphasizing muscle stiffness at the ankle.
Be careful not to slam the foot onto the ground. Drill Two: 40-Yard Square Carioca-Cone Drill Purpose Improve ability to change direction, flexibility in hips and footwork
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Procedure
Place a cone at each corner of the court. Start in a two point stance. Begin on the right side of the square and sprint forward 10 yards. At the first cone make a reverse pivot Carcioca 10 yards to the next cone. Reverse pivot and backpedal 10 yards to the next cone. Reverse pivot and carioca 10 yards to the finish.
Drill Three: Carioca: In-out Shuffle Agility ladder Drill Purpose Improve agility, balance, coordination, and quickness Procedure
Start in a two-point stance Begin standing sideways to the ladder, with the ladder in front of you. Step with the left foot straight ahead into the first square. Follow with the right foot into the first square. Step back and diagonally with the left foot until it is in front of the second square. Follow with the right foot until it is in front of the second square. Repeat this sequence throughout the ladder. Each foot hits every box Variations: Perform the same pattern with each foot in a separate box; use every other box to increase the length of your lateral step. Perform with the ladder behind you
Drill Four: 15-Yard Turn Drill Cone Drill Purpose Improve ability to change direction, flexibility in hips and footwork Procedure
Start in a two point stance Sprint forward 5 yards to cone 1 and make a sharp right turn around it. Sprint to cone 2, located five yards to the right of the start and diagonal from the first cone, and make a left turn around it Sprint 5 yards through the finish. Variations: Put the inside hand on the ground when making turns. Change distances to the cones, make turns on command, not at the cones.
Drill Five. Lateral Skaters to sprint: Lower body plyometrics and speed
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Purpose Improve cutting ability and first step lateral quickness Procedure
Begin with both feet together and push off laterally with one leg. Upon landing, immediately push off in the opposite direction and continue the drill for either reps or time. To develop quickness, perform as many reps as possible for time.(ten seconds or less) At end of time sprint to opposite of the court.
Drill Six; Medicine Ball Wall Overhead Toss: Upper Body Plyometrics Purpose Enhance explosive power in throwing and overhead activities Procedure
Face a wall in an upright athletic stance with a medicine ball held over your head Throw the ball, striking the wall directly in front of you. Variations: Use different stances, step forward while throwing or throw from a kneeling position
Follow this program and watch your speed, quickness, and agility improve. Plus you will give yourself every chance to perform better in every junior tennis match you play.
Are Trainers Focusing on Functional Training too Much and not Enough on Fat Loss?
By Andrew Voris
The other day I read an article from a very successful fitness information guru addressing the "functional training" craze. His concern was that when someone buys training and they are asking for a weight loss solution they are typically getting more of a corrective exercise program and not a weight loss program. He wrote... "The fitness industry has swung so far to the realm of 'physical therapy' we are forgetting the reason why clients go to a gym or fitness professional in the first place." And goes on to say.... "If I am fitness professional and the client pays me money to help them lose weight, then it is my goal to help them lose weight! Period." I agree with Ryan however shouldn't a trainer be able to address both better movement patterns and obesity in the same client? Maybe the client is obese due to poor movement patterns if the movement patterns have caused inflammation of a joint and now the client hurts to move and is therefore more sedentary. It's which came first the chicken or the egg with every client. The inactivity will inhibit movement patterns just as poor movement patterns will cause a person to move less if they are in pain. Both become an issue equally. If I do not address movement patterns in a weight loss program the pain that could occur from the poor movement patterns may be the very reason the client stops training! Of course some athletes get an injury or develop a poor movement pattern and never get pain therefore never decrease activity but they can still improve performance by improving movement patterns. Some people get fat from less activity and as Ryan said poor nutrition but most of these people will quickly develop poor movement patterns.
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I hope I've proven my point! The larger problem here which Ryan is addressing is obesity. I can help someone overcome a movement pattern problem far more easily than I can help them overcome an issue with obesity. Obesity is much more psychological in nature and needs to be dealt with in a much different way. The program needs to address the emotional reason they are obese as well. Maybe this is why we see so many trainers opt for "functional training" rather than being a fat loss guru. If you are not addressing the nutritional component with every client you make a big mistake. Every person in America needs to understand healthy eating and supplementation in order to be healthy and keep those around them healthy. I recommend every client at least look at Prograde Nutrition, nutrition generator, & Purfoods fitness. I help them decide how many calories they need and I share guidelines with them. They either partake themselves or tell others. My job is to inform and educate. I agree with Ryan that obesity is a problem and that we do not have enough good trainers addressing obesity properly. The resources are available and I feel as soon as trainers catch on to these resources this will change. I have managed a few very large health clubs and am amazed how many trainers do not know of Ryan Lee, Brian Grasso, Lee Taft, Eric Ruth, Pat Rigsby, and so on. These trainers are hiding under a rock. This information they provide and resources should be a staple for any trainer. This is what shows me that there are so many trainers that don't care. When trainers start caring we will have a shift and a large impact on the obesity population.
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program available. Of course I learned quite a bit but were my athletes really getting the best training program available? What I know is that if an athlete has a training program that they follow they can see better results than if they just show up to train and ho-hum around. What I also know is that if the training program was created with the end in mind it will be even more successful. What I mean is that the training program actually has progressions and a rhyme and reason for those progressions. Taking it a step further, if the athlete is monitored by a trainer and the trainer determines when the next progression begins based on an assessment of the athlete the training program will be even better. This is different than the training program having set time frames for each phase say 4 weeks for Muscular Development Phase. The trainer interacts every day with the athlete and should be recording several variables throughout the sessions to determine the best time to make changes in the training program. I also think that most training program is fairly sound as long as the trainer has a firm grasp of the concepts and more importantly the variables. I have seen many trainer obtain a certification and then never crack the book open again. A trainer must study continually in order to understand the variables in training program design. What happens when an athlete pulls a hamstring playing around with buddies the first week of power and plyometric training program? What do you as a trainer do now? Stop the training program? Change the training program? How about regressions in some areas and progressions in others? If the trainer understands the variables for training program design he/she should be able to rehab the leg while not losing much ground in the overall training program. As an athlete it is crucial to have a trainer following these principles. Of course an athlete can settle for a mediocre training program/trainer and still possibly see some results but why would you? Author s resource box Andy Voris is a certified personal trainer/strength coach located in Glen Ellyn, IL. He works with athletes of all levels including NFL players like Todd Sauerbrun. He owns to companies, BodyForm Personal Training & Athlete Development Institute. His websites are http://www.bodyformpersonaltraining.com & http://www.athletedevelopmentinstitute.com
Some benefits of weight training are visually apparent. But it also: Lowers blood pressure Increases metabolism Increases bone density Helps with balance Improves body fat percentage Decreases risk of injury Helps the body work more efficiently.
With all that, you may wonder why more people don't use resistance training in their fitness plans. There are many myths surrounding resistance training, and these hold people back. Here are a couple of those myths, along with the reality: Myth: Women will get big and bulky. Reality: A major factor in massive muscle growth is testosterone. Women don't have as much testosterone as men, so don't worry about bulky muscles. Myth: If you stop, your muscle will turn to fat. Reality: Muscle and fat are different types of tissue. Muscle cannot turn to fat. Others reasons that people forego resistance training include not knowing how to do it, fear of injury or intimidation. These are all valid concerns. When you are thinking about incorporating resistance training into your routine, seek out the help of fitness professional. Remember, the benefits of resistance training are worth the long walk from the cardio equipment into unfamiliar territory at the gym.
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"Multi-Set Training for Ultimate Fat Burning and Lean Muscle Mass"
By Andy Salazar
Quit wasting precious time at the gym wandering around aimlessly wondering which body part to work and follow my sure fire plan to get in killer shape faster then you ever thought possible. Stop your traditional style of weight training and start circuit training. If you are trying to lose weight and tone your muscles, like most gym goers are, then circuit training is a very efficient way to do it. Workout faster and train more body parts during each workout. Train every muscle group at least once every week with my three day a week workout plan. I'm not talking about your traditional style circuit training with time intervals. You can call it multi-set training. With this style of training you ensure optimal calorie burning and lean muscle building for your body, not to mention time efficiency. Your time wasting days at the gym are over. No more waiting for equipment or chatting. Choose today to start working toward a new, leaner, healthier you. Multi-set training involves three exercises that are performed back to back three to four times, with a 15-20 second break between each circuit. Rest times should be kept to a minimum so your heart rate will not go up and down but stay level. This will ensure that you are burning a ton of calories during each workout session. This can be done by keeping all the exercises close together, so you don't have to walk all the way across the gym, wasting time or reserving equipment. Here is an example of a typical circuit: dumbbell rows followed by, dumbbell pullovers, then a sumo squat or a flat bench crunch. Depending on your size and sex you can burn anywhere from 350-550 calories a workout. In a typical multi-set workout you will train three to four body parts each workout. This may seem like a hard workout concept to grasp, so I will only say it once; there are no rules to your workout. Your possibilities are endless. Throw all of your traditional ideas of weight training out the door. Instead of having a strict workout plan that does not allow for change, have a workout plan that is an outline of body parts you want to work and design it as you go. You can group your body parts like so, (back, abs, biceps), (shoulders, chest, legs), (triceps, abs, legs). The key to multi-set training is to keep moving. If one of your pieces of equipment is occupied, just do another exercise for the same body part. For example if you were doing a triceps pushdown and that is occupied, you could do triceps kickback or bench dips, and come back to the pushdown later. The only concern you should have with this style of training is reserving equipment in a large gym. When no rules apply to your workout you do not have to worry about reserving equipment. Just move on, and then come back to it later. Remember, time is of the essence. Your workouts should not be any longer than 30-45 minutes.
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Start your multi-set training today and transform your body into a calorie burning, lean muscle building machine. Here is a sample of a typical three day a week super, super set workout. Day One: Chest, Shoulders, Abs (Circuit #1) Flat bench dumbbell chest press 3 sets x 12-15 repetitions Dumbbell military press 3 sets x 10-12 repetitions Reverse crunches 3 sets x 20-30 repetitions (Circuit #2) Incline dumbbell chest press 3 sets x 12-15 repetitions Dumbbell side lateral raises 3 sets x 10-12 repetitions Decline crunches or regular flat bench crunches 3 sets x 20-30 repetitions (Circuit #3) Pec. Deck or dumbbell flies 3 sets x 15 repetitions Dumbbell front shoulder raises 3 sets x 12 repetitions Dumbbell shrugs or oblique crunches 3 sets x 20 repetitions Day Two: Back, Biceps, Legs (Circuit # 1) Dumbbell rows 3 sets x 12-15 repetitions Dumbbell pullovers 3 sets x 12-15 repetitions Sumo squats 3 sets x 15-20 repetitions (Circuit #2) Cable lat. Pull downs 3 sets x 12-15 repetitions Low cable rows 3 sets x 12-15 repetitions Cable curls 3 sets x 10-12 repetitions (Circuit #3) Dumbbell hammer curls 3 sets x 10-12 repetitions Bent over dumbbell rows 3 sets x 1215 repetitions Hyperextensions 3 sets x 15 repetitions Day three: Triceps, Legs, Abs (Circuit # 1) Triceps cable pushdowns 3 sets x 12-15 repetitions Leg extensions 3 sets x 15-20 repetitions Seated or standing calf raises 3 sets x 20-30 repetitions (Circuit#2)
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Bench dips or dumbbell kickbacks 3 sets x 15-20 repetitions Dumbbell alternating step lunges 3 sets X 10 repetitions Dumbbell stiff legged dead lifts 3 sets x 12-15 repetitions (Circuit # 3) Leg press (Light) 3 sets x 15-20 repetitions Dumbbell single leg calve raises 3 sets x 15 repetitions Abdominals (your choice) 3 sets x 20-30 repetitions
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Six Pack Abs Experts Reveal The Top 10 Worst Abdominal Exercises
By Arnel Ricafranca
The six-pack, which is also known as an "eight-pack" is the result of well-developed abdominal muscle and tissue made visible by having a low level of body fat. A six pack does not consist of six muscles. It is one muscle separated into sections by the linea alba, which runs vertically and separates the rectus abdominus into a right and left sides, the horizontal lines are the tendinous inscriptions There are a large number of individuals who seek "great six pack abs, and the number is escalating. Something else that is escalating is the number of flawed ab training advice. The wrong advice will only lead to mistakes and possible injuries. The most important and valuable parts of a good abdominal exercise routine is the usage of the core muscles. A large number of workouts and routine offerings pay no attention to the core muscles. The deep lying transverses; part of your core muscles act to stabilize, balance, and support movement. The transverse acts in the same way as a corset, and is one of the primary contributors to the ever popular "flat tummy." Focusing on the external muscles alone, neglecting the core muscles could lead to a look of abdominal distension. Wayne Westcott, PhD., Fitness Research Director at the South Shore YMCA in Boston states two primary concerns when considering an abdominal exercise routine. According to Westcott, "in a routine where any abdominal exercise movement places stress on the back, the risks outweigh the potential benefits. In a nation where 80% of the population has back problems, caution is required. Secondly, anything that doesn't involve a range of movement of the abdominal muscles against a reasonable resistance is not going to be effective." When constructing your six pack abs program, you want to be sure you limit the exercise movements using only the ones that are safe as well as effective. Peter Francis, Ph.D., of the Biomechanics Lab at San Diego State University, compared 13 common abdominal exercise alternatives. His conclusion was that ab crunches on a stability ball proved to be the most effective and safe. Francis also ranked the exercises in order, and some of the best selling infomercial products, landed at the bottom of the list. It is now clear that the solution to getting a six pack abs or weight loss does not come from a piece of equipment or machinery. So, in order to help you stay clear of ineffective six pack ab routines, here are the 10 worst abdominal exercises you should be sure to avoid. 1. Electronic Ab Stimulation Its hard to turn on the television on a Saturday morning nowadays without being flooded with offerings for electronic ab stimulators and weight loss devises. They
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are all usually something so simple too. Many of these infomercials tell you that all you have to do is turn on the devise and it will do the work for you. Respected researcher, Dr. John Porcari, Professor, Department of Exercise and Sport Science at University of Wisconsin, says that electronic stimulation devices are certainly not the six-pack solution the ads promise. He has said, "All these machines are doing is telling your muscles to contract, causing what often equates to a painful contraction without fully activating all the neural and chemical signals that contribute to muscular development." Electronic Ab stimulation machine does not belong in a six pack abs workout routine. 2. Bent Over Twist Another well known exercise that is used to "work the waistline," is referred to as a bent over twist This is done by holding a light bar or a broomstick behind your neck with your arms outstretched, bending forward from the waist so your upper body is parallel with the ground, begin twisting from left to right. While this movement definitely requires some involvement of the obloquies, the primary muscles being worked are the spinal erectors, which strain to maintain force to keep your body flexed and stable at that 90-degree angle. A large amount of strain is placed on ligaments and connective tissue. Doing this exercise continuously over a period of time can gradually wear away soft tissue which can lead to serious back problems. 3. Straight leg double leg raises This exercise can be done on the floor or at the end of a bench, but no matter where you perform it, the abdominal muscles have very little involvement. It is your Psoas muscles that are doing most of the work. The Psoas muscles attach at the lumbar spine and the femur, which means the movement of this exercise places unnecessary and unwanted stress on the lumbar spine, including your low back discs, and spinal ligaments. Damian Stephens, Instructor for the National Council of Strength & Fitness in Miami, states, "In order to effectively, safely, and optimally target the abdominals, the exerciser should maintain a posterior pelvic tilt. In a straight leg double leg raise, the pelvis assumes a position where the pull of the psoas muscles increases the lordodic curve which the place most back problems occur in the general population. 4. Straight Legged Sit-ups A common mistake while doing sit-ups is performing them with your legs straight out in front of you perpendicular to your upper body. Also, you may remember back in high school when you had someone hold your feet down as you performed the sit-up. This is only causing unnecessary pressure to the lower spine, and the jerking movement used to lift your upper body off the floor can result in injury. You are much better off doing sit-ups which have the feet unsupported, knees bent, while slowly raising your upper body.
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5. The ab wheel The ab wheel appears to be a great devise for burning the stubborn fat around the abs. People who have claimed to use it explain that they "really feel it." People must be aware that "feeling it" in the abs, doesnt mean the devise is giving you results. When using the "wheel" or doing any rolling movement, little range of motion is being conducted by the abs. While the "ab wheel" may have its benefits when being used in an advanced workout routine for a very conditioned athlete, it is not the best route for the unconditioned user. This device often results in low back pain. This means that if you have low shoulder and upper back strength, this movement can put the lower back in a somewhat dangerous position. 6. Seated Spinal Twist Machine These machines are the ones found in well-equipped health clubs. They allow the exerciser to flex the lumbar spine while twisting at the waist. This forces a great deal of pressure placed upon the spinal ligaments. The obloquies can be worked without any machine. Again the machines and devices are not the safe way to go about your routine 7. Improper use of the Nautilus abdominal machines Im sure you all have heard of the popular Nautilus abdominal crunch machine it has been a favorite of serious exercisers for years. Now dont get me wrong, this machine can be a good thing if used properly. The problem lies within the user of this machine. The Nautilus can provide you with an effective ab workout, but one common mistake made by exercisers is not having parts positioned properly, such as the seat. If the body is not properly aligned, the hip flexors wind up doing the most work while putting pressure on the discs of the lumbar spine. 8. Ab rocker This is one of those exercise devices sold on those infomercials I talked about before. Most infomercial fitness products, present their machine as an easy way to achieve quick results. The idea of this devise is that a rocking motion can be used to "smooth" the stomach and waistline. Out of the 13 exercises ranked in the study by Peter Francis, mentioned earlier, he proved that the ab rocker is 80% less effective than the traditional ab crunch. Lets not forget about those other offers for devices that "swing "glide" and "tighten" the abs to give you those lean six pack abs youve longed for. Try to steer clear of these also. 9. Roman Chair Sit-ups This movement takes place when the exerciser's thighs are parallel with the floor, and the upper body, beginning at 90 degrees to the lower body, lowers down backward, sometimes beyond the point where the spinal vertebrae are aligned. This is an exercise you will definitely "feel" in your abdominal region, resulting
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in a full extension of the rectus abdominus, return movement is when bringing your body down backward, the hip flexors are being stressed. This exercise causes compressive forces to be placed upon the spine when it flexes or extends beyond the considered safe limits. 10. Two-dumbbell side bend When side bends are performed properly they can target the obloquies, holding two dumbbells cause the resistance. It is a common belief that side bends will reduce the waist. Without the proper nutrition, additional aerobic exercises, and resistance exercises for all major muscle groups, side bends will not and can not reduce fat. If you develop a muscle underneath fatty deposits, you may actually INCREASE waist size.
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In the positive or concentric phase of a lift or movement, the muscle is exerting more than enough force to pull the resistance away from gravity, with no stretching of the muscle. Therefore, there is little or no tearing. This is not the passive pulling on a muscle we associate with stretching, when we gradually allow ourselves to fall into gravity. This is a vigorous, sometimes sudden or even violent tug-as in plyometrics. The inertia of the movement continues to pull us down even as we are trying to stop. The muscle fibers rip, and they need to be repaired. This is good? Many will think so. You need to tear a muscle in order to grow it. Not necessarily, and not to the point of constantly being sore. Keep getting small tears, and eventually a big rip will occur. If you are always sore, how can you motivate yourself to move again in your next exercise session? There is also the possibility of inflammation, and even getting sick- that inflammation is a localized immune response that is part of the tearing down and repairing process. Occupy your immune system with fixing your muscles, and it cannot fully fight off a cold. What can be done then to minimize DOMS and maintain a consistently high level of performance in exercise and activity? 1. Warm up thoroughly before activity and take time to cool down afterwards. 2. Always stretch at some time during your routine. 3. Gradually add new movements or exercises to your routine. 4. Gradually increase the intensity, duration, and frequency of any activity. 5. Minimize eccentric tearing by slowly lowering weights, or more gradually controlling your descents in plyometrics. 6. Incorporate high-speed isokinetics into your training routine- explosive movements that emphasize power- a proper combination of speed and strength- for better performance.
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Let us take a look at the worst case scenario while you are traveling and develop a plan for exercise- no gym, no equipment. First, a little planning and a slight expenditure on your part can alleviate this. Surely, one can pay a guest fee at a hotel gym. Think simpler and cost effective, as well as less space consuming- both in your luggage, your car, and your home/hotel room when traveling. With just a few light dumbbells, medicine balls, or even better for hotel stays, resistance bands, can do the trick. An even more readily accessible source of resistance is? your body and its weight. Here is the minimalist approach to VERT style resistance training. You will perform eight to ten exercises. Half will be primarily upper body, half will be primarily lower body. You will perform each exercise for between 20 and 40 seconds (sorry, one more expense- a stopwatch or a watch with a second hand). Your rest will be from 20 to 40 seconds. Move as quickly as you can; this will ensure the cardiovascular component of the session, i.e. getting your heart rate up. You may shorten the activity to 10-15 seconds, but only if you add activity to the rest period. Of course, at VERT, rest only means doing something different from resistance exercise. You all know some basic drills- varying jumping jacks, jumping rope (okay, another expense), and running in place, various types of hopping, squat thrusts, and mountain climber. Do each circuit two or three times, with 3-5 minutes rest in between them. Same VERT rest principle applies now, with some form of consistent movement- think obstacle courses, running around things, jumping over objects, throwing objects, wrestle with your significant other(Keep it clean although there could be an argument for increased motivation and core work). Finish up with some core work and stretching. A sample routine: DAY ONE Resistance Training DAY THREE Resistance Training DAY FIVE Resistance Training RESISTANCE TRAINING Warm-up: 3-5 minutes of moderate intensity activity (jogging in place, jumping jacks) Stretch: Dynamic Stretches (you better know these by now, or else) Resistance Training: alternate between each column UPPER BODY Push-ups Body Rows Dips Upper Body Combo
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REST Jumping Jacks Mountain Climber Sprint/Jog in Place Squat Thrusts Lower Body Wall Squats or Body Weight Squats Hip/Thigh Extension Jump Squats Lunges BETWEEN CIRCUITS: 1. High-knee running (20 seconds), high-heel running (20 seconds), side shuffling (20 seconds). Repeat 3X 2. Lateral leaps (20 seconds), forward/backward leap (20 seconds), knee-tuck jump towards chest (20 seconds). Repeat 3X. 3. Side shuffle (20 seconds), crossover shuffle (20 seconds), carioca shuffle (20 seconds) CORE (30 seconds each): crunches, bridges, adduction (towel between knees), clamshells, reverse crunches, Supermans, Russian/Torso Twists, alternate arm/leg raises, planks.
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"Functional Training"
By Arthur Zanelli
One of the most significant changes in fitness trends is the rising popularity in functional training. Functional training is a classification of exercise which involves training the body for the activities performed in daily life. Why does the way we train have such a major impact on our overall health and fitness? Popular opinion on training has historically been that as long as you look good, you must be doing yourself some good. It is clear now, however, that health and fitness are not one and the same. In fact, inappropriate training is potentially more damaging than relative inactivity. Obviously, at VERT your workout is designed and supervised by a trainer, but think of how many people youve seen in the past at conventional gyms, just one rep away from the emergency room? So what are we supposed to do; sit on the couch to avoid injuring ourselves at the gym? As fun as it sounds, couch-sitting is not recognized by the AMA as beneficial to your health. The answer, of course, is to train functionally. Our bodies are designed to operate as a unit, sharing stresses across multiple joints. ? Movement-based exercise is a phrase used to describe training that is specifically designed to improve performance in everyday life. According to Paul Chek, founder of the C.H.E.K. institute for personal trainers (a very smart guy in the health and fitness field), the six primary movement patterns are: 1. One-leg stance (think Daniel-san from The Karate Kid) 2. Squat (think of your favorite exercise at VERT) 3. Push (think of moving things away from your body) 4. Pull (think of moving things toward your body) 5. Bend-to-extend (think about anytime you've picked something up) 6. Rotation (think trunk and hip rotation) At VERT we strive to incorporate all of these movements into your workout (I'm sure youre all more-than-familiar with the idea of push and pull!). The VERT equipment is entirely based on multi-joint movements which allow you to improve your practical strength as well as aesthetics.
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5) High-Speed Isokinetics - This is the Cadillac of vertical jump training. High-speed isokinetics provide constant resistance throughout a range of motion and force more fasttwitch recruitment than any of the other exercises I did. Additionally, I performed a jump-squat movement at VERT Fitness of Santa Monica which not only made the movement jump-specific, but explosive from start to finish. This equipment is also used by Dr. Tim Grover of Attack Athletics in Chicago, where greats like Michael Jordan have trained. Next time you're playing basketball, football, or volleyball with your friends; remember that the difference between dominating and being dominated is separated by only a few inches. For more information and to learn more about VERT's (Velocity Enhanced Resistance Training) unique performance program check out www.vertfiness.com
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system- a group of muscles and the nerve that activates it is called a motor unit. We develop a thought to move, and the nerve must transmit that thought rapidly, strongly, and repeatedly to the muscles to contract. The stronger and more frequent those signals, the stronger and more rapidly the muscle will contract. The muscles ability to contract quickly depends on the energy system that it uses, the energy stored in it, and the type of fibers that compose the muscle, and its ability to recover and repeat the process. The muscles ability to perform can be measured and stated in terms of muscular strength, muscular endurance, and range of motion. Strength is the amount of force generated to match a weight or resistance when the muscle contracts. Endurance is the muscles ability to repeatedly contract. Range of motion, also called flexibility, describes how far the muscle can move the bones of the joint that it covers. How can we all, athlete and non-athlete, develop speed? We need to train those specific neuromuscular characteristics described above- strength, endurance, and flexibility. The goal of training should be the stimulation and excitation of those motor units to work together efficiently, rapidly, and in the proper sequence. The energy systems associated with speed also need to be trained and developed- a tolerance for the build-up in heat and lactic acid as a result of energy metabolism needs to be in place. Therefore, training needs to be done at speeds closely tied to those of the activities that we perform- both as athletes and non-athletes. Preferably, we should aim for activities that allow us to train all these aspects simultaneously. In traditional training methods, exercise sessions are dedicated specifically to strength, endurance, aerobic/anaerobic capacity, and speed.
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Return your left leg to the floor; leave right foot on step and repeat 15 times then switch legs. 3. Jump squats Primary muscles worked: Quads, glutes, calves, and abdominals How to do it: Stand with feet shoulder width apart in half squat position with arms at your sides. Jump up as high as possible while swinging your arms upward, and then go back to starting position. Caution: Do not perform this exercise if you have knee problems. 4. Wall sit with toe raise Primary muscles worked: Quads and calves How to do it: Stand with back against the wall with feet shoulder width apart. Slide down the wall till your legs are at a 90 degree angle (like you are sitting on a chair) and raise up onto your toes to contract your calf muscles. Hold this position for as long as you can. 5. Bicycle Main muscles worked: all abdominal muscles How to do it: Lie on your back with knees bent and feet raised about six inches off of the floor. Put your hands behind your head, extending your elbows to the side. Contracting your abs crunch up and twist, bringing your right shoulder to the left knee. Make sure to look forward at the knee throughout the exercise. By following these Top 5 exercises and incorporating a well-rounded nutrition program based on low-glycemic foods and cardio, you will be maximizing your ROI in order to look great in your jeans. Fitness training is your best solution to get you the results you desire with the help of a solid nutrition program.
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advice is to seek the help of a professional, a certified personal trainer. And, if you have not exercised recently, consult with your physician before starting. The researchers continue to find more evidence of the harmful effects of chronic stress and its resulting, serious consequences to our health. Thats the bad news. The good news is that, with each discovery, the best cure is the same, a properly designed exercise program. We may not be able to eliminate the causes of chronic stress, but we can deal with it better. The sooner you start the better.
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Want to improve your exercise routine and accelerate your ability to reach your goals? Train with a Heart Rate Monitor
By Bob Mittleman
How important is knowing your correct zone and owning a heart rate monitor Extremely!!! A heart rate monitor will allow you to go Easy on your easy days and Hard on your hard days. The monitor is a must have device. So what is the optimum heart rate you should be aiming for in your training? The common thought is to take your age and subtract that number from 220. That number is your maximum heart rate. That number, whatever it is, now becomes the basis for which your target heart rate zones are established. The zones are established to guide some one through a workout at the desired effort. The goal of the workout will determine what zone you will be working in. There are numerous other formulas that are used as guidelines. One thought was invented by Dr. Phil Maffetone through years of research and has been used by world class athletes. It is called the Maximum Aerobic Function. The formula for MAF is subtracting your age from 180. You then modify this number based on different categories. For example, subtract 10 if you have or are recovering from a major illness or on any regular medication. Subtract 5 if you have not exercised before, you have exercised but have been injured or are regressing in your training or you often get colds or flu or have allergies. Subtract 0 if you have been exercising for up to two years with no real problems and have not had colds or the flu more then once or twice a year. Add 5 if you have been exercising for more than two years without any problems, making progress in competition without injury. You can also use a fitness assessment to estimate your correct heart rate zone and certain heart rate monitors come with functions that allow you to establish a heart zone based on certain parameters. Now that you have all these formulas and tools to figure out what your target zones are, what do you do? Well, it depends on what you want to accomplish. There are 4 zones that are used as guidelines to train in. 1. The Energy Efficient or Recovery Zone - 60% to 70% In this zone you are developing basic endurance and aerobic capacity. Runners tend to stay in this zone while doing their recovery runs. Its a way to allow their muscles to re-energize. For the non-running crowd, working in this zone allows you to burn fat. Research has shown that fat provides about 50% of the calories you need to keep going for the first hour or so. If you keep going after that, fat
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becomes even more generous, providing around 70% of the total energy after two hours and 80% or more if your work duration exceeds three hours. If you increase the intensity then the Fat contribution decreases. 2. The Aerobic Zone - 70% to 80% Training in this zone will help develop your cardiovascular system. The body's ability to transport oxygen to, and carbon dioxide away from, the working muscles can be developed and improved. As you become fitter and stronger from training in this zone it will be possible to get the benefits of some fat burning and improvement of your aerobic capacity. 3. The Anaerobic Zone - 80% to 90% While training in this zone, the amount of fat utilized as the main source of energy is greatly reduced. Glycogen that is stored in your muscles is the main source. One of the results of using glycogen as a fuel source is runners worst enemy, lactic acid. The good news is with training it is possible to increase someones ability to deal with lactic acid and increases ones anaerobic threshold. 4. The Red Line Zone 90% to 100% Training in this zone will only be possible for short periods of time. It effectively trains your fast twitch muscle fibers and helps to develop speed. This zone is reserved for interval running and only the very fit are able to train effectively within this zone. 5.
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Pump your ball to firm so that when you sit on it with your feet flat on the floor your knees are level or a little below the height of your hips. Most ball manufactures have certain designations according to your overall height: 45cm for 52 and below; 55cm for 53 to 5 7; and 65 cm for those 5 8 to 62. Besides providing balance training the stability ball works the trunk in almost every exercise. The ball is a great tool for strengthening those hard to get to musclesthe deep muscles of the abdomen and the erector spinae muscles of the back as well as improving your balance and overall coordination. When you are exercising on the stability ball as opposed to the floor or bench/chair the ball enables you to work more muscle groups, with more efficiency, for better and faster results. If youve never used the ball before, stick with easier exercises. Find a club that has a ball class and learn from a professional. You can also order Fit ball Videos/DVDs that will start you out slowly and progress you at your own rate. Dont use the ball on a hard surface without a sticky mat. The ball tends to slip out from underneath you when used on a wood or tile floor. Carpet is the best surface for ball use. Add a sticky mat under the ball before you attempt any exercises on hardwood/tile floors!! Another idea for the budding beginner is to prop the ball up against a wall.youll eventually be able to use it free standing. If you are still uncomfortable, be sure you keep
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either your hands or your feet on the floor at all times. I have my students put themselves between two chairs as training wheels. Be sure to perform one set of chosen exercises 2-3 non consecutive days a week. Reminder: Always warm up with 5/10 minutes of light cardio to get the blood flowing to the muscles so that they are ready to be challenged. A great warm up is walking in a straight line touching your toes of one foot to the heel of the other. This practice improves balance while you are warming up your body and getting it ready for work. Make sure you are looking about 6 feet out in front of you, not straight down at your toes. By strengthening your core you will also be eliminating back pain. Back pain is common because so many muscles have to contract and relax in order to allow you to stand and move. If you have weak muscles, poor posture, and/or excessive weight your back will be one of the first places that feels the strain. If you use the ball in place of a chair, make sure it is a little more firm than if you were using it to exercise. The benefits that are derived from just sitting on the ball are phenomenal as compared to sitting on the floor or in a chair. Your body responds naturally and automatically to the instability to keep balanced on the exercise ball. Over time the muscles used to keep you in balance on the Swiss exercise ball become stronger. You build strength in important back muscles and abdominal muscles without even knowing it. Research shows that the type of movement induced by using an exercise ball (small range, adjustments of balance) by the spine may help reduce pain by stimulating natural pain inhibitors. All in all the exercise ball seems to be one of the best tools for targeting the most worrisome parts of the female anatomy. So, get on the ball!!
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credit for her quick recovery to the fact that she had been faithfully strength training for the last 6 years of her life. Not only are the circuit class exercises beneficial, but the camaraderie is unsurpassed. Yes, socialization is very important for seniors. They bond with other class members and I hear them making plans for lunch, etc. A lot of my gals live alone and they join classes for human contact. I have always said that You are never too old to exercise, but not exercising makes you old. We just proved that with Penny and Amy. Right now I am working with a gal (59 years old) in a one-on-one setting and its one of the biggest challenges of my career. This particular woman is very much overweight but has the desire to get better.both physically and healthfully. I am challenged because most of my equipment is not rated for the amount of weight that she has on her body. I am fabricating exercises with the Swiss Exercise ball, a sturdy chair, a floor mat of many colors, and an elastic band. Even though this lady is large, she has very little upper body strength. Because of her size her knees are giving her troubleso I have some limitations that I have to work around. She is so excited about her new path and I want her to stay that way so I need to find new and challenging exercises for her each week! Her strength, stamina, and balance will improve dramatically as she works out regularly and stays committed. I cant wait to see the transformation that Gladys is going to make. I have many, many, many more cases of people coming to me when they thought it was hopeless; but when they started moving and doing resistance exercises they got stronger, improved their balance and even noticed that they were able to do everyday things easier and for longer periods of time.
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you're being trained are unacceptable. When you're working with a trainer, "Because I said so" should never fly. You know what a personal trainer's job REALLY is? It is to EDUCATE you. Not just guide you through a workout. Anyone can do that. A personal trainer should TEACH you what you need to know to move on and train without them by creating independence. You aren't paying for a friend to count reps for you; you're paying for the knowledge of what you need to be doing, how to execute it, and how to make the necessary lifestyle changes to KEEP making progress long after your sessions in. For example, if you sign up for a 12 week program, not only should you walk away with a dramatic change in your body (and life), it should be treated as if that 12 weeks is on-the-job training and the personal trainer should be teaching you all they know in that time!!! Of course, some people like the accountability and motivation that a personal trainer provides, and that is FINE. However, the trainer should make an attempt to teach you to become independent of their services, and maybe just have you stop by for the occasional tune-up. If they aren't doing this, the personal trainer is simply trying to keep you dependent so you have to continue using their service!!! I know, you're thinking I'm crazy. I tell all of my clients that it is my job to make them NOT need me. Why? They know they're getting what they pay for and they never mind telling their friends about what we do and how I work. I can't buy advertising like that... Person C and D are very similar to me. It seems that everyone that gets themselves in pretty good shape or has played competitive sports at some level determines that they're knowledgeable enough to be a personal trainer and help others with their fitness. Unfortunately, there isn't much regulation in this career field, so a smile and a signature on a piece of paper can get them employed in most any health club. Let's be realistic: every human on this earth has the same type of basic make-up (we're all human beings) but we're all drastically different when it comes to what works best for each individual. As a personal trainer, you have to start the client at a level that they are comfortable with and help them progress - you cannot train a 55 year old female the same way that an 18 year old football player trains! I see too many personal trainers trying to train all of their clients like they are competitive bodybuilders and giving them competition style nutrition programs. Bodybuilders themselves can only diet like this for only a few weeks at a time, so how on earth can they expect that type of eating to become a "lifestyle" change for their clients? They can't!!! And since they know no alternatives, they'll stick the client with the responsibility. They gave the advice; you just couldn't follow it (no matter how realistic it was).
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Of course, as you progress, weaknesses change and will evolve, so its important that your training does the same. This is one of many reasons why one exercise program that you may read in a magazine or on a message board does not fit all. Due to different lifestyles, habits and exercise histories, what is a weakness for one person could be a strength for another. You must identify what it is that is holding you back while not worrying about what Lee Priest or Jay Cutler is doing. In summary - find out what it is that is holding you back from reaching your goals and dont use it as a crutch or an excuse; make it motivation and overcome that obstacle.
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If it were only about going into gyms and lifting weights, the gym would be full of overmuscled freaks. Outside of those few that were genetically blessed with great muscular development, the only way (legally) to build muscle is to supply the body with the proper nutrients, amounts of those nutrients, and when to have the nutrients it needs to grow: proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. In my opinion, diet is the most difficult aspect of fitness for the average person to adapt to. From the time we were children, we have been taught to eat everything in sight. When we were sad, we ate. When we were happy, we ate. Celebrations often offer birthday cakes and sodas. Do you think it is possible to stay lean and gain muscle on a diet of birthday cake? If you do, let me sell you my bridge in Brooklyn. It takes discipline to avoid the temptation of sweets and greasy fast foods that are everywhere: on television, on billboards, even in the checkout line at the grocery store. Its nearly impossible to escape. Four out of ten people in the United States are considered obese, or at least 30 pounds overweight. Although we have become a lazier society and do not exercise anywhere near enough, a lot of that can be attributed to diet. Its way too easy to stop at McDonalds on the way home or just order pizza and have it delivered to our home. You cant beat the convenience, but most of the items at restaurants are designed to taste good, not to be bodybuilder friendly. But bodybuilding aside - you should always eat to fuel whatever your activity. Practicing solid nutritional practices will help you accomplish whatever you're trying to accomplish faster.
If weightlifting is the construction of the home, the diet is definitely the materials it takes to build the home. You cant build a home out of air alone. Cardio Dont do cardio if you want to build muscle. Do you know how often I hear that? Well, let me say this: it is dead wrong. Actually, it couldnt be further from the truth. Remember, the heart is a muscle, and it is the most important muscle, and it must be worked like any other muscle. Cardio shouldnt only be considered as a weight loss tool. Dont get me wrong, it is a great way to create a calorie deficit. But it is also a great way to increase circulation. How does that benefit you as a bodybuilder? When we workout, waste is removed from our muscles. Increased circulation will assist in the removal of this waste from our bodies. Also, increased circulation will suppress the point at which our muscles produce lactic acid. Ever feel that burn toward the end of a set? Thats lactic acid. Wouldnt it be nice if the point at which that lactic acid built up was delayed? Well, doing cardio will delay lactic acid accumulation! Ok, if lifting is the building of the house, and diet is the materials of which the house is built, than cardio could be considered setting up the electrical in the house. What is the house worth if the electrical systems arent up to speed?
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Supplementation To be perfectly honest, I feel that this is the most over-emphasized portion of dealing a great body. Dont get me wrong, there are supplements that do have uses. I totally recommend a high quality multivitamin, flax and other healthy oils, and amino acids. I will also say that creatine monohydrate works. Meal Replacement Powders, bars and protein are definitely easy and convenient ways to assist us in getting both the necessarily calories and nutrients that we need. Other than that, I pretty much stay away from everything else. As much as most people dont want to hear this, there still hasnt been a magic pill created. To lose fat, you have to safely reduce your calorie intake beneath what you burn in a given day, but not as much too where youre burning muscle. To gain muscle, you must raise them the proper amount to be more than what you burn in a day, but not so much to where you put on fat. Both of these processes are slow. Typically, you shouldnt lose more than 2lbs in a week (or youre losing about 60% muscle). On the same token, you shouldnt be gaining any more than 1-2 pounds in a week, unless youre trying to gain fat. I always try to emphasize that supplements are just that: SUPPLEMENTS. That word means in addition to. They should not be the cornerstone of any program. Using the house analogy, supplements could be considered a plasma screen television. Theyre very nice to have, but not totally essential. Always do a cost and benefit analysis on any supplement. Is the cost worth the gain? Most supplements are quite pricey. Are the gains you receive (if any) worth your hard earned money? Again, there are supplements that work, some do. But if youre looking for a supplement that will give you steroid results, youre going to be looking for a long time. If they worked like steroids, they would be illegal like steroids. This part of this article alone is going to keep it out of any magazines, but since Im not trying to sell anything, so I think Im safe. Rest If there are any X-factors in training, rest is one. Contrary to popular belief, more is not better when talking about fitness. You have to allow your body to recover between workouts. This does not simply mean work a different body part the next day. It means not breaking your body down to where it cannot recover. Working out not only taxes the body part you are working, it also puts incredible stress on your central nervous system. If you are lifting 5-6 days a week, there is a very good chance your body does not have the chance to ever recover and reach its optimum level of performance. It actually goes deeper than that. Your body is NOT recovering if you arent sleeping at least 7-9 hours a night. I know that its tough to get to sleep, especially with our jobs and families, but if you want to operate at your pinnacle, you need to be getting 7-9 hours of sleep every night. I do want to mention that you cannot catch up on sleep. If you only sleep 4 hours on Monday, dont think that sleeping 13 hours on Tuesday will make up the difference. Remember, be consistent! The house Rest is definitely the maintenance. If you dont take care of your inside and outside of your house by general repair and maintenance, its not going to be worth a
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whole lot down the road. Basically, I cant say that one factor is more important than the other. Everyone seems to have a different opinion. My opinion? Exercise, diet and nutrition, and rest are all pieces of a larger pie. If you want to reach your optimum level of fitness, you have to incorporate all of the pieces.
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The fourth point addresses our vanity. What do you want to look like? This goal, although emotionally important, may or may not be achievable when related to the first three points. If you want to be a power lifter and also want to look like Brad Pitt, odds are working toward both goals will prevent you from reaching either. Power lifters are big and bulky while Brad Pitt is lean and toned. Achieving both successfully would require you to be a freak of nature. Lastly, what type of lifestyle do you lead and are you willing to change it to reach your goals. If you plan to perform well on game day, you can't practice a lifestyle of daily drinking and carousing. Smoking limits lung capacity. Lack of sleep equals lack of energy. Get the picture. It's all related. Use this short checklist to aid you in defining your Primary Fitness Goal. 1. Have you been cleared for exercise by your physician? 2. What are the physical requirements of your job? 3. What are the physical requirements of your hobbies? 4. What do you look like after your training is complete? 5. Can you commit to the lifestyle changes you need to make?
Of course designing a complete training program entails a little more planning, but you can get off to a great start by following these five steps. By defining your primary goal you will know where to focus the majority of your time and efforts. And good focus yields good results. Live for the Moment?..Exercise for Life.
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My goal was to bench press 225 pounds just one time, but I was stuck on 215. And by continually practicing with 215, I could not reach my true potential. Because I had an engineering background, I looked at the situation logically and was able to set new higher goals and achieve them. I set new a goal of being able to bench press 225 for at least 3 repetitions. Goal Volume = 225 x 3 = 675 pounds
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Now looking back at my past numbers only option d got me over goal volume with 1850 pounds. But at 10 repetitions, I new that 185 pounds was too light of a weight to develop the strength that I needed. In order to develop maximum strength, a repetition range of 4-6 should be used. And since I could only do 205 pounds for only 2 repetitions, my exercise weight had to fall between 185 and 205 pounds. So I started working out with 195 pounds until I was able to do 195 for 6 repetitions which gave me a volume of 1170 pounds. Then I re-tested and my new bench press maximum was 215 pounds for 2 reps and 205 pounds for 5 reps. Then I started working out with 205 pounds and in a very short time I was able to bench press 205 pounds for 6 reps and 215 for 4-5 reps. And 225 for 2 reps. And by increasing my exercise weight to 215 pounds I reached my goal of 225 pounds for 3 repetitions and more. Now that you understand the science behind volume training and understand why it works, lets put it all together in an exercise routine to see how it works. Plateau Routine: 135 x 15 = 2025 155 x 10 = 1550 185 x 10 = 1850 205 x 2 = 410 215 x 1 = 215 TOTAL VOLUME = 6050 Volume Routine: 135 x 15 = 2025 185 x 10 = 1850 195 x 6 = 1170 195 x 6 = 1170 195 x 6 = 1170 TOTAL VOLUME = 7385 As you can see by lowering the weight you can increase your strength. In both routines I was performing the same number of sets. In the plateau routine, although I was lifting more weight per set, I was lifting less total volume. In the volume routine, I lowered the exercise weight, lifted more total volume and actually increased my maximum strength. In fact, the volume routine is 1335 more pounds. Thats over half a ton! The concept of volume training can be applied to any exercise and any muscle group. Most people while exercising tend to push the limits constantly but fail to see the results of their labor. By simply throttling back just a little you can increase your strength to new personal highs. These increases will result in more motivation, more motivation results in more increases and the cycle continues.
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If you exercise regularly and have reached a plateau, this concept is for you. Lower the weight and increase your strength. Remember to eat well, get plenty of rest and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
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Exercise: The New Years Resolution. How You Can Stick to Your Goals and Lose Weight
By Brian T. Rurak
New Years resolutions can work wonders for weight loss if you know why they don't work for you. Newport RI's fitness professional Brian T. Rurak reveals the secrets of how to achieve your fitness success and get around the obstacles that prevent you from the weight loss and fitness levels you deserve. This article will help you know why you quit before you even get started! I want you to reflect back to your New Year's resolutions regardless of what time of year it is. Every time a new year comes around it promises huge benefits for you financially, socially, spiritually and physically. You made your resolutions and you have sworn you are going to STICK TO THEM! Does this sound all too familiar to you? If it does, how did you do? Hopefully you did great and you have succeeded at all of them. However, you and I both know somewhere at least one of those fell by the wayside and you didn't quite reach the heights you had hoped. Being a fitness professional for 16+ years, I am going out on a limb here to guess that it was the physical component of those New Years resolutions, your weight loss and fitness goals, that took a back seat to the chaos of your daily grind. I know it was because I hear it all too often from either clients who eventually figure out that they can't do it on their own and seek our services or from all the others who continue attempting weight loss and fitness success on their own and are just so stubborn they would rather try and fail over and over again. Then all they do is complain about how they can't lose weight and blame it on everyone and everything else but themselves. Maybe you tried exercising and dieting and got frustrated with a lack of results or the gym scene. I am sure you had every good intention right out of the gate. Perhaps you faded early or you made it to the first turn or even down the backstretch, but somewhere suddenly or subtly, BAM!, something went wrong and you were off course. Whatever happened, I am here to help you. Now, whether you are new to exercise and started your weight loss program because of a new year's resolution or you are a re-starter and have decided to get going AGAIN, this report will help you focus on what you need to do in order to succeed. Below are several, very simple steps to help you achieve weight loss and fitness success. But you have to remember one thing; it won't get done unless you actually do it.
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For the re-starter, you MUST remember that you have taken time off so there have been some set-backs. Not knowing who you are, what you have done in the past or where you are going, I always approach everything with safety in mind and logical progressions. If you are a beginner, we approach it the same way; safely and logically. First you need to figure out the reasons you went to or are being drawn to the gym. These usually apply to everyone, so see if you can relate. Was it the weight loss? Was it the social aspect? Was it the desire to look good in a bathing suit? Was there a special event you planned to attend? Or even more importantly, was it for overall health and wellness? Now what kept you away from it? For the re-starter was it the long lines during the busy hours waiting for machines? Was it a week of chaos and hurdles in your life that suddenly turned into two weeks, three weeks, etc? Was it the sweaty guy next to you? Was it that your regular program wasn't giving you the results you wanted and you hit a plateau? Were you spending too much time in the gym & not getting the results you wanted? Was it your daily living that got in the way? For the new exerciser was it the lack of knowing what to do? Was it the fear of failure of not getting the results you desired? Was it the fact that you don't want to exercise 'on display' in front of all the masses? Was it that you just hate to exercise? Or was it the lack of time? If you are like most people that last question is true for you. There just isn't enough time in the day. I can't show you in this report how there is enough time in every day to succeed but if you need help now and just can't figure it out on your own, contact us for some lifestyle coaching at http://www.t3fitnesss.com/contactus.html and we will do everything we can to help you get on track. Our job is to sift thru the issues to get you on track and keep you on track. Many of our clients attribute their weight loss and fitness success to the accountability we hold them to as well as all the fun they have exercising with a purpose. As you can see, there are tons of variables that can get in the way of an exercise routine and keep you from your weight loss goals. What we need to figure out is what your issues are so we can fix them. This may or may not be able to be done thru this special report but it should get you thinking, help you eliminate some if not all of them and set you on the path to weight loss and fitness success. Ok, so let's figure it out! Whether you are a re-starter or beginner, the first and most important aspect of your fitness program has to be nutrition. You have to get a handle on this and you have to eat supportively if you want serious results from the investment you are going to put into yourself with an exercise program.
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Eating supportively is just that, it supports your mission. You don't want to bring your efforts to a screeching halt thru improper nutrition. This step alone will lead to huge success. So what are supportive foods and where do you find them? These are Mother Nature's goodies in their natural state: vegetables, grains, fruits, dairy, nuts, fish, meats and natures champagne: water. For more information on this, grab the special report; How to Boost Your Metabolism at http://www.t3fitness.com/freereports.html. The second part is getting back into your routine or starting one. You do NOT want to restart where you left off if you have been gone for a while. You want to return at about 50% for at least the first week or two to give your body a chance to get accustomed to the stressor of exercise again. Don't worry; it will all come back quicker than you think if done properly. If you try too much too soon, you run the risk of injury and burn-out. If you are new to exercise you should also start out at about 50% of what you think you can do and progress from there. Walk before you jog, light weights with a lot of reps before you increase the amount of weight. And yes ladies, you too will need to increase the amount of resistance for real results. If you are not sure how to progress logically or just don't know where to start, please seek help from a professional. This holds true for the re-starter as well. Sometimes it just takes a little tweak to your program to help you succeed and enjoy it. You can contact us now for guidance and coaching at http://www.t3fitness.com/contactus.html or call 401.849.6030. Now as far as time spent in the gym or not having enough time in your daily schedule, you should be able to get in and out in 30 minutes and have had a killer fat burning workout. Sometimes if all you have is 15 minutes; that will work too and that can be done right at home or in your office. Success comes down to 3 major variables: preparation, setting goals and knowing how to get around the obstacles that get in your way. The thing about exercise is that you have to think outside the box of traditional exercise. You want to make your exercise time efficient and beneficial. The key is to hit all the major body parts, with compound movements, quickly and efficiently so you are burning calories during your workout and continue burning them after your workout. Again, if you don't know how to do this, seek help. You wouldn't try to fix your own teeth if you had a cavity would you? The next part is: where and when do you exercise? This is also very important to your success because you need to enjoy and feel comfortable where you are going to be exercising.
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If you belong or are going to join a health club, be sure it is one that fits your schedule and your needs. A couple things to realize about big health clubs are: they are membership driven so you end up paying for many services that you may never use; they keep memberships low because they are in the business of selling memberships, not fitness; and they actually anticipate you not using your membership within 90 days of signing up. This is why they hook you into long-term contracts. Many times, especially just after New Years, EVERYONE is starting to use their memberships or new people are joining. This could be a nightmare and a major deterrent for your success. Realize you may have other options to the bigger clubs. You can get a great workout at home, but if you need to leave the house to do so there are some communities that have a more personal venue or possibly 24 hour access that work nicely. If you are in Newport, RI or the surrounding area, T3 Fitness has a very exclusive membership, 24 hour fitness center which allows you convenience and privacy. See more here at http://www.t3fitness.com/24hour.html. Some other things to think about: What are the clubs hours of operation? How close is the club to your home or workplace? How many members do they have? Do they require long-term contracts or initiation fees? What are the peak hours of usage? Are you going to be waiting 30-60 minutes for machines to free-up? All of these can contribute to your lack of motivation and get in the way of your success. One of the last and most important things to remember is that this is all about your success and your wellness, not anyone else's. So when you make a commitment to change your lifestyle habits, make an exercise and supportive eating appointments for yourself that you WILL keep. No one has to know what you are doing during that time, it is yours! In closing, be sure to do a little homework and investigate what is going to work for you. If it comes down to cost, which many people will default to, think about how much you will be able to use the facility vs. how much you won't because of the crowds and average that out over the course of a month or year. If you are thinking of hiring a fitness professional be sure they have your needs in mind, not their own. For a report on how to hire a fitness professional, not just a personal trainer visit http://www.t3fitness.com/freereports.com.
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aren't candidates for high intensity exercise. But for the rest of the population they should be including at least some of this type of training in their exercise program. One way to "sell" the concept of high intensity exercise to your clients is to ask them this simple question. Would you rather look like a sprinter or a marathon runner? For most people the answer would be the sprinter because of their muscular, lean appearance. Most marathon runners are merely thin with little to no muscle. In fact, many world class sprinters have lower body fat percentages than marathoners despite the fact they weigh substantially more. Why is that the case? Look at the way the two train: the sprinter does speed/interval work, plyometrics and strength training--all forms of high intensity training. On the other hand, most distance runners primarily run as in many circles strength training was considered unnecessary if not downright counterproductive. In the endurance community, this is slowly changing but old habits die hard. The point is this: if you want to look somewhat like the sprinter then you have to do some of that type of training. That doesn't mean do a world class sprinter's workout program but it does mean doing some high intensity work. What does that mean for you? For starters, you can start using the interval based programs that are on virtually all "cardio" machines. If you like to exercise outdoors, it means adding some sprints or intervals to your biking, running, rollerblading, or swimming workout. In either case, a digital watch and heart rate monitor are good tools to have especially if you like to quantify things such as length of interval, recovery interval, how quickly your heart rate recovers, etc. But don't think you are limited to so-called traditional "cardio" as your only modes of high intensity training. A good group fitness class or a power based sport such as tennis, squash, soccer, or basketball can all induce the same results. In addition, even strength training if done in circuit fashion, especially with free weights and bodyweight exercises, can be a high intensity workout. In conclusion, here are some reasons you should include some high intensity workouts into your program: 1. 2. 3. 4. More time efficient: more calories burned per unit of time Improves both aerobic/anaerobic capacity Helps produce Human Growth Hormone which helps body comp "Afterburn" effect: more calories burned post exercise than steady state/low intensity exercise 5. Variety of modes to do high intensity exercise
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For those that are fitter/more capable, rope jumping is a great power development exercise that works on footwork, dynamic balance, coordination, and power. For upper body power development, it is hard to beat medicine balls. Fighters have known for years what the rest of the world is slowly catching on to: what a fun and functional tool medicine balls can be to enhance core strength and power. The list of medicine ball exercises is virtually limitless: rotations, chops, passes, throws, puts, tosses and the list goes on and on for as long as you'd like. The exercises can be adapted to the ability level of a person according to their needs and physical ability. In all of the above ideas on power training, I can't emphasize enough the value of a well qualified fitness professional to get proper programming and instruction. I have used these methods with people in their 70's and 80's as well as kids so they can be used safely with proper knowledge and supervision. In the wrong hands, though, they are likely to lead to pain and injury. Exercise is like medicine in that it has to be prescribed properly by someone who knows what they are doing. I hope the article convinced you of the necessity of incorporating some power training into your fitness or workout routine. They could be integrated into the workout after the dynamic warm-up and all it takes is 5 minutes and then on to the rest of your workout.
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help you decide what things to do. If they're involved it'll keep them doing it. You can count on your children looking forward to the time you spend together as well as gaining the added benefit of exercise.
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1. 2. 3. 4.
Always remember to breath. Holding your breath could affect your blood pressure. Always remember good form. Smooth and steady movements allow you to get the most out of each exercise. Never lock your joints, always keep a slight bend in your arms and legs. Muscle soreness lasting a few days and slight fatigue is normal after muscle building exercise, however, exhaustion, and extensive sore joints and muscles are not. Always be in tune with your body. Don't be afraid to try physical activity. In older adults it will help to ward of diseases and disabilities. You may have lost your ability to do things on your own, but it is more likely because you are inactive, not old. Beginning an exercise program will have you feeling healthy and fit well into your senior years.
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There are so many ways to include family fitness into your daily lifestyle. You just need to make the commitment. Establish a regular schedule and keep it fun. Have your kids help you decide what things to do. If they're involved it'll keep them doing it. You can count on your children looking forward to the time you spend together as well as gaining the added benefit of exercise.
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Whatever you're doing, always remember to warm-up before your exercise and stretch afterwards. And, as always, be sure to check with your doctor before beginning any type of exercise activity. Senior Fitness, a growing phenomenon - and one every older person can benefit from. You'll see staying physically active and exercising regularly will help prevent or delay many diseases or disabilities. Your doctor will be proud!! Growing older doesn't mean you have to lose your health and fitness. Exercise can help you feel better and enjoy life more - even those who think they're too old or too out of shape can make it happen! It's never too late to start!!
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joints. Strength training should be done a minimum of 2 to 3 times a week, cardio 3 to 6 times a week and flexibility exercises should be done 4-5 times a week. Workout mistake #7 is taking advice from the person who has a great physique but is no expert on fitness and exercise and this includes personal trainers! Just because someone has a great physique, doesnt mean you should do what they do or take their advice. Some people can get great results in spite of their efforts. For example, would you take diet advice from someone who ate junk food all day and didnt exercise but still had a great body? Of course not! So dont assume that what works for one person will work for you too or that the person in the gym with the great physique knows what they are doing. Educate yourself or hire a QUALIFIED personal trainer. Workout mistake #8 is doing too many isolation exercises and not enough compound exercises. Isolation exercises are exercises that only work one or a few muscles. Compound exercises are exercises that work the large muscle groups and multiple muscle groups at the same time. Compound exercises are more effective and functional. They use more energy and boost your metabolism greater than isolation exercises. You get more bang for your buck! Examples of compound exercises are bench press, shoulder press, squats, lunges, etc Examples of isolation exercises are inner & outer thigh, biceps and triceps exercises, chest flys, etc... These are some of the biggest mistakes made by people in the gym and hopefully now you can avoid them.
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10 Minute Workout
By Carlos Torres
Dont think you have time to workout? How about a quick workout you can do in 10 minutes or less? This quick workout is ideal for someone with a very busy schedule. This quick workout is a great full body strength training, fat burning, and cardiovascular workout for the person with limited time. This workout can be done first thing in the morning before going to work, during lunch, or anytime you have 10 minutes free. To make this a quick workout, instead of doing repetitions, it will be on a time basis. Each set will consist of 25 seconds. You will do as many repetitions as you can in 25 seconds then move on to the next exercise with no rest between exercises. These are called supersets when exercises are done in succession without rest.
extend the opposite leg then alternate. Superman - Lying on your stomach, bring your arms and legs up as high as you can while keeping them straight and extended. Thats it! A full body workout in less than 10 minutes, actually about 9 minutes! This quick workout should be done 3 times a week with a day of rest in between. Can't make the excuse that you have no time to exercise anymore!
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portion (contraction) about 1 to 2 seconds and pause at the top for a count of 1. You can also mix in some other triceps exercises like close grip bench press, skull crushers, and tricep pushdowns. Doing a total of 3 to 6 sets and 8 to 12 repetitions for your arms each time you work them out is more than enough since you get enough stimuli from working the rest of the body. In summary, to build bigger arms, start by getting your core stronger, then the upper body, then finish off with some isolation exercises for your arms.
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Get your kick in the butt with a Boot Camp fitness class today!
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Fitness Inspiration
By Chad Cannon
The new Superman movie came out not too long ago. Every time I see an ad for it on TV or in the paper, I really get inspired by it. It makes me get a quick burst of energy. I stand up taller just because the way Superman holds himself. It makes me want to go out for a run or just drop down to do some push-ups right there. Just by looking at the man of steel makes me want to be 'fit'. My point is that we can draw our inspiration for fitness from all types of things. Superheroes are not just for kids anymore. They inspire the best of us and take away the worst in us. We became a much fitter nation right after the 9-11 attacks. That made each and everyone of us want to be a superhero, so as a population, we all worked out more and became a much 'fitter' nation. No rhyme or reason for it, except we all got inspired from it. So, whatever your inspiration is, find a way to make fitness happen for you. We all have our own reasons for getting in better shape and becoming healthier. You just need to find your specific inspiration to make it happen. Starting is the hardest part of fitness. Staying in shape is just as hard. This is why we need an inspiration. It's not just making yourself do it. It's reasoning with yourself why you should do it. That's where the inspiration comes in. I know you've been thinking about getting in shape because everyone thinks about it this time of year. It's time to do something about it, NOW! Don't wait any longer. Time is-awaistin'! Use any type of inspiration you can to get out there and get fit. It can be a superhero like Superman, an athlete, a teacher, a coach, policeman, fireman, your parents, a neighbor, or even a fitness professional like me. Whatever you draw your inspiration from, get it from something that is meaningful to you. Take a few minutes to reflect and find where your inspiration comes from. Then use it to get yourself started on the path of better health.
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Losing weight? If not, Read below! Functional Training is the way to go!
By Chad Cannon
Have you ever gone to a gym and watched someone workout? Do you ever see anyone really workout? I mean really workout where there is sweat dripping down their back and they are barely able to breath? Probably not too often. Here is the honest to god truth about fitness: You are not working hard enough if you are not losing weight! We as a population have been taught to sit down on a machine and push and pull, where the machines are doing the movements for us. To me that is not making common everyday functional movements better. It's time for us to take charge of our own bodies and move, move and move some more! You can get stronger from pushing and pulling, but you'll never be fit if you don't get off your derrire and move around. It's just fact that being fit means moving around. Twisting, turning, rotating, bending, stretching, curling, extending. Forget sitting on a machine where the movement is done for you. Instead stand up on your own two feet, or just one foot, and move using cables, and bands, medicine balls, or even your own body weight. Try this just one time: The next time you go to the gym try not talking at all for just 30 minutes. The only reason to open your mouth is to catch your breath and to drink water. And take no more than 30 seconds between exercises. Don't tell me you have to wait on a machine. Don't use those machines. Grab a band and do some chopping movements. Grab a medicine ball and slam it onto the floor as hard as you can 50 times. Lunge across the floor while twisting your upper body. Do a push up then bring your legs in, stand up and jump up as high as you can over and over again until you drop. Put your hands on a bench and jump over it moving side to side. All this is called functional training. This is how to get fit. This is how to lose weight. This is real exercise! I'm just telling it as I see it. I've worked in gyms as a personal trainer for over 15 years, and people just don't work as hard as they should. Learn to push yourself. There's nothing like it! Honestly, you will feel exhilarated after doing this stuff. You'll feel like you've accomplished something. That alone, is a reason to do functional training!
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This is how:
Start with a simple warm up on the treadmill or elliptical for 3-4 minutes at a pretty fast pace. After, grab a light medicine ball and perform about 8 up and down chopping motions with a big squat, real hard and somewhat fast. Do the same diagonally both ways, and then perform 8 front alternating lunges while holding that medicine ball. Now tell me if you are getting that cardio workout you wanted to get. Next pick a big muscle group like the back. Do a back exercise such as the lat pulldown. Only about 12-15 times. Get right up to do a leg exercise, such as walking lunges across the floor. Then a low back exercise such as superman's, or superwoman's for all you women out there. Of course we must finish that off with an abdominal exercise, like 1215 crunches on a stability ball. Of course, those four exercises are done with absolutely no rest. NONE! Now, you've got 30 seconds to get a drink, and start those same four exercises again. After that second go around, and another quick sip of water, find four more exercises. Chest, legs, shoulders, and abs again. Go through those four exercises twice, just like the first set of exercises. After that, finish up with two sets of a tricep exercise, another leg, a bicep and another abdominal exercise. By this time you should be hunched over on the floor begging for mercy. If not, you took too much time between your exercises and between your sets. Thirty minutes is all you need to get a great strength workout, with lots of cardio. Add stability exercises such as standing on something unbalanced while performing shoulder side raises, or try to combine 2 exercises into one, such as lunges with bicep curls. The more muscle groups being worked at one time is great for weight loss. So there it is, a VERY effective thirty minute entire body workout, with the works! Cardio, strength, balance, functional, and anything else you want to add to it.
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stretch after a workout session, then try to stretch while watching television. For a stretch to be beneficial it must be held for at least 30 to 60 seconds in a relaxed state. The stretch does not need to be uncomfortable or bouncy. To achieve maximum results in your flexibility, hire a professional to set up a stretching program specifically designed for your imbalances. Great results can be achieved with no more than 15 to 20 minutes 3 times per week. Lets calculate what your fitness plan will take out of your week in order to be fit and healthy and see if you are too busy for exercise. There are 168 hours in a 7 day period. We sleep 35 to 40 hours per week, and work another 40 to 50 hours per week. That leaves us with about 88 hours. With bathing and eating you use approximately 16 hours, leaving us with 72 hours. During this time we do recreational activities, drive, and take care of family and many other duties. But surely we can find 4 hours and 45 minutes to get exercise. If we perform 3 sessions of 45 minutes resistance training, and 3 sessions of 30 minutes cardiovascular work we have used 3 hours and 45 minutes. Then why we are watching television we can stretch two times for 30 minutes taking our total activity time to 4 hours and 45 minutes. If you look at it this way really exercise time is a small investment in the big scheme of things. It is amazing to know that 67% of Americans do not get regular exercise, and our children are falling into the same trend as their obesity rates continue to rise. We must find a way to schedule regular exercise into our daily schedule. Here are some tips that will help you make exercise a part of your daily routine. 1. Make an appointment with yourself (and stick with it). 2. Set weekly and monthly fitness goals. 3. Keep a daily exercise journal. 4. Join a group exercise class. 5. Exercise with a friend 6. Join a local recreation league that meets weekly. 7. Walk or jump rope while your kids perform their activities. 8. Dont give up if you miss one workout. 9. Reward yourself for accomplishment. 10. Best of all, hire a personal trainer.
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Those are the scientific arguments, but let's take a look at the real life reasons. Getting your cardio in the morning makes you feel great all day by releasing mood enhancing endorphins. You know how great you feel after working out, why wait till after work to get that feeling? It is also a "wake-up" to do a.m. cardio. You are energized and ready to go after a workout. Starting out with cardio may also help curb your appetite for the rest of the day, and it increases your metabolic rate for the rest of the day, helping to burn up what you do eat. Getting up every day to do cardio also helps your body get on a schedule; your body adjusts to your routine, helping you to get up at the same time every day. You can always fit your cardio in when it is the first item of the day, there is nothing making you run late yet! And, most importantly, when you get your cardio out of the way first thing in the morning you don't run the risk of not having time later after work. The temptation of blowing your cardio workout off in favor of meeting friends for happy hour after your rough day is gone. You already did your cardio! While you are on the right track by doing your cardio, no matter what time it is, the science behind morning cardio may benefit you and help you with your battle of the bulge. Take this personal trainers word for it, "real life reasons" can be a major benefit though, and may take you up a notch in your workouts -harder, faster, stronger, and more of them! Now, go set your alarm for 5am! Those running shoes are calling your name!
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appointments with yourself, or someone else, to exercise regularly. Have someone to hold you accountable. Accountability is the number one, most important thing you can do to truly see results. Accountability to yourself isnt usually enough. It is too easy to rationalize, so enlist the help of someone who truly wants you to succeed. Choose someone dedicated to your commitment and unwilling to listen to your excuses such as a coach, workout partner, or personal trainer. Use these tips to help change your lifestyle, in turn making your goal to live a healthier life successful. How do you know its working? Are your clothes fitting better? Are you feeling better?
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workouts. Save these for after the baby comes. The Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE), developed by a Swedish physiologist named Borg, allows you to rate you own activity level on a scale from 6 to 20. A 6 or 7 would be considered very, very light workouts and a 19-20 would be a very, very hard workout. It is recommended to stay around 12-14, or somewhat hard while exercising. Depending on age, a 25-35 year old woman should aim to keep the heart rate below 140 beats per minute (bpm). It is an excellent idea to wear a heart rate monitor around your chest to monitor your heart rate. However, your resting heart rate can also be higher than normal during pregnancy, so if you feel that while you are exercising with a heart rate of 140 bpm and you are still doing a very easy workout, you may want to talk to your health care provider about letting your heart rate increase during exercise. There are numerous exercises that are recommended during pregnancy, and there are a few that are not recommended. Almost any exercise is OK to continue as long as it is in moderation. After 12 weeks, it is best to avoid doing any exercise in a supine position, or laying on you back as it can cause dizziness and it is always best to avoid lying on your stomach. It is best to avoid activities like horseback riding, mountain biking, and skiing (water and snow). It is also best to avoid exercising outside in very hot or humid conditions. Hot tubs, saunas, and whirlpools should also be avoided. Just remember to recognize any warning signs and then adjust your workout accordingly or stop if needed. If you experience any of the following symptoms stop exercising immediately; increased uterine contractions, decreased fetal movements, vaginal bleeding, leaking of amniotic fluid, dizziness, faintness, shortness of breath, palpitations, persistent nausea or vomiting, back or hip pain, or difficulty walking. Cardiovascular exercises such as walking, jogging, cycling (preferably on a stationary bike), using the elliptical machine, using the stair stepper, or swimming are excellent exercises to continue while pregnant. Cardiovascular exercise is an excellent warm up for strength training. Weight training is an excellent way to keep your posture, prevent back pain, as well as build the muscles you will need to carry a baby around. With strength training, it is important to perform each exercise slowly and with control, and not to use weights that are too heavy. Pay attention to other people around you and watch out for flying weights. It you are not familiar with lifting weights and would like to start, a personal trainer would be of enormous benefit to ensure you are doing proper exercises with proper form. A personal trainer may be more important than ever to utilize while you are pregnant. As your pregnancy progresses, you may need to switch to lighter weights and easier exercises. Just remember you are strength training to maintain tone and overall fitness and not to resculpt your body so listen closely to what you body is saying.
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All phases of the golf swing, the set-up, back swing and downswing, and follow-through, are all equally important when it comes to golf conditioning. In the set-up phase, the ankles, knees, and hips should have strength and balance. A combination of a balance board and thera-bands are an excellent way to strengthen and balance these. The quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes are important for rotation and weight transfer. The stability ball, delayed squats, and other isometric exercises are essential to strengthening these muscles. Exercises such as good mornings, and rows are excellent to strengthen hip flexion and back extension. For the back swing, shoulder rotation, trunk rotation and wrist strength are most important. Shoulder exercises, oblique twists, hammer curls, and wrist rolls are excellent exercises for the back swing. For the downswing, shoulder rotation, left arm abduction, right arm adduction, abdominal flexion, and wrists are most important. Russian twists, thera-band exercises, and hammer curls are the best exercises for strengthening the downswing. For the follow through of a golf swing, the deltoids, rotator cuffs, and the lower back must be strong. Right arm horizontal adduction, interior and exterior rotation exercises, low back exercises including spinal hyperextension, ball tosses, and bridges are all good.. It is extremely important to warm-up and stretch when golf-conditioning. Golf conditioning is also important for injury prevention, especially low back pain. Hitting a golf ball consistently and effectively for 18 holes requires coordinated muscle control, strength, and stamina. There are many major muscles involved in a full golf swing. These must be used in the proper sequence and to the degree necessary to achieve a fluid yet effective swing. The leg muscles (quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteals) play a major role, generating a large portion of the golf swings power. The hips initiate movement down into the ball, while the mid-section (abdominals, obliques, and erector spine) transfers force from the legs to the torso and is responsible for swing acceleration. The upper torso (pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, and deltoids) produces the actual swing and plays a big role in generating club head speed. Finally, the arms (biceps, triceps, and forearm flexors-extensors) control the accuracy of the club head on impact with the golf ball. Strengthening and increasing overall flexibility in all of the muscle groups used in golf will maximize swing power and club head speed, improve control, increase overall endurance, and help reduce the risk of injury.
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For more information on golf conditioning, contact Clint at 918.369.6090 (123rd & S. Memorial, Bixby) and 918.392.3488 (97th & Riverside, Jenks/South Tulsa) or email clint@jenksfitnesstogether.com. We are also online at www.personaltrainertulsa.com
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Come on, are you using that thinking cap? Are you excitedly looking around the house or office right now? Yeah, it's fun! Keep thinking, keep looking. How about climbing a rope tied to the large oak tree in the back yard? Or walk, job, skip, jump, or run in the sand if you live close to the beach. Great way to add resistance. Let your feet get wet and cool off when you're done if you wish. Talk about saving time. Working out at home saves gasoline and time spent in travel to and from a facility. You can have fitness equipment or improvise just: Always think safety first. Have fun and let your inner child explore and play. In other words, feel at home with your workout.
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Family Fitness
By Crystal Reiber
Family fitness is not a new concept. It is actually quite old and somewhat forgotten. Just pick up any health magazine or youth-oriented statistic and you will be appalled, and well...you should be!!! With 85% out of 300,000 school-aged children diagnosed with adult onset diabetes, the average child taking in 5 hours of television PLUS playing video games, peer pressure, and the eating disorders, low self esteem, and the list goes on and on, you get the picture and it isn't pretty. Today's youth are lacking in direction of creativity to "get moving", get healthy, and maintain that level for any length of time. Why? The instant gratitude of society with the internet, television, video games explosion, and much more in this throw away society is part of it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of it, as long as it is regulated, done in moderation. Just as over-indulgence in food can lead to issues on the negative side of fitness, so can the lack of getting out and moving, learning the healthy choices and putting them into practice, and the improved sense of health and accomplishment that goes with that. So, take a look at another aspect. Parents who work, come home tired and may spend little or no time with their children and plop down to be a big sofa spud. Kids learn by example and what kind of example is that if that is you? Encourage your kids to get outside. Challenge them to a game of hoops, hit the bike trail, go on a hike, go to the playground and just be a kid with them, hoola hoop, it doesn't matter "what" just be like Nike says, "do it"! Join in community clean up projects or other interests. Have a "clean up day" at your own residence...yard, garage, attic, whatever and let the family join together. I know it's hard with this fast pace we often live or think we live, but there is no better investment you can give to anyone, especially your child/children, or yourself than to take time. How much time? 30 mins a day would be awesome, but more is even better and if it has to be in smaller increments, so be it. Pretty soon you'll see your kid(s) creativity emerge as he/she/they think of activities that they want to explore and challenge you. Make up games or contests. Invite another family to join and play teams. Go back to the basics of tug of war, 3-legged races, potato sack races, toss horseshows, badmitton, hiking, biking, trail blazing, obstacle courses in your back yard or local park, etc. Come on, let the kid out of YOU and see that kid of yours come to you!
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Senior Fitness
By Crystal Reiber
The senior population, those aged 65+, is a growing population on the fitness trail. Insurance companies and doctors are finally seeing the results of many clinical studies as well as the benefits of "preventative care" in helping the senior population of our nation, here in the U.S. Don't be surprised to see a grandma or grandpa in the gym enjoying the same benefits as the youth and athletes that have memberships. There are many programs to be offered by facilities everywhere. As a trainer and one who instructs such clientele, one on one or in a group setting, I can tell you that they are energetic, love meeting new people their own age, build new friendships, and are boosting their fitness level with the workouts and boosting there emotional/mental well being in the process. It's a clear fact that, on average, we are living longer than we did 20 years, 15 years, or even 10 years ago. Just because a person ages doesn't mean that he/she has to stop having fun, challenging themselves, or "lose it for not using it". It's abundantly clear to me that it is quite the opposite. As with most special populations, seniors are dedicated and give all they have. Why sometimes I've had to call and literally beg an individual to please stay home that the snow storm, ice, or other conditions aren't safe for him/her to attend. No excuses from the seniors. Compared to those able bodied, I'd have to say the winner, hands down, goes to the seniors I've been graced in knowing among my clientele. Always a smile, always an appreciate word or even applause is given to their instructor of the day. It's catching...the "positive-ness" is purely contagious and I'm glad it is. I'm not that far from being a "senior" and according to come organizations, I am, just simply because I'm over 50 years old. Well, I've got news for them, I'm not done yet anymore than the 90+ year old I've been graced to know along the way. So, keep this little article in mind when you can't think of a gift idea for mom, dad, aunt or uncle so and so, grandma, or grandpa. Check with their insurance and you may be delighted to find a participating facility nearby that won't cost them a cent or a very minimal cost and the gift you can offer them can have you enjoying the benefits of having that aunt or uncle, parent, or grandparent around on this earth a little longer.
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Working it at Work
By Crystal Reiber
Working "it, as in your body, at work is definitely doable. You don't think so? Rethink that as you read on! If you sit at a desk you can't help but get tired of that desk position. You can easily save up calls and copies to be done all at one time to get yourself, literally, up and out of that chair. Standing burns more calories than sitting so why not take advantage of that when possible? Then before you sit back down into terrible posture again to resume the next round at your desk, take a few moments to stretch out your neck...chin tucked and bow the head for 15-20 seconds, then turn head to the right and then left for the same amount of time each side, then look up without arching (hyperextending) the neck and count that one out. Now, inhale and circle your arms up over your head and back and around and forward for another time. Now stretch forward and touch your toes. If you have a rolling chair and you promise to be careful, you can kneel with your forearms on the chair and let it roll out away from you and pull it back. This is great for the abdominals. Turn and face away from your desk and grab a hold of the desk with your hands, palms down and fingers pointing toward your buttocks. Walk your feet out in front of you. Knees should be nearly straight. Lower your torso and push up again. Great for the triceps and rear deltoid muscles of the shoulders. Inhale going down and exhale pushing up. You can lift one foot and do a repetition and then switch. Then you can face your desk and place your hands on the desk and do a version of pushups or use a wall or if you're game, use that floor space. This works the chest, arms, and core. Squats can be done anytime too, you know. Now, resume a seated position in your chair, shoulders are rolled back with chest lifted so that your spinal alignment is good and your ears should be straight in line with your shoulders. Inhale and exhale, 2 counts in and 2 counts out for 3 times, and then do the same at 3 counts, then 4 counts. Ahhhhhhh....stress is helped by taking breaks and what was described here can be accomplished in as little as 10 minutes. You can take multiple breaks, which I highly recommend as much as possible without interfering with the "task at hand" for you to accomplish. OK, now if you do a lot of physical labor in your job then you should definitely take heed and adapt some of the relaxing and stretching tips contained here in this article for stress reduction, getting the "kinks" out, and refreshing yourself to endure the day. Along with this make sure to power up with healthy foods for that lunch break and maybe even a good walk, if you have a lunch hour. Of course, always drink that water and stay hydrated. All employers know that a healthy, relaxed and stress-free employee is a more productive employee. You might be able to pass on the tips to coworkers or even to that manager, boss, employer, foreman, etc. and improve the entire staff's posture, attitude/outlook, and output all at the same time.
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Workouts should be creative and what fits a person's schedule. That's what makes the workout doable and not a dreaded "other thing to do". It doesn't have to be all alone or all on your own time. Give yourself a break and be surprised by the results. A win-win situation for you, your productivity, and your sanity. I guarantee it. Multiple times taken still is time taken to add up to that goal of improving your personal fitness levels, mental health, and stress management. So, let me ask you. Have you/are you rethinking since beginning the reading of this article? I certainly hope so! You deserve to be your best!
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to the knee. The ITB becomes tight because it is trying to do the work of a normally functioning glute medius. Many factors can be responsible for the glute medius dysfunction. These include a rapid increase in mileage or time spent running (overuse); too much speedwork (overuse); weakness in one of the prime movers (improper loading); running on a slanted surface (improper loading) and/or bad running technique (weakness and improper loading). Often a combination of two or more factors is at work. The ITBS example demonstrates how the body will always use what it has and conversely can't use what it doesn't have. This is only one of several examples of how muscle imbalances can negatively affect runners. The Solution To correct these imbalances you need to strengthen the weak muscles, stretch and release the tight muscles and teach the body to recruit the correct group of muscles in the proper sequence. A personalized routine of exercises designed by a qualified professional is recommended. An even better solution is to listen to the old adage 'One ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.' The best thing to do is avoid muscle imbalances in the first place or correct them when the differences are minor. This is where strength training comes in. A regular program of strengthening exercises, dynamic flexibility exercises and stretching will help keep your body in balance. Your strength training workouts are 'pre-hab', preventative exercises that are done before you get injured. Workout Guidelines To properly balance your body you need to work your running muscles as well as your non-running muscles. Running is predominantly a forward movement so you should include exercises that work the two other planes of motion, lateral and rotational. Side lunges are a great example of a lateral exercise. A rotational movement would be oblique twists. You should incorporate full body exercises, using the arms and legs at the same time and coordinating movement between the left and right sides. This will train you to recruit muscles in a proper sequence and improve integration between the two sides of your body. An example would be a forward lunge with an arm drive. Don't neglect stabilization and balance training. This will train your neuromuscular system to better recruit stabilizer muscles. A one leg squat with a toe touch is a good stabilization and balance exercise. Plyometrics should also be included to develop power. These are jumping style exercises that involve fast, explosive movement such as squat jumps.
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Runners will benefit greatly from core stability exercises that specifically target the muscles of the hips and lower trunk (abs and low back). Proper recruitment of these muscles is important since good stabilization of the pelvis is needed when running. A prone plank is one exercise that targets the core. Don't worry about strength training cutting into your running time. A well designed program can be completed in as little as 30 minutes and can be done in a gym or at home. Doing the workout in the gym gives you more tools to work with but you don't need a lot of fancy equipment. Your body weight and a little creativity can go a long way. By following a proper strength training program you can bring your muscles into balance and continue to run injury free.
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Well you might but you're better off getting the advice of an expert. And that's what professional trainers are, experts in the field of fitness. A qualified and competent trainer can design an effective workout, make sure you understand how to execute the exercises properly and progress you in a timely fashion. Athletes have coaches. Even the best athletes in the world use a coach. They understand the benefit of working with someone who will hone their skills and abilities to a peak in order to reach their goals. Get the most out of your time in the gym. It doesn't mean you can't have fun; just realize your workouts are steps you take towards your goal. Make each one count and you'll reach your goal that much quicker.
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Realtor Fitness: 17 Jealously Guarded Secrets for Smaller Waists and Bigger Profits for the Physically and Financially Fit Realtor
By Dale Andrew
Working as a realtor can pose several challenges to living a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise. The hours are irregular. The constant and changing energy demands of clients and brokers can be stressful. Most meals are grabbed on the go. Like any professional salesperson, its a roller coaster of highs and lows. But these are realtor fitness challenges that can be overcome. Realtors can improve their fitness. As a salesperson, its crucial that you have peak energy, confidence, and attitude. Your clients can see right through you. When you look great, you feel great. When you feel great, well, you get the idea. Its been well documented that appearances effect sales. Successful and fit realtors know this, and its part of what makes it such a joy for me to work so closely with them. Ive found that when realtors consistently apply these 17 realtor fitness secrets to their careers and exercise programs, they not only get in better shape but they get more listings, make more money and they enjoy it more, as well. Isnt that what every realtor wants? 1. Know what you want. Most realtors dont get what they want because they dont know what they want. The first step to becoming a fit realtor is knowing what kind of shape you want to be in physically and financially. 2. Know why you want it. You must know why these fitness goals are important to you before youll ever be willing to do what it takes to accomplish them and be a fit realtor. 3. Know when you want it by. A goal without a completion date is absolutely meaningless to a successful realtor fitness program. 4. Know the price. Success rarely falls into our lap. It comes with a price. Whether its getting the body you want or selling 100+ houses a year, realtors must invest time, energy, and money to be successful. 5. Be willing to pay the price. If youre not willing to do this, chances are that its just not that important to you. Thats fine. But, please dont talk yourself into thinking that youre doing everything you can to improve your fitness. 6. Model success. When thinking about your realtor fitness program, remember success always leaves clues. Ignore this and its quite possible that youll end up broke and fat!
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7. Focus on your goals not obstacles. The law of attraction states that what you focus on grows. Realtors must reframe every fitness challenge as an opportunity. But be warned, itll drive people around you nuts! 8. Think both not either/or. Fit realtors find a way to exercise AND fulfill work and family obligations. 9. Become bigger than any problem. The number one limiting factor for people, and this includes realtors, is what they dont know. The number two limiting factor is those things they know that just arent so. Fit realtors must always be open to learning and growing. 10. Take action in spite of fear. Successful and fit realtors dont let fear stop them from taking positive action steps towards their fitness goals. 11. Measure progress, regularly. If youre not assessing, youre just guessing. Dont rely on hope. Whether youre marketing to get more listings or exercising to get a better body, successful realtors always need to know if what theyre doing is working or not. Test. Test. Test. 12. Keep your commitments. When fit you make a commitment to yourself or others, you must come through. If you dont, your personal integrity is the first casualty. Your self-esteem is the second. 13. Leverage your time. Do what you know and do it very well. For those things that fall outside your specialty, hire an expert instead of wasting time trying to become one yourself. This can be especially helpful when designing a fitness program. (By the way, this is also the quickest way to become an expert, yourself) 14. Think big and long-term. Whats more important than your health? Fit realtors live for today but never stop planning for tomorrow when it comes to their fitness. 15. Get things done. This is the one secret that successful realtors everywhere have in common. 16. Always take time for self-renewal. Realtors cant be at your best if youre stressed and lacking energy or confidence. Remember, to get paid the best, you have to be at your best. 17. Choose to get paid (and pay) for results not time. Realtors can never expect to get rich trading your time for money. Likewise, its not how long you spend exercising thats important its whether what youre doing gives you the results that you want! This is the last key to a successful realtor fitness program.
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bodyweight exercises have a valuable, if underrated, role in the fight against fat. In fact, many bodyweight exercises will help you build a better body faster than expensive muscle-isolation equipment at commercial gyms. Youre really only limited by your imagination when it comes to bodyweight exercises, but I tend to look at training the body in terms of movement patterns, rather than the traditional bodybuilder body part training splits. The reason for this should be selfevident: With few exceptions, office workers are not bodybuilders. Thus, when designing programs to "activate" the correct muscle groups and prepare you for future, more advanced workouts, Im sure to incorporate hip-dominant, quad-dominant, horizontal pushing, horizontal pulling, vertical pushing, vertical pulling, and rotational movements into each workout routine. The key as always is systematic progression. Generally, there are almost always four ways to make a particular exercise harder and four more ways to make it easier. Its really just a matter of matching the exercise with your current ability, then moving up through the levels to more advanced exercises as you get in better shape. So, lets look at 3 sample office bodyweight workout circuits, moving from basic to more advanced, that can be performed anywhere: Circuit #1:
Ball Squat against wall Alternating Bodyweight Lunges Incline Pushups 2-Leg Hip Lying Extensions Inverted Row with Bent Knees Push-Ups Split Squat Stick-Ups Bird Dogs Plank Russian Twists
Circuit #2:
Bodyweight Squat Diagonal Bodyweight Lunges Pushups 2-Leg Stability Hip Bridge/Extension on Ball Close-Grip Pushups Prisoner Squats Inverted Rows Step-Ups Chin-ups Cross Body Knee-Ups Mountain Climbers
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Circuit #3
Y-Squat Reverse Lunges Pushups Step-Ups Decline Push-Ups Split Squats Inverted Rows 1-Leg Hip Extensions Shoulder Press Push-Ups Floor Wipers Hanging Knees to Elbows
These are just a couple of examples of what you can do. The possibilities are endless, but the common thread in my program design is that they follow my colleague Craig Ballantynes bodyweight circuit guidelines. The first three exercises in each circuit are used to warm-up the body for the more challenging exercises. You then perform 6 main exercises, alternating between lower and upper body exercises for a cardio effect, finishing with a couple of ab exercises. Now you could do a couple giant circuits where you go through all the exercises without rest, or you could break it up as follows: 2 sets of warm-up exercises, 1-3 sets of the six main exercises, and finish with 2 sets of the ab exercises. Office Bodyweight exercises will not only help to address common muscular imbalances, but with these powerful circuits you can lose fat as well.
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Whats Your Fitness Goal? Why Are You Going to The Gym?
By Dale Andrew
Before you get to the gym, take the time to ask yourself, Why am I going to the gym? Whats my fitness goal? If you dont know why you are there, then you lack purpose; nothing great has ever been achieved without a sense of purpose. You may retort that you are there to lose weight, tone up, or get stronger. On the surface, these reasons appear to be obvious and compelling. However, it has been my experience that these arent the reasons why people go to the gym. These are whats but not whys. Its important to know the difference between whats and whys when setting your fitness goals. Whats are superficial and always fade. Whys, on the other hand, are more stable motivating forces that can lead to positive behavioral and lifestyle changes. Whys are usually born out of a desire to change something thats perceived as negative in favor of something that permits a better body image. Over the years, Ive learned that a persons spoken reason or motivation for going to the gym may be to lose weight, but their unspoken reasons are WHY theyre there in the first place. For example, they may want to lose weight so that they can play soccer with their kids, walk around the block without feeling out of breath, feel comfortable in their skin or in a two-piece swimsuit, or attract the attention of a husband or wife again. There are many reasons for why someone joins a gym, but you can bet that none of them revolve around being able to lift a 25-pound dumbbell or being able to run on a treadmill. Your goals for joining a gym probably have a lot more to do with wanting to improve the life that you live outside it. Knowing your goals for why youre going to the gym doesnt guarantee that youll be successful in your quest for a better body, but not knowing almost certainly guarantees that you will fail. You cant reach a goal before you take the time to properly identify and set one. In this sense, failure is not the result of falling short of your goal, but the result of not having a goal to reach. Know what you want and above all why its important. How will you feel if you dont reach your fitness goals? Whats the biggest obstacle to achieving your fitness goals? These are hard questions, but you need to ask them and answer them if you really want to improve your fitness and build a better body. Once motivation is properly identified, it must be carefully nurtured and directed to bring about the desired change. Your fitness goal helps to determine which principles you must follow to achieve it. These goal specific principles directly inform the selection, sequence, dose, and frequency of the best fitness methods you can choose... Whats your plan for success? You do have one, right?
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Indeed, there are many people; you may even know a few, which spend time at the gym. If your fitness goals are socially oriented, that approach may work for you too. If your fitness goals are results-oriented, however, what you do at the gym and how you do it is infinitely more important than the amount of time that you spend there.
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being built, challenged, torn down, and rebuilt. This historical backdrop is the white elephant in the room for our current debate on why women should not lift weights. One of the more popular reasons for women to refrain from lifting weights is the belief that doing so will make a woman bulky and look like a man. But, is this really a bad thing? Most women that I have trained say, Yes! They dont want big arms, shoulders, and traps, for example. Typically, women want to get rid of the flab under their arms, lift their butt, tone their thighs, and tighten up their stomach. These women are committed to changing their body. Sure, health is a concern, but most women Ive worked with simply want to look better naked! I dont think men are all that different. But do women need to train differently for fat loss than men? In my experience, the answer is yes and no. Females may have some more stubborn areas than males, but the training would essentially be the same, as would the diet. Men and women both need to train hard, hit the weights, and try to preserve as much muscle mass as possible. They both need some type of interval work to rev up their fat loss. Both men and women need a reduction in calories and need to focus on eating nutrient dense foods. The only difference involves their specific dietary needs, meaning preferences, allergies, and calorie requirements. Ive trained many women who pound for pound are stronger than their male counterparts, and none attained a bulky physique that made them look like a man. In fact, lifting heavy weights in combination with energy system training actually got rid of the flab under their arms, lifted their butt, toned their thighs, and tightened up their stomach. And it did so much faster than aerobics alone. Although, I cant say for sure that these women looked better naked, I know they felt better about their body. They were more confident, more energetic, and more alive. They had a more positive body image and self-esteem. No matter your shape, you have the power to define what makes you happy. Your body image and self-esteem are up to you. If youre happy with the way your body looks, thats great. Keep doing what youre doing. But if you arent seeing the changes that you want, you need to do something different. For many women, this involves participation a regular exercise program that includes lifting weights. Resistance training not only increases strength, but it burns fat, and builds bone density to prevent osteoporosis. The benefits of strength training for women cant be denied any longer. This belief that women have that lifting weights will make a woman bulky or look like a man doesnt seem to come from personal experience, or even that of other women. Rather, its borrowed from the experiences of very few men and wrongly applied to all women. It makes me cringe when even today women are encouraged to exercise with cans of soup or cartons of milk. I understand where it comes from, but I mean what year is this? Some women let fear stop them from taking action. Other women push through the 'b.s.' and drag others along with them. You are free to think that women shouldnt lift weights. You are free to choose education over ignorance. You are free to choose your own
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conception of what it means to be a beautiful woman. But if you dont, history shows that men will decide it for you.
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Hehe, I love to surprise my clients with this one. Tabata is a Japanese Physiologist and during his research, he determined the optimal level for maximizing aerobic AND anaerobic capacity simultaneously in just 4 minutes! Tabata is a form of interval training with an interval ratio of 2:1. 20 seconds of maximal all out exercise followed by a very short 10 second recovery. Perform 8 sets, and make sure you have a bucket nearby for the one! Give these a try, I guarantee they will kick start your cardio training and help you break through your boredom and fat loss plateaus. We will cover more options in the future.
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Make up for it tomorrow Fitness is not an all-or-nothing affair! Have Some Fun Bring some fun into your workouts Train with a friend Try Boot Camp Create Corporate activities related to Health and Fitness Everyone will benefit!
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Research shows that professionals generate 34 percent more club head speed than amateurs, yet amateurs produce spinal forces 50 to 80 percent higher, and 50 percent more trunk muscle activity than the professional. Ever wondered why professionals seem so effortless off the tee yet drive the ball 300 yards? Swing mechanics. After years of training, practice and conditioning, professionals are more efficient, can achieve more power with less integration and better integration and co-ordination, therefore minimizing the strain and pressure on the lower back. And making millions of dollars along the way! So make sure your golf fitness program is specific to the game and work with a golf pro to work on your swing mechanics.
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Decreases a woman's risk of developing endometriosis by 50%. Enhances posture, spinal nourishment and mobility. Increases the amount of blood that flows to the skin making it look and feel healthier. Increases the removal of lactic acid and other toxins. Improves self image and self esteem.
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Schedule your exercise sessions as you would business appointments. They are just as important and essential to your wellbeing especially while traveling on business. Brainstorm while colleagues while walking instead of in a meeting room Walk around the airport while waiting to board the plane. Walk instead of taking the escalator, you will find that you get there faster than those who take the ride! Take the stairs instead of the elevator, or get off a few floors early and walk the rest of the way. Pack your resistance tubes. Pack your jump rope.
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Try these simple yet very effective steps to maximize your activity, productivity and performance while traveling on business.
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Consistency in Exercise
By Dave Gleason
In the past I have written articles about the importance of consistency in your workouts. Consistency of frequency, or how many workouts you accomplish per week. Consistency of intensity, or how difficult you workouts are; and consistency of volume, or how many sets and reps you perform in any given workout depending on the stage of your conditioning. I would like to take this opportunity to briefly outline some of the principles your trainer uses that serve as the backbone or foundation for all of your programming. The following list is intricate to the planning behind your workouts not only in terms of the big picture but the actual day-to-day exercise prescription. There are (at the minimum) 6 universally accepted scientifically based training principles that must be adhered to in order to improve your conditioning and get youre to your goals. The common thread of all of these is consistent, unfailing, dependable, and regular exercise. (Get the hint!?) These principles are: 1. The Principle of Individual Differences. Because every human being is different, each persons response to exercise will be different. A sound training program has to take in to account these differences and be modified to suit that individual. Common sense will tell you that if your trainer does not have the opportunity to evaluate you on a consistent basis, many differences will never be exposed. Therefore you are not receiving a customized program or enjoying results! 2. The Principle of Overload. The Overload Principle says that a greater than normal stress or load is required for a training adaptation to take place. Once the body has become stronger for example, another stimulus is needed to continue this pattern. The same works for any muscle including the heart. In order to breathe easier during 3 mile run, the training has to tax the cardiovascular system enough to make it change to a stronger system. Again, without consistency physical improvement cannot possibly be accomplished. 3. The Principle of Progression The Principle of Progression states that the overload we just reviewed must be done at an optimal level and at the right time. Simply put, the weight or resistance cannot be increased to quickly; advanced exercises cannot be performed before
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their easier counterparts are mastered; and the proper amount of rest is required to allow for recovery. In the absence of consistent workouts no advancement can be made safely. No goals will be attained. 4. The Principle of Use/Disuse I love this one! This principle says that you use it or lose it. Enough said. The Principle of Adaptation also ties into the Principle of Progression because there needs to be periods of low intensity as well as high intensity to let your body recover from all that hard work! 5. The Principle of Adaptation When adaptation occurs the body has responded to exercise in a positive way that may result in increased strength, speed, stamina, suppleness and skill (sound familiar?). Much of the adaptation in the first 4-6 weeks of an exercise program comes almost exclusively from what I call software issues. In other words your brain sends better messages to your muscles allowing them to do what you are asking of them. Unfortunately this is where much of the soreness from exercise comes into play. After this period your body actually begins to change! 6. The Principle of Specificity. Also known as the SAID Principle (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands) states that your body will become what you train it to be. Common sense tells us if you want to be a great baseball player you probably wont shoot baskets on a basketball court 3-4 times per week for your workouts. Allow me to give you another example: If a 72 year old grandmother would like to work in her garden pain free for 1 hour per day, her training protocol will progress her to the point where she can get up, down, bend and twist with and without resistance (weight). I hope this article gives you an inside look at the method to the madness as well as why I believe consistency is your biggest advocate. I strongly believe if you feel like you have a working understanding of the why behind the what you will stay consistent and reach goals you never thought attainable!
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Listen to your favorite CD Watch a movie or TV show saved on DVR or TiVo Pray Day dream Think of solutions to life issues People watch (if your in a gym or outside) Listen for a pattern of your steps or breathing Think of your dream vacation Repeat positive affirmations Be Creative!
So the next time it seems as if life is winning and you cannot seem to fit in that workout...GET LOST!
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Strength and Muscular Endurance Training Benefits Improve Joint Stability Improve quality and quantity of muscle fibers. Capacity to perform work or activities for a longer period of time. Cardiovascular Training Benefits Utilization of Carbohydrates Mobilization of Stored Fat Being Heart Healthy (The heart is a muscle too) Lower Risk of Injury Relax and Tension release Better performance in activities Increased Blood supply and nutrients Change the exercises you do in your strength routine. Take up a sport or activity Change the type of cardiovascular training you do. Try intervals, or a new class.
Always work on flexibility after activity when your body is warm. Make sure you rest. Your body repairs and adapts during your resting phase. MORE isn't BETTER, but some is better than none!!!!
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Weight Training Makes You Stronger So You Are Less Likely To Fall: Performing compound lower body movements that mimic everyday activities such as the squat, lunge and step up help develop and strengthen the muscles of the legs and hip which will improve your balance and make you less likely to lose your footing and fall. Strengthening the muscles of the shoulder and rotator cuff will decrease your chances of shoulder impingement from a lifetime of performing repetitive daily tasks. Exercising for as little as 30 minutes, two times a week can help you improve or prevent the conditions above. Of course you should always see your physician before you start any exercise program and hiring a personal training for proper instruction and a structured exercise plan wouldn't hurt either!
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SMART GOALS WEDDING WORKSHEET 1. 2. 3. 4. Today's Date is: ___________________________ My Wedding Date is: _______________________ How many weeks are between today and my wedding day? ___________ If I lose 2 lbs. a week how many pounds can I lose by my wedding day? _________ (# of weeks in question 3 X 2lbs. = ____ lbs weight loss possible) 5. Below is an example training schedule according to your wedding date. Since June is the most popular month for weddings I will use that as the example: Wedding Date: June 2nd - Training Start Date: March 3rd Wedding Date: June 9th - Training Start Date: March 10th Wedding Date: June 16th - Training Start Date: March 17th Wedding Date June 23rd - Training Start Date: March 24th Wedding Date June 30th - Training Start Date: March 31st
If you start adjusting your diet and exercising by the training start dates that correspond with your wedding dates you should have plenty of time to reach your weight loss goals of losing 20 lbs. If you want to lose more, you'll need to be stricter with your diet and more intense with your exercise or add a week for each 2 lbs. of weight loss you are planning.
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exception). If you are exercising with weights, the muscle that you build will help you burn more calories while you are at rest, and will ultimately lead to a lower body fat percentage (less jiggle) and a lower BMI. Using circumference measures, how your clothes fit, and how you feel as a measure of health is much more accurate than jumping on the scale. 3. All I want to do is 'tone up'. Everyone's definition of 'toning up' is different. My definition is losing fat and retaining muscle mass so I jiggle less and I am more firm. If you want firmer thighs, firmer triceps (back of the upper arm), a firmer tummy (abs), and a firmer butt, you need to increase your FAT-FREE muscle mass and decrease the amount of body fat covering those places. And because FAT-FREE muscle mass is MORE DENSE than body fat, it takes up less space. So if you have firmer thighs, triceps, abs, and butt then you will be taking up less space and be more compact i.e. smaller. If for some reason, after you are weight training for at least 12 weeks, you feel you are getting big and bulky muscles like a man go to your doctor and have your testosterone levels check. There are a small percentage of women who have more testosterone flowing through their veins than average, but even so it would be extremely difficult for women to gain big muscle like a man. When I finished debunking her third 'myth' the participant, whose eyes were a little glazed over, hesitantly agreed that she would try and challenge her body by using heavier weights and build more fat free muscle. I could tell she wasn't completely convinced so I debunked a couple of more myths for her. 4. I have to go to the gym every day for an hour or more. Hardly. Studies have shown that the benefits of strength training can be acquired with as little as two thirty minute sessions a week! But if you have aggressive body shaping goals, yes, you may have to put in more time than that. This is when hiring a personal trainer comes in handy. They can analyze your goals, see if they are realistic, and then develop a plan of attack for you. Will it transform your body over night? Nope, but it will happen faster than having no plan at all and trying to go at it alone! 5. Weight training only helps my muscles. Even if getting stronger muscles was the only benefit, why wouldn't you want to have them? Do you enjoy struggling to open jars, not being able to lift moderately heavy objects, and getting sore after performing simple every day tasks? The stronger your muscles are the more you will be able to do on your own and the higher your quality of life will be. But other than strong muscles, weight training also affects bone density. That's right, if you weight train, you can prevent or at least delay the onset of osteoporosis. What is osteoporosis? Osteoporosis is a disease of the skeleton that results in low bone mass and an increased risk of fracture, especially of the hip, spine and wrist. Nine out of ten osteoporosis sufferers are women. Look at your mother and grand mother. Do they hunch forward excessively? Have they had hip replacement surgery? Do they often break bones or dislocate hips just by walking? If so, having osteoporosis and weak bones usually are the culprits and can be prevented by exercising with weights.
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Weight training also has been proven to elevate your high density lipoproteins (HDL) or the 'good' cholesterol. This helps your veins and arteries stay clear and reduce your chance of having a heart attack. So as you can see, ladies, the war on weight-loss isn't won by performing endless hours of cardio day in and day out. You need to reinforce your calorie burning troops and build muscle mass with weights to declare weight loss victory and keep those pounds off. Not only will you win the weight loss war, you'll also look fabulous, have stronger bones, and better cholesterol! So what are you weighting for?
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"Announcing Four Important Reasons For A Fitness-Weight-Loss-Program In Your Bid For Superior Cricket Fitness."
By David Virgo
In your bid for superior cricket fitness you should be aiming for optimum body fat levels. If you have excess body fat your performance and fitness won't be at its peak. The completion of a fitness-weight-loss-program will allow you to increase your concentration, motivation and your quickness. As well as your motivation and self discipline. I have purposefully left out a target figure for body fat levels. This would only cause anxiety and worry for people that didn't fit into the right percentage range. You need a correct measurement taken by a professional and then you need that measurement interpreted and conveyed to you in a professional manner. For yourself to do it or a friend you are setting yourself up for incorrect results and possible stress on your part worrying about the results (which are probably wrong anyway). If you want a reading get a fitness professional to take it for you. You should know if you are carrying more than you need (body fat that is). However you don't need to see your six pack abs to be at an acceptable body fat level. You need to use your common sense. 1. Concentration. By reducing your body fat levels your concentration will be given the opportunity to improve. Your brain can now utilize more nutrients to fuel its operations. No longer will your body be expending energy on supporting and moving dead weight (body fat) around the training track and cricket field. By achieving your fat-loss goal you will be eating better quality, healthy food which in turn will put more nutrients into your body for your brain to utilize. Concentration is a major ingredient for cricket success and by achieving fat-loss your concentration will improve. 2. Motivation Your motivation will also pick up mainly due to your natural energy boost. You will have a renewed vigor for training sessions and matches. Rather than drag yourself to training in anticipation of the struggle you are about to face in lumping yourself around the park
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lifelessly. Because of the body fat shed in your fitness-weight-loss-program your energy levels will enable you to attack your fitness and cricket training with renewed vigor and motivation. Your actions will be more authorities and intense in nature. Exactly the actions that are needed for cricket fitness and playing the game. You can forget the slow, lethargic and uninspiring fitness training sessions and start getting double the impact from your efforts in half the time. Why wouldn't you be more motivated? 3. Quickness and Agility. A major differentiating factor in any dynamic team sport is speed and agility. By carrying excess body fat you adversely affect this important factor. All actions carried out in training and play involves speed and needs you to be agile. Unfortunately a lack of agility sticks out like the proverbial (dog's b---s). Without completing a fitness-weight-loss-program to reduce your body fat you are starting well and truly behind the pack. You cannot expect to show these athletic attributes whilst carrying excess body fat stores. 4. Self Discipline To achieve your fat-loss you will need to change and sustain a new or improved lifestyle. You've eaten healthy food and increased the quality (not quantity excessively) of your exercise. Most importantly you have attained a greater degree of self discipline. By successfully completing your fitness-weight-loss-program you have increased and exercised that self discipline. This will flow into your cricket fitness, cricket training and playing life. With your increased self discipline your chances of improvement increase dramatically. These are just four compelling reasons to undertake a fitness-weight-loss-program to rid yourself of unwanted body fat. And in the process improve your cricket fitness. To take it one step further you can include resistance (weights or body weights) training in your fitness-weight-loss-program. By doing this you will be losing excess body fat and helping to keep it off via an increase in lean muscle mass. With your increase in lean muscle mass and lost body fat your strength gains will quantify the benefit you have gained by losing that excess body fat. If you lose body fat with the aid of resistance training you are now changing your body's composition. The amount of lean muscle mass in comparison to fat tissue is swinging more in favor of the muscle tissue. This is great for cricket fitness and also your health. So what's stopping you? Get out there and start your fitness-weight-loss-program.
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All of the above points are reason enough to lose body fat however check out these added benefits. Injury prevention, a boosted immune system and increased total body energy levels. These are just related to cricket fitness. The health benefits are endless and are big enough to write a book on.
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"Discover A Simple Secret To Increasing Power in Your Shots and Adding A Yard of Pace To Your Bowling."
By David Virgo
Cricketers don't realize how much the hip and surrounding musculature are needed to generate power. If used with a strong and stable trunk or core efficient hip flexors make you a more powerful cricketer. The majority of you spend a fair portion of your time seated. Look at the position of your hips at the moment as you will be seated to read this newsletter. They are flexed at around 90 degrees meaning your hip flexors are shortened. If they (hip flexors) are in this position consistently and rarely stretched, your range of movement is going to be restricted in some way. Your hip flexors will be shortened and won't go back to their optimal length until you make a conscious effort to lengthen them. You may not be aware of it because your body adapts to any stresses thrown at it. So your movements will feel normal to you. That is why so many cricketers feel greater freedom in their normal running motion and movements after the simplest of hip mobility exercises. From a batting view point. How many of you find it almost impossible to keep your back leg straight or your back foot grounded? Or as I commonly see the back foot swiveling around to allow the hips and upper body to open up and face the bowler. This is caused by the hip flexor and associated muscles not allowing the hips and leg to stretch out adequately to lock your hips in the side on position. As a bowler you can't be expected to generate maximum power output if you can't move your hip flexors through a full range of motion. The hip region impacts on your lower back also. The majority of your upper leg muscles (quads & hamstrings) involve the hips. Hopefully you can start to see how a lack of hip mobility seriously can impede your efficiency. Not to mention increase your chances of injury. It goes without saying that your mobility and agility will be seriously impeded in the field because of your hip flexor limitations. Bending, lunging, sprinting and so on will all be affected. As stated earlier you may not realize it till you develop a greater range of movement and feel the difference. So give it a go. Start with the basics and every night or every other night stretch out your hip flexors, adductors (inner thigh), hamstrings and quads and also your iliotibial band which runs down the outside of your thigh. See if you feel any difference in your movements. I'm betting after a couple of weeks you will.
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"Discover The Different Forms of Physical Fitness Training That Will Boost Your Cricket Fitness"
By David Virgo
To allow your fitness sustainability in-season and dramatically increase your performances these tips will provide you with some ammunition to make your own informed decisions. Now that you have transformed your physical fitness training for cricket to be of a more anaerobic nature. This article will give you an insight into how some other fitness energy system training will compliment your current fitness regime if used appropriately. These methods can also be used to achieve goals and benefits outside of the game of cricket. A very important factor in everyones life is health (if not it should be) and by achieving desirable results in these other forms of fitness training you will also be improving your wellbeing. Your cricket's fitness will also reap the benefits so you will be achieving in more ways than one. The first type of training I am going to mention is Posture fitness training. This incorporates flexibility as well as addressing muscle imbalances. By completing this type of training successfully you will be setting solid foundations that will serve you for the rest of your cricketing life. I will go as far as to say it will prolong your cricket life. Your chances of injury decrease and your movements become more efficient. Your technique and skills work will also benefit from this training. Another major fitness focus that will increase not only your fitness for cricket but also your health in general is fat loss dominant training. For cricket you immediately benefit from body fat reduction through increasing reaction times and speed. Not to mention the strain it will be taking off your joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles. The beauty of this type of training is that you will be able to achieve your goal by training aerobically which is the same energy system you should be training to increase specific cricket fitness To achieve a fat loss result you no longer need to train at certain fat burning intensities for extended periods of time as you are all conditioned to believe. Interval training is scientifically proven to be the best way to reduce body fat levels. Let's now discuss aerobic fitness training. Aerobic utilizing oxygen to create energy for muscle contraction) fitness training is important because it initially enables the body to set an aerobic base in which all other fitness work can be built on. There is no need to run long distances at slow pace to develop this aerobic base.
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Longer interval type of training progressed over a period of time will set you a good fitness base that will allow recovery from all of your anaerobic work in future weeks and in season. Aerobic fitness work can also be used in a manner that allows your body to recover from game or training situations. Even just to give the body a break from the intensity of anaerobic training. Aerobic training in this way assists in the removal of waste products produced from anaerobic training aiding the recovery process. By completing a low intensity longer lasting exercise session sometimes called an active recovery session sparks up the immune system to speed up the regeneration process. Athletes underestimate the importance of this training point. In wrapping up this article please remember that your anaerobic system is going to be your dominant fitness training focus. However if you don't factor in other forms of physical fitness training you could be setting yourself up for a range of negative outcomes. Things such as injury, sickness, lethargy and a lack of motivation. All of these factors will affect your fitness negatively and in turn your cricket performances. So have an open mind with your fitness work for cricket and take a holistic approach rather than just the all or nothing approach.
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"How Solid POSTURE Fitness Training Will Help Determine The Quality Of Your Cricket Fitness Foundations."
By David Virgo
There is a fair chance throughout your playing life posture hasn't been a focus for you in your fitness preparation for cricket. Speaking from experience I didn't give it a thought when I was playing. I can't say I regret not thinking about it because it just wasn't considered as a means of improving yourself physically and unfortunately still isn't. What I am trying to rectify is that as a cricketer you become informed of this extremely valuable training phase and begin to at the very least investigate how it can help you. The following information will tell you simply why conditioning programs for cricketers at present are not creating great results due to the lack of proper body alignment. In fact a lot of problems are being created because of this fact. Fist of all a common scenario is as follows. The first day of pre-season training and we run for an extended period of time pounding the oval or the pavement. All in the name of trying to get fit for cricket season. Here is where the trouble starts. If your body has problems with its alignment and set up, by training in this manner you will be causing micro traumas (little injuries) to your body. Instability in your joints and muscles due to bad set up will be creating incorrect movement patterns and setting you up for major injuries. This may also assist in producing compensatory movements within the body to cover for these bad movement patterns. All in all not a good scenario for you the cricketer that is aiming for improvements. The next factor is when you set yourself to get fit and ready for cricket it usually involves some sort of strength training even if it is just push-ups and sit-ups. You may even have taken yourself to a gym to further your preparation. Great however if your alignment isn't correct you are going to be recruiting muscles that you shouldn't be. Even doing sit-ups and push-ups is a very demanding exercise and if not done properly can increase your chances of injury. As an example I think every one knows someone with a back complaint. I bet there is one in your team. The last point I feel very strongly about is the big focus of pre-season training (apart from getting fit for playing the game) is bettering your technique for the upcoming season. Your incorrect movement patterns will not allow you to move efficiently and get into positions ideally required for optimal skill and technique adoption. That is why I am convinced this factor contributes highly in skill and technical deficiencies in cricketers today. I am going to leave it there however I will definitely be covering other issues
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involving this topic in depth. I will leave you with this thought. Would you build a house with a faulty foundation? Cracks in the concrete slab and uneven in places? Of course not (Not deliberately anyway). So why do we try to become fitter and more skilled in this great game of cricket before we build and set our own proper foundations. The effort spent on doing this will be a smart investment in your life as a cricketer. Posture fitness training for cricket is a must if you are serious about your cricket.
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7 Secrets to Beating the Police Drill Instructor at His Game in Physical Fitness Training and Graduate the Academy
By David Wehrenberg, ATC
Are you having problems staying motivated for physical fitness training in police academy or police entrance exam. In 1994 I graduated from the police department in Maryland and if I had the information your about to get it would have made my time in the academy SO Much easier. I remember my first day of physical fitness training in the academy as if it was yesterday, I was dressed up in my professional business attire my (suit). And the next thing I new I was face down sweating like a pig with the police drill instructor screaming in my ear to do more push ups. My next thought was what did I get my self into I was not prepared for this kind of physical fitness training. The number one tool these agencies use during your first day of physical training are the mind games then placing stress on your body until you scream. Luckily I had a mind shift right then because I wanted to quit! and many people did. Mind games of a law enforcement agency start from the first contact you make with them when applying to their agency, they are trying to determine if you will qualify for their department. I wished I would have know these 7 mind training performance tips before hand. Police Training Performance tips to improve your mental game! 1. Understand that there goal is to break you down and build you back up as part of a team. Because on the street your life will depend on your partners focus. Practice focusing on the end result of graduating the academy while youre being screamed at to do more physical fitness exercise than you have experienced before. Help your partner by encouraging them, if you focus on something else than the physical pain it will be easier. If you have problem focusing light a candle and stare at the flame each day this will help your mind improve on your goal. 2. Visualize your self getting stronger and faster through the physical fitness training regime with ease. Did you hear of the story of a prisoner of war who practiced 18 holes of golf in his head everyday and when he was released, he played with his buddies and won. His mind did not know if it was real or not, that's why he was successful. Prepare your mind before you get into academy. 3. Get a friend to yell at you when working out, so that you condition your mind to be in that type of environment. That way there will not be the shock factor during physical fitness training. 4. Train consistently, there will be days you don't want to work out but, doing so will build mental, physical discipline and confidence. Because there will be days
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during the academy you will not want to work out. A combination of strength, cardio and flexibility training at least three times a week are important. 5. Get proper sleep, this will help you be mentally sharp and physically stronger. I can't stress this enough. 6. Maintain a diet that will power your body all day long. Eat six small meals per day that include nuts, pasta, chicken, fish, and fresh fruits. Drink post work out protein shake; click the link below to see what I drink. The fuel you eat will make you feel better. Stay hydrated as well, 8 glasses of water per day, if you sweat a lot drink Gatorade. For more information visit sportsperformancecoach.com or healthylife.usana.com 7. Positive attitude, work on this daily because police agencies have a lot of negativity with in the department. This will drag you down and make you cynical quicker than anything. Bonus Tip - Commit to improve your fitness before entering the academy or taking the physical fitness entrance exam. There you have it. 7 essential strategies for beating the drill instructor in physical fitness training to graduate the law enforcement academy. I realize that starting a new career in law enforcement is not easy especially if your mind and body are not in excellent shape. That's why I encourage you to get help. If you're trying to make it in the NFL National Football League and score the highest possible points in the combines, then you go to NFL trainers to improve your game. If you have a back problem, you see a chiropractor. Electricity shuts off, call the electric company. Your car breaks down see a mechanic. So why do so many people struggle to start a new career that involves being fit without consulting an expert? I'm not exactly sure, but I encourage you to make the investment in yourself - for your career choice - by hiring an experienced qualified professional to educate you and help you get started? because starting a fitness program for a new career is hard and understanding what to do and stay motivated until you reach your goal. Once you push through the mental and physical barriers, your whole life will change for the better. If I can be of any assistance to you, please don't hesitate to call me. I'm happy to speak with you without any sales pressure (I don't like it when I'm "sold" to so I won't try that on you). visit my website http://www.policefitnessbootcamp.com call 240-416-0288 Classes are now forming! P.S. Look for more free reports on law enforcement physical fitness coming in the future.
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Fitness Injury Prevention Series Part 1 for Police Recruits and Officers
By David Wehrenberg
In recent years, increasing numbers of police recruits and officers have been paying the price of physical training fitness with increased injuries. For some recruits -particularly those who overdo or who don't properly train or warm up-these benefits can come at a price: sports injuries. Fortunately, most police recruit and officers sport injuries can be treated effectively, and most police recruits and officers who suffer injuries can return to a satisfying level of physical activity after an injury. Even better, many police fitness sport injuries can be prevented if people take the proper precautions. What Are Sports Injuries? The term sports injury, in the broadest sense, refers to the kinds of injuries that most commonly occur during sports or physical training exercise. Some physical training and sport injuries result from accidents; others are due to poor training practices, improper equipment, lack of conditioning, or insufficient warm-up and stretching. Although virtually any part of your body can be injured during physical fitness training or sports, the term is usually reserved for injuries that involve the musculoskeletal system, which includes the muscles, bones, and associated tissues like cartilage. Traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, (relatively rare during sports or exercise) and bruises are common sports injuries.
contraction. Symptoms of a strain include pain, muscle spasm, and loss of strength. While it's hard to tell the difference between mild and moderate strains, severe strains not treated professionally can cause damage and loss of function. Using the RICE method to start the healing process. For more severe strains, consult a doctor. Bruises A bruise, or muscle contusion, can result from a fall or from contact with a hard surface, a piece of equipment, or another player while participating in sports. A bruise results when muscle fiber and connective tissue are crushed; torn blood vessels may cause a bluish appearance. Most bruises are minor, but some can cause more extensive damage and complications. What to do: Put the muscle in a gentle stretch position and begin using the RICE method to start the healing process. For more severe bruises, consult a doctor. Compartment Syndrome In many parts of the body, muscles (along with the nerves and blood vessels that run alongside and through them) are enclosed in a "compartment" formed of a tough membrane called fascia. When muscles become swollen, they can fill the compartment to capacity, causing interference with nerves and blood vessels as well as damage to the muscles themselves. The resulting painful condition is referred to as compartment syndrome. Compartment syndrome may be caused by a one-time traumatic injury (acute compartment syndrome), such as a fractured bone or a hard blow to the thigh, by repeated hard blows (depending upon the sport), or by ongoing overuse (chronic exertional compartment syndrome), which may occur, for example, in long-distance running. Shin Splints While the term "shin splints" has been widely used to describe any sort of leg pain associated with exercise, the term actually refers to pain along the tibia or shin bone, the large bone in the front of the lower leg. This pain can occur at the front outside part of the lower leg, including the foot and ankle (anterior shin splints) or at the inner edge of the bone where it meets the calf muscles (medial shin splints). Shin splints are primarily seen in runners especially police recruits and officers, particularly those just starting an intense running program. Risk factors for shin splints include overuse or incorrect use of the lower leg; improper stretching, warm-up, or exercise technique; overtraining; running or jumping on hard surfaces; and running in shoes that don't have enough support. These injuries are often associated with flat (over pronated) feet. The RICE method I have been referring to stands for: R=Rest the injury
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I=ICE, place ice on injury for 20 minutes than off 40 minutes DO NOT put ice directly on skin use a damp towel. NEVER USE HEAT WHEN A INJURY JUST OCCURED this will bring more blood to the the injured area causing more swelling, ALWAYS, ALWAYS USE ICE for the first 24 to 48 hours of an injury and after physical activity when you return back to physical participation. There are many doctors today who are still misinformed about the use of heat, so don't use it when injury occurs. E=Elevation, of the injured body part the lower limbs, I.E. ankle, knee C=Compression, wrap the injury with an elastic bandage: Note do not wrap the bandage to tight and cut off circulation or sleep with it on. Compression will assist the body to push swelling out of the injured area. Always consult a doctor or certified athletic trainer when an injury occurs. There you have it you PART 1 of understanding basic police and sport fitness injuries. Part 2 I will discuss knee injuries.
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Fitness Injury Prevention Series Part 2 Examining Knee injuries for Police Recruits and Officers
By David Wehrenberg
In part 1 Fitness Injury Prevention Series Part for Police Recruits and Officers we discussed the definition of strains, sprains, bruises and other common injuries if you didnt read it check it out part 1. In Part 2 we will Examine the Knee and injuries. Increasing numbers of police recruits and officers have been paying the price of physical fitness training in the academy with increased knee injuries. For some recruits -particularly those who are pushed hard and overdo or who don't properly train or warm up-these benefits can come at a price: Severe knee injuries. Fortunately, most police recruit and officers training academy knee injuries can be treated effectively, and most police recruits and officers who suffer injuries can return to a satisfying level of physical activity after an injury. Even better, many police fitness knee injuries can be prevented if recruits and officers take the proper precautions. Knee Injuries Because of its complex structure and weight-bearing capacity, the knee is the most commonly injured joint. Each year, more than 5.5 million people visit orthopedic surgeons for knee problems. Knee injuries can range from mild to severe. Some of the less severe, yet still painful and functionally limiting, knee problems: Police fitness training recruits have there share of knee injuries. Runner's knee also known as chondromalacia (pain or tenderness close to and under the knee cap at the front or side of the knee), The cause of this pain is due to poor knee cap alignment (tracking); the knee cap is constantly rubbing over side of the femur (thigh bone) where there is no cartilage. Thus causing the cartilage under the knee cap to wear away causing bone to bone rubbing and pain. The reason for the poor knee cap tracking is the inside (medial) thigh muscle is weaker than the outer (lateral) thigh muscle. This is the most common tracking problem, however on rare occasions it can occur that the knee cap is pulled to inside. Once the cartilage is damaged under the knee cap it can not be repaired, a surgeon can clean up and smooth out the cartilage. But this alone will not solve the problem because the knee cap is still tracking improperly. SO what do police fitness training recruits to do? There are two solutions:
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1. Start conservatively-Strengthen the medial muscle - by performing a quad leg extension. This is important key. When performing the exercise your feet MUST be pointed toward the outside of your body, then start with legs at 45 degrees and extend to 1 degree never completely lock your knee it will cause undue stress on the joint. Ok, so isolating the medial muscle will strengthen it and as the medial muscle gets stronger it will pull the knee cap back into its correct alignment and if you havent shredded the cartilage the pain will go away. I have 59 year old male client who was having knee pain for years and his doctor told him what the cause was but did nothing to help him. Once I evaluated him and showed him how to perform the exercise correctly in four weeks the pain was completely gone from both knees. To start the police fitness correction exercises and solve this problem you can implement this workout. Note check with your doctor before rehabbing your self. Week 1 perform leg extension 1 set of 15 repetitions (times) week 2 perform 2 sets 15 reps and week 3 three sets 15 reps. Use a weight that will not hurt your knee when it is easy to get 15 reps increase the weight by 5 pounds . 2. Surgery would be the next step if strengthening the medial muscle does not work. The most common surgery is called lateral release. That is where they cut part of the lateral quad tendon to allow the knee cap to track properly. This should be a last resort. In some cases medial muscle gets stronger but the knee cap still will not track right. This was such the case with my wife, I trained her but two no avail, she ended up have a congenital knee problem which caused her pain and after the surgery she still has some pain. She takes supplements to help keep knee lubricated to ease the pain. Police fitness recruits should Always, always use surgery as a last resort. Patella tendonitis, also called tendonitis (marked by degeneration within a tendon, usually where it joins the bone). This is an inflammation of the tendon; cause is usually due to overuse not allowing the knee to rest enough between work outs. Answer: Rest and Ice See RICE method as described in part 1 More severe police recruit fitness training knee injuries can result from a blow to or twist of the knee or from running to hard, too much, or without proper warm-up. More severe injuries include bone bruises or damage to the cartilage or ligaments we discussed what bruises were in part 1. There are two types of cartilage in the knee. One is the meniscus, a crescent-shaped disc that absorbs shock between the thigh (femur) and lower leg bones (tibia and fibula). The other is a surface-coating (or articular) cartilage. It covers the ends of the bones where they meet, allowing them to glide against one another. Tearing of cartilage will usually require what I consider minor surgery only because recovery time is quicker usually weeks not months. Remember use R I C E method then
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see your doctor. As far a prevention there really isnt much you can do to prevent a tear except keep the knee muscle around the knee strong to minimize the occurrence and good support work out shoes. The four major ligaments that support the knee are the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), the medial collateral ligament (MCL), and the lateral collateral ligament (LCL). The most common knee (sprain) remembers the definition of sprain is a stretching, tearing or complete rupture of a ligament which is attaches bone to bone. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) is the common knee sprain, they occur when there is a blow to the outer part of the knee and the knee is in slight flexion stabilizing the knee or a quick twist if the knee foot planted in a stable position. The force then causes the tear. A grade 1 tear is slight stretching little swelling and you recover with in a few weeks. Grade 2 is partial tear and Grade 3 complete tear these require surgery and you are out of action up to a year or more. The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) are not that common of an injury except in the rare cases of such forces that all ligaments and cartilage are damage. Important I cant stress this enough when injury occurs use R I C E method and see the DOC. Okay as I said before the best way to prevent injuries is to keep the muscles strong so here is a police fitness training routine to start working out the knee. Exercise number #1 This exercise does not require any equipment. Wall squats are easy to perform and it will increase strength quickly plus there safe. So find your self a wall slide down the wall to 90 degrees like your sitting in a chair and stay in that position for 1 minute, you probably will not be able to hold hit that long, you may have to work your way up but the best you can. So do 3 sets of 10 repetitions one minute in position and thirty second rest between each rep. In between sets move off the wall and give your self 1-2 minute rest than move onto set two and three. 3 sets x10 reps x 1 minute hold. Do these for three weeks, if you have knee pain give your self a little more angle for less pressure on knee by stepping a few more inches away from the wall. From this exercise move to leg presses I do not recommend squats not only can it damage your knees but also injure your back. Start with a weight you can lift 15 times for three sets. Then in three weeks use a weight you can lift 8 times for three sets.
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Ok thats it for PART 2 watch for PART 3 of our series the ANKLE. If you missed part 1 here is what RICE means. The RICE method stands for: R=Rest I=ICE, place ice on injury for 20 minutes than off 40 minutes DO NOT put ice directly on skin use a damp towel. E=Elevation, of the injured body part the lower limbs, I.E. ankle, knee C=Compression, wrap the injury with an elastic bandage: Note do not wrap the bandage to tight and cut off circulation or sleep with it on.
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Fitness Injury Prevention Series Part 3 Ankle injuries for Police Recruits and Officers
By David Wehrenberg
In part 2 Fitness Injury Prevention Series for Police Recruits and Officers we examine the Knee and common injuries. Part 3 we will discuss the ankle. Police recruits and officers who suffer injuries can return to a satisfying level of physical activity after an ankle sprain injury relatively quickly. For the police recruit who prevention steps are able to minimize an ankle injury occurrence... Common Types of police physical fitness training Injuries
Fractures Tears of the ligaments that hold joints together (Sprains) Dislocated joints
Fractures
A fracture is a break in the bone that can occur from either a quick, one-time injury to the bone (acute fracture) or from repeated stress to the bone over time (stress fracture) such as hard running during police fitness training for unconditioned recruits. Acute fractures: Acute fractures can be simple (a clean break with little damage to the surrounding tissue) or compound (a break in which the bone pierces the skin with little damage to the surrounding tissue). Most acute fractures are emergencies. One that breaks the skin is especially dangerous because there is a high risk of infection. Stress fractures: Stress fractures occur largely in the feet and legs and are common in police fitness training and sports that require repetitive impact, primarily running/jumping training such as jumping fences or hoods of cars. Running creates forces two to three times a person's body weight on the lower limbs. There is added stress for police officer due to the thirty extra pounds of equipment officers must wear everyday. The most common symptom of a stress fracture is pain at the site that worsens with weight-bearing activity. Tenderness and swelling often accompany the pain.
Ankle sprains
Occur most frequently to the outside of the ankle and the ligament injured in a mild sprain is the (ATF) anterior talo-fibular ligament. The mechanism for police recruits
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getting injured is stepping in a pot whole or on some other recruits foot causing the body to lose balance and the bottom of the foot turning inward. In a moderate or severe injury the ATF, Tibiofibular ligament and calcaneofibular ligament partially tear or completely rupture will require cast time and most likely surgery. Three exercises to decrease likelihood or severity of police recruit ankle injury: 1. Walk backwards up stairs 3 sets of 10 repetitions. This will improve range of movement in ankle. 2. Aversion exercise also known as peroneal strengthening. Take a tube tie it to chair leg while sitting place opposite end outer border of foot as tight as you can then move foot slowly up and out as far as you can. Start 1 set 15 reps and one set each work out. 3. Toe raises- hold in up position for 2 seconds then back down and get an easy stretch on calves. I like my clients to perform them on steps with heels hanging over. Work your way up to 3 sets of 15 reps then add weight, like ankle weights.
Dislocations
When the two bones that come together to form a joint become separated, the joint is described as being dislocated. Contact training such as recruit self defense, hand to hand combat, as well as high-impact training can result in excessive stretching or falling cause the majority of dislocations. A dislocated joint is an emergency that requires medical treatment. Ok thats it for PART 3 Ankle injuries for Police Recruits and Officers watch for the last report PART 4 of our series chronic vs. acute injuries. If you missed part 1 here is what RICE means.
Rest. Reduce regular exercise or activities of daily living as needed. If you cannot put weight on an ankle or knee, crutches may help. If you use a cane or one crutch for an ankle injury, use it on the uninjured side to help you lean away and relieve weight on the injured ankle. Ice. Apply an ice pack to the injured area for 20 minutes at a time, four to eight times a day for the first 48 hours. A cold pack, ice bag, plastic bag filled with crushed ice or a frozen bag of vegetables and wrapped in a towel can be used. To avoid cold injury and frostbite, do not apply the ice for more than 20 minutes directly to the skin. (Note: Do not use heat immediately after an injury. This tends to increase internal bleeding or swelling. Heat can be used 48 hours later to relieve muscle tension and promote relaxation.) Compression. Compression of the injured area may help reduce swelling. Compression can be achieved with elastic wraps, special boots, air casts, and splints. Ask your health care provider for advice on which one to use. Elevation. If possible, keep the injured ankle, knee, elbow, or wrist elevated on a pillow, above the level of the heart, to help decrease swelling.
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Injury Prevention Series Part 4 Acute vs. Chronic injuries for Police Recruits and Officers
By David Wehrenberg
In part 3 Fitness Injury Prevention Series for Police Recruits and Officers we discussed the ankle. Part 4 we will talk about acute and chronic injuries. Police recruits and officers who suffer initial acute injuries can return to activity level quickly if the injury is not severe, however if the injury is not properly diagnosed and treated it can evolve in a chronic state and be very frustrating not only physically but mentally for the police recruit. What is the Difference Between Acute and Chronic Injuries? Regardless of the specific structure affected, physical training injuries can generally be classified in one of two ways: acute or chronic. Acute Injuries Acute police fitness training injuries, such as a sprained ankle, strained back or any muscle that suddenly hurts with a sharp pain or fractured hand, can occur suddenly during activity. Signs of an acute injury include the following:
Sudden, severe pain Swelling Inability to place weight on a lower limb Extreme tenderness in an upper limb Inability to move a joint through its full range of motion Extreme limb weakness Visible dislocation or break of a bone.
Chronic Injuries Chronic police fitness training injuries usually result from overusing one area of the body while participating in physical training over a long period. This often occurs after an initial acute injury which was not treated properly. The following are signs of a chronic injury:
Pain when performing an activity A dull ache when at rest Swelling. (can be visible to eye or touch, or internally in a joint where it is not visible)
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What Should I Do if I Suffer an Injury? Whether an injury is acute or chronic, there is never a good reason to try to "work through" the pain of an injury. When you have pain from a particular movement or activity, STOP! Continuing the activity only causes further harm. When to Seek Medical Treatment You should call a health professional if
The injury causes severe pain, swelling, or numbness You can't tolerate any weight on the area The pain or dull ache of an old injury is accompanied by increased swelling or joint abnormality or instability. Loss of function Pain in a joint that last two or more weeks Any injury that does not heal in three weeks Any infection in or under skin that that has pus and red streaks
When and How to Treat at Home If you don't have any of the above symptoms, it's probably safe to treat the injury at home-at least at first. If pain or other symptoms worsen, it's best to check with your health care provider. Use the RICE method to relieve pain and inflammation and speed healing. Follow these four steps immediately after injury and continue for at least 48 hours:
Rest. Reduce regular exercise or activities of daily living as needed. If you cannot put weight on an ankle or knee, crutches may help. If you use a cane or one crutch for an ankle injury, use it on the uninjured side to help you lean away and relieve weight on the injured ankle. Ice. Apply an ice pack to the injured area for 20 minutes at a time, four to eight times a day for the first 48 hours. A cold pack, ice bag, plastic bag filled with crushed ice or a frozen bag of vegetables and wrapped in a towel can be used. To avoid cold injury and frostbite, do not apply the ice for more than 20 minutes directly to the skin. (Note: Do not use heat immediately after an injury. This tends to increase internal bleeding or swelling. Heat can be used later on to relieve muscle tension and promote relaxation.) Compression. Compression of the injured area may help reduce swelling. Compression can be achieved with elastic wraps, special boots, air casts, and splints. Ask your health care provider for advice on which one to use. Elevation. If possible, keep the injured ankle, knee, elbow, or wrist elevated on a pillow, above the level of the heart, to help decrease swelling.
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From the moment a bone breaks or a ligament tears, your body goes to work to repair the damage. Here's what happens at each stage of the healing process: At the moment of injury: Chemicals are released from damaged cells, triggering a process called inflammation. Blood vessels at the injury site become dilated; blood flow increases to carry nutrients to the site of tissue damage. Within hours of injury: White blood cells (leukocytes) travel down the bloodstream to the injury site where they begin to tear down and remove damaged tissue, allowing other specialized cells to start developing scar tissue. Within days of injury: Scar tissue is formed on the skin or inside the body. The amount of scarring may be proportional to the amount of swelling, inflammation, or bleeding within. In the next few weeks, the damaged area will regain a great deal of strength as scar tissue continues to form. Within a month of injury: Scar tissue may start to shrink, bringing damaged, torn, or separated tissues back together. However, it may be several months or more before the injury is completely healed. Who Should I See for My Injury? While severe injuries will need to be seen immediately in an emergency room, particularly if they occur on the weekend or after office hours, most sports injuries can be evaluated and, in many cases, treated by your primary health care provider. Depending on your preference and the severity of your injury or the likelihood that your injury may cause ongoing, long-term problems, you may want to see, or have your primary health care professional refer you to, one of the following:
Orthopedic surgeon: A doctor specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of the musculoskeletal system, which includes bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles, and nerves. Physical therapist/physiotherapist/Certified Athletic Trainer: A health care professional who can develop a rehabilitation program. Your primary care physician may refer you to a physical therapist/Athletic Trainer after you begin to recover from your injury to help strengthen muscles and joints and prevent further injury.
How Are Sports Injuries Treated? Although using the RICE technique described previously can be helpful for police fitness training injury, RICE is often just a starting point.
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Here are some other treatments your doctor may prescribe. Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) The moment you are injured, chemicals are released from damaged tissue cells. This triggers the first stage of healing: inflammation (see "The Body's Healing Process" above). Inflammation causes tissues to become swollen, tender, and painful. Although inflammation is needed for healing, it can actually slow the healing process if left unchecked. To reduce inflammation and pain, doctors and other health care providers often recommend taking an over-the-counter (OTC) non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil,1 Motrin IB, Nuprin), Precaution NOTE: Always check with your Doctor before taking any over the counter medication! Questions about the appropriate use of NSAIDs should be directed toward your health care provider or pharmacist. Rehabilitation (Exercise) A key part of rehabilitation from sports injuries is a graduated exercise program designed to return the injured body part to a normal level of function. With most injuries, getting the part moving will speed healing. With most injuries, early mobilization getting the part moving as soon as possible-will speed healing. Generally, early mobilization starts with gentle range-of-motion exercises and then moves on to stretching and strengthening exercise when you can without increasing pain. For example, if you have a sprained ankle, you may be able to work on range of motion for the first day or two after the sprain by gently tracing letters with your big toe. Once your range of motion is good, you can start doing gentle stretching and strengthening exercises. When you are ready, weights may be added to your exercise routine to further strengthen the injured area. The key is to avoid movement that causes pain. As damaged tissue heals, scar tissue forms, which shrinks and brings torn or separated tissues back together. As a result, the injury site becomes tight or stiff, and damaged tissues are at risk of re-injury. That is why stretching and strengthening exercises are so important. You should continue to stretch the muscles daily and as the first part of your warm up before exercising. When planning your rehabilitation program with a health care professional, remember that progression is the key principle. Start with just a few exercises, do them often, and then gradually increase how much you do. A complete rehabilitation program should include exercises for flexibility, endurance, and strength; instruction in balance and proper body mechanics related to the sport; and a planned return to full participation. Throughout the rehabilitation process, avoid painful activities and concentrate on those exercises that will improve function in the injured part. Don't resume your sport until you are sure you can stretch the injured tissues without any pain, swelling, or restricted
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movement, and monitor any other symptoms. When you do return to your sport, start slowly and gradually build up to full participation. For more advice on how to prevent injuries as you return to active exercise, see the "Tips for Preventing Injury" box. Rest Although it is important to get moving as soon as possible, you must also take time to rest following an injury. All injuries need time to heal; proper rest will help the process. Your health care professional can guide you regarding the proper balance between rest and rehabilitation. Well there it is. These recommendations will help you prevent, understand and care for injuries series. Please keep in mind to prevent injuries you need to improve your flexibility, strength, endurance as well as using proper form. It is worth the extra time to follow this information to improve your police fitness level when it comes to your health and new police career. Thats why I encourage you to seek the help of a certified athletic trainer.
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practice running longer distances or performs interval training. If you want to pass a police fitness test than you need to work specific exercises that police departments require you to pass. SECRET#4 Secret of Recuperation-To receive maximum benefit from your physical training routines your body needs to rest and recovery from all of the stress placed on it during training sessions. Your body needs rest in between work outs for your program to be effective. It took me a long time to get my wife to understand this principle, she loves to work out but she couldnt figure out why she was not improving. Thats because she was overtraining, she was constantly breaking down her body and not giving it time to recovery properly. Proper rest is essential to improved fitness and to reach your goals, take off twenty four hours in between workouts sessions, it will do your body good. SECRET #5 Secret of Reversibility of training effects-Once you reach your fitness goal, you must make it a habit for life. Once you stop you will lose everything you worked so hard for. If you stop weight training in eight weeks studies show that you lose 10% of muscular strength and 30-40% of muscular endurance. The good news is that every cell in your body has memory and if you happen to stop working out for a period of time you will get your strength back fairly quick. I urge you to stay involved with you program even when you get busy, do something physical your health is price less. Source p70-72 Total fitness and wellness 2nd edition Powers, Dodd, Noland
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SOLUTION:
The only way to solve the compensation is to re-balance the body by providing muscular re-education to the body. We need to show muscles how to engage properly. As the body go back to balance the lower back pain will leave you alone forever! Following exercise sequence will help 95% of those who are experiencing sporadic or chronic lower back pain: Following sequence is generic sequence that will work for most people with lower back pain. If any exercises cause pain and discomfort - stop and skip it. For custom postural program that addresses your unique posture contact me directly. 1. Neutral Back: stay in this position for 2-3 minutes. Lie on back on firm, flat surface with both legs supported on a stable object.
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The legs should be supported in position that places the knees vertically over the hips (perpendicular to the floor) without effort. The ankles are horizontally aligned with the knees. Place your arms on the floor in comfortable position or out to the side with palms down. Keep back of head on the floor. Breathe from your abdomen and simply let everything relax and 'settle' into the floor (absolutely no voluntary muscle contraction).
2. Abductor Presses in Neutral Back Position 3 sets of 30 Align yourself in Neutral Back position. Place a strap around your lower thigh just above the knee, tight enough so the knees are in line with the hips when pressed out. The knees are pressed out against the strap for two seconds and then fully release. It is important to isolate the outward movement in the thighbones.
3. Knee Pillow Squeezes in Neutral Back Position 3 sets of 30 Align yourself in Neutral Back position. Place firm block (7x9x12) or equivalent between the knees. Squeeze the object with your inner thigh muscles, hold for 2 seconds and the fully relax the muscles. Do not allow the object to fall.
4. Reverse Presses in Neutral Back Position 3 sets of 30 Align yourself in Neutral Back position. Arms are place to the sides at shoulder level and right angles to the torso. The palms are facing toward the feet with the elbows bent at right angles, with forearms perpendicular to the floor. Squeeze shoulder blades together toward your spine, release.
5. Pullovers in Neutral Back Position 3 sets of 10 Note: skip if you have hyper extended elbows. Align yourself in Neutral Back position. Keep back flat on the floor through the exercise, including both shoulder blades in contact with the floor. Lift both arms over the chest until they are perpendicular to floor with elbows locked and fingers interlaced with palms facing together.
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The arms are extended overhead until they touch the floor or until the end of your range of motion (without compensation) is reached. Return to the starting position, repeat. NOTE: If you feel your elbows bending or your lower back arching or your shoulder lifting - stop! You're compensating and reached your end of range of motion.
6. Hip Lift hold for 60 seconds each side Lie on your back with knees bent and feet squared, hip width apart. Place ankle of right leg on the left knee and rotate the right leg outwardly to the end of its end of range of motion. Lift the left leg so that the thigh is perpendicular to, and the lower leg is parallel to the floor (Ninety degree angles at hip and knee joints). Keep 'pulling' with the left leg; ensure the weight is in this hip, and gently 'pushing' out with the right knee. Pelvis should remain flat on the floor and the hips stay squared. Relax and repeat the position with the opposite leg.
7. Hip Crossover hold for 60 seconds each side Lie on your back with knees bent and feet squared, hip width apart. Place ankle of right leg on the left knee and press right knee out toward the feet. Make sure that hips stay squared rather than rotating with the knees. Maintain this position and rotate pelvis to the left so that right foot ends up on the left side of the body, flat on the floor. The outer side of the left leg is flush with the floor and relaxed. Keep gently pressing the right knee out and keep the right foot flat on the floor the whole time. Shoulders should be flat on the floor and the arms are out to sides with palms down. Reverse directions and repeat to the other side.
8. Cat and Dog stretch Begin on hands and knees with wrist, elbow, and shoulder in line and the knee joint directly under the hip joint. Relax the spine into an arched position (like a dog stretching) with head and sit bones upward. Move into an arched position (like a 'scared' cat) with head and sit bones downward. Initiate the movement with the pelvis and let the rest of the spine follow. Alternate back and forth between the two positions. Breathe with the movements.
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9. Wall sit Stand with back against the wall. This exercise requires a stable wall and a firm floor surface. Rubber soled shoes can be worn if necessary. Place feet away from the wall, hip socket width apart and straight. Slide back down the wall, until the knee joints are slightly above 90 degree angle or modified as discussed with practitioner. Maintain vertical alignment of the ankles, knees, and hip joints. Press sacrum region of the lower back to the wall, exerting the force through the heels and quadriceps (thighs) muscles evenly.
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What are Russian Kettlebells and Why It is The Ultimate Training Tool
By Denis Kanygin
Imagine a cannon ball with a handle. That is what Russian Kettlebells look like. History of Kettlebells is a long one as this ultimate training tool goes all the way back to Czarist Russia. So what? What is the benefit of training with Russian Kettlebell? How are they different from workout machines and free-weights? Russian Kettlebells are considered The tool for functional training because they engage your whole body. Majority of kettlebell drills and exercises work the body as a single unit. It is important because many of us become 'disconnected' as a result of inactivity and the lack of functional movement in our lives. My definition of 'disconnection' in the human body is the presence of muscle dysfunctions, compensations and postural deviations (look for my article on proper posture and why it is important). Let me give you a couple of examples. Due to the higher center of gravity most guys like doing upper-body workouts but hate working on their lower body. As a result, many become upper body dominant. Imbalance or 'disconnection' between upper and lower body is the cause of many injuries and a source of much pain and discomfort for many. Machines and typical free-weight exercises only make things worse because they build strength on top of dysfunction by further isolating muscle groups and allowing people to workout within their comfort zones. Russian Kettlebells on the other hand force your body to work as a single unit. Upper and lower body must work together to properly complete the exercises. Lower body has no choice but to start doing it's share of work and upper body dominance is gradually dissolved. Kettlebells promote balance and function. Upper body dominance is just one example. Russian Kettlebell exercises, when done properly, zoom in on the weak link of the body. I've seen many chronic pains go away as a result of proper kettlebell training. It's simple and effective. Workout machines force the body to use specific angles and levers. The fact is that none of us are alike. Our levers are different, and the way we engage our muscles also varies from person to person.
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In my postural therapy practice I see a lot of clients with faulty load-bearing. In other words when they stand, walk or do anything else they put more weight on one side of their body. As a result all of their movements contain compensation. When such a person does leg press or squats, one side does more work than the other. Machines and popular free-weight exercises (squats for example) do not fix faulty loadbearing. They actually promote it and make it stronger and more embedded by putting more strength on top of dysfunction. Kettlebells on the other hand address dysfunctions and compensations (in this case an improper load-bearing) and help body to re-educate and re-balance the muscles. Thus solving and fixing the root of the problem. Russian Kettlebell training is a wonderful tool. It will make your pains go away, it will make your body strong, flexible and immune to injuries. Not bad for a little ball with a handle!
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Creating strength. Strength = power = greater distance on tee shots. Good muscular strength also reduces the risk of injury, meaning youll miss less golf days this year. Scared you will need to spend hours in the gym? A now famous 1995 study led by Wayne Westcott, PhD showed that a modest general strengthening program could significantly improve golf performance. In the study, master golfers trained for 1 set of 8 12 reps on selected exercises (about 30 40 minutes), 3 days per week, for 8 weeks. The results of the study showed an increase club head speed by as much as 5 mph in these serious golfers (equates to approximately an extra 15 yards). What is particularly important is that during the time the subjects were participating in the study they did not practice their golf. A follow-up study by Westcott also found the same results. My advice to golfers everywhere - by all means get the best instruction you can to develop your skills and purchase the right equipment for you. But, most importantly, back up the golf pros teachings and the fancy clubs with the most important tool you have to make your golf game great your body.
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Perform 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise on most, if not all, days of the week. Avoid exercise in the supine (lying) position after the first trimester. Exercise should not continue past the point of fatigue and should never reach exhaustive levels. Non-weight-bearing exercises such as cycling or swimming are favored for reducing injury risk. Exercises that present potential for even mild abdominal trauma should be avoided, and activities that have high risk for loss of balance or for falling should be discontinued prior to the third trimester. Large increases in body temperature should be minimized through adequate hydration, appropriate clothing, and optimal environmental surroundings during exercise.
Doug's note: Frequent readers of my newsletter know that I'm a strength training advocate. While the above guidelines do not specifically address strength training, here are some further tips and ideas regarding strength training and pregnancy:
It makes sense to continue strengthening all major muscle areas during pregnancy. Use it or lose it, right? You don't want to allow muscle to atrophy because of lack of strength training. When strength training, make sure to avoid the Valsalva maneuver. This is the technical term for when you hold your breath while lifting a heavy weight. For those of you who have seen me lift, it's when my face becomes bright red and the veins start bulging in my neck and face...that increases blood pressure to a dangerous degree during pregnancy (or if you have hypertension). Joints become less stable due to the hormonal environment conducive to child birth. Because the joints are more lax, take extra caution to minimize excessive ranges of motion or uncontrolled lifting which may damage the joints. Eating: remember that pregnant women typically need about 300 extra calories a day to meet increased metabolic requirements. Pregnant women should not
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restrict calorie intake. This becomes even more important when making up for the calories expended during exercise. Pregnancy is not a good time to try to get "ripped". For further guidance regarding pregnancy and exercise, contact the best trainer in your geographical area. NSCA and ACSM certifications are considered the most reputable. Make sure the trainer has worked with pregnant women before or is willing to learn the exercise modifications necessary during pregnancy.
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For weight management and slight decreases in body fat and increases in muscle mass, aim for at least three days of exercise per week for approximately one hour. I like to see people use the first thirty minutes for strength training and the second thirty minutes for cardio. Also aim for about a total of at last 1,000 calories expended through exercise per week for weight management, health benefits, and stress relief purposes.
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For significant fat loss, people are best served by aiming for six days of exercise per week with a total caloric expenditure of at least 2,000 calories per week. In this scenario, there is some flexibility in program design which is dependant on the forms of exercise a client prefers. If someone really enjoys cardio and doesn't enjoy strength training, I may have them strength train 2-3 times per week, and perform cardio six days per week. The style of cardio may be staggered. Here is a typical program layout for someone with a goal of significant fat loss who is committed to working out six days per week: Day 1: strength training (30-45 minutes) + 15 minutes of cardio interval training Day 2: bike (45 minutes/ medium intensity) Day 3: strength training (30-45 minutes) + 15 minutes of cardio interval training Day 4: walk (60 minutes/ low intensity) Day 5: strength training (30-45 minutes) + 15 minutes of cardio interval training Day 6: elliptical machine (45 minutes/ medium intensity) Day 7: off
To make this information work for you, ask yourself the following questions: 1. Have I been getting my heart rate up for a consistent time period, every 48 hours or so? Remember, "use it or lose it". The heart muscle actually weakens when we are inactive for more than a couple days. Maybe the image of a slowly atrophying heart will get you moving. 2. Have I been performing effective cardio workouts or have I just been going through the motions? If my workouts have not been up to snuff, what can I do TODAY to make sure my next workout is more effective? 3. Have I worked out in the last couple days? Will I be working out in the next couple days? Get to it!
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"Do you know where to go next? Use these 6 exercises to bring your body to the next level"
By Eric Johnson
The idea is simple you did everything good with two hands and two feet the first time around. Now try similar exercises using only one limb at a time. You can take just about all the foundational exercises that should have been in your first program and break them down to one side of the body. This will allow you to function even better in the real world and give you the full body connection that you need to increase your functional strength output and either burn calories for fat loss or build muscle. Using the 'Primal movement patterns' map you can create more exercise options to choose from. Listed below are 6 exercises. These functional exercises will help get you started on the road to better balance and strength using unilateral movements.
Try one legged squats. Some form of a squat should be included in just about everyone's program. Moving from a bilateral stance (2 feet) to a unilateral stance (1 foot) is a great challenge to face. More than likely you will not be able to do one without assistance at first, so take advantage of outside help. Hold on to something to help stabilize the body and help you develop better form. One legged deadlifts are a great exercise to help develop the hamstrings and hip dominating movements that is needed in most sports. Again, to focus on your form use some sort of assistance for this exercise. Rotational throws with medicine balls is a great way to train the trunk. Not mention the side benefits of better hand and eye coordination and faster reflexes. One arm overhead presses provide a great way to train the shoulders. Use an individual dumbbell one at a time. This will help increase shoulder stability as well as give you better strength in each arm. Unilateral pulldowns help use each arm independently of one another in an overhead pulling motion. These can challenge the body to help build rotational stability when pulling. Standing one arm chest press. Using a cable machine to perform a standing chest press allows you to build a strong foundation for pushing movements. Standing one arm cable row. This one can be bent over or standing. This motion will help horizontal pulling strength, which great for holding or pulling objects in close to the body.
Now you have the ability to develop more functional strength. Functional strength is something that can be used in the real world. Most of our movements in life take place using one limb at a time. So, it makes sense to train to improve strength and function at the same time.
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Throw a medicine ball to your partner or a wall while focusing off target. Find a center point on your target or partner and look above, below, or to either side. Your partner can also throw the ball at different angles to increase the challenge. One point of medicine ball training is to decrease startling, so watch how you react to the ball. Challenging your eyes is a great way to improve athletic performance. Other ways to increase you visual performance include closing one eye while catching and throwing the ball either at a partner or a target. Including other activities while throwing the ball such as running, using different directions and using different footwork patterns can help build full body coordination. Coordination is pretty important in most sports, wouldn't you agree? There are many combinations of foot work patterns and directional exercises to choose, be creative! Throw with different size balls to challenge your unilateral skills. Small sizes can be useful to work hand and eye coordination while emphasizing one limb over the other. You can also use different weights to develop the ability absorb and redirect force. Again, this is another important skill to have in most sports.
Do not hesitate to combine any of the above drills to help progress you to higher levels. The combinations can be intimidating, but the main idea is to start slow and get comfortable with different weights, speeds and angles (on the ground and in the air). Use these drills together with other training tools or as a whole training program by itself. These drills can be used as to help build strength, body composition change, and conditioning. Medicine balls are also a great tool to take out a little frustration on too! My clients love the challenge of throwing medicine balls at my head as fast as they can!
"Spend Less Time in the Gym! Lose Fat and Gain Muscle Faster!"
By Eric Johnson
Are you frustrated, spending more time in the gym with slow or no results to show from it? Getting the most out of the time you spend in the gym can be hard if you do not know how to maximize it. Burning calories and building muscle is hard work and needs a systematic approach, that is where knowing how to use different formats to train by come in. Try incorporating one of these training methods to either burn fat or build muscle faster! Here are 3 solutions to maximize your time spent in the gym. Burn more calories and build more muscle using these tips to accelerate your progress. Solution 1: Use a different format for your exercise selection. You can use super sets, tri sets, monster sets or circuit training. These are all very effective methods to programming. Using any of these methods will allow you to create more density in your training program. That basically means you will be able to do more work in the same period of time. In turn, you will be able to burn more calories in a shorter time frame resulting in better gains. Solution 2: Use interval training with weights This is using time as a means of progression. Pick a full body exercise, something like a 'Thruster', as well as a less intense movement like walking in place, and then pick a time period. Perform short intervals of the exercises within your selected time period. Your basic format would be to alternate between 'Thrusters' and walking in during the time period specified. Be cautious of this method, it is very deceiving. The best advice on this one is to start with a very short time period and then progress slowly to increasing the total time or the high intensity time within the time period selected. Solution 3: Add cardio in between sets Do you want to maximize your cardiovascular output and strength at the same time? Try integrating a bodyweight cardio move in between sets. You can use jumping jacks, step ups, jump rope, footwork drills, etc. Be creative and have fun with this one. Time is usually the biggest excuse I hear the most, for reasons why you can't train. Now with these methods you do not have that option anymore. Leveraging your time wisely allows you to burn more calories and build muscle faster. And, that is what you want right? Now, no more excuses, head to the gym and get busy!
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Start Here! Read these 5 tips before you begin your training program
By Eric Johnson
Do you want a stronger healthier body? Of course you do! Here are 5 tips to consider when creating your training programs. One of the hardest parts of beginning a fitness program is trying to figure out where to start. This can cause most people to give excuses not to train. Finding out a clear starting point and knowing what to include in your fitness program can help relieve some of the frustrations it takes to get started. Use these 5 tips to help get you headed in the right direction on your fitness program. 1. Move: Implement some sort of joint mobility training into your program like ZHealth. The more comfortable your body is at moving in all directions the easier it will be to adapt to a given stimulus and create faster progress. Also, you will create a body that is more functional and is more resistant to injury.
2. Create better posture: And also help build a solid foundation. Start within the body; lengthen from head to toe creating space through all your joints. This should help you achieve proper alignment and posture. Next, continually program this into your brain by reinforcing it every exercise. Focus on the length, alignment and posture during movement, not just at the beginning and end.
3. Balance: Basically, if do something one way, you need to balance it out with doing something the other way. For instance, if you bench press, then you need to perform something like a bent over row in order to create that balance we are looking for. Using the primal movement patterns can help you achieve the balance between movements and ensure that you look good both front and back!
4. Repetition: Get your reps in! Continue to repeat the same movement over and over again and guess what? Your body gets better at it. There is one catch though, if you perform poorly executed movements, your body will store poorly executed movement patterns. And then down the road compensations are built and injuries occur. Now, do you want that? I hope not. The main focus here is 'Perfect practice makes perfect!' Make sure you use the tips in #2 to help create a perfect
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movement technique and then continue to practice them perfectly every time you execute them.
5. Relax: Most of us are already good at being tense. Stress, work, home life, frustrations can all add up to being a big ball of tension. So, learn to relax, not just at home or at work but in your training program as well. Learn to recognize and release excess tension in your movements. You only want to use 'just enough muscle' to safely perform your exercise. Any excess tension will decrease your efficiency and can add to poor movement patterns. An easy way to achieve this is to use this tip in conjunction with tips #2 and #4 to increase your efficiency. Take your time during your 'perfect practice' to focus on areas that may have excess tension in them. Being able to emphasize important points like these can help you achieve faster results and more importantly, perform better while reducing the risk for injury. Take advantage of the beginning phases of your fitness training program to get a solid foundation built. If your foundation is not solid and aligned properly it is going to be harder to build on top of it and expect great performances out of your body. And, great performance is what you should expect out of your body.
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different exercises 2-3 sets each 15-18 reps). Be sure to clean up your nutrition as well as increase your activity levels to burn up stored fat and reveal those washboard abs.
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lack of support in shoes bad running form tight muscles lack of recovery time excessive body fat
Most people have no idea they have shin splints and ignore the pain while continuing there activities. I know it's frustrating to rest your body especially when you strive to live and be active but the only way to get back on the road pain free is with rest. STOP running, allow your body some time to rest and recover and seek out some medical care to make sure it's nothing more serious than shin splints. Along with rest you need to concentrate on stretching your calf muscles out and icing twice daily. You have to be aggressive with your approach to these stretching sessions. Really concentrate on deep breathing and 30-45 even 60 second holds. If the pain subsides after a week or two try an easy jog. If no pain occurs gradually increase your intensity. If pain persists STOP and go see a specialist immediately. Podiatrists or an Orthopedic specialist will be able to pin point the problem and hopefully get you back up and running. Nine times out of ten a new pair of good running shoes or an arch support prescribed by your Doctor will have you back on your feet. When I personally had my bout with shin splints I didn't waste any time and went directly to a Doctor and followed their instructions to the word. If you screw around and ignore this type of injury youre going to be dealing with them the rest of your running days. Notice I mentioned seeking out the help of skilled specialists twice in this column. I have come across too many people who ignore this pain and keep running creating additional postural and bone imbalances. Play it safe, there will be plenty of time to run after your shin splints are gone.
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There are countless activities that will help keep you fit after 50 in addition to the ones listed above so its up to you to find out which ones you like most and start to incorporate them into your life. Several years ago right about the time "Terminator 2" came out I was training a 68-yearold retired attorney. There was quite a buzz being made about Linda Hamilton's body in the movie, and any of you who saw the movie no doubt would agree, she had built quite a physique. My client worked very hard in the gym and out (nutrition, cardio) and just about two and a half months into it she came in one day and during our warm up started crying.
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I asked her what was wrong and she replied nothing, it was just something her granddaughter had said to her right before she left the house to come workout. Her granddaughter gave her a big hug and kiss and when she let go said, "grandma, your arms look just like the ladies in T2". Did I mention she was a 68 year old grandmother? I love that story and get goose bumps every time I think of it. So for anyone out there thinking you can't get fit after 50, believe me you can. Keep it simple and safe and remember there is no such thing as bad exercise, as long as you are performing it correctly.
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involves core when executed correctly. Remember there is a great deal more to core than abs. Core training alone WILL NOT give you a visible 8 pack of abs so you MUST include better eating as well as muscle sparing cardio. Too many of you out there bust your butt getting your muscles hard and just leave it at that. Why not go the whole nine yards and trim off the body fat so you can enjoy the fruits of your labor? You've come this far haven't you? . . Finish it!
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body (blocking, tackling etc.), it makes sense to expose yourself to those types of stresses in training. To not do so may result in your joints and muscles being more vulnerable to injury. Ballistic exercise is much closer to actual sports function in terms of the way muscles contract in its performance. Ballistic exercise produces an initial burst of activity and high tension in the prime movers, followed by a strong eccentric contraction of the antagonist muscle groups to slow down or reverse the initial motion. This is exactly what happens in most sporting actions. For example, lets examine the action which takes place at the shoulder when a pass is thrown in football. As the arm is brought forward, the action is initiated by the internal rotators and adductors of the shoulder, with additional contributions from the trunk flexor and rotator musculature. Upon release of the ball, the external rotators and abductors of the shoulder, as well as the trunk extensors go through a phase of eccentric contraction to stop the movement of the shoulder and trunk respectively. This is an oversimplification of what occurs, but it does illustrate how your muscles function in a practical sense. So, what is happening is you are conditioning your muscles to function in a manner closer to what is demanded of them in your sport. This should give you a glimpse into the way your muscles and other soft tissues respond and perform in an actual sport activity. As you can see, explosive exercise can be used to reproduce those responses in a controlled training environment. In part 2 of this article, we will look a little closer at how this type of exercise can affect the way you perform on the playing field.
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have that exercise your explosive force producing capabilities, the better you will become at expressing this type of athletic movement. I'm sure you have heard many times that much of quickness is "in your mind". This is just another example of that principle. Lastly, let's revisit the idea that there is some inherent danger in performing ballistic exercise as a form of training. The fact is that most sports require very intense, ballistic muscle contractions. Objective measurements, using forceplates and other such devices, have shown the forces generated during normal running and jumping to be oftentimes higher than those generated during the performance of olympic lifts. Many sports, such as football, also require the body to absorb ballistic forces from other athletes. So, there is a little inconsistency in the argument that to train ballistically is dangerous while letting athletes compete in those sports that subject them to those sorts of forces on a regular basis. In light of what has been discussed thus far, the question I would ask is - How could you not train in an explosive manner? Of course it is important to keep in mind that the loads used should be appropriate and that proper technique is observed at all times. But, proper technique should be observed no matter what type of exercise/drill you are performing. The bottom line is that, while we think the primary purpose of training is to increase performance, an equally important reason to train is to prevent injury. After all, it is very difficult to perform sitting on the bench! If you are playing a sport that requires you to exert, absorb or otherwise deal with explosive/ballistic forces, don't you think it makes sense to prepare yourself to do that in a gradual manner that will allow your body to adapt and excel at what you are asking it to do on the playing field? I'll leave it up to you to consider the evidence and decide for yourself.
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shapely appearance of those muscles you've been putting to hard work at the gym, creating a silhouette that will be the envy of all your friends.
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"7 Secrets to Getting Maximum Results In Minimum Time From Your Health And Fitness Program!"
By Holly Leonard
If youve tried more than a few fitness and fat loss programs in the past and continue to fail time and time again, you are not alone. The truth is most people who start an exercise or diet program fail. However, this failure is not your fault. You've simply been lied to, mislead and ripped off by the weight loss industry. If you are frustrated, confused, and seeking results, I'm about to let you in on the real secrets to getting maximum fat loss results in minimum time. These 7 fat loss secrets will eliminate any possibility of failure and help you to achieve your fat loss goals quicker than you ever thought possible. These secrets you will skyrocket your energy, stoke your metabolism and help you sculpt lean and sexy muscle fast!
allowing you to burn fat. By consuming adequate amounts of proteins, starchy carbohydrate and fibrous carbohydrates you can boost your metabolism 100-200 calories per day. 4. Increase your lean muscle. Metabolism is largely related to the amount of lean muscle you have on your physique. An increase in 5 pounds of lean muscle will stoke your resting metabolic rate (RMR) the amount of calories you burn just to sustain life - by 100 calories every day. The only way to increase your lean muscle is to perform resistance training. Not only will you boost your RMR by burning more calories all day and night, but you'll increase metabolism by the exercise itself and the recovery process. 5. Perform Interval Training. Interval training simply refers to a series of intense activity separated with short rest periods (active recovery). By using interval training you are able to exercise at a higher intensity without burning yourself out in minutes since you alternate between high intensity and low intensity efforts. Intervals not only improve your cardiovascular fitness, but burn way more calories and fat than slow, long-duration aerobics. In fact, you'll burn about 300-400 calories during your workout and another 100 -200 calories per day even when you are sitting on our butt. This is known as "the after burn" and it's the most important factor to burning fat. 6. Consume a post-workout shake. After your resistance training or interval training it's critical to put your body into a recovery state and maximize metabolism. By drinking a shake of fast acting protein and carbohydrates you'll ensure that you start to rebuild muscle tissue immediately and prevent any unwanted muscle soreness. 7. Increase your water intake. Water is a vital component to life. It's impossible to survive without clean water every day. If you don't consume enough water your body will age quicker, appear fatter, and be more susceptible to colds, flues, increased soreness and much more. As a general rule of thumb you should take your bodyweight and divide it by two to get the ounces of water your body needs daily. Remember these 7 fat loss secrets only work if you follow them consistently. The complete formula will help you achieve maximum success from your fitness program. Start by incorporating one secret and once you've mastered it move on to the next until you've mastered them all.
Routine- Make exercising as much a part of your daily life as you can, just like brushing your teeth. The more of a routine exercising is, the more likely you are to stick to it. Convenience- Choose a time and place to exercise that is easy for you and fits well into your schedule. This will make it easier to stick to. Realistic Goals- If you can only work out three days a week, dont try and do five. Records- Keep records of your workout routines and any progress or changes you might need to make. Fun- Make your workout routines fun, by changing routines or adding some kick boxing in with your weight lifting. If its fun, youll look forward to it more. Trainer- Try working out with a fitness trainer. Its their job to help you stay motivated and teach you training techniques that are the most beneficial to your success. If you cant afford a trainer, try getting a workout partner. When you workout with someone, you can help keep each other motivated. Three Months- Make a commitment to working out consistently for three months. Give yourself a chance to make working out a habit in your life. It may not feel like it at first, but over time it will be just a normal as getting up in the morning.
Fitness doesnt have to end after three months if you give it a fair try. If you fall of the wagon, dont beat yourself up, get right back on. Making a commitment to commit is the first step in the right direction to a successful exercise regimen.
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next level. You can look at working out with a personal trainer as an investment in your health and well being. Your own personal health is priceless. With commitment, discipline, and the motivation of a personal trainer, you can achieve your goals of health and happiness.
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Working out with someone who knows what theyre doing will help you get started on the right foot. If you find a workout routine that suits your needs youll be more inclined to stay with the program and achieve those realistic goals that you set for yourself.
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to make changes in your lifestyle you can be on your way to a happier, healthier, and thinner life.
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"Why Avoiding Cardio and Focus More on Weight Training Will Help YOU get Better Results and Lose Weight Faster"
By Ibsen Alexandre
What exactly is cardio anyway? Many of you go to a fitness facility or a gym without a good understanding of the word cardio. It is mainly a short-term use for cardiovascular. If I were to break this word down for you, it is simply a descriptive term for the heart and the blood vessels. In this sense cardio = heart, vascular = blood vessels. So again, cardiovascular has to do with pertaining or involving the heart and blood vessels via some form of activity. We won't go in too many scientific details here. So, where exactly I am going with this article? Keep reading to find out. Many of you who want to lose weight, just jump on an elliptical, or treadmill, or an upright bike and spend 1 to 2 hours on it and doing Cardio. Usually, some of these people will either read it in a magazine or get the advice from someone with a totally different body type, or lack of knowledge about how the body works, not to mention genetics factor is also involved. Listen! I am not implying here that doing cardio is bad for you and you should avoid it entirely, but you should know first and foremost why you are running on the treadmill and using the elliptical to begin with. Some of you dont even challenge your central nervous system enough or the body when you use the upright bike or the treadmill; therefore it's a bigger waste of your time if you want to see results fast. Performing cardio exercises is essentially good to improve your cardiovascular system. By this, I'm referring to increase the amount of oxygen in the blood vessels, loosen up the heart muscles, lubricates the joints, especially the knee joints for injury prevention, promote more elasticity for muscle fibers, warm up the muscles via thermo genesis (rise in body temperature, thats when you start getting hot and sweating too). Doing cardio every single day without doing some form of interval and circuit training on them (the machines that you usually use) will only jeopardize your results and weight. Let me tell you a very short story. Everyday I walked by on the second floor of a fitness facility I used to work at. I always see a lady doing cardio. For the sake of examples let's just call this lady Barbara. I worked with many clients who I have helped with this scenario here, but I'd like to use Barbara this time. That's all she did, cardio. Six months later, I saw her with the same figure, nothing really changed. I approached her and said, This is a very nice piece of equipment you are working on today. She replied, "Yes! I love it, but I can't seem to lose weight on it." I told her, "If you're serious about losing weight and see results faster, then let's try to avoid the cardio for 1 hour everyday." She was socked, and the message on her face was simply, "You can't be serious? I have been taught and heard this is how I can lose weight rapidly."
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Here's a great message for you and if you are reading this far, your attitude about losing weight faster and get better results will change and have an impact on others. The message: There are many physiological changes that occur inside the human body after just doing, 15 or 30 minutes of cardio. If you ever heard of the term Plateau, then you know exactly what I am referring to. However, it is merely different and a little more complicated than that with doing cardio for a very long period of time. For men, reaching up to 45 minutes and more, the level of testosterone stop dropping significantly and other fat hormones will start taking over; in order to keep you going, and sustain that energy. Yes, fat is actually a main source of energy for the human body. After it breaks down carbohydrates for fuel, then it will start attacking your protein level, and interfere with protein synthesis, and then fat will be its last resort. After 30 - 45 minutes doing cardio, especially at a medium to high intensity, for women, your amount of estrogen start lowering. Do you know what happens after that? You guessed it right, if you say, fats hormones are taking over. Cortisol is one of the most disgusted and annoying hormone, at least in my opinion. It's a belly fat hormone, and then you have lipase, another fat hormone, and much, much more. These hormones just love to wait when estrogen and testosterone is giving up, so they can take the stage and be in control. And once they do my friend, you actually put yourself in a situation to gain weight, rather than losing. No wonder why many of you keep on saying, ?well I do cardio all the time and I dont seem to lose weight, in fact I gain weight instead, whats going on?? All right, enough all of this gibberish scientific jargon. What you need to keep in mind is that avoiding too much cardio and focus on weight training instead is better for you if you want to lose significant amount of weight and feel better. Now, let us get back to analyze the situation of our lady, Barbara. I told Barbara, listen, tomorrow when you come into the club, do only 15 minutes or cardio then I will pick you up and take you to a 7 minutes work out, and she agreed. The next day, I just screened her very quickly to find out if she had any joints injury, any pain, if she was on medication and so forth. I simply showed her 7 exercises that she can literally execute in just 5 minutes by using mostly her body weight as resistance, shorten her resting interval, with a high tempo. I said ?Barbara, all you need to do with these 7 exercises Im going to prescribe you is changed the orders and the intensity every time you come in, and I want you to perform them 3 times a week for just about 15 minutes, doing only 2 sets, and get involve in an group exercise class and a yoga class. She did just that, and guess what, it didn't take her 2 months to shed a lot of weight off and get a little toner. For argument sake, you can always visit my website at the end of this article to check out my testimonial page, or shoot me an email. You see! The myth about our industry is that the majority of women think and even some men think, women shouldn't be lifting weights because they will end up bulky or looking like a muscle head. I don't know how many times I met a woman who wanted to lose weight and get toner and shove this statement right in my face. You see my friend; there is a typical saying that goes like this what you don't know you don't know?. In fact, going on a strength and conditioning resistance program where you are putting stress on the body, get your muscles to work harder, increase muscles mass, getting your mind more involve in the process is easier and faster to lose weight rather than spending an eternity
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on a cardio machine. When you gain muscle mass, it decreases the percentage of fats and restricts more water. This is a reason why when a woman starts a new exercise regimen, she notices she feels lighter, even loses 3 pounds or more but weighs the same numerous times. My advice to you is let the body and your brain do their jobs with your effort, and put the scale in a corner and stop worrying about it. The only thing the scale will do for you is increase your stress hormones more, then your stress hormone will increase your fat hormones, then these bad boys will be laughing at you trying to lose more weight. Also, some of you might have worked with someone who didn't have the adequate knowledge about the science and philosophy of exercise and sound nutrition, or even worse, follow some sort of programs in a magazine that wasn't even met for your needs to begin with, and then you end up being bulky. The reality my friend, and the truth is if your truly desire to tone, firm up quicker, get lean, and lose weight faster, next time you go on a piece of cardio equipment do not stay on it for 1hr and 30 minutes. Find something else to do after that, and I'm not talking about going from one treadmill to an elliptical or the stair climber. Go on a machine and perform an exercise you love. If there are training staff on the premises, don't be shy and afraid to ask someone to show you an effective weight training exercise. The training staffs are getting paid to help you as well, and I am sure you are not paying a membership fee just to go to a gym to perform cardio everyday. If this is the case, it would be wiser to safe your hard earn money and run up the stairs of your house everyday, jump in place for 2 minutes or so and see better results. Your goal on a cardio piece should be 5 - 45 minutes. Get involve with other outdoor activities, like hiking. Take a yoga class every week if you can. Control what you eat each day, and stay involve with an exercise program regimen, then you will know exactly why avoiding cardio and focus more on weight training will help you get better results and lose weight faster.
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not just walk away knowing the "what's," but you will be educated in the "whys." To understand the principles behind Overload Training, you must first understand the physiological process of building muscle. One thing and only one thing is responsible for building muscle, providing your muscle(s) with a stress that it is not used to and this is accomplished three different ways: 1. Increased weight used 2. Increased reps done with a certain weight 3. Doing the same reps with a certain weight in a shorter period of time. Guess what? That right there is overload. That is why so many people can train so many different ways and achieve some sort of body transformation response from it. Some will do 6 reps, some 12 reps, and even some 15 reps or more. Some people use supersets, some straight sets, some drop sets. Everybody has their own way of how to build muscle and they all work to some degree. How can that be? If you are providing your muscle with more work (weight, reps, sets, etc) than it was previously used to, no matter how you stimulate it, it is going to respond. You may be asking what difference does it make how you train if all training has the ability of stimulating a muscle transformation. Well if you are like me you are not after just some transformation you are after MAXIMUM TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION! And if you are anything like me you are after it in the shortest possible time. We are unfortunately involved in an activity that allows us to do things (for lack of a better word) "wrong" and still get some results. Do not settle for some results. Train the BEST way possible and maximize your results. The Cycle Training Approach As mentioned, cycle training is your best approach. Cycle training allows you to avoid injury, avoid plateaus, train all muscle fibers for maximum response, and stay mentally stimulated (just to name a few). I virtually use a 3 phase system - Maximum Strength Phase, Hypertrophy (or Muscle Stimulation) Phase, and the Muscle Defining (or Fat Burning) Phase. All phases (outside of transitional phases, which are more of an Active Rest phase) are based solely on one of these three phases or a combination of two. No matter what phase I am in or what the priority of the phase may be, one thing remains constant - the overload principle. My Total Body Transformation Training System usually starts with the pivotal Maximum Strength and Growth Phase. Whether you train using a cycle training approach or not, the principles behind my Strength and Growth Phase should be respected and followed at some point in your training. Let's take a look at the principles behind this phase:
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Principle #1 Do Not Train For More Than An Hour. It is scientifically proven that this shorter duration training maximizes your hormonal spikes. Training any longer is going to increase your secretion of cortisol, a catabolic hormone. Your routines also need to have a "sprint-like" quality to them to maintain maximum intensity. If you train too long you are going to pace yourself, whether that be consciously or subconsciously. No matter what phase I am in, I try not to go over the one hour mark. Principle #2 Train Only 2 Major Muscle Groups In A Workout. This allows you to take advantage of Principle #1, yet still take a multi-angle/multiexercise approach to training your body parts. It has psychological benefits, as well. You are more apt to pour more into your workouts if you know you are only hitting a couple of muscle groups in a given workout. Note: if you are only able to get to the gym 2-3 times a week, then this principle is obviously obsolete. Principle #3 Do No More Than 6-8 Total Heavy Sets Per Muscle Group. I will tell you right now, this is generous. Honestly if you are pouring maximum intensity into your workouts, you probably won't need much more than 4-6 heavy sets. The stronger and more experienced you are, the less you will need. Also, with the given rest periods that will be prescribed, this is about all you could accomplish in the recommended time frame. Note: "Heavy" sets do not include warm-up sets. Principle #4 Do 4 To 6 Reps Per Set. This is the heart and soul of the Strength and Growth Phase. It is one of the principles that separate it from other phases. For you to get the most muscular stimulation possible, you want to attack the muscle fibers that have the most growth potential - - your white, fast-twitched muscle fibers. Any other fiber has minimal response potential in comparison and it is scientifically documented that the way to hit these white fibers is with a heavy weight in a 4 to 6 rep range. Also, any higher rep range is going to draw excess lactate into the muscle, thus fatiguing the muscle. Remember... overload builds muscle, not fatigue. If you are constantly pulling lactate into the muscle, you will hinder your performance and shortchange your overload. Lastly, the added benefit of the 4 to 6 rep range is the "focus" element. It is a lot easier to put forth 100% mental intensity into a set that lasts 20 seconds than a set that would last two to three times that. Principle #5
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Rest 2 Between Sets. Another element critical to the Strength and Growth Phase. A scientifically proven aspect of performance is that it can take anywhere from 90 seconds to 3 minutes for your Krebs's cycle to recover maximally, depending on the muscle being worked, the amount of weight used, and the exercise being performed. Again, if you do not fully recover between sets you are going to compromise your next set performance. Thus, in turn, would shortchange your overload on your target muscle. Optimal rest-time between sets in a Strength and Growth Phase would be 2 to 2 1/2 minutes, so set your stopwatches. Principle #6 Train Each Muscle Once Every 5 to 7 Days. It has been shown time and time again that a muscle can take up to 9 days to fully recover from a heavy, high-intensity workout. Get this straight if you don't already know it...WE DO NOT GROW IN THE GYM! Our lifting is just the stimulus for muscle growth. The recovery process is where the muscle responds by growing stronger and bigger, readying itself for future stress. If you do not allow full and complete recovery of your muscles, you will impede your growth and soon venture into the realm of overtraining. Now that I have laid out the principles of Strength and Growth for you, you are probably asking yourself what a typical routine would look like. Below is one that I have used myself as well as with my personal training clients with great success. This routine is a great template for all of you to start with in your quest for MAXIMUM TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION ! Mondays - Legs Squats (4 warm-up sets) 3 x 4-6 Leg Press (1 acclimation set) 2 x 4-6 Stiff leg Dead lifts (1 acclimation set) 2 x 4-6 Standing Calf Raise (2-3 warm-up sets) 3 x 6-8 Seated Calf Raise 2 x 6-8 Tuesdays - Chest & Biceps Incline Bench Press (4 warm-up sets) 3 x 4-6 Bench Press 3 x 4-6 Decline Press 1 x 4-6 Barbell Curls (4 warm-up sets) 2 x 4-6 Hammer Curls 2 x 4-6 E-Z Bar Curls 1 x 4-6 Thursdays - Back & Abs Bent Rows (3-4 warm-ups) 2 x 4-6 V-bar Pull downs 2 x 4-6 Weighted Pull-ups 2 x 4-6 Straight-bar Cable Rows 1 x 4-6 Weighted Leg Lifts (1 warm-up set) 2 x 12-15
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Cable Crunches 2 x 8-10 Fridays - Shoulders & Triceps Seated Dumbbell Press (4 warm-ups) 3 x 4-6 Seated Military Press 2 x 4-6 Side Laterals (1 acclimation set) 2 x 4-6 Lying Extensions (1-2 warm-up sets) 2 x 4-6 Pushdowns 2 x 4-6 Seated Overhead Dumbbell Extensions 1 x 4-6
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Our "performance" level of supplements will be our thermogens/workout enhancers and micronized creatine. These are the supplements that you can feel working. These are the supplements that help you maximize every minute you are in the gym. These are for those who have the desire to be bigger, stronger, faster, and leaner - - otherwise known as those who desire a total body transformation. I have to put one more category of supplements in this level and that is antioxidants, specifically vitamin C, vitamin E, betacarotene, and NAC. You will not necessarily feel these working, but research has shown that these little free radical fighters and cystiene enhancers can make or break your recovery process, a.k.a. RESULTS! Top Of The Supplement Pyramid Our last level in our pyramid, the "fine tuning" level, are supplements that MAY provide some benefit, but are not obtainable from a regular diet. Included here would be alpha lipoic acid, CLA, Glucosamine formulas, and DHEA - just to name a few. Are they needed? No. Will they be beneficial? To some. There are so many other supplements I could go into, but I recommend everyone start with the first two levels of our pyramid and work from there. I find myself at times only using these supplements. Make that most of the time. Instead of going nuts and purchasing every product out there, determine your goals and supplement needs and the devise your plan. Timing Your Supplements To Build Muscle There is a crucial time period shortly after your workouts that is a make-or-break period for muscle. The timing of the insulin spike is important for needed amino acid transport. This is mandatory for prevention of protein degradation and stimulating synthesis. In the past couple of years, science has opened our eyes to important supplementation tactics that stimulate this powerful muscle building mechanism that will, in turn, lead to overall gains in muscle growth. First we were enlightened to the fact that a pre-workout protein/carb supplement BEFORE your workout increases the flow of amino acids to working muscles during training. So you would be wise to consume a pre-workout shake consisting of protein and simple carbohydrates. This will flood your muscles with valuable building materials they need while working. Next, researchers showed us that ingestion of a supplement consisting of amino acids and simple carbohydrates directly AFTER training is the most potent stimulator of muscle growth. It would then make sense to consume the same type of shake post-workout as you did pre-workout. But, you can't stop there. Research has also shown us that amino acid transport and uptake into muscle is 300% greater during the three hours post workout than any other time of the day.
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What does that mean to you? You need to feed and supplement yourself properly and frequently throughout these three hours to maximize your total body transformation. Here is what it looks like: Step 1. Use a protein/carb liquid 30-45 minutes preworkout, preferably whey protein isolate and a glucose mixture. Now is also a good time to use creatine, glutamine, and thermogens as well. A good ratio is about 35-45 grams of protein and 25-35 grams of carbs with 5-10 grams of creatine. Step 2. Ingest the same shake immediately post-workout. These first two steps are your "total body transformation bracket." This is also a good time to utilize creatine and glutamine again, as well as taking your antioxidants. Step 3. You still have time left in your three hour window to capitalize on, so you will want to have a whole food meal rich in lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and low in fat.
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Total Body Transformation: Part 4 Cardio...The Good, The Better, and The Best!
By James Cipriani
Walk into almost any gym in your area and you will see as much confusion as to how to incorporate cardio into a body transformation program as you would see in the mass confusion of how to weight train correctly. Low-intensity, high-intensity, short duration, long duration, cardio on an empty stomach, etc. The list is endless. And to top it off, there are the growing numbers of different machines that are available to us that add to our confusion as to what is the best way to do cardio and what do we do it on. In part four, we are going to answer all of these questions. Read it, execute the information presented to you and reap the rewards. To understand the information presented to you fully, let us first examine the three main benefits of incorporating cardio into your fitness program: 1. Cardio burns calories - the expenditure of energy in an effort to burn fat. 2. Cardio exercise enhances cardiovascular health. 3. Cardio improves our endurance. Of the utmost importance is the fact that cardio enhances our cardiovascular health, but I realize that the majority of you that are reading this article have a great deal of desire to incorporate cardio for the first reason listed - fat burning. Most will get on the bike or treadmill and do their time in an effort to lose their love handles or get that six pack of abs. A lot of you will do this first thing in the morning on an empty stomach with the notion that you will burn 300% more fat than you would any other time of the day. If you are looking for a TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION, then you must incorporate cardio intelligently and with reason. And by that I mean doing so without impeding upon or having a negative impact whatsoever on muscle growth or, at the very least, minimizing it. Who Should Do Cardio? Simple answer... EVERYBODY! Cardiovascular exercise is very important for everyone's overall health, no matter what their goal may be. From a health standpoint alone, some cardio should always be done. The difference in the program design across goal levels will be in duration, frequency, and intensity levels. For the majority of you reading who are out to get the most fat burning from your cardio and the most muscle building from your weight training, you have to strike a balance between the two that will maximize the benefits of both, yet reduce the negative impact cardio can have on building muscle.
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How Do You Do That? The most important aspects in regards to maximizing the benefits of cardio and minimizing the negatives are the intensity of your cardio, the duration of each session, and the time you do it in relation to your weight training. Let us look at each one individually: Intensity Of Cardio: Which is best? High intensity or low intensity? Most people will opt for the longer duration, low intensity cardio that most so called "fitness experts" would prescribe. They will even provide you with scientific studies to prove that low intensity cardio is the best for utilizing fat as fuel during your exercise bout. Well, the problem with that is within the studies. The studies that they are quick to quote only test the oxidation of fat DURING exercise, and not post exercise. What is wrong with that? Post exercise oxidation of fat cells is much less during the rest of the day in low intensity exercise. If you look at the studies done on the fat loss potential of high intensity cardio/exercise, you will see that it is much more result producing. Sure you utilize much more glycogen as your fuel source during the exercise itself, but your metabolism stays amp'd up throughout the next 24 hours. Hence, a better utilization of calories ingested and increased fat mobilization. Need proof? Look at the physiques of sprinters compared to marathon runners. A sprinter is much leaner and muscular than the marathon runner, whom, by the way, has little to show for muscularity at all. Long duration, low intensity cardio will not cut it! The Duration Of Cardio: Keeping with the idea of not inducing catabolism (not to mention the example of the marathon runner above), cardio should be kept to a time length that would not send you backwards in your efforts of maximum muscle. How long should that be? This is no different than your weight training. Those who read part 1 of the Total Body Transformation series know that I recommend keeping weight training to under an hour. That is a generous time length and takes into account variables such as crowded gyms and loading and unloading your weights. Honestly, keeping weight training to 40-45 minutes is most optimal, but it is hard to tell the high volume advocate who does 2 hours a day that cutting their weight workouts in less than half would produce more results. So, I wean people into that concept. Well, same holds true for cardio. Thirty to forty minutes is plenty! And that is for a lower intensity cardio. Properly done, you would not be able to last that long with high intensity cardio. HIC should be kept at half of that - 15-20 minutes! "Wait a second. I thought you said high intensity is best. Why are you recommending guidelines for lower intensity cardio?"
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High intensity cardio IS best, but lower intensity cardio does have some merit and there is use for it. What is that exactly? Read on. Frequency Of Cardio: Anyone who has done high intensity cardio knows how grueling it is. How grueling can cardio possible be? Well, this is what a typical HIC session should look like: 1-2 minutes at a moderate intensity (around 70-80% intensity) amping up in resistance and speed, then alternate between 1 minute of 100% intensity and 1 minute of moderate intensity (repeat this around 6-9 times), then cool down 1-2 minutes at moderate to low intensity. As you can see, this is like doing "sets" of sprints and just like doing "sets" of reps in any resistance exercise, you do not want to do too much or do it too often. Too many sets of sprints are counterproductive as are too many sessions without adequate recovery between them. Just as weight training, proper rest between high intensity cardio is needed. How much rest? Let 1-2 full days go by before doing another session. Also, just as you do in your weight training, you should try to be progressive in your high intensity cardio session. What this means is each time you do cardio, you should be trying to travel further in the same amount of time and same level of resistance, burn more calories in the same amount of time and same level of resistance, or up your level of resistance. As you can now see, this is not something you would want to be doing everyday. For those who have fat burning as their main goal, you are going to want to do more cardio sessions in a week. I recommend up to 5. How can you do this when I am recommending that you rest between 1-2 days between HIC sessions? That is where moderate intensity cardio sessions come in. In between those HIC sessions, you can fit in 1 or 2 moderate intensity longer duration sessions. A typical week would look like this: Monday: 16-20 minutes of high intensity cardio on a recumbent bike Wednesday: 35-40 minutes of moderate intensity cardio walking on a treadmill with a steep incline Friday: Same as Monday, striving to increase my calories burned, miles traveled, or level of resistance. Saturday and/or Sunday: Same as Wednesday. This way you get the best of both worlds without impeding on the muscle growth process. If fat burning is low on your priority list, then I would do 2 sessions a week and spread them out enough to make them both HIC sessions. Before Or After: When To Do Youre Cardio
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If I had to give you the BEST recommendation on to when to do cardio, I would say not to do it anywhere within about 4-8 hours of your weight training workout. Why not? Think about it. If you do cardio right before your weight training, you are going to use up quite a bit of stored glycogen in the process. The effect this would have on your performance would be negative and anything that inhibits overloading our muscles (we know about the importance of overload by now), we will not do. Why isn't the "typical" cardio directly after a weight training session considered the best? Anyone who has read Part 3 of this series can answer this one. The time after your workout is the most crucial time in your day to stimulate muscle growth and recovery. Immediately after your workout, you should be feeding yourself and you should be feeding yourself throughout the next three hours (see part 3 for more details). Obviously if you did cardio directly after, you would not be taking advantage of this crucial time period and in addition you would be furthering the fatigue factor, hence impeding on your recovery and growth. For the BEST way to implement cardio, do it on your days off and at least 4-8 hours before or after you plan to train with weights. This may mean switching to a three day weightlifting schedule for many of you who do not have the time or enthusiasm to workout twice in your day. Those who want it all (5 days of weight lifting and 5 days of cardio) without the time need to prioritize their training. More muscle? 4 days of weights and 2-3 days of cardio. More fat burning? 3 days of weights and 3-4 days of cardio. Now I am not saying that you ABSOLUTELY CAN NOT do cardio after your weights. That way is the "Better" way. But if you choose to, realize that you will be burning muscle in the process. If you want to minimize the burning of muscle tissue (and, in turn, your metabolism), then you will want to implement cardio the "Best" way. And for the record: For those who are wondering what the "Good" way of incorporating cardio would be? Well...just doing it. You see, for the three reasons stated above, some cardio is better than no cardio. So no matter when you do it or how hard, a little cardio is always good. Why I Don't Recommend Doing Cardio On An Empty Stomach! To the best of my knowledge, the recommendation of doing cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach came from a Swedish study done on obese women and weight loss. Since then, Bill Phillips helps spread the word among the fitness world. First off, the study did not measure body fat levels - - it measured scale weight. Secondly, the control group was obese women. Not anyone with any muscle tissue to speak of. Not the ones reading these articles who have the interest in preserving/building muscle. Not the ones reading this who want to shed body fat, not just body weight. So, what is wrong with applying this idea to our training? It can be severely, SEVERELY CATABOLIC!!! Nothing will impede our muscle building process more. Think about this one. When we wake up, we are already in a muscle starving/catabolic state. Say your last meal was at 8pm, you go to bed around 11pm, you wake up to do cardio around 6am, finish cardio
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around 6:30am, and you wait a half an hour before you feed yourself (because you heard you are still burning fat in that 30 minutes after). That is 11 hours without food PLUS a workout. How catabolic does that sound? Not only will you be burning calories, you will be breaking down muscle to help you get through that cardio you woke up early to do. What you should be doing is getting out of that catabolic state by waking up and washing down a whey protein isolate shake (preferably with added glutamine) and maybe taking a thermogenic. Do your cardio. Remember, I am not talking about a stroll through the park. Do it and do it HARD!!! After, you may even want to have the same shake as you did prior to busting your butt on that bike or treadmill (serving size of these shakes can be altered to fit your caloric needs). An hour later, have your normal breakfast and take it from there. Even if you do your cardio later in the day, it is wise to incorporate a post-cardio shake to save that muscle you work so hard for. Follow these guidelines and within no time you will be amazed at how muscular and lean you can be. Good Cardio: Any time, Any place, Any length, Any intensity Better Cardio: High or Moderate Intensity done immediately after a weight training workout Best Cardio: Carefully planned High Intensity Cardio done either on non-weight training days or 4-8 hours before/after a weight training session. There it is! Everything that will help you incorporate cardio into your total body transformation routine. Until next time... Train Hard! Train Smart! And Train with Passion!!!
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happened. When I would switch back to my standard training schedule, my strength and muscle mass soared!!! My gains peaked when I competed a few times a year. This was contrary to what you would expect on a calorie restricted diet. I had found that the regular variation in training styles was providing my body with the stimulation it required to make gains and stay lean. As I switched from my "off season" training to my "precontest" training, my body would respond and my mind was always recharged with new intensity. Sometimes, I found it difficult to let go of my heaviest weights for fear of looking "weak," but I finally got over that when I realized I was making more gains by not going heavy all the time. Going heavy sometimes and lighter others is not what cycle training is all about, however. It's about having a plan. But, developing your own plan is no easy task. The classical model of cycle training employs five specific phases, but there are numerous adaptations to the model. How long do you make the training period? Contrary to the classic model, I don't think we should be reaching a training peak just once a year. This is not realistic towards the application of total body transformation training. Much more beneficial is the condensed version of reaching a training peak a few times a year. This promotes greater results as well as keeps motivation at its highest level. Following a cycle/periodization plan takes patience. Even the best plan is worthless if not adhered to. Periodization requires that you have periods of progressive resistance followed by planned "down times" where strength gains are not the focus. I recommend anyone using the Total Body Transformation Plan to use a 12 week periodization cycle with the first 6-7 weeks being a progressive resistance phase. During this phase, the rep scheme should be low. Something starting around 8 and moving down into the 6 and 4 range (such as the workout presented in Part 1). This phase should start out quite easy for the first two weeks then gradually progress towards training at max effort by the fourth week. This phase should allow plenty of time to build momentum so a person can blast past their previous best's. The last two weeks of the progressive phase should be conducted with weights that exceed your previous rep maximums. This progressive phase is followed by 6 weeks of training that focuses more on volume, allowing the body to adapt gradually to higher reps. Here the reps might start around 8 and progress to 10 and then 12. The increase in reps should come bi-weekly. I also like incorporating reduced rest intervals between sets. This really changes the prime fuel source and stimulates the muscles. After completing a 12 week cycle like this, one should expect to increase their strength, increase their lean muscle tissue, and improve their leanness. Now, if someone could complete this cycle just three times a year, they could be looking at significant gains in muscle, strength, and leanness. Let's take a look back. How long has it been since you've made that type of progress? For many of you, this would be a lifetime's worth. And, this is possible through the use of an effective periodization program! Over the past decade or so, more and more fitness enthusiasts training for total body transformations have been following a prescribed periodization program of one kind or another. And, more and more fitness enthusiasts have been making consistent, rewarding progress month after
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month. The type of progress that was previously only seen by those who were using anabolic steroids. Listen up- CYCLE TRAINING is the key that many of you have been looking for to help open the gate to a Total Body Transformation!
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Studies show the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish or found in a quality pharmaceutical grade fish oil supplement like OMEGAGuard by Shaklee can help reduce symptoms associated with joint pain but also change the levels of inflammation that may be causing the pain. Fish oil slows the production of inflammation signaling cells. The best natural sources are fish like salmon and tuna. Supplements The University of Utah School of Medicine found in a study of osteoarthritis knee patients that glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate two of the most popular dietary supplements used as alternative therapies to treat osteoarthritis provided a modicum of pain relief for patients whose arthritis was deemed moderate to severe. Glucosamine can be found in Joint Health Complex by Shaklee. Joint Health Complex improves the cushioning in joints for more comfortable movement, flexibility, and range of motion. Specifically, Joint Health Complex helps the body build cartilage for joints to promote comfortable movement and supports function and facilitates range of motion. Conclusion Anyone who experiences joint pain should consider the benefits of a complete wellness program which includes variety, a concern for muscle, proper nutrition and quality supplementation. Disability risk is reduced by 47% by exercising three times per week among men and women with diagnosed osteoarthritis of the knee? states the archives of internal medicine. There are many reasons that a complete wellness program is important but for many of you who complain of joint pain it is important that you take a proactive approach to your wellness. Research indicates that the improvements you will see if you take the appropriate action will be life changing.
Strength training increases the bodys metabolic rate During each decade, the average adult has 2 to 5 percent reduction in metabolic rate. Adding three pounds of muscle however can increase metabolic rate by 7 percent.
Strength training reduces body fat People who strength trained for 3 months lost 4 pounds of fat.
Strength training increases lean muscle mass while preventing muscle mass loss Adults lose an average of six pounds of muscle per decade. Resistance training preserves muscle mass and strength.
Strength training improves glucose metabolism Researchers found that glucose uptake can increases by 20 percent after just 3 to 4 months of strength training.
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Studies show that strength training can increase bone density in the spine and upper femur.
o o o o o
It can reduce low back pain It can reduce the pain of arthritis It can improve blood lipids It can reduce the risk of many forms of cancer It can lower resting blood pressure
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"Cardiovascular Exercise"
By Jason Goggans
The terms cardiovascular exercise, cardio respiratory fitness and aerobic exercise are all synonymous. They all refer to exercise that requires large muscle movement over a sustained period of time, elevating your heart rate to at least 50% of its maximal level. Some examples of cardio activities are walking, jogging, biking, and swimming. While there are numerous activities that could be considered cardiovascular in nature, not all cardio activities are created equal. The purpose of this chapter is discovering what type of cardiovascular exercise is best for you. Benefits of Cardiovascular Exercise The benefits of cardiovascular exercise are enormous. Some of them include: Lower blood pressure Increased HDL levels (good cholesterol). HDL (high-density lipoproteins) is responsible for removing LDL (bad cholesterol) from the cells in our arteries and transporting it back to the liver for removal from the body. Decreased LDL levels Decreased body fat Increased heart and lung function and efficiency Decreased anxiety, tension, and depression Increases blood flow which keeps muscles and organs oxygenated, and helps our body process and deliver nutrients more efficiently (VERY IMPORTANT) All of the above benefits lower your risk of cardiovascular disease by reducing factors like: Obesity Hypertension High blood cholesterol Some additional benefits are:
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Weight loss (when combined with strength training and proper nutrition) Improved function of the immune system - cardiovascular exercise tremendously helps your immune system perform effectively and fight off infection Increased stamina Disease reduction Increased life span If you are not doing cardio regularly, Why not? The evidence is overwhelming. Now that you feel guilty and wish you had never started reading this chapter, lets discuss how to design an effective cardio plan. Types of Cardio For the purposes of this chapter, I am going to limit the types of cardio I discuss to two: moderate intensity high intensity A third type of cardio training is primarily for the endurance athlete (marathoners, triathletes, etc.) If you fall into this category, this chapter is not for you. I am focusing on those who want to lose weight, lose fat, and get in good cardiovascular condition. For decades now we have been taught that long, slow, methodical cardio workouts are necessary to loose weight and get in shape. This is called moderate/low-intensity cardio. Moderate cardio is what 95% of the population does to 'get in shape'. Moderate cardio consists of performing a cardio exercise for an extended period of time (45 minutes to 2 hours) elevating the heart rate only slightly. These are the people that you see walking or lightly jogging around the neighborhood at a seemingly swift pace for hours on end. You see them day after day yet there bodies never seem to change. You may even be one of them or know someone doing this. This leads to frustration, confusion, and ultimately an end to your exercise program. You begin to say things like, 'Im different, and exercise does not work for me. Well guess what? It is not your fault. You are only doing what you thought was right. You have been given misinformation for years without even knowing it. In fact, misinformation is one of the main reasons that we have a worldwide obesity epidemic. I believe most people want to loose weight and feel great. However, after trying diet after diet and exercise routine after exercise routine with little to no success, they are forced to give up. Let's discuss why moderate cardio is not very effective in the fight against fat. Hopefully by now you have a good grasp on the concept that lean muscle (NOT CARDIO) is our body's primary fat fighter (discussed in the January and February chapters). Muscle is
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metabolically active tissue that raises your RMR (resting metabolic rate). This means you burn fat as energy all day. In fact, one pound of muscle will burn between 30 to 50 calories per day; conversely, one pound of fat will burn 2 calories per day. If you gain 10 pounds of muscle, that can add up to 300 to 500 extra calories expended per day AT REST! An additional 500 expended calories per day equates to one pound of fat loss per week. That being said, we must do EVERYTHING in our power to salvage that lean muscle. That includes eating properly, and doing cardio properly. Let's go step by step through the energy processes that are going on inside your body when you do cardio. For the first 20 to 25 minutes of cardio, you body is using glucose (blood sugar) as its primary energy source. Your body is steadily burning away that sugar and that is a good thing. It is also burning a LITTLE BIT of adipose tissue (fat). That is a very good thing. After about 25 minutes the glucose has been completely burned away. The body still needs sugar for energy, however. This means that it has to go get it. The body stores sugar all over the place for situations just like this. It stores it in the muscles, brain, liver, etc. The body is not going to touch the sugar stores in the vital organs unless it absolutely has to. As a result the body goes straight to the muscle. Sugar stored in the muscle is referred to as glycogen. At about the 25-minute mark your body will begin to burn the glycogen from the muscle and this is a very bad thing if you are trying to salvage lean muscle for fat loss. Another negative is that glycogen burns away very quickly (3-7 minutes). You are only 32 minutes into your cardio session and you have burned away all of your glucose and glycogen, NOW WHAT? If you keep going your body will still need sugar to burn so it has to get creative. Remember it will not go to the brain and liver. The next step for the body is to go into the lean muscle and pull out the amino acids (the building blocks of muscle protein), convert the amino acids into sugar molecules and burn them off as energy. At this point you are obliterating your muscle tissue, your METABOLICALLY ACTIVE muscle tissue. If you continue on for fifteen, thirty, or forty-five more minutes, you can kiss that beautiful muscle goodbye. It will render your resistance training workouts obsolete. Imagine all that hard work you put into your workout, all for nothing. Depressing isnt it? Many people do lose weight doing moderate cardio. Weight loss is not our goal, however. Fat loss is our goal. Weight loss from moderate cardio is typically water weight, muscle weight, and a small amount of fat weight. Unless these people are engaging in extremely intense weight training programs, they are becoming what I refer to as 'skinny fat people'. This means that they look skinny but they have very little muscle and poor body composition. The minute they stop the long distance cardio, the fat weight will sky rocket again, but the muscle weight will not. I see countless people in my studio that used to be long distance runners and am now extremely overweight. They lost all of their metabolically active tissue and did nothing to gain it back. Yet moderate, long distance cardio continues to be the method choice for most people. We have all been misinformed. So What Should I Do?
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The second type of cardio is called high intensity interval cardio. This is often referred to as HIIT training (High Intensity Interval Training). HIIT is very challenging and is not intended for the beginner or the meek. It is something that should be built up to over time. HIIT training means performing short, intense bursts of cardio followed by a very short rest period. An example would be as follows: Minutes 1-4: Warm-up at 50% of perceived maximum effort followed by: Minute 5: Sprinting for 20 seconds Rest for 10 seconds Sprinting for 20 seconds Rest for 10 seconds Minute 6: Sprinting for 20 seconds Rest for 10 seconds Sprinting for 20 seconds Rest for 10 seconds Minute 7: Sprinting for 20 seconds Rest for 10 seconds Sprinting for 20 seconds Rest for 10 seconds Minute 8: Sprinting for 20 seconds Rest for 10 seconds Sprinting for 20 seconds
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Rest for 10 seconds Minutes 9-12: Cool-down at 50 % of perceived maximum effort HIIT training has many benefits. When HIIT training is used, the percentage of fuel from carbohydrates is increased (remember carbs are sugar so if you are burning your carbs you will not store the sugar as fat), while the amount of fat utilized is greater than or equal to that burned during low-intensity exercise. It is the best of both worlds. Research has shown that HIIT not only burns more fat than low-intensity cardio, it also burns fat tissue more effectively. In fact, it burns fat up to 50% more efficiently. HIIT speeds up your metabolism and keeps it stoked for an extended period of time after the workout. This means that you do not have to cardio near as long to get even better results. The latest research shows that HIIT training actually keeps your metabolism raised for up to 48 hours after the session. That is very good news. HIIT also burns far more calories (142% more) than low-intensity training which results in more FAT loss (since the majority of calorie burning occurs after the workout, ignore the calorie counter on the treadmill, elliptical, or stationary bike). 1Recently, Dr. Izumi Tabata, Ph.D., and colleagues from the National Institute of Health, and Nutrition in Tokyo, Japan set out to discover an aerobic program that would most efficiently increase fat burning and cardiovascular fitness. Their conclusion- HIIT is the only way to go. As I mentioned above, the HIIT training burned more fat, carbs (sugars), and calories than the low-intensity training. Dr. Tabata also found that HIIT training increases your VO2Max (your maximum oxygen capacity; the more oxygen your lungs can take in, the more oxygen your body has to utilize). This is the best measure of aerobic fitness. HIIT also increases your anaerobic capacity. This means that it helps you build muscle while improving your VO2Max. Not only does it build muscle, but since your cardio (HIIT) sessions are less than 25 minutes, you do not burn muscle either. It is the best of all worlds. The key is to keep your rest periods very short. If you extend your rest periods, you loose the extreme aerobic effect and only get the anaerobic (muscle building) effect. In their research, Dr. Tabata and associates pitted two groups of subjects against one another. One group performed low-intensity (moderate) cardio five days a week, one hour a day, for six weeks. The second group performed the HIIT program outlined above (8 INTENSE 20-second sprints with 10 second rest periods) five days a week for six weeks. The results were not very surprising. The moderate cardio group recorded a rather significant increase in VO2Max (about 10 percent). The moderate regimen had absolutely NO impact on anaerobic capacity. On the other hand, the HIIT group recorded an amazing 14% increase in VO2Max and a 28% increase in anaerobic capacity. This means
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the HIIT group not only increased their cardio level, they also built lean muscle (our fat burner). This is believed to be the first study showing that a single cardiovascular regimen improved both aerobic and anaerobic power so significantly. Even more exciting is the fact that the 14% increase in VO2Max in only six weeks in the HIIT group was one of the highest ever recorded in exercise science. To sum up, HIIT training dramatically increases your VO2Max, it increases lean muscle, salvages lean muscle, burns more fat, more calories, and more carbs than traditional lowintensity, long-distance cardio. In essence you are accomplishing in 10 minutes what would take two hours with moderate/low-intensity cardio. When people ask me whether or not they should do HIIT training, my response is, how could you not. If you are unhappy with your current physique, your current body fat percentage, if you cannot see your abs, if you get winded walking up the stairs, HIIT training is an absolute must. To me the proof is in the pudding. Close your eyes and picture the body of an Olympic sprinter. Do you see a lean, extremely muscular body? Sprinters never do long distance, low-intensity cardio. Now, picture the body of a marathoner. You should see a skinny, almost emaciated person. They look gaunt and sometimes unhealthy. To me that says it all. Make no mistake; I have the utmost respect for marathoners. That is one thing I could NEVER do. However, when it comes to fat loss and sculpting the perfect physique, I would prefer the body of a sprinter. It is all personal preference, however. Applying What You Know It is easy to see why HIIT training is the best way to go if fat loss is your goal. As I described above you cannot just delve into this type of program. You must first set the foundation. As much as I preach against moderate cardio, it is the only way to go if you are a beginner. Moderate cardio coupled with resistance training will strengthen the ligaments, tendons, and muscles so that you can begin a HIIT program. HIIT training is very demanding on the body. If the proper foundation is not laid, injury is a strong possibility. There are also several health conditions that will prevent you from taking part in a HIIT routine. A fitness professional or doctor should be consulted. While your ultimate goal is to perform each sprint at a gust-busting pace, it may not be realistic to start out that way. Sprinting is very, very difficult. You may want to do sprints that are at 80 to 90% of your perceived maximum effort to begin. HIIT training is extremely demanding and taxing on the body. Be sure you are doing HIIT training only on your off days from weight training. Anything more will lead to overtraining. Also, it is suggested that you engage in HIIT training for a maximum of eight weeks at a time. Your body will need a rest after that. Following an eight-week cycle, move to moderate cardio for a month or month and a half. Once your body has recuperated, begin another eight-week cycle. Repeat this over and over until you have achieved the body of your dreams. If you are currently unable to perform a HIIT program due to health complications or your current fitness level, do not get discouraged. Maintaining a moderate cardio routine
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that does not exceed 25 minutes in your target heart rate zone in conjunction with supervised resistance training, and proper supportive nutrition is still VERY effective. It is just not AS effective. If you fit into this category, make your goal to work your way into a fitness level that will allow you to perform HIIT training. It is a great goal to shoot for. HIIT on the Elliptical, Treadmill, or Stationary Bike Performing HIIT on one of these machines is quite easy. The only real difference is that the 'sprint phase on these machines is a little easier than doing it on the street or on stairs. As a result you will want to up the intensity level on the machine. The default setting will be at level 1. Up the intensity to a minimum level of 5. From there it is done exactly as described above. If traditional sprinting is an option for you, I highly recommend it. It will be more effective than doing it on a machine. Cardio Workouts Below you will find some sample cardio programs. There are a couple of ways to implement them. If you are ready, willing, and able to perform the HIIT programs, I would begin immediately. There are a few ways to do it. You can perform the HIIT training three days a week (only on off days from weight training). You can do two days of HIIT training and one day of cardio solutions (see below). You can do HIIT training one day, cardio solutions another day, and a moderate cardio session on the last day. You can mix and match any way you like as long as you are getting in at least two days of HIIT training. Find a combination that you enjoy and will stick to!!! If you are just beginning or have a health condition that prohibits you from HIIT training, begin with the moderate cardio program. Do it for one full month. After a month begin to increase the intensity each time by going faster. Once you feel that you are able to perform the HIIT program, slowly begin to make the switch. Perform HIIT at 60-70% of your perceived maximum effort one day a week and do moderate cardio the other two days. After two weeks, if you are feeling good, move it to two days a week and one day of moderate cardio. Wait two more weeks and add in a third day. Once you are doing three days a week of HIIT training you can start to up the intensity to 100% of perceived maximum effort. If you just love your long runs it is okay to do HIIT training only two days a week and a longer, low-intensity cardio session the other day. To stay consistent you must enjoy what you are doing. Warm-up/Cool-down Always remember that a cardio session should always be preceded by a warm-up and stretch, and end with a cool-down. It is best to do a 5-minute warm-up then pause for the stretching. You should never stretch a cold muscle. That can lead to injury. The cooldown should last until your heart rate is back down below 100 BPM. Failing to cool down can lead to some potentially serious health risks including heart attack!
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1I. Tabata, et al., "Effects of Moderate-Intensity Endurance and High-Intensity Intermittent Training on Aerobic Capacity and VO2max,"Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 28.10 (1996): 1327-1330. Muscle Media Magazine, October 2001, Guerilla Cardio. Senior Science Editor David Kennedy.
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workout. You do not want your sugar stores depleted. Besides, with the demands we all have on our time, it is much easier to commit to a 35 minute workout (remember: you should always warm-up, stretch, and cool-down during a workout. This will make your time in the gym a little longer, but that is okay). You must also be selective with the Type of exercises you perform. Always try to do exercises that maximize your intensity. Multi-joint exercises are usually best. A multijoint exercise is one that requires the use of multiple muscles groups at the same time. This is in contrast to isolation exercises which only work one muscle at a time. By utilizing multi-joint exercises, you can train multiple muscles at the same time so your time in the gym is decreased. If you try to isolate every muscle in the body, you will be there for hours. This is not to say you should completely eliminate isolation exercises, they do have their place. It just means they should not be the core of your workout all the time. Below are some examples of multi-joint and isolation exercises: Multi-joint Bench press (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps) Incline bench press (same as above) Squats (Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings, Calves) Military or Overhead press (Shoulders, triceps) Barbell curls (Biceps, Forearms) Close grip bench press (Triceps, Chest) Bench Dips (Triceps, Back) Lat Pull-downs (Back, Biceps) Isolation Leg extensions (Quads) Side-lateral raises (Shoulders) Dumbbell flies (Chest) Concentration curls (Biceps) Tricep Push-downs (Triceps) These are only a few examples but hopefully you get the point.
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Cycling to Avoid Plateaus The next concept to discuss is cycling. The more technical name is Periodization. Those of us who have exercised for any extended period of time know the frustration of seeing results for the first couple of months and then hitting that proverbial wall. It can be infuriating to work so hard and continue to get no where. This is when the theory of periodization or cycling must be incorporated. Lean muscle is built and fat is burned when you call upon your body to perform a task it is unable to perform. This is the Overload Principle. When you ask a muscle to perform a task (i.e. lift a heavy weight, run 3 miles, swim 50 laps, etc.) and the muscle is unable to perform that task, the microfibers in the muscle breakdown (muscle soreness). The microfibers then rebuild themselves bigger and stronger. The muscle is attempting to get to a level that will enable it to perform the task you desire. More lean muscle means more fat burning. That is a good thing. The bad news, however, is that once the muscle is able to perform the task it STOPS RESPONDING. This means that if you continue to exercise the way you always have been, your body will plateau and results will disappear. You now have to introduce a new stimulus to the muscle and ask it to do something that it has never done. A good example is your calf muscle. The calf is one of the main muscles used when you walk. Walking is an exercise. I am willing to bet that you walk every single day but your calf has not changed in years. This is because it has adapted to the task of walking. You now have to introduce a new stimulus to get a new response. A weighted calf raise is an example. This plateau effect occurs anywhere between four and six weeks. This means that your exercise routine must stay ahead of the curve and be changed up every four weeks. This principle applies to weight training AND cardiovascular exercise. If you are doing the same cardio machine at the same intensity everyday, your results will begin to suffer. The next logical question is what and how do you change a workout. This is where the FITT principle is applied. The four variables of FITT (Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type) should be manipulated every four weeks. You can change how intense you workout, you can change the frequency, the number of reps or sets performed, the type of exercises you perform, etc. If you have any questions about an effective cycling program contact a fitness professional in your area. If you are a Fitness Together client you are already on a cycling program. Overload Principle The overload principle is the most important principle when it comes to weight training. It refers to overloading your muscles beyond their normal demands. Stated another way, you must push your muscles beyond what they are currently capable of so they will break down, and rebuild a little bigger and stronger. A muscle grows by splitting (microfiber tears) under the strain placed on it, then 'healing' or rebuilding in the days to follow. Remember this rebuilding requires energy which is derived from FAT!!!!
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In order for this splitting to occur you must push your muscles to a point where they actually fail. Training to failure means performing an exercise until you cannot do even one more repetition. The muscle actually fails. Any thing less than that and youre not asking your muscles to do anything beyond their normal demands. As a result, you will not get the splitting and rebuilding, or the added lean muscle, or the exceptional fat burning, nor the nice cut arms, legs, chest, etc (remember the cycling principle discussed above). A workout that overloads your muscles now will not do so in 4-6 weeks. As a result, the weights, sets, reps, speed, etc. must be changed for results continue. During my years in this industry I have noticed that people working out, especially those who are new to it tend to stop their workout once they feel the burn. I understand that the burn is not very comfortable but stopping at the burn means you are not overloading the muscle. The burn you feel is the lactic acid release in the muscle. You MUST train the muscle to failure. Remember this the next time your trainer tells you FIVE MORE!!!? even though it burns so bad. Principle of Specificity The last principle I will discuss is the Specificity Principle. We all have different goals and different reasons why we workout. Some want to loose weight, some want to tone, some want to be fit, while others want to train for a particular sport or race. No matter what your goal you must always train with that goal in mind. Your workouts should be tailored to your goals. If it's weight loss that you want you should perform a workout that maximizes weight and fat loss. If great muscle tone is your wish, you must train in a manner that adds and shapes lean muscle and maximizes fat loss. If you are training for a sporting event you should focus on sport-specific training (performing exercises that mimic the movements of the sport). A person who needs to loose weight has no purpose performing a sport-specific routine and vice-versa. How to Begin A common question I receive is, how do I start training after weeks, months, or even years of inactivity. I believe that anyone beginning a weight-training program should start very slow and very safe. You should always consult a doctor before beginning. Once you are cleared by your doctor you should start with a few days of light cardio to get the body moving again. The cardio should last about 12 to 15 minutes and not be overly challenging. After one week of cardio you should progress to a light circuit program consisting of 8 to 10 exercises. A circuit program is one in which you perform the prescribed exercises back-to-back without rest. This will begin to build muscles as well as give you a cardio work out. It is a great way to jump-start the metabolism. Circuits should be done with light to moderate weight. The repetitions should be kept at 15 to 20 reps pre set. If it has been a while since you have lifted weights, it would be incredibly irresponsible for you to jump right into lifting heavy weights. This puts heavy strain on the tiny stabilizing muscles, the ligaments, and tendons. The result can range from extreme soreness to major injury. Many people make this mistake, however. The light circuits
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allow the stabilizing muscles, ligaments, and tendons to slowly build up and strengthen. When you finally move to heavier weights, your body will be ready. Once you have completed one month of circuits, where you go from there depends upon your goals. This is where a fitness professional comes in quite handy. Miscellaneous Tips 1. Never train with the flu. It will only compromise your immune system further and make you sicker. Muscles are weakened when you have the flu and the heart is a muscle. Since your heart is in a weakened state when you have the flu exercise will put more strain on it and this could be fatal. Wait to train at least 48 hours after you recover. 2. Be absolutely sure that you are getting enough water. You need a minimum of an ounce of water per pound of body weight. So if you weigh 200 lbs. you need at least 100 ounces of water per day. If you are exercising regularly you need even more. A lack of water will result in muscle fatigue and decreased performance. It also increases your risk of injury. 3. Be sure you are eating supportively. Keep up your intake of lean protein, fibrous carbs, and starchy carbs. Eat low fat and at least 5 times a day (see article one). 4. Always cool down and reduce your body heat after a workout. When you perform an intense workout, the blood vessels in you muscles dilate to deliver more blood to the muscles. The skin vessels also dilate to increase the heat loss from your body. This is why your body becomes flush during a hard workout. You must give your blood and skin vessels time to recover before you jump into a hot shower. If not your skin vessels will dilate even further causing your heart to go into overdrive to pump blood throughout the body. This can cause symptoms like faintness, dizziness or at worst, you could even collapse. 5. Stretch everyday. This is especially true when you are exercising. Stretching gives renewed life and energy to your muscles. Stretching helps prevent injury and maintains flexibility. Stretching also transport oxygen to muscles (esp. sore muscles) to quickly remove toxins so they recover faster. Review There are many things to consider when embarking on a weight-training program. Remember to begin very slowly. There is no need to push things too quickly. Once you are used to training again, you must train with intensity. You must push or Overload your muscles. Do not be afraid of the burn. Your program must be changed regularly; at least every six weeks. There are four main variables to change. The four variables are Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type. This is the FITT principle.
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You must train consistent with your goals. If you are unsure how to do this contact a fitness professional. Below is a sample cycle program: Phase/Cycle Weight Reps Cardio Beginner (Weeks 1-4) Light to moderate (Circuit) 15-20 to failure Moderate 20-25 minutes in Target Heart Zone Muscle building (Weeks 5-8) Heavy 4-8 to failure High Intensity Interval Training Muscle shaping (Toning) (Weeks 9-12) Moderate 8-12 to failure High Intensity and Moderate cardio Fat Burning (Weeks 13-17) Light to Moderate 12-15 reps to failure High Intensity and Moderate cardio *Be sure to change the exercises as well.* *This is only one example of a Cycling program. There are dozens of other ways to do it.* Many people wrongly believe that getting in shape and building lean muscle is as easy as joining a gym and throwing around weights for an hour or two. Those same people are the ones who wonder why they work so hard but their bodies never seem to change. Nobody ever said that getting fit is simple. It has always baffled me why people will call the plumber when the pipes break, or the mechanic when the car breaks, or the accountant when the taxes are due, but when their bodies are broken or out of shape they rely on their own knowledge to fix it. This is despite the fact that they have tried many times in the past and failed. It cant be that people believe their car, pipes, or taxes are more important than their health. Hopefully, you now have some insight into designing and implementing a weight training program. Remember, we are always here to answer any you may have along the way.
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Can You Stand The Heat? Exercising Safely During the Summer Months
By Jason Morgan
Its important to remember there are potential dangers that come with exercising in hot conditions. Summer is officially here. Finally you can pack away your jackets and break out the bathing suit. Summer offers extra daylight and the opportunity to spend even more time enjoying outdoor activities. For many, this means more time doing physical activities and playing sports. As long as you know the dos and donts of working out in the heat, then you can fully take advantage of all the fun of summer. What you should do:
Drink plenty of fluids. Its extremely important to stay hydrated. If youre thirsty then you are already dehydrated; drink before you feel a need to. Be sure to drink throughout the day (stick to non-caffeinated beverages, preferably water). Also, drink 15-20 minutes before beginning your workout and every 15 minutes throughout the exercise. Eat regularly. The heat can decrease your appetite, but its important to eat normally. Try to eat small meals 5-6 times per day. Include lots of fruits and vegetables. Aside from being nutritious, fruits also tend to help with hydration. Wear light, loose fitting clothes that can breath. Cotton is always a good choice. If your outdoor activity produces a lot of perspiration, consider clothing that is designed to wick the sweat away. Wear sunscreen. Even if you exercise early in the morning or late in the evening, if the sun can reach you then you can get burned. Not only is a sunburn bad on the skin and potentially dangerous but it also hinders your bodies ability to stay cool. Use common sense and dont attempt strenuous activities that your body is not accustomed to. Stick to exercises that you are very familiar and comfortable with. Check the weather forecast. Its best not to participate in intense outdoor exercise sessions when the heat index registers in the dangerous zone.
Dont try to diet by sweating. Excessive perspiration is not the key to permanent weight loss. Any decrease in the scale would simply be a result of water loss, not fat reduction. Dont adapt the no pain, no gain motto. Ignoring your bodys signals could be dangerous. Heat-related illnesses come with warning signs. Be sure to learn how to recognize them and what actions to take. Dont forget to drink plenty of liquid when swimming. Just because your body is surrounded by water does not mean that you are well-hydrated. As with any land exercises, you need to regularly replenish lost fluids when in the pool.
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Avoid physical activity during the hottest part of the day, which usually is between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. If you want (or need) to be working in very hot temperatures, dont do it until you become acclimated. Try to spend only a few minutes per day in the hot conditions for the first couple of weeks and then add time gradually each day. Avoid extreme changes in temperature. Dont hop from being extremely hot and sweating excessively right into an ice cold, air-conditioned environment. Try to cool your body down slightly before exposing it to the extreme temperature variation.
Whether you have to work outside or do it for enjoyment, following the above tips will help you stay cool and safe during the dog days of summer. Now get out there and have some fun!
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originally did. The concept was clear then, as is well known today, that progressive incremental increases in working a muscle will strengthen it. The Renaissance period brought with it a renewed interest in the human body and inspired scientists, artists, and poets to explore its workings, meanings, and capabilities. For example, the Vitruvian Man, a famous drawing with accompanying notes by Leonardo da Vinci from 1490, of a naked male form in two superimposed positions, is described as a study of the proportions of the (male) human body and a fusion of scientific and artistic objectives. The drawing itself is often depicted as a symbol of the essential symmetry of the human body and, by extension, to the universe as a whole. Another example of this burgeoning interest during the Renaissance period is represented in the work of Michelangelo, a sculptor, painter, architect, and poet who had an unparalleled influence on establishing a cultural opinion of the ideal physique. Michelangelo saw the human form as the physical symbol of soul and character and believed that if the mind were strong and the soul pure; his depiction should capture that with a lean, muscular, defined form. Repeated advice and guidance can be found throughout 14th and 15th Century literature regarding the value of physical activity, such as running, swimming, climbing, jumping, vaulting, fencing, and wrestling. Also, the trend of maintaining physical fitness as a virtue and a form of moral excellence prevailed, and so the virtue of achieving one's potential, as in the case of physical strength and skill continued to be a significant component of social standards. As interest in the capacities and functions of the human body subsisted, there arose a need for structured education and further development of the various systems that were being encouraged to promote strength and health. With a renewed interest in the human form, and consequently in fitness, there was also an inspired need to educate people about the necessity of developing strong lean bodies. Physical education became the means to further the cognitive recognition of the importance of physical fitness in cultures throughout Europe, with Vittorino da Feltre, an Italian physician, being the first to initiate childhood physical education classes in 1420. In the late nineteenth century, weight training in particular took on a different kind of cultural intent. People became fascinated with amazing feats of strength as the competitive strongman became a popularized display of power. Although rather than being associated with the enhancement of health or of creating an ideal physique, many of the famous strongmen, though amazingly powerful physically, often portrayed physiques that were overweight and unsightly, and did not exhibit a look of health or leanness. A protruding stomach and thick, fatty limbs were commonplace among these competitors. Muscular and lean bodies were a sign of the working class in men and considered unladylike for women. The practice of weight lifting, which became popularized as bodybuilding, grew quickly and soon coincided with the advent of photography and ultimately inspired a new level of egocentricity among the competitive strongmen. Images that caught the attention of the
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world were of muscular, yet lean and defined men, and popular strongmen became inspired to compete, not only for recognition of physical power, but for the adoration that only physical perfection could yield. Bodybuilding, largely perceived as egocentric and vain at that time due to the exhibitionist nature of famous physiques, evolved into a performance not only of masculinity and power but of an achievement of a god-like physical structure and a new means for achieving fame. Eugene Sandow was the first famous bodybuilder and somewhat of a cultural icon. A professional strongman in Europe, Sandow came to America in the 1890s and was billed by Florenz Ziegfeld as "The World's Strongest Man". What gave Sandow his strongest appeal however was not his amazing feats of strength but the aesthetically pleasing quality of his physique. Reintegrating some of the ancient Greek's love of the physical form, Sandow often posed imitating ancient Greek sculptures and even measured the marble male statues to help develop a formula for the perfect male physique. He developed his own physique to match those proportions and became known as the "Father of Modern Bodybuilding". Sandow almost single-handedly made it fashionable for a man to have a muscular physique at a time when men were typically quite thin or too-well-fed and overweight. By his death in 1925, Sandow had pioneered much of what has made bodybuilding a profitable enterprise and apparently what originated the concept that the male physique could provide viewing pleasure for Americans. Another father figure in the industry of fitness is Jack La Lanne, born in 1914 and one of the most renowned fitness experts, celebrities, and motivational icons to ever grace the fitness world. La Lanne opened the first health spa in the United States and began approaching clients with the idea of utilizing weight training to improve their overall health, and was the first to include women among his clientele. La Lanne was the originator of much of the standard equipment that many gyms continue to use today and is also credited with the creation of the popular Jumping Jack exercise among many others. La Lanne also brought weight training and fitness to television in the early 1950s and created live fitness expertise and guidance performances which he continues still today. La Lanne, now 91 years of age and still exercising rigorously every day often states, "I can't die, it will ruin my image". The bodybuilding culture solidified itself between the 1930s and 1970s. The 1970s became known as the golden age of bodybuilding as people interested in the sport became enamored with building balanced physiques and losing body-fat. Posing contests, beach-front weight lifting, and group training became common around the world. These expressions of the cultural fitness trends were especially popular at the famous Muscle Beach situated in Santa Monica, California. The growing awareness of strength training, or weightlifting, as it became commonly known, added immensely to the popularity of gyms in America. The use of gyms and
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machines such as Nautilus had a profound impact upon the physical fitness norm and contributed to physiques that far surpassed those just a half century before. The progression of weightlifting was greatly impacted by first the book (1974) and then the documentary film, Pumping Iron (1977), produced by Charles Gaines and George Butler. The film gave the general public a glimpse inside a world previously viewed as more or less a sub-culture which was often neglected and misunderstood. Pumping Iron also piqued the interest of a more public audience that began to see strength training as a potential tool for health and vitality. The film popularized the concept that human bodies could be sculpted almost like art. Creating works of art through the development of the human body represents a continuing theme from the paintings and sculptures of Michelangelo, to Arnold Schwarzenegger and other famous bodybuilder's stage presentation of muscular physiques. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly what occurred in history to literally catapult America's fitness lifestyle into the popularity it now enjoys, yet there was certainly a recognizable advancement in the culture of fitness that became commonplace among the vast majority of United States citizens. Fitness, like other cultural movements, became a trend, became fashion, and became "what people do to fit into the social norms". Strength training and fitness concepts are nothing new. They have existed since before the time of Christ. As awareness of exercise evolved, participants grew to utilize a variety of practices not only in regard to health concerns but for pleasure and recreation. Integrating strength and fitness became a challenge toward self-determination for some and for others it became even a path toward curing stress and improving mental health. For thousands of years these statements have held true. At what point do you get on board and take control of your fitness destiny?
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1.) Assessments & evaluations: If you not assess, you just guessing (Paul Chek). That's right. If you're not taking the appropriate time to go through an assessment process, then you will never really know what limitations you have. In order to precisely dial in and target the results you want out of a program you need to know what you are dealt with first. In my experience when talking about evaluating athletes and designing performance enhancement programs you need to assess the following; Posture Length tension relationships Force Couples Core Function Movement, and Performance/Field tests. After that you will then have the data needed to see muscle imbalances, weaknesses, where injuries may occur, and what performance based tests are lacking. With this data you will then be able to design a RESULTS oriented program based on what the athlete needs, instead of what is fun, or the in thing to do. 2.) Warm up & Activation - Warming up or as I call it "workout preparation" should have the goal to wake the body up. The traditional stretching routines that are usually seen are in my opinion useless; you know the "static" or stretch and hold routines. We need to throw that static stretching stuff away, or better yet do it after you workouts! To prepare for you workouts we need to emphasize on an active warm-up that puts your body moving through full ranges of motion while actually moving in various angles, speeds, and directions. In addition, we also need to perform a variety of exercises that wake up those muscles that don't fire correctly usually due to tightness in the antagonist (opposite) muscle group. For example, tight hip flexors usually lead to glute (butt) muscles that are weak, lengthened, and that don't fire correctly. So what we need to do is stretch the hip flexors (which should be taken care of during the warm-up) and wake up, strengthen, and activate the glute muscles. 3.) Recovery, Nutrition & Regeneration - Often over looked and never incorporated into a program. Aside from your workout prep, it's a must. Many people think that they are actually getting better while they're training. Nope that's not the case! You actually attain results from all of your hard training; you need to do a couple of things: 1) You need to "eat to compete". Proper nutrition is critical in complete athletic development, especially post workout. Try to get a carbohydrate/protein mixture of 3-4:1 carbs: protein (quick tip- Yoo-hoo is a cheap good source). 2) Post workout stretching/soft-tissue work. Now is where we put back in our static stretching? after workouts or even on off days, along with some form of soft-tissue work (message/self massage with the foam roller). 3) REST!!! Remember what I said, you attain results from your hard core training after you workouts. But to get the best results, engrain this in you head; "MORE IS NOT
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BETTER"!!! Give yourself at least 1-2 days off per week and never train more than 3 days in a row. 4.) ESD (energy system development) - Another component that is often done wrong! Most conditioning programs emphasize on running at a moderate to slow pace for longer distances to get in shape. Well is sport done by moving at a moderate to slow pace for long periods of time? NO! Sports are usually played fast with short bursts of high energy output, and then in most cases you get some sort of break. That's how we have to train. ESD training performed the "Optimal" way will provide you with proper conditioning to improve work capacity. 5.) Flexibility, Mobility, & Stability: Muscles function best when they have an optimal length tension relationship. Anything less can result in anything from reduced force output, a reduction in strength, speed and endurance, to a career ending injury. Having optimal mobility and/or stability in the correct joints and muscles will also aid in all the above, as well as provide optimal postural alignment. For instance, you want to look for mobile ankles, stable knees, mobile hips, stable lower back (lumbar spine), mobile mid/upper back (thoracic spine), stable neck (cervical spine), and a combination of mobility and stability through out the shoulder girdle. 6.) Strength & Power Training- Strength & explosive power training is just what the complete athlete ordered. Most sports are power sports, or at least require rapid bouts of fast powerful movement. Explosive or power in my opinion is defined as, "as fast as possible, but under control." Without the control factor it's just plain dangerous! In addition the stronger you are the more explosive you have the potential to become. It's extremely important to be as efficient as possible in order to get optimal results. When talking about strength & power training for athletes it is a must to incorporate exercises that provide you with the most bang for your buck! We are talking about structured progressive plyometrics and total body exercises (like Olympic lifts and variations) geared towards transferring tremendously high amounts of power onto the field or court. We're also looking for exercises like Squats lunges pushing and pulling. With the combination of maximal strength and power training modalities used in the "Optimal Performance Training System", you can't expect anything but freaky strength & power! 7.) Speed, Agility, & Quickness Training- In sport speed kills! A colleague of mine always says you never here any body say, "WOW that guy is to fast!" There is always room for speed improvement. However, lets not forget about how most sports are played. There is usually a tremendous amount of starting and stopping along with rapid amounts
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of changes in direction. Speed work, developing quickness, and agility training, can simply be done by improving running mechanics from arm action to leg drive, using the agility ladder, and incorporating any kind of cone drills. ***BONUS*** - Injury Prevention: A solid physical preparation program will drastically reduce all injuries, increase performances and lengthen careers. The scientifically prepared athlete knows no limits. Our Training system at Optimal Performance has the goal to decrease the potential of injury for our athletes. Preventive measures are incorporated into training are to improve the following; Hip & Ankle stability Shoulder stability Core Strength & Stability Balance & Proprioception Utilizing these 7 components will absolutely allow anyone to achieve "optimal athletic development", but only when incorporated into a program correctly. These components should be systematically placed into a progressive program that is broken down into different phases throughout the year (i.e. - off-season, in-season, post-season, etc?), then even further broken down into phases of an actual training session. For example, all sports performance enhancement training programs need to start with an assessment. This will lay the ground work for designing the best program for each individual athlete as it will determine weak links, muscle imbalances, and provide pretesting performance data. After the assessment we now can design a long term program with specific phases for each component of "optimal athletic development". The program will include a strategy that is geared to enhance each component listed above. It is important to realize that each component needs to be emphasized in a format that will yield the biggest payoff. Through my experiences over the years of producing some great results (well get into more off that later), I have found that you need to structure each workout with the following order: 1. Warm Up /Activation: which includes Regeneration, Flexibility, Stability & Mobility 2. Speed, Agility & Quickness 3. Power Development 4. Strength Development 5. ESD, based on the energy demands of the respective sport 6. Recovery & Regeneration, which includes static stretching and/or soft tissue work (i.e. foam rolling) This format was selected for a reason. IT GETS THE BEST RESULTS, PERIOD!!! We have found that manipulating this structure has only decreased results in one or more of each area of emphasis. So the take home message is "if it isn't broke don't fix it", unless you want inferior results. You now know the 7 components to Optimal Athletic Development! You also know how to structure your training program. Now all you have to do is find you weak links and develop a plan to work on those weaknesses so they become just as strong as your strengths, that's the key to staying injury free and increased sports performance. By now you should also realize that it is almost necessary to seek the advice from a qualified high
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performance sports conditioning coach that can 1.) Assess and 2.) Develop a strategic long term plan that focuses on all areas of athletic development (the 7 components above), and more importantly puts the right emphasis on the areas that need more attention.
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exercise 2.) Exercise machines are NOT ideal to improve posture. Over the years in the fitness industry, I have seen an incredible amount of people that have poor posture. This includes forward head, rounded shoulders, flat lower backs, and other misalignment in spinal curvature. This is due to the lack of strength in postural muscles, making it hard to fight gravity, and since gravity is almost impossible to escape, those who cant fight gravity efficiently will almost always have poor posture. By performing exercise on machines your body does not have to fight gravity, and on most traditional gym equipment your body doesnt have to stabilize itself. However, by performing exercise in a prone, upright, or supine position, you can engage and load postural muscles to help with fight gravity, resulting in better posture. 3.) Exercise machines are just flat out BORING! I can remember a couple of years ago when I worked at a large health club filled with fancy ground based machines, I would sit and watch people go through their work outs. One day I saw a gentleman working on the chest press machine. It was hilarious. He actually appeared to be falling asleep. I mean yawn after yawn during repetitions. I think if the guy was on a lying leg press he may have actually dozed off. Now lets analyze that situation. If he were on a flat bench performing dumbbell chest presses, do you think he would have been in that state of mind? Only if he wanted a nose job by dropping the dumbbells on his face. I have in the past and still do observe exercisers on the free weight floor. What I see is always a look of determination, motivation, and enthusiasm. My point here is that by participating in a free weight, nonmachine based program, it not only forces you to concentrate and work harder, but its more fun, and the feeling of accomplishment is far superior than just going through the motions on exercise machines. 4.) Exercise machines CANNOT improve balance or stability. As I stated earlier, ground based exercise machines DO NOT require the use of your stabilizer muscles. These muscles not only protect your joints, but they also are responsible for your ability to stabilize and balance. Instead, try to incorporate some non-traditional methods of exercise like the use of a stability ball, or balancing on one leg, or doing some low level plyometrics. These types of exercises are extremely beneficial to increasing balance, stability, and agility. No machine can give you any of these qualities by itself. 5.) You can mimic any exercise machine exercise without the machine and get the same benefits plus a lot more. Every exercise machine that is on the market today has been developed based on movements that the human body does naturally. With that being said, you can perform any exercise machine exercise without the use of an actual exercise machine. The chest press machine is essentially a bench press, the leg press machine is a squatting motion, the rowing machine (you know the one for your back muscles) can be done with free weights, and the list goes on and on. But the catch is that when you do these movements with body weight or free weights you get all the same benefits plus the development of balance, stability, and definitely more calories burned. Lets not forget that when you perform body weight or free weight based movements, you will always
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engage you core muscles. I dont know about you, but if I have my choice Im sure you can guess what it is. Thats right good old fashioned body weight, free weight, or other non machine based movements. Now, its important to realize that Im not saying that exercise machines are useless, but would you rather work out for hours at a time with boring exercise equipment, or would you like to get more bang for your buck by getting more out of one exercise like a squat, some form of a press, a rowing motion, a lunging motion, or even a twisting, or bending motion? Instead of using one to two dozen boring exercise machines all you have to do is have fun while incorporating the six movements I just mentioned and youll be well on your way to achieving your fitness goals more efficiently and faster than ever before.
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with correct form and technique. Free Weight lifts like Olympic lifts (Clean, Jerk, Snatch and variations), or functional movements like squatting, pushing, pulling, bending, lunging, and twisting. Performing these types of lifts is extremely beneficial to the youth athlete as they will accomplish everything a machine exercise does plus a whole lot more. For example, it has been proven that Olympic lifts and functional movements will help develop coordination, movement skill, motor skill, as well as muscular strength and endurance. Machine based training will only provide local muscular strength/endurance. However, there is a slight draw back towards Olympic lifts and functional movements. It takes a highly qualified strength and conditioning coach to teach and implement these exercises correctly. So if youre a youth athlete, parent, or coach do yourself a favor. See past all the hype of machine based training, seek out and higher professional help from a qualified strength coach to ensure that you or your kids are exercising correctly, safely, and with the attention to actually improve performance. In another article coming soon we will cover how to structure a youth athlete training program to ensure optimal athletic development.
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origins and insertions. And in the event that an injury does occur, athletes who have been participating in a strength training program properly tend to recover faster than athletes who have not. So the next time someone tells you weight or strength training is just for bodybuilders, take it with a grin of salt. A proper strength training program executed correctly just may be the missing link in your training and conditioning program.
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Next, take your chosen sport and compare it to the extreme. Let's use Lacrosse as an example. Does lacrosse require the same level of flexibility as gymnastics? Of course not! But, lacrosse does require some pretty significant amounts of flexibility in the spine, shoulders, and hips. So while it may not require a level of 10 in flexibility we can estimate the ideal level of flexibility as a 7 or 8 out of 10. At this point don't worry about trying to be exact when establishing the ideal abilities of a lacrosse player (or any other athlete for that matter) as your best estimation will not vary much from the ideal unless you really have no understanding of a lacrosse player's needs (or your specific sport). Repeat this process for each ability to create your ideal athlete, in this case a Lacrosse player. When you finish you should have a chart that looks something like this. Keep in mind that the scores will be different for different sports. Optimal Abilities for Lacrosse Ability ---------- Optimal Score Strength ---------- 6 Power ---------- 8 Speed ---------- 8 Coordination ---------- 8 Endurance ---------- 8 Reaction time ---------- 8 Flexibility ---------- 7 Agility ---------- 8 Total Score ---------- 61 2. Realistically assess your current abilities. Here's the hard part. Now you have to be honest with yourself. It's time to compare your current abilities with those of each extreme. You may or may not be a strong as a power lifter. It doesn't matter. BE HONEST! You gain nothing by overestimating or intentionally underestimating your own abilities. In fact, overestimation or underestimation of your abilities will promote absolute failure of your sports conditioning program. If you need to, get a second opinion from a trusted coach or mentor (friends tend to rate you favorably even if you lack a certain amount of ability. they're your friends after all). They quite often can provide you with the objective eye you'll need for proper self-assessment. When you've rated your own abilities, you should end up with a chart that looks something like this. Your Current Abilities
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Ability ---------- Your Score Strength ---------- 6 Power ---------- 6 Speed ---------- 5 Coordination ---------- 8 Endurance ---------- 3 Reaction time ---------- 5 Flexibility ---------- 5 Agility ---------- 5 Total Score ---------- 43 Identify your weak points compared to the ideal. This part is easy. Simply put your abilities up against what you determined to be the ideal for your sport. Then just highlight those abilities that fall below your estimation of the ideal level for your sport. For the example we'll just continue to use our lacrosse example. Optimal Abilities for Lacrosse Compared to your score Ability ---------- Optimal Score ---------- Your Score Strength ---------- 6 ---------- 6 Power ---------- 8 ---------- 6 Speed ---------- 8 ---------- 5 Coordination ---------- 8 ---------- 8 Endurance ---------- 8 ---------- 3 Reaction time ---------- 8 ---------- 5 Flexibility ---------- 7 ---------- 5 Agility ---------- 8 ---------- 5 Total Score ---------- 61 ---------- 43
3. Design an individualized training program to focus on your weak points. I think this is one of the most common areas where athletes make mistakes in their sportspecific conditioning program design. It is a waste of valuable time to focus your conditioning program on your abilities that are already at optimal levels or higher. Look at the example. "Your score" for strength was 6 out of 10 but the optimal score only requires that you possess a strength ability of 6 for successful performance. So how much time and effort should you be spending on strength? Enough to maintain your current levels. Any more than that will not improve your performance, in this case, as a Lacrosse player. However, "your" speed, endurance and agility ratings fall below the ideal for Lacrosse. Therefore, the majority of your sports-specific Lacrosse conditioning program should revolve around improving those ability scores to achieve optimal levels.
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4. Identify current muscle imbalances you currently have. Muscle imbalances are the main culprit when talking about injury. Most injuries occur because there is a significant imbalance between antagonistic (opposite) muscle groups. To compete at optimal levels there must be a balance throughout your entire body. For example, let's say that your pushing muscles (chest, shoulders and triceps) muscles are far stronger and tighter than the Pulling (upper and mid-back) muscles. That means you have a common imbalance between these two muscle groups and you are likely to hurt your rotator cuff (common shoulder injury). So what do you do about it? What you have to do is stretch the pushing muscles and strengthen your pulling muscles to create a balance between the two muscle groups, producing less stress on the shoulder joint resulting in an INJURY FREE Shoulder. Now this example is quite basic but you should get the point. It doesn't matter how strong you are in one movement, it matters how strong you are as an entire unit. To find out if you have any imbalances it's a good idea to seek a qualified professional that has experience with assessing athletes and determining muscle length and tension relationships. 5. Identify and train in the energy system used in your sport. This is probably the biggest flaw in training and conditioning programs I see. Most trainers, even some of those who are considered experts in the field of sports-specific conditioning, screw up this part of their program design on a regular basis. To do this correctly, you must understand the physiology of the main energy systems and how they are used in your chosen sport. Let me use two examples. A marathon runner and an Olympic Sprinter. A marathon runner relies very heavily on the aerobic energy system to provide energy over 26.2 miles of running in about two and a half hours. A Sprinter uses primarily the ATP/CP system to provide energy to run as fast as possible over a very short amount of time. So how much distance running and endurance training should a Sprinter do? Minimal, assuming our Sprinter has plenty of gas left in the tank after his short race. Get it? Now these examples are extremes at opposite ends of the energy spectrum, so it's kind of easy to identify appropriate energy system training. What about sports with mixed energy needs? Take basketball for example. It sure looks like a lot of running, but it's not marathon-style running now is it. It's actually a whole lot of repetitive sprints followed by a lot of standing around and occasionally some light jogging. Research shows that basketball actually relies most heavily on short-term energy sources (85% ATP/CP and anaerobic glycolysis) and a little
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from intermediate energy systems (15% aerobic glycolysis). In other words, if your coach is having you run laps for conditioning you are wasting your time. 6. Identify and train the type strength used in your sport. Most athletes equate strength or being strong to maximal strength. In other words, how much weight can you lift? However, there are many different types of strength such as maximal strength, starting strength, explosive strength, speed-strength, strength-speed, and strength endurance. Focus on the wrong type of strength training may improve performance in the weight room, but it does very little toward improved sports performance. For instance, it doesn't take a 300-pound bench press (high levels of maximal strength) to drive a golf ball 300 yards, but it does take higher levels of speed-strength and explosive strength than the norm. Most of a golfer's strength training should, therefore, be designed around increasing levels of speed-strength if the goal is to increase driving distance. A sprinter may need to improve his strength endurance to prevent slowing down at the end of a 200-meter dash. A baseball pitcher may need to increase explosive strength to increase throwing speed. 7. Hire a professional sports performance coach to design your individualized program. If you haven't realized by now, proper design and implementation of a sport-specific conditioning program is not as simple as it seems. Each individual athlete brings a unique set of abilities to the table, so "cookie-cutter" programming doesn't work. Each sport has very specific needs for optimal performance. Only those who are trained to identify these abilities and needs can truly provide you with an optimal training program. Without proper guidance, your conditioning program becomes a "crap shoot". You may get lucky and actually improve your athletic performance, OR more likely, do nothing to improve performance. By the way, a poorly designed sport-specific conditioning program can actually reduce your ability to perform at your best on game day. If you have learned anything from this special report, consult with a professional sports performance coach or strength and conditioning coach to make every play your best. Yours in Athletic Success, Jason Zaretzky CSCS Corrective and High Performance Exercise Sports Conditioning Coach "Your Sports Performance Coach"
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quads. If all these athletes did was work on hip flexibility and core strength, Athlete 1 may get faster, while athlete 2 may actually decrease performance. There you have it, 4 easy ways to immediately increase you speed through proper training and smart programming. The only thing left to do is Just Do It! Yeah, Yeah, I know what youre saying, But how do I know what my weak links are, and what the best exercises for me to do? The easiest way is to seek the advice of a highly qualified professional who has experience assessing and training athletes. Visit, www.optcfitness.com, they have the information you need, they specialize in sport performance enhancement, and all of their programs are completely customized to the individual athlete.
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As I stated earlier preventing injuries from occurring and decreasing the risk for potential injury, while increasing the recovery rate from injuries that are unavoidable IS the main focus of YOUR strength & conditioning program. Now what in the world can you train to decrease and/or prevent injury? Well, an athlete who follows an individualized, well designed, balanced, and progressive program will prevent and eliminate muscle imbalances, strengthen tendons and ligaments, along with increasing maximal muscular strength and endurance. This result will without a doubt result in fewer injuries. A sound program will also address flexibility issues, as well as proper nutritional strategies that will also aid in recovery, regeneration, and injury prevention 2. Increase Performance that actually transfers onto the field: Now we can get into the fun stuff. However, when training for improved performance you have to realize that your goal is to improve performance where it counts most. Thats right On the field, court, or where ever your sport is played. Who cares if your weight room numbers are shy high (i.e. you know the 1200lb club). Whats the use if you have a 400lb bench press, but only throw 60 miles per hour? A sound strength and conditioning program shouldnt include the things you like to do, or the things that youre good at. It should be designed around focusing on your bodies own weak links, and exercises that will transfer your gains onto the sporting arena. 3. Build Strength, Develop powerful elasticity, and Increase Sport Specific Speed: Strength, power, and speed are what sport is all about. The stronger you are as an athlete the more force you can produce. You need to realize that the more force you can produce, the harder you will hit, the higher you will jump, and the faster you will run. Powerful elasticity is another factor that will aid in improving performance in you respective sport. Having great amount of power and strength is great, but if you really want to excel in your sport, than you need to be elastic as well (for most sports anyway). Envision a rubber band. Take that rubber band and sling shot it across the room. Ok, do the same thing but this time really stretch that rubber band back far. Now let go and let that thing fly. Compare the first scenario with the second and what happens? Yup, the second rubber band goes further. Thats elasticity. Imagine you being the rubber band. I cant believe I said it. I hate the term sport specific, but sport specific speed is important. Sport specific speed is basically a combination of change of direction speed, and straight ahead speed. You really need perform drills that will allow you to perform your specific demands of sport faster. Now this doesnt equate to running until you puke. What I mean here is that you need to develop technically correct mechanics of running straight ahead, along with razor sharp change of direction skills. Again, a sound strength program needs to focus on appropriate strength, power, elasticity, agility, and of course speed.
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4. Confidence & self Esteem Booster: This is one that never gets mentioned, but as a strength coach I think its importance is invaluable. I cant even tell you how many times I have seen an instant jolt of confidence from an athlete who follows our program at OPTC, busts his/her butt and gets the job done. The hard work and discipline it takes to do things not only for sports but in life are the things that make you a better person. I think a sound strength and conditioning program is just that. It may not be the most pleasing at times, but the payoff is worth it. Visit www.optcfitness.com for more information regarding you sports performance
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Power + Endurance = the Superior Golfer A combination of some intense resistance training coupled with endurance work will address the energy demands of the golfer. Just being Powerful wont cut it. Its the golfers that are driving the ball just as far off the tee in the 18th hole that they do in the 1st are the golfers that prosper. Conclusion As you now see, golf conditioning is quite unique. As golf fitness is now booming beware that machines, gadgets, or devices that guarantee to enhance your golf performance, can be very deceiving. Just realize that the secret to enhancing you golf game requires a full spectrum of proper training, stretching, and total body work. By simply following these steps you can develop into a complete golfer. A well balanced conditioning program will only reduce injuries and improve you golf scores.
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Strength training is the best (and only proven) way to improve the shape, tone and strength of the body, male or female. It is physiologically very difficult, if not impossible, for women to develop huge, bulging muscles (without anabolic steroids). Lean tissue (muscle) gives the body shape. When women lose fat and gain muscle tissue, the feminine physique truly emerges.
Testosterone, along with heavy weight training, increases muscle mass. Both men and women secrete this hormone, but men have a much higher level circulating within their bodies. Thus women seldom experience dramatic muscular development from weight training -- unless they have an unusually high level of testosterone (rare) or, as stated above, they use anabolic steroids. This is why most women can increase strength, add muscle tone and improve endurance from weight training without becoming "masculine" looking. There are many benefits that can be gained through a consistent program of weight training. Let me mention just one here that most of you will find significant. Muscle is a very active tissue (most of our daily caloric expenditure is due to muscle activity, even while we are at rest). Studies indicate that a pound of muscle may use up to 45 calories per day just to maintain itself. In practical terms, that means that if we take 2 women (or men) of identical weight, but one has 5 pounds more muscle than the other, the one with the greater muscle weight (thus, lower body fat content) uses 225 more calories per day at rest!
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If you're ready to commit to a serious strength training program, I encourage you to contact a fitness professional who has the knowledge and experience to get you started on a safe and effective exercise routine.
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Myth No. 5: If I eat more protein, I can build big muscles. Building muscle mass involves two things: Using enough weight to challenge muscles beyond their normal levels of resistance and eating more calories than you burn. With all the hype about high protein diets lately, it's easy to believe that protein is the best fuel for building muscle but, according to the American Dietetic Association, muscles work on calories "which should be predominately carbohydrates. The remainder of the calories are divided between fat and protein." If you consume too much protein, you run the risk of creating nutrient imbalance, kidney strain, or dehydration. Plus, excess protein results in extra calories that are either burned or stored. For muscle mass, you should incorporate a healthy eating plan, as well as a workout that combines cardio exercise as well as consistent weight training. I could create 10 "Top 5 Lists" of myths I've heard in my 20 years in the fitness industry. If you have a question about a particular topic that relates to health and fitness, I'd be happy to research it for you and give you my opinion. If I don't know, I'll give you my best guess and tell you so. My goal is to cut through the myths and help you experience your best life possible.
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Are You Sick & Tired Of Not Getting The Results You Want From Your Exercise Program?
By John Kent
Are you sick and tired of not getting the results you want from your exercise program? If this is you, pay close attention. There are tiny changes you can make that will make a huge difference in your results. Recently, I was watching a popular nightly news program that profiled several individuals from the same high school. They were all trying different diet and exercise programs to lose weight before their 25 year high school reunion. Most of them were combining both diet and exercise to achieve a healthy amount of weight loss. There was one woman in particular though who wasnt really dieting but was on a very strict exercise program. In fact, she was training for a marathon! After three months, she was running up to 12 miles per day. Now I dont know about you, but I think 12 miles a day is an awful lot and I can think of a whole lot of other ways Id rather spend my time! The sad thing about this woman though is that after three months, she had lost the LEAST amount of weight. Needless to say, she was quite frustrated that she was putting in all of this energy and effort into something that wasnt producing the results she expected. At this point, who wouldnt blame her for being sick and tired and just giving up and settling back into her old habits? So what are these tiny changes that can make a HUGE difference? First things first. What we put in our body is just as important as what we do with the outside of our body. Think about it. If you want to drive your car, you dont fill the tank with syrup or worst yet, leave it completely empty. We must feed our body properly in order for it to function the way it was designed. I cant stress enough the importance of water. Dehydration is a major cause of fatigue. Our general rule of thumb is 3/4 gallon per day for women and 1 gallon a day for men. Of course, if youre not used to drinking this much you may have to ease your way into it. But, do it! If you are dehydrated and you are resistance training, its like trying to train with beef jerky for muscles. And we all know that beef jerky doesnt stretch! Secondly, fuel your body with the proper nutrition. At John Kent Fitness, we recommend eating 5-6 small meals a day to ease hunger and keep your metabolism burning. This means primarily fueling your body with quality lean proteins and quality carbs in the right portions for your body. So how do you know what the right portion is for your body? I recommend having your resting metabolic rate analyzed with metabolic testing
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so you can zero in on exactly how many calories you need to consume in order to lose weight. This is by far a better method than using some chart that could be off as much as 500 calories per day! For convenience, I also recommend the use of quality meal replacement bars or shakes for some of your meals. My favorite is Shaklee products because they are low glycemic, low calorie and taste great! You also need to make sure you are taking whole food vitamin supplements so that your body can properly heal and recover from your workouts. Next make sure you cycle your workouts and make them progressive. What do I mean by cycling your workout? Dont always do the exact same exercise for the same body part. And, dont always do your exercises in the same order. You must keep your body guessing to keep progressing. What do I mean by making them more progressive? Add more weight as you get a little stronger. We usually use a self-perceived intensity scale with our clients with one being low intensity and 10 being high intensity. You should be between 8-10 on the intensity scale by the end of your set. Use a controlled tempo during both the lifting and lowering phase of the weight. Remember, you want to train the muscle not just lift the weight. Finally, if youre new to working out or if you just want a get yourself out of a rut, or maybe your just too embarrassed to go to the gym because you dont know how to use the equipment, try a personal trainer. A personal trainer can educate you on proper technique, design a program specifically for you and provide accountability.
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approach with three key components: Moderate aerobic exercise, supportive eating program and the right strength training program. The three components for fitness synergy work for EVERYONE! I guarantee you can achieve remarkable results if you properly apply the components.
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how changing each variable will affect the others. Once you understand each resistance training variable you will know how to periodically manipulate each variable. This will help you to continue to see results all the way to your goals. I want to discuss the importance of technique and exercise selection. If you dont know what your major muscle groups are, or you know your triceps but havent a clue which exercise will strengthen them; please seek out an exercise specialist in your area. First, some exercises performed incorrectly can lead to injury. If you are hurt you cant workout and if you cant workout you will never reach your goals. Second, exercises performed with bad technique are not as effective and ultimately can lead to muscular imbalances, pain and injury. If you establish bad technique early on it will be very hard to correct it later. Movement patterns become efficient in as little as 300 repetitions. So if you perform an exercise wrong 300 times it is ingrained and will be very difficult to correct. In fact it can take up to 5000 repetitions to reeducate a new movement pattern. So learning how to do it correctly now will save you years of frustration in the future.
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the duration of your workout to the maximum your schedule will allow it is time to increase the number of times you workout each week. Add one day to your program. Give yourself three to four weeks to adapt to four workouts then add another workout session to the week. It is safe to do aerobic exercise up to six days each week. If you have progressed to the point where you are working out six days a week doing the same exercise for 60 minutes its time to make some more changes. First of all youre probably bored out of your wits. Here are a couple ideas to help you from becoming bored. Change your mode. By doing a variety of exercises you will use different muscles. Although you will be taxing your cardiovascular system six days a week you will reduce your risk of injury from doing the same repetitive motion. Try taking a couple aerobic classes, swimming twice, and riding a bike (yes outdoors) twice. Another option would be to alternate duration. On days when you lift weights only do 20 minutes of aerobic exercise, on the other days do 45 to 60 minutes. And now I want to focus on the final variable of cardiovascular exercise, INTENSITY! Intensity is determined most easily by monitoring your heart rate. What should your heart rate be when you are exercising? Ill give you a formula to estimate your proper training heart rate. Subtract your age from 220, this is your theoretical maximum heart rate. Now you dont want to workout at your maximum heart rate. Instead you want to workout at a specific percentage of your maximum. So heres the formula; 220 subtract your age, subtract your resting heart rate (RHR), times the percent you want to workout at, plus your resting heart rate (RHR) equals training heart rate (THR). So what should your training intensity be? There is some controversy over this issue. Youve probably heard that low intensity exercise with a long duration will burn more body fat. It is true that fat is the bodys fuel of choice at low intensity exercise, while the body utilizes more carbohydrate with high intensity exercise. Lets look at the bodys sources of energy along a continuum. At rest the body will use almost entirely fat, during a sprint almost entirely carbohydrate. It never uses one or the other exclusively. Simply stated the lower the intensity, the higher the percentage of fat and conversely the higher the intensity the lower percentage of fat. On the surface it would seem that working out at a low intensity would speed fat loss, but it doesnt. If you follow the logic that low intensity cardiovascular exercise is the answer then you should be able to sleep the fat off, because at sleep almost all the body is using is fat. If youve read my other articles on FEN you might remember that I stated that weight loss is as simple as calories in versus calories out; calories in being food and calories out being movement/exercise. At higher intensity exercise you will expend far more total calories. This will lead to a larger caloric deficit thus more fat loss. So what is considered high intensity? I will give you some ranges, 50-65 % (of maximum heart rate) low intensity, 65-75% medium intensity, 75-85+% high intensity. Im not recommending that you jump right in to high intensity cardiovascular exercise. You will need to build up to it over time. Start by finding out what your percentage is currently then increase it by 5%. When you are comfortable at that intensity increase it
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again. Intensity will have an effect on your duration. You may be able to exercise at a low percentage say 50% during a hike for several hours. If you are running at 85% you may reach exhaustion after 20 or 30 minutes. Keep that in mind when you are designing your program. Also you may want to alternate high intensity short duration workouts with lower intensity long duration. Most people cant go hard every day. Assume your 26 with a resting heart rate of 64 and you want to workout at 75% of your maximum heart rate. It will look like this 220 - 26(age) - 64(RHR) X .75 + 64(RHR) = 161.5(THR). It will be next to impossible to maintain exactly 161. So set a range, say 158 to 163 beats per minute. Take your heart rate for 15 seconds while exercising, stop if you have to, then multiply by four(double twice). Also check your resting heart rate periodically, one of the adaptations to regular cardiovascular exercise is a lower resting heart rate. In addition to increased weight loss you will also enjoy greater health benefits with higher intensity cardiovascular exercise. These include; increased aerobic capacity, decreased risk of heart disease, cancer, and a lower body fat percentage reduces the risk of diabetes. By following this progressive approach to your cardiovascular workouts you can safely lose body fat and increase your aerobic capacity while keeping your risk of over training and injuries low. You will continue to see results, avoid plateaus, and ultimately reach your goals.
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expend thousands of calories, which would lead weight loss, right? Not necessarily. If over the course of the day you eat too much food, you wont lose an ounce. You will be aerobically fit and perhaps strong, but you will have the same amount of fat. To lose weight you will have to consume fewer calories than you expend. Exercise makes it easier to create a caloric deficit. Cardiovascular exercise will increase caloric expenditure as well as boost your metabolism for a short period of time after each workout. Resistance training also will increase caloric expenditure as well as increase your metabolism due to the increase of lean muscle. But what should you be doing for exercise? If you are not currently exercising its very simple, start. Doing any physical activity at this point will help. But eventually you will have to develop exercise routines. But you want to avoid settling into an exercise routine rut. Anyone who tells you that they have the perfect exercise routine to get you to your goal is full of it. There is not a single path that will lead you to your goal. The body is very resilient, it will figure out the exercise routine and only adapt enough so that the routine can be completed. After that it will stop adapting and you will stop seeing results. You will be stuck in a dreaded plateau. To avoid a plateau and to see continuous results you will need to make frequent changes to your exercise routines. With cardiovascular or aerobic exercise there are a few variables that can be changed to help you avoid a plateau. The first is the mode or type of exercise you are doing, try something different. Instead of the treadmill try an aerobics class, instead of cycling try swimming. You can also make changes in exercise duration, or the length of time each aerobic workout lasts. Another change can be made to your exercise frequency or the number of workouts each week. And lastly you can make changes in exercise intensity, by exercising at a different heart rate. With resistance training the easiest way to avoid a plateau is to select different exercises. You should see progress for a long time if you simply change exercises periodically. If after a while you stop progressing you will probably need to make more changes to you workouts, which include the following; changes in load, repetitions, sets, rest periods, and tempo. Load is simply the amount of weight you are working with. Repetitions are the number of times you perform an exercise which will comprise one set. Rest periods are the time between each set. Tempo is the speed that each repetition is performed. These exercise variables are interrelated; making changes to any one of them will affect the others. It can become somewhat complicated and a little confusing. In my series of articles I address each exercise variable in more detail to help clarify any confusion. With this information you should be able to design fun, creative, and effective exercise routines and achieve the body, health, and life that you want.
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A simple guideline to ensure that you are using the proper weight (load) is that if you cant perform the least amount of recommended repetitions for each phase the weight is too heavy. Conversely if you can perform more than the recommended maximum numbers of repetitions for each phase the weight is too light. After you stop seeing results from linear periodization it is time to move on to undulating periodization. If you are a beginner it could be 12 to 16 weeks or longer before you need to make this change to your exercise routine. Once you make the change stay will the endurance phase until you feel as though you are not progressing. This time period should be no longer than six weeks. Then move on to the hypertrophy phase for the same period of time. Finally move on to the strength phase. To keep things simple rotate between the three phases forever. Within each phase you should be pushing yourself to increase the load. Your signal to move to the next phase will be when you no longer can increase weight and stay in the proper rep range. The longer you workout consistently the shorter the period of time you will stay in each phase. Experienced exercisers may rotate every week or two. The bottom line is that your body is very resilient. It will adapt to the stresses that are placed upon it only enough so that those stresses stop being stressful. If you want to get in better shape you need to change the stress (workout). In this article I referred to a lot of information that was presented in other articles Ive written for FEN. If you didnt get a change to read those and are a little lost, please contact me and I will make sure you receive copies of those articles.
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weight training routine keep the total amount of sets between 30 and 36. If you are working out at the proper intensity you should be adequately fatigued at this point and any more sets could lead to injury. As you can see each exercise variable has an effect on the others, changing one thing will affect your workout. It is important that your understand how to consistently make changes, it is the only way to be the lean, strong, in shape person you want to be. Load, simply put is weight or resistance. It can come from your body weight, machines, cables, elastic tubing, and free weights. There are many misconceptions when it comes to load. You need to select a weight that will stress your muscles beyond their current abilities. Typically women select resistance that is far too light. You also want to work with a resistance that you can control and perform with correct form. In this case men typically will select weight that is far too heavy. There is a small window for selecting the proper resistance. First lets look at how load will affect the other weight training variables. Load will have the most obvious impact on repetitions. Logic dictates that the more weight you select the fewer repetitions you will be able to complete. If you are working with a light resistance and a high number of repetitions you will need to perform fewer total sets for each exercise and vice versa. Tempo or speed of movement is also affected by load. The heavier the weight the slower you will be able to move it. The lower the load and higher the reps the shorter rest periods between sets can be. The higher the weight and lower the reps the longer rest periods should be. If you what the shape of your body to change, you are going to have to push yourself a little. If you are having a conversation with your friend during a set of weight training and when you finish the set you dont even need to pause to catch your breath, the weight is too light. By the time you finish a set you should be experiencing a burning sensation in the muscle(s) you are exercising. Both your heart rate and breathing rate should be elevated, and rest is mandatory not optional. This is called the overload principle, if you dont stress your body beyond that which it is accustomed, no adaptation will occur, i.e. no results. If you are new to weight training this intense of a workout may leave your muscles sore for several days. The easiest way to select the proper weight is to slowly progress to using the correct resistance. So its okay to start out light and prepare the body for the hard workouts to follow; in fact that is the smart way to begin weight training. But if you plan on doing eight to twelve reps each set eventually you will want to select a weight that you can perform correctly at least eight times. If you can do only seven it is too heavy. When you finish a set of twelve if you could have done one more then the weight is too light. If you do this on every set for every exercise you will see results. An important thing to know about choosing the proper load is that selecting the same weight for every muscle is a huge mistake. Look at your thigh; now look at your upper arm. Are they the same size? NO! You will be able to pick up far more weight from the floor (dead lift) then you will ever be able to curl with your arms. Even though this seems obvious I have seen up to forty women in a group strength training class use the same
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resistance for an hour. I have also seen women come into the gym and pick up an eight pound dumbbell and use it on every weight training exercise for over 30 minutes. Please dont make the same mistake. Another important thing to know is that all weight machines are not created equal. They all are designed with different mechanics. Therefore you may use fifty pounds on one leg machine and one hundred fifty on another that exercises the exact same muscle. So when working with machines it is important to select the proper resistance based on the number of reps you want to complete and not get caught up by the number on the weight stack. This advice will come in handy when you travel and find yourself using a brand of equipment you are unfamiliar with. Rest periods are simply the time between sets when you are resting. Unlike aerobic exercise, where you want the exercise session to be continuous, weight training requires rest after short bouts of exercise. This rest allow for muscles to recover so that the next set can be performed with nearly the same efficiency. Rest periods can be very simple. For lower intensity exercises with low weight and higher reps (12-15 reps), rest periods should be relatively short (30 to 60 seconds). For medium intensity (8-12 reps) rest periods of about 1 to 2 minutes are appropriate. And for higher intensity (1-8 reps) rest periods can be long, (2 to 5 minutes). It does get a little tricky though; if you are working out with a medium amount of resistance and shorten the rest period the workout can become very intense.
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Result A: Jogging does nothing more for fat loss than a good diet. Eating healthy is great for fat loss. Jogging adds NOTHING to it. Shocker!! This isn't some 10 min a week either. Its 30-50 min 3 times a week! More than most joggers do. Result B: Jogging does nothing for muscle gain. Jogging puts your entire body into "starvation mode". The body thinks "I'm lost in the jungle that's why I'm jogging so much to find my way out". Whets the best way to survive in the jungle? It's to use as few calories as possible so we can live off less food. How do we achieve that? Your body commands its calorie using parts to be jettisoned. Only muscles use calories! Oops there go your fat burning, calorie using, and nice looking muscles. So far, jogging is zero out of two in the looking good score. And it gets worse! As you jog, you get more and more efficient at jogging. Efficiency in car petrol consumption is good. Efficiency in jogging to look good is bad! It means that you use FEWER calories as you get "better" at jogging. Oh no! The reality of this is that you need to run further and longer just to use the same amount of calories as you used to. This doesn't just mean that jogging doesn't work, it works in reverse! 2. Jogging doesn't help you in the "game" of life OK more real life. I just got back from my stint in the army reserve. All the males in Singapore have to do this service to our nation. I am an army engineer. We build stuff and we blow up stuff. In our training we NEVER had to jog to succeed in our missions. All our critical tasks were strength related. From carrying heavy loads across distances of about 200-500m of rough terrain (takes about 5 min of hard work), pushing and pulling equipment into place (takes about 2 min of intensive labor), and lifting and shifting loads in construction and assembly of equipment (takes 2 second bursts of effort). At no time would jogging have helped my men or I perform those tasks successfully. Its the same for almost any of us. When was the last time you had to wake up and run 10km? Never? Yup, me neither. However just like my army story, real life stuff is strength related! Carrying a growing child is a strength task. So is changing a car tire, shifting furniture, carrying groceries, sprinting after the bus when you are late, climbing stairs when the elevator is crowded this list can get very long. Jogging prepares you not at all for real life. Another real life consideration is posture. Most people have poor posture. We slouch way too much due to a lot of time spent at a computer at work and school. This means our heads are forward of our body (when you enter a room, your chest - whether you are male or female - should enter before your head), and our shoulders are slouched. This can cause head-aches, neck-aches, and back-aches (in addition to not looking as good as we could). Unfortunately, this head forward posture is efficient for taking in oxygen while jogging and many joggers do this. So jogging makes a bad situation worse!
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This next point is a sobering one. I spent some time helping out at a place where elderly people gather for social support and to play simple games. It was very clear that the happy and healthy elderly were those who were strong, mobile and able to take care of themselves without assistance. I could tell by their handshakes who were still in good shape and who were having poor health. I want to be strong till my last breath and I assume that you do as well. The game of life is a long one. And many elderly are left bed ridden or immobile due to crippling health conditions. Guess what, aerobic capacity is not a big determinant in our quality of life as we age. 2 major determinants of quality of life for an elderly person are leg power and grip strength. These are indicators of lower and upper body strength and power (strength and especially power are lost rapidly if we do not training specifically for them as we age). These are maintained by resistance training, not more slow jogging. Many elderly are made immobile because of falls and accidents that are due to a lack of strength, not because they ran out of breath as they climbed a flight of stairs. 3. Jogging isn't that great for your health Health really should be number one. But looking good gets more attention. And in health, jogging scores poorly as well when compared to other, better activities. There is a saying that I like "you don't run to get fit, you get fit to run". Its true; more than half of all people who start a jogging program get an injury within 6 weeks. That's higher than most contact or high risk sports like rugby, American football, or car racing! Is that a risk you are willing to take? Nope, didn't think so. I'm not willing to risk my clients health or my health with such an activity. It takes a well conditioned and trained person to jog without getting injured. Firstly there is the issue of foot strength. Most people wear shoes all day and thus have weak feet. Ankle, heel, and sole injuries like plantar faciatis (really sucky injury!) are common because most people's feet are not ready to take the pounding. Lets move up to the knees. Each foot strike has an impact 3-6 times body weight. All this depends on the running mechanics, the shoe, and the running surface. 3 times is a low estimate. Many times we have poor mechanics, poorly chosen shoes, and overly hard surfaces. Combine this with poor technique and muscle firing (again caused by poor posture and an inactive lifestyle) and the knees take more than their fair share of impact. For ladies, their naturally wider hips and less ideal bio-mechanics mean knee issues are even more prevalent among lady joggers. Poor pelvic alignment means even the lower back is taking too much of the ground impact. I'm not a doctor but these are just some of the many injury issues that I have seen in joggers who become my clients. With correct training, rehab
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and changes in their exercise routine, not only do these issues go away, but they get great results (i.e. they look great and are pain free). So what can we do? Well I always suggest sprints (fast striding or faster) for my more experienced clients. Or sprints on a stationary bike for the ladies and less experienced clients. These are done in interval fashion e.g. 30 sec run/sprint. 90 sec walk. These save our joints (running fast is tough on our muscles not our joints, and there is total less number of impacts) and give great results (there we go, results again! they are important!). Jogging is certainly better than watching TV or surfing the Internet all day. But its really quite a low benefit activity compared to the potential risks. There are far better alternatives like sprint cycling, fast running (if you are a well conditioned athlete), and total body resistance training with low rest intervals. All these alternatives give far greater benefits than jogging, take less time (VERY important for long term success), and are more fun to do (also important for long term success). Conclusion: I hope joggers don't take this article as a personal attack. I certainly don't mean it that way. Its just that in a fast paced culture (with so little time to exercise) and with the current levels of inactivity, obesity, and other lifestyle related health conditions, we cannot afford to do anything less than optimal training. Even if we are blessed with loads of time, why would we do anything less than what is ideal! Get off that treadmill and into a well designed resistance and interval training program! P.S. the problems of jogging are the same as those related to all slow, long, distance activity. It doesn't matter if its a StairMaster, cycle, elliptical trainer, or whatever other contraption. There may be less knee impact but there is still the issue of overloading and creating muscle imbalances simply because of the amount of times the same repetitive action is performed.
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I choose a few meat and leafy vegetable dishes from the restaurant. I begin to sit down and look at my plate
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(Sub-conscious, self sabotaging thought): This is not going to make me feel full, where is the pile of rice I usually eat? (To me, the most damaging thought): "What is a meal without rice/noodles/potatoes?" With all those self defeating thoughts, the conscious mind can only overcome for a while, and it cannot continuously overcome them. And people quickly fall off the clean eating plan. Some things that help: Write down you goal and read it 100 times in a row. "I want to lose 5 kg in the next 2 months". As you read it, there will likely be self sabotaging thoughts that come up. Cut these down by focusing on the image of what it will be like to have achieved your goal easily and painlessly. The Visualization of your success helps to cut out the negative nonsense. In this way both your conscious mind and sub conscious thoughts work together for success Champions have a desire for excellence. You can't live a healthy lifestyle in moderation. You need excellence. Moderation is actually a set up for failure. This probably isn't' what most people want to hear. But it's a really war out there against a world full of marketing and old habits that want us to spend our limited free time doing unfruitful activity, and spend our money on food that makes us fat and weak. Only a spirit of excellence will help you reach your fitness goals. We need to be clear. Moderation is not the way to win a war. We need to aggressively take massive and decisive action. No we don't need to be perfect, none of us are. As nutritionist John Berardi suggests, 90% perfect is pretty much good enough. But we do need to be perfect at adhering to this 90%. It's common to meet people who think they are meeting the 90% healthy meals requirement, but closer analysis reveals an adherence of only about 40-50%. 2. Social support for Success Human beings need a community for continued success. Changing a behavior has 3 components. First is awareness. The realization that there is a need for change and that change will bring about positive effects. The second is intervention. The actually change of behavior. In this case it may be hiring a personal trainer, or starting a good diet and exercise program. The final stage actually makes or breaks the process. It is called sustenance. It means making the change permanent - long term success is what counts when it comes to reaching your fitness goals. For this, a positive community is extremely important. There is a saying that "you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with." If your family and closest friends are all pizza and beer fans whose idea of excessive exercise is golf
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on the Nintendo Wii, what do you think your chances of keeping to an exercise plan will be? Yup, close to nil. I believe community is one of the reasons that fitness classes like Pilates, yoga, step aerobics and boot camps are so popular. Are their training programs better than a top end personal trainer? Certainly not. But they do have a community element that keeps people coming back. That's certainly a positive thing. 3. A Will to change While this is linked to no.1 I think it bears special mention. Change is a scary thing for many people because it can be uncomfortable and it brings about uncertainty. People tend to do things which they know the outcome of because its safe. However there are some changes we cannot afford NOT to make if we want to reach our fitness goals. One example is a client of mine who simply loved to jog. He had knee, back and lower leg problems but just would not stop. Physically I knew exactly what he needed to do, but he just wouldn't. What makes a person change his/her actions? Often it is not persuasive arguments but rather experiences that make a profound impact. I challenged him to stop and trade jogging for 8 weeks of sprint cycling and weight training. If he did not absolutely love the results of these 8 weeks, I would give him a full refund of his money as well as a free session with a top physio therapist in the area. He agreed and after 8 weeks, he became pain free, stronger, more muscular, and leaner. I don't think excessive jogging will ever be a problem again for this man. He had the will to change, sure it took some incentives but incentives are never a real problem. There are so many definite benefits to getting fit and lean. And deep inside I believe that he knew that the painful and stagnant jogging protocol wasn't getting the job done. Similarly the TV watching and potato chip eating protocol isn't going to get the jog done either. Change is needed. 4. A will to learn Desire to do something is directly co related to competence in that activity. Good personal trainers and coaches care that clients continue with a healthy lifestyle even when they are no longer employing them. That's why part of every session I coach is a review and education session as to why we just did what we just did. This builds the client's knowledge base and makes them more and more competent so that they are more and more likely to do healthy activity. Trainers who simply count reps and cheer-lead clients are just not doing their jobs. Even if you are not employing a trainer or fitness coach, learn all you can about fitness, nutrition, how your body works. I guarantee you that as you continue to
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learn how wonderfully your body is created, you will want to train and you will feel compelled not to put rubbish food into this amazing machine. Right now go to amazon.com and buy a book about a fitness topic. It really doesn't matter which one because you never ever get dumber by reading a book. I believe coach Mike Boyle once said "don't believe everything you read, but don't just read things you believe". It's a great attitude to learning. In fact studies show that after genetics (not much you can do about that); the next greatest determinant of IQ is the number of books a person reads (ALOT you can do about that!). Get learning, and see how it helps you reach your fitness goals. They are closely linked. 5. A will to fight through to the finish Easier said than done. How long does one of my fat loss programs last? 12-16 weeks. Are the results awesome yes. But still its 16 weeks. Its actually very quick, after all, a person may spend 30 years getting fat, whats 16 weeks for fat loss? But! That's 8 times longer than what some slimming centers fad diets, exercise contraptions and diet pills promise (without any real science or guarantees to back them up). And the uninformed customer may choose based on this "promise". In this age of 5 minute meals, instant downloads (how long did it take for this page to load?) and quick fix fitness, the will to "finish strong" is very much overlooked. Sorry, fighting spirit is still in fashion. It's this kind of fight that will get you to your fitness goals. However take heart. You will be rewarded. Pushing hard to the finish point is very much part of the champion mindset. I have met some of my athletes who have the will to win but not all of them have the will to PREPARE to win. They love to play in games but they don't want to put in the hours and effort in training. A champion boxer once said that you can cheat on your training in the darkness of the early morning, but you will be found out in the bright lights of the stadium. That's what this is about, the long haul, consistent will to make the choices that get you to your fitness goals. Stay strong and good luck!
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of extreme leanness before but this is the first time I was able to sustain it (8 months now and counting)... EASILY. My clients are finding the same to be true. The cool thing is that, even though I was eating clean and getting (and staying) leaner, the recommended foods are very nutritious so I feel that my strength levels and recovery were even better. I was training as hard as ever and yet staying leaner, with better recovery and better strength to body-weight ratios (looking prettier as well I have to admit!). What's not to like! I lifted the same weights at 80kg body weight and sub 10% fat as I previously did at 89kg body weight at about 13-15% fat. The key components of the package cover:
o o o o o
Habits and habit formation 5 Minute Meals and nutritious Shakes How to shop quick and smart Daily food preparation (Easier than you would think!) Individualization (for that extra edge once you are already lean)
In the end, PN has mad a big impact in the way I eat, and in the way I teach nutrition to my clients. The habits that are formed really do "stick". This results in long term good health, high performance and great appearance. This is the first product that I have ever given a 10/10 rating to and I feel it fully deserves such a rating because the impact it makes to the success of a client or athlete. It's an awesome fitness gift. 2. Scrawny to Brawny by Michael Mejia and John Berardi Scrawny to Brawny (ok its a catchy name)... is one of the best books for a total beginner and the ultimate fitness gift for the naturally skinny. While no book can replace quality coaching especially in the areas of assessment and exercise technique (heck for these things even a DVD is better than a book) this book does cover the basics for those of us who feel we may be destined to be thin forever. As the name implies, this book is for that sometimes neglected part of the population that doesn't gain weight no matter what they do. Often the focus is so much on slimming down and fat-loss that the thin guys get overlooked. The book covers (In my own words, not the chapter headings) Why some people are just the "thin kind" and how frustrating it can be Exercise technique (with a emphasis on compound movements which are EVEN more necessary for thin people) How to approach cardio (ok, ok its cool to call it energy systems work nowadays) as a thin person
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Assessment and testing before starting a program Some Dynamic mobility work Sample workouts in 4 phases from preparation to more advanced (the book never really goes into VERY advanced workouts that advanced athletes would be doing, but its not meant to, its a book about basics) Nutrition for the ectomorphic The strongest part of this fitness gift is the part by Berardi on nutrition for muscle gain in the case of the ectomorph. The "common mistakes" section is spot on when I compare those to the stuff I see as a coach in real life. For example - one of the mistakes mentioned is "mood eating" mixing emotions with nutrition, its a key point to address and its not in any diet textbooks. Berardi also addresses one common problem that I have noticed as well. People don't really know what "Eating enough" means. I like the "here is what a 4600 calorie day looks like"... and its way more than the misconceptions of most people who think they are eating enough. Overall a very complete book for an underweight guy who is just starting out. With fundamentals like those taught in the book, there is only laziness and closed -mindedness to blame if muscles don't start growing. 3. The New Rules of Lifting by Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove This fitness gift is for the non scrawny beginner to fitness, the New Rules of Lifting is an excellent book. I personally think I could have cut down perhaps 3-4 years of my own learning journey if I have this book when I first started out. It covers myths and misconceptions, exercise technique, program design, and movement patterns. The stuff inside is similar to the things I use with my clients this day (years later) that's how up-to-date the book really is. It will be a valid fitness gift for years to come. 4. Magnificent Mobility DVD by Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson Magnificent mobility (MM) is a very focused product. Its main focus is mobility from the hip down. Many people are deficient there and really need this fitness gift. Sure there are some upper body movements as well but the "meat" really is in the lower body warm-up movements. I would say that MM is second to none in addressing the needs of the athletic community for a good dynamic warm-up video. Happily the video is not just a catalogue of different movements; it also explains the rationale and reasoning behind each movement.
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The production quality is good; Mike Robertson and Eric Cressey also do a good job of teaching and performing each exercise that is in the DVD. The general flow of the DVD is a progression of difficulty. From an introduction to the DVD and to dynamic warm-ups in genera, to easy, then to moderate, then to difficult exercises. I found the introduction very useful because it explains the necessity and the benefits of a dynamic warm-up. Not that the benefits are not known (I'm pretty sure all decent fitness/performance coaches, and even trainees know them) but rather how it is explained comprehensively and concisely. Its also very good that the exercises are arranged in level of difficulty. It allows us to pick those that are suited for the fitness level that we are at. Some of the "difficult" movements are pretty challenging and might be discouraging to newer clients or athletes. Some of the exercise that I picked for use with my own clients (above their previous warm-up) are the spinal flossing movements and several of the movement drills which I believe really get the hips ready for explosive change of direction work that is needed in most field/court sports. Just choose a few exercises (do vary them over time of course!) that work on each movement and get your clients started on them. I can give credit to the drills we do as part of a dynamic warm-up for the low injury rates in the teams that I work with. Each year, these teams log over 45,000 man hours of court work, physical training, and games. Last season, we had only one injury that kept a player out for more than 4 weeks. And that was a freak accident...a shoulder fracture from a collision while chasing a loose ball. While "luck" may be involved, a proper warm-up certainly adds to the "luck factor". If you are a personal trainer, coach or just somebody interested in fitness, MM is a product that will enhance your workouts and keep you injury free (FURTHER enhancing your workouts of course!). I have to highly recommend this DVD as a fitness gift. 5. A good set of basic supplements. Too much advertising, too little truth. That sums up the supplement industry as a whole. I can't stand to see people cheated by fake claims. Here are the 3 supplements that all fit people should use. These genuinely work and as long as you get them from a reputable brand, they should be fine. Your fitness gift will really be appreciated. A Protein Supplement - Its tough to get enough quality protein in our diets. A blend of slow and quick digesting protein is your best bet.
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A Fish Oil Supplement - The benefits of healthy fat supplementation are well documented. If you go to pub-med (an online medical journal publication site) there are THOUSANDS of articles about the benefits of fish oils. A Multi Vitamin Supplement - For optimal health we need about 10-15 servings of fruits and veggies a day. When you can't get those in at least the Multi Vitamin can help keep you healthy. Its not a replacement for real food, but it does help when we are just not able to get the nutrition we need. 6. A Foam Roller This is a cheap (20 USD or so) fitness gift and an investment in long term health. Get one of these and use it for a month. I can guarantee that with the correct technique, you will feel a lot better. Its main purpose is to improve the quality of your soft tissue. It helps joint pain, posture, chronic pain, mobility and just feels good. Its also allows you to do self massage at home for a much cheaper cost. My previous knee pain is due to tight quadriceps muscles. Stretching didn't help but daily foam rolling did. Its all fixed now. Pain free living is a good enough reason for me! 7. The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Claire Davies Knowledge of trigger points has caused many clients to love me. Not kidding. In the past month alone I have helped 4 clients with shoulder pain and numbness resolve it with training AND trigger point therapy. The best thing is that all the techniques in this book can be done by yourself, at home with only basic and cheap equipment. In as little as 10 minutes total per day for 2-3 weeks, chronic pain issues that have bothered people for months or years can be resolved. Freedom from pain is really a priceless thing to have and a priceless fitness gift to give. This book gets you on your way there. These 7 items would make a great addition to anybody just starting out in fitness. Even if you are an experienced lifter, athlete or coach, I'm sure the items on this list will be of value and help to you.
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Hitting something and releasing all that stress is a relief not to mention that fitness boxing places little if any impact on the lower bodys joints, making it safe to do. Try it. And try it today.
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Functional Fitness Training Will Take You To New Heights For Real Life Situations!
By Kenneth Reed
Have you ever felt like climbing a flight of stairs was a chore, carrying groceries were like carrying an overweight child or doing yard work was like working on a farm? These activities require you to support your own bodyweight, like standing and bending and carrying stuff. If you are walking down the street and you slip on a patch of ice you will need to fire muscles in your legs, abdomen, lower back even your toes simultaneously to quickly stabilize your body and keep yourself from falling. Your body needs to work as a unit. Functional fitness should be a priority along with weight training and cardiovascular training. Did you know that form follows function? Older adults require better coordination, balance and posture, this is critical for everyday life. Training for life will prepare your body so it can perform daily activities like climbing stairs, lifting things, walking and bending without discomfort, pain or injury. Functional fitness training challenges the body to work as a whole, firing up the muscles in the correct pattern unlike machines. When training you should use multiple muscle groups in an integrated fashion to get real life benefits of resistance training. Weight training machines isolates single muscle groups; this was originally developed for bodybuilders to get stronger and bigger. This is an essential component for any fitness program. To get the total synergy your body needs you need to have functional fitness training in your exercise program. A well rounded fitness program should incorporate some functional fitness training. For those trying to lose weight, training on a stability ball is very helpful. While working on the ball you activate muscles deep in the pelvis, back, abdominals and hips every time the ball moves. More calories are burned, and more muscle is built due to the increased of muscle activity. Stronger muscles further enhance function by stabilizing joints, reducing the risks of falls, and improving balance and coordination. Muscle strength can be greatly improved by as little as eight weeks of resistance and functional training. Exercise equipment needed for functional fitness training
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With functional fitness training you'll have more fun and maximize human performance for real life situations.
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imbalances. Take note of stretches that feel tight, restricted, or uncomfortable. Incorporate them into your pre-golf warm-up routine. Move into and out of the position, never stopping for more than 1-2 seconds. Remember, no bouncing or jerking and never move quickly. Repeat 10-15 times in each direction or until the area loosens. Dynamic stretch 1 targets the low back, upper back (latissimus dorsi), hamstrings, and calves. Grasp a golf club standing shoulder width apart. Keep knees slightly bent as you lower the golf club to your feet as far as you can comfortably. Then raise back to start position and reach golf club up over your head tip toeing as high as you can with balance. Dynamic stretch 2 targets the low back, outer hip, neck and hip rotators. Lie on your back, knees bent, feet on the floor, and arms straight out to the sides palm up. Cross right knee over left. Rotate legs to the left then right keeping both shoulders attached to the floor at all times. Rotate head the opposite direction of your legs. Switch legs and repeat. Dynamic stretch 3 targets the hip, shoulder rotators, and inner thigh (adductors). Grasp a golf club right palm facing forward, left palm facing you. Stand shoulder width apart. Step back and to the right with the right foot only, left stays stationary. Simultaneously reach golf club up and over your right shoulder like you are shoveling over your right shoulder. Return to start position and repeat to same side as required. Switch palms and step back to the left with the left foot only reaching golf club over your left shoulder. Repeat as required. Dynamic stretch 4 targets the lateral torso (love handle area) and outer hip areas. Stand shoulder width apart grasping a golf club at each end with the shaft resting on the back of your neck, shoulder region. Cross left foot over the right and step slightly forward. Simultaneously side tilt your upper to the left as far as you can comfortably. Step back to start position then cross right foot over left while you side tilt your upper body to the right. Discontinue if pain arises with any of the stretches. Your balance will also be challenged which helps the body better prepare for a changing center of gravity your golf swing produces. Dynamic stretching should be performed immediately before all golf activity. Fifteen minutes of inactivity is enough time for the body to start cooling down and lose all the benefit of dynamic stretching. Follow dynamic stretching with gradual swing progressions. Start with a 7 iron and take 10 swings starting at 50% effort, then gradually working up to 100% by the tenth swing. Next, follow this same progression with your driver. A golf specific warm-up includes dynamic stretching and gradual swing progressions that should take no more than 10 minutes to perform. This method is the easiest, most inexpensive way to shave shots off your score. Finally, static stretching plays a key role in golf recovery and optimal swing mechanics. Holding a stretch for 30-60 seconds after golf is still the best way to reduce and/or alleviate post golf muscle soreness. A daily static stretching routine is also the best way to correct your muscular imbalances and achieve optimal golf performance. Tight
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muscles will restrict joint range of motion. Movement restrictions cause the body to compensate during the swing, leading to poor swing mechanics. See your doctor, chiropractor, physical therapist, or personal trainer for a joint range of motion test and postural assessment to identify all of your tight, restricted muscles.
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Stretching 101
By Kevin Hensel
This article isn't trying to convince you to stretch, it describes the most effective way to start and maintain a stretching regimen to function, feel, and perform better. Lets face it, there's nothing glamorous about stretching and frankly it's pretty boring too. The single most overlooked component to any fitness program is flexibility. Stretching usually takes a back seat to strength and cardiovascular conditioning. I know it's hard enough trying to find time to workout, let out let alone feel like you're not doing very much while stretching. A well designed stretching routine targeting your tight areas will enhance your workouts and even save you time in the long run. Which muscles need to be stretched? We only need to stretch the muscles that are short and tight with a limited range of motion. Which unfortunately means they feel tight, restricted, and uncomfortable. Stretching a muscle that has a normal range of motion and 'feels good' has little if any positive effect and in some instances can over time lengthen a muscle to the point where it cannot stabilize the joint it surrounds and lead to possible injury. Selecting the proper stretches targeting the tight areas of the body is instrumental to an effective flexibility program. Common postural imbalances, repetitive stress, and injuries create very predictable patterns of tightness. Certain muscles have a higher probability of becoming tight and restricted including the following: How do I get started? We first need to identify all of the areas that you have tightness or limited range of motion before we can get started on your corrective stretching phase. Visit www.exrx.net and perform the stretches that target the neck region (upper trapezius, scalene, levator scapula), low back area (spinal erectors), deep hip external hip rotators (piriformis), hip flexors, quadriceps, calves, forearms, and pectorals because theses muscles have the highest probability of being tight. Before each position carefully read the guidelines, view the helpful photographs, and pay attention to the key points. If you feel tightness, restriction, and/or pain then that stretch will now become a part of your stretching routine for the next 2-4 weeks. Take note if you feel a muscle tighter on one side of your body more than the other. If you do not feel a stretch in the intended area, fear not. This is completely normal. Review the guidelines and key points to make sure you are doing the stretch correctly. Still not feeling anything? Congratulations! You are not tight in this area. This stretch will not be a part of your corrective stretch phase. Forget it and move onto the next stretch position. Do not feel bad if you are tight just about everywhere, these stretches have been selected specifically because they are the most common areas to get tight. I was tight everywhere when I first started; I had to do all of the stretches. I progressed very quickly because I religiously followed the guidelines set in the next few sections. I couldn't spend my whole day in the gym, so I had to cut back on other exercises to squeeze in all the stretches. But within a few weeks I was a stretching believer because all of my chronic aches and pains just disappeared. Maintaining my flexibility is much easier now that I am in the maintenance phase. I only need to stretch a few times a week after a workout or when I am hunched over my
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computer for too long and I'm completely pain free. Now I can bang out a quickie full body stretch in just about fifteen minutes, ten in a real rush. In a nutshell. By now you know all of your tight areas and are ready to get started on your corrective stretching phase. Perform each stretch 30-60 seconds, 1-2 times daily, 4-6 days per week for 2-4 weeks. Each muscle and person will progress at a different rate. After the initial 2-4 weeks you can transition into a maintenance stretching phase of 3-4 days per week holding each stretch 10-30 When should I stretch? The best time to stretch is when you can actually fit it into your daily schedule 4-6 days per week. The following are the best case scenarios. If you wake up with muscle tightness and soreness, then stretch in the morning preferably after a hot shower or bath. For optimal flexibility gains stretch 1-2 hours before going to bed. When we sleep, our muscles repair themselves from the days activities. When a muscle repairs itself in a lengthened, relaxed state instead of a shortened, tight state it provides optimal flexibility the whole next day. Stretch after a workout or physical activity because a warm muscle can stretch further than a cold one and it also helps prevent muscle soreness. Try not to stretch a cold muscle, always warm up with a 5-10 minute light warm-up of walking or biking to increase muscle temperature and muscle flexibility. 'When' is not the most important factor with this phase of stretching, just doing it is the most important. When pinched for time, just do the tightest areas in a shortened format. How Much Is Too Much? The stretch position should have a tight feeling, never pain. Achieve the stretch position slowly and gently, with no jerking or bouncing. It is very easy to overstretch a muscle and cause more harm than good. It is a fine line between pain and tightness so always ease into each stretch with less intense effort, never pain. How long should I hold each stretch? Hold each stretch a minimum of 30 seconds. An area that feels exceptionally tight you might want to hold for 60 seconds time permitting. The problem is not holding the stretch too long, but not holding the stretch long enough especially when just starting because it will take longer for the muscle to relax. Keep track of the imbalances between your right and left, because not every muscle in your body is going to have the same flexibility on both sides of your body. If you notice a discrepancy, stretch the tighter side an extra 20-30 seconds. Stretching each side the same amount of time will maintain the imbalance. The greatest benefit of corrective stretching is creating muscular balance on both sides of your body. Just breathe, you must chill. The cornerstone of stretching is relaxation. The cornerstone of relaxation is breathing. Holding your breath or moving too quickly during each stretch will instinctively tighten up your whole body to protect itself. Take deep inhalations and slowly count to four on each exhalation. Focus on relaxing the muscle you are stretching. With each exhalation, gently deepen the stretch but never to pain until you can go no further. When we exhale our body naturally relaxes and that is the best time to try to increase range of motion. Never hold your breath. When do I progress to the maintenance phase? This will be different for each individual and each muscle. How quickly your body adapts will depend upon the
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following: how many days a week you are stretching (Six days/week will yield quicker results than four), how long you are able to hold each stretch (60 seconds yields quicker results than 30 seconds), how many times a day you are stretching (twice daily is quicker than once), genetic and structural limitations, and injuries. Some muscles will progress so quickly that you can move into the maintenance phase within only a few weeks. Other areas will progress much more slowly and might need to stay in the corrective phase for several weeks. When the muscle no longer feels discomfort, tightness, or restriction then it is time for the maintenance phase which will vary with each different body part. Expect to have some body parts in the corrective phase and others in the maintenance phase. What is the maintenance phase again? When the muscle no longer feels discomfort, tightness, or restriction then it is time for the maintenance phase which will vary with each different body part. The stretches remain the same in the maintenance phase. The only difference is you hold the stretch 20-30 seconds, once daily, 3-4 times per week. It is that easy. If increased ranges of motion are still required more advanced stretching techniques (PNF, myofascial release, and dynamic) should be utilized under the guidance of a qualified physical therapist, chiropractor, or fitness professional. When can I stop? Never! Not the answer you were probably looking for, but it is the unfortunate truth. Your muscles have a very bad short term memory. If you stop stretching, all of your original short, tight muscles will slowly creep back. Since you are not getting rid of the reasons why your body got the imbalances in the first place, they will always try to come back. The good news is that you can very easily maintain your new found range of motion by continuing with the maintenance phase. Just a little bit goes a long way, but stopping all at once will drastically reverse all of your progress in a few short weeks. Oh God, there's more? As previously mentioned when certain muscles get short and tight, other muscles get lengthened and weak. These stretches are a great way to lengthen those short and tight muscles. But we also need to strengthen those weak areas in order to maintain our new found flexibility. Regular strength workouts 2-3 times per week reduce the likelihood that you'll get a muscle imbalance that could cause pain. Incorporate strengthening exercises to target these weak areas to maximize your performance. For example when you sit a desk all day your chest and upper neck muscles get very short and tight. You need to stretch those areas and strengthen the muscles that help pinch your shoulder blades together called your posterior deltoid, rhomboids, and mid/lowertrapezius. Don't worry it's not as technical as it sounds, just pinch your shoulder blades back and down. More ways to ease the pain. If a day or two of stretching does not help your sore muscles, try these common remedies.
Topical treatments like Bengay or Capsaicin excite sensory nerve endings in the skin, and the resulting tingly sensation overrides your ability to feel as much pain. Over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (nsaids), such as ibuprofen, may alleviate some discomfort.
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Heating pads and heat wraps help relax muscle tissue and increase blood flow to the area. Hot tubs are saunas are great post workout. Massage promotes blood flow to sore areas and relaxes muscle tissue. Acupuncture has been show to help certain types of pain. It's not known exactly how it works; some believe the needles stimulate pain-suppressing neurotransmitters... Physical therapy can help rehabilitate specific injuries. Therapists can also teach you exercise to relieve and prevent everyday aches.
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Lie on your back Feet both on the floor Bring both knees to chest until a stretch is felt in your low back, buttock area.
Key Points:
Pull legs in from behind knees. Keep tailbone attached to the floor do not let it roll upwards off the ground Keep knees together as best as possible Discontinue if back pain arises then attempt single leg into chest. Incorporate Stretch If: Discomfort, tightness and/or restriction in low back or buttock area Knees do not comfortably come into the chest You have a history of low back pain, disc herniations, SI irritation, sciatica pain
Strengthen:
Core stabilizers Transverse Abdominins, Internal/External Obliques Gluteals (Maximus, Minimus, Medius) Hamstrings
Lie on back Knees bent, feet on floor. Cross left leg over right then rotate legs and hips to the right until a stretch is felt in left side of lower back/hip area. Switch and repeat to other side.
Key Points:
Must keep both arms and shoulders on the ground at all times. Push top knee downward with hand if deeper stretch is desired.
Discomfort, tightness and or restriction in lower back or outer hip If top knee cannot reach the floor without arm or shoulder popping off the ground You have a history of low back pain, disc herniations, SI irritation, sciatica problems Hip height imbalances one side higher or lower than the other
Strengthen:
Core stabilizers Transverse Abdominins, Internal/External Obliques Gluteals (Maximus, Minimus, Medius) Hamstrings
Use an adjustable desk chair that allows you to sit against the back of the chair with your feet flat on the floor. If the chair back doesn't curve in to support the natural s-curve of your spine, try rolling up a small towel and placing it horizontally behind your lower back. Using a stability ball as a desk chair is also a great economical way to engage your core muscles while you sit protecting your low back. Shift your weight when standing. Standing in one position can make you unconsciously hold tension in your lower back.
Lie on your back both legs out straight on floor Bring one straight leg back towards chest with a towel/strap around heel until a stretch is felt in the rear of the thigh. Keep other leg completely on the floor toes pointing upward Switch and repeat to other side.
Key Points:
Do not lift either hip/buttock off floor. Stabilize hip. Bend knee slightly if pressure/pain directly behind knee. Right Leg Left Leg
Which is tighter?
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Variations:
Vary the foot position of the elevated leg (Inward and outward).
Discomfort, tightness and or restriction in rear of upper thigh Elevated, straight leg does not point directly to the ceiling without other compensations 70-90 degrees is normal range of motion Sit for prolonged periods of time
Lie on floor Knees bent feet on floor Cross right knee over left Gently pull both knees into chest from behind the knees until a stretch is felt in hip/buttock area of top leg. Switch and repeat to other side.
Key Points:
Do not round up low back to the point where your tail bone raises off the floor Try to maintain a slight low back curvature Right Left Side
Discomfort, tightness and or restriction in hip/buttock region Knees do not comfortably come into chest History of sciatica or SI pain
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Strengthen:
Core stabilizers Transverse Abdominins, Internal/External Obliques Gluteals (Maximus, Minimus, Medius) Hamstrings Hip Internal Rotators
Lie on floor with hips and knees bent 90 degrees Feet supported on wall. Cross right ankle onto left knee. Gently push right knee away from the body until a stretch is felt in the right hip/buttock area. Switch and repeat to other side.
Key Points:
Avoid hip shifting or rotating with stretch Right Side Left Side
Discomfort, tightness and or restriction in hip/buttock region of involved leg Should be able to push involved knee perpendicular to other knee without hip shifting or rotating
Discomfort, tightness and or restriction in hip/buttock region of involved leg Should be able to bring involved leg (knee) into your chest without hip rotating or shifting
Strengthen: Core stabilizers Transverse Abdominins, Internal/External Obliques Gluteals (Maximus, Minimus, Medius) Hip Internal Rotators
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Kneel on floor close to wall for balance. Shoulders and hips stacked on top of one another Right leg forward left leg underneath you Rotate left lower leg away from the body. Tighten abs and buttocks then lean forward without arching your low back until a stretch is felt in the front of left hip/thigh. Switch and repeat to other side
Key Points:
Maintain upper body posture. Keep shoulders over hips. Must keep low back flat throughout entire stretch Right Side Left Side
Discomfort, tightness and or restriction in front of the hip/thigh of rear leg. You have a history of low back pain, disc herniations, SI irritation, sciatica problems Sit for prolonged periods of time. Have an exaggerated low back curve (If you wear a belt your belt buckle is lower than the back of the belt)
Strengthen:
Core stabilizers Transverse Abdominins, Internal/External Obliques Gluteals (Maximus, Minimus, Medius) Hamstrings
Stand upright close to a wall for balance Bend right leg Grab right ankle with right hand Pull foot into buttock Keep bent knee aiming straight downward towards the floor.
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Key Points:
Squeeze/contract buttocks together. Do not arch low back. Maintain good upper body posture. Right Side Left Side
Discomfort, tightness and or restriction in front of upper thigh Heel of bent leg should be able to get 1-2 inches from buttock with knee straight to floor History of low back tightness and/or exaggerated low back curve
Strengthen:
Straight Leg Calf Stretch Target Areas: Ankle/Gastrocnemius (Upper Calf) Guidelines:
Assume a staggered stance one foot slightly in front of the other on a stair of slight elevation. Stand with rear foot hanging quarters off the edge. Reach heel to floor until a stretch is felt in the upper calf of the rear leg. Switch and repeat to other side.
Key Points:
Maintain good posture. Lean forward to intensify stretch or drop heel lower to floor Right Side Left Side
Slightly turn upper body and hip inward and hold, then turn outward to isolate different areas on your calf Perform stretch in the direction with the most discomfort
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Discomfort, tightness and or restriction in upper calf You are physically active Wear high heels Plantar Fascitis (Pain or irritation in the arch of your foot) Everyone should incorporate this stretch
Strengthen: Core stabilizers Transverse Abdominins, Internal/External Obliques Gluteals (Maximus, Minimus, Medius) **Tibialis Anterior/Posterior (Shins) ** Preventing ankle and foot pain
Wear shoes that support both the arch of your foot and your ankle. Stretch your ankle, calf, and foot, first thing in the morning and after wearing high heels for several hours.
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well balanced stretching routine. Don't wait until you are in pain to start a stretching program like I did, get started stretching today. Why stretching matters? When you overuse muscles, microscopic tears occur in the muscle tissue that trigger an inflammatory reaction, which leads to stiffness or soreness that you feel a day or two later. When you work the muscle the same way repeatedly, chemicals called metabolites accumulate in the muscle tissue. These chemicals build up and trigger pain receptors that are responsible for the pain you sometimes feel after exercise or physical activity. Stretching helps remove the metabolites and bring fresh blood to the tissues, preventing or easing soreness. In addition, stretching lengthens muscles improving posture and balance while alleviating discomfort after physical activity. But you should know that all stretching exercises are not created equally. Research shows that the best way to stretch is to hold the position for a minimum of 10 seconds-or, better 20 to 30 seconds known as static stretching. Avoid bouncing while stretching (ballistic stretching) which can strain muscle tissues. Other stretching techniques such as dynamic, myofascial release, PNF, and active-isolated also have a growing pile of positive research behind them. However, static stretching is still the easiest, safest technique to get started with. If static stretching does not provide adequate results in 2-4 weeks these other forms of stretching should be the next progression. Seek the guidance of a qualified physical therapist, chiropractor, or fitness professional for specific guidelines. How did I get so tight? There are three common causes of muscle pain and tightness. If you can identify the source of the pain, you'll be better able to treat it. 1. Repetitive or everyday activities, such as sitting at a computer all day, driving in a car for extended periods, poor posture, awkward sleeping positions, and/or performing the same exercise routine for months on end are the most common culprits. Stress falls under this category, too, because it often makes you unconsciously clench and tense your muscles. Any position you stay in for more than an hour will play havoc on your muscular system. Certain muscles will get short and tight while others will get lengthened and weak. This creates tremendous stress on the joints and if left unchecked leads to eventual pain, arthritis, tendonitis, and other inflammatory conditions. Stretching retrains the brain and muscle to go back to its normal length, restoring normal muscle balance and function. 2. Strenuous, out of the ordinary exertion, like moving furniture, raking leaves, or trying a new exercise may result in delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) within 24-48 hours. 3. Everyday injuries or sports related injuries like a sprained ankle, pulled hamstring, or whiplash from a car accident may in time even years later cause all kinds of trouble. When a joint, ligament, or tendon is injured the body tightens all of the muscles around the area to immobilize and protect it from further injury. Uninjured muscles will start to perform the function of other muscles that were injured (synergistic dominance) which creates several compensations throughout the entire body. These imbalances don't just go away after you have healed, unless
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you are under the guidance of a physical therapist or qualified health practitioner. That is why injuries when we were younger can come back to haunt us because our bodies have been compensating over time. Stretching regains mobility and stability preventing the muscular imbalances throwing us out of whack. Which muscles need to be stretched? We only need to stretch the muscles that are short and tight with a limited range of motion. Which unfortunately means they feel tight, restricted, and uncomfortable. Stretching a muscle that has a normal range of motion and 'feels good' has little if any positive effect and in some instances can over time lengthen a muscle to the point where it cannot stabilize the joint it surrounds and lead to possible injury. Selecting the proper stretches targeting the tight areas of the body is instrumental to an effective flexibility program. Common postural imbalances, repetitive stress, and injuries create very predictable patterns of tightness. In a nutshell. You are now committed to get started on your corrective stretching phase. Perform each stretch 30-60 seconds, 1-2 times daily, 4-6 days per week for 2-4 weeks. Each muscle and person will progress at a different rate. After the initial 2-4 weeks you can transition into a maintenance stretching phase of 3-4 days per week holding each stretch 10-30 seconds. Oh God, there's more? As previously mentioned when certain muscles get short and tight, other muscles get lengthened and weak. Stretching is a great way to lengthen those short and tight muscles. But we also need to strengthen those weak areas in order to maintain our new found flexibility. Regular strength workouts 2-3 times per week reduce the likelihood that you'll get a muscle imbalance that could cause pain. Incorporate strengthening exercises to target these weak areas to maximize your performance. For example when you sit a desk all day your chest and upper neck muscles get very short and tight. You need to stretch those areas and strengthen the muscles that help pinch your shoulder blades together called your posterior deltoid, rhomboids, and mid/lowertrapezius. Don't worry it's not as technical as it sounds, just pinch your shoulder blades back and down. And to make your life even easier there will another e-book coming out shortly which will cover all of the strength exercises for these weak muscles. When not to stretch. There is mounting research that static stretching right before an athletic event might be a detriment to performance and power production. Studies have shown statistically significant decreases in power production in sporting events directly following static stretching. Dynamic stretching and active warm-ups targeting all of the tight areas have become the gold standard in athletic preparation. For more information on how to better prepare yourself for an athletic event or sport contact a qualified physical therapist or health/fitness professional. 'The human body is the only machine for which there are no spare parts.' Hermann M. Biggs, former NYC health commissioner
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1.) These people are an extremely minute percentage of the population. 2.) That is their livelihood and they spend 4 to 5 hours a day in the gym. 3.) Most of them are using performance-enhancing drugs (steroids, etc.) to look like that. So if you can get that image of the "bodybuilder" out of your head and think in terms of the average everyday person, you will see why the myth about getting bulky is just that, a myth!
What we're going to talk about next is simple. When you lift weights your body builds muscle. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn (even at rest). The more calories you burn the less you weigh. Let me give you an example of this that might make it a little easier to understand. Let's say two women are sitting on the couch watching some T.V. Woman #1 strength-trains 3 times a week, but woman #2 does not. After an hour of watching T.V goes by, who will have burned more calories? The common answer to that would be that they both burned the same (almost nothing), since they were just sitting and not moving. But the actual answer would be that woman #1 burned more calories, and I'll tell you why for one simple reason. THE MORE MUSCLE YOU HAVE THE MORE CALORIES YOU BURN!! Now you might say to yourself, "But if I lift weights, my muscles will get bigger, I will appear big and bulky, and wind up weighing more." This is also a myth. That myth being one of the most popular in the world of exercise, which is, "muscle weighs more than fat." That's like the old joke, "What weighs more--10 lbs. of steel or 10 lbs. of feathers?" Hopefully by now you know that the answer to that question is that they both really weigh the same. 10 lbs. is 10 lbs. no matter what it is made of. Let's examine this point in a little more detail. Muscle is much more compact than fat. It actually takes up less space than fat does because of its density. That makes sense, right? Fat, on the other hand, is very soft and jelly-like and occupies more space than muscle does. Let me give you another example to clarify this a little more. If you were to take 10 lbs. of fat and 10 lbs. of muscle and roll each of them into a ball, the 10 lbs. of fat might be the size of a bowling ball. In comparison, the 10 lbs. of muscle would be about the size of a baseball. Now lets use this as a real life example using woman #1 and woman #2 in an example again. Lets say for arguments sake, both women are 5' 5" tall and both weigh 140 lbs. Woman #2 does not lift weights or do any kind of strength training. Her dress size is a size 12. Woman #1on the other hand lifts weights and follows a strength-training program each week. Her dress size is a size 8. If
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these women were standing side by side people would definitely think that woman #1 weighed less than woman #2. But in reality they both weigh exactly the same. How can that be? Think of what I said before, muscle takes up less space than fat. Of those 140 pounds that each woman weighs, whats the percentage of fat and muscle on each woman? I would venture to guess that woman #1 has a very low body fat percentage and woman #2 has a much higher body fat percentage. How did woman #1 get such a low percentage of body fat? Two wordsSTRENGTH TRAINING (in addition to cardio exercise and eating healthy, but this article is just touting the immense benefits of strength training). That brings up another good point Id like to make. The weighing scale is the worst indicator of losing FAT. It will tell you that youve lost weight, its great at that. But what if you lose 10 pounds of fat and replace it with 10 pounds of muscle? Will you have lost weight? According to the scale, NO! Will you have lost FAT? Absolutely, and I guarantee that your clothes will be a lot looser on you and you will look a lot better. If you can do one thing with your scale I would recommend throwing it in the garbage, or at least getting rid of it. Well all right, you say, "I'll lift weights, but I'm only lifting light weights and doing lots of repetitions." This is another mistake a lot of you are making. This is not the wrong way to lift, but it is certainly not the only way to go about strength training if your goal is weight loss. There is and should be a place in your fitness program for higher repetitions, but it shouldnt be the only thing you do with weights. Women do not have enough of the male hormone, testosterone, to get big muscles. You probably couldn't even get big and bulky if you tried to. So, is it all right for you to lift heavy weights with fewer repetitions? ABSOLUTELY!! Let's take a moment now to recap some of the main ideas to take away from this article: Lifting weights will not make you bulky (it will make you leaner and more toned). Muscle is more compact and denser than fat and actually takes up less space than fat. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn (even at rest!). Every good strength training program should include light weights with more repetitions and heavier weights with fewer repetitions.
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WHY INTERVAL TRAINING IS THE BEST FORM OF CARDIOVASCULAR EXERCISE FOR BURNING CALORIES AND LOSING WEIGHT!
By Kevin Valluzzi
First off let me just say that any and every form of cardiovascular exercise will burn calories. But wouldnt it be great to learn there is something you can do to keep burning as many calories as possible even after your workout is over? Go faster to burn more calories. That's it right there. That's the secret. Going faster for intermittent bouts during your cardio work is called interval training. So many of you have been told that there is a "fat-burning" zone and in order to lose weight you need to train in that zone. Nonsense! Part of that is true; there is such a thing as a "fat-burning" zone. Do you have to train in that zone to lose weight? NO. Is it the best way to lose weight? NO again. Let's go over that right now. When you exercise at a low intensity, somewhere around 60-70% of your maximum heart rate, most of the calories you burn off will come from fat. That's why on some cardio machines you see at the gym, most notably the TM, they have pre-set programs and one is almost always a "fat-burning" program. This is the program that has you go at a slow speed for a long time. Like I said, that part is true. By going at a slower speed, most of the calories you burn will come from fat. But what they don't tell you is that this is not the best way to burn the MOST calories. So get the whole "fat-burning" thing out of your head now.
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Let's focus now on how you can burn the most calories from your cardio exercise. It's just the opposite of the long, slow "fat-burning" zone. In order to burn the most calories you should increase the intensity. In everyday terminology this means GO FASTER! Let's look at how this works. When you exercise at a higher intensity, or a faster speed than you are accustomed to, your heart rate is higher and in turn you burn more calories (especially after your workout is over). Even though more calories from fat will be burned at a longer, slower pace, you will burn more calories TOTAL from a faster pace. Let's say you go out for a somewhat easy run for 45 min. In that run you keep your heart rate at 70% of your maximum heart rate. You think to yourself, "Great, I've just burned a lot of calories and they mostly came from fat since I was in the fat burning zone." Now let's say on another day you went for a run but decided to cut it a little shorter, let's say 40 min., and did some interval training and got your heart rate up much higher than 70%. Training this way, you will burn more calories total then you did at the slower pace. And like I've said, losing weight is merely a matter of burning more calories than you take in. Don't be concerned with where those calories are coming from. What you do want to make sure of is that you are not burning lean muscle. That's one reason that strength-training is so important. It prevents you from losing lean muscle. A combination of a strength training program and cardio will ensure that your weight loss is fat weight and not lean muscle. I went a little off topic there with the weight lifting; I just want to make sure you are aware of how important it is to do both the weights and the cardio. Let's get back to cardio and how to go about pumping up the intensity.
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A lot of you might be thinking 2 things right about now; I can barely go much faster than a walking pace right now, how can you expect me to go any faster? I don't know anything about heart rate and percentages of maximum hear rate, so how fast will I know how to go?. Let me also say that what we're talking about applies to all forms of cardio, whether it's walking, biking, running, swimming, etc. I'm going to use walking/running as my example here. Let's address that first concern right now. This one is easy. Remember the old saying that you have to crawl before you can walk? We'll start out with a person who can only walk at this point and we'll work our way up from there. What we're going to talk about now is interval training in action. If you go for a 30 min. walk at a nice leisurely pace, what you can do is increase your speed slightly every 5th minute. It will be easier if we use the treadmill for this example. Let's say you walk on the treadmill for 30 min at a speed of 3.5. Using the interval training method, you would increase your speed to 4.0 at the 5th minute mark and keep it there until you reach the 6th minute mark. Once you hit the 6th minute you bring the speed back down to 3.5. The pattern would be as follows: Start to 5th minute = 3.5 5th minute to 6th minute = 4.0 6th minute to 10th minute = 3.5 10th minute to 11th minute = 4.0 11th minute to 15th minute = 3.5 15th minute to 16th minute = 4.0 16th minute to 20th minute = 3.5
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20th minute to 21st minute = 4.0 21st minute to 25th minute = 3.5 25th minute to 26th minute = 4.0 26th minute to 30th minute = 3.5 Let's look at a couple of reasons why this is beneficial. First off as you can see, it's not physically over demanding. Out of the 30 minutes, only 5 minutes are spent at the higher speed. And for that reason also, it is not too tough to handle mentally. The mental part, or what I like to call "mental intimidation", is what often prevents a lot of people from "kicking it into high gear". By training this way, you know that even though you are at the high speed for 1 minute it is still only 1 minute and you will be able to recover at the slower speed very soon. As I said this can be applied to any form of cardio exercise, even popular equipment found at fitness centers such as elliptical machines, steppers, rowers, etc. You can also put this to work outdoors, whether it's walking, running, biking or even swimming. If you are going outdoors it is helpful to use a watch. This way you know when you need to increase the speed. With today's high-tech watches you can even set it to go off every 5th minute so you don't have to constantly look down to check it. Of course, by training outdoors like this, it's up to you to bump up the pace. There are no buttons to push like there are on fitness center machines that will force you to go faster. In keeping with this type of training, let's say you enjoy bike riding. All you would do here is pedal faster every 5th minute. Let me also say that the goal here with this type of training is not to go all out, 100% for that 5th minute, but just increase your speed slightly. You want to increase your effort enough that you feel like you are pushing yourself, but not too much that you can't sustain it for the full minute, or whatever duration you choose. A lot of people make that mistake.
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Every 5th minute they think they should go all out, full speed. You won't last through the workout this way and probably end up discouraged. Dont let that happen. Push yourself, but dont overdo it! As good as the 5th minute increase of speed is, its not the only way to do interval training. The options are endless, especially if you are outdoors, just be as creative as you like. You might decide to walk a little faster every time you come to a telephone pole. Or if you are walking at a pretty good pace to begin with, maybe you can break out into a little jog or run every time you come to a street light. The nice thing about this is that its almost like playing little games with yourself and it takes your mind off of the actual intense part of the walk, run, bike, etc. And it doesnt necessarily have to be every 5th minute, not does it have to last for 1 minute. If youre just starting out you can simply do every 10th minute for 10 seconds. What is so great about this is its very easy to make progress. Using the above as an example, you might one day feel that you can go for 20 seconds instead of just 10. And as time goes on, you might decide that you can increase the pace every 7th or 8th minute instead of every 10th minute. Before you know it the time you spent at your fast pace will become faster and longer and the time spent at your normal or slower pace will become shorter. I would not recommend that you do this every single time you do your cardio. Doing it too often can become somewhat physically challenging, especially as you get into it a little more. The main point that you should take with you after reading this article is to pump up the intensity during your cardiovascular workouts. Its a great way to make your cardio sessions more intense, more enjoyable, and your progress will come easier and faster.
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All this adds up to a fun, enjoyable, effective cardio session. So dont be afraid to push the envelope a little the next time you set out on your daily walk or run. Youll be surprised at what you can actually do. The skys the limit Push Yourself!
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with dumbbells lying on a stability ball you now have to balance the weight in each hand causing you to call on the supporting muscles like the shoulders and triceps. You will also use your core (abdominal muscles and low back) and your legs to help keep you balanced on the ball. Which way do you think will give you more of a workout? Looks like the free weights to me. Remember the chest press is just one example. This applies to a lot of other exercises as well. This is not to say that you cant do free weight exercises at the gym. Of course you can. But as I mentioned earlier you run the risk of getting stuck in traffic on the way, the gym being very crowded, running into that girl that always wants to chat, etc. Why not get all the benefits of a great functional workout that will get you the results you want in the comfort of your own home? Lets now talk about the specifics on what you should have in your home gym. Of course depending on your financial situation you might be able to get a little more than we mention here, but this is really all you need. The first thing you need is a bench (preferably one that inclines and declines). You most definitely need a few pairs of dumbbells. Depending on how strong you are will determine the amount of dumbbells you need. Remember you can always get heavier weights as time goes on and you get stronger. A stability ball is also a great piece of equipment to have. This can be used for lots of exercises and you should look for a ball that is right for your height. This information is usually listed on the box of the ball. Another great thing to have it is a set of exercise bands. These bands are color coded and can be paired together to add tension and make the exercise harder. A great company that makes bands is Bodylastics. You can check them out that my web-site, www.thefitnessleader.com., on my Products page. If you get more advanced and are looking for more diversity or a little more of a challenge you might want to consider purchasing a weight bar and weight plates. If you go to any of the national sporting goods stores like Sports authority, Modells, etc. you can find a nice bench/weight bar combination home gym for usually under $200 (on sale). The other things mentioned are all relatively inexpensive. As of this writing stability balls are around $30, the exercise bands come in a package that is a great value at under $50. The most expensive item might be the dumbbells. Prices vary depending on style, weight, etc. But keep in mind; you wont have to deal with any more monthly membership fees, initiation fees, etc. In the long run you will be saving a lot of money. So the next time you get stuck in traffic on the way to the gym or wind up next to the chatterbox ride on over to the sporting goods store and setup your home gym ASAP.
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have not exercised, insulin will push that extra sugar right into the fat cells to be stored; primarily the fat cells in the abdomen. And, beware, the fat that accumulates in your stomach because of poor diet can become very dangerous! It can lead to many ugly health problems. So, let's recap our diet Do's and Don'ts: 1. Eat more foods that slowly raise the blood sugar a. More lean, unprocessed protein Examples: Chicken, fish, turkey, lean red meat, eggs / egg whites, low-fat dairy, beans b. More whole veggies and fruit c. More low-glycemic carbs Examples: Whole grain breads / cereals / pastas, brown rice, oatmeal, beans, sweet potatoes / yams d. More healthy fats Examples: Fish, avocado, nuts, seeds, olive oil, fish oil, flax oil, flaxseeds, low-fat dairy 2. Minimize the foods that quickly & severely raise blood sugar (OR eat these foods within 2 hours after strenuous physical activity) a. Less white bread and pasta b. Less cookies, crackers, pretzels, popcorn, baked goods, and sugary cereals (notice: all of these are processed) c. Less soda, fruit juice, sugary drinks, and alcohol Step 2: Increase Your Activity If you do not yet have a scrumptious flat stomach to brag about, then you need to get moving! Physical activity will help you burn extra calories so that you are using up more than you are taking in (creating a caloric deficit). What do I recommend by way of physical activity? Not 500 - 1,000 crunches a day, that's for sure! In fact, I'm not even going to prescribe any abdominal exercises, simply because 'ab' exercises are for strengthening your abs, not for creating a flat stomach. Now don't get me wrong, I strongly believe that it is essential for everyone to work on strengthening the abdominal muscles. These core muscles are key players in preventing injury, maintaining spinal health, and alleviating lower back pain. But for our specific tummysculpting purposes, your stomach will flatten out only if you get rid of the fat that is covering those muscles. Therefore, to specifically achieve your flat stomach, I recommend enlisting a combination of high-intensity strength and aerobic exercises. You will want to work the muscles of your whole body - and work them hard! The more intense the exercise, the more calories you burn throughout the day, and the more fat you will shed off of your midsection (and everywhere else!). So, to ultimately create this 24-hour commotion in the body, you need to add whole-body strength workouts at least 3 times per week, include intense interval sessions on the cardio equipment during the days in between, and simply attempt to be more active altogether!
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Step 3: Attempt to Control Your Hormones Were you aware that you have some power over those pesky hormones that dictate how your body functions? That's right! Your actions can and do affect your hormones. In my previous example, I described how specific dietary practices can affect the secretion of insulin. Through simple timing of carbs, you can control how insulin responds. So, what else can we attempt to control? Well, our bulging bellies are often the result of 1) too much cortisol, and 2) not enough testosterone. We often hear about excess cortisol these days because it's linked to stress and lack of sleep. So, how do we decrease our cortisol? We aim to get sufficient sleep (7-9 hours / night) and we find ways to manage stress. We can also employ less obvious solutions as well. Supplementing with 6-10g of fish oil / day can aid in the cortisol reduction. Implementing a post-workout nutrition supplement (I recommend Biotest Surge) during and immediately after strenuous exercise can maintain cortisol levels as well. And, finally, eliminating the marathon cardio sessions can keep cortisol under control. So, shorter, more intense 20-minute interval sessions not only burn more calories over the course of the day, but they keep cortisol levels under control, too! In regards to waning testosterone levels (which applies to both men AND women), strategies to elevate testosterone include: eating a variety of fats, including sufficient protein in the diet, and strength training! Good sources of fat and protein are described on the previous page. Foods w/ healthy fats and lean proteins should be included in every meal throughout the day (even snacks!). Compound, multi-joint strength exercises like squats, lunges, pushups, pull-ups, dips, and mountain climbers are also great ways to get the testosterone flowing. Now, Get Going! So, there's your flat-stomach plan! It's not a magic pill, a fancy abdominal exercise regimen, or a new breathing technique. It is a plan that requires consistent effort and a break away from unhealthy habits. And it's the only plan that really works, especially if you adopt these new habits for the long haul. So, get to work! And simply understand that dietary choices and strenuous whole-body exercise are your must-have tools for a healthy, gorgeous midsection.
24 - 48 hours after that exercise session, the body adapts to this muscle breakdown by building more muscle (and stronger muscle). This is why strength training results in increased strength and increased muscle mass over time. Not just because of the strength training itself, but because of how the body adapts after the strength training. By this same principle, many top-notch fitness experts believe that the body adapts to aerobic exercise by storing more fat. If a cardio session primarily breaks down fat, then shouldn't the body adapt to that fat loss by storing more of it? That extra fat will ensure that the body has enough fuel for the next mega cardio session. Is this why the 'cardio junkies' make little to no progress in the fat loss department even after hours of exercise every week?! It's time for us to really re-evaluate this 'cardio' obsession. It's time to put aside outdated methods and attempt new strategies for fat loss. Simply put, most trainers and exercisers have been going about this fat loss thing ALL WRONG. Like I mentioned earlier, I've even tried this faulty approach before. Let's determine how we can all reach our goals the right way! Why long 'cardio' became such a popular choice for fat loss? The cardio obsession is not unfounded. In addition to the many health benefits of aerobic, cardiovascular exercise (decreased blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels, improved blood flow and heart function, increased control of blood sugar, etc), long cardio does burn calories and it does burn fat. In fact, over the same time span, steady-state cardio burns a larger percentage of calories from fat than strength training. This is why the 'fat burning zone' was created. Target ranges of 50-70% max heart rate or even 60-80% max heart rate have been suggested because these 'zones' of low to moderate intensity were shown to burn the most fat calories. This research data caused most exercisers and trainers to implement lots of long, steadystate aerobic exercise. Many add this type of cardio to their strength training programs as a source of extra calories burned (especially fat calories!). However, many, many people have interpreted this information by deciding that aerobic training is superior for fat loss. They believe that strength training solely grows muscle and cardio solely burns fat. This is simply not true. Why strength training should be emphasized for fat loss instead? Yes, the purpose of strength training is to build muscle. I won't deny that. However, muscle is the body's fat-burning equipment. It doesn't just sit around in your body all day like an annoying houseguest. Muscle burns calories 24 hours a day. Therefore, the more lean muscle you have, the higher your metabolism, and the more fat you are able to burn. (And, no, it is NOT easy to put on muscle? ladies, you won't magically turn into a bulky bodybuilder over night!) If we focus on the exercise session itself, strength training doesn't seem to compare to cardiovascular exercise on a fat burning basis. Strength training is usually performed at a
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higher intensity, so it burns more carbohydrates and less fat. To most, this does not appear to be optimal for fat loss. However, there is also a phenomenon that is coupled with strength training. Following high-intensity, anaerobic exercise, metabolism increases for an extended amount of time. This increase in metabolism causes extra calories to be burned for up to 48 hours after strength training! The higher the intensity of the strength training session, the longer the metabolism remains elevated, and the more calories burned during exercise recovery. If we zoom out from our close perspective on what happens only during exercise, and we look at the bigger picture (what our bodies are doing over a 24-hour period), then we can clearly see that strength training causes you to burn a large amount of calories and body fat over the course of the day. Why are so many exercisers eliminating strength training from their arsenal? Seems silly, doesn't it? Is 'cardio' bad?... NO! Walking, running, swimming? None of this is bad for your body. Eating a Big Mac every day for lunch is bad for your body. Aerobic exercise is 100% healthy. And long cardiovascular exercise has its place. Endurance athletes, marathoners, and those who run in 5K and 10K charity events need to train aerobically for long periods of time. Steady-state cardio can also be used in an initial program for beginners or as a way to increase one's overall activity. Otherwise, continuous aerobic exercise as a beneficial fatloss weapon has been greatly over-emphasized for way too long. Let's look at the reasons why steady-state cardio can be ineffective toward our fat loss goals:
Excess cardio can stop muscle growth or lead to a loss of muscle Excess cardio can speed up the muscle loss that happens w/ dieting (leading to a slower metabolism) Excess cardio puts extra stress on the adrenal glands, which can lead to fatigue, anxiety, depression, insomnia, frequent illness, decreased memory/concentration, & the inability to lose weight Excess cardio can decrease fat-burning hormones and enzymes (harder for the body to burn fat) Excess cardio increases the hormone cortisol? Cortisol is a major culprit of belly fat Performing excess cardio w/ improper walking/running/movement patterns can create injury
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Since adding more time to your aerobic exercise simply makes you more efficient at aerobic exercise (which means that you burn less calories), your new strategy should include an increase in intensity. Your cardio needs to be shorter, faster, and more intense. Do you want to burn a lot of calories in a shorter amount of time AND experience an elevated metabolism for the rest of the day? Then your best bet for a cardio workout is High-Intensity Interval Training (often referred to as HIIT). HIIT involves performing your preferred cardiovascular exercise for only 15-20 minutes. During that shortened time frame, a series of short, high intensity bursts and longer low intensity intervals are performed. When an exerciser begins HIIT, the low intensity intervals will be fairly long. In following weeks, the low intensity intervals can be progressively decreased, the high intensity intervals can advance to greater intensities, and more interval sets can be completed. This type of cardiovascular training is so much more effective for fat loss! The intensity of the exercise causes you to burn more calories in less time, and it helps to raise your metabolism for a period of time after you have finished. If you implement interval training on the days in between your strength training, you will be sustaining an elevated metabolism all week! The take-home message? Long 'cardio' is a completely healthy form of exercise. It is an important training modality for specific sports and activities. However, if your primary goal is fat loss and overall weight loss, lengthy cardio sessions are completely ineffective. High intensities of strength training and interval training are your most beneficial weapons against fat. Quality of your workouts over quantity? Thats the new golden rule!
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Are you afraid of boot camp? Don't be afraid, it isn't as scary as you think it is! What to expect from your fitness boot camp experience.
By Kristin Goodenough
At Collin County Adventure Boot Camp you will see women of all ages, shapes, sizes and fitness levels. There are several ladies just starting out and many returning campers. I have ladies enrolled in camp with prior injuries, health conditions or other limitations. Our motto in camp is show me what you can do. My ladies feel empowered by that. We dont get caught up on what they cant do but rather concentrate on doing what they can. After campers arrive they are expected to sign in for roll and then set up their mats and weights. As campers arrive I will discuss the game plan for the day. We will talk about what we will be doing for the day, organize teams or pair up with a workout buddy for the day. Once everyone is prepared mentally it is time to warm up. We begin with mobility exercises and then progress on to more challenging moves that get the heart beating and the muscles warmed up. During the final phase of the warm-up we cover each exercise that we will do during the game or circuit we have planned. We do fewer reps and work at a reduced intensity to get their body ready for the workout. I also use this time to show the options for the more difficult exercises. I always keep my ladies working at a level that is appropriate for them. Ladies that physically shouldnt do something are always given something else to do that is better suited for their body. Our goal is to deliver a quality results producing workout but our bottom line is always to keep our people safe! For example: I have a several ladies in camp who have high blood pressure and need modifications to keep them safe. For them instead of Burpees or Mountain Climbers I have them do standing Steam Engines (quick alternating elbow to knee). This still works their core, gets their heart rate up but never puts them in danger. By knowing their medical conditions and/or injuries I challenge everyone at the level they need to be challenged at by showing appropriate options. The following is an example of what type of workout you can expect at camp. Group Combat training is camp favorite! It really challenges them and they love the teamwork and camaraderie aspect of the workout. The workout is tons of fun and makes the hour fly by. Example workout: Group Combat Training Game
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Divide your group into two teams. Each team has its own equipment with different stations.
Example: Kettlebells, Jump Ropes, Equalizers, Medicine Balls, Bands, Dumbbells or whatever equipment planned for the day.
Each team has 8-10 cones with assignments hidden underneath. Each team is provided chalk to score their points and an area to score them in. Both teams are given orders to walk/run the hill, complete the loop and return to home base. The first person back starts the timer. We play two 15 minute games (though can adjust time to accommodate your training goal) As campers return they lift up a cone that reveals their assignment or exercise that they need to complete. Campers complete the exercise and score a point for their team. The goal is to move quickly from one exercise to the next scoring as many points as possible for your team. This is a free for all. Team members are not required to go in any particular order they are just required to keep moving. Once time is called the game ends and campers score their points. Before we start our rematch we begin with another 1/5 mile walk/run.
Example assignments:
Grab 4 friends and run the hill 3 times. Grab a friend and do 30 Kettlebell Swings Grab a friend and do 25 push ups Grab 3 friends and do 60 jump ropes
You mix things up offering both cardio and strength exercises as well as individual, partner and group assignments. Campers are encouraged to high five everyone they pass and to help motivate their team mates. It is a lot of fun and really brings out the best in everyone. We typically do this workout on a Friday to allow Saturday and Sunday to rest those sore muscles (it really WORKS you!). Sometimes I substitute in different exercises in for the 2nd game. For another option I actually lower the required amount of reps to only 10. The focus then shifts to quality of movement over quantity and technique improves, they feel it more and no one ever feels like they cant do it. I also move the assignments around to avoid people picking and choosing which exercises they want to do. If they pick a cone they MUST complete the assignment for their team whether or not they have done it once or 5 times before.
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I was a bit nervous the first time we did this workout but was thrilled when every single camper raved about group combat training. They loved it! They were amazed at how much harder they worked because they didnt want to let their team mates down (it is much easier for them to not push themselves when the workout is just about them). Group Combat Training is always good natured competition that actually helps people challenge themselves like nothing else I have ever seen. Absolutely amazing to watch! Whats really cool is that you start seeing teams determined to win and actually develop strategies. Like campers who feel that they just cant finish out their reps can have other teammates complete their reps for them to score the point. My runners who love to run are often recruited to do the bulk of the running drills. This makes the runners very happy and the walkers in camp relieved that they dont have to do as much running. You actually see campers motivating and pushing like personal trainers refusing to let their tired team mates quit! To spice things up I bring inexpensive prizes to give to the winning group (Christmas bows with sticky backs or party bead necklaces). They all work hard to win the treasure! Another reward for the team with the most points is to allow them the opportunity to count out the reps as the other team completes 10 push ups. It is not uncommon to see sympathy pushups as teammates from opposing teams do push ups with their friends as a show of support (even though they were not required). Pretty cool! Partner and team races are huge in my camp because it brings out the best in ALL of my ladies regardless of fitness level. Another way to bring out the best in each other is to have a special party day. On this day campers receive a great workout but the emphasis is on fun. Example party days include:
Dance party workout Super Bowl Football Workout Shamrock games Easter egg and bunny hop workout
My personal favorite was actually a rainy day workout. Rainy day workouts are typically something none of us look forward to. Camps are held under a covered pavilion area so that we stay dry but we dont get the chance to move as much as we normally do and moods are usually pretty sour. To make sure I brought a smile to everyones face I brought in hula hoops that lit up and big brightly colored pokey balls to play with. We ended up doing team challenges with the toys and it was really cool watching them play. Everyone got a great workout and had FUN! Hopefully this gave you an idea as to what to expect from Collin County Adventure Boot Camp. You can expect to be challenged during every workout, to be able to go at your own pace and to have fun! So dont be afraid, join the fun!
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Are your workouts boring? How to bring out your "inner child" and learn how to play and have fun again while working out!
By Kristin Goodenough
Remember when you were a kid? How you used to love running and playing with your friends on the playground? Tag, jump rope, kickball it really didnt matter just as long as you were with your friends and you were playing. Ah, the good old days! I remember the warm sun on my face, the laughter and the serious need to play hard. Good times! I also remember entering junior high and being shocked by the fact that we were no longer able to play at recess. Instead, we were supposed to just sit and talk with our friends. Well, I loved my friends but I would have much rather have been able to talk AND play basketball. I remember coming home from school dying to go outside and ride my bike. Thinking to myself how crazy adults were expecting us to just sit all day. Knowing that I would NEVER let them turn ME into a couch potato. Sports and dance became my escape, my outlet for play. But I watched my friends study more and move less until finally as adults most of them eventually became inactive. By watching all of the people around me becoming disinterested in working out I decided that I would come up with clever ways of making exercise fun and trick them into working out. I quickly learned that most women beginning an exercise program needed to be distracted from their pain. They needed more then just exercise. They needed that 10 year old girl inside of them to come out and play and have fun again. By doing so they were more likely to enjoy exercising, their consistency would improve and they would get the results that they were looking for. So I learned to develop exercise programs that were disguised as play time and it worked. You could see the light return to their eyes as the 10 year old resurfaced. Ladies who were overweight, hadnt exercised in years or had NEVER exercised consistently were now excited about working out. They learned to enjoy working out and as a result they were attending consistently and getting RESULTS. Workouts in my boot camp always have fun factor planned in. We always mix things up and offer a lot of variety to keep the body guessing and the mind from getting bored. We also implement a lot of partner and team building drills to keep the motivation levels and the intensity high. The following are examples of play time in boot camp:
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1. Balloon stomp - This is a quick game that we do after our warm up to wake everyone up and get them ready to have fun. Usually we do this game on party days (Birthdays, Halloween, Valentines Day, St. Patricks Day etc.). How to play:
o o o o
Each lady is given a balloon with a string tied to it. She takes the string and ties it to her shoe laces. Boundaries are defined by placing cones down forming a small rectangular area. Instructions are given to the ladies letting them know that their job is to stomp the balloons of the other ladies while staying inbounds. The last one standing at the end of the game with their balloon unharmed is the winner.
This game is simple yet extremely fun. With all of their running around trying to keep their balloons safe they are getting their heart rates up, laughing hysterically, and having a blast! 2. Fitness Scavenger Hunt - Definitely one of my campers all time favorite workouts. With this game a sense of urgency is created as participants are encouraged to keep moving quickly from one location to another. They know that they have a lot of ground to cover in a short amount of time so they really kick up the intensity and challenge themselves (and each other). This is a great team building activity. How to play:
o o o
Small groups of 4-5 are formed. You can assign teams but I like to let them choose who they will be working out with for the day. Each group is given a disposable camera with a flash (It is pretty dark at 5:30a.m.!) Each group is given a list of places to go, an exercise to do at each location and a reminder to take a picture at that location as proof that they completed the exercise. Usually I make a list of 10 locations with 10 exercises.
Here are some examples of what you may find on a list: Task #1: Go to the hill of pain (marked with a cone) and walk/run the hill 10 times. Dont forget to take a picture! Task #2: Go to the monkey bars and see who the last monkey hanging is. Take a picture of the hanging monkeys. Task #3: Go to the stairs and run up and down 5 times. Smile pretty for the camera!
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My ladies have so much fun with this game that they forget they are working out. 3. Tire races - At our location we have a very steep hill that is perfect for running drills. When ladies come into camp most of them are not ready to run yet and are intimidated by the hill. One way that I introduce them to the hill slowly is to have tire races. How to play:
o o o
Usually I break my camp into small groups of 3 or 4. Each group is given a tire and instructed to roll the tire to the bottom of the hill. Once at the starting line members of each group take turns rolling the tire up the hill racing to the top. The group rolling their tire up the hill the fastest wins. They continue down the hill and repeat for time. Depending on the size of my group I may have another circuit going on at the same time so that half the group is running the circuit and the other half is racing the tires. After 10 minutes each group will switch. This is a great team building drill, really gets their heart rate up and is a lot of fun. Even my ladies who hate to run love this drill.
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Attention women: Are you building a strong pouch or a six pack? 8 Tips to losing your Belly Bulge once and for all!
By Kristin Goodenough
Why is it that even with a wealth of fitness and nutrition information available cant women achieve those perfect abs? Genetics do play a role but there are many other variables to consider as well. 1. Eat quality food. You can not have a six pack if you eat bad food. Limit eating out and consume nutrient rich foods throughout the day. Dont forget to say goodbye to sodas (including diet) and replace them with lots of fresh water to drink. Not only will you feel better, and be less bloated, but it will also help speed up your metabolism and help you burn more calories throughout the day. 2. Engage your mind while you exercise and focus on the muscle being worked. Usually we do not get the most out of an exercise because we dont think about what we do when we are doing it. We go through each exercise mindlessly thinking about our to do list for the day. When you actually take the time to think about what muscles you are using and concentrate on activating the correct muscles and proper breathing you will improve the quality of your exercise every time. Mindless exercise is a waste of your time because it isnt efficient. 3. Think quality over quantity. As a personal trainer I have seen women do countless crunches and never feel the exercise. For instance, women are always complaining about their pouches. But when they do their exercises they are not pulling in their abdominals before they lift their shoulders off of the ground. By performing their exercises this way they are only building stronger pouches and totally defeating the purpose of the exercise. Usually, if I can slow the exercise down and get them to focus on maintaining correct form throughout the exercise they will feel it. Because are working so hard to maintain correct form they end up doing fewer repetitions of the exercise. But thats okay. Fewer exercises at the proper intensity and in good form are always better then many reps of a poorly executed exercise. Maintain proper form throughout the exercise. Technique is everything! Most women need a modification of some kind to make the exercise most effective for them. Many women try and take on to much to soon because they see an exercise in a book or magazine. But what they dont know is that the exercise is a great advanced exercise and they are not ready for it. If that woman suffers from any back pain taking on an exercise that her body isnt ready for will only result in back pain not stronger abs.
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4. Great bodyweight exercises for stronger abs. Planks are great so are gut busters, Pilates Criss Cross, Bicycles, Burpees, and V-sits. 5. Only once you have the correct form down and you feel comfortable with the exercise should you add the toys. I see it all the time. Women in group exercise classes, with trainers and on their own who try adding extra resistance before they have the proper technique down and basic foundational strength. Yes, it is fun to play with all of the great equipment out there. But if the coordination, strength and proper form arent there you shouldnt add anything to the exercise to make it harder. 6. Fun toys to use to create those great abs. Kettlebells, sandbags, medicine balls, Bosu, and Swiss ball. I love all of them but my favorites for abs are defiantly Kettlebells and Pilates based exercises. 7. Create Balance. Make sure not create muscular imbalances by only working your abdominals and neglecting your lower back. Balance those strong abdominals by performing slow, controlled exercises for your lower back. Some great exercise include: superman, swimming and bird dog. 8. You are what you eat! Again, what you put in your mouth will determine what your body looks like. It doesnt matter how strong your abs are if you are eating poorly you will NOT have flat abs. To fine tune your diet and improve your eating habits try keeping a food journal. This is the best way to discover patterns in your daily eating so that you can then create strategies to break any bad habits. It is a real eye opening experience for most people and a great tool for holding you accountable to yourself. If you know that you will have to write down that you ate that Oreo Cookies and Crme Blizzard at Sonic then you are less likely to consume it. That's the theory anyway! 9.
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How to keep your kids from driving you insane this summer! The smart mom's survival guide to getting kids off the couch and moving their body.
By Kristin Goodenough
Do you have kids? Ive got 3 beautiful kids. Zack is 13 and believes the best form of exercise is sitting on the couch exercising his hands playing video games. His brother Alex (11) feels the same way. At 8 years old my youngest child, Mckenzie thankfully isnt sitting on the couch next to the boys but isnt one for being active unless it is an organized activity or group class. Dont get me wrong. I LOVE my kids but they drive me insane! I send them outside to swing on the swings. I look out the window and see them sitting there poking one another and laughing (not swinging). I encourage them to go outside and jump on the trampoline. I go outside and see them either laying on the trampoline resting (not jumping) or ninja kicking one another until someone gets hurt, the jumping stops and they need to go inside and rest. Swimming in the pool is just as frustrating. Instead of swimming and diving they are floating in the water, again, poking one another until someone gets hurt. As a mother AND a personal trainer it is shocking to me to see the couch potato in my children. How could they NOT want to go outside and play? My entire childhood was spent outside roller skating, taking long walks, playing basketball, swimming, jumping rope and riding my bike. I was always on the go. When I was a kid my siblings and I were always outside playing with our friends. Climbing trees, roaming the creek, playing baseball and enjoying a good game of cops and robbers at night. It was so much fun! My mom never once had to encourage us to play, we just did. We were kids, that was our job and we were very happy to do it. But times are different now. Video games and T.V. tend to be the main source of entertainment for kids and because of this, kids are spending less time playing (moving their bodies) and more time sitting on the couch. I swear, sometimes I look at my precious boys and see 45 year old men instead of little boys. Scary! Now that summer is fast approaching I admit that I am a bit freaked out knowing that I have almost 3 months of kid frustration ahead of me. After talking with my friends, boot campers and personal training clients most of us are a little worried about how we will keep the kids occupied and out of our hair. Most of the moms are concerned because they too have a hard time getting their kids more active and do not know how to make much needed changes in their home.
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This article is being written as a way to help moms every where create a healthier, more active lifestyle for their children. My mission: to get ALL kids off of the couch and moving their body. For kids like mine it has been a long process of figuring out how to change their evil ways. I consider our family a work in progress, my personal guinea pigs or test subjects. I have tried many things and am happy to have actually found several tricks that have worked. All kids are different but I am happy to report that I have made progress in our home and have shared some of my tips to other moms who have had great success with their kids as well. Tips for getting your kids off the couch and moving: 1. It must be fun! If it isnt fun they will NOT do it. Remember, mom fun and kid fun are usually different. Find out what is fun to THEM. 2. Bring on the toys. Kids have a natural curiosity and are drawn to toys. The following are some suggestions: o Provide balls of all sizes. They make some really cool extra large size exercise balls that have a fabric covering over the plastic ball for protection. These are great for kicking, throwing and chasing after. o Toss a large exercise ball in the pool to throw around. Mom and kids will have a blast throwing it around and get a great workout. o Jump ropes are great fun. Dont forget to purchase both short and long ropes. Encourage your kids to grab some neighborhood friends, bring the boom box outside with some great music pumping and watch those kids jump like crazy. o Water guns are a summer must have for every child. Make sure to send them out with rules of engagement (no shooting at anyones face or taking out an eyeball), a water gun and a shield for protection. For a shield you can use a cardboard box or a trash can lid, anything convenient. Better yet, forget the shields and just run for it! 3. Introduce your kids to their new best buddy, the pedometer. My kids love video games. So what I did was require them to earn their video game time. For instance 30 minutes of video game playing would require my kids to wear their pedometer and walk 15,000 steps. If they didnt move they wouldnt get any steps which would result in no video game playing. They went nuts with this. I had never seen my kids move so much. They were very motivated to move because they wanted to reach the magic number and earn their time. But it got better. They wanted more time playing video games. Realizing that 15,000 steps was a lot of steps and difficult to do we decided that a goal of 20,000 steps would earn them 1 hour of video game playing. They wanted to play more so they moved like crazy to get those steps in. You can substitute in any suitable reward for your child. Find whatever pushes your childs buttons and use that to motivate them. 4. Take a hike! Go explore with your kids. Pack a lunch and make a day of it. Kids are natural explorers and love discovering new places. I make a game with my
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daughter when she starts to get tired and cranky. We start looking for hidden treasures like cardinals (her favorite bird), wild flowers, squirrels or turtles. She loves it and distracts her enough to continue on and enjoy the hike. Slip and slide. Find a water park and spend the day swimming, climbing stairs, running, going down slides, and having a blast with your kids. My husband took the kids on Saturday (an early Mothers Day present to me) and my kids didnt stop moving the entire 6 hours at the park. They had a blast and didnt want to leave. Turn your trampoline into a stage. We discovered the key to trampoline jumping was making it an evening event. We put a shop light on the top of the enclosure so that the entire trampoline looked like it had a spotlight shining down on it. We then put on our kids favorite music and watched as the kids performed for us. They had so much fun they jumped non stop for at least 2 hours and slept really good that night. Have a dance Party. Put on some great music and let the kids break it down. Form a circle and let each kid get the chance to show off their best moves. This is great for mom too so dont be afraid to join in! Make a backyard boot camp and invite the friends over. Create an obstacle course and provide a stopwatch so that they can time themselves running through the course. The stopwatch helps motivate the kids to beat their time each time out.
Sample kid friendly obstacle course: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 10 Push ups 10 Jump rope 10 Bear crawl 10 Jumping Jacks 10 Crab Walk 10 Hula hoop 10 Skips Dribble a basketball and run from cone to cone
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Repeat and time how long it takes. Organize a game of baseball done boot camp style. Invite the neighborhood kids over and form two teams. Create a baseball diamond. You can use orange cones or sidewalk chalk to mark the bases. This is an individual effort so the kids can go at their own pace. This is how to play:
Run to first base and do 10 jumping jacks Run to second base and complete 10 jumping squats Run to third base 10 jump ropes Run to home and complete 10 star jumps Every time they make it around the bases they score a point for their team. I like to use sidewalk chalk to mark the points but if you are on grass you could use play gold coins. Play the game for 10 minutes and see how many points each team can score. Play the game again and try and beat your original score.
Realizing that video games are very important to my kids my husband and I decided that if they were going to play them then we would #1, limit their time playing to 1 hour and #2 we would change the way they played their games. The eye toy, Wii, and Dance Dance Revolution are great ways to sneak some exercise in while they play. My kids SWEAT now when they play their video games. That makes me REALLY happy! Finally, if you really are serious about getting your kids moving then move WITH them. Kids are more likely to take a walk if they know that YOU are going with them. My son loves getting up at 5:30a.m. to ride his bike with me when I run. We both get our exercise and enjoy some quality bonding time. Even at this early hour it is not uncommon to see other parents running with their children riding their bikes, scooters or running alongside them. Very cool!
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That action opened her eyes to the possibilities around her and helped her bring out the 135lb woman she used to be (50 lbs lighter). Celeste came to camp because her doctor diagnosed her with an enlarged liver and told her that it was vital that she lost weight. She took what her doctor said to heart and started making changes to her diet and enrolled in camp. Initially, she registered for our 3 day camp (she wasnt to sure if she could do it) but quickly switched to the 5 day program after seeing how much fun camp was. No excuses were ever made. Celeste showed up every day and worked with intensity and determination. 5 months later she has lost over 8 inches in her waist and over 40 lbs making her doctor happier and Celeste a whole lot more comfortable in her own skin. She looks and feels fabulous! Jennifer is another example of an amazing woman getting results in boot camp. Like most of my campers she has a very demanding high pressure job that takes up most of her time. She came to camp wanting to feel stronger and to get rid of some of the stress in her life. I dont think she truly expected to enjoy boot camp as much as she has. But for Jennifer it quickly became an addiction. She loved how strong it made her feel and discovered that she loved to run. Recently, she just completed her first half marathon with a time of 2:15! She is also training to run her first marathon. Jennifer is feeling strong, fit and a whole lot less stressed now. And even though her primary motivation for coming to camp wasnt about weight she was pretty darn happy to finally fit back in her size 6 jeans. Beyond that though Jennifer is the inspiration for many of the women in camp because she is the perfect example of what you can do when you work hard for what you want and refuse to make excuses. She is awesome! When I met Sydney she informed me that she was not a morning person. She would come to camp and she would work hard but she would NOT be perky at 5:30 in the morning. To motivate her to come to camp she hung her skinny jeans on her bathroom door as a reminder of why she was doing boot camp. She was determined to fit in them. Throughout camp Sydney was sleep deprived, she was sore but she always came to camp. One morning she looked at me and said, I hate you but the only reason why Im here is because I have lost 2 inches in my waist in 2 weeks. That was the pat on the back she needed that let her know that all of this was for something. The program and her lifestyle changes were working and her body was beginning to change. This helped motivate her to not only attend camp consistently but also make real lifestyle changes. Sydney learned how to increase her daily activity throughout the day, pre-plan her meals, create a plan b workout just incase of bad weather, and how to improve her diet. If she knew that a certain food or social situation would set her off course then she planned an alternate path to avoid that situation. As a result Sydney ended up losing a total of 4 inches from her waist and finally fitting into her skinny jeans at the end of 6 weeks of boot camp. By the way, she also made sure to let me know that she really didnt hate me, she just really hated the cold and the
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early hour. She really did enjoy me and the other ladies as well as her boot camp experience. All of the women who have come to camp have amazing stories of success. Stories of creating a stronger, leaner more fit body. Stories of learning how to be consistent with their workout and actually learning that working out can and should be fun. But they would all tell you that they didnt get results from a magic pill or formula or by sitting on the couch wishing about being in better shape. They would say that their journey to becoming the woman they used to be was not an easy task but they are better women because they were not afraid to begin the journey. Are they perfect? No, they have times that they still struggle with chocolate and hitting the snooze instead of working out just like the rest of us. But when the day is done they have made fewer bad choices and more good choices and they have gotten results!
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improvement in strength, ranging from 25 percent to over 100 percent in several different muscle groups. In another study, participants made a lot of improvements in cardiovascular endurance by training on stationary cycles. Two major barriers to improving the fitness levels of someone with mental retardation are motivation and opportunity. Many adults with mental retardation are not encouraged by others to join health clubs or to exercise on their own. In addition, most instructors in health clubs and other fitness programs do not understand how to develop an appropriate exercise program for someone with mental retardation, and are often reluctant to work with special populations because of this lack of knowledge. Another problem is that most direct service staff who work with people who have mental retardation have little physical fitness training and, therefore, do not know how to develop or modify fitness programs to keep them challenging, injury-free and successful. Furthermore, if staff are inactive and uninterested in fitness, more than likely the person with mental retardation will mimic this behavior and have little interest in improving his or her own fitness. Recently published guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that all Americans should have a minimum of 30 minutes a day of physical activity, preferably every day of the week. This includes people with mental retardation. A good starting point would be to have fifteen minutes in the morning and fifteen minutes in the evening of some type of physical activity such as walking, stationary cycling, or climbing stairs. This should be done five to seven days a week. Other good fitness routines include:
Carrying groceries to and from the store Going hiking on the weekends in a local park Walking through malls during the winter months Taking the stairs at all times instead of the elevator Lifting light weights (or soup cans if you don't have weights) while watching television Doing an exercise video that is not too strenuous
People with mental retardation should also be encouraged to participate in community exercise programs. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) states that recreational buildings and programs should be accessible to people with disabilities. Therefore, health clubs and other fitness centers must offer programs that are appropriate for people with mental retardation, and they cannot add a surcharge to that person's fees.
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Begin with a 5-minute walk or warm-up on any cardio machine (bike, treadmill, elliptical, stepper, etc.) Superset Workouts: In each superset, perform one set of exercise A, then immediately perform one set of exercise B. Rest/stretch one minute, then repeat. Do a total of 2-3 sets per exercise pair. Giant Set Workouts: In each giant set, perform one set of exercise A, then one set of exercise B, then one set of exercise C. Rest/stretch one minute, then repeat. Do a total of 2-3 sets per exercise trio. Note: I have not provided descriptions of common exercises; however, they may be found in most books on strength training. Descriptions are given for exercises
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that may be unfamiliar. If you have any questions about how to perform these exercises, please consult a certified fitness professional in your area, or email me (my contact information is listed below). Use a weight that brings your muscles to fatigue within the prescribed rep range. For some exercises, such as lunges, beginners should use no weights. Work on completing all reps with balance, good control, and proper form before adding weight to the mix! Lift the weight (or your body weight) to a count of 2; pause and lower to a count of 4, unless otherwise specified. When youve completed all of your exercises, finish by stretching the muscle groups youve worked. Most strength training books contain stretches for the major muscle groups, and many gyms have stretching posters for your information. Feel free to combine an upper-body workout with a lower-body workout, if your dress requires it. These can be done on the same day or on alternating days. However, you shouldnt work the same muscle groups with weights two days in a row. (Cardio is OK, however.) Not all exercises are appropriate for everybody. Please be sure to check with your personal physician before starting any exercise program. If you have any health condition, movement restriction, or prior surgery that may affect your ability to perform these or other exercises, this is not the time to take your advice from a do-it-yourself article! Do your body a big favor and consult with your physician or a licensed physical therapist.
Cocktail Dress Workout 1: Spaghetti Straps or Strapless This workout targets the chest (pectorals), upper back (lats, rhomboids), and arms (biceps, triceps). Toning the pectorals will help you hold that dress up, and if youre cleavage challenged, can give the appearance of more cleavage. Sculpting the upper back will balance your physique and improve your posture. And of course toning the arms will complete your sizzling strapless look. Superset 1A: Dumbbell Pec Flye (8-12 reps) Superset 1B: Dumbbell Incline Press (8-12 reps) Superset 2A: One-Arm Dumbbell Bent-Over Row (8-12 reps per side) Superset 2B: Lying Dumbbell Pullover (8-12 reps) Superset 3A: Standing Dumbbell Biceps Curl 21s (21 reps): Perform 7 bottom-half-reps (curl dumbbells to about 90 degrees, the bottom half of your range of motion), then 7 top-half-reps (starting at 90 degrees, work at the top half of your range), then 7 full range reps Superset 3B: One-Arm Dumbbell Triceps French Press (standing or seated, 8-12 reps per side) Cocktail Dress Workout 2: Halter or Backless
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This workout focuses on the muscles of the shoulders (deltoids, trapezius, rotator cuff), back (latissimus dorsi, rhomboids), and arms (biceps, triceps). Prepare to show off your hard work in that sexy halter or backless dress. Superset 1A: Lat Pulldown to the Front (8-12 reps) Superset 1B: Dumbbell Upright Row (8-12 reps) Superset 2A: Dumbbell Shoulder 21s (21 reps): Perform 7 reps of rear deltoid (reverse) flies, then stand tall and do 7 reps of lateral raises, then 7 reps of front raises, performed with no rest in between exercises Superset 2B: Dumbbell Concentration Curls (8-12 reps) Superset 3A: Dumbbell External Shoulder Rotation (sidelying, use light weight, 10-15 reps per side) Superset 3B: Triceps Dips on Bench (8-15 reps or to fatigue) Cocktail Dress Workout 3: Sexy & Short, Sexy & Slitted This workout emphasizes the legs and buttocks (glutes), accentuating the definition between the front of the thigh (quadriceps) and back of the thigh (hamstrings). It also tones and defines the calves. Put on your dancing shoes and get those legs in the spotlight! Giant Set 1A: Dumbbell Walking Lunges (10-15 reps per side, alternating legs; beginners use no weights) Giant Set 1B: Machine Leg Extension (Knee Extension) (10-15 reps) Giant Set 1C: Plie (Ballet) Squats (10-15 reps, beginners use no weight) Giant Set 2A: Dumbbell Bent-knee Deadlift (10-15 reps) Giant Set 2B: Machine Leg Curl (10-15 reps, seated or lying) Giant Set 2C: Dumbbell Single Leg Standing Calf Raise (10-15 reps per side) Cocktail Dress Workout 4: Tight through the Booty This workout targets the buns, for a smooth, tight, toned look. Wouldnt you like to give up those asphyxiating control top pantyhose and bionic undergarments for a naturally toned rear? I thought so! Superset 1A: Dumbbell Stationary Lunge, front foot elevated on step (10-15 reps per side, beginners use no weight and step is optional; bend knee no more than 90 degrees) Superset 1B: Body-Weight Jump Squats (10-15 reps) Superset 2A: 4-point Kneeling Hip Extension (10-15 reps per side) Kneeling on hands and knees, tuck a 2-5 lb. dumbbell (optional) into the crook of one knee and hold it there; lift leg up & back from the hip joint, keeping weight secure; squeeze glute, lower & repeat. Superset 2B: 4-point Kneeling Hip Abduction aka Doggy Fire Hydrants (10-15 reps
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per side) With weight tucked behind knee as above (optional), lift leg up & out to the side from the hip joint, keeping weight secure; pause, lower, & repeat. Superset 3A: Superman, lying on step (10-15 reps, step is optional) Superset 3B: Bridging on mat (10-15 reps) For more challenge, do 1-leg bridges with uninvolved leg pointed toward ceiling. Cocktail Dress Workout 5: Form Fitting All Over This total-body program works a bit of everything, with special emphasis on the torso or core muscles (chest, back, abs, glutes). If your dress fits snugly through the torso, this workout will smooth things out. Giant Set 1A: Push-ups (on knees or toes) (10-15 reps, or to fatigue) Giant Set 1B: Dumbbell Squat, Curl, and Overhead Press (10-15 reps) Begin in a squat, with dumbbells in both hands, palms facing your sides. As you rise up out of the squat, bend the elbows to perform a hammer curl, then press both dumbbells overhead. Reverse the motion to return to the starting position. It helps to do an up-up, down-down count with this exercise. Giant Set 1C: Bicycle Crunches (15-25 reps per side, alternating) Giant Set 2A: Dumbbell Bent-over Rear-Delt Row (10-15 reps) Standing, holding two dumbbells with palms toward thighs, hinge forward from the hip joint, maintaining neutral spine (no rounding or hunching, stick your butt out!) Squeezing shoulder blades together, pull dumbbells up & out wide alongside the shoulders; squeeze, return to start position. Giant Set 2B: Alternating Lunges with Torso Twist (10-15 reps per side) Holding one dumbbell in both hands, step out into a lunge, rotating through the waist towards the side of the lunging (front) leg; return to start; repeat on other side for 1 rep. Giant Set 2C: 4-Point Kneeling Opposite Arm/Leg Raises aka Pointer Dogs (8-12 reps per side) Kneeling on hands and knees with a neutral spine, lift the right arm and left leg; pause and hold your balance; return to start. Switch to the opposite sides to complete 1 rep. Conclusion Many people begin a lifetime of fitness with one special, highly-motivating occasion. Why not seize the moment and get your body ready? Youll feel good, look great, and set a great example for your friends and family. Better yet, pick out your cocktail dresses and work out togetheryoull multiply your fun and rise to any occasion!
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By strength training just two or three times a week and building some muscle, women can lose three to five pounds of body fat in four weeks without gaining bulk. Because muscle is more compact than body fat you will actually look smaller. Adding new muscle increases your resting metabolism so you will burn more calories even while sleeping. You will be stronger. Everyday tasks like lifting children or carrying the groceries will be easier. You will reduce your risk of developing diabetes, heat disease or osteoporosis. You can lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Strength training can lessen arthritis pain by strengthening the joints. You can improve your posture by strengthening the correct muscles.
The best part though, strength training will work no matter how old you are. How does that sound? Are you ready to get started?
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Healthy muscle tissue is very active and uses up to 45 calories per pound per day just to maintain. This means you are burning body fat even while you are sleeping. If you are not maintaining or increasing muscle tissue through strength training, you are losing muscle tissue as you age which results in a slower and slower metabolism. As your metabolism slows down more of the food you eat is stored as body fat. This only adds to your weight loss efforts. Strength training is one of the most important steps in a permanent weight loss program for women. It is important to get some guidance. Just because someone looks like they are in shape doesn't mean they are performing the exercises correctly. Enlist the help of a qualified personal trainer to customize a fitness program for your specific needs and goals. You should also check with your doctor before beginning an exercise program especially if you have any medical conditions or concerns.
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Provide a positive lifestyle program Get you the best possible results from your exercise program in the safest and most efficient manner possible Provide variety in your exercise program to prevent boredom Keep you motivated Challenge you Explain how your body really works Respond to your questions and concerns Not judge you by your appearance or lifestyle Keep you accountable Train you in such a way that you will be able to train on your own if necessary
Before beginning your program with your trainer you will need to fill out a complete health history and determine your specific goals and why you want to achieve them. At your first session your personal trainer should perform an assessment including weight, measurements, body composition, and photos. Once the assessment is completed the personal trainer will spend time with you on strength training and cardio. You will be working very close with your personal trainer so it is important to determine if you are a good match. You will be spending a few hours a week with your trainer, make sure it is someone you like.
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Aerobic warm up 5-7 minutes 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Upper body exercise Lower body exercise Upper body exercise Lower body exercise Upper body exercise Lower body exercise Upper body exercise Lower body exercise
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The first way to do this is: The Morter March Developed by a chiropractor, Ted Morter, this exercise reboots your posture software program in 2 minutes with immediate and noticeable changes. Unfortunately there isn't enough room in this article to teach it to you. Instead, go to www.livefitla.com/freestuff.html and click on "Mario explains the Morter March" for downloadable instructions. The second way to do this is: Tai Chi/Chi Gong Exercises traditions from Chinese medicine, Chi Gong is like the Morter March in steroids. However, it requires more time and effort to learn. Once you understand how powerful it is, you will be eager to devote 15-20 minutes a day to do it. Go to www.livefitla.com/tai-chi.html and download my free e-book (you can listen to the audio too!) that explains what Chi gong is and how it works. The third way to do it is: Functional exercise: Weight training can be used to buff up, slim down, and also like putting braces on teeth to lengthen tight muscles, shorten loose muscles, and align crooked joints. Cutting edge "bio-mechanics" like Paul Chek and Gray Cook have developed testing protocols and programs in the rehabilitation and athletic arenas that are have been funneled into the personal trainer community and are now more widely available. Find a personal trainer with some specific training in functional movement, core conditioning, or corrective exercise. Your bio-mechanic is at least as important to your body as your car mechanic is to your car. If you want your body to look and feel like a mint condition classic car 50 years from now, you will get a qualified mechanic to maintain it so you can enjoy driving it!
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strong wind blowing on the flames, the fire will burn out. Bye, fat burn, hello slow metabolism. Excessive cardio, like a hurricane wind, blows out the fat burning flame because it because the body's hormones to "bottom out" and metabolism goes south. This response is even more severe if you "go on a diet" and the same time. Some exercise (air) is necessary to burn fat, and weight training with accessory cardio accomplishes this. Most people fail because they focus on burning calories. Who cares about burning calories? We want to burn fat not calories. This preoccupation with the calorie checkbook idea and endless cardio + hardly eating to "bring down the balance" continues to be accepted despite the fact it fails miserably to deliver. Even hormone conscious experts, like the people who have developed the zone and south beach diets don't recognize the application of their hormonal science to exercise, and its interrelationship to nutrition and the body hormonal clock. However, doctors are disease specialists and clinical nutritionists are food chemistry specialists. They focus on the science of the chemistry of the human body, not the art of applying strategies derived from science to a person's lifestyle to get fat burning results. Hey, most of them don't even follow their own advice. Not a criticism, just a acknowledging that they face the same challenges we all do. Personal Trainers are health and fitness experts, in the trenches applying proven strategies for results. We look to science, but it has to hold up under application, it has got to deliver. This is where the cutting edge lies. So this is the cutting edge on burning off body fat. Get rid of the notion of the calorie checkbook because that is bleeding edge of yesterday that leads to nowhere.
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Overtraining
By Mark H. Saunders
As the Tucson personal trainer, I will explain how you can avoid the common pitfalls of overtraining. Whether you are trying to gain 5lbs. of muscle or 50lbs., you must remember that muscle growth does not occur until the body has recovered from the previous workout. There are five major factors of recovery. They are as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Avoid overtraining Sleep and rest Plugging physical energy leaks Peace of mind Constantly monitoring your diet
The harder you work, the more time you need to recover and recuperate. Rest and recuperation are very important. As the Tucson personal trainer, I believe, you stimulate growth during the workout, it is during the rest period, and that the actual muscle growth takes place. Many athletes frequently overcome sticking points when the rest. The rest gives them time to fully recuperate. The most common mistake aspiring fitness enthusiast make is overtraining. They are so enthusiastic; they keep adding total sets to their routine until their bodies can no longer recover between workouts. They will make no additional gains and in many cases will regress in strength and development. Dynamic Bodies is the leader in Tucson personal training. We monitor your workload as this is crucial to avoid overtraining. The goal is to strive for a maximum workload without overtraining. It is a physiological fact that a muscle cannot hypertrophy (grow) until it is fully recovered. If you have less than 2-3 years of experience, you will probably do best with a 4 day a week routine. An example of this is to train Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. There are a variety of ways to split it up, for an example see the chart below: Monday workout workout workout workout workout workout workout workout workout workout Tuesday Wednesday workout Thursday Friday workout workout workout workout workout Saturday Sunday
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BELOW IS MARK SAUNDERS SUGGESTED PARAMETERS FOR TOTAL SETS: BEGINNER INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED LEGS BACK CHEST SHOULDERS TRICEPS BICEPS FOREARMS CALVES ABDOMINALS 7-10 7-10 6-9 6-9 4-6 4-6 4-6 4-6 3-5 10-12 10-12 9-11 9-11 6-8 6-8 6-8 6-8 5-6 13-15 13-15 12-14 12-14 9-10 9-10 9-10 9-10 7-8
If you are wired at night and find it difficult to fall asleep you are probably overtraining. It should be relatively easy to fall asleep. Rest is almost as important as sleep. Just by kicking back for 10-15 quite minutes is almost as good as a short nap, as long as you can completely clear your mind of all thoughts as well as rest your muscles. We at Dynamic Bodies, the Tucson Personal trainer, believe that food supplements can also protect you from not getting your full recovery. At a minimum you should be taking a multi-vitamin and getting regular balanced meals every 2-3 hours. As the Tucson personal trainer, we will help you pay proper attention to your recovery cycle. This will help you achieve your physique enhancement goals. You will most certainly come closer and closer to reaching your genetic potential.
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NUTRITION The way we eat affects our bodies in many ways. We will discuss four ways briefly. 1. 2. 3. 4. Metabolism Energy Levels Blood Sugar Levels Insulin Levels
Metabolism Each time we eat we get a metabolic boost. Our bodies must work to digest the food. When this happens our metabolism is increased. This means we are burning calories. Hopefully, we are burning fat. Below is a graph of three different meal patterns. See if you can tell which person will have the highest metabolism based on the meal patterns. The length of the line represents all day long. The xs represent the meals. -----------------------------------x-----------------------------------------------------------x-----------------------x--------------x-----------x-------------x------------x------------x------------x-Of course the bottom line will have the most efficient metabolism. Eating like this consistently over time will bring significant results. Insulin and Blood Sugar Levels Some foods enter into our bodies faster or slower than others. Pretend for a moment that you have a fireplace, it is winter-time, and we want to have a fire going all day long. In your fireplace, would you rather burn paper or oak wood? I know it sounds silly. The obvious answer is oak wood. Why? Oak wood will burn longer. In order to keep our blood sugar and insulin levels stable, we should eat foods that burn like the oak wood (slow). When eaten in excess, faster burning carbohydrates like most cereals, breads, fruit juices, sweets, etc., will likely store as fat. To enable the body to access and burn fat you must control the amount and type of foods you eat. Choosing foods that burn slow will help you keep your hunger down. Ideally we should keep our blood sugar and insulin stable. (high blood sugar)_________________________________________ (stable blood sugar)______optimal fat burning___________ (low blood sugar)___________________________________________ With all the work you put into your program, make sure you put your energy into the right areas. Dynamic Bodies, the Tucson personal trainers will help you along your path to your dynamic body.
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Stay focused on the basics of proper training, proper diet, recovery, supplements and mental techniques. Dont lose sight of the forest for all the trees. Keep first thing first and continually reevaluate yourself. Check to be sure you are putting your energies in the right places.
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Always remember that it's the aerobic effect of exercise that is beneficial to you in pregnancy, so avoid interval training or sprints that may take you into an anaerobic state. Dehydration has been known to cause early labor, so keep well hydrated at all times and listen to the feedback from your body. During pregnancy there is no room for a "no pain no gain" mentality and if you feel yourself hurting, getting exhausted, or overheating, you must stop straight away. If running when pregnant does become too uncomfortable, then do look for another means of aerobic exercise such as walking, or possibly a stationary bike or elliptical trainer. Dr. Clapps research has shown that women who stopped exercising late in their pregnancy quickly lost all the benefits they had gained up until then. Although "I'm eating for two" is a great excuse for you to eat whatever you like during pregnancy, the recommendation is only for an extra 200-300 calories a day after the first trimester. That's something like 2 slices of toast and a banana per day. Women who run need more than the recommendation as exercise burns calories, although no studies have focused on exact requirements. The best thing is to listen to your body and don't let yourself get hungry. Try and choose from nutritionally beneficial foods such as fresh fruit and vegetables, lean meat, poultry and fish, and wholegrain bread, pasta, and brown rice. Whenever possible avoid refined, processed foods that are full of additives, and have little or no nutritional value. Other things you'll need to consider may be some new kit. A good sports/maternity bra will be essential for comfort as your breasts will be expanding along with your bump. Your feet are likely to grow too, so some new running shoes may be in order later in your pregnancy. And finally, when planning your route, it's always a great idea to know where the toilets are! Running after the birth Back in the 1980's, Norway's Ingrid Kristiansen won her first race less than two months after the birth of her first child, and much more recently Paula Radcliffe made headline news when admitting to starting training less than two weeks after an arduous 27 hour labor. Elite athletes such as these will always make the news, but stories such as this can be misleading and possibly even dangerous. The relaxing hormone mentioned earlier can stay in your body for several months and possibly as long as you are breastfeeding. This will not only have an effect on your joints, but also on your pelvic floor muscles, already weak from pregnancy and birth. Pounding the pavement too early after childbirth could result in stress incontinence or even prolapsed, and this may need surgery to put right. In short, your fitness level at the time of the birth will determine how early you should start running afterwards. My advice would be to spend a minimum of a month enjoying your new baby and exercising your pelvic floor and other core muscles regularly before
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venturing out onto the open road. It will be pleasing to know however, that many women find their race results after baby substantially better than before!
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stretch it, and you would find that the rubber band is quite pliable and easy to stretch. If we use that analogy, it is easy to see why it is so important to properly warm up our muscles before exercising or stretching. Failing to do so will result in injuries. Warming up is very simple, but will require a bit of patience on your part. There are times when we are pressed for time and need to rush through a workout, but the warm-up could be the most important part of a workout. There are many ways to warm up. Some people choose to perform the exercises in their routines with a very light weight and gradually build up to heavier weights. This is fine, and can work for some people. My recommendation is to perform very moderate cardio work for approximately 5-10 minutes, or until you have a decent sweat built up. This warm-up will allow your bodys temperature to elevate, and prepare the muscle tissue to work through a full range of motion. Significantly improving your joints range of motion without also improving the strength of your surrounding musculature can be an invitation for injury.
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the membership dues. Those pretty pieces of machinery will require a hefty monthly or annual rate, and what purpose does it serve? Will the gym guarantee you the results that you want? Will that beautiful machine designed to work you glutes lead you to a ripped body? I doubt it. Dont get me wrong, there are some benefits to using some of the machines. I love to use a specific preacher curl station, but my love for the machine comes from the fact that it fits me very well, and is very adjustable. Yet I only use that machine to supplement the work that I do with barbells, dumbbells, and cables. Most of the weight machines I will not use, due to the chance of injury I face because they simply do not adjust to the contours of my body. I carry this over when working with a client: concentrate on free weights, cables, exercise bands, and bodyweight exercises. Leave the machines to those who dont want to achieve real results. Trust me, youll love the difference.
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resistance workouts, as they do not wish to carry any more muscle than they have to during a race. It makes sense for this type of competition. On the other hand, intense, explosive, high speed but relatively short duration workouts have built the bodies of sprinters (or you can picture the body of an NFL Running Back or Linebacker). If you were to add up the total time that the average sprinters cardio workout takes, I doubt the total would reach 15-20 minutes. So how much cardio do you need? Thats the million dollar question, but I have the answer to it. If this is the first time in your life, or a year or more since you last exercised, you will need more cardio early on than you will a few weeks into the program. Why is that? When you first get started, it is very important to improve your cardio fitness level. This allows your muscles better circulation when you begin the resistance training portion of the workout program. Once this is achieved, the major focus of your cardio workout will be to burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time, and to increase the efficiency of delivering oxygen throughout your body. This is achieved through intense cardio activity. 20-30 minutes per day is all that is needed for long term results.
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When considering the fact that nearly every muscle group in the body is involved in the exercise, one can see that the deadlift is a real total-body exercise. I would estimate that some 90% of the muscles in the body are involved in this lift. Not only is it very taxing to the muscles, but a very demanding cardiovascular exercise as well.
Lifting a baby out of a car seat? It's a deadlift. Picking up groceries off the kitchen floor? It's a deadlift. Taking a full garbage bag out of the can? It's a deadlift.
You could argue that sweeping the dirt from a floor into a dustpan, and then lifting the dustpan and emptying it into the garbage is a form of a deadlift. The barbell version targets the muscles of the lower back and hamstrings as the primary movers, but the real benefit comes from all of the various stabilizing muscles that are called upon to maintain proper form throughout this exercise. These include all of the muscles that stabilize your spine, your transverse abdominus and rectus abdominus (your 'Abs'), internal and external obliques (the side of your abdomen), your lats and traps (the large muscles of your middle and upper back, and to some extent your pectoral or chest muscles. There are other benefits to performing the deadlift that are overlooked by the average fitness enthusiast. Since the exercise is so demanding, your body's metabolism will remain elevated for several hours to almost a day in some cases after performing the lift. Not only are you developing strength and flexibility in the muscles, but you are burning fat for a long period after leaving the gym! Talk about a double whammy. Not only will your metabolism be higher, but as a response to the strain of the deadlift, your body will release a higher dose of hormones into the bloodstream to help repair muscle, tendons, and other soft tissues. This helps to increase the lean body mass of an individual, and the result of that increase will be a higher basal metabolic rate, or the overall number of calories that your body will burn over the course of a day to maintain the same bodyweight. The translation is that not only will you be burning more calories during the workout, and after the workout, but your body is repairing itself in a way that will make you burn more calories on a more permanent basis. The deadlift really is the perfect exercise! I am sure that some of you are questioning the safety of the exercise, and are concerned that you will hurt your back performing this lift. I have worked with hundreds if not over a thousand clients, and can say in each case, even those who had a 'bad back' saw results from doing deadlifts. If you have any type of health issues, make sure you get clearance from your doctor before performing this exercise, as it can be quite taxing on the cardiovascular system and briefly elevate blood pressure. Make sure you practice perfect form as shown above. If you are unsure of your ability to perform this exercise, seek the guidance of a qualified fitness professional and have them make sure your form is perfect. Start very light until you have the movement down, then add weight as your body gets stronger.
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I have complete confidence that this exercise, when performed properly, can help anyone. Not only has it helped my clients, but it has paid huge dividends for me as well. The deadlift was a key component in my recovery from a lower back injury that I suffered when I was 18 playing college football. Ten years after the injury, arthritis developed, severely limiting my flexibility (I was barely able to reach my feet to tie my shoes). With a little bit of Chiropractic care, and lots of deadlifts, I can honestly say that my back has never felt better, nor have I ever been this strong. If it can work for me and my clients, it can work for you.
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most effective, resistance training must be included along with diet and cardio. Only by challenging the musculoskeletal, nervous and cardiovascular systems can someone obtain optimum results. By challenging the body to adapt and overcome gravity or an artificial force muscles will grow, bones will strengthen and the heart will beat more efficiently.
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6. Increase Bone Mineral Density The effects of progressive resistance exercise are similar for muscle tissue and bone tissue. The same training stimulus that increases muscle myoproteins also increases bone osteoproteins and mineral content. Menkes (1993) had demonstrated significant increases in the bone mineral density of the upper femur after four months of strength exercise. 7. Improve Glucose Metabolism Hurley (1994) has reported a 23 percent increase in glucose uptake after four months of strength training. Because poor glucose metabolism is associated with adult onset diabetes, improved glucose metabolism is an important benefit of regular strength exercise. 8. Increase Gastrointestinal Transit Time A study by Koffler (1992) showed a 56 percent increase in gastrointestinal transit time (transit time is faster) after three months of strength training. This is significant due to the fact that delayed gastrointestinal transit time is related to a higher rise of colon cancer. 9. Reduce Resting Blood Pressure Strength training alone has been shown to reduce resting blood pressure significantly (Harris and Holly 1987). Our study (Westcott 1995) has revealed that combining strength training and aerobic exercise is an even more effective means of improving blood pressure readings. After two months of combined exercise, our program participants dropped their systolic blood pressure by 5 mm Hg and their dystolic blood pressure by 3 mm Hg. 10. Improve Blood Lipid Levels Although the effect of strength training on blood lipid levels needs further research at least two studies (Stone et al. 1982, Hurley et al. 1988) have revealed improved blood lipid profiles after several weeks of strength exercise. It is important to note that improvements in blood lipid levels are similar for both endurance and strength exercise (Hurley 1994). 11. Reduce Low Back Pain Years of research on strength training and back pain conducted at the University of Florida Medical School have shown that strong low-back muscles are less likely to be injured than weaker low-back muscles. A recent study by Risch (1993) found that lowback patients had significantly less back pain after 10 weeks of specific (full-range) strength exercise for the lumbar spine lumbar spine muscles. Because 80 percent of Americans experience low-back problems, it is advisable for all adults to strengthen their lower-back muscles properly. 12. Reduce Arthritic Pain According to a recent edition of the Tufts university Diet and Nutrition Letter (1994). sensible strength training eases the pain of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. This is good news, because most men and women who suffer from arthritis pain need strength exercise to develop stronger muscles, bones, and connective tissue.
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There are 12 physiological reasons to perform regular strength exercise. On a more basic level, it is important to understand that proper strength training will help us to look better, feel better, and function better. Remember that our skeletal muscles serve as the engine, chassis, and shock absorbers of our bodies. Consequently, strength training is an effective means of increasing our physical capacity, improving our athletic performance, reducing our injury risk, and improving our self-confidence. Article written for IFPA by; Wayne L. Westcott, PHD, CSCS
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When you are in your THR zone you will burn a greater percentage of your calories from fat. The total volume of calories will be lower than as if you ran with a higher intensity. The way you lose weight is by burning more calories than you take in. It does not matter whether the calories you burn are from fat, carbs, glycogen etc... Calories in versus calories out is what does it. For example: say I burn 100cal in my THR zone (50-60% of my MHR) and 20% of those calories come from fat. That means I burned 20cal from fat. Now if I burn 200cal running at a higher intensity (85% of my MHR) and I only burned 10% of my calories from fat then I still burned 20cal from fat, but I burned 100 more calories in the same time! That means that at the end of the day when you came in under what your body normally gets to survive, your body will tap its fat stores to kick in the difference, that's how you lose weight! You don't need to warm up if you're careful when you exercise. This myth was created by those that don't have the patience to do things the right way. They will justify themselves by saying that they are pressed for time. Well, if you're pressed for time, shorten your workout, not your warm up. Warming up before you exercise is the best way to be careful! Just a quick 10min warm up on the treadmill can suffice. You want to warm up your core temperature a little before you begin. Don't stretch too much before a workout because heavy stretching can cause micro-tears in your muscle that can then be worsened by heavy lifting. The best time to exercise is early in the morning. The best time for you to exercise is whatever time you will be able to exercise consistently. Time of day is not important, getting regular exercise is. If you drink water when you exercise, you'll get cramps. The exact opposite is true for this fitness myth. Not drinking enough water can cause cramping. Remember that thirst is your last indicator of your hydration level. That means that by the time you realize you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated! Make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day. The recommended amount is eight 8oz. glasses. Active people will need even more. Women who lift weights will develop big, bulky muscles. Fitness professionals hear this one all the time. The reason women don't have to fear bulking up is because they don't have the massive amount of testosterone in their bodies that men do. Men have anywhere between 10x to 40x the amount of testosterone than women. Women body builders severely restrict their calorie intake, fat intake, and most supplement with testosterone to build the masculine muscle frame that most women worry about getting. Women that eat right and work out will develop muscle tone that is feminine in appearance, so don't worry ladies! Exercising the same muscle every day is the fastest way to gain strength. If once is good then three times is better right? WRONG! This fitness myth is dangerous because overtraining a muscle is a major contributor to sports and gym injuries. All muscles need time to recover from the stress you place on them during your workout. The latest studies
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suggest that a muscle isn't fully recovered until 72hrs. after your last rep. If you are strength training and you have hit a plateau, take one week off from all lifting and when you come back I bet you that you'll notice a difference in your ability in the gym. I advise everyone to take a week off after six weeks of training for just that reason. Not being sore means I didn't work out hard enough. When you first start a workout program. It's not uncommon to be pretty sore. However, as your level of fitness improves, you will find that your body heals faster. When you adapt to one level, you should increase the resistance to make sure you make steady progress, but you can't always rely on muscle soreness as your barometer. It's okay to be tight the next day from your workout but if you are sore for 3 or more days, then you did too much. Remember, no pain no gain is not the way to go. You can have muscle growth and strength gains with only mild soreness. If I can't workout enough, I don't go at all. Okay, that's like saying you wouldn't want to win the lottery because of all the taxes you'd have to pay. There are ways to maximize your time in the gym. I train most of my clients for 30min sessions and we get a lot accomplished. I understand that the demands of a family and a job can make it hard (I have a two month old and I train full time) but remember; anytime you can get in the gym (or workout anywhere for that matter) it's a good thing. Not every session in the gym has to be Herculean in order to benefit your health & fitness. Sometimes it's a victory just to get into the gym and when you do that, you should be happy that you pushed to go, not upset because you couldn't stay for an hour! I need to work my 'lower abs' to shrink my belly. THERE ARE NO LOWER ABS!! There are three muscles that comprise your mid section. Rectus abdominus, obliques (internal and external) and your transverse abdominus. The rectus abdominus has the "6pack" look because of the way it lays over your ribs. It's true that different exercises can make you feel the work more in the lower part of the rectus abdominus, but trust me, it's all the same muscle. If you want a 6-pack (it's very hard for women to achieve this look due to the amount of essential fat a woman carries versus what a man carries) then you need to burn fat. You can't see the abs if they're covered by fat. I can "Spot reduce" by training an area over and over again. YOU CAN NOT SPOT REDUCE! You have no control over where your body pulls fat from as you burn it off. Everyone has areas on them that are more stubborn than others. We all know that one spot that seems to resist our best efforts but the key is consistent exercise and nutrition for the long term. You can't live right for three or four months and then stop because you haven't achieved your goal. Real progress takes a long time! Most people you see that have achieved great results have been working at it for around a year or more. The supplement ads want you to believe that you can do this much faster but that's just not true. Some rare people can and they're usually the ones that you see in the magazines. Most people will achieve their results from long term effort. Don't believe the hype when it comes to a new you in three months. You can make great progress in
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that time, but can you imagine the changes in your body from a whole year of making the right choices? It's something powerful to see!
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The erector spinae muscles run along the spine from the sacrum to the skull and act as spinal stabilizers which also enable trunk extension and lateral (i.e., side-to-side) flexion. Finally, the quadratus lumborum runs from the hip to the ribs and acts to stabilize the lumbar spine (located in the lower back region) and also serves to flex the trunk laterally. What is Core Training and How Can It Improve My Performance? As I described earlier, the core-specific muscle groups are responsible for trunk extension, flexion, rotation and stabilization which are all functions essential for both functional & sport-specific performance--stability, coordination, agility, speed, power and balance. In short, these muscles serve as the foundation from which to launch all movement by stabilizing the spine. If we refer to my earlier 'hub of a wheel' analogy, you could think of solid spokes attached to a weak hub. No matter how solid those spokes are, if the hub is not strong, then the performance of the wheel is compromised. Similarly, athletes (or individuals who want to improve their activities of daily living) who spend most of their time training the traditional body parts like bodybuilders: chest, arms, shoulders, back and legs without loading their core in a sport-specific manner (or a functional "daily activities" manner like picking up groceries) will not realize their full potential and may even be setting themselves up for injury. Dr. Brian Hainline, the Medical Director for the U.S. Open, cites that recent surges of injuries amongst elite tennis players may be attributable to weak cores resulting in too much stress placed on the hips, groin, legs and wrist (i.e., poor transference and expression of energy from the core to the limbs). My close friend and colleague, Dr. Gerald Larson, an exercise physiologist and sport performance specialist puts it aptly, 'having strong limbs without having a solid core is like shooting a canon out of a canoe.' This type of anatomical disharmony leads to decrements in performance and certain forms of injury that Dr. Hainline is seeing with several tennis players. Core training is little more than progressively loading sport-specific movement (or functional movements) which stimulates the core to adapt to the training stimulus thereby improving energy transfer from core to limbs. As I train my clients, I must say the mantra, 'chin up, shoulders back and chest out' at least a thousand times per session. This anatomically correct posture consistently engages the core and typically puts the client in perfect lifting position which invariably translates into enhanced activities of daily living and sport performance as well. There are numerous ways in which to engage the core, many of which I will be addressing in upcoming articles. In the meantime, I recommend that the next time you're in the gym to keep your head up, shoulders back and chest out--it's an excellent and empowering way to go through life!
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Pain Depression Poor sleep Hematological concerns Loss of appetite Lack of exercise Cancer treatment
Seventy five percent of cancer patients surveyed consistently experienced fatigue during and after cancer related treatments. Sixty percent went on to say that fatigue affected their daily lives more than any other symptom. Fatigue was not only the most prevalent cancer side effect, but it also lasted the longest. So what can be done? There are many therapies, such as pharmacology to increase white and red blood cells counts, humor therapy, cognitive therapy and physical therapy. The focus of this article will center on fitness therapy. In order to stratify the potential client for fitness, we need to look at the following criteria. We begin with a comprehensive medical history, along with physicians recommendations. We review pharmacology and other treatments. We gather subjective
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information, such as goals and pain/fatigue. A full fitness assessment is preformed, and from this we design an exercise program to meet the client at their individual needs. Depending on the individual, there may be restrictions to exercise. These should be reviewed with the client and their physician. These are:
White blood cell count (Norm 4.0 to 10.0 cells/cmm) Hemoglobin (Norm 130-180 grams/liter) Platelet counts (Norm 150-400 million/liter)
Many times following chemotherapy, the clients white count is too low, and they are susceptible to illness. Strict contraindications for exercise are
Severe joint or bone pain Sudden dizziness or shortness of breath IV Chemo with 24 to 48 hours Severe nausea Excessive weight loss Severe fatigue
Height and Weight Blood pressure Resting Heart rate Sub-maximal aerobic treadmill test Percent Body Fat Girth Measurements Hand Grip Strength Dynamometry Modified Push Up test Modified Sit Up test Sit and Reach Flexibility Test Posture and Balance
For the client who has experienced either surgery or radiation to the neck, upper extremities or torso, shoulder, elbow wrist and hand range of motion is evaluated as well. When deciding on exercise prescription and program design, we first speak with the clients physician to determine what their guidelines are. Secondly, we interview the client, to determine what subjective complaints they might have, and to ascertain what are their goals and expectation of entering our exercise program. In our one on one training environment, the program is individualized, and they are given instruction as to what should be done while they are away from our studio. It is important that reps, sets, resistance and rest periods are clearly spelled out. Generally, because we tend to stay in the 10 to 12 range with reps, our rest times are generally 30 to 40 seconds between sets. Longer rests are allowed, but keeping the client with 55% of their predicted maximum heart rate.
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The components for exercise prescription are flexibility, strength training and aerobic conditioning. Flexibility helps improve joint function, relieves stiffness and pain that accompanies chemotherapy and radiation, and promotes physical and mental relaxation. Strength training helps prevent muscle wasting, and aids with ability to perform normal activities of daily living. Program should include upper and lower extremity strengthening exercises, as well as trunk and abdominal exercise. When appropriate, performing multiple joint functional strengthening exercises is preferred. Modes of resistance vary, but could be dumbbells, cuff weights, rubber tubing or even body weight. When building your strength program, we try to indemnify a weight that can be lifted 10 to 15 repetitions, for 2 to 3 sets per body part. A full body workout is optimal, and should be performed 3 times per week. Again, watch for signs of severe fatigue or pain. Cardiovascular exercise is the third component. By working the heart, patients can combat fatigue and increase their endurance. Cardio training helps to maintain your current level of function and prevent muscle wasting. Blood flow is increased to all the vital organs, especially the lungs, which aids in decreased risk of pneumonia. With most clients, heart rate is the indicator for level of exertion with cardio training. Target heart rate (THR) is defined as 55 to 70 % of your individual predicted maximum heart rate. Maximum heart is calculated as being 220- your age. Another method of gauging exertion is The Rate of Perceived Exertion Scale (RPE). For simplicity, we use a 0 to 10 scale, 0 is no effort, and 10 is an extreme effort. The reason for using this scale is that sometimes heart rate is not a true indicator of exertion. For example, Beta Blockers for hypertension and some chemotherapy drugs make using THR a poor indicator for exercise intensity. On average, chemotherapy clients should aim for a RPE of 5 to 6, with a maximum of 7. Other positive effects of exercise for cancer clients are
Reduce percentage of body fat Increase aerobic capacity Reduce body fat Decreased reports of Nausea Shorten length Stay in Hospital Reduce Pain Stimulates blood counts Enhances immune system
Managing fatigue is important component as well. We encourage all of my clients to consider the following. Rest and sleep are important, but can be done is excess. The fatigue will not improve with excessive sleep and rest. Try to maintain as much normalcy in sleep patterns. Activity will help with avoiding excessive rest and boredom as well. Nutrition is very crucial to regaining energy. Focus on live foods, such as fruits, vegetables and grains. Meals should be well balanced, eating small portions every 3 to 4 hours. Set a goal to drink at least 1 gallon of water daily. Energy conservation allows you to prioritize your activities, and most importantly, do activities you enjoy. You this overview as a guide to overcoming your cancer related fatigue, and get back into life.
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Easy return to pre-pregnancy weight, strength and flexibility Greater energy reserve and enables women to cope more easily to everyday tasks of living Lower heart rate response to a given workload, improved physical work capacity necessary for carrying additional weight of pregnancy Helps with labor and delivery Facilitates circulation Increased strength helps support breast size, additional weight and posture changes that occur during pregnancy. Flexibility exercises reduce back discomfort, muscle tensions, leg cramping and assists with labor positions Decreased symptoms of pregnancy, including excessive weight gains, constipation, varicose veins and general body discomfort. Lower cesarean section rate (> 20%) Shorter recovery after delivery Lower perceived exertion during delivery Enhanced psychological well being
Posture and body alignment Stretching and range of motion Muscle strength and endurance Cardiovascular endurance Balance Body composition Relaxation
Intensity and frequency of exercise is important, as the body changes, so must the level of intensity. Exercise intensity must be mild to moderate, modified according to maternal symptoms and tolerance. Exercise should not induce shortness of breath, and holding the breath to produce a Val salva maneuver is directly contraindicated.
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Exercise frequency is just as important. Daily aerobic activity is encouraged, duration of which should be in excess of 30 minutes. Resistive training should be 3 times a week, with 30 to 40 minutes of intermittent activity. Functional exercise is most encouraged, such as squats, lunges and step ups. Not only doe it help with strength, but balance as well. Upper extremity exercise can be performed in sitting, be certain to support low back to limit postural dysfunction. Upper extremity exercises should be performed with a weight that can be lifted 12 to 15 times, with a moderate effort level. Two to three sets per exercise is sufficient. Recommended exercises are
Seated chest press Seated rows Lateral/Forward raises (avoid military press) Latissimus pull downs Triceps extensions Bicep curls Upright rows
Stationary recumbent bicycling Treadmill walking Elliptical training Low impact aerobics Water aerobics
Just like other modes of training, there are certain signs and symptoms that can not be ignored. If any of the following occurs with training, please consult your physician
Any signs of bloody discharge from vagina Any pre-mature rupture of the membranes Sudden swelling of face, hands or ankles Persistent, severe headaches or visual disturbance Unexplained dizziness or faintness Any signs of Phlebitis (pain and swelling in the calf) Excessive fatigue Palpitations, chest pain Persistent contractions, pre-mature labor Unexplained abdominal pain
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Insufficient weight gain (< 1 kilogram/month during last 2 trimesters) Onset of menstrual like cramps or pelvic pressure Difficulty walking Persistent nausea or vomiting Numbness to any part of the body
When we take on a client who is pregnant, we take all these considerations into program design. You should carefully consider all the parameters of this plan when designing your program. Please consult your physician before beginning any exercise program.
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Core symptoms: 100% of all fibromyalgia (FM) clients experience generalized pain Characteristic symptoms: 75% of clients possess chronic fatigue, disturbed sleep patterns and morning stiffness Common symptoms: 25% of clients have tingling fingers, IBS, headache, subjective feelings of swelling, and various psychological abnormalities
Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) are very similar, and some medical authorities consider them to be different manifestations of the same disease. Over 75% of the symptoms of FM and CFS are the same, but fatigue rather than pain is the primary symptom of CFS. There are many theories as to the cause of FM, but let us examine 2 possible causes. The first rises from the potential reduction of blood to three parts of the brain, which causes the physical manifestations of depression. The second and possibly more probable cause is named Leaky Gut Syndrome (LGS). LGS is characterized by undigested food or partially digested food particles crossing the gut wall, initiating an immune response. The particles that pass through the gut wall become antigens which invoke specific immune antibodies. The mucus membranes that line our digestive system become compromised, and the antigens damage the gut wall. Eventually the antigens overrun the antibodies, and once the number of immune complexes entering the blood stream reaches a certain level, the immune system shuts down. With this shutdown, the number of phagocytes and macrophages reduces, and the immune complexes spread throughout the body. These immune complexes settle in the muscle and connective tissue, which sets up local inflammatory responses. With this chronic inflammation, chronic pain and stiffness become the primary symptoms. There are ways to avoid leaky gut syndrome. The most important of these is diet. Eating a diet rich in organic fruits and vegetables is the first step. Avoid a diet high in saturated fats, lean free range chicken, turkey and wild caught fish are better protein choices. Processed foods are the cause of much health issue, and FM is no exception. These man made food additives are foreign to our bodies, and strongly contribute to leaky gut syndrome. Water consumption is paramount to a healthy digestive system. The average person should be consuming no less than 1 gallon of water daily. The challenge with
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consuming less than this optimal amount is the slowing of the digestive system, which further builds up the toxins in the gut. The body will steal water back from the large intestine, causing constipation. Most fibromyalgia clients do not experience daily bowel movements, and this accumulation of fecal matter increases the toxins in the digestive system. Another symptom of this syndrome is gastric reflux, again due to a slowing digestive system, which can be traced back to less than optimal water consumption. Exercise is crucial in helping the FM client. Exercise will aid in:
Decreased transit time of food moving through the gastrointestinal system Increases dynamic flexibility of muscle and tendons Increased endorphin released by the hypothalamus, healing and uplifting with natural pain relief and sleep deepening Reduced stress, increased energy, which reduces fatigue Stimulates the production of serotonin and growth hormone, the exact pain reducing and muscle repair hormone imbalances linked with individuals with FM Enhanced production of T-Cells from the thymus, providing a greater number of immune boosting cells
An exercise program should begin with low levels of exercise, with as few as 5 minutes of continuous exercise, progressing to 50 to 60 minutes of intermittent exercise. A mild to moderate cardiovascular program is recommended. Full body stretching is key to the prevention of FM symptoms. All resistance exercises should be pain free, using a 12 to 15 rep count with mild resistance. Overtraining will rob an already stressed body of blood and nutrients it desperately requires. Keep exercising consistently and you will find that the pain following the workout will lessen, as will your FM symptoms.
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Strength is defined as the ability to meet and exceed a specific resistance, such as a single lift, push, pull or carry. Failing to meet this resistance usually ends up in failure to complete a task, or worse an injury. This is why strength is a very important component of fitness. Strength can be measured simply by performing Hand Grip Dynamometry or a Sub-Maximal Predicted Bench Press. The second parameter of fitness to be evaluated is Anaerobic Strength, the ability to perform a resistance related task to fatigue, such as working in a garden, playing a sport, repeated functional tasks, such as lift, push pull or carry. This type of resistance training achieves the greatest results with relation to fat burning and development of muscle tone and shaping. Why? This method of training has demonstrated the greatest increases of lean body mass, which in turn increases your resting metabolic rate, which consumes more stored energy (body fat) Your certified personal trainer can measure this with a timed sit up test and/or push up testing. The third parameter of fitness is called Aerobic Endurance, a low level task repeated over time. This is the least effective way to lose stored body fat. Why? If we were efficient at burning fat during aerobic endurance, our ancestors would have died during the act of hunting and gathering food. When our blood sugar drops below a certain level, our metabolic rate slows down. So, what is the best method to perform aerobic training? 30 + minutes at 55% to 70% of your predicted maximum heart rate (max HR) A simple formula is 220- Age = Maximum Heart rate. Now divide that number by .55 and you will see the low end of what is called your target heart rate. For our purposes, our clients never exceed 70% of their predicted maximum if the goal is fat burning. Your certified personal trainer could perform a variety of sub maximal treadmill tests, or the commonly used 3 minute step test.
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The fourth parameter of fitness is Flexibility, defined as the Static and Dynamic range of motion around a joint or joints. There are components of flexibility that we can not change, such as tendon and ligament lengths. However, there are things we can change, such as joint capsule, resting length of muscle and stretch receptor reactivity. Why is this important? Tight muscles place stress on other structure that are not designed to handle that stress Tight hamstrings place stress on low back during forward bending activities. For upper body flexibility, a simple Back Scratch test can be performed, and for lower extremity the sit and reach test is performed. The fifth and final parameter is Body Composition .We look at lean body Mass (muscle, bone tendon, connective tissue, blood and organs, all energy consuming body mass) vs. stored body fat. Body fat is important, lubricates joints, protects vital organs, is a readily available energy source, however when stored in excess is counterproductive. Your certified personal trainer could use a device that measures Electronic impedance to determine percent body fat, or measurements could be taken using skin fold calipers, and these measurements are entered into an equation to determine the clients body fat percentage. These 5 parameters will help you to determine your level of fitness. Consult your certified personal trainer to have these tests administered, then set up a plan to insure that the proper exercise program is in place for you to achieve the maximum results.
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Squats verses Leg Extensions: Open and Closed Kinetic Chain and The rationale for Strength and Function
By Michael P. Keenan, B.S. C.F.T.
A great number of my clients wonder why am I squatting, and why does my trainer tell me its the most important exercise in my routine? The answer is simple. Out of all functional tasks we perform each day, the sit to stand activity predominates them all. I explain to my athletes, the squat prepares you for explosive speed and balance. To my obese clients, the squat uses your hips and thighs, which contain the greatest amount of muscle mass, which will help to burn the greatest number of calories. To my senior exercise clients, I explain that the squat will help them stand up off the toilet, which means they will not have to shout for help from the bathroom! What I will demonstrate more objectively is why the squat is more effective than the leg extension exercise. First, lets look at the open verses closed kinetic chain model definition. Open kinetic chain means that the tibia is moving upon a fixed femur, such as in a leg extension or leg curl. There is no force being applied under the foot, therefore, the chain is open. Closed kinetic chain means the femur is moving upon a fixed tibia, with the ground or other support (such as a step or leg press platform) under the foot, so the chain is closed. When the chain is closed, the integrity of the joint is more stable. Joint compression forces between the femur and tibia are higher, which keeps the femoral condyles seated properly in relation to the medial and lateral menisci. The quadriceps and hamstrings are cocontracting, decreasing the shearing forces on the meniscus and articulating cartilage, and with proper technique, shearing forces to the posterior patella are minimized. If we were to look at force vectors about the knee, we would see higher compression forces and lower anterior translation forces at the joint during knee extension with a closed kinetic chain activity as opposed to the open kinetic chain. Lets look at what happens at the knee during an open kinetic chain leg extension. When the knee is bent to 90 degrees, we know that there are more joint compression forces than anterior translation forces. When the knee begins to extend, there is a sharp change in force vectors about the knee. With each degree of extension, joint compression decreases while anterior translation forces increase. This action repeated over time and with high levels of resistance can have negative effects on the knee joint, namely the menisci, the anterior crusciate ligament and the patella femoral joint. We know that when a muscle contracts slowly, and with high tension, there is a reciprocal inhibition of the opposing muscle group. So now the hamstring muscles relax, allowing for greater anterior translation forces to be applied to the joint. This causes excessive strain on the anterior crusciate ligament and shearing forces to the posterior horn of the menisci. In most cases. the vastus lateralis is allowed to predominate in the extension moment, causing excessive lateral glide of the patella, resulting in a lateral tracking dysfunction.
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This is especially important for the female client. Females tend to have wider hips, and there fore a larger Q angle. Q angle is measured from the Anterior Superior Iliac Crest, to the Patella, then to the Tibial Tubercle. A Q angle of greater than 15 degrees will result in a lateral tracking patella with open kinetic chain activities. Those who do not understand this mechanism tend to try to remedy this dysfunction by strengthening the quadriceps in the open kinetic chain position, further exacerbating the condition. I believe there is a risk to benefit ratio with all exercises. In the body building world, I understand the need for isolation exercise. However, in the general fitness, athletic and medical fitness model, it appears that closed kinetic chain activities offer the highest benefit with the lowest risks. When working with a client with a history of patella femoral syndrome, meniscus tear and anterior crusciate repair, we would say that open kinetic chain knee extension is contraindicated. So what is the proper activity for this individual? Squats, static lunges and step ups. Lets look at some of the absolutes with relation to this activity. First, just like every activity, there is a progression. The leg press allows the client to work with less than their actual body weight, so we usually begin with this. This is followed by using a physioball placed against a wall, and the client performs squats while leaning back onto the ball. Once the client can perform with activity with proper technique and range of motion, we move away from the ball and perform body weight squats. The next progression is adding weight with a dumbbell, usually held against the chest and placed under the chin. The final progression is placing a bar across the shoulders, which allows for the greatest resistance to be applied to the exercise. The second absolute is the balance component. Gray Cook has been quick to point out in his research just how reaction forces with cause the body to balance itself without conscious thought. I agree. When squatting, your muscles will work in symmetry with each other, hamstrings, quadriceps, gluteals, back extensors and abdominals all cocontract in concert to perform the activity. Smaller assisting muscles contract to fine tune the movement, muscles that can not be isolated in an open kinetic chain knee extension exercise. The third component involves energy usage and efficacy of exercise. Obviously, more energy will be required for a squat than a leg extension activity. Weight loss is the number one reason people seek out a personal trainer, so choosing the proper exercise for this purpose is paramount. With concerns to efficacy, the squat is a functional activity, you need to lift, sit, stand and carry in life, whereas in life no one needs to perform high resistance knee extension in the open chain position. The fourth component is technique and functional range of motion. In general terms, I want my clients to be able to squat to 90 degrees of hip and knee flexion before proceeding to the next level of progression. To allow progression before this is mastered in my opinion is asking for trouble. It gives a false sense of security, balance and proprioception is not properly trained, and more weight will not help this lack of progress. Safety, form, range of motion and balance are the indicators for progression.
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I believe that when designing your exercise program, you must look at what are your goals, and then decide which exercises will help you achieve them. My hope was to explain how the squat differs from the leg extension, choose wisely and let your body be your guide.
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Stepmill -- Found in most health clubs and not to be confused with the traditional stair stepper, the Stepmill actually has revolving steps that you continually climb while holding onto side bars. It is a very difficult workout when first beginning and many people can only last several minutes. If you build your capacity with natural progression, youll be doing 20-30 minutes within a month. Youll also burn approximately 350 calories in about 30 minutes. Aerobic Classes -- This falls into the category of many cardiovascular exercise classes such as Cardio Kick Boxing, Jazzercise and Cardio Boot Camp, etc. As long as the class is aerobic and challenging youll get tremendous benefit. The calorie expenditure is dependent upon the type of class as well as continuous aerobic movement. Spinning -- Spinning is an indoor specialized stationary-bike-ride class, limited to about 15 people and lasting about 45 minutes. Your spinning instructor plans a ride over imaginary terrain by changing intensity and speeds. The ride is set to upbeat music so its a load of fun. Youll get extremely fit by spinning and will burn inches off your butt and shape your legs. Dont assume that I dont like or approve of other forms of cardiovascular exercise. In fact, power walking is an excellent form of cardio and actually what most beginners should start with. I just wanted to give you my calorie-crunching favorites. As always, check with your doctor before starting any exercise program
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a good overall body workout. Dumbbells can be purchased for 50 cents per pound and up. The lighter neoprene and vinyl dumbbells are also good for aerobic tapes that incorporate light free weights. Resistance bands: Resistance bands are small, inexpensive and an extremely effective exercise tool. One can work the entire body with all types of resistance exercises. It provides for a perfect home workout. I also recommend that door attachments be purchased for additional exercises. One should pay attention to the various colors of bands to determine weight resistance. In most cases, yellow is three pounds, green is five to six pounds and red is approximately 10 pounds of resistance. Videos: There are many types of videos from, Pilates, Yoga, and aerobic/weight training combinations. Along with one of the recommendations above for resistance training, one can perform two days of resistance and two days of an aerobic-type video. This provides for a balance of strength training and aerobics.
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Lets take a closer look at each one: Women Who Lift Weights Will Get Bulky Muscles: A woman has one-third the testosterone of a man, so putting on a ton of muscle is not going to happen. The women you see in the magazines that look BIG and manly are on steroids, growth hormones etc. Youll look bulky if youre carrying excessive body fat and building muscle. However, if youre reducing body fat, youll eventually be able to see those lean, defined muscles. Spot Reducing Is Possible: The human body loses fat over the entire body at various rates of speed. Its impossible to spot reduce. If youre focusing on only losing fat that sits on your hips, it wont work. Generally, the first place you gain fat is the last place you lose it. No Pain, No Gain: There is absolutely no reason to cause pain in the gym. Natural progression is a smart method to ensure progress. This refers to slow and systematic increases in weight training poundages, gradual increases in cardiovascular endurance and slow but steady flexibility progression. "No pain, no gain" will only put you at risk for injury and diminish your ability to use precise exercise form.
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Exercise Requires a Hefty Time Commitment: The number of days that you work out does not constitute level of fitness. I see a lot of people in the gym five to six days a week, and theyd be better off playing ping pong. Consistency and level of effort is the key. I'd rather see someone work out three days per week with enthusiasm and intensity, than five inconsistent days of lackadaisical effort. In addition, long workouts are counterproductive. Numerous studies prove that more than one hour of an intense workout increases cortisol levels. Cortisol is a catabolic hormone that, among other things, will assist in destroying muscle. If You Exercise You Can Eat Whatever You Want: The big message in the nutrition and personal training world today is that most people need to eat more to stimulate the metabolism. The truth is, you need the correct amount of total calories to lose body fat. Exercising will burn calories, but if youre eating anything you want and youre over maintenance calories, youll most likely gain fat. In addition, eating healthy is still vital; you wont be doing your body any favors by feeding it junk. Theres a Magic Bullet (Quick Fix) Out There: There is no best and only way to work out. In reality, its all good if it works for you, but you dont want to stay with any of it for too long. The body will adapt to any exercise routine in approximately four to six weeks. Vary volume of sets, time between sets, reps, exercises, cardiovascular exercises, exercise tapes etc. Manipulate your routine every three to four weeks and view change as the key constant. Now youve got some ammunition -- use it wisely. As always, check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program.
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Power. Finally, the last progression is to develop power. The more power a golfer can transfer from his or her body through the club to the ball, the father he or she will be able to drive the ball. Conclusion. You can drop 5 to 10 strokes off your golf game if you incorporate these tips in your workout. Any attempts to improve golf strength or power without first restoring flexibility and stability will always prove to be less fruitful and more likely to lead to injury!
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Balance Assessment The need for a strong foundation and balance in the golf swing can never be overlooked. You may not find it important until you are standing on the side of a hill looking down over a shot or standing on grass hitting out of a bunker. Try this: Stand on one leg as long as you can. If you can stand longer than 60 seconds with no problem, try closing your eyes, or standing barefoot on a pillow. If you cannot balance longer than 30 seconds on one leg, balance is something you should work on. Strength Assessment Arguably the most important group of muscles used in the golf swing is the core. Having a strong core can limit back injuries, increase power and distance, and assist in body control throughout the swing. Try these: Stabilizer or Plank Start by placing your forearms on the ground and forming a plank with your forearms and feet. Hold this position, keeping your stomach tight and body parallel to the ground for as long as you can. If you cant hold this position for 60 seconds you should focus on strengthening your core. Squat and hold: Get in a good squat position with your arms in front of you and sit back on your heels, making sure your knees do not go over your toes. Drop down to a 90degree position and hold. If your legs give out before 90 seconds, you should work on strengthening your legs.
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MEDICINE BALL These weighted balls come in a variety of weights and textures. Using a medicine ball adds a new dimension to your training since it takes you through all planes of motions. This type of training translates well to the golf swing and how we move in the world. STRETCHING STRAP Stretching straps help you achieve a full range of motion during stretching routines. Using a stretching strap is a safe and effective way to perform stretching exercises to improve flexibility, and it will allow you to incorporate static flexibility into your routines. Home gyms are more popular today because of busy work schedules, children and other
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responsibilities that prevent us from making a trip to the gym. Golfers who want to improve their muscle strength and increase flexibility, among other things, can accomplish this with these products and exercises at home.
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Supine Twist Stretch 1. Lie on your back on the floor. 2. Gently rotate trunk and legs to side so that your knees are facing entirely to a side. 3. Hold for 20-30 seconds. 4. Remember to keep shoulders on the ground.
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A good stretch to maintain a full back swing is to get in your golf stance, place a club behind your neck with both arms on the club and twist at the hips to both sides. This can be done before and during a round to maintain BALANCE To make a consistent swing for 18 holes, you must have stability in your lower body. The most simple way to work your lower body muscles is to stand on one foot while performing all standing exercises. Try a set of 10 overhead dumbbell presses while standing on each leg. This may be difficult at first, but as the legs get more solid, the rest of your body will follow. CARDIOVASCULAR Playing 18 holes can take up to five hours or more, so you must be in good cardiovascular condition to maintain your energy and focus. This is true even when riding in a cart. Two to three 20-minute sessions of cardiovascular exercise at 50 percent to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate is sufficient to improve your endurance. Aerobic exercises are anything that increases your heart rate, such as brisk walks, running, biking, using elliptical machines and swimming. The formula to figure your maximum heart rate is: 220 minus your age; multiply by .5 and .7 and keep your heart beats per minute between those numbers. If the number is too low, work harder; if its too high, slow down.
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osteoporosis. As baby boomers, this is huge after age 30 your muscle begins to atrophy unless you are doing something to prevent it. Women, especially need to keep their bone density high. Weight training triggers the release of testosterone, a fat destroyer for several hours after exercise has occurred. It also stimulates muscle growth and more muscle burns more fat! Who says 60 can't be buff? Focus on training the large muscles groups like legs, chest, back and core. This will more than take care of the smaller muscle groups like arms and calves. Weight training is a catalyst for burning calories and increasing metabolism. On top of all that you will look better. Like any activity that has not been done for awhile, start slow and continually strive to progress. Do not be afraid of heavier weights, but never sacrifice form. Now, baby boomers, you've got to move. That means cardiovascular exercise and that means intense cardiovascular exercise, not house walking. House walking is the pace that one walks from one room in the house to another; you can't casually walk or stroll you must put forth effort. Without effort, your results will be minimal. If you want to transform your body to anything close to what it was 20 years ago you must work harder than you are used to in order to alter your physiology. Then and only then will you begin to see significant changes such as weight loss, slightly stronger bones and joints, lower blood pressure and improved cholesterol profile. As fitness increases, the intensity level must also rise to challenge that new level of fitness. You must put forth unprecedented effort in order to increase fitness. Everybody has a starting point; if you haven't done anything for since high school don't start out running, walk at a pace brisk enough to make breathing labored and conversation difficult. Once you can walk 3 miles in 45 minutes or less, you may need to start jogging to challenge yourself further. For healthy individuals a general rule should be whatever it takes to drive their heart rate into the 60 to 85% target heart rate-range. Nutrition this is the big one! "Diets" abound; everything from the cabbage soup diet, sugar buster's diet, blood type diet, South Beach diet to the shrewdly marketed Atkins diet. My experience as a certified personal trainer has taught me that diets do not work. It is common sense; if you eat too much of anything you will not lose body fat. None of these diets are very healthy or meant for long-term. Many of them are severely calorie restrictive and you will lose weight both fat and muscle. When people return to their "normal" way of eating the weight comes back on and then some because a lot of the calorie restricted diets actually slow down the body's metabolism making it more difficult to lose body fat. You must learn how to eat; it has to be a lifestyle and one that you can maintain long-term. Eat clean, whole, unprocessed foods, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, avoid all white sugar and white flour, minimize animal foods and limit alcohol and caffeine. Eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day. Eat organic whenever possible, the pesticides,
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hormones and antibiotics are most likely contributing to disease. If you are on the road all day, pack a cooler and take it with you Sure, this will take some getting used to but the way you look and feel will surpass any initially felt sacrifice. And last but not least my fellow baby boomers, we must have down time. We must have more rest than our younger counterparts. I would like to say this isn't true but it is. With proper training we can go as long and as hard but just not as often. Accept it and respect it. We're either at the midpoint or end of our careers or for some of us starting new ones. If we have children they are most likely teenagers or grown. You must take time to breathe; take a yoga class, meditate or spend time in nature. Do something you love, spend time with loved ones, never think you are too old to do something, we have only one life to live and it's now or never. If you want to run a marathon for your 60th birthday more power to you. If you want to change careers at 50?now?s the time. If you are 40 something and want to place softball with your teenager go for it. Whatever, your sport or hobby be it golf, bowling, obstacle courses, football or dance, do it and keep it in your life, it's a part of you. Just train smart, stay strong, stay flexible, stay fit, eat clean, become empowered and never ever quit. We can still do all these things with the proper lifestyle. Look at some of our rock and roll idols; Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart, Tina Turner and Roger Daultry to name a few. They have definitely withstood the test of time. They all work out and look as though their nutrition is on track. They haven't slowed down one iota. They are rocking and rolling just like they were in the sixties and so can you. Rock on baby!
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life and performance of my clientto make them the best they can be; that will not happen on a machine.
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From a mental and emotional standpoint, weight training is incredible. When you progressively increase the weights, see your strength increase and your body metamorphosis something happens internally. You begin to feel better about your self; your confidence and self esteem improve. You believe in yourself more, you begin to feel the ability to accomplish your goals. You take charge of yourself, charge of your life and the sky is the limit. This transposes into your personal relationshipsthey improve or you have the courage to disentangle yourself from negative ones. This also carries over to your career, whether it is inside or outside the home. You become a better mother or better at your outside job. Stress is easier to handle and solutions to problems become more clearly visible. There are many facets to changing your life for the better and strength is one of them. The stronger we are of body the stronger we are of mind, so grab the steel and pound it your life will never be the same.
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Oprahs Doing It, How About You? Discover The Secrets Of The Latest Fitness Craze!
By Peter Vasilis
If you have been watching the Oprah Winfrey Show lately you are aware that she has been promoting her own Fitness Boot Camp program. As a result of her Fitness Boot Camp Oprah has been able to beat the battle of the bulge and get into great shape. Similar programs have been cropping up all over America, for one simple reason they work! The majority of these programs incorporate a form of circuit training, a highenergy aerobic workout thats combined with weight resistance training. What circuit training actually constitutes varies, depending upon the trainer or fitness program. In general most circuit training programs will include the following descriptions: The training focuses on activities that are twofold: those that build strength and muscle tone, and those that burn fat and improve endurance. The training needs to include high repetitions with lighter weights for ease on joints and tendons. There should be very little, if any, rest between exercises or stations Combine your program with a supportive nutritional plan and at least 4 - 6 small meals each day to help with your overall fitness goals. Circuit training offers many benefits. Here are some of the main benefits a quality Fitness Boot Camp program will provide: Its a complete program that incorporates toning, getting and staying in shape, and improving your overall fitness and health. Its a program with variety of fitness activities, so youre not stuck with the same old boring workout routine. Its fun training with other group members with similar goals. Its the best way to get a team, group or family in shape. Its a cost-effective program. Its a program that helps your bodys aerobic conditioning, strength building and muscle toning while also burning fat at the same time.
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Lose weight, get fit, and keep fit in the least amount of time possible! Burn Off Excess Body Fat! Target Trouble Spots! Cut your exercise time in half and while having fun with friends! Strengthen and Tone Muscle! Reshape Your Body! Decrease stress, increase performance, and virtually eliminate aches and pains! Reverse and immobilize the aging process! Increase Energy Levels! One of the main benefits to joining a Fitness Boot Camp is the group interaction associated with the group fitness program. Most people perform better in a group. Group Fitness Programs work so well because you're part of a team, and no one wants to let their team members down! So, if you are looking to get into great shape, sculpt & tone muscle and decrease body fat, then a Fitness Boot Camp combining circuit training and supportive nutrition may be your ideal fitness solution.
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Weighing In On The Issues of Women & Weight Training - The Fastest Way To That Lean, Fit, Sexy Physique!
By Peter Vasilis
For many women, weight training is a controversial subject. In my profession I hear objections from women all the time at the suggestion of beginning a weight training program in order to build lean muscle tissue and burn excess body fat. Many women will object and state, I dont want to look like a man. Still others will state that they only want to tone the body, so they feel that performing hours on end of aerobic exercise will do the trick. First of all, through weight training alone it is not possible for women to build the same amount of muscle at the same rate as a man. The fact is that women lack the hormone testosterone to build big, bulky muscles. Many women are repulsed by the appearance of some women bodybuilders that they may see on TV or in magazines and feel that by simply training with weights they too may turn into this type of she hulk. Well to be honest, unless you are planning on taking some performance enhancing drugs (steroids: definitely not recommended) or are lifting excessively heavy weight for low repetitions its not going to happen. In reality many of the professional women bodybuilders are on drugs containing the male hormone testosterone and possibly growth hormone as well. Both of these hormones speed the recovery rate of muscle tissue and help to facilitate the muscle building process. They also contribute to the enhancement of male characteristics in these females. For the average women a weight training program consisting of moderate resistance and higher repetitions (12-20) will help to build lean, toned and shapely muscles. Each person has a genetic potential that allows them to build muscle to a certain degree. Without the help of performance enhancing drugs you definitely will not turn into a genetic freak simply training with weights. Now to address the other common issue that many women use as an excuse not to begin a weight training program. I will agree that moderate aerobic exercise is a great way to lose body fat. However excessive cardiovascular training can be detrimental to your progress, especially if you do not include weight training into your workout regimen.
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Most women hope that by doing excessive aerobic exercise they will shape and tone their body. The problem with this scenario is that aerobic exercise does not build muscle. Will you burn fat? Yes, most likely you will. But you will also not change your body shape without adding muscle to your physique. For example if you were 30 pounds overweight and managed to lose the weight through aerobic exercise alone, you definitely would look slimmer in clothes. However underneath you would basically still have the same body shape. All the problem areas would still be there only you would be 30 pounds lighter. Not bad if weight loss is your only goal, but through weight training you can achieve much greater results and literally transform your body! By incorporating weight training into the regimen, the same person would build lean muscle tissue thus creating a much tighter, firmer more toned and overall shapely and fitter looking physique. Not to mention the other benefits of weight training including improved strength, increased bone density, increased lean body mass, decreased resting blood pressure and a lower risk for type 2 diabetes. I hope that I have helped to clear up some misconceptions for any woman that wants to lose weight but is skeptical about beginning a weight training program. If you are still hesitant and have further issues or concerns, feel free to contact me, I would be more than happy to help. In the mean time dont let your reservations stand in the way of creating that body you desire!
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A lot of people find it hard to start a basic home fitness program and even worse a high percentage of those people find it even harder to maintain a basic home fitness program. If you are going to be consistent in your basic home fitness program, you should try and exercise at the same time every day. Whether it's early in the morning before work, after work or whatever, keep it at the same time. Regardless of how busy you may be on certain days you need to exercise and preferably at the same time you always do. It will make a big difference in your motivation.
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Most body building routines should be structured in such a way that your heaviest and most difficult exercises are performed first when your energy, strength and determination are at their greatest. There are many ways to determine what body building routines are best for your situation. Here is one basic example for a beginner. This is based on a five day a week program: Monday Behind Neck Shoulder Press: 4 sets 6-10 repetitions Upright Row: 4 sets 6-10 repetitions Incline Dumbbell Press: 4 sets 6-10 repetitions Bench Press: 4 sets 6-10 repetitions Crunches: 3 sets 6-10 repetitions Tuesday Close Grip Lat Pull down: 4 sets 6-10 repetitions Close Grip Seated Pulley Row: 4 sets 6-10 repetitions Seated Calf Raise: 4 sets 6-10 repetitions Reverse Wrist Curl: 4 sets 6-10 repetitions Wednesday Squats: 5 sets 6-10 repetitions Leg Press: 5 sets 6-10 repetitions Leg Curl: 4 sets 6-10 repetitions Thursday Close Grip Bench Press: 4 sets 6-10 repetitions Tricep Dip: 4 sets 6-10 repetitions Dumbbell Shrug: 4 sets 6-10 repetitions Standing Calf Raise: 4 sets 6-10 repetitions Friday Pull Ups: 4 sets 6-10 repetitions E-Z Bar Curl: 4 sets 6-10 repetitions Hammer Curl 4 sets 6-10 repetitions Crunches: (with weight) 4 sets 6-10 repetitions As mentioned earlier, everyone is different and therefore will have to engage in body building routines that may be very different from what works for someone else. This is really an individualized activity. There are so many factors to take into consideration that it's impossible to come up with the "perfect" mens or womens body building routines. You should always consult a personal trainer with extensive experience in body building routines.
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your doctor before taking any body building supplements. Don't rely on what someone in the gym tells you or what you see in bodybuilding magazines. 6. Reward yourself for reaching short-term goals and milestones you set. Barbell Bodybuilding Tips: Here are some of the exercises you should be using in your body building program. 1. Barbell Curls. 2. Bench Press Incline and flat. 3. Front Squats. 4. Preacher Curls. 5. Deadlifts. 6. Upright Rows. 7. Decline Tricep Extensions. 8. Close-Reverse-Grip Decline Press. 9. Power Rack Half Press. 10. California Press. Dumbbell Bodybuilding Tips: In addition to the barbell exercises mentioned above, there are many dumbbell exercises you can add in to your body building program, such as: 1. Chest Dumbbell Press Incline and Flat. 2. Chest Dumbbell Flyes. 3. Shoulder Lateral Raises. 4. Reverse Flyes. 5. Seated Concentration Dumbbell Curl. 6. Lunges. 7. Dumbbell Shrugs. 8. Incline Dumbbell Curls. 9. Zott Curls. The bodybuilding tips above are some good things to think about especially if you're just starting out. Put one or more of these bodybuilding tips to work and you'll get off on the right foot and will be one more step closer to achieving your goals.
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Powerblock: The Powerblock is one of the best pieces of home exercise equipment you can buy. The Powerblock is an adjustable dumbbell set that is very simple to use and only takes up a couple square feet of space in your home. It basically replaces a complete dumbbell set like you would find in any gym. You can get them all the way up to 125 pounds. They make smaller sets as well. The point is that you can do almost any resistance exercise for any part of your body with it. I own a Powerblock myself and I use it for some of my workouts at home and to train clients in their homes. It's something that can be transported very easily and all my home fitness training clients love using it.
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An Adjustable Bench: An adjustable bench, one that you can use for incline, flat and decline exercises is a good addition. They are usually very cheap and affordable for most people. Here are some other options to home fitness machines that will work for many people especially if your workout is not too intense and if you're not a hard-core body builder. You can start with almost anything you can find around the house. Take a look around your home, I'm sure you can find a lot of items that you could use as exercise equipment. Do you have a water cooler at home? The big bottles that go on there can do a great job. If you take something like a water bottle and do a workout session carrying it up and down the stairs you'll burn an amazing amount of calories and it's a terrific cardiovascular workout as well. You can also start out with something smaller like a bag of flour. Another exercise you can do involves using two dining room chairs. Place them so that they are facing each other. You can do dips with these two chairs that will work your triceps and with a change of position you can work your chest and shoulders as well. Here's how you can use them for a good triceps workout. Sit on one with your palms turned downwards. Hold the chair with a firm grip and put your heels on the opposite chair. Lower yourself forward in a slow and controlled motion so that your butt lowers down in between the chairs. Keep your arms tight to your sides. You can lean up against your desk and use it to do pushups to work your chest. Use any wall in your house to work your quads and glutes. Stand with your back against the wall with your feet approximately 2 feet out from it. Using a slow and controlled motion, slide your hips down until you reach a 90-degree angle with your knees. Stay in this position for as long as you can. As you can see, even if you can't afford any home fitness machines or even the cheapest types of home exercise equipment you can still effectively exercise your body. You can also do wall squats using an exercise ball. Place the ball between your lower back and the wall with your feet about 2 feet out. As above, lower your body until your knees reach a 90 degree angle, hold for a count of two then raise your body up to the starting position. Repeat. Some very cheap items you can buy include wrist and ankle weights or even a weight vest. You can use these doing almost anything and can be very effective depending on your goals. As long as you use some sort of weight or resistance you will start to improve your health and level of fitness. The more your muscles work the more calories you will burn and the stronger you will become. Even wearing ankle and wrist weights or a weight vest around the house while youre doing your chores will have positive benefits. Exercise balls can also be used for many different exercises at home including hamstring, chest and abdominal exercises. When you combine an exercise ball with dumbbells you can do even more. This is a very inexpensive item you can find in any exercise store.
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If you really do want some home fitness machines to use and have the money to spend then go for it. You can still save money by looking in the classifieds, going to garage sales or checking out used exercise equipment stores. You'd be amazed at how many people buy home fitness machines with every intention of using them but finding out they made a mistake then try to sell them at a very cheap price. And in most cases these used home fitness machines look like they've never been used.
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"The best body building supplements can make a difference in your body building efforts. The best body building supplements can help you reach your goals in a shorter time and with slightly better results."
By Phil Beckett
The best body building supplements can make a difference in your body building efforts. The best body building supplements can help you reach your goals in a shorter time and with slightly better results. Unfortunately, not all supplements are effective or even good for you. Nowadays you have hundreds of choices from hundreds of different companies claiming that their body building supplements are the "missing link" in your life. It's ridiculous how much misinformation there is in the body building supplement market. There's not enough room in this article to discuss all the useless supplements that you shouldn't use. This article will take a look at some of the best body building supplements that are worth trying. Keep in mind that you can't expect any of these top ten body building supplements to do the work for you. In fact, you shouldn't add in anymore than one or two supplements until you have been training hard and eating right for at least a couple months. The only exceptions that I'd make would be creatine and BCAA's which will be discussed below. Some more of the best body building supplements when added in to a well-designed body building program can add some benefits and can help you reach a higher level of success. Just don't expect dramatic improvements over-night. "Top Ten Body Building Supplements" 1. Creatine - Creatine is good for muscle development because it increases the body's ATP that is the main source of muscle energy. This increase in energy will help you to perform longer and endure more strenuous workouts, leading to increased muscle growth and sports performance. This is the one of the best supplements for body building as it gives you the best results in the shortest period of time. In fact, most body builders notice an improvement in performance within the first week or so. There have been many reports of people adding up to 10 pounds of mass over the first couple months with dramatic increases in strength. Creatine helps to delivery energy to your muscles when you need it, resulting in energy for high-intensity workouts and faster recovery. Creatine does occur naturally in your body but you'd have to eat an awful lot of
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red meat just to get an effective amount. 2. L-Glutamine - L-Glutamine is another of the best body building supplements you can use. This supplement helps to increase the supply of nitrogen into muscle cells, prompting growth and reducing the chance of muscle loss. The more L-Glutamine you have in your body, the faster your muscles will grow. People involved in body building will place their bodies under more stress than the average person and therefore will have a greater need for L-Glutamine. Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in muscle so if you are looking to increase lean muscle you need to consider adding it to your supplement program. 3. Multivitamins - Deficiencies in minerals and vitamins can slow down your progress. They are also essential in maintaining good health. If you're constantly sick because of vitamin and mineral deficiencies you won't build much muscle. I've found that a lot of people tend to avoid them because they don't come with the outrageous promises to pack on slabs of muscle. But rest assured, if you're going to take any supplements a highquality vitamin/mineral supplement is one of the best supplements for body building. Most body builders make the mistake of not taking multivitamins since they don't help to increase muscle mass and don't come with the same type of "outrageous" marketing claims that most other supplements do. The problem is that if you are missing the essential vitamins and minerals in your body, you won't be in the optimal condition to improve. 4. Zinc and Magnesium Aspartate (ZMA) This supplement has been reported to help increase your testosterone levels and improve recovery. 5. Flax Oil Flax oil is an essential fatty acid and is very important for body building and all other types of fitness training. 6. Protein Supplements Protein supplements are one of the best body building supplements available but keep in mind that they're just protein in a powdered form. They are very convenient to use and ensure you are getting enough protein in order to build muscle. The problem is the overwhelming number of choices you have when you walk into a supplement store. Just keep in mind that regardless of the numerous claims made by the manufacturing companies, protein supplements are just protein. They're not a magical muscle building secret. 7. BCAA's Branched Chain Amino Acids. At the start of this list of the best body building supplements I mentioned "The top ten body building supplements". Unfortunately, at this time I only consider the seven mentioned above as being the best supplements for body building. If you're eating and training right, you just don't need any more. It's that simple. You may not even need any of the best body building supplements mentioned on this page. It's important for you to realize that it is not the supplements by themselves that
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will lead to better performance or an improvement in your physical appearance... Your success lies in addressing your goals and analyzing and adapting your fitness training and diet to meet those goals. Before taking any supplement always consult a physician.
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How Not Working Out Your Lower Body Significantly Reduces Strength Gains For Your Upper Body!!!
By Randy Gruezo
Generally, when most people start a strength training program, they do so to improve a body part, particularly those in the upper body. However, neglecting the lower body can play a significant role in the lack of overall development in those body parts. What most people need to understand is that the body works as a whole system as opposed to individual working parts. When performing whole body movements such as deadlifts, push presses, squats, cleans the body has a much bigger neuroendocrine response to that stress. Compared to movements such as tricep pushdowns, lateral raises, chest flies, etc. WHOA!!!! Back track a bit there...Neuro...What? Okay I did come out of left field with that statement. [Sidebar] Please check out the articles in this website which I go in-depth into the body's responses to stress. It's a 3 part series titled, "Greatest Fitness Program." Let me explain what I mean by neuroendocrine response. Through strength training you impose a stress to your body which it has to respond and adapt to. The neuroendocrine response is the interaction between the nervous system and the endocrine system (i.e. hormones). The response depends on how big or small the level of imposed stress is to the body. For example a squat has a much bigger response than a bicep curl. Hope you get my point. Okay... So what! What does that have to do with me? It has everything to do with you. Neuroendocrine response is characterized by increase levels of human growth hormones, testosterone, motor recruitment patterns (how well you body utilizes the muscles you have), etc. That's right I'm throwing the big words at you now. For you women reading this, this may sound like something that men will only be interested in. However, I will show you this is important for you as well. Only strength training with the movements I described above will elicit such a response. When your body releases these hormones it doesn't go to a specific muscle or area. It flows systemically around the body enhancing everything it touches. That is why it's not uncommon to see that squat training increases upper body strength, despite not working the upper body at all. For you men that means more bang for your buck. I didn't forget you women out there. The way that this applies to you is that you could get much stronger without much increase in muscle mass, which I know is a concern for
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most of you women. Your body becomes better utilizing the muscles you have already. Didn't I tell you I had great news for you too!!! Now you don't have to avoid doing these "bulk building" movements as opposed to wasting all that time using crappy machines that will only get you minimal if not nonexistent results. I know, I had to rant a little, sorry... It's the consumer advocate side of me. Strength training while avoiding doing lower body exercises is just a waste of time. If you're doing that already you are short changing yourself. Sure you're going to get results just doing the upper body, but you will work twice as much for not as much gain. Always remember the body works better when it is trained like a system as opposed to individual parts.
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Why Our Senior Population Should Train Fast and Why Training Them Not To Is Killing Them!!!
By Randy Gruezo
As more Baby Boomers are becoming seniors every year, the rise of injury related falls are going to skyrocket. One of the best preventative measures against falls, according to the CDC, is a sound exercise program. However, it is this Coach's contention that current senior fitness programs are contributing to the problem because they fail to address the necessary components of fitness that are vital to the quality of life of our senior population. [Sidebar] As a foreword, this is a topic I get highly emotional about because my parents are seniors as well. I will probably sound very critical at certain times, even sarcastic. It is because I'm frustrated with all the garbage that is spewed out there by so called "professionals" who never trained or coached a senior citizen before. It is my hope that I will open your eyes to the current state of senior fitness. Maybe you take something out of this for yourself if this article pertains to you or for someone you love and care about that are seniors. Most health care professionals, actually people in general, look at our seniors as frail individuals that need to be coddled. Unfortunately, this is not the case. More of our senior population are joining gyms and partaking in recreational activities more than ever before. This is one of the fastest growing sectors of the fitness and recreation industry. However, although more seniors are staying physically activity a view of the statistics from the CDC will lend some perspective:
More than one-third of adults age 65 years and older fall each year. Among older adults, falls are the leading cause of injury deaths and the most common cause of injuries and hospital admissions for trauma. Older adults are hospitalized for fall-related injuries five times more often than they are for injuries from other causes. Of those who fall, 20 to 30 percent suffer moderate to severe injuries that reduce mobility and independence, and increase the risk of premature death.
Startling statistics, huh. The current senior fitness model doesn't do anything to combat those statistics. The one major misconception out there is that seniors should perform all their movements slow and controlled. If this silly advice doesn't work to increase performance for the rest of the
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healthy population out there why is this crap being given to the senior population as good advice. Like Forrest Gump said "Stupid is as Stupid Does." [Sidebar] I'm not implying slow and controlled are not necessary. In fact they are necessary especially if you're a beginner. However, when is the last time you saw someone fall in a slow but controlled manner? Never right? A fall takes a split second and training in the opposite manner will not give you a fighting chance for a positive outcome. That is why I said, if you're not training them to deal with fast movements they are more than likely to fall, which may lead to premature death or a very low quality of life. I didn't say it, the CDC did. As we get older the first thing to go is strength and power. This is so because of the body's selective atrophy of fast twitch muscle fibers and neural conduction velocity (how fast signal gets to its destination) slows down as we age. Selective atrophy, simply put is the body kills off the muscles that are responsible for quick, powerful, and fast movements. These are the primary reasons why seniors can't prevent a fall. You're probably asking why the body would do this? The major reason is because of the Use It of Lose It Principle. If you're not giving your body a reason to keep it, it will get rid of it. Your body's only goal is survival, unfortunately by keeping something that it is not using (fast twitch fibers) it puts a burden on the system. The body being smart as it is notices that and will get rid of the fast twitch fibers especially since there are other muscles that can perform the same task. Most current senior fitness programs are teaching exactly what we don't want the body to do. Great program, right? Have you ever seen a senior citizen walk? The ones I see drag their foot on the ground, shuffle walking for lack of a better term. They don't have the power or strength to just pick up their foot and put one in front of the other. Their accomplishing the goal of mobility, but it is very inefficient. That is not the way to live. It takes more time to perform a simple task. The only way to keep power and maintain these muscles is by training fast. I'm not saying go out there and start jumping on top of boxes now. You still need to progress to that level of training. However, I am saying that you can incorporate speed in low level, low impact activities. One of my favorite exercises for senior citizens is to stand up on your toes as fast as you can for multiple reps. That is a great exercise, but yet very safe, to keep the fast twitch fibers in your lower extremities particularly in the calf region. One for the upper body is to face a wall and lean against it. Putting your hands right beside your armpits push off the wall as hard as you can and repeat. This helps teach the upper body how to move fast just in case you slip and you need to grab something very fast to prevent the fall from occurring. There are many others, but use your imagination and more importantly common sense.
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I hope I have shed some light on the current models of senior fitness programs and their inability to address the needs of the seniors participating in the programs. Remember exercising just to exercise and move (current exercise model) is a waste of time and energy. However, training with an intended outcome or purpose (maintaining strength and power) serves you much better in the long run.
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response your body will have with heavy weight training. Hence, the reason why lifting heavy has to be a component of any fitness program where the goal is to get muscle tone. I hope this gets your mind thinking a little bit about all the women's weight training programs out there. It is not my intent to change your mind, but only to have you question what you've been doing already. Through that questioning and more knowledge (me), I hope you get to a point of enlightenment whether we end up at the same conclusion.
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sure you are focusing on using your back muscles to pull your body up, not just your arms. Push-ups work your entire upper body. You can vary the focus of muscle recruitment by the placement of your hands. Lie on your stomach, place the palms of your hands directly under your shoulders, then slide them out to the point where your elbow is at a 90 degree angle. This position will use more chest muscles. For your triceps, keep your palms directly under your shoulders and keep your elbows pointed back towards your feet as you perform the exercise. For more back and shoulder recruitment, start in the upposition with your glutes in the air and slide your hands front for a slight stretch, then roll front as you lower your body, skimming your nose across the floor as you go. As for your shoulders, we definitely want to work the back of them, as those muscles are often neglected. Because they require lighter weights, I incorporate balancing with them. Grab light dumbbells, I suggest 3 pounds until you know just how strong they are and build your balance. Soup cans work well, also. Begin in a T position. Your standing leg should be straight, but the knee should not be locked in hyperextension, it should be slightly bent. Bending at the hip (not the waist) keep you body straight and come down until your upper body is parallel to the floor. Now raise your other leg until it is parallel as well. You are now in a T pose, as your body should resemble a T. Put your hands out to the side with your thumbs facing the ceiling, little fingers facing the floor. After you have that mastered, try it with your hands straight out in front of you, elbows next to your ears. Hold these for up to 30 seconds on each leg. For a little more resistance, grab the dumbbells and do reverse flies while in T pose. Begin with the dumbbells down, hands facing each other as though you are about to clap. Then raise your arm to parallel to the floor, your palms facing down, then back again. Work on completing 15-20 reps on each foot. Strong lower abdominals are a necessity for horseback riding. Lie on you back and pull your knees into your chest. As you press your low back into the floor, notice how it feels. You may place your fingertips at your sides, to confirm that there is no space between your back and the floor. Now, slowly lower your legs, keeping the knees bent. Stop as soon as you feel your back begin to arch off the floor. Your toes should be able to touch the floor. If your back arches prematurely, try keeping one knee bent with the foot flat on the floor, and bring just one leg up and down. You can either do 15-20 reps on the one side before switching, or you can alternate with each rep. It is up to you. These are great performed on the edge of a bed. Your lower back is very important for that prim and proper look. Back hyperextensions are excellent for this. If your gym has a glute ham machine, make good use of it, again up to 50 reps. If not, a therapy ball or bed will work. Lie on the side of the bed with your hip bones just on the edge. It is best to have someone sitting your legs, so as not fall off, or if you can hook your toes onto something for stability, that is great. Relax your body over the edge of the bed and come back up to where your body is parallel to the floor and you are looking down at it. I like using my therapy ball and hooking my heels under the banister to hold me in place. Whatever you use, make sure your bending at the hips and not at the waist.
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Balance is extremely important for the serious horseback rider and can be improved by standing on one foot on uneven ground. Focus your weight on the front of the foot, the back, then each side, holding each position for one minute, then switch legs. Therapy balls and Bozu's are great pieces of equipment for improving balance, but that is a whole other article. If you are one of the lucky ones that have access to an indoor arena, practice yoga on horseback. As a child, my father would never let me advance to the next gait until I mastered my exercises at the current one. Was this an early form of yoga on horseback? You bet!! Please make sure that you have a partner to hold your horse until you both become comfortable in the poses. This is a new feeling for the horse, too! The poses should eventually be performed with your eyes closed, forcing you to feel the horse and become one body of motion. In my experience, low rep strength training is not the most beneficial and can actually hinder your form. Professional riders have confirmed this belief. If you would like to build strength with the lower reps, do so at the beginning of winter, then change to endurance training about six to eight weeks before your regular riding schedule begins. Have fun and please, be patient. It takes work for those of us that were not born with a "natural seat" and perfect balance. RIDE ON FELLOW EQUESTRIANS!
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coach who understands you and provides you with an effective weight loss and exercise program and guidance, motivation, support but most of all, a coach who makes you ACCOUNTABLE. The ONLY thing that works is commitment to a healthy diet and regular exercise. Youve got to burn more calories than you consume simple as that.
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common problem and can lead to neck pain. Place the tongue correctly and prevent neck injury and improve your neck function. 5. Ensure a balance between trunk flexors and extensors Don't over exercise the abdominal muscles (trunks flexors - especially the Rectus Abdominus), relative to the back muscles (trunk extensors). When performing crunch type exercises it is important to use a Swiss ball to promote a balance between trunk flexion and extension. Excessive flexion related exercises can lead to a number of problems including compromised breathing, forward head posture, neck and shoulder pain and dysfunction. Balance your training between trunk flexors and extensors to avoid injury and improve your body's function. 6. Watch your posture while you exercise Exercising your abdominals with poor posture can only lead to muscle imbalance, muscle and joint pain and dysfunction. Maintain a neutral low back curve and postural alignment for most of your abdominal exercises. There are some exceptions to this rule but generally maintaining good posture while you exercise your abdominals is essential for injury prevention and improved function. 7. Only perform abdominal exercises within your stabilization threshold This is measured by your ability to keep your belly button in through the exertion phase of an exercise. Conversely, as your core region gets stronger, challenge yourself to perform abdominal exercises that are more challenging - only to the point that you can stabilize though. Feeling your lower back muscles working more than your abdominal muscles means your abdominal muscles have fatigued and you should stop. Exercise your abdominals only to the point of instability and not over it, will help prevent injury and improve function. References 1. Chek, Paul. (1998) Scientific Back Training, Program Design and Core Conditioning A CHEK Institute Publication. Vista, California, USA. www.paulchekseminars.com 2. Chek, Paul. (1999) CHEK Internship Level 1 A CHEK Institute Publication. Vista, California, USA. www.paulchekseminars.com 3. Chek, Paul. (1999) Movements That Matter A CHEK Institute Publication. Vista, California, USA. www.paulchekseminars.com 4. Chek, Paul (2004) A Six Pack To Die For New Zealand Fitness October/November. Methode Media Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 5. Chek, Paul (2004) How to eat, move and be healthy A CHEK Institute Publication. Vista, California, USA. www.paulchekseminars.com
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COMMON CAUSES OF ANKLE INJURY AND HOW YOU CAN PREVENT A RE-INJURY
By Robert Collier
The following article outlines some common causes of ankle injury and how you can prevent a re-injury of your ankle. Inversion sprains, or inward rolling of the foot, account for about 90% of ankle injuries. Eversion sprains, or outward rolling of the foot, are much rarer. When looking at the prevention of ankle injury, the body needs to be assessed as a whole functional movement system, rather than focusing solely on the area of injury at the ankle. Some Common Causes of Ankle Injury 1. Lack of Transverses Abdominus activation The TVA is the deep abdominal muscle which is vital for stability both passively (for posture) and dynamically (for movement). The TVA has connections to many major muscle groups which in turn are connected to virtually all other muscle groups throughout the body. The importance of correct TVA function is highlighted from the fact that all movement stability starts from this muscle. Therefore, if this muscle is not functioning correctly all other muscle groups will be as stable either. This includes, but is not limited to, the peroneals which are major stabilizers of the ankle joint and very important in the prevention of ankle injury. 2. Poor Proproiception This refers to your ability to be stable on your feet. Being unstable can come from poor muscle control from several areas of the body including the stabilizers of the ankle, knee, hip and core. Having a stable and well balanced body increase your proprioception and reduces the likelihood of ankle injury. 3. Lack of hip flexibility and strength Inadequate hip internal rotation and excessive hip external rotation can predispose a person to inversion ankle sprains. In addition, lack of strength through the hips can lead to improper knee tracking through a weak Posterior Gluteus Medieus (Butt muscle) This can predispose a person to lower limb alignment problems and ultimately ankle injury.
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4. Calf tightness When an individual is required to have more movement through their calf than they currently have available to them, compensation occurs in other areas. This compensation often takes place at the ankle joint leading to ankle injury. Flexible calves are very important to prevention of ankle injury. 5. Foot pronation and supination This is the rolling inward or outward of the foot upon weight bearing. Several factors may cause this including poor gait mechanics as well as hip, calf and other muscle flexibility and strength issues. A podiatrist is the best person to see to ensure your feet are correctly aligned for the prevention of ankle and other injury. 6. Poor footwear Footwear needs to be specific to the individual as well as the purpose it is being used for. The best person qualified to select appropriate footwear are podiatrists and quality shoe shops. Footwear for your specific needs is vital to help prevent ankle injury. How to Prevent a Re-Injury of your Ankle To determine exactly what have been the causes of your past ankle injuries you will need to receive a full biomechanical assessment from a qualified personal trainer. They will be able to help you with the following. 1. To see if your TVA is functioning correctly statically and dynamically. They will be able to show you exercises to help improve the function of this muscle. 2. To assess the stability of the hip muscles (gluteus medius and maximus) and the flexibility of the hips and calves. 3. To perform other biomechanical assessments to determine the balance and function of the body as a whole. 4. To determine whether you have foot pronation or supination issues. Visiting a podiatrist will help improve leg and foot alignment issues as well as determine the suitability of your current footwear. References 1. 1. Chek, Paul. (1998) Scientific Back Training, Program Design and Core Conditioning A CHEK Institute Publication. Vista, California, USA. www.paulchekseminars.com 2. 2. Chek, Paul. (1999) CHEK Internship Level 1 A CHEK Institute Publication. Vista, California, USA. www.paulchekseminars.com
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better than a lot initially and then none at all. Being realistic will make it easier for you to stick with your exercise programme and stay motivated. 7. Use a personal trainer. A personal trainer can help you stay motivated by providing some accountability. A trainer can also correctly assess you and give you exercise programmes that are appropriate for your goals and needs. Periodic assessments provide for a great source of motivation by measuring progress. Changing of your exercise programme on a regular basis also provides variety so you will never get bored of the same exercise routine. However, remember a trainer can only show you the way; they cannot do it for you. You do need to do what is asked of you. The vast majority of people that use a personal trainer stay motivated and achieve results. Implement the above strategies to help you stay motivated with your exercise programme. You will start to enjoy exercise, even look forward to it and enjoy all the benefits that regular exercise provides.
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THE CORE What is it, how does it work and why is it important to connect to your core?
By Robert Collier
what is the core? The core consists of deep muscles located in the trunk that work together to give the spine and pelvis stability. These muscles can control excessive and potentially harmful movements between the vertebrae and in the pelvic joints. In addition, the bladder is supported by fascia and ligaments that connect to the deepest muscles of the core and therefore restoring this function is critical to the long term health of the bladder. How does the core work? In the non-injured, non-painful spine, the core muscles will turn on before your body performs any movement. For example, before you raise your arm to open a cupboard, the core muscles engage to stabilize the spine and pelvis. Thus, the core muscles create a stable base for free flowing and efficient movement of the whole body. Why is it important to "connect" to your core? Several things can affect the proper functioning of your core. These include poor posture, unbalanced exercise/strength training programs, pain, injury and surgery. Research shows that in people with low back pain, the core muscles can turn on too late or not at all. It is as if the brain gets disconnected from the core. This means that the spine is less protected during all positions and movements - resulting in a much higher risk of re-injury and return of low back pain. Research has also shown that the core muscles do not automatically start working properly after your low back pain goes away - your brain can stay "disconnected" even if you feel better. This is why it is important to perform neuromuscular isolation exercises to re-establish proper core function. Your core can be tested to determine if it is functioning correctly. What are some common mistakes when exercising the core? Many people over train the outer and upper abdominals and spend little if any time working on the deep and lower abdominals. The problem with this simply come back to the function of the abdominal muscles. The functions of the deep abdominals (transverses abdominals) are expiration or air, static and dynamic stability. Proper breathing mechanics are vital for optimal physiology and optimal stability is essential for good posture as well as functional movement. The function of the outer abdominals (Rectus Abdominus) is trunk flexion and some gross stability. Therefore, over training of the outer and upper abdominals can contribute to poor breathing mechanics, forward head posture, back, neck and shoulder pain and dysfunction. References
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CHEK, P. 1998. Scientific Core Conditioning San Diego, California, USA. www.checkinstitute.com Jaques, Y. 2004. Connecting to the core course. Vancouver, Canada. www.wellnessworks.ws
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Aging Gracefully. How Training Female Athletes Can Increase Your 'Gray'
By Robert L. Selders, Jr.
Several summers ago, I began working with female athletes (several elite amateurs to be exact) who were preparing for their upcoming season. It happened during one of our morning speed sessions. Okay, before totally disregarding this article and then passing me off as some horrible male chauvinist, just hear me out for 2 minutes. We had just completed our third 40-yard sprint when I looked over at one of my more well-conditioned athletes. She had her hands on her knees and her back was turned to me. Being that we were on our third sprint I found it odd that she'd be totally exhausted, but I thought 'Okay, maybe she's just a little winded. So I asked 'How ya feeling'? Now, I was expecting to hear something like 'I'm good, let's keep going.' or maybe even 'This is kicking my butt!' What I got was something that none of my coaching experiences had ever prepared me for. She turned around and was crying uncontrollably! My heart just sank. I've completely screwed something up I thought. Maybe I didn't allow for enough recovery time, maybe I pushed too hard on the first few sprints thoughts were going through my head a million miles a millisecond and I was wracking my brain trying to figure out what was going on. Luckily for me I had other female athletes there who 'rescued' my athlete (and me) from a potentially horrific experience. It turns out she had a family issue that was stressing her beyond belief; and the combination of the sprints with my 'How ya feeling'? question was enough to cause this emotional release. Alright, I'll admit it, I didn't have a clue, but I think I did recover rather well in spite of my ignorance. I stopped the session and had the other athletes go grab a drink while she and I talked a bit. In no time at all, the flood dried up and she was laughing again. We resumed the training session a few minutes later and ended up having one of the most productive sessions that summer. Fast forward a few months later, I was reading an article about training athletes and the author stated that there's no reason to coach or train male and female athletes differently. Hmmm! Given my recent experience, I begged to differ. 'Should you coach female athletes differently than male'? was once a question, while privately discussed amongst coaches, was rarely openly debated. Probably in large part because many feared they would be viewed as suggesting that female athletes were less
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competitive than their male counterparts. However, this is an assumption which has largely been disproved over and over again and can be put aside to address a legitimate concern. Today, the question is asked more openly and research supports the conclusion that female athletes should indeed be coached and trained differently than males. The question is logically rooted in what motivates a female athlete who is in fact different from a male athlete. While male athletes, as a group, tend to be more extrinsic or externally motivated, female athletes are influence more by intrinsic or internal rationales. Given this piece of information, it would only prove logical that a coach or trainer would use a more appropriate approach based on internally-focused motivations. Whether you are a female or a male coach or trainer, you need to learn how to recognize the specific needs of your athletes and develop a precise understanding of the unique perspectives that female athletes have. For some who have not worked regularly or often with female athletes, this can prove challenging. However, your comprehension is essential to assisting those athletes so that they become great athletes at the top of their sport. Female athletes, as well as female sports, have evolved tremendously over the last one hundred years. Female athletes are stronger, faster and more athletic than ever before. They take as much pride in their abilities as their male counterparts, and rightly so. Therefore, as coaches and trainers, we should also afford them that higher level of respect reserved for these abilities. Not only is it the right thing to do, but is what female athletes strive for and expect. Some have often questioned the female athlete's commitment to their sport. This comes largely from an old-school mindset that suggests achieving a winning outcome should be the one and only goal. Female athletes may not be as focused on the final winning outcome as their male counterpart, and instead prefer to concentrate on becoming more physically fit and having fun, but that does not translate into a lack of commitment or dedication to their sport. Studies have repeatedly shown that female athletes prefer a friendly and more respectful atmosphere in which to train. They prefer a high level of camaraderie among players and between coaches and athletes which contributes to creating a family-oriented team environment which effectively meet the needs of each of its players. Female athletes prefer coaches who show warmth, empathy and a sense of humor. While they would like to form a stronger bond with their coach, they do draw a line at showing favoritism toward any one player. Female athletes are unwilling to blindly follow a directive without knowing what the 'why' is behind that directive. Now being the father of two, soon to be three, budding female athletes (5 year-old, 2 year-old, and a third due to arrive very soon), I can certainly relate.
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Female athletes want and respond to clear and positive feedback and expect their ideas and suggestions to be acknowledged and heard. Coaches or trainers who negatively criticize, scream, and yell are likely to have a harmful impact on a female athlete's selfperception. The all too common coaching approach of being quick to criticize, but slow to commend will not go over well with the majority of female athletes. Remember that your role as a coach and/or trainer is not just pivotal, but powerful. Dr. Harvey Schiller, Former Executive Director, U.S. Olympic Committee summed it up best, 'Always remember the tremendous power you have as a coach to help another human being maximize their potential; pursue this awesome responsibility daily with intensity and integrity.' 'Gray matter' is usually synonymous with intellect or high level brain function. As a male coach, when you take the time to understand what your female athletes are dealing with and make the necessary adjustments when/if warranted, it helps to build a better working relationship, more trust, and an environment conducive for high achievement. And because you're able to help your athletes obtain mind-blowing performance results, you are perceived to be wise beyond your years and quickly become the coach athletes tear down your door to work with. Okay, so the 'increase your gray' is a stretch, but you get my point! A few years have passed since that time and I've worked with a number of female athletes and teams with very successful outcomes. Appreciating the differences between female and male athletes does not mean that you must provide them with special consideration or accommodation. It simply means that you need to find and embrace an approach that works best for achieving the results that both you and your athletes expect. You owe it to yourself and to your athletes.
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detailed training plan. He/she probably won't have the ego, won't have the flock of hero worshippers around them. Most of all, when taking information from any other gym use always use this motto. Trainee Beware!
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in your life. Enhance the things that motivate you. Eliminate those things which bring you down. Whether that's people, self doubt etc..just eliminate them from your life! That may sound harsh, but I ask , how badly do you want it? Do you want to lose 3 dress sizes in 3 months? I urge you to start today. Right now, wherever you are , whatever you are doing. Believe in yourself, and start maximizing your potential!
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The alternative? Variety. Continuous variety. For people who have trained for more than 6months to a year, no 2 workouts should be the same. Exercise choices, order of exercises and application (speed, cadence, load) should all be varied. That way, when you do come back to perform you old routine, you will find you have pushed passed the barriers! and reached a new level! For some new tricks on how to vary routines, and how to implement cyclical methods for unreal progress, contact me for information!
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vessels, healthy arterial walls, a good pair of lungs, and most of all a strong and steady heart. So a good cardio fitness program will challenge and improve the function of the cardiovascular system. This will allow you to improve in many areas. Although these are great benefits, Ive got to believe that unless youre a recovering heart attack patient or competing in the Tour de France, your main goal is not arterial elasticity or better oxygen transport. Right? The truth is people are doing cardio for one main thing. They hope it will shrink their waistline, butt, arms, and thighs. I say hope because that is what it is. Its not a guaranteed fat loss procedure. If you do it right it can do wonders. Dont get me wrong here. Ive just got to really hammer this one home. Cardio fitness is crucial. But, its doomed to fail you if this is the only tool you use. Ok, enough of the soapbox. When is cardio fitness appropriate? Cardio is very useful for a full body warm-up, to get the body ready for more intense exercise. It may be a good warm up for an intense cardio session or working with weights. A great warm up is light and usually needs to last between 12-15 minutes. I have all my clients warm-up 15 minutes before every workout. This helps to decrease the risk of injury, speeds recovery, and improves their aerobic capacity in the workout. In other words cardio improves your weight training without even touching the weights because you become a more efficient body. Cardio can also be used as interval training with weights. This offsets the resistance training on targeted muscles with full body aerobic movement. I usually will perform cardio two times in the middle of a full body resistance training routine. This allows me to keep my heat rate up and really challenge the full body. This is one of the toughest workouts ever completed. Cardio can also be done post resistance training. Ive seen clients really drop fat weight and burn a lot of extra calories by performing cardio post workout. Youve already turned up the metabolism with the weights and now you can really add power to the punch. Another great and very respected way of performing cardio is by doing short, moderate to high intensity cardio sessions on opposite weight training days. For example, if you lift weight M, W, F, then you would perform your cardio sessions on opposing days such as T,Th,S. This allows the body to fully recover and burn some serious calories quickly. The goal is moderate to high intensity for about 12-20 minutes. This should be challenging. What cardio fitness routine should I use? There are lots of good cardio routines out there. But, the truth is you can make cardio fitness simple or complicated. Cardio fitness is anytime you move your body in a
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rhythmic motion for a steady length of time. This movement requires oxygen. Heres the kicker, fat is burned when oxygen is present. This would be what I call an aerobic state. You are in an aerobic state about 95% of your day. So, remember that cardio is aerobic. When you do aerobics, you use oxygen to deliver energy to your muscles and the energy that you burn in an aerobic state is fat! So, strap on your running shoes or and get to walking, jogging, or biking outdoors. You can also hit the treadmill, elliptical, or stationary bike. Choose whichever you prefer. It doesnt matter. Just get in an aerobic state. This is what true cardio fitness is all about. Just getting your heart rate up.
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"Get Lean & Fit With a Mini-Circuit Fitness Program: A Personal Trainer Shares One of Her Favorite Time-Saving, Results Generating Workouts!"
By Roxayn Daniels
Are you looking for some new ideas for your fitness program? You may have heard that it is important to frequently change up your workout program including exercises used, target repetitions, training splits etc. I am going to share with you one of my favorite workout programs that I find gives me great results in minimum time! It burns tons of fat and calories, keeps your heart rate up (so you get considerable cardio benefit too), and also can build strength and endurance. This fitness program may be a nice change of pace for you and can be used by beginner, intermediate, or advanced trainers with a few minor variations. This particular fitness program is perfect for an endurance or body fat loss phase. Im not a big fan of traditional circuit style training (going through a big circuit consisting of different strength training stations often with cardio stations in between). This is OK for beginners who are trying to break into weight training slowly and improve endurance, but it isnt effective for building much muscle or strength. Theres simply too much rest between sets for any particular muscle group and the cardio between ensures that you wont be able to lift as heavy as you otherwise might. However, I have put together a variation on circuit style training that uses mini-circuits instead of one giant circuit. Each mini-circuit consists of only three exercises. The idea is to complete a set of each exercise without resting, take a one minute rest/stretch break if needed, and then repeat the combination two more times. This mini-circuit fitness training program gives you the best of both worlds. As with traditional circuit style training, it will keep your heart rate up, improve endurance, and burn lots of calories. But by sticking with only three exercises at a time, you bump up the overall intensity a notch by having less recovery time between sets for a particular muscle group. Try this program and Im sure youll agree that it is an interesting, time-saving workout that provides a nice balance between strength, fat burning, and cardiovascular fitness. This full-body strength training program takes about 45 minutes and can be completed three times a week leaving 1-2 recovery or cardio days in between. Always listen to your body and take an extra rest day when you feel you need it. Beginners and those with a lower fitness level can use this program with the following modifications:
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The first week, complete each mini-circuit only once. The following week complete each mini-circuit two times. When you feel ready, go for the full workout and complete each mini-circuit three times. Keep the weights relatively light and the reps high (15-20 reps). At first, rest as needed, even if it is between every exercise. Gradually decrease length and number of rest periods until you can complete the mini-circuits with a minimum of rest. Intermediate to Advanced Trainers: Although this full body workout obviously wont build as much size and strength as some other weight training programs, you will find this a nice change of pace during an endurance or body fat loss phase. Depending upon your goals, your target reps may be 10-15 or even 15-20. You may even choose to alternate a lower rep workout with a higher rep day. Substitute exercises for variety. GET LEAN & FIT WITH MINI-CIRCUIT TRAINING Repeat each mini-circuit 2-3 times with brief rest breaks taken only when necessary. Target reps for beginners: 15-20 reps Intermediate to Advanced: 10-15 or 15-20 reps COMBINATION ONE: BACK-CHEST-LEGS 1. Seated cable row / or one-arm dumbbell row 2. Incline or flat bench dumbbell press / or push-ups 3. Squats Perform target reps of each exercise and do the circuit 3 X resting briefly between minicircuits only when needed. COMBINATION TWO: BACK SHOULDERS LEGS 1. Lat pulldowns / or assisted or bodyweight pull-ups 2. Dumbbell shoulder press / or upright rows 3. Walking lunges (beginners can substitute leg press machine) Perform target reps of each exercise and do the circuit 3 X resting briefly between minicircuits only when needed. COMBINATION THREE: BICEPS TRICEPS LEGS 1. Seated dumbbell curls / or barbell curls 2. Tricep pressdowns (with bar or rope) / dips / or close grip push-ups 3. Regular Deadlifts (for intermediate or advanced) / or step-ups Perform target reps of each exercise and do the circuit 3 X resting briefly between minicircuits only when needed. COMBINATION FOUR: ABS LOWER BACK 1. curl-ups on floor, ball, or decline bench (straight on then with a twist)/ ab machine or rope crunches 2. plank plus side plank 3. hanging leg raises / or reverse crunches 4. back extensions (on floor or on back extension apparatus) Perform 15-20 reps of each exercise (except for plank and side plank - hold position for
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as long as you can). Rest briefly between exercises when needed and for 1-2 minutes between mini-circuits. Note: Don't know how to do some of these exercises? No problem. These are all basic weight training exercises that you will be able to find in most strength training manuals. Or print this program and bring it to a weight training instructor at your local fitness facility for technique demonstration. Enjoy the workout!
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"Post-Pregnancy Fitness: A Personal Trainer and Mother of Two Provides 6 Tips to Help You Get Started on an Incredible PostPregnancy Transformation"
By Roxayn Daniels
Although pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding can certainly take a toll on your body, a good post pregnancy fitness and nutrition program can help you get back in shape after baby. Is it possible to get my former body back? is a question I hear often from women who are surprised at the condition of their body after pregnancy. Believe me, I was one of the surprised ones! After being fairly careful about what I was eating throughout my first pregnancy and continuing to exercise moderately right up to my delivery date, my body weight was already the same as my pre-pregnancy weight only a few weeks after delivery. I thought slipping into my favorite jeans again would be a cinch, until the first time I tried and they wouldnt budge past my knees! Although my weight hadnt changed, my body composition certainly had. I had lost a lot of muscle and gained body fat. The combination of a scaled down weight training program and those darn pregnancy hormones had taken its toll. Although it certainly didnt happen overnight, I did get my body back and in fact, it was better than ever at 38 years old and within a year after my second baby. You can do it too if you are prepared to do a little work and set up your lifestyle for success. Here are SIX quick tips from a personal trainer to help with your post-pregnancy transformation: 1. Take Your Time! I am always suspicious when I see women who are back in ideal shape within a month or two after baby. The first few months with baby are very special and extremely exhausting! Between constant breastfeeding, sleepless nights, and a much busier lifestyle, I personally had little extra time or energy to get back to my regular workout program for months after baby came into my life. In the meantime, I did what I could to stay active mostly going for walks with baby. 2. Have Realistic Expectations. Lets face it. Pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding is hard on a body! It can certainly cause some irreversible changes such as stretch marks and some saggy skin and body parts here and there. Yet somehow baby makes it all so worth it! Heres what you need to keep in mind though - many women get in the best shape of their lives after having a baby. There is no reason you cant become optimally fit, healthy, and energetic despite the changes your body may have undergone. 3. Use being busy to your advantage. Your first few years of being a mommy will
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involve a whirlwind of activities and responsibilities. With a lack of time, some women resort to fast food and processed snacks but this will only work against you. Since theres not much time to live to eat why not eat to live and go for maximum nutrition? Superfoods like green drinks (ask at a health food store if you dont know what this is!) and protein shakes provide you with maximum nutrition and energy with minimum calories and preparation time. For other quick snacks on the run try natures fast food such as a handful of raw nuts and seeds or a piece of fresh fruit, An organic low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese sprinkled with muesli, or a raw food energy bar are also quick and easy. A consultation with a nutritionist to fine-tune your nutrition program and give you more snack and meal ideas is a great investment. 4. Smart Women Do Dumbbells! Weight training whether done at home or at the gym is one of the most time efficient ways to achieve your best body. Just two or three 20-30 minute sessions per week can create very worthwhile results. Even a few sets of bodyweight exercises such as push-ups, dips, sit-ups, squats and lunges performed at home when you have a few free minutes during your day will make a noticeable difference. Not only does strength training burn plenty of calories and boost your metabolism for hours after your training session, but it builds muscle. And muscles are your fat burning engines! Each pound of muscle you add to your body will burn about an extra 50 calories per day. That means your metabolism will be higher even when youre sitting on the couch! Adding 5 pounds of muscle for example, wont make you look big and muscular, but it may give you some beautiful athletic curves and burn an extra 250 calories every day. And the best part? Being stronger will enable you to carry baby in one arm and 4 bags of groceries in the other! Train for life. 5. Include your children in an active lifestyle. A jogging stroller, baby back pack, wagon, and chariot or baby seat for the bike are invaluable investments for the first few years. I have all of these items and because they are fairly expensive to purchase new, have found most of these things second hand or at garage sales. Many years ago, I used to race bikes now I do interval training (sprints) or hill repeats on my mountain bike with my youngest child sitting on the back. My son loves it and Im sure people witnessing our creative exercise session are entertained as well. Both my daughter (12) and my son (now 3) love to be included in outdoor exercise sessions, whether its "mommy bootcamp" at the track, a forest workout, stair climbing at the beach, or scooter races. I have found creative ways to involve them in workouts and keep it fun for everyone. Good luck in your postpregnancy transformation and remember that you can feel and look great again. In the process, you will discover that being a good role model for a healthy fitness lifestyle and teaching your children by example how to take care of yourself body, mind, and spirit is truly one of the most valuable gifts you can give them.
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"Weight Training Advice for Women: How to Avoid 5 Very Common Mistakes Women Make in the Gym and Get Optimal Results in Minimum from Your Strength Training Program"
By Roxayn Daniels
More and more women are discovering the many benefits of weight training. Looking back about 20 years, Im very thankful for the day that, out of curiosity, I picked up a womens bodybuilding magazine off the grocery store shelf. To be honest, I was amazed at what I saw in those pages. At the time, I was an international level cyclist and had been struggling with body image and serious eating disorders for years. I thought thin was beautiful, anything else was not. As I flipped through the magazine and saw some of the early female bodybuilders (this was during the pre-steroid era when women bodybuilders actually looked like women!) I was drawn to the beautiful, strong, athletic and yet still feminine physiques. I joined the gym that same day and have never looked back! Weight training helped me overcome eating disorders, create a strong, fit, healthy body that I love, and ultimately changed my career path. Dont doubt that strength training can also change your body and your life! Are you currently on a good weight training program? Whether youve just started out with strength training and want to make sure you get maximum ROI (return on investment) for your time spent, or have been exercising for years but suspect that you could be getting even better results, I would like to share with you the 5 extremely common mistakes that I see women making in the gym along with some related tips that will pump up your workouts and your results. 1. Being Afraid of Building Muscle! Its silly but its true. Many women are afraid of building muscle. I cant tell you how many times I have met with a new client and have heard something like, I want to lose weight but I dont want to build muscle or anything like that. I just smile to myself knowing from experience that once a woman experiences the incredible benefits of strength training and notices the ways it reshapes her body, changes her posture, allows her to eat more while maintaining a leaner body, and makes her stronger for everyday activities of life, she will begin to love weight training as much as I do! Its empowering I tell you. Not everyone can be skinny but why would you aspire to be simply skinny anyways when you could be fit, lean, athletic, strong, and healthy!
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Fit and strong is truly beautiful and it is something every woman can achieve. 2. Attempting to Tone With Light, High-Rep Sets. In three words. It doesnt work. Rather than endless reps with Barbie weights, get some real muscle tone using weights that challenge you. If youre just beginning a weight training program, or have taken some time off, of course you should start slow and easy. But over the weeks you should begin to challenge yourself more. Once you can complete your target number of repetitions with a weight its time to increase the weight. One of the best ways to track your progress is to keep a training diary in which you record your workouts including exercises, weight used, and repetitions. You should notice a significant increase in strength over time. (No you wont get huge! Very few women have the amount of testosterone needed to build significant amounts of muscle. You will get surprisingly strong though. And you will get lean and shapely!) 3. Doing the Same Exercises and Following the Same Training Program for Too Long Ever wonder about those people you see in the gym year after year who never seem to make any progress? Usually those are the people who either aren't on a good nutrition program and/or do the same exercises and follow the same workout strategies month after month. To get great results and avoid plateaus, you should change up your training program at the very least every 6-8 weeks because once your body adapts to a training program or certain exercises, your progress stalls. A good personal trainer can help you develop a long-term plan for your fitness program. Over the course of a year, you should progress through a variety of training cycles. This is called "periodization" and involves changing exercises, training volume, target repetitions and other training variables. 4. Too Much Time Spent Doing Cardio When I only have time for a couple short workouts during the week you will definitely find me hitting the weights rather than on the treadmill. Heres why...
There is no activity that can boost your metabolism 24 hours a day to the degree that weight training can. Add just 5 pounds of muscle and you will burn an additional 250 calories a day, even on days you dont exercise! Add that up over a week and over a month and youll see why strength training is crucial if your goal is to maintain a lean, fit body.
If training properly with some intensity you can work your heart and lungs and get some great cardiovascular benefit at the same time.
Too much cardio can actually burn off hard earned muscle.
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In many cases, women need to place more emphasis on weight training, and less on cardio. Dont get me wrong ladies...cardio is an important component of any well balanced fitness program. But rather than spending too much valuable time doing long cardio sessions, its even more effective to bump up the intensity a notch and do just a few short 20 minutes interval training sessions each week. If you feel you need to spend hours every week doing cardio, its likely that your diet is not right. Which brings us to our next point 5. Not Eating Properly As I discovered in my early strength training years, you simply wont get the results youre looking for if youre not eating right! Your diet has to be on track if your goals are to build a little muscle, have optimal energy, recover quickly from workouts, and burn excess body fat. For example, what happens if you miss your window of opportunity after training and dont eat any protein? Not very much! Most common diet related mistakes I see with women? Not enough protein. Too many processed carbohydrates. Nutrient deficiencies. Skipping meals and not eating small, frequent meals throughout the day. And eating too few calories and in doing so, causing metabolism to slow and your body to hoard body fat! If you want to receive your best results, you will have to put as much time and effort into your nutrition as you do into your training! Dont be mistaken, your diet is up to 80% responsible for the visible results you will notice from your fitness training program. So there you have it. While I have gone through many different fitness activity phases over the years - rowing, tennis, jogging, mountain biking, cross country skiing etc.weight training is the one activity that has stuck with me. I will always do dumbbells because done properly, there is simply no other exercise that can dramatically re-shape and condition your body to the same degree and in as little time as weight training!
need to take is a multivitamin/mineral 2 -3 times a day. Secondly, it we are missing out on Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's). EFA's help with absorption of fat soluble vitamins and minerals, as well as aid in the production of healthy hair, skin, and nail cells. Third on the list of most important is your meal replacement or more commonly known as your protein shake. This is 1, 2, or sometimes 3 of my meals a day. Meal Replacements make a great breakfast, are perfect for that post workout meal, and can be taken any other time you are getting hungry and don't have time to sit and eat. Of course there are other supplements out there that help with muscle gain and body fat loss too. Unfortunately there are tons of supplements and supplement companies out there, so which ones work and who do you trust. I trust the professionals. I use Prograde products, which are the choices of the top fitness and wellness experts in the industry. You can find these products and more at https://lagunabeachfitness.getprograde.com. 3. Resistance Training - Resistance training is performed using machines, weights, bands, or your own bodyweight. The goal of resistance training is to build and maintain muscle or lean body mass by overloading the muscles so they grow stronger. This is turn will increase your metabolism, which means you'll burn more calories and fat all day long. Other benefits of resistance training include; increased bone density, increased lean body mass, increased strength, improved posture (when you perform exercises correctly), increases energy, reduces stress and depression. Make sure you are doing resistance training at least three days a week for 30 - 45 minutes per workout, with a day of rest in between. Resting in between allows your muscles to repair and recover from the previous workout, which is another reason why nutrition is so important. You need to give your body the nutrients and materials it needs to recover from your workouts, and it especially important to take a meal replacement within 30 minutes after your workout for optimal workout recover. Also, be sure to change your workout routine every 4 weeks so that your body doesn't adapt and you end up at a plateau. 4. Cardiovascular Training - Cardio respiratory exercise or aerobic activity involves the function of the heart, lungs, and circulatory system. The goal here is to increase oxygen uptake and enhance the rate at which your body burns calories. Remember, cardio only enhances the rate at which your body burns calories while you are doing cardio, once you stop, your metabolism goes back to normal. This is why resistance training is so important, because resistance training increases your metabolism all day long, not just while you are exercising. I believe cardio is done most effectively following the FITTE principle. F - Frequency is the number of times you perform cardio in one week. Cardio is done a minimum of three times a week with no more than 2 days rest in between cardio sessions. I Intensity describes the speed and/or resistance of the workout. Measure your intensity by monitoring your heart rate. The higher your heart rate, the more intense the workout is. Start off in zone 1 (50 65%) of your heart rate maximum. (HRM) Heart Rate Maximum is determined by 220-Age=HRM. If you can carry on a conversation in zone 1, then progress to zone 2 (65 - 80% of HRM). Once you are comfortable in zone 2, then move into zone 3 (80-100% of HRM), but only stay here for a short time and then return to zone 2. Doing intervals is a great way to build up your ability to do longer and more intense bouts of cardio. T Time is the length of time the exercises is performed, not including warm-up and
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cool down. Start with 20 - 30 minutes per cardio session. As you improve, you can increase the time and intensity of the workout sessions. T - Type refers to the activity or exercise you are using. This includes walking, running, biking, hiking, swimming, jump rope, etc. Change your cardio exercise every 3 - 4 weeks for variety and to keep your body stimulated. E - Entertainment is what keeps us moving and takes our focus off the clock. Watch TV, listen to your favorite music or I prefer audio books and programs. You can also change the setting. Do cardio exercises at the park or at the beach. Cardio doesn't mean being stuck on the treadmill, bike, or elliptical for an hour. Make it as enjoyable as possible, this will keep you motivated. Another thing you can do is challenge yourself. Start off with 1 - 3 mile run/walk. Next session, try to beat your time, or you can try to cover a greater distance in a set amount of time. Just have fun with it and challenge yourself by setting new goals each week and each month. 5. Professional/Personal Assistance - Professional/Personal assistance is what keeps you on track and helps prevent overtraining and injuries. When my car breaks down, I take it to a mechanic. When I have legal questions I see a lawyer. When I am really sick, I see a doctor. I'm not the expert or professional in these fields, so it just makes sense to seek the help and assistance of the professionals. A personal trainer will customize a workout program tailored to your specific needs, goals, and abilities. Don't go for the gold right from the beginning. If you haven't worked out for awhile, don't expect to be able to do what you used to or did back in high school. A professional will help you build up your fitness level and progressively increase the intensity of your program as you change and adapt. So, how do you measure up? Are you following all five steps of fitness success, or are there a few holes in your current program. If you aren't sure what to do, or are stuck at a plateau, then find a qualified professional that you trust. Anything is possible will you put your mind to it, and you are ready to take the necessary actions to make a change. Here's to your health and good luck with your workouts!
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1000 - 1500mg of Calcium per day 600mcg of Folic Acid (folate) per day At least 3 Liters of water of 13 cups of water per day
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privacy of their own homes. If you have decided to hire a trainer at your gym or health club, spend a couple of weeks watching all of the trainers with their clients. Are they paying attention? Do their clients look like they are enjoying the experience? Do the trainers look, act, and sound professional? Once you have watched all of the trainers, narrow your search down to your top two or three choices. Find out what their qualifications are, and also ask if they are accepting new clients or when they are available. If you have decided to have a personal trainer come to your home, ask what his/her qualifications are, and ask for proof of professional liability insurance. You will then need to find out what equipment you need to buy, or if the trainer will be bringing equipment to you. Most importantly, no matter where you decide to do your training, ask for references from past clients. Ask to speak with people with goals similar to yours, and find out what kind of results they achieved while working with your prospective trainer. When you decide which trainer you would like to work with, inquire about rates, cancellation policies, and scheduling. Finally, please get started immediately on your program. Once you have decided on your trainer and all of the details of where and when you will be exercising, do not wait to get started. The best time to start an exercise program is right now because right now you are motivated, your goals have been established, and you have found the right person to help you achieve your best results.
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If you have tried running and need an extra challenge, try running up and down the stairs in your house or at a neighborhood school. Running on stairs will not only challenge your cardiovascular system, it will also help tone your legs and glutes. Try running up the stairs one at a time, then try two at a time for more intensity. You may also use stairs as a platform for lunges. Try lunging with your back foot elevated on a step behind you and your front foot on the floor. For an upper body challenge, try doing incline push ups with your feet on the floor and your hands on the steps above you. 4. Load Your MP3 Player With Motivating Music If you struggle with boredom, try exercising to your favorite music. Make several play lists for your MP3 player, and use a different list each time you exercise. If you are shopping for an MP3 player, consider an iPod. iPod is the most popular MP3 player, and the iTunes program (a free program that you can download onto your computer) gives you the option of downloading your favorite songs or using already designed play lists. Also, check out www.podfitness.com. This is a relatively new concept where you pay a monthly membership fee and gain access to thousands of exercise routines made by personal trainers, group exercise instructors, and other fitness experts. 5. Try Exercise Videos/DVD's Exercise videos/DVDs are a helpful tool for your at home exercise program because they give you the option of exercising at home with an instructor, and you can learn at your own pace. Exercise videos/DVDs are available in many different formats and intensity levels, and there are enough different types of workouts to keep you busy for a long time if you decide that this is the best form of exercise for you. You can find exercise videos/DVDs at bookstores, big chain retail stores (Target, Fred Meyer, etc.), sporting good stores, libraries, or do an internet search to find websites where you may shop for and order the video/DVD format of your choice. 6. Try a New Sport or Recreational Activity How often do you go home from work and skip your workout because you are too tired? Maybe you need a fun new activity to keep you interested in exercise. Some examples of fun sports to try are tennis, basketball, golf, swimming, rowing, hiking, and the list goes on. If you haven't played a particular sport but you want to try it, consider taking lessons or join a team of other recreational athletes. Sometimes finding a group of people with similar interests is the best way to stay active, and you will have fewer excuses to skip your new activity when you have scheduled lessons or meetings with your team. 7. Ride Your Bike (or Walk) to Work or to Other Activities
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Try riding your bike to work one day every week. If your place of work is too far to bike, try biking to your after work or weekend activities. Biking instead of driving is a simple way to burn calories, and once you are in the habit of biking, you will likely bike more and drive less. If you have no interest in biking, try walking instead. If you live too far from your job to walk, bring your walking shoes and walk for 30 minutes outside during your lunch break. Once walking becomes easy, change your walk to a jog. 8. Invest in a Pedometer and Walk 10,000 Steps Every Day Using a pedometer to measure how many steps you take each day is probably the simplest way to add fitness to your daily routine. Did you know that 10,000 steps equals about five miles? Five miles! All you need to do is wear a pedometer, and at the end of the day make sure you walked 10,000 steps. A pedometer is a very small device, usually worn on the hip. A pedometer will cost you between $10 and $20, and you can find one at your local sporting goods store. Now that you have 7 new exercise ideas that do not require going to a gym, try putting one or more of them to use. Incorporating these tips into your routine is a simple way to get fit and have fun in the process. Enjoy!
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It is extremely important to understand that only strength training is capable of preventing age-related muscle loss. No other form of fitness, exercise or physical activity is adequate. Even very high levels of aerobic activity fail to stop muscle loss. An active lifestyle is not enough; however, becoming stronger will help you remain active for your entire life. Strengthening your muscles requires only one or two thirty-minute training sessions per week. A small investment of time and effort can pay huge dividends. Slow, controlled loading of your muscles with adequate resistance can rapidly rebuild strength and help you regain youthful vitality. Strength training is the real fountain of youth.
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assure you without an ounce of doubt, that the person with 15% body fat will have a more defined, lean, and slender physique than the person with 35% body fat, even though the scale says they weigh the same. This is why using the scale as your primary means of measuring progress is misleading. The scale doesnt differentiate between fat and lean muscle. The bottom line ladies, is that youll not bulk up by lifting weights. Any woman whos interested in losing fat, sculpting her body and transforming her physique must weight train and in fact, it should make up a significant portion of your exercise regimen.
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500 to 1,000 calories per day. (500 x 7 = 3,500 or 1 lb, 1,000 x 7 = 7,000 or 2 lbs) You can do this by eating 500 to 1,000 calories less per day, but that's very difficult to do and chances are you'll be starving every day. On the other hand, it's more tolerable and effective to decrease your food intake by 250 to 500 calories per day as well as burning an additional 250 to 500 calories via exercise each day. So what kind of exercise should you do? You should combine aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise includes activities like running, stair climbing, dancing, biking and swimming. Essentially any exercise that makes you sweat. Anaerobic exercise includes activities such as weight training, sprinting or any short duration, intensive exercise that makes your muscles "burn." Aerobic exercise burns calories and fat in the short term and anaerobic weight training burns fat in the long term by significantly turbo charging the metabolism. The most effective exercise program and the one that will yield permanent results is one that combines both aerobic exercise and weight training.
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Some people enjoy group fitness classes or fitness boot camps. These can be especially fun if you get a few of your friends to do them with you. The other thing that's great about these types of activities is that you usually have to pay for the entire thing up front. This ensures that you'll continue to show up for the classes unless you like throwing your money away. Group classes also provide a fair amount of variety in the types of exercises you do. You might get to experience a few exercises that inspire you to continue on your own or in another class. If you're single, you may even meet someone that you connect with. There's nothing sexier than a body drenched in sweat, right? (or not) You'll never know unless you give it a try. If your free time consists of watching television, snacking, taking naps, playing video games, or any other number of non-active things, you probably don't lead a very exciting life. Let's be honest, it's much easier to sit around and do nothing than it is to take action, but action feels so much better. Beginning a fun exercise program can provide you with improved health, more energy, more friends, invitations to more social gatherings, more quality time with your family, and an overall brighter outlook on life. You might even have some fun doing it. So call a friend or get your family together and start having some fun today.
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training is not for beginners. Always consult a qualified trainer or your doctor before beginning this type of exercise. Another potential problem is the type of exercise. Your ab muscles are just like any other muscle in your body. When you work them hard they get bigger. You might actually find that if you perform ab exercises using a high resistance and a low number of reps, your waistline may increase. That might be okay for you if you already have a six pack, but if you still have that layer of fat covering them it can be very discouraging. You need to perform exercises that allow you to do at least 10 or 12 reps. This will strengthen your muscles and shape them for the day when they may actually be seen. If exposing your six pack was easy, almost everyone would have one. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication just like anything else that's important to you. You've got to understand that you don't need a six pack to be in great shape. If you follow a healthy diet and participate in resistance and aerobic training on a regular basis you're probably very fit. On the other hand, if having a great looking set of abs is something that's important to you and your DNA allows it, you have to be willing to put in that extra effort. Anyone that has a great looking six pack also has a very low percentage of body fat. This is not an easy thing to accomplish. A combination of the right food and the right exercise plan should allow you to reach your goals as long as you remain dedicated to it. A qualified personal trainer should be able to set you up and get you on the way to the body you want. The bottom line is this, the recipe for a six pack is dedication, proper nutrition, the correct types of exercises with adequate frequency, low body fat percentage, and cooperative DNA. Is it worth the effort? That's a question you have to answer for yourself. As for me, I've come to realize that being in great shape and being able to keep up with guys half my age (I'm 42) is enough. The information I've listed is based on my own personal experience with myself and my clients and on the many articles I've read form various sources. You can find a wide variety of opinions out there, you just have to sift through the material. Base your own conclusions on where the information comes from and your own experiences. The science of fitness is always evolving. Remember, the only way to show your six pack is by having a very low percentage of body fat. Are you up for the challenge?
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that have helped me make the necessary changes in my life to move me toward success. Change your focus. In order to change your habits you need to change the things you focus on. Instead of thinking about all of the reasons you can't start a fitness program right now you need to start thinking about all of the ways that not being fit is affecting your life. These are the thoughts that you're pushing aside because they're too painful to think about. They may be things like not feeling attractive, low self-esteem, not being able to participate in physical activities with your family or friends, or even the possibility of developing health problems. The other things you need to focus on are what you would gain by reaching your fitness goals. How would achieving these goals affect your life? Would it allow you to do things that you've always dreamt about doing? It could be something big or very small. It doesn't matter as long as it's important to you. These thoughts might also be painful because you believe that they will never happen. Here's something simple but effective for you to try. It just might motivate you. Take out a piece of paper, go to a room where it's quiet and you can think without interruptions, and write a list of things you would do if you were in better shape. Take as much time as necessary and put a lot of thought into it. Write anything you can think of, just make sure it's something you truly want to do or accomplish. Now pick out the most important items from your list. It could be three things or five, as long as they're very important to you. Next, for each of the items that you've chosen, write down the emotional pain you feel from not achieving or maybe not even attempting to reach these goals. As you write your reasons you've got to experience the pain on a real level. Don't hold back; make it real in your mind. It may not be pleasant but it's something you need to do. You need to convince yourself that continuing to live your life this way is unacceptable. Look at your list again, only this time I want you to write down all of the pleasure you'd get from achieving these goals. Would you feel happier, more confident, excited, adventurous, and proud of yourself? Truly imagine that you've already accomplished these things. Experience it as if it were real. Doesn't this make you feel a lot better deep down inside? You have to make the decision that these goals are going to become reality. You've already imagined the pleasure from reaching these goals. Wouldn't it be nice to feel like this every day, for real? You need to decide that this is the way you want to live. The key to making this work is to take out your list every morning and spend 5 or 10 minutes looking at it. As you review it, remind yourself of the pain you have from not taking action, and also the pleasure you will get from going for it.
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Then decide on at least one thing you can do that day to move a step closer toward your goals. Write it down and make sure you follow through with it. You will gain a great deal of satisfaction from following through like this on a regular basis. If you continue to make it a morning ritual you'll be reminded daily how important these things are to you and your happiness. The pain associated with not taking action will become insignificant compared to the pain of not realizing your goals. I have used this technique in different areas of my life that I've had trouble with. I can't begin to tell you how much I've improved in these areas. Good luck in the quest for your goals.
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Phasic muscles tend to become elongated (too long is as bad as too short) and weak. Tonic muscles are basically designed to work to maintain posture and tend to work most of the time. For example, the psoas, the major hip flexor, works constantly while you're standing. The upper trapezius, where you may feel tightness or 'knots' in your neck and shoulder area, works whenever you move your arm. Phasic muscles, on the other hand, tend to become weak if not specifically strengthened. Our muscles never work in isolation; they function in groups often termed force couples that must be balanced in all three planes of motion. If one muscle is too tight, it dominates the force couple and disrupts the natural movement of the joint. On the other hand, a muscle that is too weak will not do its share of work. This also disrupts the natural movement of the joint and overworks the muscles that act as assistants in the movement. A prime example is the gluteus medius, the muscle that brings your leg out to the side, commonly and mistakenly referred to as the "outer thigh." When this muscle becomes weak, the piriformis - often implicated in 'sciatica' - and the tensor fascia latae - often implicated in pain on the outside of the knee - become overworked. Tonic muscles tend to become facilitated, that is, they work even when they are not supposed to be working. In addition, even when you are trying to work other muscles, facilitated muscles will try to take over. Thus, you will never get rid of a muscle imbalance if you do not stretch and relax the tightened muscles before you try to strengthen the weakened muscles. For example, if you do not stretch the hip flexors (psoas) and back extensors (spinal erectors) before you work your deep abdominal muscles, you may not get the full strengthening effect of your ab exercises. The short, tight, overworked muscles will "intercept" the nervous system signals from the weakened, inhibited muscles. This is a common reason some people feel strain in the low back while doing ab exercises even if their form is perfect. Just like a car with poor alignment, trouble - possibly severe - is imminent if the alignment and imbalances are not corrected.
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In order to design a fitness program that's right for you, it's imperative that you know which muscles are which. Muscles That Tend To Tighten
Upper Trapezius (neck and shoulders) Levator Scapula (neck to shoulder blade) Short Cervical Extensors (back of neck) Pectoralis Major (chest) Pectoralis Minor (deep chest muscle) Lumbar Erectors (low back) Psoas (hip flexor) Rectus Femoris (one of the quadriceps) Piriformis (deep hip muscle) Short and long adductors (inner thighs) Hamstrings (back of legs) Gastrocnemius (superficial calf muscle) Soleus (deep calf muscle)
Serratus Anterior (fingerlike muscles near armpit) Rhomboids (between shoulder blades) Middle and Lower Trapezius (mid-back) Triceps (back of arms) Gluteus Maximus (butt) Gluteus Medius (hips) Transverse Abdominis (deep abdominals) Rectus Abdominis - lower segments (abs) External and Internal Obliques (abs) Vastus Medialis (inner/front of knee)
Remember, unaddressed muscle imbalances will lead to joint dysfunction and pain. A musculoskeletal assessment and subsequent, logically based program of stretching the right muscles and strengthening the right muscles in the right order will lessen these naturally occurring imbalances and lead you to a better functioning, and more attractive body.
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Seated exercises do a great job of working the target muscles, but do nothing to exercise the stabilizing muscles, especially the stabilizers of the trunk. It's these other muscles that you need to use concomitantly with the prime movers in the real world. Otherwise, you are creating an imbalance between the prime movers and the stabilizers. A joint is simply where two bones meet. Those bones are kept in place by passive tension in ligaments and by active contraction of the muscles surrounding the joint. In order for the joint to move properly, your stabilizers have to work with the prime movers to maintain an optimal relationship between the two bones. If the stabilizers are not proportionately as strong as the prime movers - or if you have taught your prime movers to work without your stabilizers through overuse of traditional machines and other seated exercises - your joints cannot move naturally. Joints that do not move naturally cause bones to meet at surfaces that are not designed to take as much stress; this can lead to arthritic changes in the joint. Prime movers that are inordinately strong in relation to the stabilizers change the mechanics of the joints. At the shoulder, for example, the rotator cuff muscles keep the humerus (upper arm) in the socket; the stabilizers of the shoulder girdle keep the socket in place on the rib cage; while the muscles of the abdominal region stabilize the ribcage with respect to the pelvis. As Dr. Mel Siff says in the book Supertraining: It is not often appreciated that seated exercises always impose a greater load on the lumbar spinal discs than equivalent standing exercise. Even without an added load, sitting with the back maintaining its neutral curvatures increases the lumbar disc pressure by about 40% (Chaffin & Anderson, 1984). If the back is allowed to flex forward, this stress can increase by as much as 90%. The increase in stress becomes far greater against resistance, particularly if jerky movements are used to initiate of terminate the movement. The dangers are made worse by sitting, because one is unable to absorb any shock of loading by flexing the knees, hips or ankles, as it the case when standing. In the vast majority of cases, machines provide an inferior, incomplete and less efficient way of training the musculoskeletal system.
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And as I tell the athletes I work with, if you sit down to lift weights, you're only preparing yourself to do a lot of sitting on the bench. Besides leading to joint dysfunction, overuse of seated exercises lead to faulty motor programs. Seated exercises train the prime movers to work without the stabilizer muscles of the body. This pattern of movement can become a motor engram - a complex motor pattern that you follow habitually without thinking. Your brain does not work in terms of muscles; it works in terms of movements. If you train your biceps on an arm curl machine, for example, your brain remembers that group of muscle contractions and generalizes it. That means that when you use your biceps in the real world, you will tend to use the same pattern that you used in the weight room, that is, not using stabilizing muscles of the trunk. This can lead to back injury when lifting a box or a bag of groceries because you have not trained your trunk how to work along with your biceps. Standing exercises are simply more functional. When you have to lift something you usually stand up, you rarely sit down. When was the last time that you have to lift up something heavy - while sitting down? Conversely, when you have to pick something up, do you usually sit down first? No, you stand and use your trunk and legs along with your arms. Do you want to work your abs? How about your inner and 'outer' thighs? Simply spend more of your time performing standing exercises instead of passively sitting on a machine. It makes no sense to do 45 minutes of seated exercises then take an "Abs Class" when you could have been working your abs the whole time you were in the weight room just by choosing the proper exercises. Machines have their purpose; they are excellent for "isolating" muscles. Just remember that in order to improve the way you function and perform in the real world, at some point you have to integrate your muscles by performing standing exercises.
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How You Can Get Your Fitness Program Back on Track with Simple 8 Steps
By Baby Boomer Fitness Expert, Stephen Holt
I'm sure this sounds familiar ... A few weeks ago you decided to start getting in shape for a holiday party - or a tropical vacation - or a wedding, etc. You joined a gym, bought all the right gear and got off to a great start. Eventually you started working out less and less frequently and eventually ... You're right back where you started. Again. Maybe the problem was not doing the right exercise at the start of your program. No, not physical exercise. Mental exercise. The key to "motivation" is realizing what your "motives" truly are. Answering these thought-provoking questions in writing will help you clarify your vision and enhance your commitment by helping you to focus on your true motives. You'll also have a permanent record of your values and priorities that you can periodically use as a reminder that will rekindle your motivation. Step 1. Simple. Start with writing what you want in general. For example: "I want to lose weight." Write as many goals as you want. Step 2. Now it's time for details. For each of your three most important general goals, write down exactly what you want. You know the SMART acronym by now: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timed. Keep in mind that a safe rate of fat loss is 1-2 pounds a week. With my clients, we pick a date first, then work backwards using a pace of one pound per week.
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It also helps to write each goal in the present tense so that it becomes an effective affirmation. An example would be: "As of [date seven weeks from now] I weigh [seven pounds less than today]." However, since your rate of weight loss is non-linear and not entirely in your control, "activity goals" - such as working out three times a week - are less frustrating. Step 3. Write down WHY you want it. This is what motivation truly is. You don't really want to lose seven pounds just to be seven pounds lighter. You want to lose weight because you believe that being lighter will make some positive change in your life. What is it that you really want? It's never the weight itself. Maybe you feel that losing weight will make you more attractive, more popular, more lovable, live longer, have less pain, or make even someone envious (admit it!) Your motivation could simply be pride in showing the self-discipline to accomplish your goal. No one else has to know your true motives but you, so be brutally honest with yourself. Sit down and write out exactly what you hope to gain. Step 4. Write down exactly what differences you will see, hear, feel, taste and smell. Once you've determined your true motives, you can go on to write exactly how your new fitness program will change your life. Use all five senses and imagine how your life would be different. Step 5. Write down who's help you need in reaching your goal. Everyone needs help from someone else. You must enlist the help of your spouse, family, friends and co-workers. Unfortunately, chances are, someone close to you will try to sabotage your progress either consciously or subconsciously. Tell them up front that you need their help. There will always be someone who, for whatever reason, does not want you to lose weight. Either persuade them to your side, or forget about them.
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Step 6. Write down what specific steps you have to take. Too many people go out on their own or listen to the wrong sources. Find a credible source that you trust and follow the advice of proven fitness experts. Step 7. Write down what you can do today and tomorrow to get started on a consistent fitness program. When asked how to get to Athens, Socrates advised, "Just make sure that every step you take is in that direction." Once you set your goal, make sure that everything you do - no matter how seemingly insignificant - keeps you headed toward your goal and never away. Find something that you can do TODAY to keep you on the right road. Make a plan for what you can do tomorrow to stay in that right direction. Step 8. Follow your plan. Whenever you don't feel like following your plan, re-read your answers to the previous seven steps. If necessary, re-write your answers. Loss of motivation for sticking with your fitness program is simply forgetting what your original motives were. Taking these eight steps will assure that you stay truly motivated and make steady progress toward your fitness goals.
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Inner Thigh Lies - Discover the Truth about Inner Thigh Exercises
By Baby Boomer Fitness Expert, Stephen Holt
Are you frustrated because you're not getting the results you want although you've tried everything? Read closely and discover how Inner Thigh Lies are holding you back. The Truth About Spot Reduction the Inner Thigh Gadget Makers Don't Dare Let You Know The first myth that you have to eliminate before you can get results is that working your inner thighs directly will magically metabolize the fat that may be covering the muscles below. This myth of spot reduction makes no sense here's why ... Assuming you're right-handed, over the course of your entire life (about 29 years, I'm guessing) you have used your right arm several thousand times more than you have used your left, correct? So if spot reduction existed, your right arm would be ripped and your left arm would be flabby! Is that the case? No, because fat is genetically distributed. You have no more control over where you lose fat than you do over where you gain it. Need more proof? When people go on diets, they eat less, right? That means that they are using their chewing muscles less, right? So why don't their faces get fatter instead of leaner? Spot reduction does not and cannot happen. Inner thigh exercises will not and cannot specifically target the fat deposits on your inner thighs. Forget about "Toning" Second is the myth that many reps will "tone" the inner thigh muscles. There is no such physiological process as "toning."
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There are only two factors of body composition that you can control: fat and muscle. They are two separate things like the proverbial apples and oranges. In general, you probably want to lose fat and gain a little muscle; that's the best way to improve your body composition. High Reps Won't Get You There For most people, high reps will not and cannot build any muscle whatsoever and, as pointed out above, will not selectively burn fat from the inner thigh (or any other body part, for that matter). For each muscle and for each exercise there is a threshold of weight (or "load," physiologically) below which you get minimal, if any, benefit in strength or muscular growth. High reps, especially when done with a weight that doesn't challenge the muscle at all, are a less effective use of your workout time because they neither burn fat optimally nor strengthen and build the muscle. "Toning," "firming," "tightening," and "sculpting" are all meaningless terms that do not describe any physiological process that exists in the human body. As mentioned earlier, what you want to do to improve your appearance is build at least some muscle; that's the optimal way to burn fat. It's the loss of muscle as we get older that has been linked to the gradual decrease in metabolic rate and concomitant increase in weight that many of us see. In order to get back the body you had when you were younger (or at least a reasonable facsimile thereof), you have to get back the muscle. Inner Thigh Machines Don't Work Another factor to consider is functional anatomy. What do the inner thigh muscles actually do? They certainly don't do the motion that you use on the seated hip adduction machine. Do you know that there isn't even an official term for movement of the hip in that plane because it's unnatural. The only time that you move your leg like that is when you bring your left leg in when you enter on the driver's side of the car, and when you pull your right leg out as you exit. That's about it! Besides, there are five separate muscles in your inner thigh - each designed to work best when your leg is at different angles.
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In the seated hip adductor machine, your leg is positioned in a way that stresses only one of the five adductors - the adductor magnus. The other four muscles are virtually neglected. The normal, everyday function of the adductors for most people is to pull your thigh back to the neutral position. That is, when your leg moves forward (as in walking), some of these muscles help pull your leg back, and vice versa. Also, just as important, you use your inner thigh muscles to prevent over-abduction; in other words, you use your adductors to stay balanced whenever you're on one leg (again, as in walking). Therefore, the most effective exercises for your inner thighs are those in which you move one leg forward (hip flexion) or backward (hip extension) while standing on one leg (using the adductors as stabilizers). Direct adductor exercise, however, often has the effect of making the inner thigh muscles adductors discernibly larger - the exact opposite of what most women are trying to accomplish. Don't get the impression that seated hip adduction is a complete waste of time; it isn't. The adductor magnus is a large muscle, therefore the exercise can burn a lot (relatively) of calories. It just won't get you the results that you are probably looking for. Be aware of what you are doing and why with this and every exercise that you do.
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Men's Fitness
By Tim Chudy
What does every man want but every man has a hard time getting? Men's fitness. What guy does not want to be fit? Failure does not come from lack of desire. But it does come from being too busy, too tired, too out of shape, too much to do, too lazy. Men's fitness is not as hard to achieve as some may think. And the benefits easily outweigh the effort to get there. There are plenty of benefits to mention such as, looking and feeling better, having a solid layer of fat burning muscle on your body, increased stamina and endurance, being high energy throughout the entire day, sleeping better, and also improving the inside stuff like blood pressure and cholesterol levels. After all, roughly 50% of all men will die from heart disease. It's not just about what types of exercising you choose, how often, and how hard, but the actual changes you commit to. Lifestyle changes are needed in order to truly achieve the peak of men's fitness. Changes like, starting or re-starting a complete health and fitness program, changing nutrition habits like eating out for meals and eating junk food. There are many ways to achieve men's fitness, but incorporating a weight training program and cardiovascular program is essential. These two components alone will grant you results. Lifting with weights will help boost your metabolism and give you those muscles to fill out your shirt. The cardio exercise will optimize your fat burning and help make changes in your overall health as well. But nothing can be sustained without the proper fuel. That is a healthy diet. This will exponentially get you farther and faster to men's fitness. Eat lean protein, complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables, and make sure you are staying within your calorie requirements. Other types of activities like sports and hobbies can also be incorporated into your men's fitness plan. If you aren't sure where to begin, keep reading the articles on this site or better yet, contact one of the personal fitness experts. They will help you assess where you are at now, and then devise the best way to get there. Remember, you will have to make changes in your lifestyle to achieve men's fitness. Being too tired, too busy, or too lazy will not work anymore. But you've already set that aside. So what are you waiting for? Get started and achieve men's fitness.
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The 5 Deadly Sins To Avoid When Beginning A Fitness & Nutrition Program
By Tim Chudy
In the health and fitness industry today we are bombarded by pills, potions, exercise machines, DVDs and the new magical way to lose weight, tone the body, and get the results we want. Sadly, most of these promises are just empty claims from big companies trying to increase profits. With most solutions not working people become desperate to get the weight off. And the big companies and chains are capitalizing off of your desperation and theyre leading you in the wrong direction. Your first step should be to STOP the nonsense. Stop the fad diets. Stop the pills and potions. Stop all of the hype! You must realize that permanent weight loss must be achieved through diet and exercise. So here are 5 deadly sins to avoid when starting your program: 1. Weight loss without exercising. You must exercise in order to boost your metabolism and in turn lose body fat. This of course must be combined with proper nutrition. If one restricts their eating but does not change any of their habits you will not be in control of what your body can accomplish and maintain. 2. Fasting. This is a big red flag and a sign that the program does not have any validity to it. This does not have anything to do with cleansing, which is a whole other subject. But fasting to lose weight slows the metabolism down to a crawl and will ultimately lead to binging and gaining more weight. 3. Improper food plans. An effective and healthy meal plan will consist of proper amounts of carbohydrates, protein, and fat. A plan or diet restricting one or more of these can be dangerous. We all know the Atkins diet. And it may have worked for you. But the question remains, did it last? I have never heard of someone that has experienced permanent weight loss with Atkins. 4. Failure to measure and track body fat percentage. Realistic weight loss plans will suggest losing 1-2 pounds per week. Most plans dont distinguish between overall body weight and body fat. A good plan will help you build muscle, or lean tissue. This type of tissue is more metabolically active and burns more calories, however, does weigh more. Although overall weight is important, losing body fat weight is what the real goal should be. 5. Relying on supplements only. This can be a dangerous way to lose weight. Relying on pills or shakes to achieve healthy weight loss is not safe and ultimately not effective. Supplements do have there role in healthy nutrition and I do recommend them. But to only be drinking shakes or taking pills morning, day and night is not safe and will not be a permanent solution. A good, healthy fitness and nutrition plan will help you achieve the goals you want while making the results permanent. This may take time. There is no magic pill. Ask yourself
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how long it took you to put the weight on. Be realistic and put your mind to it. You can have a better body in as little as 90 days and feel better than ever!
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you're carrying a lot of fat in your midsection, due to your undisciplined diet, no matter what or how many exercises you do that midsection is going to stay the same or even get bigger. Your adipose tissue is stored over your muscle, so if you build muscle under that fat, it can actually make your stomach look bigger. Eat the right foods at the right times and lose the fat in your midsection and you will start to see the results from all those abdominal exercises that you do. So now you ask: what should I be eating? Well that is another whole article in itself, but use this simple strategy to get started and remember exercise discipline when it comes to nutrition, it is the best exercise ever for flat abs.
Eat a lean protein with each meal (20g-30g for women, 40g-60g for men) Eat a fibrous (vegetables) carbohydrate with each meal.(1-2 servings 1/2 cup per servings) Limit consumption of simple carbohydrates (breads, pastas, sugars, sodas etc...) Eat every 2 to 2 1/2 hours 4-5 times a day. Eat healthy fats daily. Only drink beverages with 0 calories. Discipline
Make this a habit and then you can start to tweak it a little bit. Give it about a month and look for my next article on a functional way to eat, no matter what your lifestyle.
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Would You Like a Strong, Leaned Toned Body?; Got Core Training!
By Tim Rudd
I recently started working with a new client that has been working out at my gym for over 6 months, using machines as his only source of strength training. That's right, the type of machines that isolate muscles at a single joint, while sitting down on your butt with either a supporting pad on the chest and abdomen or on the back, no core needed, once again a lack of core strength. He told me he felt like his body wasn't responding in terms of fat loss and that his joints were always bothering him. Oh, also his lower back constantly ached, especially after playing racquet ball and golf. He's 40 years old and told me he felt like he was an old man after participating in sports he enjoyed, because it was so hard for him to walk through his stiff back and joints the next day, which was all compounded by the extra weight he was carrying in his belly, another side effect of a lack of core strength. He was frustrated and desperate to feel and look young again so he could enjoy the things in life that make him happy. One other thing I forgot to mention, he just played softball for the first time in over a year and said he felt every muscle in his body was going to pull when he swung the bat and attempted to run the bases, once again a side effect of weak core strength. Basically he was desperate and confused. He was under the impression that sitting on his butt working in an isolated environment with artificial support was going to get him the Strong, Lean and Toned Body that he was trying to achieve. Well lucky for him I had the answers to all his frustrations and a way of training that could get him the body and strength he was looking for. Now of course nutrition plays a big role in getting lean and strong but that is out of the scope of this article and is discussed in another article published on this site. This is about training core movements for greater fat loss and life performance so you can enjoy how you look and participate in extracurricular activities without feeling like you've aged overnight. So you may be asking; why is machine based training obsolete compared to core training? Well let's look at the problems associated with machine based training first and why it's not an ideal way to achieve the Strong, Lean and Toned Body that you're trying to achieve. Machines basically train each muscle as if every other muscle in the body has no involvement in helping that particular muscle perform a task in a given movement. This is what I mean by a single joint movement, basically if you do a bicep curl on a seated machine with chest support and the back of the arms are supported on the other side, with the only movement occurring at the elbow that is a movement occurring at a single joint. Now let's look at the problems associated with this, first imagine using those biceps to pick up an object in your real life environment. Well it's going to take more than movement at the elbow to perform that task pain free. You will have to use core strength, multiple joints and muscles to perform this task adequately. That is functional strength. Single joints movements are gym strength, useless to real world activities. Also since your seated with artificial support, you have very few muscles involved, which leads to less calories burned, and weak abdominals, hips and lower back(core
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musculature), all muscles that are important for stabilization of the spine for protection during functional movements. We already have enough problems associated with sitting too much, why go to the gym and try to strengthen your body in a position that contributes to a sedentary lifestyle. Also, the majority of machines have maybe 3 to 4 adjustments, this for a body that has over 206 bones that are connected by joints. The problem is less than 1 percent of the population will actually fit the artificial range of motion these machines take your joints and muscles through. Big problem! Imagine forcing joints, ligaments and muscles to go places they weren't meant too which lead to?.. injury! Now let's get to core training and how it can help you achieve a Strong, Lean and Toned Body. Well many of you may think core training is as simple as doing traditional abdominal movements such as sit-ups, side bends or some twisting movement etc... Well that is a form of core training but what I'm talking about is your lumbar spine (lower back); Hips and Pelvis, muscles in this region are required to perform dynamic movements so power can be transferred from the legs up through the upper body to perform functional tasks while protecting your spine. So then you ask what is a core movement? Well it's any movement that requires you to push or pull, change levels, walk, stand, run, jump, rotate or resisting rotation; basically any human movement. Examples would be squats, dead lifts, push-ups, step-ups, pull-ups lunges etc... All these movements require multiple joints and muscles which require the core musculature to stabilize and transfer power from muscle to muscle and stabilize from joint to joint, while the whole time protecting the spine. Now imagine all these muscles contracting during these movements and the coordination required to complete these exercises. That's right! A lot of calories being burned and an increase in natural human growth hormone being released to stimulate fat loss and lean mass accrual, due to the all the large muscles involved. Also, you gain the type of strength that is useful in your life performance whether it be lifting heavy objects, playing with the kids or the weekend warrior in you. So basically, get away from training body parts and train movements that require as many muscles as possible. Create an environment where you train the whole body each training day and get away from split routines that train a different body part each day. Getting a Stronger, Leaner, Toned Body takes effort, not a magic pill or diet, and not one specific exercise. It's going to take training with proper technique, involving multiple joints and muscles to get that body you want. Train smart with a program that results in ideal body composition, a healthy body and increased life performance. Got Core Training!
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be 100% committed to providing exactly what the customer wants. When you go out to a restaurant and the waitress serves you a four course meal with your whole family, its not like you can receive a refund because you did not like her service. Not unless you make a big scene or do something drastic. Especially if the food was good! But when it comes to fitness and specifically working with a trainer 100% guarantees are a big deal. If you do not meet your goal (within reason) then you can ask for a refund. Trainers that offer a guarantee have the confidence and knowledge that each session you receive will be top rate and they are ready to prove that to you each and every time you come in to work with them. In fairness to trainers in the industry one clarification must be made. When progress goals are being set, the instructions in order to reach those goals MUST be adhered to. If a persons goal is to lose 25 lbs in 3 months by working with a trainer 3X weekly for an hour. Yet they decide to drink 1 bottle of wine 4 nights a week, and not follow a diet plan is asking too much. The trainer had recommended cutting down to 1 bottle per week and had a meal plan 6 nights a week, but the client did not modify his behavior. This is not the fault of the trainer, and its a very important distinction to make. 3) If its weight loss you want, its weight loss you will get. How do we know this? We have a proven system that works!! Thats how. Here at Bodylines Fitness we do have a proven system that works like a charm, and competent trainers to guide your success.. This follows along the same line of thought that having testimonials would provide, and thats proof. Again it is very important that in order to establish credibility with a client the trainer should have a proven system that works. More importantly they have a system that will meet the goal you have. The training industry is finally becoming standardized and trainers are now becoming more specialized in different population segments. Some specialize in senior care, or athlete specific, and ones like us that are rapid (BUT realistic!) long term weight loss specialists. 4) I mention this part last because it is important and should be mentioned. We feel that part of being a professional trainer has some characteristics that not many people seem to value anymore. Qualities like punctuality, good character, and the ability to communicate and work with a wide variety of individuals. They should have an even temperament and not become easily frustrated or irritable. A great Trainer should always great you at the door excited to see you and help make your day even better. These personality characteristics go beyond certifications and four year degrees. Although those things are nice, the truth is they do not mean the person really knows what they are doing. Great trainers offer a guarantee of their service, they have clients that will jump at the chance to speak highly of them. And they have years upon years of experience working with people just like you. In our opinion a good starting point to finding a trainer, is to look for ones that are Full
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Time. I know this will upset about 80% of the personal Trainers working, but thats how many are part time, and some of them can be good. But the difference is that a full time trainer relies solely upon providing outstanding results and service so that they can stay in business. Making a career out of personal training is not an easy task. You have to be very good just to make it full time, let alone become exceptional so that one can provide for a family. This type of trainer is the cream of the crop. The one that has the reputation for producing results, they receive many referrals for new business, and they are a community leader. They will be honest with what they know and can share with you. And most importantly, like us at Bodylines Fitness they should give you realistic and fair expectations/goal setting. This should set the stage for you to succeed, not fail, and its a very important step. A good gage would be to find someone that knows realistic weight loss and bodyfat reduction will fall between 2-3 lbs weight loss per week. And 3-4% bodyfat per month. What you can do to receive the best service and get the most for your money. Putting all of this together the first step is now covered. You have found a professional, courteous trainer that is a community leader with testimonials that are proof of their good work. What we recommend you do from here is first create a budget of what you can spend per week for 1 on 1 training for the next 6 months You can make dramatic changes in less time, but realistically this is a good time frame. Create your budget, and figure out with the trainer you are contacting how a schedule of session and timeframe can be created. Are you going to work solely with one trainer? How many times per week? Once, two times, important to figure these things out with the trainer and WITHIN your budget. At Bodylines we preach consistency is the number one key to success. It really is. The second part of this equation which is equally important is discipline. Once you have found a competent trainer it is imperative you adhere to the guidelines that are designed for YOUR goals. This is the number one reason why clients fail to reach their goals. They do not adhere to the guidelines (always dietary) that are planned out and become frustrated by the lack of progress. We cannot stress this enough. If you want to meet your goals then you MUST be willing to sacrifice and use self discipline to give yourself a greater chance to succeed. This covers the most important aspects of finding and being successful when working with a personal fitness trainer. The last few items necessary to cover are the usual aspects of keeping appointments. Really make a SINCERE effort to show up 5 minutes before a session and adequately change and warm-up. After all you are paying for the time and it is you that should be ready to go. Ask your trainer what they prefer that you do for stretching and warm-up before the session begins. And finally, when changing or canceling appointments please be considerate of their time and provide adequate notice. This lets the trainer know you respect their time and effort and they are likely to be that much more accommodating and hard working for your schedule changes.
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We wish you the best of luck. Working with a great trainer really can be a life changing event. Utilize their time and resources to impact your life in a really positive way. If you have any questions, or would like to know more about us visit bodylinesfitness.com . To YOUR health!! Bodylines Fitness 3725 Talbot Ave #C San Diego, CA 92106
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industry and specifically the Fitness business. Its new because its bold, and you have to be 100% committed to providing exactly what the customer wants. When you go out to a restaurant and the waitress serves you a four course meal with your whole family, its not like you can receive a refund because you did not like her service. Not unless you make a big scene or do something drastic. Especially if the food was good! But when it comes to fitness and specifically working with a trainer 100% guarantees are a big deal. If you do not meet your goal (within reason) then you can ask for a refund. Trainers that offer a guarantee have the confidence and knowledge that each session you receive will be top rate and they are ready to prove that to you each and every time you come in to work with them. In fairness to trainers in the industry one clarification must be made. When progress goals are being set, the instructions in order to reach those goals MUST be adhered to. If a persons goal is to lose 25 lbs in 3 months by working with a trainer 3X weekly for an hour. Yet they decide to drink 1 bottle of wine 4 nights a week, and not follow a diet plan is asking too much. The trainer had recommended cutting down to 1 bottle per week and had a meal plan 6 nights a week, but the client did not modify his behavior. This is not the fault of the trainer, and its a very important distinction to make. 3) If its weight loss you want, its weight loss you will get. How do we know this? We have a proven system that works!! Thats how. Here at Bodylines Fitness we do have a proven system that works like a charm, and competent trainers to guide your success.. This follows along the same line of thought that having testimonials would provide, and thats proof. Again it is very important that in order to establish credibility with a client the trainer should have a proven system that works. More importantly they have a system that will meet the goal you have. The training industry is finally becoming standardized and trainers are now becoming more specialized in different population segments. Some specialize in senior care, or athlete specific, and ones like us that are rapid (BUT realistic!) long term weight loss specialists. 4) I mention this part last because it is important and should be mentioned. We feel that part of being a professional trainer has some characteristics that not many people seem to value anymore. Qualities like punctuality, good character, and the ability to communicate and work with a wide variety of individuals. They should have an even temperament and not become easily frustrated or irritable. A great Trainer should always great you at the door excited to see you and help make your day even better. These personality characteristics go beyond certifications and four year degrees. Although those things are nice, the truth is they do not mean the person really knows what they are doing. Great trainers offer a guarantee of their service, they have clients that will jump at the chance to speak highly of them. And they have years upon years of experience working with people just like you. In our opinion a good starting point to finding a trainer, is to look for ones that are Full Time. I know this will upset about 80% of the personal Trainers working, but thats how many are part time, and some of them can be good. But the difference is that a full time
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trainer relies solely upon providing outstanding results and service so that they can stay in business. Making a career out of personal training is not an easy task. You have to be very good just to make it full time, let alone become exceptional so that one can provide for a family. This type of trainer is the cream of the crop. The one that has the reputation for producing results, they receive many referrals for new business, and they are a community leader. They will be honest with what they know and can share with you. And most importantly, like us at Bodylines Fitness they should give you realistic and fair expectations/goal setting. This should set the stage for you to succeed, not fail, and its a very important step. A good gage would be to find someone that knows realistic weight loss and bodyfat reduction will fall between 2-3 lbs weight loss per week. And 3-4% bodyfat per month. What you can do to receive the best service and get the most for your money. Putting all of this together the first step is now covered. You have found a professional, courteous trainer that is a community leader with testimonials that are proof of their good work. What we recommend you do from here is first create a budget of what you can spend per week for 1 on 1 training for the next 6 months You can make dramatic changes in less time, but realistically this is a good time frame. Create your budget, and figure out with the trainer you are contacting how a schedule of session and timeframe can be created. Are you going to work solely with one trainer? How many times per week? Once, two times, important to figure these things out with the trainer and WITHIN your budget. At Bodylines we preach consistency is the number one key to success. It really is. The second part of this equation which is equally important is discipline. Once you have found a competent trainer it is imperative you adhere to the guidelines that are designed for YOUR goals. This is the number one reason why clients fail to reach their goals. They do not adhere to the guidelines (always dietary) that are planned out and become frustrated by the lack of progress. We cannot stress this enough. If you want to meet your goals then you MUST be willing to sacrifice and use self discipline to give yourself a greater chance to succeed. This covers the most important aspects of finding and being successful when working with a personal fitness trainer. The last few items necessary to cover are the usual aspects of keeping appointments. Really make a SINCERE effort to show up 5 minutes before a session and adequately change and warm-up. After all you are paying for the time and it is you that should be ready to go. Ask your trainer what they prefer that you do for stretching and warm-up before the session begins. And finally, when changing or canceling appointments please be considerate of their time and provide adequate notice. This lets the trainer know you respect their time and effort and they are likely to be that much more accommodating and hard working for your schedule changes. We wish you the best of luck. Working with a great trainer really can be a life changing event. Utilize their time and resources to impact your life in a really positive way. If you have any questions, or would like to know more about us visit bodylinesfitness.com . To YOUR health!!
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How To Create Awesome Abs, Just Like The Models You See In The Magazines
By Todd Elliott
Dear Friend, Do you wish that you had a flat mid section? Do you want to learn how to get rid of that 'Beer Belly' or 'Pooch'? Do you envy the abdominal muscles of fitness and bodybuilding models that you see in magazines? I am sure that you answered a boisterous YES to all the above questions, just like hundreds of other fitness minded individuals that I surveyed. What I am about to reveal to you has help hundreds of my current and former clients, achieve the results that they desired in short period of time. These simple strategies can be immediately implemented into your lifestyle with little sacrifice on your part. Just remember that your body is a living and breathing computer. To reprogram your body to do your bidding, you must give it new information, and plenty of time to adapt to it. The key factor is CONSISTENCY! With that said lets get to it??? But before we do, I want to let you know you can easily obtain even more health and fitness advice from a certified expert on a regular basis by requesting a free subscription to my newsletter. You can get your subscription via email by visiting my web site at: www.bodbytodd.com 1. You must train your mid section in the order that the muscles fatigue. The abdominal area is composed of four different sections. The lower abdominal area, the side abdominal area near the side the middle abdominal area, and the upper abdominal area. These are listed in fatigue order. If you train them in any other sequence, you'll develop a strength imbalance in you abdominal area. The 'Pooch', as women call it, is a prime example of a strength imbalance. 2. You must target all four sections of your mid section specifically with every training session. One of the most common mistakes people make when trying to get in shape is they rely on a single machine or exercise. Each section must have an exercise exclusively for that muscle. For example: For the lower area, perform Hanging Knee Raises; for the side area, perform Side Sit Ups; for the middle area, perform Crunches; and for the upper section, perform High Reaches.
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3. Abs are just like any other muscle group, use weighted resistance and the will eventfully become bulkier. If your goal is a toned, flat and attractive mid section, you need not concern yourself with weighted movements. Your own body weight is will provide you with plenty of resistance to assist you in achieving you goal. So my people think that using, say dumbbells, to execute a side bend to develop the oblique area, will speed up the process. Usually, what happens is they either wind up with an injury or a thicker waist (i.e. 'Love Handles'). 4. You will never see those tone abdominal muscles unless you melt away the fat that sits on top of them. To get a firm and trim waistline, you must have relatively low body fat in that area. To achieve that, consider these three factors: o Proper Nutrition: If your waistline has more fat on it, then you can help to decrease it by eating a balanced meal (containing lean protein, starchy and fibrous carbohydrates), every 3-3 1/2 hours. This will help balance your blood sugar and put your body in a state to release and then burn unwanted body fat. o Resistance (Weight) Training: It's no secret, weight training prompts muscle growth. Although some people don't want to gain muscle size, everyone should have a concern for gaining muscle. You see, muscle is the catalyst for fat burning. The more lean muscle you have, the more effective your body becomes at getting rid of fat. o Moderate Aerobic Activity: Another great way to help rid the unwanted body fat is aerobic activity. Assuming that you blood sugar is stable, moderate aerobic exercise will release more fat to be burned. Once you have been exercising for 20 minutes, you are now burning fat more efficiently, so anything you do over 20 minutes is ideal for decreasing fat in the waistline. If you're just starting an exercise program, start with 20 minutes of aerobic activity two to three times per week and work your way up to 30 to 50 minutes three to five days per week. If you work out now and want more results on your waistline, factor in an increase of aerobic activity. You can increase how often you do aerobic activity (frequency) and you can increase how long you do aerobic activity (duration). There you have it. Five of my secrets to obtain that flat stomach that you have always desired. Trust me! It's very simple to bring out your washboard. All you have to do is implement the tips that you just read and stay focused. You will be amazed how fast you will see results. Good luck! If I can be of any assistance to you, please don't hesitate to call me. I'm happy to speak with you and give you my recommendations without any sales pressure (I hate it when people try to 'sell' me, so I wouldn't try that on you). Please visit my web site at www.bodbytodd.com or call my office at (407) 927-FLEX (3539) to initiate your subscription to my free health and fitness newsletter or to obtain any additional information you may need.
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I tell them to blitz each muscle angle with one or three high-intensity sets then move on to the next body part. Done on a consistent basis, total arm development and growth will be yours in much less time. My philosophy for precise arm training is very simple. This involves targeting the muscles from three- and only three-angles, or positions. Those are the mid-range, stretch and contracted positions. Just pick one exercise for each position, train it very intensely and watch your arms blossom rapidly to eye popping proportions. Here is a typical off-season arm training routine: Biceps Barbell Curls 3 X 6-8 Incline Dumbbell Curls 3 X 6-8 Concentration Curls 2 X 8-10 Triceps Lying Extensions 3 X 6-8 One-Armed Dumbbell Extensions 3 X 6-8 Dumbbell Kickbacks 2 X 8-10 Forearms Hammer Curls 2 X 8-10 Wrist Curls 1 X 20 Reverse Wrist Curls 1 X 20 For maximum development, I contract as hard as I can for the duration of each rep and I only train each body part once a week. This gives that muscle groups plenty of rest for growth. I have trained this way for years and I continue to grow, so I know that it works. There is a good chance that this will work for you too. This Position of Flexion philosophy isn't necessarily the best training strategy of the century. I believe however, that it is one of the best, and when properly applied, it has the potential to give anyone new found life to their training routine. Here's hoping that I helped shed some light on obtaining bigger biceps and also help put you on the path to achieve the physique that you dream of.
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2) Vertical Depth Jumps Slightly better than the box jump, the depth jump focuses on the loading phase as well as the explosion phase of the jump. Place two boxes about two feet apart; one twelve inches in height, the other twenty-four inches. Next, jump off of the 12 box landing onto the floor, and then jump up to the 24 box. Your focus should be on the transfer of speed, as you create a soft landing, which transitions into a powerful vertical leap. 3) Olympic Lifts Olympic lifts are a good and traditional method to develop power, but there are a few limiting factors. First, Olympic lifts only provide resistance in the initiation of the movement which limits range of motion. Second, Olympic lift exercises, such as cleans and snatches, are not jump-specific. 4) Shuttle Jumper The MVP Shuttle Jumper, manufactured by Shutttlesystems and available at VERT Fitness of Santa Monica, utilizes spring loaded resistance to create opposing force in both directions. This exercise is functional, jump-specific, and trains for both power and neuromuscular development. Additionally, the MVP Shuttle Jumper is ideal for athletic fitness; it places the exerciser at a seven-degree-angle to simulate the subtle shift of balance when running or jumping. 5) High-Speed Isokinetics This is the Cadillac of vertical jump training. High-speed isokinetics provide constant resistance throughout a range of motion and force more fasttwitch recruitment than any of the other exercises I did. Additionally, I performed a jump-squat movement at VERT Fitness of Santa Monica which not only made the movement jump-specific, but explosive from start to finish. This equipment is also used by Dr. Tim Grover of Attack Athletics in Chicago, where greats like Michael Jordan have trained. Athletes require sport-specific training to get sport-specific results. I learned that, thanks to Dr. Theis and Walter Osias. Additionally, to improve vertical leap, we need to develop power, which has a synergistic effect, versus individually training for speed and strength. My new program consists of High-speed Isokinetic training 3 days a week at VERT Fitness of Santa Monica with a series of box jumps, Shuttle Jumping and squats to complement. Remember, next time youre playing basketball, football, or volleyball with your friends; the difference between dominating and being dominated is separated by only a few inches.
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Since their currency is money and time watching TV and playing their video games, I decided to put this system into place so they can become better managers of their own time and money while they watch their accounts grow. This system works on many different levels for them: First, it teaches them moderation; Second, they learn how to budget their money as they are expected to give away a certain percentage, send a certain percentage to their savings accounts and they can spend the rest on whatever they want. This leaves me out of the loop when we are out someplace and they want to buy something. This forces them to see the value of their dollar and how far it goes. If they want a larger priced item, they can be responsible for saving up for themselves with their discretionary income without using their savings account; Third, it teaches them to set goals. If they want to buy a larger priced item for instance they can budget their money accordingly; Fourth, I dont have to do all the household chores, nor do I need to hound them to get them done. They are all too eager to keep track of their points and add then to the board at the end of day and see at the end of the day how everything has added up. This system has enabled us to take more family walks in the evening. Our family walks are also used to get our pedometers to our max value of 10,000 steps should any of us be short. Since we dont watch TV during the week, its a great way to get the family together and have that evening walk after dinner and its something we look forward to. Its a great way to get more activity into your life and helps to instill healthy habits in the long run into your children. A warning though, if you treat it likes its not important, then your kids will feel the same. Make sure you pay them on time every time. Treat it like theyre little employees and they will take it just a seriously. I cant tell you how well this is working for us. Your system does not have to work like mine. If you want to instill within your children healthful habits this is the way to begin. It starts with figuring out their currency. Every child has currency. Figure out what that is and youre good to go.
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Nutrition Secrets
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These foods dont dissolve in water and are commonly called insoluble fibers. They help with waste removal as well as possible cancer prevention. Really try to avoid foods that are processed such as white breads and white pastas. All in all you want to make sure you get a lot of fiber in your diet, but dont neglect your proteins and carbohydrates so you can really get a balanced diet and acquire the nutrients your body needs to run efficiently. So, bottom line is that if you are a person that has high cholesterol, fiber will definitely help you lower it. Along with lowering the cholesterol, you will also get a lot of added health benefits that might help you lead a long and happy life.
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Want in on a little secret? The hardest part about a simple 30 minute jog is the act of getting your shoes on and walking out the door. It's true. Once you are halfway down the street you will realize that jogging is actually fun, add to that the fact that you are burning calories and you have yourself an all around good deal. Exchange 20 oz of regular soda for water By now you know that soda pop is not good for you, so why are you still drinking it? Every time you crave an ice cold cola picture swallowing spoonfuls of white sugar. Yikes, talk about a set up for weight gain. Stick with water and kiss those extra calories goodbye. Swim laps for 30 minutes If your response to my jogging suggestion was 'I have bad joints', then you are in luck. Swimming is one of the best aerobic activities you can do, and it is impact-free. When you swim you recruit your entire body, a process which requires lots of energy, AKA calories. Eat an apple instead of a cookie If you are like most people I know, then you probably get a hankering for something sweet after dinner. While your first instinct may be to reach for a cookie or a bowl of ice cream, why not consider what nature has to offer? Fruit is sweet, natural and lower in calories than baked goods. Clean house for 60 minutes Don't think that all calorie burning has to take place in a gym. Vacuuming, dusting, folding laundry and doing dishes, they all require a little elbow grease, which results in calories burned. The next time your house needs a polish, don't grit your teeth, this means free calorie burning for you. And if you really want to kick it up a notch and stoke those flames hire a personal trainer who can take you from start to finish in less time then you think. Want to find the best personal trainer in town? Just hit that reply button and send me an email The Big Lie Do you know the absolute BEST way to GAIN pounds? Not eating. Does that come as a surprise? Fasting for extended periods of time actually slows your metabolism (your body's rate of calorie burning). Add to that the fact that you will lose muscle and energy by not supplying your body with proper nutrients. Instead of not eating at all try just eating less!
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What's for Breakfast? Now that you are convinced that breakfast is worth your time, it's time to decide what to have! A recent study done by FoodWatch, a Minnesota-based consulting firm that watches food trends, revealed that most people are basically eating dessert for breakfast, due to the high quantities of on-the-go breakfast foods that are processed, packaged and pumped full of refined carbohydrates. Another study recently proved that high fiber, low fat breakfasts promote healthy weight control much more effectively than highly refined breakfast foods. Try the following On-The-Go Breakfast Selections for a blend of hearty carbohydrates, protein and fat and experience optimal morning energy.
Low Fat Yogurt with Fresh Fruit Low Fat Cottage Cheese and a Cherry Oatmeal Muffin Hard Boiled Egg and Whole Wheat Toast Scrambled Egg White on Half a Bagel Whole Wheat Tortilla rolled with Scrambled Egg Beaters and Salsa Soy Milk with Whole Grain Cereal and Fresh Fruit
Sleep It Off Did you know that sleep is a vital component for weight loss? A study done at the University of Chicago concluded that people who got less than four hours of sleep actually had increased levels of the hormone cortisol and insulin which are linked to a difficulty in processing carbohydrates. Tonight go to bed early, aim for 8 hours of sleep, and wake up fitter.
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Should You Eat Like a Caveman? So, in light of the proclaimed benefits above, should you throw out your spaghetti and breadsticks in exchange for a hunk of meat and pile of veggies? Not so fast. Though the Paleo diet has been proven to promote weight loss, times have changed since cavemen roamed the earth. Namely, who has time to hunt down a dinner of lean meat while nibbling on a handful of leafy greens? Yeah...I didn't think so. So, where do you go from here? You want to lose weight, to protect yourself from disease and to look and feel great, right? Of course you do. A great solution, that doesn't require drastic dietary restrictions, is to gleam 3 sound bits of advice from the caveman - advice that will promote weight loss, decrease your risk of disease and will get you looking and feeling great. 1. Eat More Fruits and Veggies: Youve heard it before, whether from your mother or through a '5 a day' campaign. So why is it that 5 daily servings of fruits and veggies still eludes you? Try keeping ready-to-eat produce on hand rather than produce that requires prep time. This will make for a healthy on-the-go snack, which can easily replace processed, packaged and nutrient-deficient convenience food. 2. Cut Down Processed Food Consumption: This goes hand-in-hand with eating more fruit and veggies! As was just mentioned, a simple way to promote weight loss and to encourage good health is to eliminate processed foods from your diet. When you replace processed foods with fresh produce your results will be phenomenal. Not only will you feel healthier, you will have more energy than you know what to do with! * Want to eat a Paleo Perfect dinner? Check out my recipe below* 3. Be Active: Since you will need an outlet for all that extra energy, acquire a new hobby - one that gets you moving. Have you ever met a lazy caveman? Of course not. (And this is not just because you were born a few centuries too late!) Cavemen were forced to be active in order to survive. Hunt dinner. Build a fire. Move a fallen tree. Create shelter. You get the idea? If you want a lean, muscular body then exercise must become a part of your daily life. This is where I come in! I want to meet with you, one-on-one, to design an exercise program that will fit your unique goals. Call or come in today to get started! Know the Basics Losing weight seems anything but simple! With all of the trendy diet plans and new workout fads - it is easy to become confused. The good news is that the meat and potatoes of weight loss have not changed over the years. It all boils down to Calories In versus Calories Out. Too many Calories In, and you will gain weight. Extra Calories Out and you will lose it. Keep in mind that 3,500 calories equals one pound and every itty bitty calorie counts!
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decide what food to include in your diet, keep your eye on the type and amount of fat included in each item. Remember, all fats were not created equal. Fact #4: Carbohydrate Though zero carb diets are losing their momentum, you may have been influenced by the idea that all carbohydrates will make you fat. That is simply not true. It is true, however that some carbohydrates are healthier than others. In fact, medical experts think that excess consumption of refined carbohydrates (such as soda pop, white rice, and white flour) are one of the reasons behind the rise of obesity we see today. Choose fibrous, complex carbohydrates over sugary, simple carbohydrates. Fact #5: Protein The fact stands that most of us are getting plenty of protein in our diet. The problem arises when we examine the source of this protein. Meats and dairy products that are high full of fat may be filled with protein, but they aren't the healthiest form of protein. Choose protein from lean meats, dry beans, poultry, and low fat/fat free dairy products. Fact #6: The Good Stuff Directly beneath the protein count on the Nutritional Facts label you will see the percent daily value of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium and Iron that the food item contains. These numbers are easily overlooked, but hold great importance to your overall health. The more nutrient-rich food items provide you with the greatest benefit per calorie. Compare food brands and choose the most nutrient-rich option. Fact #7: Evaluate Your Lifestyle Now that you understand the Nutritional Facts label on your food, you may still have questions about how to change your fitness level. Eating right is just one part of the equation in your quest for a healthy, fit body. Exercise is vastly important as well, and happens to be my specialty. If you have questions about how you can get into the best shape of your life, please contact me today. Call or email me today to get started on an exercise program that will greatly improve the way you look and feel. Never say Never! Just because you want to be fit doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy life! Have a slice of birthday cake and treat yourself to a burger every now and then. When you deny yourself ALL of life's indulgences you will set yourself up for weight 1oss failure. But be smart: have a small piece of the cake and forego fries with that burger!
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Eating For Aces: A Quick and Easy Nutrition Plan for Junior Tennis Players
By Alton Skinner
Fuel your efforts with tennis specific snacks If you have every left the gym or court feeling weak or felt unusually fatigued, take a look at your what you ate before you played. Nutrition is the cornerstone of training success, and the hour or two before your workout is critical. Many research studies conclude that having the right blend of protein and carbohydrates before your training session will help you go longer and stronger plus aid in your recovery and prepare you for your next session or match. Here are some great snacks to fuel your training. Strength Training To optimally fuel your body for muscle toning and recovery you need the right kind of nutrients 60 to 90 minutes prior to your workout. For your strength workout you should consume about 0.1 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight and 0.2 grams of carbohydrate so for a 130 lb woman that is about 13 grams of protein and 26 grams of protein. For a 60 to 80 pound junior player that is 6-8 grams of protein and 13 to 15 grams of carbs. Choose moderate to fast digesting sources of protein(i.e. low fat) sources of protein, such as egg white, low fat fish, turkey breast, whey protein and soy protein. Carbs should be low glycemic and slow digesting to prevent insulin surges which limit the fat burning during your session. Whole grains, fruit, brown rice and oatmeal are excellent choices. Try one of these snacks an hour or so before pumping some iron: Food
Protein (g) 14
Carbs (g) 28
1 oz. Canned tuna with 1 tbsp. Fat free mayo on 9 whole grain crackers 2 large scrambled egg whites 1 cup cooked oatmeal scoop whey or soy protein blended with water with 1 medium banana 2 oz. Chicken breast 2 slices whole wheat bread 2 oz. Boiled shrimp cup brown rice
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14
25
16
28
16
26
14
24
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2 cups chicken noodle soup 3 whole wheat crackers 2 hard boiled egg whites 1 whole wheat English muffin
13
27
14
27
Cardio workout for Tennis match Sometimes we workout for different reasons, for health, weight control, or weight loss. Why you do it will influence what you should eat before you start. For maximum performance, you need to supply yourself with an ample amount of low to moderate glycemic carbs, like raisins, popcorn and apple juice. Studies reveal that adding some protein to the mix can help tennis players improve their stamina. You should increase your carb intake to about 0.4 gram and0.1 gram of protein per lb in your preworkout/ prematch meal. Thats 13 gram of protein and 52 grams of carbs for 130 lb female tennis player: getting 10-15 grams of moderate to fast digesting protein and 40-60 grams of carbs will work for most players. Your protein should be those that digest quickly since the amino acids will be used by your muscles for fuel during the workout. Again your protein should be low in fat. Long Lasting Snacks An hour before your long training sessions or matches, these snacks are good examples for fuel. Food
Protein (g) 18
Carbs (g) 50
1 oz. Canned tuna w/ 1 tsp fat free mayo on 4 slices Of wheat bread scoop whey protein mixed with Water and 2/3 cup blueberries 1 whole wheat English muffin w/ 1 tsp. Low sugar preserves 2 oz. Deli turkey breast 1 large whole wheat pita 1 cup strawberries 2 oz. Chopped chicken breast 1 cup cooked whole wheat pasta w/ cup marinara sauce
17
50
17
84
19
51
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For Fat burning. If you main cardio goal is fat burning and lots of it then avoid carbs altogether. Research studies show that when you dont eat carbs before aerobic training, more body fat is burned. But that doesnt mean you should run on an empty stomach. Research reports that when athletes consume only amino acids before aerobic exercise, they burn even more fat than when they drank water alone. Your snacks should contain 510 grams of fast digesting protein. Lean Snacks. An hour before your get lean session, eat one of these: Food
Protein (g) 10
Carbs (g) 0
scoop whey protein Blended in water 2 hard boiled large egg whites 1 oz. Canned light tuna
8 10
0 0
Combo workouts. If you are saving time by combining strength and cardio training your ratio of carbs to protein remains the same (0.1 gram of protein and 0.2 grams of carbs, but the type of protein can vary. Since these session tend to be longer than strength alone session you can use slow digesting types of proteins like dairy, beef, and nuts. Also choose the same type of slow digesting carbs, such as fibrous fruits , vegetables and whole grains. Combo Snacks. If youre weight training and doing cardio, nibble on these an hour or so before training. Food
Protein (g) 14
Carbs (g) 28
8 oz. Fat free plain yogurt w/ 1 cup sliced strawberries 3 oz. 95% Lean beef patty 1 whole wheat hamburger bun 2 tbsp. Ketchup 2 whole large poached eggs 1 whole wheat English muffin cup fat free cottage cheese mixed w/ 2 cups sliced pineapple 2 tbsp. Peanut butter 2 slices whole wheat bread 1 cup skim milk cup Special K cereal
20
30
18
28
14
23
14
32
12
23
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scoop whey or soy protein Blended in 1 cup skim milk w/ cup blueberries
14
24
Try these snacks and watch the quality of your workouts and matches improve.
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Six Pack Abs Expert Reveals His Eating Secrets In Achieving Six Pack Abs
By Arnel Ricafranca
Most people will agree that there is more weight loss and fitness information available today but there are also more and more people that are getting even more confused about proper nutrition. Each diet contradicts with one another. I know it can get very confusing. What should you eat to achieve your six pack abs? You will soon find out. I have been helping thousands of people discover how to get six pack abs; however, one of the biggest struggles for most people is not knowing what to eat. I will provide you with a basic guideline to help you lose weight and finally achieve your six pack abs. I will try to simplify it to make your life easier. These are the exact guidelines that I followed in my 16 week journey to six pack abs at http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com. Rule #1: Eat smaller meals every 3 to 3 1/2 hours This rule is so simple but yet most people seem to ignore it. Ideally, if you keep this up, not only will you feel less hungry but it will help boost your metabolism by constantly supplying your body with the adequate amount of energy. Stay away from eating 3 larger meals and start eating smaller meals throughout the day. Rule#2: Consume an adequate amount of protein every day. Protein (such as chicken) has a higher thermic effect than carbs and fat. What does this mean to you? Your body has to burn extra calories to break down the protein into smaller amino acids. Plus, it will keep you satisfied a lot longer compared to carbs. In addition, protein is needed to build and maintain lean muscle. Rule#3: Consume 25-35 grams of fiber a day Your carbohydrates should come mostly from high fiber foods such as vegetables, fruit, and high fiber unrefined grains. Fiber in your food absorbs water, causing it to expand in your stomach and therefore making you feel more satisfied for a longer time. In addition, high fiber food will also control your blood sugar level; therefore, allowing you to release more body fat. Rule#4: Eliminate refined sugars and refined grains. This is one of the reasons why it is hard for most people to get six pack abs. One of the biggest reasons why we are so overweight is because of the amount of sugar intake that we consume every year (Yes. That means to put your soda down). High sugary food/drink intake can cause your blood sugar to spike up causing your body to stop
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producing another hormone called glucagon. Glucagon is a releasing hormone that is responsible for releasing body fat to be utilized as energy. However, when you consume too much sugar, your glucagon production is discontinued. Rule#5: Consume an adequate amount of healthy fat. When I say fat, I meant the healthy kind of fat found in nuts and seeds, nut butters, olive oil, organic meats and eggs, virgin coconut oil, and avocados. Depleting yourself with the healthy fat can negatively affect your hormone levels which will only result in more cravings. In addition, you want to limit the unhealthy fat (saturated fat) such as butter, margarine, and the fat around your steak. Avoid hydrogenated fat at all costs as they cause more harm than good. Rule#6: Drink plenty of fluids throughout the day. It is crucial to keep yourself hydrated especially while working out. Try to drink .6 - .7 ounces per pound of body weight. We are made up of mostly water and a slight decrease in your body fluid level can affect your exercise performance. My number one rule in regards to water: If you are thirsty, you are also dehydrated. Do NOT wait until you are thirsty to get water. I just want to inform you that I am not a nutritionist and I do NOT claim to know everything. However, Ive spent over 7 years of my life studying how the body functions. These are just the general guidelines that I use for myself. Below is a chart that I made for you. These are my basic meals. In each meal, I consume a lean protein (i.e. chicken breast), starch carbs (i.e. brown rice), and fibrous carbs (i.e. broccoli). Lean Proteins Egg Whites, Chicken breast, Tuna, Shrimp, Grouper, Mahi-mahi, Cod, Salmon, Swordfish, Lobster, Shellfish, Sushi/ sashimi, Halibut, Marlin, Cobia, Wahoo, Tofu (Soy) Starchy Carbs Potato, Cream of Rice Cereal, Corn, Brown rice, Tomato, Jasmine Rice, Sweet potato, Basmati rice, Peas, Couscous, Oatmeal, Corn tortillas Fibrous Carbs Broccoli, Onions, Cauliflower, Asparagus, Carrots, Spinach, Green peppers, String beans, Yellow peppers, Cucumbers, Red peppers, Celery, Mushrooms, Jerusalem artichoke
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Sample Menu #1
Meal # 1 2 egg whites 1.5 Cups high fiber (low sugar) cereal cup milk cup cranberry juice Meal # 2 1 ounce of Almonds 1 medium Orange Meal # 3 3 ounces Chicken Breast 1 cup of mixed vegetables 1 Large Apple Meal # 4 (My post workout meal) 1 Banana 1 scoop protein powder (22grams protein, 5g carbs, 1 g fat) Meal #5 cup of brown rice cup Asparagus 3 ounces Turkey Breast or Salmon 1.5 cups lettuce 2 tsps olive oil dressing
Sample Menu #2
Meal # 1 6 egg whites cup oatmeal (measured dry uncooked) 1 small orange Meal # 2 1 ounce of Almonds 1 medium skim milk
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Meal # 3 4 ounces Turkey Breast 2 ounce sweet potato Meal # 4 (My post workout meal) banana 2 scoops protein powder Meal # 5 cup Spinach Medium tomato 1.5 cups lettuce 4 ounces Chicken Breast or Tuna 2 tsps olive oil dressing Achieving six pack abs requires determination and the right information. These guidelines are basic and yet very effective in achieving your goals. If you would like to discover how to get six pack abs in 16 weeks or less, you can visit my free membership site at http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com. Gain Exclusive access to all my fitness video journals so you can discover how I can get six pack abs in less than 16 weeks and see for yourself how YOU can achieve it too.
Six Pack Abs Expert Reveals The Truth on Fruit. PLUS What a Healthy Meal Should Consist of To Get Your Six Pack Abs
By Arnel Ricafranca
I have known a lot of people who were very surprised to find out about the negative side of eating fruit in regards to weight loss. Fruit contains simple sugar. Also, people are amazed when they find out how much of the simple sugar they are ingesting when eating a piece of fruit. Please dont get me wrong though, eating fruit on a daily basis is healthy. Actually they are very healthy, because they are high in micronutrients, vitamins and minerals. They are full of antioxidants and phytochemicals which have been said to help prevent some diseases. They have fiber and contain a good amount of water. They give us energy and a good blood sugar spike. But like most things, there is a downside. Your fat release can be interrupted by the simple sugars the fruit contains. What is that mean? If your goal is to lose weight or to reveal your six pack abs, eating fruits by itself can prevent you from achieving your fitness and weight loss goals. People may think that fruit is made up of only natural sugar also known as fructose, so its a great food for them to eat while dieting. What those people dont realize is that the sugar found in soda, juice and in those little sugar packets that you add to your morning coffee is also natural sugar. Sugar comes from sugar cane which is a combination of natural minerals, vitamins, water, fiber and vitamins. If your goal is to lose fat and reveal your six pack abs, then it would be a smart idea to limit your fruit intake. If you are like me and you love fruit but you still want to lose body fat, then I suggest that you start consuming fruits along with food that are high in protein which will slow down the release of the sugar in your body. Or if that doesnt work for you, try mixing your favorite fruit with some low fat cottage cheese or fat-free yogurt to get the protein to aid the sugar release. Just keep in mind that you are much better off if you dont consume fruit by itself. Let fruit give you all its benefits without having to worry about the sugar.
A Healthy Meal
Like fruit, vegetables are extremely high in those micronutrients mentioned above. I want people to make better choices in regards to weight loss and nutrition. I want to put you in the right path to achieve your fat loss goals. A healthy meal should consist of 3 main things. 1. A fibrous carbohydrates such as vegetables and fruits. 2. A good starchy carb such as a red potato.
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3. A lean source of protein such as baked chicken or fish. So the next time that you are eating only fruits for lunch, remember that it can only prevent you from achieving your six pack abs or your weight loss goals.
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Six Pack Abs Expert Reveals Why Weight Loss Shakes Are A Waste of Money?
By Arnel Ricafranca
Im sure you have all heard of those weight loss shakes that taste great, or so they say on the commercial. I want you to know that there is more to successful weight loss shake then just taste. That great taste the happy people on the commercials speak of, has to come from somewhere. If you are considering taking a product such as Slim Fast, in hopes of achieving your six pack abs, please take a look at the main ingredients before you buy. Here is what youll most likely find: Sugar If this diet will make you loose weight, maybe the ice cream diet is not very far off! The main reason that people loose weight using Slim-Fast is because the dieters use it to replace their daily meals! They eat maybe once a day tops which results in a huge calorie cut back. The dieter chugs down a shake when they feel the need for a meal therefore replacing the meal. Sugar has been claimed to be the #1 culprit in todays obesity problem in America. So if you are drinking your shake for breakfast, the first thing you are doing is altering your blood sugar. You are also affecting the balance of fat release/storage hormones. You not eating your regular 3 meals a day, so you actually do lose weight, but what you may not know is that the weight you lose will be mostly composed of water and muscle. You will be destined to gain the weight right back. You will be even further away from your six pack abs goal. Most likely the dieter will blame themselves for gaining their weight back when they are not the ones to blame at all. But the idea of it is so the dieter continues to buy the product again and again because they knew that it worked at one point. Explanation Why Low Calorie Shakes Does Not Work: The reason why people believe that weight loss shakes are effective is because it is also low in calories. You might wonder what exactly a calorie is. First of all, the real name for a calorie is a kilocalorie. The definition of a kilocalorie is the amount of heat needed to raise one kilogram of water to one degree Celsius. Now you are probably wondering why heating water has anything to do with the food you eat. I would like to explain this to you so you can fully understand what a calorie is and how they can effect you.
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As you may know, energy is heat production. When your muscles contract due to movement, heat is being made, thus causing calories to burn. If you were to stop what you are doing right now and measure your temperature, it would most likely be in the area of 98.6 degrees. Your body is constantly producing heat. Like I said before, a calorie is a measure of heat production; therefore a calorie is correlated to the amount of energy a type of food is able to give off. Maintain an Energy Balance To keep your weight from fluctuating, you have to have an energy balance. This means you must make sure that the number of calories you take in during the day, is equal to the amount of calories you are capable of burning in a day. Doing this every day will keep you at a steady, healthy weight. Many people tend to believe that if you cut back on calorie intake (such as replacing your meal with a low calorie weight loss shakes), you will automatically loose weight. This is not the answer if your goal is long term weight loss and to try to reveal your six pack abs. Which Diet Should I Choose To Get My Six Pack Abs? There are so many diets out there and the results of many of them commonly cause the dieter to lose the weight then gain it right back. So how will you know when you have found a good diet to achieve your six pack abs? Well, you have to find a plan that does not include the word diet in it. In a way, the word diet means deprivation which means the plan will not serve your body in a positive way. You need to look for a plan that includes the words, Good Nutrition Program. This kind of weight loss plan will stimulate your metabolism and provide all the positive nutrients needed for energy, survival, tissue re-growth and good health. A good nutrition program will focus on the important foods you need in your body instead of telling you the foods you should not eat. So, in conclusion, do some research and find a good weight loss program. Follow the plan and achieve the positive results you have been looking for.
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WALB 10 News, NBC KPLC 7 News, and KTRE ABC 9 news. Mr. Ricafranca can be reached via fitnessvip@gmail.com
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Six Pack Abs Expert Reveals What You Need To Know About "Fat-Free" Labeled Foods
By Arnel Ricafranca
I want you to know that when you are shopping and you pick up a can of food that has a fat free label on it, it may not actually be true. Like most things in the dieters world, a lot of things dont make sense. So I want to teach you some basic knowledge about reading a food label. Let's me show you a few popular products and tell you the truth about them. 1. Fat-Free Non-Stick Cooking Spray This product to me seems blatantly obvious. The can reads, "for calorie-free fatfree cooking." The nutrition label says there are 0 calories in a serving and of course 0 grams of fat. Then I take a look at the list of ingredients. The first significant ingredient is liquid corn oil. I then find a container of Mazola Liquid Corn Oil, where I see a completely different label. This label says it contains 120 calories per serving and 120 calories from fat! Im not sure if you know this but if those two numbers match or come close to matching, then it is 100% Fat! I wanted to know how they get way with that and I found out that according to the FDA, a food can be labeled "Fat-Free" if it contains less than 1/2 gram of fat per serving. The FDA knows that nobody really checks the label to find out what a serving size should consist of. If you are looking at any food claiming to be fat free, take a look at the serving size. You will most likely be surprised to see how small it is. 2. Fat-Free Butter Substitutes For example, Im sure you have seen the ads for. . . I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. "Fat-free" is pretty much all over the container. So do just what I said to do above. Dont buy something without looking at the small printed ingredients on the back of the product. The first thing you will see when reading what this fat-free butter contains will be Hydrogenated oil. Im not sure if you are aware of this but that is pure fat. Then you will see that it contains 5 calories per serving. You know what to do next. See how many of those 5 calories are from fat. The answer is 5! So, if you hadnt figured it out so far, this so called fat free butter substitute is pure fat. In actuality, this fat-free butter is worse for you that regular real butter because hydrogenated fats, which can cause cell damage, are proven to be more harmful than the saturated fats found in real butter. That
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doesn't make butter a good choice either though, but I wouldnt recommend the trade if weight loss is what you are trying to achieve 3. Fat-Free Snacks If you are weight conscious and you think that the words "Fat-Free" on a package of cookies will help you on your road to leanness, I have to tell you that many of these foods do in fact contain fat. Even if the fat is extremely low, sugar will definitely play a big role in taste and that will most likely be one of the main ingredients. People will pick up a package of cookies and see the words fat-free on the front and automatically think they are good for them and they will be fine to eat during dieting. Sugar will not allow you to shed fat because it affects fat release. So next time you are in a grocery store and you see a snack food that says fat-free and tastes great on the package, just keep walking. Achieving six pack abs requires determination and the right information. These guidelines are basic and yet very effective in achieving your goals. If you would like to discover how to get six pack abs in 16 weeks or less, you can visit my free membership site at http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com. Gain Exclusive access to all my fitness video journals so you can discover how I can get six pack abs in less than 16 weeks and see for yourself how YOU can achieve it too.
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back within one year. Additionally, each time you try to lose that weight again it will be harder because you have less muscle (lower metabolism). So here is the secret, I bet you thought I would never get to it. Reduce your calorie intake by no more than 500 calories per day, add 30 minutes aerobic exercise 3-5 days per week (biking, treadmill, walking, running) and add to your life weight training, to build muscle. Lift weights! Yep thats what I said. Oh you are a female and you dont want to look like one of those bodybuilders. Dont worry, females have to work extra, extra hard to look like that and still most women cant get there. You get on this road and practice the Secret of building muscle and you will be able to maintain your weight for life without dieting. I know you dont believe me, but talk with a certified personal trainer, talk to a lot of them and look at their clients. Im not lying, this is the best advice anyone will every give you. What do you have to lose, except those 50 pounds for one last time?
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When preparing for an event where you are concerned about dehydration; be sure not to over drink. Over drinking is the most common reason for hyponatremia, however water retention caused by your body not eliminating the water as it normally does can happen without any exact reason. One sign you should watch for is the lack of need to urinate. Additional signs that are most common is: bloating, puffiness at sock line, ring band, headache and tight skin. The main treatment for hyponatremia, if you notice these signs, is to stop drinking until you urinate the excess. Of course, prevention should always be the first treatment. There is wisdom in the teaching, too much of even a good thing is not good for you. Drink wisely and appropriately.
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allows you to mobilize stored fat. When you eat a simple sugar and glucagons production declines, you are crippling your fat burning ability. The refined carbohydrates, such as foods made with bleached and refined flour, are not much better. Normally your body does a fair amount of calorie burning work to digest complex carbs, but if those carbs have been bleached and processed, its sort of like a machine did much of the work your body was going to do. The process also robs grains of vital micronutrients making them empty calories that, in addition to spiking blood sugar, are easily converted into triglycerides and stored as fat. Pitfall #2: Failing to provide adequate challenge to the working muscles In every health club there is what Ive learned to call the chatters. These men and women who pick up some very light dumbbells and carry on in depth conversations while they use gravity and momentum to go through the motions of propelling the weights up and down. Positive physical change is the result of the bodys propensity for adaptation and the willingness to continue to find a new stimulus to provide progressive challenge. In other words, if your body is fully capable of handling any given workload, youre not going to see progress. If you perform 10 repetitions of curls, for example, every single day with 15 pounds, and you are absolutely certain youre going to get 10 reps without breaking a sweat, that set will do little to stimulate metabolic or strength improvements. Conversely, if you start with 15-pound dumbbells and they are initially challenging, and as the workload becomes easier you gradually increase the poundages, you can facilitate quite impressive change. Pitfall #3: Neglecting protein intake Healthy foods are certainly important to consume on any fitness program, but theres a distinctive difference between eating healthy foods, and eating in a manner thats going to help you develop a lean body. When most people think of healthy foods they think of fruits and vegetables. Next theyll think of grains. While vegetable based foods certainly have their place, there must also be a concern for adequate intake of protein. The question of how many grams of protein do we need has been asked for decades without anyone coming up with a clearly definitive answer. The reason, I believe, the answer has not emerged, is there isnt any answer! We are all individual and in that we have individual metabolisms, lifestyles, and body compositions. A pro football player with 180 pounds of lean body mass would probably need far higher protein intake to preserve muscle tissue than someone with half his weight. What happens if you dont take in enough protein? Well, your body may have greater need for amino acids than is being supplied by your diet. In the absence of sufficient dietary protein, it can turn to muscle mass, begin catabolizing or breaking down muscle tissue to free up stored amino acids. This loss of muscle, while it may reflect as pounds lost on the scale, is a detriment to metabolism and in the long run can act to program the body to become more efficient at storing fat.
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Pitfall #4: Failing to eat frequently enough The typical American diet, small breakfast, moderate lunch, large dinner, is more a result of habit than it is the result of careful evaluation of human performance and nutritional need. Metabolism is actually the rate at which you convert nutrients into fuel, or in plain English, the speed with which your body burns through food. Five hours between meal is enough to send blood sugar plummeting and to compromise the muscles capacity to store and access fuel. Optimally, if the goal is a lean toned body, youd try to get a meal every 3-3 1/2 hours. Pitfall#5: Overtraining Overtraining simply means exercising beyond the bodys recuperation limits. I meet two primary types of over trainers. There are the over-ambitious novices who want quick results and attempt to emulate the routines performed by individuals with years of muscle stimulating exercise under their belts. The second types are the overly enthusiastic who head back to the gym to start working out again, not recognizing their bodies are not quite the same as they were back in the day. The secret to achieving lankness and muscularity involves challenging the body adequately, but taking it past the point of diminishing returns can move you further away from your goals. Train beyond your bodys ability to meet demands through its preferred sources of fuel, and your training might actually lead to a breakdown of muscle tissue, the complete opposite of what most people want. Overtraining leads to a loss of motivation, to irritability, to insomnia, to immune system compromises, and in many cases to injury. Exercise doesnt have to be an overwhelming all-consuming effort. If youre not an advanced bodybuilder or fitness competitor, you dont need to pile the massive weights on the leg press machine for endless sets, nor do you need to crank out hundreds of repetitions of bench presses. You simply have to stimulate muscle, feed the body, and allow all the systems of the body to rest and recuperate. Pitfall #6: Believing daily activity counts as exercise Sure, I know women would love it if shopping burned enough calories to keep them fit, and men would wish for the act of driving the golf cart becoming a great tummy trimmer, but that isnt reality. If you shop on a daily basis, or play golf nearly every day, the process of adaptation has already taken place. If you are very active at work, thats fantastic, but it doesnt guarantee consistent improvement. When the body adapts to the demand, the progress is guaranteed to cease. Its important, regardless of what you do in the course of a day, to set aside some time to challenge the muscles against progressive resistance. That doesnt mean back off on your activity. Of course physical activity will serve you well, but dont believe its a substitute for focused exercise sessions devoted solely to improvements in body composition and in cardio respiratory function.
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Pitfall #7: Failing to ingest calories sufficient to maintain metabolism and supply fuel for activity A 150lb man at rest for a 24-hour period, would burn approximately 1500 calories just to keep his brain functioning, his heart beating, and his internal organs, pursuing lifesustaining metabolic processes. Add in to the equation movement, exercise, stress, and work and of course caloric requirements further increase. The old and misleading adage, eat less to weight less, has sent dieters flocking toward calorie deprivation. The challenge lies in keeping energy stores full and keeping metabolism stoked when youre barley taking in enough calories to sustain function at rest. Once you come to understand that eating supportively, eating thermic (calorie burning) meals frequently throughout the day, can actually boost metabolism, can make the body more efficient at burning through food and releasing fat, and can provide fuel to keep energy levels at a consistent high, youll quickly develop some new eating habits. Ideally youll divide your daily calories into six balanced meals allowing for optimal use of nutrients and a continuous stimulation of metabolic activity. Pitfall #8: Failing to schedule down time Think of exercise as the stimulus that causes your body to make positive adaptationsas you rest. By rest, Im not only referring to sleep, although that should certainly be adequate if you want to see results. Im also referring to the pursuit of a relaxing hobby, days off from work, visiting a park or a beach, or sitting at home enjoying some music. There is a crucial balance between stress and recovery, and while positive stress (exercise) properly applied can lead to the body making exceptional progress, it will only do so if there is adequate down time. It might be helpful to realize that there are opposing forces at work, and if the balance isnt quite right, the results can be perilous. Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands and has been referred to as the stress hormone. During periods of elevated stress, cortisol levels are increased. Cortisol is a catabolic hormone, which means it allows the body to cannibalize its own tissue. It does have an important purpose. The gradual breakdown of tissue allows you to continuously build new, healthy cells. Cortisol also makes certain that if the bodys energy needs suddenly go up due to an extreme stress, or if due to trauma eating is a challenge, there are plenty of amino acids floating around to be converted into glucose and used as fuel. We access those amino acids in a stress-induced state by breaking down muscle. There are other hormones that are more geared toward enhancing positive response. Growth hormone has received much attention lately and people have come to believe its a drug. It isnt a drug, but a human hormone that is produced by the pituitary gland and it plays a vital role in anabolism (tissue building) and protein synthesis as well in keeping metabolic processes at optimal levels of performance. Growth hormone production is increased when you rest, and further increased when you enter deep sleep. Without adequate rest and sleep as cortisol-dominant environment can prevent you from seeing the results youre working so hard to achieve. With the eight pitfalls exposed, the path to your ultimate success should be clear. Eat supportive meals frequently, exercise enough to provide challenge, maintain some regular
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aerobic activity, and schedule in relaxation and recuperation time, and reshaping your body becomes a simple task.
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Now in order to shop right, we have to know what we are looking for. But before we talk about what to look for, lets get ready to shop. To shop effectively, follow 3 simple guidelines. 1. Make a grocery list. Its best to plan ahead then to drift around the store aimlessly. Shopping without a list creates a huge opportunity for unwanted items to find there way into your basket. 2. Do not go grocery shopping when you are hungry. Grocery shopping when you are full is a great way to resist the impulse buys. 3. Do no overstock. It is better to shop more often than to have plenty of food in the house at all times. Even healthy food becomes detrimental when taken in abundance. Although simple, not following these guidelines will only slow your progress living a healthy lifestyle. Now that you have your list and a full stomach you are ready to walk into the store. Have you ever taken the time to examine the layout of your local grocery store? Its easy to break down the store into three major sections. Near the doors and checkout lanes you will find the impulse section. These are the items that you probably dont need but are easy to grab while you are walking in or waiting on the lane. The center of the store is the processed section. Most of the items here are boxed, canned or bagged, ready to go and have an extended expiration date. The perimeter of the store is where most of the fresh foods are kept. You will find the deli, bakery, meats, and dairy. Most of your shopping should be done in the third section, the fresh section. If you can pickup 80-90% of your food items along the outside walls of the store, you are during great. When you get home, prepare and put away your food. Make small baggies of snacks that you can grab instead of a bag of chips. Set you fruit out in a bowl so you can easily pick out a banana. Eating right can be easy. Proper nutrition will make your other fitness efforts grow in leaps and bounds. Live for the Moment.....Exercise for Life
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"Do You Think Drinking Diet Sodas Will Help You To Lose Weight?"
By Brenda Terry
That is the question? Is drinking a diet soda instead of a regular soft drink, better for you? And does drinking a diet soda help keep the weight off? If you answered "Yes". Then this is something that you should read to get the facts. If you look around you will see a lot of people who drink diet sodas, and yet they are overweight. So why do they keep drinking diet sodas? Well I did some research, and this is what I found. People like the taste of sodas and they think that drinking a diet soda is actually better for them. They also think that drinking a diet soda is going to help them from gaining any more weight...But is this true? Unfortunately this is not the case. In fact they gain weight, as a new study has shown, 54% have a greater risk of obesity when drinking two cans or more a day. These findings come from 8 years of data collected at the University Of Texas Health Science Center. They report that they were very surprised to see that the risk of obesity was even higher, with people who drank only diet soft drinks, and when they took an even closer look at their data, they found that nearly... ALL the obesity risk from soft drinks came from DIET SODAS. There was a 41% increase in the risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soda a person consumed a day! One reason this may be happening is when people who drink regular sodas start to gain weight they switch to drinking diet sodas thinking that this will help. But it does not, and they continue to put on the weight. Another reason this happens is when you offer your body a artificial sweetener that tastes like it has calories, but does not, your body is alerted to the possibility that there is something there and it will search for the calories promised. When artificial sweeteners were used to feed rat pups it made them crave more calories then when they were fed real sugar, which is why some soft drinks studies do suggest that diet drinks stimulate your appetite. This goes to show you that maybe we cannot fool our bodies, and if we are drinking sodas we are going to be missing out on getting the nutrients we need for that day, like in milk, fruit, and water. I don't know about you but I definitely don't want anything in my body that has been chemically altered, which is what they do to the sugar substitute that they put into the diet sodas.
Where Is The Sugar Hiding? 'The Truth About Low Fat Foods and How They Can Be Sabotaging Your Weight Loss Pursuit'
By Brian T. Rurak
There is no doubt that sugar is addicting. That is why more and more companies are trying to hide sugar in their food products, especially the low fat ones. They want you addicted so you continue to consume their foods. Those low fat foods that you search for because they are "good for you" turn out to be something you should be going without. Low fat foods are just some items out there that are actually sabotaging your weight loss efforts even though they want you to believe their product will help you. Why is sugar in there? Because the fat isn't! Fat is what gives food its flavor. If the food manufacturer removes fat from their product they must put something back in to replace the flavor. More than likely that ingredient is going to be sugar. And they do a great job trying to hide it from you by calling it all sorts of different names as you will see at the end of this report. Now this doesn't go for just low fat foods but also foods like cereals that are touting the "WHOLE GRAIN" tag on the front of the box luring you into thinking this product is going to be heart healthy and good for you. Just because whole grain is on the box doesn't mean that it still has the whole grain in tact. These types of cereals will more than likely have a significant amount of sugar because they too need flavor. This is where you need to start becoming an aware consumer and a label reader. Knowing the difference between whole grain, whole wheat, whole wheat flour, enriched whole wheat flour, etc is crucial to understanding what you will be eating and your success. Both these types of foods plus other items, like condiments and dressings, will also slip extra sugar calories right past you. Here you are thinking you are eating healthy and before you know it, your weight loss pursuit is nothing more than a plateau or possibly weight gain which results in frustration once again. Now maybe you are thinking the amount they are stating on the ingredient label doesn't appear to be that much. Well I agree, sometimes it doesn't, but so many food items have sugar in them by the time you add it all up you may have consumed an extra 20 teaspoons of sugar per day. That can easily happen every day!
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The one thing you must look at also is serving size. A classic example would be cereal where there is maybe 9-12 grams of sugar in a serving. That is about 2 to 3 teaspoons of sugar per serving. But if you notice the serving size might only be a 1/2 cup, on some cereals, that is a lot per serving. Now I have to ask you, do you actually take a measuring cup out for yourself or your child and measure exactly one half cup? If you are like me, you grab the box, dump it in the bowl and pour the unmeasured milk on top of it, which by the way has natural sugar in it as well as fat if you are using whole milk, and enjoy your bowl of cereal. So now you could be getting somewhere between 15-20 grams or 4-5 teaspoons of extra sugar into your diet from the cereal and milk alone!!!!! And you have only started your day!!! Now I could go into why breakfast is the most important part of the day but that would require another special report (keep and eye out for that one). But you and I both know that breakfast is the most important part of the day. The goal for breakfast, as every other one of your 4-6 meals throughout the day, is to eat a nice supportive meal of lean protein, fibrous carbohydrates and starchy carbs along with some good fats which will break down slowly in your body and keep you satisfied until your next small meal. If you aren't sure how you can do that because you feel that there just isn't enough time in the day, seek our professional help now by calling 401.849.6030 or contact us at http://www.t3fitness.com/contactus.html. We can help you win each daily battle so you eventually win the war. Take a moment to think about this whether you eat breakfast regularly (as you should) or not. On the days you do eat breakfast, are you sometimes hungry in about an hour or so? If you said yes, there could be two reasons. One, you didn't eat enough to get you to the next meal or two, it's because you ate some processed carbohydrate or something loaded with sugar, which breaks down very quickly and jacks up your blood sugar and insulin levels. When this happens it basically opens the door for your body to store and hold onto fat that you are hoping to burn off. This can become a terrible cycle completely halting all your chances of reducing your body fat. Food is basically like a drug when you consume it. It changes your body's chemistry which can be either good or bad. Sugar spikes insulin levels in your body. When insulin levels are elevated, your ability to burn fat is reduced dramatically. Your body WILL hold onto its extra fat for long term survival at rest or during exercise.
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If you want to learn how to eat properly and 'Learn the Truth about How To BOOST Your METABOLISM', read one of my other special reports right here on the Fitness Expert Network. Now hopefully you can clearly see that processed and sugar packed foods are the main culprits of shutting your fat burning ability down. These foods are also very addictive so you begin to crave them. That is when the food manufacturers have you hooked. Now you are eating more of these low nutritional value foods that are jammed with extra empty calories which EQUALS more weight gain. And the whole time you are thinking "I am EATING HEALTHY"!! Below is a list of sugars by their names and glycemic response. This should help you identify many of the hidden sugars food. Become a label reader and be aware what is in your food. If you need help shopping sensibly at the grocery store check out our service of helping you shop smart at http://www.t3fitness.com/services.html HIGH GLYCEMIC RESPONSE SUGARS: sucrose, glucose, dextrose, evaporated cane juice, galactose, maltodextrin, corn syrup, dextrin, beet sugar, raw sugar, brown sugar, white sugar, concentrated fruit juice, syrup, sorghum, honey, maple syrup, rapadura and high fructose corn syrup. LOW GLYCEMIC RESPONSE SWEETENERS: fructose, stevia, acesulfame potassium sweetener, saccharine and aspartame (in NutraSweet and Equal, but not in sodas). This list in no way endorses the use of these sweeteners. A quick note: FRUCTOSE vs. HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP. Fructose is not the same as high fructose corn syrup. The former is pure fructose with a low glycemic index, whereas high fructose corn syrup is a mixture of 50% fructose and 50% glucose. The glycemic response of high fructose corn syrup is high - about the same as sucrose.
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Pork Tenderloin Containing about the same amount of fat as a boneless, skinless chicken breast, pork tenderloin contains a significant amount of niacin, a B vitamin that helps to break down the carbs, fats and protein in food and convert it to useful energy. Saut it in some olive oil - Something I'm sure your whole family will enjoy. Eggs We hear a lot about eggs. Good and bad. Egg protein is excellent because it provides all of the amino acids your body needs. And, eggs are filling. According to research published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, "women who ate an egg breakfast consumed an average of 164 fewer calories at lunch compared to a group of women who ate a bagel breakfast." Also, eggs now contain a nutrient called docosahexanic acid, or DHA - an omega-3 polyunsaturated fat that has been linked to reduced inflammation in the body. If you're watching cholesterol - toss the yellow and just eat the whites. That's where most of the nutrients are. And, so many different ways to eat eggs, they can be a meal at any time of day! So, there you have it. Some healthy food choices that will help to pave that path to nutritious eating. Of course, don't deny yourself that craving every now and then, but, at least you'll be safe in knowing that your body is functioning in a much healthier nutritious way!!
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Alcohol is another thing that you want to take in moderation. Remember alcohol is extra calories and dehydrates you. For every alcoholic beverage, drink 1 glass of water. Make sure you look at the nutrition information of your food if its available. Sometimes what they say is healthy really isnt. Go for a variety of colors on your plate. You want a variety of fruits and vegetables, grains, meats, legumes, etc. When traveling by plane, you can sometimes order your meal ahead of time and have it specially prepared for you. Most airlines wont even charge you extra for this. Eating healthy doesn't have to be complicated. Eat smaller portions, drink water, extras on the side, etc... The information here will help you in making better decisions on eating healthy when you have to eat out.
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Personally, even though I try to eat a healthy diet, I struggle with getting plenty of vegetable servings. So here are a few hints for adding fruits and veggies to your day.
Put fruit in your cereal or puree it on pancakes instead of syrup. Add a mashed banana to eggs and milk for French toast Make a smoothie with berries or bananas (berries are a high fiber fruit) Make an veggie omeletthen add a side of sliced tomatoes and avocado Add spinach or other greens to a sandwich instead of iceberg lettuce, then pile on the onions and tomatoes Add greens to mashed potatoes- broccoli, garlic and onions delicious Mix frozen broccoli into prepared spaghetti sauce Eat more peas, beans, and lentils. Make a taco with black beans instead of meat. After shopping put veggies in snack or sandwich bags before putting them away in the refrigerator. When you go somewhere grab a bag to go. Cherry or grape tomatoes, baby carrots, small assorted peppers all work well for this. One of my favorite quick meals is to cover a plate with baked tortilla chips. Add slices of cheese to the chips and set aside. Chop one tomato, half an onion, and some fresh jalapenos. Melt the cheese on the chips and pile on the tomato, onion and peppers. You have two vegetable servings and lots of yum. Just add extra veggies to everything- pizza, soup, salads, casseroles, pasta, omelets, sandwiches
There is one important piece of advice I must pass along. If you are serious about eating more fruits and vegetables, increase the amount slowly and drink plenty of water. A quick increase in fruits and veggies will leave you bloated and with lots of gas. Not a pleasant experience at all.
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You have heard that for years upon years. Why? Because it's the only thing that really and truly works. There are three things that help you lose lots of weight. 1. Healthy eating 2. A concern for muscle 3. A concern for the heart Healthy eating is simple! Just eat better than you have. Keep the numbers as low as possible on the sodium, sugars, saturated fats and trans fatty acids. Drink lots of water, and don't ever believe what the marketers tell you on the front of the package, like 'no sugar added'.
Try to eat a small amount every 3 hours to keep that metabolism revved up. The last and most important thing is to give yourself one bad thing every day! Having a concern for muscle is a very important factor in losing body fat. Strength training is needed, however, you don't have to be a bodybuilder to lose fat. Thirty minutes 3 times per week of a total body workout will help you gain muscle tone. You WILL NOT get big, bulky muscles by strength training, unless you are genetic freak and you are on steroids, which I highly recommend NOT doing! A great way to get a fast, total body workout is to do 'functional training'. Functional exercises work many muscles at once, meaning faster workouts and more calories being burned. Talk to a fitness professional if you've never done this type of training. There is
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no excuse not to do some sort of strength training. And as we get older, the more strength training we need! Lastly, having a concern for the heart is just as important, if not more. Remember that the heart is another muscle so it must be trained just like any other muscle. Training the heart is what makes us 'fit'. Strength training does not make you 'fit'. Strength training gives you strength to perform different movements. We become 'fit' by performing cardiovascular training. Anything that gets the heart rate up for a longer period of time is cardiovascular training. I recommend 3-4 times per week of an average of 30 minutes each time. Bike riding, power-walking, running, swimming, tennis, kayaking, you name it! There you have it. The most effective way to lose some inches, and be healthy. No more fad diets! No more magic 5 minute Ab Blaster gadget you bought off an infomercial. Eat right and exercise is all it takes!
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Whole grain cereal (ex. Kashi) with low fat yogurt (ex. Dannon light) 1 or 2 scrambled eggs with half cup of oatmeal Frozen fruit smoothie with juice or water, yogurt and whey protein powder Low fat cottage cheese with berries or granola
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Whole grain toast with 1 tbsp peanut butter or you can add 1 tbsp Barleans Flax Seed Oil Meal Replacement Shake Fruits with low sugar (ex. Any name that ends in 'Berry', like blueberry's)
Small piece of fruit with peanut butter Meal Replacement bar or shake Whole grain wheat crackers with peanut butter Low fat cottage cheese with blueberries or granola Light yogurt (1 cup) w/ handful of nuts Fruit smoothie with 1 scoop whey protein powder Fruit w/ handful of nuts Apple slices w/ low fat cheese
Deli sandwich on 1 piece of whole grain bread with cup of soup Bowl of chili and side salad Salad with lean protein (4-8 ounces of chicken) One serving of lean protein and two servings of carbohydrates, one being a serving of starch Meal Replacement shake
Forth meal options are same as the second meals options. Dinner Sample Options are pretty easy:
One serving of lean protein (chicken, fish) with veggies of choice and salad.
Every now and then a starchy carbohydrate is okay, but not too often such as whole grain bread, sweet potatoes, wheat pastas, and brown rice. If you want to, which I do recommend, have a bit more to eat a few hours after dinner. I recommend the same options as the second and forth meals. Some things to keep in mind: Always read the labels! Look at serving sizes and how many servings there are. If the label says 0 grams of fat yet there are 700 servings with each serving being 1/3 of a second spray, guess what? After that 1/3 of a second there is now fat! Always read the servings and serving size! Also look for key works in the ingredients for sugars like sucrose, fructose, lactose, glucose, dextrose, honey, sorbitol, maltose. Hydrogenated, enriched and high fructose corn syrup are the 3 big ones. One of the most important things to go into the body and
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helps increase our metabolism is WATER! You hear people say drink 8 glasses per day. Well, they are correct, but the way that sounds seems like so much water. Start carrying around a water bottle everywhere you go. Take a small sip every 5 minutes. Don't drink 1/2 of a bottle at once, just a small swig over and over, all day long. When the water runs out, just fill the bottle back up again. Before you know it, you will be through four or five bottles and you didn't even notice. And it won't seem like a lot since you are spreading it out over time. Now you are set to eat healthy and tone up!
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There is a point where all diets begin to stop working and it gets harder and harder to get those last few pounds off. The plateau is the term I hear often in the gym. The plateau usually forces people to decrease calories more and increase activity, which creates more of the starvation process. Then it becomes a vicious cycle. Once you hit the plateau it gets a little harder to stay motivated, sweets begin to be a little more tempting. You start to beat yourself up about the lack of progress. Bad habits start creeping back into your life. Before you know it you are right back into the old habits that got you on the diet in the first place. But this time the overeating and lack of exercise will affect you even more because the diet slowed your metabolism by eating up so much muscle. It feels like weight gain is more rapid than ever, and it usually does not stop at the weight you started the diet with. After being overweight and feeling miserable a few months you are on to the next hottest diet craze. The whole process begins over again. You look back and twenty years has gone by and you are still overweight, still looking for a quick fix, and it is more difficult than ever to lose weight. You now go to your Doctor asking for thyroid testing or searching the internet for an answer to why you can not lose weight. You have been on every diet know to man and feel there is nothing out there that can help at this point. You truly feel as if something is wrong with you. The truth is every one responds different to each food they eat. But if you develop healthy eating and exercising habits that you can consistently do your return for the effort will outweigh any quick fix diet in the long run. The end result of die with a T is loss of weight on the scale in the beginning, hunger, loss of energy, disappointment, frustration, guilt, metabolic slowdown, residual weight gain, much easier to accumulate and store fat, and most important many increased health risk that leads to an early death. The best advice there is for someone wanting to lose weight is to hire a professional. Find out from a true fitness or nutrition professional (not the diet center on every corner) where to start with what you have. Make some minor adjustments to start, and begin a lifelong journey at improving on your eating habits. Each day strive to improve upon the day before. You will look back in 5 years and you will not believe the way you use to eat and the way you use to look. From this day forward never go on a diet again. Learn how to eat healthy and your body will be healthy.
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"How To Design A Nutrition Plan To Gain Muscle And Lose Fat All Year Around"
By Chris Hill
How To Design A Nutrition Plan To Gain Muscle And Lose Fat All Year Around. Educated business people are usually successful, but not always when it comes to designing a nutrition plan that will allow them to gain muscle and lose fat. They have learned that educating themselves, seeking the advice of others, and looking for more opportunities are the keys to prosperity. We say "generally successful" simply because many intelligent business professionals frequently overlook their health while on life's journey to become wealthy. On the whole, most working people have erratic schedules and let their fitness and dietary plans suffer. Attacking your fitness program twice a week with the same tenacity as making a business move will likely lead to injury. Instead, you should have a well-planned and moderate fitness program that is completed three to four times per week. Moderation and consistency are the key to any long term fitness plan. I cannot stress this enough. Without a shadow of a doubt, you will increase results, decrease body fat, lower cholesterol, and have more restful sleep when you follow a moderate and consistent fitness plan. There are some important questions to consider when making the decision to get fit. Most people begin by lifting too much weight in the beginning stages of their weight training program. Learning correct technique is much more important than throwing around 15-20 extra pounds of weight to impress others. When it comes to cardiovascular training, the common mistakes include using improper shoes for running, and operating a "cardio" machine at too high of an intensity level and using improper form. A mistake that will dilute any hopes of a bikini body is the idea that cardiovascular exercise is all you'll need to acquire a lean body. There is enough data to fill an entire book to prove that you need weight training to optimize your fat loss. You need to complete both weight training and cardiovascular exercise for the best and most expeditious results. Without going through a fitness assessment it is virtually impossible to know about you as an individual, it is not possible to tell you the specifics of how your program should be developed. You must seek the advice of experts in whichever type of program that interests you. When you research a personal trainer, look at his or her education, years of experience, certifying organization, personal appearance and references. Your trainer should have a degree in a health-related field and/or certifications in his or her area of expertise. Practical experience is equally important. I have hired trainers with master's degrees who have a difficult time teaching. As for their appearance, they should
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be well-groomed, fit, and well-spoken. If your trainer takes pride in himself or herself, they will transfer those traits to your training program and the respect they give to you. References are a great way to gain knowledge of an individual's fitness training business practices. Ask your friends or physician. Many business clients have atrocious eating habits. I have found over the years and after working with hundreds of clients that eating habits are the number one reason for failure in attaining optimal health and fitness. The habit of eating a balanced satisfying meal is very often the missing link in optimal health and fitness for busy professionals. How can a busy professional gain muscle and lose fat? Who should you believe when seeking nutritional advice? To answer this question, first consider the difference between a Registered Dietitian (RD) and a nutritionist. Because we are bombarded with so much nutritional information it is very hard to decipher whether the source is legitimate or not. So be careful and let results of your trainer be an indicator of their knowledge. What and when should you eat? There is so much contradictory nutritional information out there including: eat carbohydrates or don't eat carbohydrates; eat before going to bed, do not eat three hours before bed, or do not eat after 6 p.m.; combine foods, or do not combine foods. It appears that there is no end to this litany; hence, you should ignore the folklore and the hype and get your nutrition information only from an expert in the field. Many of my clients travel frequently. These clients are constantly eating on the run. My clients usually come to me with the same goals: loose weight, tone up and increase their energy. Although one may think that these are mostly aesthetic concerns, the truth is that body composition or ones body fat percentage is a true measure of health as opposed to how much they weigh. You may even be surprised to find that a pint of water (two cups) weighs a pound; and that you may gain or lose a pound or more during a strenuous workout session. Thus, your success or progress cannot be based on your body weight. In fact, as you start to exercise, your body starts to store more "glycogen" in your muscle cells. This can be called our fuel, which is simply many glucose or blood sugar molecules hooked together and stored in your muscles and body cells for later use. These glycogen molecules are so highly concentrated that your body must also store water in your cells along with glycogen in a ratio of 1:3 (one molecule of glycogen to three molecules of water). Because water weighs a pound for every pint and glycogen also weighs considerably, your weight is sure to increase as you increase your exercise levels, and your glycogen and water storage increases in response to the increase in exercise. The more you exercise, the more your body begins to store glycogen and water. In the body there are thousands of cells that fill up with glycogen and water so you can use it as fuel next time you exercise, causing an increase in body weight, but not necessarily in body fat. The only way to know the difference is to measure your body fat percentage regularly.
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If you see a gain in muscle and a loss in fat you know you have a perfectly designed fitness and meal plan. If you see a gain in muscle and a gain in fat, you know the meal plan includes too many calories. Finally, if you see a gain in fat and a loss in muscle you know you are either not eating enough protein, or not eating enough calories, or over exercising. This is why it is critical to log your foods and let your trainer help determine a "baseline" on how your metabolism is working and how it reacts to the nutrition and exercise plan designed for you. Typically, four to six weeks of observation is enough time for making adjustments until the right trend is established. At that time, you may reduce your food log to one week out of every three. After you have reached your muscle mass goals and body-fat goals, you can meet once every four weeks with your trainer about nutrition to make sure you continue down the correct path and/or establish a maintenance program, depending on what your goals are. As trainers we help you achieve their goals of gaining muscle and losing body fat by teaching them three basic rules of success that are easy to follow no matter where they are. Before we discuss the rules, let's review how fat is stored in our body. Food consists of three macronutrients, namely, carbohydrates (CHOs), fats, and proteins. Whenever we eat CHOs they first go to the stomach where they are digested, and then proceed to the intestines where they are absorbed into the bloodstream in the form of glucose (blood sugar). As blood glucose levels rise, the body secretes insulin, a hormone that is responsible for storing glucose in muscle and organ cells in the form of glycogen. Normal blood glucose levels are between 80 and 120 mg/dl, and whenever blood glucose levels fall below 80mg/dl we feel hungry. If the glucose concentration were to fall well below 80 mg/dl the body would react by slowing down its metabolism to save energy. Of primary importance to us, however, is the fact that whenever our blood glucose levels rise above 120 mg/dl the residual glucose is stored as fat. So the secret to dietary success is to control blood glucose levels throughout the entire day as a means of maintaining high metabolism and therefore minimizing fat storage, while at the same time avoiding overeating. Because blood glucose control is very important in controlling diabetes, many studies have been conducted to determine how different foods affect blood glucose levels. One study is the "gastric emptying time test," or how long it takes food to leave the stomach. The reason this is a very important study is that the faster something leaves the stomach, the faster it causes blood glucose levels to rise. Usually, the faster blood glucose levels rise, the more effectively glucose gets stored as fat (due to larger insulin secretions), and therefore, the more quickly blood glucose levels drop causing hunger pangs. Gastric emptying time studies show that the longest time that CHOs will stay in the stomach is one hour. In contrast, protein will stay in the stomach two hours, and fats from three to five hours. This is why you find yourself getting hungry 20 to 40 minutes after having a piece of fruit, or some bread, pasta, rice, veggies, or even some cereal. And this is also why you feel stuffed for four hours after having a high fat meal.
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We also found that when you combine a protein with a carbohydrate, both the protein and the fat (since most proteins have some fat in them) cause the carbohydrate to stay in the stomach longer (approximately three and a half to four hours), which basically means that this increases gastric emptying time, a good thing, because a longer gastric emptying time also means a slow and controlled increase in blood glucose, which lessens the chances of storing a large portion of this meal as fat due to a fast rise in blood glucose. A longer gastric emptying time also means mild successive increases and decreases in blood glucose levels caused by the longer time that it takes for food to leave your stomach. As a consequence you are satisfied longer, doing away with your sweet cravings which usually arise as a means of raising low blood glucose levels after a quick drop. With this understanding, it makes sense to eat protein every time you eat a carbohydrate. This will increase the gastric emptying time, lessen blood glucose swings, and satisfy your appetite. This raises the question, "what is a protein?" Even today after all those fad protein diets, people are still confused about the difference between a protein and a carbohydrate. One way to remember is: If it walks, swims, or flies, it is a protein; if it comes from a plant, it is a carbohydrate. Indeed beans are high in protein, as are many other legumes, plants and even some vegetables. However, in an effort to simplify things and to justify our generalization, we have looked at the largest component of a food, and grouped foods based on this component. Therefore, even though a 1-cup serving of beans has 15g of protein, it also contains 40g of carbohydrates - beans are therefore categorized a carbohydrate. In an analogous fashion, although an avocado is a fruit, because of its high fat content it is considered a fat. And although milk and yogurt come from cows' milk, following the same logic, both milk and yogurt are categorized as a carbohydrates. Given the fast gastric emptying time of carbohydrates, no wonder you can be hungry by the time you get to your office after having a bowl of cereal with milk, several pieces of toast with jam or jelly, and a glass of OJ! These are all carbohydrates that leave your stomach quickly, raise your blood glucose levels quickly, causing an insulin secretion that most likely stores everything you ate for breakfast as fat, all the while rapidly lowering your blood glucose levels. You then go until 1 or 2 p.m. without eating, further slowing down your metabolism (remember, low blood glucose levels cause your metabolism to put on the brakes) which will most likely cause you to overeat at lunch or if you are "disciplined enough" and just have a salad for lunch, by the time you have dinner at around 7:30-8:00pm you find that you are ravenous and cannot be satiated no matter what or how much you eat. But stop! Haven't you heard that you are not supposed to eat after 6:00pm? So, you might as well go to bed hungry. After all, once you fall asleep, you won't need any energy, will you? The truth of the matter is that the human body will do anything to survive. Since fat is long-term stored energy, the human body will forgo burning fat and will go through a process called "gluconeogenesis," which simply forms new glucose."
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Sounds harmless until you realize that the pathway by which new glucose is formed is by secreting cortisol, a hormone responsible for breaking down muscle tissue and turning it into sugar or glucose, so that you can continue to breathe, walk, talk, think, exercise, etc. So even though you think you are not eating, you are eating the most important tissue we use for fat loss - you are eating your own muscle -slowing down your metabolism, and storing fat. This is completely opposite of what we need to happen. Because muscle weighs more than fat (muscle takes about two thirds less room than fat for the same weight), as you eat your muscle you lose weight, so, there is no reason to weigh and get excited about seeing lower numbers on the scale! In the worst case, your body may be entering a downward spiral of continual fat storage and suppressed metabolic rate...hmmm, something to think about. Based on gastric emptying studies and blood glucose control we've come up with three basic rules to help you keep your muscle mass, and get rid of fat. Rule No. 1 is to eat every three and a half to four hours whether you are hungry or not. Rule No. 2 - the most important rule - is to eat protein every time you eat a carbohydrate. Of course, we want the protein to be low in fat. Before getting to the third rule, let's discuss carbohydrate servings. As blood glucose control is the most important aspect of a nutrition and exercise program, and given that the only macronutrients that really have an effect on blood glucose levels are carbohydrates, we must be able to determine in some fashion what is an appropriate portion of carbohydrates. Along with a portion of carbohydrates, we also must determine a portion of protein and a portion of fat so that we can not only control blood glucose levels but also control our calories. There was a study conducted by the American Diabetes Association that determined how small a carbohydrate dose it would take to raise blood glucose levels a noticeable amount. It turns out that it took exactly 15g of carbohydrates to do it. Because the word "serving" had already been used by millions of manufacturers of food products we could not just redefine the word. The ADAs decided to come up with their own name for a serving and decided to call a 15g-serving of carbohydrates an "exchange." Therefore, even though an entire English muffin may be one serving, since it has 30g of carbohydrates it is considered two exchanges. So, instead of having a cup of oatmeal every morning, you're actually having two carbohydrate exchanges. You may very well choose oatmeal, bread, cereal, pasta, rice, potatoes, pancakes, muffins, etc., until you reach the prescribed number of 30g of carbohydrates or two exchanges. Rule No. 3 is to become aware of what an exchange is and how many you need per day as well as in what combination. A nutrition professional can simply use a formula to estimate your basal metabolism rate (BMR). This formula takes into account your gender, present weight, height, and age. Once your BMR is calculated, the next step is to calculate your sedentary activity
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calories, or simply put, how many calories you burn in a day that has no exercise. The next step is to determine how many calories you do burn while exercising. Once we figure all these calories out and add a few other constants based on your body fat percentage, frequency and duration of exercise, we move on to designing an ideal meal pattern for you. A qualified nutritionist can put together a sound meal plan based on your BMR and your exercise activities. The number of carbohydrate exchanges you will be eating per day depends on your weekly cardiovascular and daily living activities. In contrast, the number of protein exchanges that you will be eating per day depends on your body weight as well as the type of exercise routine prescribed for you. Finally, the number of fat exchanges that you will be eating per day will be the equivalent of 15 to 30 percent of your total caloric intake. Such a balanced meal plan will ensure that you attain your goals of gaining or maintaining muscle mass while losing body fat.
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"What Is A Calorie?"
By Chris Hill
What is a calorie? This is so misunderstood. If you do not know what a calorie is, it will be very difficult to lose weight. So let's define it: A calorie is simply a unit of energy. Yes, when you are eating a piece of fruit containing 100 calories, you are consuming 100 units of energy. If you eat two slices of pizza containing 1200 calories, you are consuming 1200 units of energy. So, let's say on a given day you consumed 3200 calories, or units of energy, and through your daily activities and exercise (and you better be exercising!) you burned 2700 calories. That will leave you with an excess of 500 calories. Agreed? Good! FACT: Energy cannot be created nor destroyed; it can only be transformed from one form to another. Knowing this, what do you think happens to the excess 500 calories that you consumed for that day? It is plain and simple, People; it gets stored as fuel for later or most of the time fat. FACT: One pound of fat is made up approximately 3500 calories. Knowing this, if you consume an excess 500 calories every day for an entire week, what did you just do? You just gained a pound of fat! (500 calories per day x 7 days = 3500 calories per week = 1 pound of fat per week) Are you getting the idea yet? Let me break it down in more of a long term scenario. Let's say you, on average, are in a calorie excess of 100 calories per day, which is an extremely easy thing to do. Over the course of a year that amounts to an excess of 36,500 calories! Divide that 36,500 excess by 3500 calories contained in each pound of fat, and you just gained 10 pounds of fat, simply by going over your recommended calorie allotment 100 calories per day. That is how sensitive the human body is! 100 calories a day - that's 10 ounces of soda, an apple, or a serving of low fat yogurt. That is how simple it is to gain fat. And it does not matter where the excess 100 calories come from; they can come from any of the macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, and fats). FACT: Once you go over your calorie allotment for the day, those excess calories will be stored as fat! What are carbohydrates? Carbohydrates are caloric nutrients containing four calories per gram. They are the body's #1 source of energy, especially during exercise. They also
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help regulate digestion and utilization of proteins and fats. What are proteins? Protein, like carbohydrates, is a caloric nutrient containing approximately four calories per gram. Besides water, protein is the most plentiful substance in the body. Proteins are the "building blocks" of the body. They help build and repair tissues of the body. They provide energy, and are involved in preservation of the immune system. However, eating too much protein does have its drawbacks. Consuming more than 30% your total caloric intake from protein forces the kidneys to overwork. It also depletes calcium levels in the body and contributes to fluid imbalance or dehydration. What is fat? Fat is a caloric nutrient containing nine calories per gram, as opposed to carbohydrates and proteins which yield only four. Fats are a major source of energy, especially for aerobic activity. Fat helps protect the body and helps keep organs in place. It is the major insulator of the body. It helps transport vitamins A, D, E and K. Overeating any of these macronutrients will result in weight gain. They all play a huge role in human body functions, which is why they are called MACROnutrients. (Macro meaning large, of large importance to the body.) You need them all, and a good place to start is 55% of food coming from carbohydrates, 30% coming from protein, and 15% coming from fat. Lets break down a daily plan if all we know is your weight. For example if you weigh 150 pounds and are looking to lose weight. First we must establish a base line of calories to begin with and make adjustments from there. Lets start with protein. To find Protein Intake: Multiply .7 grams per pound x your body weight. 150 lbs x .7 =105 grams of protein per day 105 grams x 4 calories per gram = 420 calories per day from protein. Carbohydrate Intake 150 lbs x 1.25 = 187.5 grams of carbohydrates per day 187.5 grams of carbohydrates per day = 750 calories per day from carbohydrates. Fat Intake To find fat calories add 420 +750 = 1170 calories divided by .85 = 1376 calories. Then subtract 1170 from 1376 = 206 calories from fat 206 divided by 9 = 23 grams of fat per day. Total calories = 1376 per day. This is a simple method to get you started in determining how many calories your body needs. You would make adjustments depending upon activity level, body composition, and many other factors. But this is a great place to start.
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Understanding calories is the first steps in establishing a healthy diet. You are on your way!
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Always eat a full breakfast. This will start your day off right. If you plan to exercise within an hour after breakfast, eat a smaller breakfast. But make sure you eat something that will raise your blood sugar, such as a sports drink. Time your meals. Always eat large meals at least three to four hours before exercising. If you are just eating a small meal, two to three hours before exercising is OK. Dont skip meals. Skipping meals results in low blood sugar. If you are very busy during the day, and dont have time to eat a meal, make sure you have a healthy snack on hand. A piece of fruit like a banana is easy to take with you and eat anywhere. Eat after your workout. Your muscles need to refuel after a workout. Try to eat protein and carbohydrates within two hours of your workout. This will help your body recover.
What you eat is as important as when you eat, and carbohydrates are your bodys best source for fuel. When selecting carbohydrates make sure you choose items that are also low in fat. Cereals, whole grains, fruits and vegetables are good choices for carbohydrates and are also great sources of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. Protein is important in your diet, but unlike carbohydrates, protein does not provide your body with significant energy while you exercise. However, protein is essential in muscle repair and growth. It is not necessary to eat protein before your workout, but it is a good idea to eat some afterward.
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Protein is readily found in meats, dairy products and nuts and even small amounts of protein can help you recover from strenuous exercise. One of the most important things to consider in your diet before you exercise is water. If you are properly hydrated, your body can adequately sustain physical activity. On the other hand, not getting enough to drink when you are exercising can be extremely dangerous. Your body produces heat, and then you sweat. When you sweat you lose electrolytes such as potassium, calcium, and sodium. If you dont replenish the electrolytes in your body, you can become dehydrated. This is why it essential to drink at least one glass of water before and after your workout. You should also take a drink every 10 to 15 minutes while you are working out. Some people would rather drink sports drinks than water when they are exercising, but unless you are exercising for more than sixty minutes, sports drinks are not necessary. Water is generally the best way to replace fluids, but for extended periods of exercise, sports drinks can help your body maintain its natural balance of electrolytes. These are just some guidelines to get you started and help you pay attention to the foods you eat and how they may affect you workouts. Everyone is different and you may notice that your nutritional needs vary somewhat from these guidelines. Just keep in mind that what you eat and when you eat it can help or hinder you exercise efforts. If you are feeling too tired to work out or if you have a difficult time recovering from exercise, try re-thinking your food choices. It just might be the key to your best workout yet!
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Celery sticks with peanut butter and several raisins on top Mixed berries (these freeze well in plastic bags) Whole-wheat crackers and low-fat string cheese Trail mix Nuts or nut mix (about a handful) Grapes (in a baggie) Fruit smoothie in a thermos Cucumber slices (lightly salted or with nonfat Italian dressing) Yogurt and granola Tuna and cottage cheese in mini-containers Rice cakes with peanut butter (a nice blend of carbs and protein) Low-fat cheese cubes Hardboiled eggs Deviled egg (placed in small container) Fruit yogurt cup (add in some fresh fruits or nuts for a boost) Vegetable sticks with a little packet of dip (low fat salad dressing packets) Broccoli bites Cauliflower bites Half of a turkey or tuna sandwich on whole-wheat bread Leftover chicken or turkey slices (great to eat cold) Healthy fiber-rich or grain cereal (place in a baggie or small container) Pickles (wrapped in foil or plastic wrap) Box of raisins or other dried fruit
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Half a large whole wheat bagel with light cream cheese Apples Bananas Strawberries (or any seasonal fruit)
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The sad fact is much of the North American diet contains too much CRAP (Carbohydrates, Refined sugars, Additives and Preservatives). Food that has been overly manufactured or processed has lost much of its nutrient content and has many artificial additives. Aim to eat organic and non-GMO (genetically modified) fruit and vegetables. Buy grass-fed or free range meat and poultry as well as wild fish. Properly grown food has the best nutrient content for your body. It is in a form that is most available to your body without any harmful chemicals or drugs. An added benefit is that this food is also good for the environment. Foods grown organically and meat products raised by grazing have been shown to be the most sustainable methods of farming. In Part II of this article I'll tell you about the different fuel mixes and how to determine which nutrition strategy is best for you.
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carbohydrate diets, while these same diets cause others to pack on the pounds and be chronically fatigued. So how do you determine proper nutrition for yourself? The answer is Metabolic Typing. Metabolic Typing is a technology that allows you to determine what your nutritional needs are and how to best attain them. You can do Metabolic Typing in a number of ways. 1. Read the book, the Metabolic Typing Diet by William Wolcott. The book contains the Basic Program which involves a simple self-test and then recommendations for a specific nutrition plan based on your results. There are three basic classifications or types - Carbo, Mixed and Protein. Carbo types should consume approximately 60% carbohydrates, 25% protein and 15% fat. Mixed types should consume about 45% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 25% fat. And Protein types need about 30% carbohydrates, 40% protein and 30% fat. 2. The Intermediate Program involves an online questionnaire which provides you with your specific Metabolic Type and is more in-depth than the Basic Program. 3. The Advanced Program is available only through a Certified Metabolic Typing Advisor and is a more extensive analysis than the other two programs. The results are much more specific and nutrition plan more individualized. For more information about the Intermediate and Advanced Programs please see www.ultrafitness.net. A Metabolic Type appropriate diet will help you maximize your energy; lose weight naturally & maintain your ideal weight; achieve peak athletic performance; stabilize your appetite & curb your cravings; strengthen your immunity; improve your moods & mental clarity; slow down the aging process and put an end to the confusion about what nutrition strategy is right for YOU. You don't need the same nutrition as your neighbor. But when you have the right fuel in your nutrition, you have optimum energy and therefore optimum functioning of your body. Proper nutrition makes your body balanced and efficient and you have good health.
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Make sure you read every word of this. Dont skip to the end.
Before I get into what specific energy foods are great for boosting sagging energy levels, lets start with the basics. If youre screwing up basic healthy eating and fat loss principles, the specific energy boosting foods cant help you. Lets examine the 5 basic energy increasing tips a bit closer: 1. You should aim to eat 4-6 small meals per day. Spacing out your meals will help regulate your blood sugar and maintain good energy levels throughout the day. 2. Avoid drinking your calories whenever possible. Drinking liquid sugar like the kind found in fizzy pop, juices, sodas, and booze is the last thing you need when youre trying to lose fat and increase energy. Stick with water and green tea. Make sure you get at least 8 glasses per day. 3. Fast food doesnt equal fast energy. Grabbing high fat, high sodium foods made with low quality ingredients can increase your waistline and cholesterol, but not your energy levels.
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4. Eat 5 to 10 servings of fiber-rich fruits and vegetables. Your energy levels will increase and youll get more done in less time as a result. 5. Eat healthy fats. Most North Americans consume way too may harmful saturated fats, and virtually eat almost no healthy fats. Good sources include fish, olive oil, raw almonds, just to name a few. Take a half-hour each night to plan what youre going to eat tomorrow. This is something that healthy people have in common. They dont leave their nutrition to chance. Again, I know its not easy. Im not going to stand here and tell you anything other than the truth. You might not want to hear it, but it doesnt make it any less true. It's going to take time to clean, cut, and cook your own healthy food. Its going to take effort to plan, shop, and prepare healthy meals. But, you CAN do it. And believe me, when you do, youll never feel like crawling under your desk at 3 oclock for a nap, again. Okay, pep talks over. Now that you understand the basics, we can get a bit more specific. Certain foods have energy properties and nutrient profiles that help to increase alertness and energy. Heres my short list of the top 7 energy foods that you can eat to boost your energy levels: 1. Blueberries. Blueberries help fight off urinary tract infections and contain tons of antioxidants with cancer fighting properties. 2. Oranges. Oranges are an energy food that contains a valuable source of Vitamin C, increases iron absorption, and boost energy levels. 3. Spinach. Popeye was no dummy. Green vegetables contain powerful cancerfighting compounds. 4. Salmon. This energy food is a top source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, and can help decrease your risk of heart disease and cancer. There is also some preliminary evidence that shows that fish oils can help increase fat loss. 5. Almonds. Snacking on almonds between meals can help to decrease you appetite, helping you to maintain or lose weight. They are a healthy fat and a rich source of protein. Stick with raw almonds though. Most roasted almonds are cooked in hydrogenated oils. 6. Olive Oil. Olive oil is a healthy monounsaturated fat that lowers bad cholesterol and increases heart-healthy good cholesterol. It should be in your kitchen. 7. Green Tea. Green tea is another great source of powerful antioxidants. With less than half the calories of coffee, its also a better energy boosting choice. 8.
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Purchase plastic storage containers, sports bottles, a water jug and a cooler to store and carry your food. Having nutritious meals within reach during a hectic day can keep you on track. Drink 10 glasses of water every day. Its especially important to stay well hydrated when following a comprehensive training, nutrition, and supplementation program. Drink at least one glass of water with each of your six meals, and four more throughout the day. If you have an occasional diet soda, coffee or tea, youll need to drink an additional glass to compensate for the diuretic effect of these beverages. Dont eat right before or right after you train. If you can, work out first thing in the morning on an empty stomach for maximum fat burning. Also, waiting an hour to eat after a workout may be an effective strategy for increasing the residual fat-burning effects of exercise. EAS also recommends to avoid eating right before going to bed. This strategy has also been shown to stimulate muscleprotein synthesis and muscle growth. Use high-quality supplements. Supplements can help make up for any nutritional deficiencies and enhance performance. When purchasing supplements, look for companies that invest heavily in research to maximize the effectiveness of their products. Find your emotional reason for staying on track. Researchers at George Washington University discovered that people who successfully transform their bodies are set in action by some sort of emotional trigger that helps to clarify their reasons for deciding to make change. In the study, researchers found that any event which elicited strong emotions such as alarm, embarrassment, shame and/or fear actually inspired people to transform their bodies for the better. Take a moment to consider your emotional trigger and use it to stay committed to your nutrition program. Strive for consistency, not perfection. You can be sure there will be the occasional meal or snack thats not on the recommended food list. When you get off track in this way, dont allow it to slow you down. Enjoy the divergence, recommit to your goal, and get back on track with your next meal.
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Guaranteed Weight Loss Success Starts with the Food You Eat!
By Dave Gleason
Though it is not customary to begin articles or statements for that matter with a question it is time to end all the weight and fat loss nightmares by answering the most important one What is the number one, self defeating, easy to fix behavior that causes most people to fail and never reach their weight loss goals? The answer is so obvious it is rhetorical! Yes, you know it is the way that you eat. There are two very powerful factors that add to this problem and now for the first time I can show you how to get rid of it forever! First, we make bad choices and we eat too much. Second, there is so much misinformation that we have lost sight of what to eat and how much of it. Low carbs, high protein, low glycemic index foods vs. bad carbs, low calorie, high calorie/low fat and on and on and on! Dont believe me? Go to your local book store and count how many DIFFERENT books there are on dieting and weight loss that specifically deal with nutrition. I promise you it will make your head spin! What if you could have someone cook exactly what you want to eat based on what your specific weight loss goals are, and by customizing it to your exact Caloric needs per day? What if it was not frozen but fresh food prepared for you and delivered right to your door for less than the average American spends on food per day? I have found an amazing weight loss tool that will do all those things and more! In the next 10 seconds you could be on your way to losing weight once and for all without any fancy diet that you cant stick to or hours of preparation that take away from the important things in life like enjoying family and having fun! At www.eatforweightloss.com you can experience the weight loss benefits my clients have with custom meals delivered to your doorstep! Do yourself a favor. After over 15 years of working with people to help them reach their weight loss goalsmy job just became a whole lot easier!
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3. Low-Carb Wedding Wrap! There's no doubt in my mind that if you're on a diet plan for your wedding, it's low-carb! And that's fine, as long as you don't eliminate all fruits and vegetables from your diet! But here is a simple, high protein, low-carb snack that you can eat at work, on the run or at home. Simply buy reduced fat mozzarella string cheese and low-fat deli-sliced turkey meat. Wrap a slice or two of turkey meat around the string cheese and devour! Need some flavor? Add a teaspoon of hot mustard or spicy brown mustard to give your wrap a spicy, no-calorie added kick! Total Calories: 1 Reduced-Fat Cheese Stick + 2 slices of Low-Fat Deli Turkey = 90 calories: 13 grams of Protein, 3 grams of carbs and 2.5 grams of fat! Perfect for stopping those hunger pangs and staying within your carbohydrate limit. 4. Get Your Crunch On! If you are missing the crunchiness of crackers and cookies on your pre-wedding diet, don't fear. Bell peppers in red, green, orange and yellow variety are a great solution to bring back the crunchy feeling our mouths sometime crave along with the sweetness. While often mistaken for the spicy chili pepper, bell peppers are more crunchy and tangy, than hot and spicy. A cup of raw peppers only has 25 calories so you can get away with eating a lot of peppers with no fear of gaining weight! One cup of raw, chopped red peppers provides over 100% of the DV for vitamin C and vitamin A. Red peppers are also an excellent source of the vitamins K and B6. Green peppers are a very good source of fiber and folate as well as the minerals molybdenum and manganese. In addition to beta-carotene, red peppers contain the beneficial phytonutrients lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin. Bell peppers are best enjoyed washed thoroughly, sliced and then refrigerated or iced. 5. Show You the Whey! Most females do not take in enough protein in their daily diets to keep their muscles fueled and toned. If you are having trouble getting your recommended daily allowance of protein(.8 grams per pound of body weight), you may want to consider adding a whey protein supplement to your diet. Here are four ways that whey protein can help with weight loss: 1. Protein requires more energy to digest than other foods (called the thermic effect of food). This helps use more calories and hence may help with weight loss. 2. High quality proteins such as whey protein help to preserve lean muscle tissue while you lose fat. If your body doesn't get enough protein and the important essential amino acids on a daily basis it will strip? them from existing muscle tissue. 3. Protein also helps to slow down the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream. This in turn reduces hunger by reducing insulin levels and making it easier for the body to burn fat. 4. Protein has a greater ability to promote satiety than do fat and carbohydrates. Whey protein contains a special component called glycomacropeptide, or GMP. GMP helps promote the release of cholecystokinin or CCK, which is an appetite-suppressing hormone. This may help you feel full and hopefully stop eating sooner. In addition to weight loss, another important side benefit of whey protein is its ability to support the immune system. It promotes the formation of glutathione, an anti-oxidant, which plays a key role in supporting the immune system. This is especially important during periods of stress and disease and for individuals who exercise aggressively or smoke.
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So there you have it! Five healthy snacks that you can say "I DO" to anytime during the stressful days leading up to your wedding! Remember, keeping your body fueled every three to four hours helps keep your metabolism elevated and the weight off! Disclaimer: Not everyone has the exact nutritional needs and some may have special metabolic conditions or food allergies. Please check with your doctor or registered dietician before implementing any of the suggestions above. Any advice given in this article is not intended as a substitute for medical or other personal professional counseling.
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If the foods you are choosing can sit on the shelf and still be edible 1 year from now, chances are it is highly processed and would not be productive toward your weight loss
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goals to consume it. Anything that is made for you, right in front of you is most likely productive. Exception of course is McDonalds and the like. By now, with health and exercise awareness in every the media form, nutrition choices become influenced by the stresses of a time starved world. The act of committing to be active and making healthy nutrition choices only takes a second but the ramifications of poor commitment choices last years as evidenced by the overweight and obesity rates. Sure, my monthly visit to McDonald's for any order of a double quarter pounder with super size fries and a vanilla milkshake instead of a soda tastes great for the moment. But it'll take weeks or months for me to work off all those calories. For some it may take years, and that is only if they consume the meal once. Making better, more conscientious nutrition choices at crucial moments can make all the difference in looking good and feeling good. Weight management is a concern for all of us. And if looking better is a priority for all of us, why don't we make our nutrition choices a priority?
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Police Officers Pre-Fitness Meal To Out Last The Drill Instructor During Physical Training
By David Wehrenberg
Are you eating the right pre fitness meal to make it through police physical training? No! Im here to give you straight to the point sample pre-fitness meal that will power you through physical training. I have worked with may clients who struggle to make it through physical training workout and the first thing I ask is what is their pre-fitness meal. Usually I get a response like Donuts (No pun intended us officer do have a reputation for sitting in a donut shop) I often here, I didnt eat today, chips or I had a soda something has no nutritional value. You must understand in order to become fit to pass the police fitness test or physical training and get stronger you must power fuel your body. Your car cant run with out fuel so what make you think you can? The basic pre fitness fuel your body needs are carbohydrates-to figure out how much you need use this formula. Consume 1-4g of carbohydrate/kg, 1-4 hours before exercise Example: 3g carbohydrate x 70kg body weight = 210g x 4 = 840 Calories from Carbs Below is a sample for a police applicant and recruit pre-fitness meal. Yum! Enjoy Police Pre-Fitness Meal Plan (approximately 900 calories)
Milk, skim 2 cups Cooked lean meat or equivalent 2 ounces Fruit 1 serving (1/2 cup) Pasta or baked potato 1 cup or 1 medium whole wheat Bread or substitute 2 servings Vegetable 1 serving (1/2 cup) Fat spread 1 teaspoon Dessert: Angel food cake or plain cookies 1 piece 2 cookies
There you have it you pre fitness power meal to make it through physical training. Should you need any other help let me know. Here is another source for your nutritional needs. http://healthylife.usana.com
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about the additives that food manufactures process in your favorite T.V dinners, junk food, fast food and restaurants, they will affect your performance as well. Should I continue? So now youre thinking what I am supposed to do? Where can you buy organic food. First look for foods that are labeled organic. Fruits and vegetables have numbered stickers codes on them. Ask your grocery store manger about the codes. Grocery stores have organic island now, look in the meat section sometimes you will find organic beef labeled as well. But the best place is your local farmers and farmers market. Here in Maryland I found a chef who raises organic chickens. If you live in the big city, start by checking with that small family grocery store for organic foods. Here is a great website to look up organic foods and organic information www.organicconsumers.org You know, if you had a drug or a supplement that could do all that organic food could, it would probably be illegal or so darned expensive that only Hall of famers would eat it. You must get the food part right first. Then look to the supplements to fulfill any needs you may have over and above what food alone cannot provide. Because it is impossible to eat everything organic, supplements are necessary to not only help your health, fitness and physical training goals but also prevent disease. Now that I have you bewilderedon to the supplements. HELP! IM CONFUSED WHICH SUPPLEMENT DO I CHOOSE There are so many more supplements out there. Just look at the shelves at your local health food store. Vitamins, Minerals, Amino Acids, Branch-chain Amino Acids, Choline, Vanadium, Tribulis, Ribose, Sodium Bicarbonate, Glutamine, Alpha-Ketogluterate, Ipriflavone, HMB, Chromium, and many more. Its endless. The problem with the health food/supplement/grocery store supplements is the actual potency in the supplement is not what is listed on the label, or in many cases there is an intentional mislabeling of ingredients as Natural with a banned stimulant. This is where athletes get in trouble risking their health and get banned from their sport. Danger, Danger, Danger Will Robinson lets talk about the three most common supplements. 1. Anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS) is a synthetic derivative of testosterone to increase lean body mass, strength and overall athletic performance. The dangerous side effects include increase risk to heart disease, kidney and liver dysfunction, hypertension (high blood pressure), impotence, along with acne (hey
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that is a sure sign youre hitting puberty again) man was that rough and hair loss. This is illegal to possess except with a prescription. As a former cop I locked a lot of people up for possession of illegal drugs, some were athletes that ruined there chance to continue playing sports. The question I often asked is why? I got varied degrees of answer, but the most common one is low self worth. Ponder that for a while. Mark McGuire the single season home-run king made (DHEA) dehydroepiandrosterone a legal form Adione androstenedione famous. Its know as a natural testosterone which is sold over the counter its a enhancer or steroid precursor. Adione is produce in gonads, which act as precursors to testosterone, estrogen increasing muscle mass and strength. Studies found that this so called natural supplement increase HDL cholesterol associated with the development of cardiovascular disease, lowers natural testosterone production, liver dysfunction, shrinkage of testes, baldness and aggressive behavior. This supplement hasnt been found to increase muscle growth therefore the FDA and Drug enforcement agency has deemed this to be legal to sell in the stores or internet. Basically this supplement damages your body same as anabolic steroid with no increase in performance. And of course this is always on the athletic committee banned list! 2. Ephedra or better know as Fat Burners has been marketed to reduce fatigue, increase strength, power and speed; decrease reaction time and improve physique. Let me make two things perfectly clear when it comes to supplements in the ephedra/fat burner category. One. There is no data supporting that fat burner supplements will improve your performance and increase aerobic capacity or satisfy your desires to be lean and fit looking without a properly designed exercise program and eating plan. Zilch! They are not the magic pill they are promoted to be, and most of them dont work at all. Two. If you have ANY medical condition and have not been given a clean bill of health by your physician, do not take ANY supplement promoted as a fat burner. Even if you have been given a clean bill of health you may want to keep your distance anyway. Many athletes have used fat burners without incident, there have been some who have died while taking them. Most recently, Baltimore Oriole MLB pitcher Steve
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Bechler took three ephedra in 2003 before a spring training session to lose weight, he collapsed and died on the field. Let me repeat this again. There have been athletes, teenagers, adults who have died while using ephedra. Now some information. Ephedra/fat burners are stimulants. More often than not they are combinations of caffeine and ephedrine. Most supplement companies use their herbal sources of white willow bark and Ma Huang so they can promote the product as a natural fat burner. Regardless, the same risk-benefit situation exists. FDA has received 1000s of reports on adverse side effects, which vary and always depend on dose consumed. Side effects noted in studies using ephedrine and caffeine combinations are: dizziness, headache, tremor, depression, euphoria, insomnia, dry mouth, hypo tension, high blood pressure, palpitations, racing heart, constipation, nervousness, transient and increased blood sugar values, and increased sweating. The risk of using ephedra far out weight the benefits to get in game shape. 3. Lets talk Creatine supplementation, this supplement is one of the most popular as a ergogenic aid (food or drug that offers the hope of greatly improved performance) among athletes at all levels. Creatine is marketed similar to that of carbohydrate loading, its function is to push more water into the muscle to www.sportperformancecoach.com help the energy system, providing greater resistance to fatigue and improving some effects on strength, power, speed, with a normal diet. Not all the findings support performance claims. The FDA and NCAA have concerns about creatine due to the reported side effects, which include muscle cramping, spasm, strains, stomach problems, kidney dysfunction, and heat illness due to dehydration, diarrhea, headaches, seizures, nausea. In addition, weight gain due to water retention in the muscles not due to muscle growth. Many athletes get no benefits out of creatine at all! I tried it years ago and it did nothing for me - no improvement or side effects. Well one - peeing my money down the toilet. Our bodies already produce creatine naturally in our kidneys and pancreas if your taking this for a long period of time you will actually shut down natural production.
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Here is a way get more water into the muscles for free we all want stuff free! Ready, drink MORE (H20) water. If youre drinking soda. Stop! Drink a glass of nice cool refreshing water instead. Olympic committee has made Creatine legal for competition they consider it as a food. However, do you really want to risk the side effects. There you have it. Supplements you need to stay away from or youre going to get sick or BANNED! Ok so now what? Do I have you more confused on what should you take? Its simple here we go GET THE BASIC FIRST multi-nutritional supplement According to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines we should eat 3 to 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day and as of January of 2005 the new guidelines suggest 2 cups of fruit and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables per day. I dont know about you but I am in the athletic training industry and I always dont get to eat the required daily amount. Besides even if you are someone who eats the required amount, there is a problem with your body receiving all nutrients from fruits and vegetables. 1. You lose important nutrients when you cook vegetables. 2. With all the pesticides sprayed on fruits and vegetables that is even more nutrients broken down from them as well. 3. With all of the pollution that we breath, your body has to fight to keep disease away and if your cells are not receiving enough nutrients you could be more susceptible to illness. Even though you may be getting all of your nutrients from fruits, vegetables and meats every athlete, non-athlete must take a good quality multi-supplement that will boost your immune system to prevent disease, have your cells work properly, re-balance your body recovery system, improve your energy level. The important thing to remember is to stop wasting your money on poor quality supplements. If youre buying a supplement that is cheap in price it wont do you good! The majority of multi-vitamins are woefully inadequate. In a recent study Haven Hospital found many supplements were made with the wrong ratio altogether. Of the 257 vitamin products tested, only 49 were judged adequate. Only 5% of the vitamins were actually adequate for meeting nutrition needs. When buying vitamins/supplements from a supermarket or health store you have no idea what the potency is of that product. Many products come from over seas where there are no manufacturing standards and you have no idea what the potency is.
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There Is a Vast Difference in Nutritional Supplement The biggest concern for supplements is the safety in the manufacturing process. Purity is the biggest concern somewhere between 20 to 40 percent of U.S. dietary supplement products fail to meet analyses for purity and label claim. A quality and pure supplement must surpass highest standards and guarantee potency can only be met by U.S and Canadian Good manufacturing Practices (GMPs) for pharmaceutical. The 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act puts supplement in the food category, which only require manufactures to produce a safe supplement and any claims made about the product substantiated. Therefore the FDA does not require manufactures to obtain a pre-market approval for these products. What does that mean to you? That the current standard of manufacturing is Voluntary for each company and they can establish there own manufacturing standards and quality control. Plus any misleading labeling, unsafe or false claims lies strictly with the FDA and not with the manufacturer. Buyer Beware! Is what the FDA is saying to the consumer. The issue with these companies is not unsafe ingredients but rather with the poor hygienic manufacturing process and lack of strict quality control standards that cause contamination or make an impure inferior product. Source: Macwilliam This is where you get in trouble for taking tainted supplements that can harm you or test positive of a banned substance. What question should you ask before buying any supplement? Are these supplements science based and have cell technology Is the manufacturing process accurate and consistent with US Pharmaceutical standards Is the supplement pharmaceutical grade (GMP)for potency and uniformity Is it listed in the Physician desk reference (PDR) Does the multi supplement contain ingredients of chelated minerals & mega antioxidant for maximum cell function Will the store or company stand behind there product with a complete refund
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What nutrients should a supplement have in order for your body to run at its maximum efficiency?
Olivol- maintains healthy heart Vitamin E Protects LDL cholesterol maintain strong cell nutrition Vitamin C combats cellular damage caused by free radicals Vitamin A maintains healthy skin & immune system Lutein and Zeaxanthin maintains good eye health N-Acetyl/L-Cysetine important antioxidant/detoxification composition Glutathione-Master antioxidant for every cell in body Lycopene-Maintain health of organ Coenzyme Q10-Energy production of cells(This is key to improve your game) Alpha Lipoic Acid-Offers wide variety protection of free radicals that cause disease Selenium-Essential component of bodies antioxidant defense system
In this report I have included a partial comprehensive guide of the best nutritional supplements studied.
Just whip them up in the blender and take them with you wherever you go. When its time to eat, just slam it down in about 5 minutes. Done. Nutrients provided. No starvation, and youre one meal closer to making to hitting your goal. Heres some things to consider when selecting your MRP: 1. Buy one that tastes good. You may need to try a few different brands and flavors before you find one that suits your tastes. Most come in a variety of flavors and are easy to mix so the texture is pleasant and not chalky or clumpy. The best one I found is by a company called USANA Health Science. 2. Chose one with a good quality protein. A soy based proteins that is low-glycemic is the best because it has heart-healthy benefits, maintain cardiovascular system and maintain optimal bone health. They are what are called complete proteins meaning they contain all the essential amino, its also better at regulating digestion, immunity, and muscle growth. 3. You may pay a couple of extra bucks to get an MRP that will satisfy your needs. 4. Dont rely on MRPs to satisfy all your nutrient needs. Its tempting because its so easy to just down a shake, but you must focus your eating plan around food to be successful. 5. You dont want to bother with shakes then a good protein bar that is low glycemic (sugar) is the next best thing, open the wrapper away you go. HEALTHY FATSI SMELL FISH If I had to pick one supplement that everyone should take, it would be fish oils. Heres why: 1. Fish oils, rich in the Omega-3 fatty acids may help prevent depression, stabilize the moods of maniac-depressives, and alleviate symptoms of schizophrenia. 2. Fish oils is one of the few substances known to lower concentrations of triglycerides (fatty substances) that pose a cardiovascular risk, in the blood. 3. Increasing the amount of Omega-3 fatty acids has direct effects on serotonin levels. 4. Fish oils, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) help prevent heart disease, depression, and cancer. 5. Research has shown that supplementation with fish oils can markedly reduce interlukin-1beta production and results in a significant reduction in morning stiffness and the number of painful joints in rheumatoid arthritis patients. 6. Several clinical trials have concluded that eating fish regularly or supplementing with fish oils can reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death by as much as 50%. 7. Researchers at Mayo Clinic report that supplementation with fish oils, EPA and DHA is highly effective in slowing down the progression of IgA nephropathy, a common kidney disease. 8. Epidemiological studies have shown that populations with a high intake of fish oils have a lower incidence of inflammatory diseases such as asthma.
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9. Researchers at The University of Tromso now report that fish oil supplementation lowers blood pressure significantly in people with hypertension and has no effect on glucose control even in people with mid diabetes. 10. Medical researchers in New Zealand provide convincing evidence that an increased consumption of fish oils helps reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer. Source: charlespoliquin.net 11. The researchers found that supplement users scored higher on mental speed tests than those who did not take supplements. Fish oil supplement users were found to have greater red blood cell membrane omega-3 fatty acid content, which was correlated with improved cognitive function later in life. A greater ratio of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to arachidonic acid was also related to better cognitive function. Source:usana When choosing your fish oil supplements, look for the ones with the highest concentration of EPA and DHA. It is these two substances, which are known to provide fish oils healthy effects. Other sources of healthy fats are flax seed oil, canola oil, borage oil. The goal here is to increase your intake of health promoting Omega-3 fatty acids and reduce your intake of Omega-6 and Omega-9 fatty acids that are associated with many disease processes. Recommendations to get you started: The supplement I found that has all the qualities I spoke about is a company called USANA Health Science, there is no doubt in my mind they are the best. If youre not completely satisfied they will return your money no questions asked. Thats important; no health food or giant vitamin chain store will do that. Check out testimonials of what people and Olympic athletes are saying about USANA. Check out USANA at http://healthylife.usana.com A Guide to help what to take. Adult -Organic Food - Adult Essential Vitamins -MRP Protein drink - plenty of water Teenager: Organic Food - Body Rox Vitamins - in-between meal fruit or MRP Protein drink - plenty of water/Milk. Child: Organic Food -Usanimal Vitamins - in-between meal fruit- plenty of water/Milk. Thats it Heres To YOUR HEALTH !
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Water -A-Fluid Connection Keeping Your Body In Motion During Physical Fitness Training
By David Wehrenberg
Water is essential for six functions of the body such as transportation of nutrients, hormones, antibodies, waste products and regulate body temperature to keep the body cool. We need to replace water volume around every 12 days to keep body functioning properly. Our muscles contain approximately 78% water so with out proper hydration our muscles start to cramp decreasing our ability to have successful work outs. Effects of dehydration, during physical training dehydration can occur with in one hour of intense training sooner if you have not taken in enough fluids pre exercise, Losing 1 to 2% of body weight causing poor performance, More than 3% body fluid loss can cause heat cramps, exhaustion and stroke. First never drink alcohol or coffee as fluid replacement this will actually dehydrate you zapping all of the essential vitamin and minerals (electrolytes) from your muscles. How much water is enough? The Institute of Medicine says that men should consume roughly 3.0 liters (about 13 cups) of total water a day and women should consume 2.2 liters water (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day. Even apart from the above approaches, it is generally the case that if you drink enough water (fluid) so that you rarely feel thirsty and produce between one and two liters of colorless or slightly yellow urine a day, your fluid intake is probably adequate. Since your training, your body will need more fluid to stay hydrated. Drink an extra 1 or 2 cups of water should suffice for short bouts of exercise, but intense exercise lasting more than an hour (for example, running a marathon) requires additional water/fluid intake. Your additional water needs depends on how much you sweat during the exercise, but 13 to26 ounces (or about 2 to 3 cups) an hour will generally be adequate, unless the weather is exceptionally warm. Should you drink sport drinks? I believe that drink sport drinks are a good idea for two reasons, first they will replace electrolytes in your muscles that you lose thru sweat, and secondly they make you thirsty
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so you will drink more. Most people dont drink enough fluids before, during or after training which is key to keep your body fluids balanced for your best performance. Which sport drink should you drink. I prefer Gatorade, I like the taste and the science behind their drinks, they will help maintain carbohydrate metabolism. Gatorade recommends 17-20 oz, Two to three hours before exercise, 28-48oz during physical training and 20oz for every pound loss post training for two hours. Ok so if you take in enough water/fluids you will keep your body in motion. I hope these recommendations will help you perform better prevent health concerns during your physical fitness training. Should you need help let me know. I encourage you to seek the help of a certified athletic trainer.
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- Bolster your antioxidant supplementation. Dr. Rugg said that antioxidants help prevent the formation of free radicals, and they help quench them before they can cause damage. He pointed out that antioxidants require trace minerals such as copper, iron and selenium to work. The antioxidants he mentioned specifically were Vitamin C, CoEnzyme Q10, and BetaCarotene. He said supplementation of these is necessary because it is nearly impossible to get enough in our diets. Dr. Rugg then spoke about EFA, or Essential Fatty Acids. He cited a study that showed that EFA's are more effective than statin drugs in treatment of heart disease. Other great benefits include: - Stabilization of cell membranes - Increased muscle recovery - Decrease inflammatory effects of exercise - Insulin sensitivity is enhanced - Elevates growth hormone As if this wasn't enough to convince us of how important antioxidants are in our diet, he then outlined what he tells individuals when they ask "Why should I take supplements?" 1. Good nutrition is a requirement for long term health 2. The North American diet falls short of the good nutrition required 3. The health benefits of supplementation have been verified 4. Supplementation is a convenient and effective means for obtaining advanced levels of nutrition. Dr. Rugg points out that the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) is the minimum required for disease prevention; we are looking for optimal results. Another interesting point Dr. Rugg brought up was that as a med student he learned nearly nothing about nutrition. He didn't really study nutrition at all until his wife started taking supplements; he was impressed by the positive results he saw, and he wanted to learn more. He now believes everyone should take quality supplements appropriate for them. He said most doctors just don't understand the difference between a good supplement and stuff off the shelf; they listen to pharmaceutical reps all day. Let me point out that supplementation can't cover for a lousy diet. You can't eat bacon double cheeseburgers all day, pop a vitamin, and call it even. That said, it is very difficult to get optimal levels of nutrition on a consistent basis through diet alone. I eat a very clean diet, and I can personally attest that when I started taking a good multivitamin/mineral supplement, it made a big difference in the way I feel. Take another look at what Dr. Rugg said about EFA's. If you are doing any kind of exercise program, these are huge when it comes to your ability to recover, and I wouldn't be without.
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"You CAN Take it with You! Fatloss Meal Planning for Busy People. "
By Debbie Sproule
These days people have busy lives. The can be as busy as you want to make them. I have worked with hundreds of women between the ages of 30-60 and one of the most frequent reasons for fatloss struggle is "I don't have time to eat my mini meals!" or better yet, "I don't have time to prepare my meals!" To me these excuses are just that EXCUSES! Where there is a will, there is a way- if the client wants to succeed bad enough. My role as a trainer is to help these clients see that there IS TIME to take care of themselves- if they want to see it. I can help them facilitate this with a few tips for my "busy clients" 1. Realize that there will never be 28 hours in the day so it's your job to find or create the time for your goals. You deserve it :) 2. Purchase a cooler bag and a few ice packs, some see through plastic containers and a food scale. 3.Get all the junk food out of your home (the kiddie's will live, I promise!) and restock with healthy food and snacks. 4. Purchase a good quality meal replacement product(s) which support fat loss such as Shaklee Cinch bars and shakes. They make your nutrition complete and food prep easy! 5. Prepare your chicken, fish ,turkey, in advance. Take and hour in the evenings and dedicate it to your meals over the next couple days. Freeze pre-made meals for other days. 6. If you have salad prep, buy the pre washed pre cut veggies. There are no excuses for not enough veggies in your diet! Remember, the road to fatloss is not a straight line. There will be ups and downs but with proper planning and the support of a good trainer you should never stray to far from your ultimate goal. Before you know it, preparing meals in advance will be a cinch! You'll have it down to a system and the fatloss will happen effortlessly!
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Cortisol: How It Interferes With Fat Loss and What to Do About It (Part I)
By Doug Jackson, M.Ed.,CSCS
Could the stress hormone cortisol be halting your fat loss efforts? Is the same tried-andtrue exercise routine that used to work wonders for you not keeping your body in tip-top shape anymore? Have you gone on nutrition and exercise programs that worked great for friends, family, or co-workers, but it just didnt seem to work for you? The answer could be found in your stress level, how your body handles stress, and the stress hormone cortisol. In this three-part article series, Ill explain how overlooked lifestyle choices come together to put a halt on achieving your fitness goals and effect cortisol in the body. In this first part Ill explain how stress leads to some unexpected effects on our fitness level. In part two, Ill show you what the latest research has to say about high levels of stress, inadequate sleep, and improper nutrition create a hormonal environment that lead us away from fitness. In part three, Ill conclude with my recommendations for the best ways to manage your stress level and how to make some critical adjustments in your fitness program in periods of high stress so you continuing reaching your fitness goals. Researchers are beginning to uncover answers to how non-exercise variables including lack of sleep, inadequate nutrition and high stress levels can significantly affect levels of the hormone cortisol that impact exercise recovery, weight management and health. The results you receive from youre your exercise program can be affected by these variables that people often over look. To be at the top of your game, you must be aware of how you rate in these non-exercise variables and the best ways to manage these variables and adjust your fitness program for optimal results. The topic of stress has received much attention over the last several decades, and there is much controversy over exactly what stress is. More recently, cortisol itself has received much attention. There are questions related to good stress versus bad stress and exercise stress versus non-exercise stress. Famed researcher Hans Selyes a definition of stress was "the nonspecific response of the body to any demand made upon it to adapt, whether that demand produces pleasure or pain." Within the exercise domain, the interaction between exercise and stress gets more complicated. While there are few black and whites within the complex way our body handles stress, its generally believed that low-intensity exercise reduces stress, as compared with high-intensity exercise that tends to increase the release of stress hormones. While the bodys mechanisms for coping with stress worked wonders to keep us alive thousands of years ago, our body was not built to withstand the chronic stressors that
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humans face today. In todays high-stress world, people constantly have stress hormones over-stimulated in their bodies. Symptoms of stress and chronically high cortisol levels are related to many of todays health problems including CHD, hypertension, cancer, ulcers, lower back pain and headaches. Scientific research now suggests that an overlooked physical symptom of stress may be weight gain. As a fitness professional, its been my experience that a clients lifestyle drastically effects exercise progress and researchers are beginning to support this notion. Clients who have chronically high-stress levels, inadequate sleep and poor nutrition will not be able to recover and adapt to exercise at the same rate that a person with optimal levels of stress, sleep and nutrition would. This is one possible explanation of why fat loss and fitness improvement may grind to a halt in some individuals, while other individuals continue adapting and progressing in their exercise programs. Cortisol seems to be a major "deal-breaker" for some fat loss programs. When I sit down for an initial consultation with a new client, I examine their lifestyle choices. After educating the new client on how their lifestyle affect their hormonal health and stress physiology, the client and I then develop realistic and exciting fitness goals that fit within the lifestyle they are willing to commit to. In part two of this article, Ill dig into some of the latest science behind cortisol, stress physiology, nutrition, and sleep.
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Cortisol: How It Interfere's With Fat Loss and What to Do About It (Part II)
By Doug Jackson, M.Ed.,CSCS
This article is Part II in a 3-part series about how the stress hormone cortisol affects fat loss in exercisers. While I don't intend to turn this article into a scientific review of stress, I believe it's important to cover some basics. When we delve into the physiology of the stress response, we find that there are three pathways of long-term stress response: the thyroxine axis, the vasopressin axis and the adrenocorticotropic axis (ACTH axis). The ACTH axis has been focused on most heavily. ACTH stimulates the adrenal glands to release corticoids including cortisol, costicosterone and cortisone. Cortisol has been studied most extensively. Shawn Talbot, Ph.D., and author of The Cortisol Connection, states, 'Over the long-term, elevated cortisol may be as detrimental to overall health as elevated cholesterol or elevated blood sugar.' High cortisol levels have been linked to a lowered testosterone: cortisol ratio, a prime marker of anabolic status and the ability to recover from exercise and build muscle. Further, as cortisol continues to increase, chances for muscle atrophy, impaired immunity, vitamin depletion and increased blood pressure occur. While so-called 'cortisol blocking' supplements have been largely hype, controlling cortisol is important for people who want to remain in optimum health. Cortisol and Obesity: As stress heightens, cortisol is released. While cortisol has beneficial effects on the body, the constantly high levels of it are problematic. According to the book Fat Wars, stress increases carbohydrate cravings due to the neurotransmitters NPY and serotonin. Thus, stress-related eating may increase caloric intake and increase body fat. However, even when caloric increases are considered, cortisol still tends to promote the storage of fat, specifically to the abdominal area where it can quickly be utilized for the fight or flight response. Scientists have found an increased level of activity of the enzyme 11b hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11b HSD-1) in abdominal fat that they believe is the cause of the correlation between cortisol and abdominal fat. A recent study by Roland Rosmond and Per Bjourntorp found that stress-related cortisol secretion in men is strongly associated with abnormalities in glucose, insulin and lipid metabolism as well as abdominal obesity. Exercise and Cortisol: According to Andrew Fry, Ph.D., many people continue to increase both volume and intensity of exercise as they progress, although the body cannot adapt to this over a long period of time. Fry also states, as intensity of exercise goes up, exercise volume must go down, and vice versa. According to Fry, the testosterone:
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cortisol ratio, which is a marker of an individual's anabolic status and recover ability, decreases as exercise volume increases. During intensive strength training, the type of training used to transform bodies, the body enters a catabolic state where there is a net protein breakdown in the body. During this time, ACTH and cortisol are released to decrease muscle inflammation and to begin breaking down amino acids for the process of protein synthesis after exercise. While this is a natural and necessary response, excessive cortisol has been associated with overtraining syndrome. Nutrition, Cortisol and Recovery Ability: Nutrition has a powerful effect on recover ability. In a day where low-carbohydrate diets are popular, it's important to realize how carbohydrate depletion impacts exercise response and recovery. When examining nutrition and stress response, we must look at a couple of different factors: total caloric balance and exercise nutrition. Cortisol is increased in a linear fashion as we drop below caloric balance. Thus, as people decrease their caloric intake to lose weight, cortisol tends to rise. Cortisol is also increased on low-carbohydrate diets when blood sugar levels drop too low. During exercise, the body will breakdown an increased amount of muscle proteins as fuel if there is an inadequate supply of carbohydrates. However, it has been found that consuming a carbohydrate beverage during exercise attenuates the rise in cortisol levels and limits the amount of exercise-related immunosuppression. Lack of Sleep and Cortisol: Current research indicates that sleep deprivation can lead to an elevation in cortisol and is harmful to carbohydrate metabolism; changes which increase the chance of obesity. According to Michael Thorpy, Ph.D., and director of the Sleep Wake Disorders Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, "Sleep loss is associated with striking alterations in hormone levels that regulate appetite and may be a contributing factor to obesity. Anyone making a commitment to losing weight should probably consider a parallel commitment to get more sleep." Now that you have a solid understanding of the science behind stress physiology, cortisol, sleep, and nutrition, in Part Three, I'll put it all together for you, make some conclusions, and give you my recommendations for how to proceed.
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Cortisol: How It Interferes With Fat Loss and What to Do About It (Part III)
By Doug Jackson, M.Ed.,CSCS
In part one of this article series, I shared my professional opinion that lifestyle choices outside of your fitness program ultimately affect cortisol levels, which in turn affect your fitness goals and results. In part two, I gave you the science behind my rationale. In part three, my goal is to make some helpful conclusions and leave you better prepared to get the fitness results you seek for years to come. A review of the research: Current research indicates that life-event stress, inadequate sleep and poor exercise nutrition can all lead to elevated levels of cortisol. Scientists believe that this excess cortisol may lead to a variety of health problems including impaired carbohydrate metabolism and increased abdominal fat. Within the exercise setting, excessive cortisol can lead to immunosuppression and overtraining syndrome. In addition, research indicates that lifestyle can influence exercise-related cortisol release. Thus, people with high lifestyle stress will release more cortisol during an intense bout of exercise as compared with someone who has a lower stress level. In my own professional experience, I've found that if someone is making lifestyle choices that would promote and excessive cortisol response, I will reduce the total duration of their exercise program over the period of the week. In severe cases, I may also reduce the intensity of exercise. The best option, in terms of achieving measurable physical improvement, would be for the person get more sleep, eliminate unnecessary stress, and eat an adequate supply of total calories and carbohydrates. If people don't adhere to these recommendations and continue with the typical exercise program length and intensity prescribed for someone with lower stress levels, they are likely to have fat loss and strength increases grind to a halt, develop a cold within a short amount of time, or more yet, get injured. The body can only take so much before it gives in. For long-term results, you must consider these non-exercise variables and how they affect your life. You are also wise to adjust your exercise program appropriately. You may consider the use of a personal fitness trainer with a good reputation and impressive track record. If you decide to go this route, discuss these ideas with them. If they don't seem to get it, run the other way. You want a trainer who understands how these variables affect your life and your fitness results. If you try to do it on your own, be aware of signs of overtraining which increase cortisol levels. If you are sensing that you are over-doing it, back off. Some of the easiest ways to tell that you may be overtraining is becoming more moody than typical, as well as a noticeably reduced enjoyment of exercise. Researchers have found that mood is an
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exceptional measure of overtraining within athletes. In a research measure called the Profile of Mood States (POMS), researchers have found that most exercisers will have higher vigor as well as lower tension, depression, anger and fatigue than the general public. However, this can reverse during overtraining in which exercisers and athletes have shown lower vigor as well as higher tension, depression, anger and fatigue than the general public. In this fast-paced world, effective people know that they need to stay fit to stay on the top of their game. However, many high-achievers push to hard and don't listen to their body's or pay attention to other lifestyle variables. Your body is not a machine that can keep going with no maintenance checks or repairs. Chronically high cortisol levels are typical in people who deal with high stress day after day. These cortisol levels are dangerous but can be managed with awareness. Paying close attention to your sleep, nutrition, and stress levels will help you learn more about how you perform optimally and will help you enjoy a fit and healthy lifestyle for years to come.
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Budlight bottle (12 oz.) = 110 calories Budweiser bottle (12 oz.) = 146 calories Shot of 100 proof liquor (1.5 oz.) = 124 calories Shot of 80 proof liquor (1.5 oz) = 97 calories Pina Colada cocktail (4.5 oz) = 245 calories Merlot red wine (5 oz) = 123 calories Pinot Grigiot white wine (5 oz) = 123 calories
Let's say that a client of mine goes out and has two lite beers and two shots. On average, that might be about 450 calories. As you might imagine, those extra calories add up quickly, and can put a halt on any fat loss goals in a hurry.
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Not only is it easy to consume too many excess calories when drinking alcohol; alcohol also puts the body in a state not conducive for fat burning and muscle building. Alcohol intake spikes insulin levels (which can lead to fat storage), and then can quickly drop a person into a hypoglycemic state where they continue to crave sugary drinks and junk food. In addition, although it's hard to come to any firm conclusions, scientific research suggests that alcohol drops testosterone levels in both sexes. Lower testosterone equates to less muscle and more fat. Too much alcohol can literally make a man less of a man, and can lower a woman's sex drive as well. Oh...the misery! What is this world coming to? To summarize, while alcohol can help get the party started, keep it to a minimum if you want to have a body impressive enough to be featured in the next Shakira video. That lean, muscular, and fit look that is becoming more rare in America by each passing day is built off of wholesome foods, and hard physical exertion. The final word on this topic: The more you indulge in alcohol, the more you put the brakes on your fitness program.
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Most credible sites and papers state that we burn approximately 10-12% of the calories we consume digesting and assimilating those calories. This jives with other sources which state that it takes about 45 of the calories in fat to digest fat, 10-12 % of the calories in carbohydrates to digest them and 20-22% of the calories in lean protein to digest them. And so you can see how the average could be 10-12% if we eat the proper "mix" of foods. Unfortunately, the end result is that this concept is taking off faster than the "dot com" mania of the late 1990's. The only difference is that almost all of these food actually "pay" you a Healthy dividend: Great Nutritional Value in the form of vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and enzymes. So nutritionally speaking, this diet is not so bad. My problem with it lies in the fact that people who follow this diet may not achieve what they are looking for. And if they do, it will not be because of the reasons they think. Substituting broccoli for white potatoes is a good way to cut caloric intake and increase our intake vitamins and minerals. However, if this is the only thing we are doing to lose weight, there is a good chance that at some point we will hit a wall and stop losing weight. No calorie limiting diet, in of itself, is a healthy, smart or even a successful way to lose weight. So let's ask some questions. Since I can't find any credible answers, I'll leave it to you to come up with answers you are comfortable with: 1) Whether you walk or run, it takes approximately 100 calories for an average person to travel one mile on foot. Let's grant the claim of 25 calories in 100 grams of broccoli (actually, it is about 15% low). And if it takes 80 calories to digest the 100 grams, if I ate 125 grams (approximately 4.4 oz.) of broccoli, I would burn 100 calories. Therefore, eating 31 grams of broccoli is as strenuous as running 1 mile. What do you think? 2) If a vegetarian ate as much plant food as they needed to stay healthy, they would probably starve to death due to their caloric deficit. I am a lacto-vegetarian. I eat a lot of vegetables and probably 3 servings of fruit/day. Some days all of my fruits and vegetables are on the negative food list. At the end of the day I should be exhausted from having used up my supply of readily available sugars for energy . That should also make me feel very hungry. It should also put my body into the state of Ketosis. I should also have trouble creating and keeping muscle. I should also be able to eat lots of junk food and not gain any weight.
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None of the above is true for me or any other sensible vegetarian I have ever met. What do you think? 3) The large primates whose bodily functions are very similar to humans should have all starved to death long ago. Instead, many have large pot-bellies. What do you think? We need calories to live. Therefore, I say that eating a Truly Negative Calorie Food is actually not healthy! If someone needed to eat a food which uses up something we need for survival, something is wrong with their lives. But, don't worry. Except for celery, I don't find any credible evidence that calorie negative foods exist. So what can a person do to Lose Weight Sensibly? 1) See a Professional, such as myself, with a Proven Track Record in helping people lose FAT. 2) Make sure the plan includes eating enough of the right kinds of food, at the proper times and in the proper amounts. 3) See my Ezinearticle at: http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Principles-of-Natural-WeightLoss-and-Management&id=290262 4) Make sure your plan includes a Strength Training Regime. 5) Subscribe to my Newsletter by emailing your request to subscribe to the "Training by Gary, LLC Newsletter" by going to my contact page: http://genbukan.biz/contact.html If you are not sure how to do any of the above, contact me at http://genbukan.biz/contact.html and I will help you achieve your goals! I hope this article has given you some things to think about!
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Most credible sites and papers state that we burn approximately 10-12% of the calories we consume digesting and assimilating those calories. This jives with other sources which state that it takes about 4-5% of the calories in fat to digest fat, 10-12 % of the calories in carbohydrates to digest them and 20-22% of the calories in lean protein to digest them. And so you can see how the average could be 10-12% if we eat the proper "mix" of foods. Unfortunately, the end result is that this concept is taking off faster than the "dot com" mania of the late 1990's. The only difference is that almost all of these foods actually "pay" you a Healthy dividend: Great Nutritional Value in the form of vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and enzymes. So nutritionally speaking, this diet is not so bad. My problem with it lies in the fact that people who follow this diet may not achieve what they are looking for. And if they do, it will not be because of the reasons they think. What's worse is that people may start thinking they can eat a big piece of Strawberry Shortcake if they eat enough "Negative Calorie Foods" to cancel out the calories in the treat. Well I am truly Sorry it doesn't work that way. No matter what, you can't erase the artery clogging fats and the diabetes producing sugars. Substituting broccoli for white potatoes is a good way to cut caloric intake and increase our intake vitamins and minerals. However, if this is the only thing we are doing to lose weight, there is a good chance that at some point we will hit a wall and stop losing weight. No calorie limiting diet, in of itself, is a healthy, smart or even a successful way to lose weight. So let's ask some questions. Since I can't find any credible answers, I'll leave it to you to come up with answers you are comfortable with: 1) Whether you walk or run, it takes approximately 100 calories for an average person to travel one mile on foot. Let's grant the claim of 25 calories in 100 grams of broccoli (actually, it is about 15% low). And if it takes 80 calories to digest the 100 grams, if I ate 125 grams (approximately 4.4 oz.) of broccoli, I would burn 100 calories. Therefore, eating 31 grams of broccoli is as strenuous as running 1 mile. What do you think? 2) If a vegetarian ate as much plant food as they needed to stay healthy, they would probably starve to death due to their caloric deficit. I am a lacto-vegetarian. I eat a lot of vegetables and probably 3 servings of fruit every day. Some days all of my fruits and vegetables are on the negative food list. At the end of the day I should be exhausted from having used up my supply of readily available sugars for energy.
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That should also make me feel very hungry. It should also put my body into the state of Ketosis. I should also have trouble creating and keeping muscle. I should also be able to eat lots of junk food and not gain any weight. None of the above is true for me or any other sensible vegetarian I have ever met. What do you think? 3) The large primates whose bodily functions are very similar to humans should have all starved to death long ago. Instead, many have large pot-bellies. What do you think? We need calories to live. Therefore, I say that eating a Truly Negative Calorie Food is actually not healthy! If someone needed to eat a food which uses up something we need for survival, something is wrong with their life processes. But, don't worry. Except for celery, I don't find any credible evidence that calorie negative foods exist. So what can a person do to Lose Weight Sensibly? 1) See a Professional, such as myself, with a Proven Track Record in helping people lose FAT. 2) Make sure the plan includes eating enough of the right kinds of food, at the proper times and in the proper amounts. 3) See my Ezinearticle at: http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Principles-of-Natural-WeightLoss-and-Management&id=290262 4) Make sure your plan includes a Strength Training Regime. 5) Subscribe to my Newsletter by emailing your request to subscribe to the "Training by Gary, LLC Newsletter" by going to my contact page: http://genbukan.biz/contact.html If you are not sure how to do any of the above, contact me at http://genbukan.biz/contact.html and I will help you achieve your goals! I hope this article has given you some things to chew on. Don't worry. Ideas maybe nourishing; but, they have NO Calories!
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Following the nutritional information I have previously written about in my other articles will naturally lead to lower Blood Sugar levels, much less of these Nasty AGEs running around inside of our bodies and weight loss. It is the best Anti-Aging Pill on the market. However, for those of you or are not familiar with my articles, here is a recap of some of the more important points: 1) Eat 4-6 small meals during the day. 2) Eat as much unprocessed (or least processed) foods as possible. 3) Try to eat foods with as low Glycemic Index as possible. 4) Eat a Lean Protein with Every meal. 5) Remember, liquids are foods you just don't have to chew. Their sugars count. 6) Exercise regularly. Be sure to do some strength training. 7) Allow yourself a moderate level of foods you enjoy to the tune of 10% of your weekly consumption. 8) Avoid eating Meat, Fish or Bread that has been Browned or Blackened.
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75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. Drinking just 5 large glasses of water each day drastically reduces your risk of colon, breast and bladder cancer. Insufficient water intake is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue, which also directly affects your focus, memory, and vision. The mildest of dehydration slows ones' metabolism up to 3%. In 35% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger. Drink water with meals as well as in between them. Soda, tea, coffee and alcoholic beverages do not count towards your daily water intake totals.
Helpful tips when consuming water: 1. Drink ice cold water, as it must be warmed by the body for digestion, which in turn burns extra calories. 2. Fill a gallon jug each day to better track consumption. 3. Drink a large glass of water with each meal. 4. Consume an additional glass for every beverage you consume that isn't water (soda, coffee, alcohol etc.) 5. Start off each morning with a tall cold glass of water in addition to your supportive meal.
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Adequate water consumption and staying hydrated should be a TOP priority on a daily basis along with a supportive nutritional plan, exercise and increased activity. When consistency and discipline is applied to each you will have successfully laid the foundation from which to reap the benefits of a healthy happy and fit lifestyle.
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has funded research on soy's health benefits while suppressing information on its potentially negative aspects. Moreover, soybean is also extremely cheap and thus, makes great fillers in a variety of foods, saving costs and increasing profits. My advice to you? Limit your consumption of soy to fermented soy products as the fermentation process destroys the anti-nutrients found in them. If possible, dump soy. There are way better nutritious alternatives to soy protein out there.
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"Discover The 9 Essential Strategies of Healthy Nutrition That Will Have Your Fit And Lean In Less Time Than You Ever Thought Possible."
By Holly Leonard
There is nothing that will affect your health and fitness results more than healthy nutrition and smart supplementation habits. I state that boldly because most of your fat loss results will come from nutrition rather than exercise. In fact, nutrition accounts for more than 80 % of your results, whereas exercise only accounts for 20% of your results. If your program isn't yielding the results you want I can almost guarantee it's because of your nutrition habits. By using the 9 strategies I lay out in this article you'll be well on your way to achieving the fat loss results you desire. The following strategies will help you skyrocket your metabolism, become a fat-burning machine and achieve maximum results from minimum time from your program. 1. Increase your meal frequency. Take your total daily caloric intake, divide it by 5 or 6, and consume a supportive meal every 3 hours. This will keep youre your blood sugar and energy levels stable throughout the day. Stable blood sugar is critical to speeding up your metabolism and will keep you in a fat-burning state all day long even at rest! 2.Eat a supportive meal every 3- 3 hours. The single most vital factor to increasing your metabolism (the speed at which your body burns through calories) is to increase the frequency of your meals. I know you've been told that you must cut down on your calories and exercise more, but that will not work. Eating less and working out more will doing nothing but decrease your metabolic rate. When consuming your mini-meals during the day, strive to get a balance of protein, starchy carbohydrates and fibrous carbohydrates. By incorporating all of those components youll be sure to stabilize blood sugars, pump amino acids to the muscles and put your body into fat-burning Overdrive! 3. Eat as wide a variety of foods as possible. Most often we eat in a very habitual manner, eating similar breakfasts, lunches, and dinners day in and day out. Boring, but easy to plan and manage. Its critical to balance out the above strategies with a healthy variety of foods. Be sure to include a variety of lean proteins, fruit and veggie sources, starches, etc. every week. This will prevent boredom and will supply your body with a variety of healthy nutrients.
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4. Drink enough water throughout the day. Water is a vital component to life. It's impossible to survive without clean water every day. If you don't consume enough water your body will age quicker, appear fatter, and be more susceptible to colds, flues, increased soreness and much more. As a general rule of thumb you should take your bodyweight and divide it by two. This gives you the amount of water you should consume on a daily basis. 5. Take a quality vitamin/mineral supplement daily. Science tells us that we simply cant get all the nutrients we need in our bodies from food alone especially when trying to lose weight. In fact it would take approximately 5,000 calories to get all the nutrients our bodies require. Thats simply not possible when trying to lose body fat. Thats why every major medical organization in the world recommends that everyone take a daily multi-vitamin/mineral supplement. 6. Use meal replacement shakes/bars for delicious on-the-go meals. For healthy snacks and convenient meals on the go, meal replacement bars and shakes are an excellent choice. Eating 5-6 mini meals each day is not always realistic in todays fastpace world unless you carry around a cooler all day. Rather than going through the local drive-thru or reaching for the candy jar use a good quality meal replacement shake or bar instead. Choose a shake or bar with a good amount of fiber (>4 grams) and protein (>10 grams). Doing so will help stabilize your blood sugars to keep you lean and burning fat all day long. 7. Always take a recovery shake after your workout. To get the most out of the efforts you put forth in the gym you'll need to provide your body will the proper nutrients needed to recover. A well balanced protein and carbohydrate shake consumed post workout speeds up your recovery process allowing you to increase lean mass, strength, burn more fat and reduce unnecessary muscle soreness. 8. Plan ahead and be prepared. One of the vital and most overlooked components to achieving great results is preparation. If youre not prepared with your foods how will you ever be able to consume 5-6 meals everyday? A simple way to get prepared is to plan your meals in advance and cook in bulk. By planning you never miss an opportunity to supply your body with good nutrition. 9. Take one day per week and ignore the above strategies. Yes, thats right ignore everything I just told you about eating healthy. Well maybe not completely ignore, but you certainly can loosen up a bit. Choose one day per week or a few meals throughout the week to have some of the foods you've been craving. By doing this less than 10% of the time, you'll still be able to achieve incredible changes. To achieve long term fat loss results you do not need to diet again and you don't have to eat perfectly 100% of the time to achieve the results you are looking for. If you follow the above strategies 90% of the time youll will be well on your way to achieving the goals you desire.
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are using fats. Staying on a diet for the rest of your life will not have a significant effect on weight loss. As the bodys cell is degenerating with age, the rate of metabolism also change, and most individuals tend to gain weight, therefore whether controlling carbs will be a better way to eat, that reasoning will not manage weight loss in the long run. Lifestyle is another important factor that could affect weight loss and there is no feasible way that some one will age while able to control carbs to stay healthy. Nonetheless, many studies have proved that high carbohydrates can lead to a healthier way of living therefore controlling the risk of obesity. In fact, the majority of populations that are healthy rely more on a high-carbs diet. Other subsequent studies have shown that diets such as low-carb, low-fat, high protein have a tremendous effect in weight management. The elimination of fats takes away the taste and the texture of the food is different. Plus, many of the dieters usually do not even adapt the recommended exercise protocol, which is only 30 - 60 minutes and three times a week. Based on many high carb diet studies, there will be a significance in weight management, decrease in adipose tissues and visceral fats, but only for a short duration, more like 6 months. Gradually, after that short period of time most dieters start to gain the weight back. A good example about the significance of high-carbs comparing to the Atkins diet is in Asia. The majority of Asians caloric intake is strongly based on carbohydrates. Their food intake consists mostly of high carbs sources such as rice, grain, and vegetable. Of course they ingest a lot of protein too from fish. The point here, it is clear that Asia is one of the continent that has the lowest rate in obesity, coronary heart diseases, and cancer. Today, the Atkins diet is trying to revolutionize how it will be better to follow a high fat, high protein diet. The popularity of low carbohydrates regimen has been in existence in many Europe and the United Sates for many years, and the percentage of obesity is still high and the risk factors associated with it are also high. The results and the testimonies about low-carbohydrates diet are still lacking for some individuals, so, how exactly the Atkins diet will benefit individuals then? According to Dr. George Blackburn, associate professor of nutrition and surgery at Harvard Medical School and an organizer of the coalition, ?Despite the popularity of commercial weight-loss programs, dietary supplements, and diet books, obesity is more widespread than ever. Some books advise a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet; some advocate a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet; while others say just cut down on calories. And too many popular weight-loss programs do not disclose data on how much weight their customers lose and keep off. Most plans provide limited scientific research on the safety and effectiveness of their plan. Its no wonder that people are confused... and fat?(3). Most of the United States population do not exercise regularly and consume excess calories of fat are seen as the primary factor for obesity. Obesity is a very complex issue and reflects on a lot of psychological issues. The truth is social issues; genetics, medical problems and gender contribute a lot to obesity. So, when doctor Blackburn say that too many popular weight-loss programs do not disclose data on how much weight their consumers lose and keep off is absolutely true. A lot of people on a weight-loss program, in a study, sometimes do not show great results due to some of the secondary factors above. Anyhow, by having so much Atkins product everywhere and limited portion size
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at restaurants does not mean dieters will lose weight. Yes it may be effective for some people, but not for others. Also, why making fat foods more accessible and cheaper, will that help with obesity and weight loss? Perhaps it will, but for the most part this is a question that needs to be answered after more evidence can be proven. Dr. Atkins published his first book in 1972 and various studies were already published about low-carbohydrate diets. The concepts of Atkins for Life are related to the first book published. The Atkins diet, which promotes eating more fats, more protein and fewer carbohydrates, is still questionable by many researchers. It is believed that the Atkins diet is effective for short duration but not for a long run. Most Atkins followers will most likely gain their weight back due to social issues, psychological factors and genetics. Low carbohydrates diet and controlling carbohydrates intake, which has been in existence for over 25 years has not been a great success for obesity. Atkins diet will most likely not have a significant success in the long run either. Paradoxically, there will always be more diet invention about obesity and weight loss, but obesity will still remain one of the contributors to heart diseases, cancer, and death. NB: If you truly want to take control of weight management, it is imperative that you chose to do some form of cleansing to purify bodily various functioning system. This step should be done prior to embarking on a weight loss or weight management program. It is also imperative to follow an exercise program that is customized only for your needs. The body will combat with the adversity of obesity and weight loss better and more effectively when exercise is implemented. Tahitian Noni Juice is one of the best ways that is proven scientifically to cleanse your system by eliminating waste products within the body very fast. This powerful organically product doesn't just do that. It also helps boost your immune system, enhance your cardiovascular system, increase energy, stamina, sleep pattern, and much more. Tahitian Noni Juice is easily accessible at www.tni.com/ibalexandre -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------References: 1. Low Carbs Dieters Can Eat More October 13th 2003 http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/02/15/health/main540776.shtml 2. Robert C. Atkins., Atkins For Life. March 2003: pp 5-8 3. Atkins Diet & Low Carbohydrates Weight-Loss Support http://www.lowcarb.ca/articlesb/article315.html
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"You Really Want to LOSE WEIGHT? Stop Counting CALORIES and Focus on INGREDIENTS"
By Ibsen Alexandre
It is not impossible to lose weight. Most people simply do not understand the reasoning behind calories, diet, nutrients, and ingredients. The best way to lose weight and to keep it off is not simply to follow a nutritional program with an exercise plan, but is to keep yourself educated through self-education, and to love yourself. Indeed, if you take this into consideration and execute, you will soon find out if you really want to lose weight, you will have to first stop counting the calories and focus more on the ingredients in your food. I am not some famous expert on nutrition or exercise who comes on your television screen every day, what I am is an expert as a Health and Fitness Professional who cares about the well-being of every single individual who are seeking results, and I will tell you this, If you read this article in its entirety and absorb the information you will never worry about losing weight again. Let's just say it is a powerful secret that I will unveil to you in this article that some nutritionist or exercise experts are not telling you. Before we get into further details in this piece of article, lets focus on what exactly is a calorie, anyway. By definition, a calorie is a measure of heat, and one gram of calorie represents the amount of heat that is needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water one degree Celsius. I know some of you are saying right now, okay! What in the blue moon does that mean? All you really need to know is that calorie is used to produce energy, produce work (not going to work in an office, but the work that the body does, like lifting a box), and heat. Believe it or not, you need calories, and certain amount as well, but you don't need to worry about the standard amounts, and Ill tell you why later. What about diet? Why do most people get confuse about this simple term. There is a difference between a diet, and a healthy diet. I often encounter individuals who tell me, Hey Ibsen, I just started this new diet with this company X. No! You just started on some form of weight loss or weight management program that consists of multiple diets. A diet is simply what you eat and drink during the course of an entire day. Today I ate 2 boiled eggs, a medium ball of oatmeal, and I had 2 ounces of Tahitian Noni Juice, and a glass of water. That's my diet, and tomorrow my diet will be a little different, who knows. Next time you go on a weight- loss program, keep the simple definition of diet in your mind. Let's look at nutrient now. By the way, keep in mind in this article I will not touch base on carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. If you want to know more about them, you can simply email me or contact me, my website address will be at the end of this article. Okay! What is nutrient? By definition, nutrient is a substance found in food that provide energy, promote growth, repair of tissues, and regulate metabolism. What is all this jargon really means. It simply means that, the food that you eat, whether it's the bagel, the
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piece of chicken, or the banana will provide you with some form of energy, will help you grow, will help repair your tissues (in this case bad cells or muscles), and will help you with your metabolism as well. It is critical to understand the power of nutritious food and why it is essential to eat a healthy diet. It is time now for ingredients, what is going on with the battle between these two giants, calories and ingredients. The people who are in favor of your health will always do their best to save you from destroying your health and help you focus more trace minerals, phytho-nutrients, vitamins, and on ingredients. A company that tries to help you to focus more on calories is simply robbing your pocket and if I were you, I'll run as far as I can for such company not to catch me. I am not asking you to believe me because everyone has their own opinion, but I can tell you this, if you are stuck in a rut with weight loss, get yourself educated more, and stop wasting your hard earn money on weight loss products that don't work for you. Let me give you my own and very simple definition of ingredient. Ingredient is just a list of words that is usually found all the way down below the nutrition facts of any food products, some are good and most of them are bad. And some food products dont even that them, and if I were you I will run away as quickly as I can for those kinds of food. Soon at the end of this article you will find out more, so keep on reading. Well, I did promised you that we will dialogue more about the best part of this article and this is the time now. Are you ready? Are you focused? Let's get going then. In my opinion, calorie is just a way to fool individual to get fatter and more obese. No wonder why the population of obesity is increasing more and more in this country, and more people are getting sick. The story is totally different overseas. I am a tester, and observer; therefore I am always testing and observing the food industry, and more specifically the manufacturers that process the foods. The other day, I went to a subway and bought one of their Fresh Fit new menu and the brand new concept is about evolve your fast food The total calories was about 300 calories compare to the new Agnus Third Pounder? that I purchased last week, which is about 750 calories. When you look at the ingredient of these two meals it doesn't even make a difference in calories. Huh! What are you talking about? Well some of their ingredients will actually add weight more calories to the actual calories if you read them well. Fake sugar, Fake salt, and a bunch of added chemical ingredients. Have you ever bought something, a package of food, and you just couldn't finish reading the ingredients, or you just couldn't pronounce half of the words. Listen! I am not telling you to go ahead and stop your fast food race nor bad food race; the choice is up to you. All I am saying is start educating yourself in order to make better food choices. Let me share a few questions and statistical data with you that will stun you and going to change the way you think about food, especially calories forever. The Foods That Made America Fat In 1961 Americans consumed 2883 calories per person. By 2000 this had increased to 3817. Combine this with a decrease in physical activity and it's a no-brainer; in the space of 40 years people got fatter. Not only that - they also got sicker. What foods made up
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this 935 calories increase and what effect might those foods have had on overall health? Are we eating a lot more animal-based protein? Red meat? Or is it the increase of saturated fats that have made us sicker? The answers to these questions present a stunning contrast to traditional dietary dogma. Here's the base statistics. 1961 2000 Total Calories per Day 2882.5 3816.71 Calories from Protein 13.2% 12% Calories from Fat 34.4% 36.7% Calories from Carbohydrate 48.7% 47.3% Calories from Alcohol 3.7% 4% Consumption of animal proteins went from 8.7% of daily calories to 7.6% - here are some details: Calories per Day from 1961 2000 Butter 65 40 Eggs 67 55 Red Meat 140 123 Poultry 64 186 More poultry but less red meat, butter, and eggs. Pork consumption is about the same. So where did all the extra calories come from? Added sugars, vegetable oils, and cereal grains. Calories per Day from 1961 2000 Added Sugars 515.75 665.82 Vegetable Oils 267.5 634.93 Cereal Grains 627.32 869.05 We've been told to; eat less eggs, eat more margarine - avoid butter, eat less saturated fat, eat less red meat, eat more grains, use more vegetable oils. The above statistics would indicate - that to some degree - this advice has been taken to heart. Strange how more of us are obese than ever before and how diabetes and heart disease rates continue to climb. Surely after 40 years we should be seeing some positive evidence? Reference: 1) The Food That Made America Fat (Many thanks to R. Wilshire for her in-depth research into FAO food lists. You can see a more detailed analysis on her site at Weight of the Evidence. Action and L
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Protein is not just needed for muscle growth and repair but also for blood, hormones, enzyme production, and immune system function. A steady intake of protein is essential for virtually all growth in your body just to survive. We are continually regenerating cells in bones, muscle, and skin, etc. In fact, about every 4 months our bodies consist of newly regenerated cells. Multiply that by the fact that our total body transformation training increases the demand for protein and you can see why this macronutrient is so important to your success. To maximize your results, you need protein available at ALL times. This will mean feeding yourself every three hours with some sort of whole food (chicken breast, round steak, fish, eggs, egg whites, nonfat and low-fat milk products) and/or supplement (whey protein isolate, meal replacement shakes). Carbohydrates: Here is THEE most misused macronutrient in the bunch (it is the most abused as well as the most neglected, depending on your which diet guru you follow). Carbohydrates are sugar. Thats it. I know you may be saying, "Come on Jim, now your nuts (or raisins to stay with the carbohydrate theme)!" But if you know your digestion, then you know that the end product of all carbohydrates is glucose? What is glucose? You guessed it - a sugar. The main uses for carbohydrates are muscle fuel and brain function. Most people tend to think of carbohydrates in terms of simple and complex. To get the most out of your bodybuilding nutrition, I urge you to start thinking in terms of Glycemic Index. G.I. is a reference number assigned to foods in accordance to the speed of their digestion and absorption. The higher the G.I. number, the faster the absorption process will be. With the exception of the immediate couple of hours post workout, you should make all of your other carbohydrate choices relatively low in G.I. (60 or less) if you are really going to succeed at a total body transformation. Carbohydrates with a G.I. of 80 or more are actually preferable in that anabolic window after your workouts. We explore that more deeply in Part 3. Fats: Fats are vital in many of your body's functions. The problem is they add up so fast calorically (9 calories per gram) that you must moderate your intake to avoid getting a little on the chunky side. Also, not all fats are created equally. You should stay away (or at least seriously limit) saturated fats and trans fatty acids. But, you DO want to include a daily intake of linoleic and linolenic acids. Make sure you are getting enough of the "good" fats by eating fish (salmon), using certain oils (flaxseed, safflower), and/or supplementing with CLA/Fish Oils. Water: We are all one third water! Your muscles are about 70% water! Do I need to say more? Water is vital in regulating body temperature, utilizing water soluble vitamins, flushing toxins, digestion, nutrient transport, and nutrient absorption...to just name a few. The best part - water is non-caloric. So drink it and drink a lot of it. The Jim Cipriani Approach To Macronutrient Intake
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Now that you have a basic understanding of your essential nutrients, let's calculate how much of each you will need to maximize your results. The basis of the following has a lot of science and research behind it, but mostly it comes from the trial, error, and success of not only myself but the hundreds of one-on-one and online personal training clients that I have helped transform. How Many Calories? Like I said before, everybody has their own BMR and activity level. But, for a total body transformation, a good place to start would be taking your bodyweight and multiplying it by 12. This will work for about 80% of you. Some of you will need to add or subtract in accordance to your body's response. After 3-4 weeks, you will have your caloric range dialed in. How Much Protein? Back in 1974 Dr. Gontzea at the Institute of Medicine in Bucharest demonstrated that 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day (twice the Recommended Daily Allowance-RDA) was INSUFFICIENT to prevent muscle loss (negative nitrogen balance) in athletes. This was confirmed by a series of studies published in the mid 1980s by Peter Lemon and colleagues at Kent State University. They showed most athletes require at least 2 times the RDA for protein to remain in positive nitrogen balance and prevent muscle loss. And that was to just prevent muscle loss. To promote lean body mass and strength performance they showed it would take even more than that. In recent years studies with both strength and endurance athletes have clearly shown that exercise increases the need for protein and specific amino acids. Studies have also shown that the anabolic effects of intense training are increased by a high protein diet. How much more protein? Start with 1 gram per pound of bodyweight. Now, again, everyone has their own metabolic individuality. Some will need more to maintain lean body mass. Very few of you will need less, though. Alternatively, instead of fixating a number to your bodyweight for protein, a better measure would be to take up to 50% of your total caloric intake in protein. This will be more moldable to individual purposes, yet still fit into our scientifically proven parameters. How Much In The Form Of Carbohydrates? As far as carbs are concerned, we want to provide enough to fuel daily activity, our workouts, and other body functions without excess to be converted to bodyfat. My simple recommendation is carbohydrates should make up about 35-40% of your total caloric intake. And Fats? When following a diet high in lean proteins and moderate in carbohydrates, your fat will
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naturally get taken care of. So, there is really no need for calculation. You still want to make sure you are taking in a steady supply of the "good" fats daily. I strongly recommend that you have a tablespoon of flaxseed and/or olive oil a day along with 4 capsules of Omega Fish Oils. If you weigh over 170lbs., take 6 capsules of Fish Oils a day. This will meet all of your essential fatty acid needs. Note: When making food choices, it would be a good idea to get your hands on The Nutrition Almanac or some other similar book. It is essential to learn the macronutrient breakdown of different foods in order for you to make the most of your nutritional plan. And lastly - read labels! How Much Water? I have already emphasized the importance of water. Drink at least one gallon of water a day. One ounce per pound of bodyweight would be even better. Example Let's look at some numbers in a calculation recap for a 200lb. bodybuilder with a moderate to high BMR. Calories: 200lb. x 12 = 2400 calories a day. Protein: 2400 calories x .50 = 1200 calories of protein per day/4 calories per gram = 300 grams of Protein per day. Carbohydrates: 2400 calories x .35 = 840 calories of carbohydrates per day/4 calories per gram = 210 grams of carbohydrates per day. Fat: 2400 calories x .15 = 360 calories of fat per day/9 calories per gram = @ 40 grams of fat per day. Fats Included: 1 tbsp. each of flaxseed oil and/or olive oil, 4-6 caps of Fish Oils/day. You can calculate your own baseline diet by substituting your bodyweight for the 200lbs. in the above example. Once you have attained your starting caloric range, divide it into 68 meals and spread them out across the day. Just make sure you are eating every 2 - 3 hours. Sample Eating Plan For example sake, I am including what my structured diet plan that fits into my metabolic individuality. Whether I am in a muscle building or fat shedding mode of by personal total body transformation program, my macronutrient ratios stay the same. The only thing I change is my calories. Times and Meals 6 A.M.: 1 cup of fat free cottage cheese, 1 serving of oatmeal, and 1 cup of blueberries 9 A.M.: 2 scoops of protein powder mixed in water, 1 banana 12 noon: 6-8 oz. of chicken breast, 1 sweet potato, 2 cups asparagus 3 P.M.(pre-workout): 1 scoops of whey protein isolate with 2 scoops of carbohydrate powder (mixture of simple carbs and maltodextrin) 6 P.M. (post-workout): 2 scoops of whey protein isolate and 1 scoop of glucose based creatine powder, 1-2 bananas
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8 P.M.: 4-8 oz. of eye round steak, 1 cup of steamed carrots, 1 cup of broccoli Between 10 and 11 P.M.: 1-2 scoops of protein powder mixed in water, 1 cup of blackberries Now you have a starting plan to provide you with a steady supply of body transforming protein and fat-shedding insulin level maintenance. Remember, if you don't train right, you won't stimulate your lean muscle tissue and if you don't eat right, you won't stimulate your metabolism. You need both to train, recover, and transform. In part 3, we will get into supplements and a discussion about our post workout anabolic window.
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Wake up and DRINK SOME WATER. When you sleep your body is recovering from the day. During this time you are not eating or drinking (unless you are a sleep walker) and even though you may not realize it you wake up dehydrated. When you are getting your day started make a goal of drinking two eight ounce glasses of water. When you are washing your face, brushing your teeth, and performing the maintenance of you - drink at least a glass of water. Recognized by the Food and Drug administration as having medical benefit, reach for oatmeal as a standby healthy breakfast choice. Looking for a variation on this old standby? I have found that "Bob's Red Mill 5 Grain Plus Flaxseed" is a great variation on the run of the "mill" oatmeal. My favorite breakfast is a cup of "Bobs" mixed with 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (found near the soy milk), 1/4 cup cottage cheese and fresh berries on the top. This is a stick to your ribs breakfast or midmorning snack - try it you'll like it Mikey! Ziploc Omelet (from Tosca Reno's The Eat Clean Diet) - Use a Ziploc freezer bag- 4 egg whites per bag- 1/2 veggies of choice Instructions: Separate 4 eggs (large or extra large) and pour egg whites into a Ziploc bag. Shake to combine. Add a variety of ingredients, such as onion, green pepper, tomato or salsa to egg whites. Make sure to squeeze all the air out of the bag, and zip it up. Place bag in rolling, boiling water for exactly 13 minutes. You can usually cook 6 to 8 omelets in a large pot. For more, make another pot of boiling water. Open the bag and the omelet will roll out easily. Be prepared for everyone to be amazed. (Put extras in the fridge and you will have a healthy, fast breakfast - just zapp it in the microwave - and you are ready to go). Nutritional information per serving: 101 calories; 15 g protein; 0.5g fat; 6.5g carbohydrates. Investigate and seek out Natural Ovens Bakery located in Manitowoc, WI. They offer a home sales opportunity for delivery if you can't find these products in your
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local store. Call them at 800-772-0730 or visit their web site at www.naturalovens.com. Natural Ovens Bakery offers healthy choices and a great opportunity to receive their products conveniently. Shaklee Cinch Shakes, a quick breakfast when you need something on the run. Cinch Shake Mix is available in rich chocolate, creamy vanilla, and caf latte flavors. Packed with protein to keep you feeling full and powered by leucine to help you hold on to muscle while you lose weight are a healthy, nutritious quick breakfast. Blackberries. We all know blackberries are good for you but blackberries just made the top of the grocery list for me because in the July 2006 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers identified blackberries as having the highest antioxidant level per serving. Antioxidant content reflects a food's ability to help protect the body from free-radical damage produced during normal metabolic reactions. Left unattended, free radicals can contribute to heart disease, cancer and a ton of chronic diseases and signs of aging. Buy blackberries and put them on top of your oatmeal or eat them as a side with your Ziploc omelet. Traveling or morning meetings? Mix a bag of "Bob's Red Mill" or oatmeal with some Cinch powder in a baggie and add some dried cranberries or cherries. When you get to the airport or meeting get a cup of hot water and mix the baggie of goodies. This makes a great on the run breakfast and will be a great choice for a quick, stick to your ribs, healthy breakfast. We all know the alternatives offered at airports and breakfast meetings - bring your own and feel full longer! Shaklee Fiber Plan Daily Crunch. Another great opportunity to add additional fiber to your breakfast. Love cereal? Sprinkle a serving of Shaklee Fiber Plan Daily Crunch onto your favorite Cheerios and add some nutritional punch to your old favorite. Add to yogurt for some texture, to your baggie of oats for some extra crunch or into bakery and suddenly you have a fiber packed punch to breakfast. Shaklee Fiber Plan Daily Crunch looks like a smaller rice crispy - only crunchier. It promotes heart and colon health, good digestion and regularity.
Americans only consume half of the daily amount of fiber recommended by the FDA, which is 25 grams of fiber for a 2000 calorie diet. When you look at the suggestions outlined above all of them have a focus on fiber. Fiber is important because it makes you full and discourages you from snacking on sugar-laden or greasy junk food. Although fiber is important you also need to incorporate protein into your breakfast. Eggs whites, hard boiled eggs, cottage cheese or a powder such as Cinch by Shaklee are easy ways to add protein to your healthy breakfast. Most of my clients first begin to understand the importance of fiber in their breakfast but forget the importance of establishing a healthy breakfast that includes protein. Plan and prepare and you can easily make breakfast the best meal of your day. If you are looking for information on the Shaklee products mentioned in this article please visit my Shaklee Web Site at http://www.shaklee.net/thirdwardfitness.
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Other sources for ideas for making over your breakfast include www.eatingwell.com, www.whfoods.com, www.quakeroats.com and www.bobsredmill.com. Enjoy a healthy breakfast - you deserve it.
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which is what happens on a low calorie diet, it goes straight to the muscle to strip away the nutrients stored inside. The diet centers and diet book authors know these facts, but it is their dirty little secret. They know that if people notice weight loss on the scale, no matter what kind of weight loss it was, they will be happy. Who cares that they are sabotaging your ability to loose weight in the long term? They are making $$$$$$$. The most alarming aspect of all of this is the fact that diets strip you of your lean muscle. You see, lean muscle is metabolically active tissue. This means that it burns fat. In fact, it is the only thing in the human body that will actually burn away a fat cell. When you diet and cannibalize your lean muscle you are ultimately slowing down your metabolism. This is the exact opposite of what you were trying to do. The end result of any calorie depriving diet is reduced metabolism, a reduction in your body's ability to burn fat, a hormone imbalance that leads to binge eating, and ultimately an increase in the accumulation in fat storage. This is why you gain all of your weight back and THEN SOME when you get off of a diet. Diet several times over a period of 10 to15 years and you become a fat storing machine. Can you relate? Calories must be kept high enough to maintain lean muscle so that your body becomes a fat fighting machine. I believe that many people know this information already. They know that low-calorie diets are not the best weight loss route to take. However, it is difficult to resist the temptation of instant weight loss results. If you find yourself falling to this temptation please remember what you have just read. You are doing nothing but sabotaging your long-term success. The answer is to avoid any program that includes the word diet. The word diet alone implies calorie deprivation. You need to be on a healthy supportive eating plan accompanied by an effective exercise program. If you are unsure about how to devise an eating plan, seek the help of a professional. Or just read the rest of this article. Six Nutrients There are six nutrients that the human body needs to survive and function properly. The definition of a nutrient is a substance that you must ingest to sustain life. They are nutrients that you NEED. It is not an option. The nutrients are: Proteins Carbohydrates Fats Minerals Vitamins Water Proteins are the buildings blocks of all tissue in the body. Without protein you would not be able to grow hair, grow nails, replace dead cells, or build lean muscle. Proteins are
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made up of 22 amino acids. Amino acids are assembled by your body. This is called protein synthesis. This is the process that ?builds? lean muscle. Remember, lean muscle is a metabolically active tissue that burns away fats cells. It is essential to weight loss and fitness. It is also what gives you those shapely arms and legs. Your protein intake must be sufficient. It is possible to eat too much protein so be careful. More protein (than your body can process) does no mean more muscle. Excess protein will be stored by your body. Although it varies person to person, a good rule of thumb is one gram of protein per pound of body weight a day. So a 145-pound person would want to ingest 145 grams of protein a day. Carbohydrates (carbs) are a very controversial nutrient these days. Many people believe that they are the lone culprit behind our nations obesity epidemic. The reality is that some carbs are bad and some are absolutely essential. Carbs provide our bodies with the energy it needs to complete day-to-day tasks, especially if you are involved in an exercise program. Simple carbs, the refined carbs (white bread, white rice, white pasta) and almost any food you find in a box (crackers, cookies), are the bad ones. They are converted into sugar once inside the body and are released very quickly into the blood stream. The result is a large release of insulin from the pancreas, which ends in fat storage. Good carbs, however, are your bodys preferred energy source. The include slow releasing carbs such as brown rice, whole wheat bread, oatmeal, tomatoes, corn, beans, and sweet potatoes. If you cut these out of your diet you will have low energy levels all days long. Also, your body still needs the energy so it will go to the muscle, steal the glycogen stores, and burn them off. You are once again burning away muscle. While carbs may be the most controversial nutrient, Fats remain the most misunderstood. We have been programmed to think that all fats are bad and we should run away as quickly as we can. The fact of the matter is, WE NEED FAT. Fat is a nutrient that is responsible for cushioning and protecting internal organs, and also plays a role in brain function, sexual performance, and cell metabolism. There are good fats and bad fats. The good fats are poly- and mono-unsaturated fats. Some examples are olive oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, fish and flaxseed oil, etc. The bad fats, the saturated fats, include butter, vegetable oil, margarine, animal fat, etc. Good fats should make up 15-20% of your daily caloric intake. Saturated fats should be less than 5%. Vitamins and Minerals are extremely important to your health. They boost your immune system; they play a role in tissue repair, and allow all bodily functions to take place. Vitamins and minerals are best obtained through natural food choices such as fruits and vegetables. Vegetables should be a mainstay in your diet. That leads us to Water. Our bodies are made up of 75% water. Water plays a vital role in your health. Water is essential to stay properly hydrated so that cells can function properly. There is no substitute for water. Only pure H2O will leave your cells with the proper amount of hydration. Once you introduce a new substance to water, such as tea or juice, you change the molecular structure and it will not be as accepted by your cells. The average person should consume ? an ounce of water per pound of body weight per day. That means a 150-pound person needs to consume at least 75 ounces of water a day. That number increases greatly if you are an exercising adult.
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Applying What You Know Now that you have had a review on the 6 nutrients, I will discuss how to eat supportively on a daily basis. To begin, everyone should be eating a well-balanced meal every 3 to 3 hours everyday. Each meal should consist of a lean protein, a starchy carb, and a fibrous carb. Let's first talk about the importance of eating approximately every 3 hours, or 5 to 6 meals a day. We have all heard of that little thing called your metabolism. When you complete your last meal of the day and go to bed for the night, your body shuts down. Many bodily functions slow as you sleep. This includes your metabolism. In fact, your metabolism slows to approximately 20% of its normal functions. When you awake in the morning, it continues to function at that rate until it is forced to wake up and get back to work. For the sake of this article, picture your metabolism like a fireplace and the food you eat like the wood in a fire. When a fire in the fireplace starts to dwindle, what do you do You simply throw more logs in. When your metabolism starts to dwindle you throw more food into your stomach. This gets your metabolism roaring again. In the morning, you must give yourself food as soon as possible so that your metabolism can begin to function. If you are one of those who skip breakfast and waits for lunch, you are keeping your metabolism at a slow rate for over 17 hours. At this point your body believes that it is starving. This causes a few things to happen. First, as we discussed above, your body will lead you to slow burning foods, i.e. fat, and a quick source of energy SUGAR (remember the cravings we discussed?). That is why you crave those things when dont eat often enough. Also, when your body believes it is starving, it will try to hoard the next meal you eat and store it as fat instead of burning it off as energy. Fats are lipids and burn very slowly. This is quite handy in times of famine. It is how you can survive days without food. When you go long stretches without food, your body believes we are in a time of famine so it will do whatever it takes to survive. You essentially make your body a fat storing machine. If you combine this with a low calorie diet, you are in real trouble. Once you do eat your morning meal, you want to continue eating every 3 to 3 ? hours to avoid the above effect. After doing this for a while you will train your body that it will be fed on a regular basis and that it is okay to release stored fat to be used as energy. By eating every three hours or so you are also ensuring that you are getting the proper amounts of proteins, carbs, fats, vitamins and minerals. It is very difficult to do this when you do not eat enough throughout the day. Each meal that you eat should consist of a lean protein, a starchy carb, and a fibrous carb. Lean proteins are the building blocks of muscle. Without protein lean muscle cannot be made. It would be like trying to build a house with no wood, and no nails. We have established that lean muscle burns fat and raises your basal metabolic rate (BMR). It is essential to weight loss to have a good amount of lean muscle. Eat your protein!!! Starchy carbs (whole grain breads, corn, oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.) are the energy your body MUST have to take part in an intense exercise regimen. Starchy carbs form chains of sugar molecules inside the stomach. Its counterpart, simple carbs (white breads, pasta, rice, anything that comes in a box, etc.),
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form a bunch of single sugar molecules. Because the starchy carbs form chains of sugar molecules, it takes a while for the sugar molecules to absorb through the stomach wall. This slow absorption prevents a rush of sugar from entering the bloodstream which in turn prevents a rush of insulin from entering the bloodstream. Eventually the sugar does reach the bloodstream in the form of glucose. It is that glucose that gives you the energy you need to exercise effectively without jeopardizing muscle mass. Without starchy carbs, your body must go elsewhere for energy, namely glycogen from muscle tissue. Simple carbs, on the other hand, absorb VERY quickly through the stomach wall which causes your blood sugar levels to rise quickly. Your bodys defense is a large spike in insulin to bring down the blood sugar levels. As you will learn later, insulin causes most of that sugar to be stored as fat. This is why carbs are okay if they are the right kind. You will find a list of approved carbs at the end of this article. Fibrous carbs (Vegetables) provide the body with essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that aid in tissue repair and bolstering the immune system. You need these to stay healthy and stay in the game. Below you will find an example of a day of eating that applies all the above principles: Meal One: Protein: Eggs Starch: Oatmeal (no sugar) Fibrous: Spinach (Cook Spinach with the eggs) Meal Two: Protein: Cottage Cheese Fibrous: Blueberries Meal Three: Protein: Grilled Chicken Starch: Brown Rice Fibrous: Green Leafy Salad Meal Four: Protein Bar or Meal Replacement Shake Meal Five: Protein: Orange Roughy Starchy: Baked Potato Fibrous: Broccoli But I'm Not Hungry! If you read this and say to yourself, I just cannot eat that much food, or, I try to eat five times a day but I am too full, please trust that this will change. At the beginning of your new nutrition program, your metabolism is still used to your old way of eating. It is still bogged down and not functioning at its optimal level. It still wants to burn food slowly
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and store it as fat. Now youre giving it more food to process slowly. You will feel full for a while. It takes time to re-train your metabolism that it is okay to burn and process food quickly and not store it as fat. This usually takes anywhere from 1 to 5 weeks depending on the individual. Remember this when you want to give up and go back to eating 1 to 3 times a day. Now you are right back at CALORIE DEPRIVATION. Sweet, Sweet Sugar! This leads us to what I consider the number one reason Americans are so obese? SUGAR!!!!!!!!! I have yet to meet a client who did not love sugar. Its tasty, comforting, and addictive. But it will absolutely, positively make you FAT!! Lets look at how that happens. The following information can be applied to simple carbs, which are converted to simple sugar (table sugar) once in the belly, as well. When you ingest sugar it goes directly into the stomach. Since it is simple sugar it forms individual sugar molecules as opposed to long chains of sugar molecules like in complex carbs (starchy carbs). Single molecules absorb VERY quickly through the stomach wall and into the blood stream. Once in the bloodstream it is referred to as glucose. This sudden rush of sugar into the bloodstream causes the pancreas to put out a rush of insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that controls blood sugar. You can think of insulin as your bodys fuel storage mechanism. When insulin is released into the bloodstream it helps transport the sugar to the parts of the body that need it. This is usually the brain, the muscles, the liver, etc. The problem is that there is typically sugar left over that needs to be stored. The only thing your body can do now is store that excess converted sugar as fat. Insulin is not perfect either. Although it wants to bring your blood sugar down to a normal level, it usually reduces your blood sugar level too low. Now you have low blood sugar. What happens when you have low blood sugar? You begin to crave sugar. Ever had a sugar craving? Now you know why. When you crave sugar, you tend to eat sugar and you start this whole process over again. It becomes a vicious fat storing cycle. This is not the end of the story either. Your pancreas also produces another hormone, glucagon. Glucagon is responsible for fat release. It is secreted so that your body will liberate fat and burn it as energy. Glucagon is our friend. You want glucagon turned on all the time. The problem is that insulin and glucagon have an inverse relationship. When the pancreas is producing insulin, it cannot produce glucagon. When you inundate your body with sugar your insulin levels are always high and your glucagon is shut off. You are constantly storing fat and handicapping your bodys ability to burn fat. Not good!!! The answer here is obvious. Stay away from the sugar. It will only make you fat. This also applies to fruit. Table sugar and the sugar found in sweets are called sucrose. The sugar found in fruit is called fructose. At the end of the day sugar is sugar is sugar. It will all trigger an insulin response. I am not telling you to do away with fruit all together. Fruit is packed with vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants. However, if fat loss is your goal, you need to limit fruit intake to once a day. As for sucrose, save it for your cheat day.
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Portion Control One of the biggest problems I see at Fitness Together is controlling portion sizes. In American society we are used to eating meals in huge portions. Go to any restaurant and you will see what I mean. This is one of the reasons we tend to only eat 2 to 3 meals a day on average. It takes the body a long time to digest a very large, fatty meal. In fact, if you are reading this and saying, ?I cant eat 5 times a day; Im just not hungry that often?, this is one of the reasons why. In order for this method of eating to work, portions must be limited to the size of your fist. If you are eating a meal of lean protein, starchy carb, and fibrous carb, each portion must be the size of your fist. If you control your portions this way, and limit your fat intake, you WILL be hungry every 3 hours. Supplementation Many people find it difficult to both eat 5 to 6 times a day, and keep the protein intake and caloric intake up to optimal levels. That is where supplementation, the second secret to enhance your fat loss efforts, can be very beneficial. There are numerous high-quality protein and meal replacement supplements on the market. If you are finding it difficult to squeeze in the 5 meals or get the proper amount of protein and calories, consider supplementation. There are very few supplements that I would recommend; however, a quality protein supplement is one I highly endorse. Remember, lean protein builds lean muscle, which in turn burns fat. If you are going to utilize a protein supplement, I would advise using a meal replacement shake or bar. Eat a bar or have a shake either between breakfast and lunch, or between lunch and dinner. Although I do believe that protein from natural sources, such as lean meats, is superior to supplements, lean meat is not always realistic 5 times a day. This is where supplements can save the day. If you need help choosing a good protein/meal replacement supplement, ask your trainer or your local vitamin store owner. Another supplement essential is flaxseed oil. Flaxseed oil contains both Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. These fatty acids contribute to muscle increase and fat mobilization, and contribute to cell repair. These fatty acids are not produced naturally in the body so they have to be introduced. This does not mean that supplementation is absolutely necessary. You can get your daily intake of fatty acids form foods such as fish, fresh produce, and nuts. Flaxseed oil, however, provides assurance that you are getting ample amounts considering how important it is. Be sure to purchase flaxseed oil in liquid form, in a dark light-resistance bottle, stored in a refrigerator. This ensures that it is fresh. Take 1 tablespoon in the morning and 1 tablespoon with your mid-afternoon meal. Cheat Days!!!! This is my favorite part of the nutrition plan. Not only is it extremely enjoyable, but it is essential as well. The cheat day refers to one day per week in which you can eat anything you want. Thats right - ANYTHING! If this sounds crazy for someone who wished to reduce fat and get in shape, just keep reading. We all have favorite foods that are less than nutritious. My favorites are pizza and ice cream!!! Now, think of your favorite ?bad? food. Now imagine if I told you that you cannot eat that food for 6 to 12 months. Two
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things would happen. First, you would hate me. Second, that little voice in your head would repeat the name of that food over and over until you give in and go nuts. You are in essence playing a psychological game with yourself. If it is Wednesday and you are craving pizza, and you know that you cannot have it for six months, you will give in every single time. If it is Wednesday and you are craving pizza and you know you can have it in two days, you are a lot more likely to wait it out. Besides, if you are eating perfectly six days a week, you are exercising hard six days a week; you can afford one bad day. And it keeps you from giving in and binging. While CHEAT DAYS are acceptable, make it a goal to reduce it to a ?cheat meal?. Every Saturday I eat pizza for dinner and follow it with Bruster's ice cream. That is my weekly indulgence. Please keep in mind that it is only one day. It is best if you make it a set day every week. Things do come up, however. If Saturday is your normal cheat day, and you know you have a big party on Friday, move your cheat day to Friday. DO NOT have two cheat days. Carbs vs. Protein vs. Fat I wanted to throw in a quick note on why you can eat twice the food once you cut down your fat intake. One gram of fat contains 9 calories. That is a lot. If you eat a meal with 20 grams of fat, you are consuming 180 calories from the fat alone. That is not to mention the protein and carbs. On the other hand, 1 gram of protein contains 4 calories and 1 gram of carbs contains 4 calories. If you have 20 grams of protein you will consume 80 calories. You can now have 20 grams of carbs as well and still not have the 180 calories that the fat gave you (160 grams vs. 180 grams). You have consumed twice the food without the huge calorie hit. Not only that but fat is nothing but empty calories. Aside from the essential unsaturated fats that you need, fats (saturated) contain no nutritional value. Proteins and carbs, however, are extremely beneficial. This is why you can eat twice the food you may be eating now, without the fat gain. Accountability Journal/Food Log Let's all let out a collective sigh. We all hate food logs. They are hard to keep up with and they can be a constant reminder of just how bad we eat. They are, however, the number one key to nutritional success. If you are honest, they provide the accountability you need to keep your diet in line. If you are a Fitness Together client, you have an accountability journal and hopefully you use it. Not everybody is as diligent as they need to be. I have noticed an interesting trend in my studio. The clients who keep up with their journal, and are honest with themselves, have the most success. It cannot be a coincidence. Food logs let you know just how many times you cheated throughout the day. We are all guilty of grabbing a handful of M&M's, or a couple bites of ice cream, or a few wheat thins and then forgetting we had them. The fact is that those handfuls add considerable empty calories and sugar to our diet. Over a day, week, month, and year, those calories add up. If you add only 200 calories a day by this seemingly innocent cheating, that equates to 73,000 additional calories a year, or 20 pounds. That is significant. The worst part is, you forgot you even did it. The journal will catch this before that 20 pounds hits your belly, hips, and thighs.
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The journal also helps your trainer stay on top of your diet. He or she can review it weekly to make any adjustments that need to be made. Many people think they are doing great when in reality they can do a lot better. An educated trainer will spot this and correct it before it is too late. Lastly, while journals are a key to success, I am not a big fan of calorie counting. I find it too difficult to track, especially if you eat out a lot. Calorie counting usually leads to frustration, which leads to giving up the journal all together. If you eat like youre supposed to and control your portions that should be sufficient. Resting Metabolic Rate Your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is the rate at which you burn energy or calories at rest. At rest means that amount of calories you would burn if you lay in bed all day and did not move. It takes energy (calories) for your body to maintain all its normal daily functions (i.e. heart beating, breathing, digestion, etc.). By figuring out your RMR, you are determining the number of calories your body needs to just function. I know very few healthy people who lay in bed all day, however. If you get out of bed and do anything, you need to up your caloric intake. This is especially true if you are an active, exercising adult. Below you will find the equation used to determine your RMR. RMR Males: 66 + [6.22 x weight (lbs)] + [12.7 x height (inches)] = (6.8 x age) Females: 655 + [4.36 x weight (lbs)] + [4.32 x height (inches)] = (4.7 x age) What affects your Resting Metabolic Rate? Muscle - More muscle increases your RMR Age - Your RMR decreases with Age A decrease in your RMR can be due to genetics The weather - Living in a cold environment can increase your RMR. I know this sounds strange but you expend more energy while moving around in cold weather. It's a lot easier to move around in summer but more of an effort to "get going" in winter. Small Regular meals will increase your RMR Pregnancy can increase your RMR Crash dieting will decrease your RMR Source: (virtualfitnesstrainer.com)
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Summary I truly hope that you have learned something form this article. Eating properly and supportively is easily the most challenging part of a fitness program for MOST clients. BAD food is just too GOOD. Food is also a social staple in our society. When is the last time you were at a gathering of any kind and food was not involved? Food is everywhere! Our food obsession is also why this nation is so obese. If I had to point to the four reasons why Americans are so overweight they would be the following: 1. Calorie deprivation 2. Eating too few times a day 3. WAY TOO MUCH sugar 4. Lack of exercise This is not rocket science! The above strategies are time-tested and proven techniques to a leaner, healthier, more attractive you. You now have the answers to the frustration that has been eating you alive for years. It is up to you to apply them. As a personal trainer I can control how you exercise, but once you leave my studio, I have no control. All I can do is ensure that you are armed with all the information you need to succeed. Take my advice and watch the inches melt away.
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It doesn't matter what level of experience, number of accomplishments, individual circumstances, or what personal beliefs that a particular person may have, when it comes to nutrition, our patterns of thinking and the obstacles encountered are basically the same. The bottom line is that in order to reach the "body beautiful" that everyone seems to strive for; there must be some sacrifices and hard work. In order to achieve these goals, we must do a couple of things: 1. 2. 3. 4. Build muscle. Lose body fat. Or a combination of building muscle and losing body fat. And most importantly - CHANGE OUR EATING HABITS!
We want to do so in the most efficient ways and in the shortest period of time. This is the reason billions of dollars are made every year through the sales of "fad" diets and their supportive products. If you follow the nutrition strategies outlined in this ongoing series, you'll find a simple path to losing body fat and building a leaner, more muscular physique. Notice I used the word simple, not the word easy. It requires hard work and commitment in order for you to be successful. This series will help "simplify" the process of losing body fat and gaining muscle tissue. Here are a couple of recipe ideas to get you started: Chicken Salad Roll-ups
lb. boneless, skinless chicken, cooked 2 tbsp. sunflower seeds 2 tbsp. dried fruit bits 1/8 cup celery, diced 1/3 cup nonfat yogurt Fresh Leaf Lettuce
1. Diced chicken, and place in mixing bowl. Combine with sunflower seeds, fruit bits, celery, and yogurt. 2. Spread a little chicken mixture on lettuce leaf and roll up tightly. Repeat until mixture is used up. 3. Serve immediately, or wrap roll-ups in plastic wrap for later use. Makes two servings. Per Serving: 241 calories, 30g protein, 16g of carbohydrate, and 6g of fat.
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Fish in Foil
1/2lb. halibut, cut in two pieces 1 tomatoes, chopped 1 green onion, chopped 4 small zucchini, julienne 1 carrot, julienne cup dry white wine tsp. each fresh dill and parsley Dash of freshly ground pepper
1. Who preheat oven to 400F. Cut 2 12 in. square pieces of foil. 2. Place a piece of fish on each square of foil. Top in each piece of fish with tomato, green onion, zucchini, and carrot. 3. Sprinkle each with my and, herbs, and pepper. Fold foil edges together, sealing with a pleat. 4. Bake for 15 minutes. Makes two servings. Per Serving: 180 calories, 25g of protein, 11g carbohydrate, and 2g of fat. In the next installment of Fuel: Fitness Meals In Minutes, I'll discuss macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients and what they do for you. I encourage you to make the investment in yourself - in your quality of life - by hiring a qualified professional to educate you and help you get started? because the hardest part is just getting started and sustaining your motivation until fitness becomes habitual. Once you develop the habit, which can take as little as 21 days, your whole life will change for the better.
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people are able to consume starchy carbohydrates such as potatoes and rice, with no adverse effects to their nutritional goals, while others can only take in carbohydrates in the form of fibrous vegetables like broccoli and asparagus. How do you determine which carbohydrates are right for you? This is where some experimentation comes into play. I believe that you must consume both types of carbohydrates while monitoring the effects of each on your body. In my experience, I have eaten as little as two slices of 100% whole wheat bread at dinner for my carbohydrates source and have been as much as 4lbs. heavier the following morning. However, under the same training and environmental conditions, I can consume a 12" skillet full of vegetables and actually weigh less. I also believe that in order to assess how your body reacts to certain foods, you must detoxify your system. It is generally accepted that most adults in the United States above the age of 30 have anywhere between 8 and 20 pounds of undigested processed foods in their intestines. I'll explain the detoxification process in a future installment. Fats Fat has a vital purpose in your diet. Fat acts as a structural component for last cell membranes and supplies necessary chemical substrates for the production of hormones. Fat protects your vital organs and carries certain vitamins. Your body needs fat, said Dole tried to avoid it completely. Many experts feel that 20 to 30% of your daily caloric intake should come from fat. There are two types of fat. Saturated fat, which is considered bad and unsaturated fat, which is considered to be the good fat. Some people add fats like olive oil and canola oil to their diets to make sure they meet their body's requirements. Flax Seed oil is another fat that has many beneficial properties. What Is the "Right" Ratio of Macro Nutrients? The experts in the health and fitness community often debate about to recommend a ratio of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. The amount you need is based on your body's ability to metabolize nutrients and what your ultimate fitness goals are. Again, some experimentation is needed on your part here. Don't lose your focus but trying to nail down an exact number! Overall, a slight swing in the percentages of macro nutrients is not really a big deal. If you're truly motivated and committed to reaching your physique goals, you'll have plenty of time to make adjustments if you pay attention to your body! In my particular case, with my fitness goals in mind, I realize I must eat more protein that an average person. I must also consume enough carbohydrates to fuel my workouts and maintain my energy levels through the course of the day. In saying that, experimentation has proven that I cannot process starchy carbohydrates as well as I process green leafy or fibrous vegetables. I also realize that due to my body type, I am prone to store fat therefore I must eat fewer calories from fat. My fat intake is generally limited to incidental fat in the chicken breast
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or other protein sources in my diet. With that being said, let's see if we can't come up with a couple of tasty treats as well! Lemon Meringue Pie Smoothie 10 to 12oz. Crystal Light lemonade or one serving AST Creatine HSC, lemon flavor Two scoops Whey Power (vanilla) Pour everything into a blender. Whip and enjoy! Makes one serving. Per serving: 266 calories, 50g protein, 10g carbohydrate, 2g fat. Add 34g carbohydrate and 136 calories if using AST Creatine HSC. Muscleworx Potent Potion 1 cup grape juice 2 tbsp. lime juice 2 egg whites 1 very ripe banana 1 cup crushed ice 1 scoop Whey Protein (vanilla) Pour everything into a blender. Whip and enjoy! Makes one serving. Per serving: 241 calories, 33g of protein, 41g of carbohydrate, 1g of fat.
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decrease your metabolism. RememberYou create your metabolism. You are not a victim of it! 7. Dont Believe the Hype. A safe weight loss is 1 or 2 pounds a week, not 20. Be wary of most supplements and products claiming quick weight loss. Product testimonials may or may not be true; spokespersons may or may not have any credentials. Remember, a healthy body comes from exercise and proper nutrition. 8. Be Supportive, Not Critical. People lose weight at different rates. Weight may drop off quickly at first and then plateau, or vice versa. The important thing is that long-term behavior gets results. Reassure yourself that you are working hard and remember that hard work pays off. 9. Whats On Your Mind? Do you find yourself thinking I will never lose weight or I feel fat? Watch for thoughts that are negative or irrational, rather than supportive of your goals. Understand that fat is not a feeling. You are in control of your emotions. 10. Reward Behavior Changes Not Changes On the Scale. You are probably used to rewarding yourself and being rewarded by others for losing pounds, rather than for altering your behavior. Create a system of rewards for the positive changes you make, such as completing all your scheduled workouts for the month or eating all of your meals on time during the week, rather than the numbers you see on the scale.
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"Low-Carb Craziness"
By Jimmy Smith
Much of my reading and research recently has been spent on fat metabolism and carbohydrates. It would make sense, we're only a few short weeks from Memorial day, the day to show it all off. While it certainly may not be news to anyone out there, we lose more weight when we eat a diet LOW in carbs. We're talking fat loss. Everyone needs to pay attention to the word LOW, low doesn't mean no. This a topic of much confusion among both average Joes and those in the "know". I've heard all crazy types of figures thrown out there to define what a low carb diet really is, 50 grams, less then 100 grams, 20% of your total daily calories. Quite honestly, I don't care about the exact number, I'll define low carb diets as anything less then 100 grams per day. I don't count calories nor do I have clients count calories, I control calories, which is extremely different. Here in lies in the problem, everyone in the gym is in "precontest mode" from March to August. Precontest mode is basically a no carb diet that bodybuilders and fitness competitors use in the final days going into their contests. Just like we shouldn't follow the training advice of bodybuilders, we without a shadow of a doubt should not follow the dieting information of any bodybuilder or fitness competitor since they most likely got their body through the use of drugs, which make it a whole lot easier when things shut down. I'm working with a fitness competitor right now, we is 8 weeks out of her contest and at this point she is leaner then 99% of people out there and I can tell you she consumes a boatload of carbs centered around her breakfast and pre/post training times. Do I think a no carb diet is helpful? Without a doubt provided that you get a significant amount of fruits and vegetables in your diet. There is no way that you can sustain prolonged fat loss on a no carb diet without drugs. It will work for about a week then the combination of hormonal decreases and lost lean muscle will only make you a much smaller and worse looking version of yourself. Almost every female I know refuses to include extra protein into her diet, sure you'll stay lean because your body is eating away at muscle but is it doing anything to make you look better? Hell no. I know guys who refuse to eat carbs throughout the day yet go and get wrecked with beer at night, only to do aerobic work with a "fat loss" belt around their waist at the gym. How ass backwards is that? Here's the formula for the best body ever: - Consume carbs at breakfast and pre/post training. Don't want to consume it on all three occasions? Fine but you better be eating your oatmeal post workout
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- Cycling your carbs, you'll hold onto your lean muscle, have better workouts and get leaner - Read my latest article "Advanced cutting strategies for physique perfection" right now and email me with A LOT of questions.
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Diets Not Only Do Not Work, They May Be Harmful To Your Health
By Joe Thiel
Dieting without exercise is not only fighting a losing battle, it could even be harmful to your health! A big part of my mission is to expose the lies perpetrated by the weight-loss industry. As an example, the headline of a recent article stated: "Atkins Beats Other Diet Plans in Study" Without going into the details, the study involved 311 women averaging about 40 years of age. It was designed to measure the effectiveness of using a diet book to lose weight, comparing the Atkins Diet against the Zone, the Ornish diet and the U.S. government guidelines. The women were randomly assigned to read one of four diet books. They attended weekly classes for eight weeks where diet questions were addressed, but then were mostly on their own for the next 10 months. The bottom line is, none of the diets worked very well. Dr. David Katz of the Yale Prevention Research Center said the new study presents little new information and called it "much ado about nothing." Worse than that, I just read a new study that shows that diet without exercise may be harmful! In this particular study comparing dieting verses exercise for weight loss, individuals in both groups lost weight (about 10 percent of their body weight), but the diet alone group lost some things they didn't need (or want) to lose: muscle mass, strength, and aerobic capacity! Here's what I want you to get (and what the multi-billion dollar weight loss industry does not want you to know!): The adults in the exercise group also lost a significant amount of body weight, 10 percent. But, at the end of the study they had MORE muscle mass, strength and aerobic capacity. This is where exercise beats dieting every time: The exercisers, now with a revved-up metabolism from building and toning muscle, and with new-found strength and aerobic capacity, have positioned their bodies to continue receiving the positive benefits of weight loss.
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If you're still trying to lose weight by focusing on dieting alone (and ALL popular weight-loss diets have one thing in common -- reducing your caloric intake to near starvation levels), you are being set up by the diet industry for failure. Why? Because you are using a method to lose weight that can't possibly work, physiologically speaking, long-term. You are utterly destroying your metabolism! And if you continue slowing down your metabolism with faulty nutrition practices (diets), it's going to get harder and harder to lose weight in the future. The lead researcher in the 'diet vs. exercise' study, Dr Edward Weiss of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, was quoted: 'If push comes to shove and somebody wants to know if they should diet or exercise to lose weight, I would suggest exercise'. Exercise-induced weight loss provides the additional benefit of improving physical performance capacity. That is, not only will you lose weight, but you'll FEEL BETTER in the process! Let me add a little more fuel to the fire! In an earlier study, the Weiss research team demonstrated that weight loss with diet also caused a loss in bone density. The researchers reported that 'clinically important sites of fracture' took the direct hit from diet alone weight loss method. They concluded: These data suggest that exercise should be an important component of a weight loss program to offset adverse effects of calorie restriction on bone. Now, I know YOU get this, but undoubtedly you know of someone who is literally harming him or herself by continually dieting! Would you do them a huge favor and pass this email along to them? They can contact me for a free consultation, and as always, there will be no pressure to 'buy' a program. But we'll gently offer them a hand and assist them in putting together a customized solution to their health and fitness needs.
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"There's not a ton of weight loss here," Gardner acknowledged. Atkins "isn't the solution for the obesity problem," he said! This study appeared in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association. The study "shows that nothing works very well," said Yale University food policy researcher Kelly Brownell. And Dr. David Katz of the Yale Prevention Research Center and author of several weight control books, said the new study presents little new information and called it "much ado about nothing." Shocking information isn't it?... Not if you've been reading my articles the past few months. The truth is: The diet methods most people are using DON'T WORK! 95% of all people who lose weight GAIN IT ALL BACK! Americans are fatter than ever and they're going to keep getting fatter unless they do something about it! The Surgeon General and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) tell us that more than 120 million Americans - 60% of the adult population - are overweight! Statistics from the CDC also prove that the problem is getting worse. This means that the way people are dieting today is not only ineffective, it's less effective than ever before! Why? Because it's physiologically impossible to lose fat the way most people are trying to do it! Stay tuned because in my next article I'm going to show you why the methods most dieters are using couldn't possibly work. If you just can't wait until then, follow the links to my websites to register for a free consultation or more information. Did I mention the woman who lost the most weight in the study (roughly 23 pounds after one year, and undoubtedly some of that was muscle, but we don't know because the study didn't address this key issue), has since REGAINED about 10-15 pounds according to the article! In contrast, our recent Client of the Month lost 13 pounds of FAT and 6.5 inches in just 3 months! Here's the link to the article I've referenced: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070307/ap_on_he_me/diet_atkins_triumph.
Also one last point, if a product says no sugar added, it does not mean it is sugar-free. It just means that no additional sugar was added beyond that which was naturally occurring. Curbing your sugar intake will massively affect your ability to lose weight and with just a little time, your cravings will go away too!
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McDonalds Hamburger (w/o cheese) McDonalds Grilled Chicken Salad Deluxe (w/light or non-fat dressing) Taco Bell Chicken Soft Taco (w/o or easy on the guacamole and sour cream), two tacos Subway 7 under 6 Roast Beef 6-inch Sandwich Subway 7 under 6 Club 6-inch Sandwich Schlotskys Deli Dijon Chicken Small Sandwich Pizza Hut Thin n Crispy Cheese Pizza, 1 slice
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These are just a few ideas to get you on the right track. Ive also found a website that allows you to look up the nutritional content of many fast food chain items. Go to www.calorieking.com to check out your favorites! Make better choices starting today!
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Vitamin E less 95% Vitamin B-6 less 90% Magnesium less 80% Fiber less 80% Zinc less 80% Potassium less 80% Copper less 60% Folate less 40% Protein less 25%
By now it should be clear that whole grains are the only grains to get on the best healthy foods list. Good sources of whole grains are whole grain cereals (you must be able to see the grains individually as opposed to some over colored, over sugared, processed version), brown rice, barley, rye and whole wheat flour.
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I could go on and on but I'll stop here...sugar, fat and bad carbs are additive, that's why you can't eat just one. That's why you crave them so much and that's why we are the fattest country in the world. Some of us try to eat healthy, but most of the food we eat has been tainted with some kind of pesticides or hormones. We don't even know it unless you do the research to find out. The government plays a major role in covering up or just don't tell us the truth about certain foods. If they did they would probably lose money. Just look at the TV commercials, instead of showing the stuff that can heel and cure a disease they show stuff that can cover up the disease temporary and may cause side effects. Have you ever read the very small print on the commercial? Well how could you anyway, it's so small you can't read it! So what's a person to do? ... Read labels, read books, look at informational DVD's that you don't hear to much about, get information from your personal trainer, your coach, your chiropractor and your holistic doctor. Also do your part and exercise, eat right ... and stay out of the malls. You'll save money and you'll be less tempted to eat that artery clogging, fatty, greasy, sugary foods !Oh My! Here's a few things you need to do.
Read the date for freshness Look for the hidden sugars Be aware of low fat, no fat, low carb, no carb and no sugar on labels. Do the research, all labels are not what they say. Find whole foods instead of process boxed and canned foods Eat more vegetables and fruits Buy bottled water instead of sodas and juices
Stay away from artery clogging, fatty, greasy, sugary foods! Exercise at least three days per week and drink plenty of water. And remember this ... Diets Don't Work, however there is one diet that does and it's been around for centuries, it's called the Bible Diet or plain old Biblical Nutrition. Modern science is now uncovering a host of health-building factors in seeds (and pits). Here's a list of food categories defined as Bible foods:
Legumes Nuts Beans Sprouts Herbs Seeds Vegetables Grains & Cereals Fruits
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Spices
What's missing from this list is any form of animal products. Also missing are food additives, artificial preservatives, colorants, fungicides, mold inhibitors, extenders and artificial flavorings. This is the usual stuff we eat every single day of our lives.
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"Personal Trainer In Baltimore Exposes What They Don't Want You To Know"
By Kenneth Reed
Personal Trainer In Baltimore Exposes What They Don't Want You To Know. How To Lose Weight The Right Way And Keep It Off For Good! The Truth About Diet and Weight-loss Centers. Weight Loss For Life! Don't Diet For Life! Do you know the best diet on the market today? It seems like every 3 to 6 months some diet magically appears to help confuse you even more. The problems with diets are they can't be followed for life. For example try following the Cabbage Diet for a month or so and let me know how you feel. What about the Atkins and Grapefruit Diet? Guess what you will lose some weight when you cut out certain foods and lower your calorie intake, but what they don't want you to know is you're bound to go back to your old habits and eat what you really want. What happens to your metabolism when you cut back on calories? What happens to your nervous system when drastically cut out foods that your body requires to keep you healthy? Exactly what are you really losing when you're on a calorie restricted diet, no resistance training exercise and you're hungry as h_ _l? Is it... - Fat? - Muscle? - Water?
Out of the 3 above what is the most important to preserve? Let's start with this FIRST? (What is a diet anyway?) 1. A diet is the food and liquid that we consume regularly just to live and survive. 2. A diet to lose weight is a regimen of eating and drinking sparingly to reduce one's weight. What they don't want you to know is that most weight-loss diets and centers drastically reduce calorie intake to make your body think it's going into starvation mode and you lose water weight.
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When your body goes into starvation mode it eventually catches on to what you are doing and then it goes into fat storage mode to preserve energy storage (fat storage). You will lose weight quickly, but most often it's only water weight. That's not all that they don't want you to know. If you continue with the weight-loss diet and don't do resistance training to maintain muscle you will start to lose muscle mass. The fat that you really want to lose is probably the last thing you'll lose. Your body likes to hold on to body-fat for energy, and since you are starving yourself to death on this diet your body wants to survive and will hold on to fat for energy. Have you heard of the saying, "If you don't use it, you lose it." Well you don't actually lose your muscle, but it does get smaller. It's like it is wasting away, that's called atrophy. Atrophy is the progressive loss of muscle mass, or wasting, caused by reduction in the size or number of muscle cells. That's why you must feed your muscles the right amount nutrients. When you lose muscle mass you won't burn as much calories as before and the fat just hangs around and piles up. Most Diet centers don't promote exercise and eating well balanced meals, they promote their diet plan and their weight-loss supplements. They know that you want the short cut to weight-loss. They also know that if you knew what they know you would not be there in the first place. Look, the truth is, if you eat right and exercise you don't need a diet center. That's what they don't want you to know. The diet centers and weight-loss centers know what's happening and know that you will lose water weight quickly on their plan. As soon as you plateau they know that you'll need to go to the next level in their program (The Plateau Breaker Program). That's when you reduce even more calories and buy even more products. This really throws your metabolism into shock and out of control. Thats when the yo-yo dieting comes into play, and that's when you think you really need their help but you don't. What they don't want you to know is the real problem is with restricted diets. The problem with these diet plans is this: - Once you lose the first amount of weight, you get excited because you think that the diet is really working. - In reality you are starting that vicious Yo-Yo diet cycle that thousands of people do every year and fail again in again. - You have to remember that you can't and you won't eat like this for the long-term. - You will get tired of the same old stuff everyday and return to your old ways and gain even more weight as fat.
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This kind of diet does not do your body any good for permanent weight-loss. It only promotes short-term weight-loss. Once you lose it and can't stay on the program you will gain the weight back. The weight that you gain will be even heavier than before. Bottom line, you'll be fatter than you were before the diet, and it will be harder than before to lose it. I know this to be true, because I've seen it happen to a number of people and they wind up sitting in my office in front of me wondering what the h_ _l happened? I tell them this you didn't fail the diet, the diet failed you. Muscle dictates metabolism, your muscle is your built in internal fat burner. Lets say you lost muscle in the process of dieting; now you have created a double whammy. Muscle helps keep your metabolism revved-up even while you're at rest! To sum it all up, when your body fat is greater than your muscle mass, your metabolism slows down and then you store fat. Diet centers and fad diets use muscle and water loss as a quick fix. Slowing down your metabolism by 10 to 15 percent makes it even more difficult to lose weight in the future. The more muscle you retain and build, the higher your metabolism and the more energy you naturally burn. Out of the 3 listed (Fat, Muscle and Water) what is the most important to preserve when dieting? By now you should know that it's muscle. So ladies don't be afraid of building muscle, you will not look like Arnold Schwarzenegger. But you will burn fat like crazy. You'll tone your muscles and lose inches all over your body, and that's what most women want! Correct? Ladies don't concentrate on your weight, concentrate on your body fat. Let's say you weigh 200 pounds and your body fat is 25 percent, that's 50 extra pounds of fat you're carrying around. If you weighed the same weight with only 10 percent body fat, that's only 20 pounds of fat. If you lose 10 pounds of fat, it looks like 20, and 20 pounds looks like 40. That means more inch loss and that always looks better on your body. That's what they don't want you to know. Lose Weight The Right Way And Keep It Off! Hire a Certified Personal Trainer and Learn How
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When you eat small meals throughout the day you are speeding up your metabolism, which helps you burn more calories. People with fast metabolisms are relatively thinner than people with slow metabolism. The thing is that most people dont know that they can speed their metabolism up. A good way to do this is by eating more often throughout the day and not just eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. Often times Ill hear people say when they lose weight I skipped eating my dinner at night and Ive lost 10 lbs. That might be true and cutting out any one of your meals might work for a little while. But in the long run, this will not work. Sooner or later you will go back to eating your dinner or whatever meal you cut out and your body will begin to store that extra meal as fat fearing that you might decide to cut out that meal again in the future. Remember, the body adapts to whatever you throw at it. If it senses that you are starving it (which is what it will sense if you cut out a meal) it will adjust accordingly and start to store food away to compensate for the reduced calories it is now experiencing. Okay, back to eating more throughout the day. I want you to follow along with me here. I want you to pretend that your stomach is a separate person than the rest of your body. If you were able to hear your stomach talk, this is that you might hear it say if you were eating only 3 big meals a day breakfast, lunch and dinner. Here we go again, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Im going to start holding onto all these meals. Theres no use in burning off these meals, theyre few and far between. You give me breakfast at 7:00 a.m. and then I dont get lunch until 12 noon, and then I dont get dinner until 6:00 p.m. Ill have to hold onto them until you can give me a reason to burn them off. Ill tell you what you might hear your stomach say if you fed it every 3 to 3-1/2 hours. This is great, I just got lunch at 12 noon and since I know Im getting that next small meal at 3:00 p.m., Ill just burn off my lunch. Theres no reason to hold onto any of these meals. Im being fed every 3 hours. Im never starving, and for that reason I never overeat. The bottom line is the more meals you eat throughout the day the more efficient your body becomes at burning off these meals. Just the opposite applies when you dont eat very often throughout the day. Your body goes into a mode of starvation and holds onto each and every meal, fearing that next meal will not be for a very long time. Some of you on the other hand might say, Well often times Ill eat lunch at 12 noon and come dinner time Im still not really that hungry, why should I eat now, that sounds crazy? The answer to that is very simple; to speed up your metabolism. So for those of you who feel you have slow metabolisms, or those of you who feel you need to stop eating in order to lose weight, the answer lies in; Lifestyle Eating. I also like to refer to this lifestyle eating plan as "Kevins Strive for Five. You would optimally aim to eat five to six times a day, but start with trying to eat at least five.
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Thats very important also as I mentioned earlier, its a lifestyle, not a diet. So if someone asks, Whats that new diet youre on? Simply tell them, Its not a diet, its how Im eating all the time from now on and I dont ever plan on going off of it. What exactly is a Small Meal? This is probably a question youve had since the beginning of the article and Ill cover that in just a minute. I just want to first say that all of the meals throughout the day need to be healthyIm not recommending a cheeseburger and fries as one of your meals. But remember, healthy foods are delicious and theyre not limited to just tofu and cottage cheese, theres plenty of options out there and well get to them in a little bit. Remember also I cannot give exact sizes and calories of meals because a 300 lb. woman is going to eat very differently than a 180 lb. woman. The idea is still the same, small meals throughout the day, but the size of the small meals will be a little different. One great piece of advice that will really answer the question of the size of the meal is that you should eat each meal until you are satisfied (notice I said SATISFIED and not FULL, there is a difference). Once you are satisfied, you stop eating and do it again in 3 to 3 hours. Your body will become so in tune with this that you wont even need to be around a clock and youll know when its time for another meal (your stomach will growl, which is really your metabolism saying it needs more fuel). When you first start eating this way there will be some trial and error and youll do some guessing as to what is the proper serving size for you. But in a little while youll come to know exactly how much food you need. How many times have you eaten lunch or dinner and walked away from the table feeling completely stuffed? I know I have plenty of times. The reason you dont want to feel this way is because: a) that means that youve probably consumed too much. b) your next small meal is only 3 to 3-1/2 hours away. You dont need to eat like this is your last meal. The biggest obstacle you might have is cutting down on the amount you eat at dinner. Breakfast and lunch also, but most people consume most of their calories at dinner. But when you have those small meals in the morning and afternoon, you wont be as hungry come lunch/dinnertime, and that will prevent you from having a large meal at those times.
Thats why the name small meal is used. It takes away the perception of the big 3 that weve mentioned breakfast, lunch and dinner. Instead of these being the normal large portion meals of the day, they now become 3 of the 5 to 6 small meals that you have.
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That brings me to my next point and something that might take you a little longer to get used to. I want to break down the small meals even further and suggest that once you get the hang of eating 5 to 6 times a day, heres another strategy that will help you out even more. Try and have a lean protein, a starchy carbohydrate and a fibrous carbohydrate with each meal. Lets look at the breakfast example on the previous page. The egg whites are the lean protein, the red pepper is the fibrous carb, and the whole grain bread is the starchy carb. So the goal is to attempt to get one item from each of the 3 categories in each meal, and the meals should be pretty close to equal in size. That means the piece of grilled chicken (lean protein) should be about the same size as the baked potato (starchy carbohydrate) which is the same size as the serving of broccoli (fibrous carbohydrate). There are also some strategies you can use to further enhance your fat loss. One of those strategies is to cut back on your starchy carbs as the day goes on. So that means you will have most of your carbs during your meals before lunch and then keep having less and less after lunch so by the time you get to dinner and any meal thereafter, you are just eating protein and almost no carbs. This strategy and others like it would occupy a whole book, more than anything I just want you to grasp the concept of eating 5 to 6 times a day. Now remember, you might not be able to get to a meal every 3 3-1/2 hours right off the bat, and you might not be able to get a portion of each type of food right away. All Im asking is that you try and do better than what you are currently doing. If you can do that each week, youre guaranteed to see an improvement and it wont be long until youve mastered the art of lifestyle eating and it becomes as routine as putting your clothes on before you leave the house. One final note: Always keep in mind that this is not intended for someone who wants to lose weight really fast. Losing fat, getting stronger, etc. is a gradual process that needs to be done over time. No quick fixes here. Just a guarantee of a faster metabolism and skinnier jeans!
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First, it is important to note that most Americans already consume enough protein to sustain life and remain relatively healthy. Protein deficiency is not often an issue. However, the purpose of this article is not to ensure that you live another week; its purpose is to ultimately help you shed that extra fat! So, if you simply want to survive your life in the body that you currently have, by all means, continue eating the way you always have! Continue eating the minimum amount of protein just because that's what you're used to and that's what everyone else does. But if you would rather live your life in a leaner, healthier body, then I suggest you reevaluate your protein intake and move one step toward a better version of you. When we evaluate the typical diet, we have to ask 'why is protein intake too low'? Well, let's uncover the typical daily meal plan of a person who is attempting to eat healthy based only on what they've been taught by society:
Breakfast usually consists of cereal with milk, orange/fruit juice, and coffee with cream and sugar (other common choices: toast, bagel, muffin, fruit) o What's wrong here? There is very little protein! Milk is the only source, and it is a very poor protein source (only 8 grams protein for 1 cup). All other typical breakfast food choices are carbohydrates. For this reason, breakfast is usually an unbalanced meal. Lunch typically contains a sandwich, a side dish like chips, soup, salad, or fruit, and a sugary drink o What's wrong here? Again, very little protein and way too many carbs! Most sandwiches have huge slabs of bread and tiny servings of processed meat (which is where the protein is). The proportions should be reversed! Snacks throughout the day can include everything from bagels, granola bars, and candy to yogurt, cottage cheese, and fruit. o What's wrong here? The protein is missing yet again. Most foods that we consider 'snacks' are carbohydrate foods. With the exception of yogurt (mediocre protein source) and cottage cheese (great protein source), our snacks simply add to the large proportion of carbs in our diets. Dinner often rules the roost as far as protein is concerned. A typical dinner includes beef / chicken / fish, some vegetables, and rice / baked potato / pasta.
How Can We Get More Protein? It is definitely, without a doubt, difficult to increase the protein in your diet by eating the way society has taught us to eat (dependent on carbs and processed foods). We are used to a certain type of meal and a certain level of convenience. Adjusting those habits and beliefs can require a level of effort. But if changing your habits and losing fat were easy, then everybody would be doing it, right?
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Well, I hope you're not 'everybody'. I hope you no longer believe that you should only eat enough protein to meet your body's needs. I hope that you have become aware of the unbalanced carb to protein ratio that characterizes our current way of eating. And I hope that you are willing to put in the extra work in order to make healthy eating work in your life. If you're ready and willing, follow these simple tips to include more lean protein in your diet: 1. Each day, attempt to eat 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight (or 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight). Example #1: For a 150-lb woman, 135-150 grams of protein per day is recommended Example #2: For a 200-lb man, 180-200 g of protein is recommended 2. Eat frequent mini-meals throughout the day (about 5 or 6) and split up your protein so that each meal includes a protein source. Example #1: The 150-lb woman can eat 5 mini-meals, each meal consisting of 2730 g of protein Example #2: The 200-lb man can eat 36-40g of protein at each of his 5 minimeals OR 30-35 g of protein at 6 meals 3. Excellent sources of protein are: o Lean red meat o Turkey o Chicken o Fish o Seafood o Eggs / Egg whites o Low-fat cottage cheese o High-quality protein powder Example #1: For our 150-lb woman, a serving of 27-30 g of protein equals ~4 ounces of fish, poultry, or lean red meat, 1 cup of cottage cheese, or 5 egg whites + 1 whole egg Example #2: For our 200-lb man, a serving of 36-40 g of protein equals 5-6 ounces of fish, poultry, or lean red meat, 1 1/2 cups of cottage cheese, or 7 egg whites + 2 whole eggs 4. A serving of meat equals the size of the palm of your hand (unless you have unusually small or large hands!). Buy a food scale if you really want to determine exact proportions. 5. Other sources of protein: (These sources are good / mediocre and can be used to supplement the excellent sources above) o Low-fat yogurt
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Natural peanut butter Nuts/Seeds Beans 6. Prepare food ahead of time to make your new meals and 'snacks' convenient. Carry a small cooler with you during the day to keep your newly convenient meals fresh. And use shaker cups to make quick protein shakes / meal replacements when needed.
o o o
(Disclaimer: These recommendations are for healthy persons with no serious protein deficiencies, kidney dysfunction, or health issues) Time's Up! Remember that some people will disagree with this approach because it's different from the norm. They will worry that too much protein is toxic to the kidneys. But isn't too much carbohydrate toxic to the body as well? By recommending 30% of your calories from protein and replacing some of the excess carbohydrate calories, I am actually asking you to make your diet more balanced. Unless you already have kidney problems, increasing your protein will in no way compromise your kidney's health. This is not a 'high-protein' diet! This is not a temporary way to quickly lose weight. It is a lifestyle change, a way to combat our society's problems with obesity, addiction to processed food, and excess convenience. It is a more balanced approach that will greatly help in your journey to fat loss and your pathway to health and longevity. So, are you getting enough protein in your diet? Well, if your goal is simply to stay alive, survive, or maintain your current physical status, then you're most likely consuming a sufficient amount of protein. But if you are attempting to build muscle, shed fat, or both, I can almost guarantee that an increase in your daily protein will jump start your progress. Good luck!
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Mistake #2: Only worrying about caloric content and not food quality It's amazing to me how many people will justify their food choices based on calories. A large majority of people who are trying to cut calories often eat treats and processed snacks all day in place of nutritious foods. The rationale for their choice is that the treats/snacks have the same amount of calories as a healthier choice. So be it. But the body doesn't care about numbers. It cares about food quality. It is concerned about extracting vital nutrients, vitamins, and minerals from the food you eat. And it isn't fooled by your attempt to feed it low quality, chemically-treated food. Treats and processed foods are empty calories. They have nothing to offer the body (other than extra material for fat storage). Natural, clean, whole foods are nutrient-rich and filled with the stuff your body needs. So, stop replacing what your body needs with those 'other' calories! Mistake #3: Not eating enough calories (for fat loss) By focusing solely on the calories in food, most health-conscious persons end up eating too few calories. And when the body doesn't receive enough calories, it reacts by lowering metabolism and simultaneously increasing hunger. 'So if my calories are minimal, I will actually burn less fuel, have less energy, and be hungrier'?? Unfortunately, yes. Progress will be slow, you will feel miserable, and failure to stick with the low calories will result in immediate weight gain. So, what's the solution? If our goal is to shed fat, we still need to take in less calories than we burn. However, we can still have a calorie deficit when we eat more. How? By exercising more! By doing more activity. Why would we want to eat more and exercise more? To boost metabolism. To maintain muscle mass. To cause a constant flow of energy in the body throughout the day. And to give the body more nutrients with which to thrive. Mistake #4: Eating your calories all at one time We all know a few people that skip breakfast, eat a small lunch, refuse to make the time for nutritious snacks, and ultimately stuff themselves with a 5-course dinner. These people truly believe that they are doing wonders for their physique by depriving themselves of those evil little calories throughout the day. But this pattern is extremely destructive to one's health and waistline. When eating very few calories throughout the day, the body protects itself by slowing the metabolism way down. If it's not receiving any calories, then it has no fuel to burn. Picture a campfire. If you fail to add wood to the flames, the fire will dwindle. The one distinction between a fire and a human body is that, while a fire can harmlessly burn out, the body needs to keep burning fuel in order to stay alive. If a person consistently deprives him/herself of fuel, then the body will begin offering up its own muscle as fuel.
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So, if this person now has less muscle and a chronically slower metabolism, their 5course dinner will not be digested very efficiently. In fact, most of it will be stored as fat. Also, it is very difficult to fit multiple servings of fruit, vegetables, lean protein, and fat into one or two daily meals. This person is not only quickly gaining fat, but he/she is most likely undernourished as well. What's the fix? We need to eat more often throughout the day in order to maintain our lean muscle and to keep metabolism high. Meals should consist of smaller portions, contain a mix of veggies, fruits, proteins, fats, and slow-burning carbs, and be spaced out every 2-4 hours. Mistake #5: Focusing on calories burned only during exercise The health industry has taught us to pay attention to the amount of calories we burn during an exercise. For this reason, longer spans of low intensity exercise are often viewed as optimal. You can sustain activity at this level and accumulate a lot of calories. However, lower intensity exercise doesn't burn any more calories after the exercise ends. High intensity bouts of strength training and interval training will burn calories during and after exercise. In fact, the more intense the exercise, the longer you burn calories afterward. To Wrap Up: It's true that you need to watch your caloric intake. It's true that you will lose weight if you eat less calories than you burn. But what type of weight do you want to lose? If you want to lose muscle, go ahead and eat low-quality, 100-calorie packs of processed food, deprive your body of important nutrients and energy, and only exercise at a low intensity. You'll do a wonderful job of losing muscle and slowing your metabolism way down. Because of this, the little bit of fat you lost in the process won't stay off for long? If you want to lose fat and maintain a high metabolism, eat more and exercise more. Eat more whole foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats, and slow-burning carbs. (Healthy foods that come from natural sources don't usually have many calories anyway!) Space your calories out throughout the day. You'll have more energy for more activity. Make your exercise more intense! Maintain your muscle because muscle is what burns the fat.
How much and what kinds of foods you eat. How much regular exercise is included in your lifestyle? Do you respond to stress in your life by eating? Your genetic make-up. Your age and health status.
Depriving your body by dieting only complicates matters. Fad diets that ignore the principles of well balanced nutrition may result in short term weight loss, but may be risking your health. Eating healthy is relatively easy if you are willing to make the necessary changes. Most individuals trying to lose weight will cut back their eating to maybe two meals per day. You should be eating four to six smaller meals per day. Eating every 3 hours will keep you satisfied. Going long periods of time without eating only encourages the body to store more body fat, making weight loss even more difficult. Eating more frequently will speed up your metabolism and help you to burn more calories. In order to lose weight (burn body fat), you must eat. Instead of reducing the number of meals you eat, you should control portion sizes. Your meals should include a lean protein, a starchy carbohydrate and a fibrous carbohydrate, with portions of each being approximately the same size. In other words you should be including fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, beans and low fat dairy products. Any diet restricting these foods is bound to fail. Daily exercise must also be included. It can be as simple as taking stairs instead of the elevator, parking at the far end of the lot instead of waiting for a spot right by the door or playing with your kids. You can gradually increase exercise by walking, biking, swimming or some other activity you enjoy.
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Adding strength training to your routine will greatly increase your success by maximizing your metabolism. As your body weight goes down your metabolism also slows down. To avoid a decrease in metabolism, incorporate strength training which adds muscle. Don't worry ladies, you won't bulk up. Muscle burns calories, so the more muscle you build, the more body fat you will lose. In order to lose weight you must incorporate the total package. You need to eat well balanced meals and get sufficient exercise. It all comes down to burning more calories than you consume, while at the same time fueling your body adequately to burn body fat. As always, check with your doctor before becoming more physically active or changing your nutrition, especially if you have a medical condition or concerns.
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There are three nutritional supplements that I consider to be very important in reaching your health and fitness goals. Training in the gym is important, but without proper nutrition you will never reach your goals. The three nutritional supplements I recommend are: 1. Post Workout Shake - When you complete an intense workout, your muscle glycogen is depleted and muscle tissue will begin to breakdown, which is exactly the opposite of what you want. The only way to reverse this catabolic state and promote muscle growth is to consume a quickly digestible post workout meal within one hour of your workout. Your post workout meal must consist of a quickly digestible carbohydrate to replenish muscle glycogen and reduce recovery time as well as a quickly digestible protein to fuel muscular repair. The post workout meal should contain a 2:1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein to promote insulin production which delivers the nutrients into the muscles. Fat content of the post workout meal should be kept to a minimum, since fat intake will slow the absorption of the nutrients into the muscle. A good quality post workout shake is an ideal addition to your nutrition as they are easy to carry with you and a snap to prepare. Mix a little powder with water and you're set. Let's face it, after your workout, do you always have time to go home and fix a proper post workout meal within one hour? 2. Whole Food Supplement - Do you consume 5-9 fruits and vegetables daily? Most of us do not. This is why a whole food supplement is so important. We don't always eat well balanced meals containing all the right nutrients in the right amounts. According to a new report by the Council for Responsible Nutrition, titled "The Benefits of Nutritional Supplements," ongoing use of whole food supplements demonstrated measurable positive impact in promoting good health and preventing disease. The American Medical Association has also recently evaluated the medical literature and has recommended that Americans consume a daily multivitamin in order to promote general health. Multivitamins are designed for the average, sedentary individual. Many times common synthetic multivitamins settle in the stomach and go undigested or are poorly absorbed and are rejected by the body as non-food items.
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A whole food supplement on the other hand, can fill in the gaps left by incomplete or inconsistent eating habits. Since whole food supplements provide our bodies with the nutrients found in whole foods, they are easily recognized and readily absorbed by the body and utilized for nourishment. 3. Essential Fatty Acids - The poor quality nutrition of processed foods today create deficiencies in Omega 3 fats. Omega 3 fats help to reduce inflammation causing chemicals in the body. Many scientists think the low intake of Omega 3 fats contribute to heart disease, cancer and obesity. By consuming Omega 3 fats you will reduce the risk for disease and improve your overall quality of life. Nutritional supplements are a low cost insurance policy for good health. If you always eat perfect meals with perfect nutrient proportions at the perfect time, you do not need nutritional supplements. On the other hand if you are like most of us, it doesn't always work out the way you want. You don't eat perfectly and nutritional supplements can be a very important part of your every day nutrition to fill in the gaps left by your less than perfect eating habits!
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- Thin-crust pizza with green peppers - Peanut butter, crackers, and V-8 juice - Trail mix with nuts and dried fruit - Granola with low-fat milk and banana - Chinese takeout stir-fry chicken with vegetables and steamed rice - Instant oatmeal made with low-fat milk. Observe that each of these mini-meals includes foods from at least two food groups. The next list provides you with extra ideas for snacks and grazing at home and on the road. Preferably, you'll choose foods from different groups to help balance your eating. That way, even when you graze throughout the day you can get a variety of nutrients needed for good health and top performance. - Dry cereal. Mix your favorite cereal with raisins, dried fruits, cinnamon, or nothing! - Instant oatmeal. Microwave the oatmeal in milk instead of water to boost its nutritional power. Sprinkle with raisins and chopped nuts. - Popcorn. Eat plain or sprinkled with spices such as chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, or soy sauce. If you like, spray with low-calorie butter- flavor sprays so that the spices stick. - Pretzels. If you wish to reduce your salt intake, knock off the salt or buy salt-free pretzels. - Crackers. Stoned wheat, sesame, bran, and other reduced-fat or fat-free brands are good choices. - Muffins. Homemade with canola oil are best. If store bought, choose low-fat muffins; wholesome bran or corn muffins are better than those made with white flour. - Bagels. Whole-grain varieties provide more vitamins and minerals than do bagels made with white flour. - Fruits. Choose oranges, bananas, apples, or any fresh fruit. When traveling, pack along dried fruit for concentrated carbohydrates. See the table at the end of this list for some of the best fruits. - Smoothies. Whip together milk or juice, fresh or frozen fruit, and wheat germ or flax meal. - Frozen fruit bars. You can slowly savor these pleasant treats in good health.
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- Yogurt. Buy plain low-fat yogurt and flavor it with vanilla, honey, cinnamon, instant decaffeinated coffee, applesauce, fruit cocktail, or berries. - Nuts, seeds. Peanuts, pistachios, almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and other nuts and seeds are excellent for protein, B vitamins, vitamin E, and healthful fat. - Sandwiches. Sandwiches don't have to be just for lunch; they are great for snacks. Use peanut butter, turkey, hummus, lean roast beef, or tuna with lite mayo. - Baked potatoes. Microwave ovens make these a handy snack. They're tasty warm or cold, and because of their high glycemic effect, they are excellent for refueling your muscles after a hard workout. Try sweet potatoes with a dash of nutmeg.
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Drink Up!
By Mark H. Saunders
Incredible as it may seem, water is quite possibly the single most important means for losing body fat and keeping it off. As the Tucson personal trainer, I realize most of us take water for granted. It may be most simple part of any nutrition program. Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps to metabolize stored body fat. Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while an increase in water intake can actually cause fat deposits to decrease. The Tucson personal trainers are going to show you how to avoid this. Here is how: The kidneys cannot function properly without enough water. When they cannot function properly the liver picks up the extra workload. The liver is responsible for metabolizing stored fat into usable energy for the body. But, if it has to pick up the extra work that the kidneys are not doing it cannot metabolize the stored fat like it is supposed to. As a result, it metabolizes less fat; more fat remains stored in the body and fat loss stops. Nutrition strategy: If you are hungry and it is not time to eat yet drink enough water to fill you up. Drinking water is the best cure for fluid retention. Dynamic Bodies, the Tucson personal trainers, will encourage you to DRINK MORE WATER! When the body gets less water, it goes into survival mode. Our bodies will retain water because it is not sure when more will be coming (fluid retention). The water is stored outside the cells and shows up as swollen feet, legs and hands. The best way to overcome fluid retention is to give the body what it needs-plenty of water. Only then will the stored water be released. If you have persistent water retention problems excess sodium could be the blame. The more salt you eat the more water your body retains to dilute it. Getting rid of unneeded salt is easy-just drink more water. As it is forced through the kidneys, it takes away excess sodium. The overweight person needs more water than the thin one. Dynamic Bodies Tucson personal trainers know that larger people have greater metabolic loads. Since we know that water is the key to fat metabolism it makes since that the overweight person needs more water. Water helps to maintain proper muscle tone by giving muscles their natural ability to contract and by preventing dehydration. It also helps to prevent the sagging skin that frequently follows weight loss.
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Water helps rid the body of waste. During weight loss, the body has a lot more waste to get rid of. Enough water helps flush out the waste. Water can help to relieve constipation. When the body gets to little water it takes what it needs from internal sources. The colon is the primary source. The result is constipation. When a person drinks enough water normal bowel function returns. Dynamic bodies Tucson personal trainers will follow up with you and show you some remarkable truths about water and fat loss.
The body will not function properly without enough water and cannot metabolize stored fat well. Retained water shows up as extra weight To get rid of excess water you must drink water Drinking water is necessary for weight loss
Nutrition Strategy: Follow the below equation for drinking water for optimal fat loss and health. How much water do we drink? That is the magic question. The best rule of thumb that I have found, for determining the amount of water to drink is the following: .66oz. x body weight. An example of this would be the following: A person weighing 100lbs. x .66oz. = 66.0 oz. A person weighing 120lbs. x .66oz. = 79.2 oz. A person weighing 150lbs. x .66oz. = 99.0 oz. A person weighing 175lbs. x .66oz. = 115.5 oz A person weighing 200lbs. x .66oz. = 132.0 oz. A person weighing 220lbs. x .66oz. = 145.2 oz. If your weight is not up here just do the math and you can figure out your water requirement. Body Weight_____x.66oz. =_____. This is how many ounces of water to drink in one day. Dynamic Bodies, the Tucson personal trainers encourage you to DRINK UP! If you are not already a Dynamic Bodies client, I would like to offer you a complete health, fitness and nutritional assessment we discuss where you are and where you want to be, and devise a plan to get you there as fast as possible. This consult (a $75.00 value) will help you so much and it will be an eye opening experience for you.
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Call me now (Mark Saunders) at 520-400-9573 or visit http://www.TheTucsonPersonalTrainer.com to fill out an online form to request an assessment. To your health, Mark Saunders, Owner Dynamic Bodies Personal Training 4082 E. 22nd St. Tucson, AZ 85711 520-400-9573 dynamicbodies@cox.net P.S. I have a very wise older brother who shared this quote with me and I want to pay it forward to you. Life by design, not by default
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Plan Ahead, Organize Your Meals and Work outs - If you dont have a plan you dont stand a chance. If you dont plan on a day-to-day basis, what inevitably happens is that the day takes an unexpected turn, and you blow off a meal, eat the wrong thing for convenience, or skip a workout. Get into a Routine, and be Consistent with Workouts and Meals - You should eat your meals and do your workouts at the same times each day if at all possible. When you Leave Home take a Cooler - Packing a cooler with your food meals, shakes and bars will keep you on track. The majority of people I know who are a successful at this has a cooler and uses it. I always take a cooler with me when I will be out of the house for more than two hours. Use Weight Training to Build Muscle and Aerobics to Burn Fat- The majority of people who have been working out for a while come to a point when they want to focus on getting lean. In effort to do this they begin to train with less weight, more reps and for a longer period of time. This is wrong. Workouts should be kept brief, yet taxing enough to elicit muscle growth or maintenance response from your body, depending on what your physique goals are. Increasing the duration of your workouts will only draw from your bodys recuperative ability and lead to overtraining and exhaustion. Instead, add aerobic (or cardiovascular/cardiopulmonary) training to your routine. Remember that looking muscular (toned for the ladies) and lean at the same time is a result from a balance of weight training and cardiovascular/cardiopulmonary work. Dynamic Bodies, the Tucson personal trainers will help you with your weight training program. Take Your Desired Weight Down Slowly - We live in a time where we want immediate gratification. That is why there are many crash diets and miserable people. People that follow these crash diets get caught up in the yo yo syndrome. To achieve a low body fat conditioning while maintaining or increasing lean muscle tissue, weight loss should be limited to two to three pounds per week. Once You Have Achieved Your Desired Weight Police It Regularly- Make a habit to regularly check youre your progress. There are a few methods to use. If you use the scale, make sure that you do it once or twice a week, and do it at the same time. I prefer to do it in the morning after using the bathroom and before eating or drinking anything. Remember that youre your body weight may fluctuate a few pounds depending on hydration and other factors. One gallon of water weighs eight pounds. Another method is the mirror method. The mirror can give you good feedback if you can be objective about your own physique. By far the best method is to get a body composition test. There are a variety of testing tools for this. The best I have seen so far is using skin-fold calipers by an experienced technician. Once a month should be appropriate for this test. Dont Binge and Crash Diet. The Steady Pace Wins the Race- The best way I have found to eliminate the desire to binge has been to not feel deprived. By keeping your body feed at regular intervals throughout the day with proper foods, your blood sugar levels remain constant; you dont get overly hungry, and your
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metabolic rate stays within its normal range. Dynamic Bodies, the Tucson personal trainers will help you monitor your dietary intake. Make Smart Choice When Selecting Foods. This entire book has been dedicated to helping you make smart choices. Take Action. Push Away From the Table Before Youre Stuffed- Never leave the table stuffed. Use Supplements Intelligently- Natural food should always be the main part of your diet. However, it can be really challenging to get all the food requirements in that we are supposed to. The best supplements are the ones that will provide you with high quality nutrients. Meal replacement shakes; protein powders and bars can really come in handy. Make sure that you are choosing quality supplements. Use Willpower and Discipline- Sometimes you just have to tough it out and thats what separates the men from the boys and the women from the girls. If it were easy everybody would have a dynamic body and I wouldnt be writing this book. By setting and achieving small goals along the way, you can be on your way to a dynamic body. You must have a purpose and a strong desire or you will not be able to summon the discipline needed. Dynamic Bodies, the Tucson personal trainers will help you by motivating you and holding you accountable for your results.
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Included below are some tips and tricks that will help you to determine and help portion your own food servings.
A deck of playing cards = one serving (three ounces) of meat, poultry, or fish (can also use the palm of a woman's hand or a computer mouse). Half a baseball = one serving (one-half cup) of fruit, vegetables, pasta, or rice (can also use a small fist). Your thumb = one serving (one ounce) of cheese. A small hand holding a tennis ball = one serving (one cup) of yogurt or chopped fresh greens.
At Home:
Take time to "eyeball" the serving sizes of your favorite foods (using some of the models listed above). Measure out single servings onto your plates and bowls, and remember what they look like. Figure out how many servings should make up your personal portion, depending upon whether you need to lose, gain, or maintain weight. Avoid serving food "family style." Serve up plates with appropriate portions in the kitchen, and don't go back for seconds. Never eat out of the bag or carton.
At Restaurants:
Ask for half or smaller portions. (If it doesn't seem cost-effective; remember, it's worth it.) Estimate your appropriate portion, set the rest aside, and ask for a doggie bag right away. If you order dessert, share it or choose a healthier option like fruit.
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Fad diets and diet centers add to the growing problem of obesity
By Matt MacLeod
Do you notice more and more ads on TV and the radio for different diet centers promising permanent weight loss? Although I am all about eating healthy and in a way supportive to the reduction of body fat and muscle gain, I am a large proponent against diet centers and most of the publicized diets out there. In my experience they are destined to fail in the long term. Maybe you yourself have tried one of the various diet fads or diet centers and have had less than stellar results. Or maybe you have had great results in the past, but now have gained that weight back. The reason you failed however, is probably not what you have even considered. Most likely you, along with other people, blamed yourself for not reaching your goal. In reality, the real culprit is not lack of will power. The culprit is that the system was flawed in the beginning. Here is what usually happens when someone binges on a diet - see if any of this sounds familiar. You start dieting on a diet program with the greatest of intentions. For the first couple of weeks everything is fine. While you find yourself totally driven to reach your goal, some kind hearted person brings in a cake or cookies to work for everyone. Feeling that you are doing great on your diet, you figure what the hell, I can eat just one. Unfortunately, the first one tastes so good that you take another, and maybe even one more. Thats where the problem escalates. Now you are feeling guilty and berating yourself for having been so undisciplined, you seek out food to comfort yourself. And once again you feel that you failed. Maybe the above example doesnt describe you. Maybe you were going to a diet center, had an emotional support system in place, and were the picture perfect example of what to do. Now lets say you stop going, and the weight you lost; you have now put back on. Even though I would be the first person to tell you that you are fully in control of your results, I would say that most of these systems have a fatal flaw about them. Quick question; what is your favorite junk food? Great, now let me ask you this. If I had a magic wand and could give you the body of your dreams, but you could never have that piece of food again, would you accept this deal? Be honest. This is the fatal flaw. Fad dieting and diet centers coerce you to believe that if you just avoid certain foods you can lose weight and have a great body. That as long as you eat less food, you will tone up and get fit. I am going to have to burst that bubble for you. Dieting alone will let you lose weight, but it wont be just fat. Along with the dreaded fat, you will also be losing coveted, calorie burning muscle. Dieting is one leg in a tripod for health and wellness. The other two legs are cardiovascular training, and weight training. Like a tripod, if you knock out one or two legs, what happens to the whole thing? It crumbles. Not to mention, if you cut down
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calories to lose weight, what happens when the weight loss slows? Take in fewer calories? If you follow that approach, eventually you will reach a point that your body is starving. And guess what happens when your body starts starving? You lose even more muscle mass. In addition, it stores what ever food it can until it gets more food- as body fat. Not what we want is it? Another flaw with the diet centers. They dont equip you with the tools that allow you to go out and live your life without them. They know what they are doing and they dont want you to think for yourselves. If you started to not be dependent on them they lose money. Their goal is to keep you as a life long customer. It is same as if you were to go to an auto mechanic to get your car fixed. They fixed enough to keep the car from making noise or running sluggishly, but knowingly did not fix everything in order to get you to come back, again and again. These centers know that exercise and good eating habits over a life time yield the best results. But ask yourself, from a business stand point. Would you make more money, giving people food for money, or teaching them how to work out, and eat right? This is my point exactly. Life long health and wellness is the goal. Rather than becoming dependent on a flawed system, take the time and money, and invest back into yourself.
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Well, our bodies are wonderful machines so instead of just shutting down, our bodies will take what you give it (protein) and they use it to perform the roles that carbohydrates do within the body. However this process leads to unwanted by-products in your body and they can have a negative affect on your health. Here's the specifics: The long-term health effects of a high-protein/low-carbohydrate diet are unknown. But getting most of your daily calories from high-protein foods like meat, eggs, and cheese is not a balanced eating plan. You may be eating too much fat and cholesterol, which may raise heart disease risk. You may be eating too few fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, which may lead to constipation due to lack of dietary fiber. Following a high-protein/low-carbohydrate diet may also make you feel nauseous, tired and weak. Eating fewer than 130 grams of carbohydrate a day can lead to the buildup of ketones (partially broken-down fats) in your blood. A buildup of ketones in your blood (called ketosis) can cause your body to produce high levels of uric acid, which is a risk factor for gout: (when your joints swell). Ketosis may be especially risky for pregnant women and people with diabetes or kidney disease. You shouldn't have to eliminate an entire class of food from your diet in order to lose weight. Eating a balanced diet that includes carbs (veggie and starch and grains) protein and fat will allow you to have a wide variety of foods as well as help you lose weight safely. Quitting smoking makes you gain weight: WRONG! What makes you gain weight is replacing one oral fixation with another (food for smoking) People also eat for comfort when they feel a craving for a smoke. Quitting smoking doesn't cause weight gain. People's coping mechanisms (most often food) lead to the weight gain. You don't have to eat more when you quit smoking and some don't. Most people however replace one habit with another so the perception is that if you quit smoking, you get big. Don't eat nuts & legumes because they are high in fat: Nuts & legumes are high in unsaturated fats, which are the heart healthy fat. They are high in protein and will keep you full for longer than other snacks. There are many studies that show dieters who consume nuts and legumes regularly lose more weight than those who don't. Peanuts actually don't fall into this group so if you eat a lot of mixed nuts, skip the peanuts and make sure you go for the unsalted versions. Stay away from red meat if you want to lose weight: While it is good to limit your intake of red meat to a couple of servings a week because they do contain saturated fats and cholesterol, you don't need to cut it out entirely. Red meat provides great levels of Zinc, Iron and Protein. Choose lean cuts such as extra lean ground beef, sirloin and tenderloin and limit your portion size to 3-6oz depending on how many calories you want to take in. Eat three meals a day and no snacks: Three squares in your diet is better than nothing, but if you want to optimize your metabolism then you should aim for 5-6 smaller meals/snacks a day. Try to eat every 2-3 hours to avoid over eating. When you eat, your
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body releases insulin. Insulin tells your body to store what you've eaten. The more insulin released when you eat, the more calories your body will store. By eating smaller meals more often, you ensure that the amount of insulin released is smaller, therefore you don't store as many of the calories you take in. Now this doesn't mean eat more to lose weight. It means space your meals and snacks out so you never go too long without eating. If you don't want to eat more than 1800 calories a day in your diet, then you need to divide that number by 5 or six instead of 3 and you'll learn how many calories to consume at each meal. If you go over on one meal, go under on another to balance it out. Remember: calories in -vs.- calories out is how you lose weight. Cut out deserts: Obviously you don't want to eat many deserts if your trying to lose weight. But on the other hand, if you constantly deny yourself things you enjoy for the sake of your diet and weight loss, you will eventually fold. There's no reason why you can't enjoy a desert occasionally so long as you know that it will have to be burned off later. If you are out with someone, split a desert, that's half the calories right there. If you want to give up deserts for a while because you're focused on your weight loss goal, go for it! Just remember that all things in balance and if you want to have desert, you can and you shouldn't feel guilty about it because you know that eating one desert occasionally is not going to be the deal breaker for your diet. Don't weigh yourself: The theory behind this is that if you constantly weigh yourself you will become fixated on your weight in an unhealthy way. Well, I think you should be fixated on your weight! If you're trying to lose weight and you've changed your diet and you are exercising, then the scale can be a great way to hold yourself accountable. Of course you should realize that there are other measures of health such as body fat percentage, circumference measurements, the clothes test (think old jeans) and the mirror. But you shouldn't avoid the scale. The scale is a tool to track progress and should be used with the other tools I mentioned to give you a complete picture of how you are progressing in your weight loss endeavor. Avoid all starchy food: foods like bread, pasta, beans, cereals, fruits, beans, yams and potatoes are low in calories and fat. It's what we put on these foods that are bad for us: High fat dressings, thick sauces, sour cream, butter etc? These foods are valuable sources of energy, just remember to control your portions! Dairy Products are unhealthy: Dairy products contain many nutrients we need like calcium, vitamin D and protein. Dairy products also contain something called conjugated linoleic acid. CLA has been shown to aid in weight loss. Skim products don't have this in it as the skimming process removes it, so opt for 1% in your diet. Again, all things in moderation. One serving a day in your diet will provide more health benefits for you than any negative effects on your weight loss goals. Avoid fruits if you want to lose weight: Followers of this theory will tell you that fruit
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has so much sugar that you shouldn't eat it if you're serious about losing weight. Some fruits do have more sugar in them than others. For instance, bananas have more sugar than apples. Understand this: No one has ever become fat or unhealthy because they ate a diet high in fruits. I understand cutting fruit from a diet temporarily to hasten weight loss, but lose it altogether and you're denying your body countless vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that it needs for healthy function. If you're concerned about sugar in your diet, then no more sodas, no more Gatorade, no more fruit juices. Cutting those will help you greatly and fruit juices don't have that much vitamin content anyway. Always buy fat free/reduced fat foods: Just because a food has little or no fat doesn't mean it's good for you. Calories are what's important and many of these foods just add sugar in place of fat. Many fat free foods actually have more calories than their normal counterparts. Read the nutrition label before you buy to make sure that you aren't getting a fat free calorie bomb! Some Foods actually burn fat: You may have heard that certain foods (celery, grapefruit) actually burn fat. No food can burn fat!!! The best you can do is eat something that speeds up your metabolism (anything with caffeine in it) Now that you have the truth about these myths you can make educated decisions about how you will change your diet so you can stay healthy for the rest of your life.
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"The Skinny on Fats: A Guide to Help You Understand How Fats Help & Hurt Our Health"
By Max Hoyt
There's a lot of information to absorb out there regarding fats: What's good fat? What's bad fat? How much? What kind? It can be a long process to learn everything you need to know in order to make informed choices in your diet. We hear so much about fat. It's on the news, in the magazines, and often we get conflicting information so it can be frustrating to navigate the Fat maze. I am going to give you a crash course on fat. We'll go through the different fats, what they do in your body, where they come from and which ones you should watch out for. The information on Fats I give you will help you be an informed consumer and once you know what to look for you, can start eating healthier. The first type of fat we'll be looking at is Unsaturated fats. Unsaturated Fats come from non-animal sources such as vegetables and nuts/legumes. It is a liquid at room temperature. Vegetable oils are unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats come in two types: Polyunsaturated fats, and Monounsaturated fats. They include most nuts, olives, avocados, and fatty fish, like salmon. Polyunsaturated fats are found in greatest amounts in corn, soybean, and safflower oils, and many types of nuts. They have the same number of calories as other types of fat, and may still contribute to weight gain if eaten in excess. Monounsaturated fat is found in canola oil, olives and olive oil, nuts, seeds, and avocados. Eating food that has more monounsaturated fat instead of saturated fat may help lower cholesterol and reduce heart disease risk. However, it has the same number of calories as other types of fat, and may still contribute to weight gain if eaten in excess. What does all this mean? It means that in your diet there is a recommended daily allowance (RDA) for fats. However, most of your fat should come from these two sources, You may have heard these fats referred to as "heart healthy" fats. What is meant by that is the link between diets high in these "veggie fats" and lower LDL cholesterol levels in the people that adhere to this. Also, these fats do not clog your arteries the way that saturated fats do, but we'll get to that in just a second. The important thing to remember is that you are still eating fat so it's very important not to eat too much.
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Now we'll look at Saturated Fat. Usually solid at room temperature, saturated fat is commonly found in animal products, such as meat, poultry, egg yolks, and dairy products. It is also found in some vegetable products, such as coconut and cocoa. Too much saturated fat will clog your heart's arteries by raising your blood cholesterol level. Your body does use saturated fats (and unsaturated fats) for energy, hormone production, maintaining cellular membranes and for organ padding so in small amounts it is okay. But our western diet tends to give us way more saturated fat than our body needs to perform these functions. According to the American Heart Association, you want to keep your daily saturated fat intake to just 7-10% of your total fat intake. It won't take much to reach that limit so you have to be really vigilant. Trans Fat is the only fat that does not have any use in our bodies. It does not occur in nature and there is no RDA for it. You want to limit your exposure to this as much as you can. Trans Fatty Acids (TFA's) are the result of a process called Hydrogenation. This process adds a hydrogen atom to the chemical structure of unsaturated fat in order to achieve a solid state at room temperature instead of a liquid. This effectively turns an unsaturated fat into a saturated fat. This vastly improves shelf life for the many products that use this method and it keeps transport costs down so food manufacturers jumped all over this many years ago. Now however, we know that these fats are the worst of the worse. Not only do they raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol, but they actually lower your HDL (bad) cholesterol! As of 2006, the FDA requires food manufacturers to list Trans Fat if it has more than 1 gram per serving. Some products will say "trans fat - 0g" on their nutrition label, but if you look to the ingredients you will see Partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oil. That's your indicator that it does contain Trans fat. It may be less than a gram but remember, you want all of this out of your diet. Trans fats are in many things you probably eat. Cakes, cookies, chips, crackers, pie, even some breads, margarine, fried potatoes, popcorn and some shortenings have Trans Fats in them. There are more and more healthy alternatives so if you search, you will find them.
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Vegetables
Peppers (red, yellow, green, & orange), Spinach Asparagus Broccoli Snow Peas Mushrooms Frozen mixed vegetables Tomato sauce
Protein Sources
Chicken breasts Turkey breasts Salmon fillets Lean beef Skim milk & low-fat, low-sugar yogurt
Carbohydrates
Other
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You'll notice that most of these foods come without a food label. Most of the foods that you should avoid come in a bag or a box. Building a shopping list that contains very few bagged or boxed items is something to aim for. But when you do purchase something with a label, make sure to avoid two of the unhealthiest ingredients created by man: 1. High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) 2. Hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated vegetable oil (the sources of trans-fatty acids) You might have heard of these two ingredients. They are strongly associated with obesity and other lifestyle-diseases (such as diabetes). Don't wait, start preparing for you next meal now! Good nutrition is the key to weight loss and will compliment your exercise program.
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These are just a few obstacles that can wreck you nutrition and fat loss efforts if you let them. If you do the same things over and over again and expect different results you're not going to get them. Proper planning or strategy is vital as is GOAL SETTING. If the goals are to lose body fat and become healthier then behavior modification is necessary and in order for that to happen you must CHANGE YOUR MIND. It all starts from within; you must decide in your mind that you are going to lose weight and improve your health by making the right choices nutritionally. The information is out there, we are bombarded with it--it is common sense and a matter of doing it. When you set a goal, follow through with action and achieve desired results it is life changing--you become empowered. Don't let obstacles get in your way--over, under, around or through, you must take control.
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"The Essentials"
By Pete Piranio
What do you have to do to lose weight? For most people responding to that question their answer comes quickly and without too much thought-diet and exercise. And if further quizzed on the type of exercise they had in mind, "aerobic" is the typical answer. While those are simple answers to simply stated questions, the real answer to successful weight loss is somewhat more involved, however, the good news is there is an answer! The proliferation of fad diets and infomercials have confused many Americans into believing there is some supplement or macronutrient-eliminating-diet that will solve our weight loss woes. To make matters worse we've all been told for years that aerobic exercise is the answer to burning fat. You've seen the "fat burning zone" on cardio equipment. Just another example of misleading marketing designed to sell weight loss solutions in the billion dollar weight loss industry. Forget all that misinformation then let me clear up the confusion and give you the three Essentials that clients who have successfully transformed their bodies have found so effective The answers to what's wrong with aerobic exercise and how to master your weight loss are: synergistic implementation of resistance training (weight training), moderate aerobic exercise and the right nutrition, or what we call The Essentials. It almost seems like common sense, but yet, very few people effectively implement all three components when pursuing their weight loss goals. Significant fat loss and avoiding the common fat loss plateau can be accomplished by incorporating a balanced effort of resistance training and moderate aerobic exercise with the support of the right nutrition. Too often fat loss efforts rely on a diet and aerobic exercise exclusively. This approach will only lead to a small amount of weight loss, a slower metabolism and the frustration of regaining the weight. Diets normally don't work. Diets are not realistic and are often short lived. One of the most popular diets actually asks you to practically eliminate an essential macronutrient. In reality, the answer to your nutritional program lies in educating yourself about balanced nutrition and eating behavior modifications-not in eliminating nutrients or severe calorie deprivation. The severe calorie deprivation diets will only slow down your metabolism by decreasing metabolically active muscle tissue and putting your body into a natural defense mechanism we commonly call the starvation mode. The release of a weight regulating hormone and an enzyme (lipo-protein lipase) will slow your body's metabolism when it interprets your diet as starvation. In addition, an hour of cardio will not give you the long term weight loss you desire. If you want to change your body you must decrease the importance of aerobic exercise and
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shift some of your efforts to implementing resistance training. Resistance training is critical if you want to take control of your metabolism. An increase in muscle (and I don't mean bulking up) will increase your metabolism. For example, one pound of muscle requires 40-50 calories a day just to maintain it. Think what five added pounds does to your bodies caloric needs in a day-in a week! Not to mention, 48 hours after a resistance training workout your metabolism will still be elevated to aid muscle recovery. That's the key to long term permanent fat loss. It's not just what you do 5 percent of your day (exercise)-it's what your body does the other 95 percent of the day. Let's face it, most people really don't enjoy the boredom of a long drawn out cardio workout. Don't get me wrong, cardio is an important component to the Essentials, but in moderation. Excessive aerobic exercise will unravel your toning efforts by decreasing lean muscle. If your body is not being provided the right nutrition and resistance training to increase or at least maintain your body's muscle, your body will break down muscle protein as an energy source and you now know how important muscle is to your metabolism. The synergy of all three components is critical. If your nutrition does not provide the right "fuel" for your resistance training efforts you will not increase your muscle tone and therefore not increase your metabolism. What's more, poor nutrition will not help in optimizing fat utilization during moderate aerobic exercise. You see, with the right nutrition you can decrease the amount of cardio you have to do, this reduction will allow for optimal maintenance of muscle tissue, and you will effectively turn your body into a fat burning machine. Let me give you one more way to look at it. If you look at the chart on this page, all three components have equal percentages of the pie chart (33.33percent)-and all Essentials have been perfectly executed making a perfectly round wheel. Now imagine that resistance training remains at 33 percent of the chart, aerobic exercise is 20 percent and nutrition is 10 percent. It is no longer a perfectly round wheel. So which wheel do you think would allow your car to run the most effectively? You can see, an equal concentration on all three components of the Essentials will eliminate frustration, make your pursuit enjoyable and reward your self confidence with a successful body transformation.
Conditioning Specialist. He is also Editor and Publisher of FT Magazine a fitness and lifestyle magazine. He has been an expert contributed to numerous books and publications. Additionally, he is a speaker and consultant to Fitness Professionals throughout the United States. www.fitnesstogether.net
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Fast Food And A Healthy Diet - How To Have Your Cake And Eat It Too!
By Peter Vasilis
Recently, the fast food giant McDonalds announced the launch of their new adult Happy Meal, complete with salad, bottled water and a pedometer as part of a healthy fast food diet. It is encouraging to see that a large fast food chain has decided to address the growing health problem of obesity by offering healthier options on their menu which I applaud. However, on the other hand this is the same corporation that introduced the world to super sizing and triple thick milkshakes. They have helped to contribute to the obesity epidemic and now are trying to cash in on the same problem they had a hand in creating. In my opinion, the introduction of an adult Happy Meal is nothing more than a publicity stunt. In theory it seems like a good idea, but in reality, how many people are going to frequent McDonalds to eat healthy. The word healthy and McDonalds really should not even be in the same sentence. That is how far apart the two have been for decades. I know for myself that if, on the rare occasion that I was to eat at McDonalds, I would probably opt for a less healthy option. That is what people go to that particular restaurant for. People have grown accustomed to the food and for some it has become an addiction. The main problem I have with this stunt is that in all likelihood, the people that really need to eat healthy will probably still opt for the super sized value meal and snicker at the Healthy Happy Meal option. Really, with all fast food be it burger & fries, chicken & chips, pizza etc., as long as it is not consumed on a regular basis, even these foods can be incorporated into a healthy diet. The key is moderation. In my nutritional programs I teach clients how to incorporate a cheat day into their regular supportive eating program. On this day one can eat whatever they want, but for only one day per week. As long as they are eating healthy, balanced meals the majority of the time one day of indulgence will not greatly affect ones metabolism. In most conventional diets, people take an all or nothing approach, eliminating many of the foods they love. While on such a diet they vow to never eat pizza, pasta, French fries, cakes, cookies, ice cream, etc, etc, ever again.
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Obviously this approach is unrealistic. After a short period of time they begin to crave the very foods they vowed to forever eliminate. That is why the cheat day is psychologically, extremely beneficial to ones weight loss efforts. When abiding by a supportive nutritional plan, one is required to eat healthy, balanced meals for six days and on the seventh can eat any of the foods they have been craving throughout the week. Eventually many clients find that over time the cravings stop entirely and the cheat day becomes obsolete, replaced by just another day of healthful eating. So if you would like to bake a cake and eat it too, I encourage you to give supportive eating some consideration so you can even fit fast food into your healthy diet!
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assimilation. Fiber is another factor. If you eat a bowl of raisin bran or shredded wheat, the fiber will bind to the calcium, passing it through the body unabsorbed. Soda, coffee, alcohol, and fruits containing large levels of fructose all prohibit the absorption of calcium. With everything working against us, it's amazing we get any calcium at all. It would appear that a calcium supplement is necessary for adequate mineral intake. Calcium carbonate is the most common, purest form of calcium, and the least expensive. Calcium citrate, commonly found in fortified juices, is easier to digest, but you need to consume more to equal the amount of carbonate. Then there are calcium lactate, aspartate, phosphate, gluconate, malate, chelated calcium, and microcrystalline hydroxyapatite. All have claims to support their higher price tags. I suggest getting your calcium from various sources. Eat healthy, consume nonfat dairy products and fortified juices daily to get your calcium. It is a waste to consume more than 500mg of calcium at a time, so spread any supplementation throughout the day. Do not consume more than 2000mg of calcium per day, from all sources. I suggest no more than 1000mg of supplementation per day. You can also use various supplements at a time. For example, carbonate with breakfast, citrate with lunch, and perhaps coral calcium before bed. Calcium consumed at bedtime will help provide you with a better night's sleep. Remember, vitamin D and magnesium are needed for calcium absorption as well. If you do take supplements, be sure to tell your doctor. Calcium supplements can interfere with thyroid medications, some antibiotics, anticonvulsants, and corticosteroids. They may want to check your calcium level with a blood test as well. More isn't always better.
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Pure Sweetness
By Rani Yovetich
PURE SWEETNESS September is National Honey Month. Bees are on the move! It is estimated that over two million bee colonies are transported each year for crop pollination, honey and beeswax production. Many ranchers lease these colonies to pollinate their crops for increased crop yield. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates about one-third of human food consumption is from insect-pollinated plants, honey bees accounting for 80% of those plants. A 1999 Cornell University study showed the value of honey bee pollination to U.S. agriculture to be more than $14 billion. Not only are honey bees handy for pollination, but they create a miraculous liquid that does everything from enhance athletic performance to heal wounds. Written records suggest ancient Egyptians may have been the first bee keepers, using honey as a food and healing ointment. Honey was so highly valued by many early cultures that it was used as a source of payment, poured over sacred and commemorative objects, and fed to sacred animals. It was used to sweeten alcoholic beverages, one of which became known as "the drink of the gods." Even the Bible mentions honey in Exodus 3:8, "a land flowing with milk and honey," and Proverb 24:13, "My child, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste." The early American settlers used honey to preserve fruits, for medicinal purposes, and in the production of cement, furniture polish and varnish. Throughout the years honey has been used in face masks, hand lotions, curing pipe bowls, chewing gum, spray adherent, the center of golf balls, and even antifreeze mixture for automobile radiators. According to ancient folklore, Greek and Roman athletes consumed honey to increase strength and stamina. Recent studies conducted at the University of Memphis confirmed this myth is actually fact. When it came to enhanced endurance and energy, honey proved one of the most effective carbohydrate gels when consumed before or during exercise lasting longer than one hour. It was also an effective post-workout supplement. Dr. Richard Kreider, lead investigator of the study and Director of the Exercise and Sport Nutrition Laboratory at the University of Memphis states, "We were pleased to find that powdered honey promoted favorable changes in post-exercise markers of metabolism equal to that of the current standard, maltodextrin." "We also found that the group receiving honey as the carbohydrate source did not display the typical drop in blood sugar 60 minutes after taking the other forms of carbohydrates." Dr. Kreider goes on to say, "In addition, honey appears to stand out as perhaps a better source of carbohydrate to ingest with post-workout protein supplements." A combination of specific carbohydrates and protein has been shown to speed muscle and blood glucose recovery. This is very important to athletes in training and serious workout enthusiasts. A
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higher level of growth hormone was also found in the subjects combining protein and carbohydrates post-exercise. Honey is a natural anti-inflammatory and antiseptic. It also promotes cell regeneration and scarless rapid healing. Studies as early as the 1930s show honey to be effective in healing wounds. Numerous cases have been recorded where conventional medicine failed to heal wounds while honey succeeded in healing the wounds. Research has shown honey to be better at treating burns than silver sulphadiazine, one of the most commonly used antibacterial ointments. More recent studies show that honey effects even antibioticresistant bacteria. This is a major breakthrough! Honey has also been proven to be effective on the bacteria that cause anthrax, diphtheria, urinary tract infections, gastrointestinal disorders, pneumonia, meningitis, tuberculosis, infected animal bites, septicemia, typhoid, dysentery, abscesses, skin contusions, ear infections, many kinds of fevers, and cholera. Honey may be used to treat yeast infections, various ophthalmologic ailments, and mastitis. However, not all honeys are created equal. You can purchase honey that is packaged just for wounds, like Medihoney, which was approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration of Australia as a primary dressing. Eucalyptus honey has been used for treating malaria because of its blood purifying, nourishing, and appetite-producing qualities. It has been said that honey can cure headaches, even migraines. At the onset of a headache, take one tablespoon of honey. If it does not go away, or comes back, take another tablespoon until the headache subsides. It is said that honey has relaxation properties, releasing the tension that has built up and caused the headache. Honey has food preservation properties. Research conducted at Clemson University showed that turkey processed with honey showed no bacteria growth after eleven weeks of refrigerated storage. The University of Georgia at Athens added honey to marinade and coating for shrimp and catfish. The study found that the fish and shrimp cooked with the honey had either no or little bacteria, which differed from the control group. Honey is a healthy sweetener. Not only is honey sweeter than sugar, allowing you to consume less, it contains trace enzymes, minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants, one of which is unique to honey. It also contains vitamins B6, thiamin, riboflavin, and pantothenic acid. The darker the honey, the higher the nutritional value. The color of honey is predicted by the surrounding flora. Although honey inhibits the growth of most bacterias, it enhances the growth of some strains of bifodobacteria, the good bacteria found in yogurts and supplements. If you suffer from allergies, honey may be able to help. Some people believe honey acts in a way similar to homeopathic medicine or allergy shots. They feel that when you consume honey from your local area, you are getting tiny doses of the flora that initiates your body's allergy response. This forces your immune system to get accustomed to the allergens. Non-filtered honey is the best to consume because it still contains pollen grains.
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It is even suggested that honey may benefit your dental health. Its antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, and pain relieving properties have proven to be effective after oral surgery and on gum ulcerations. Honey also contains only a small amount of sucrose, the primary dietary sugar that causes plaque to stick to teeth. However, due to the acidic content, honey may erode tooth enamel when exposed for long periods of time. Though there are multiple types of honey, it always found in four basic forms: liquid honey, which is the most common in the United States; whipped honey also known as creamed, sugared, or spun honey, is used as a spread; comb honey is the original form; and cut comb which is packaged with chunks of comb in it. The color, nutritional value, and taste will vary based on the surrounding flora. It seems each individual honey has its own purpose when it comes to healing and cooking. Support your local beekeepers, and of course, live a healthier lifestyle by using honey as a supplement to your other sweeteners. WARNING: Do not feed honey to infants under the age of one year. It may cause botulism, a rare but serious disease that affects the nervous system of young babies. For recipes using honey, go to www.honey.com, a website sponsored by the National Honey Board.
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For most, a gallon of H2O per day sounds like an awesome task and needless to say not everyone is able to get all of it down. That's fine. Setting a mindset in the direction of drinking a full gallon-a-day will make the task seem less daunting, however-and I let all of my clients know this- that the very best fat loss results are always seen in those who drink more, rather than less icy water. So you think you will have to live in the latrine from now on? At first you will have need to go at a greater frequency. This will change as the body becomes more efficient at eliminating larger quantities of fluid. On the first few nights you will likely be awakened 2, 3 or even 4 times to go, but after the first week you will sleep more comfortably than ever. such are the effects of healthy hydration. Another word on water and calories. Metabolism, or metabolic rate is the rate at which your body burns calories. Some, but not all, diet research has shown the metabolic rate to actually SLOW DOWN when calories are restricted, but these studies do not consider the hydration status of their subjects. What I mean to say is, do fluids also end up being restricted in a diet? At University of Utah some years ago, after inducing a state of intentional dehydration in healthy volunteers, a significant drop in resting metabolism was noted in every subject. Even worse than that, or as a result of that, the tested subjects began using a higher percentage of energy from carbohydrates as opposed to stored fat. Their researchers concluded that individuals who inadvertently dehydrate may be reducing the effectiveness of current and even future diets by lowering their metabolic rate and altering the fuel source their bodies use for energy. WATER POISONING Is it possible to drink too much water? As water has become big business, (Coca-Cola expects their sales of Dasani to exceed their soft drink sales in just a few years!)the press, latching onto the current popularity of water drinking and always thinking that we have too little to worry about, have started the warnings against HYPERUREMIA aka; water poisoning. It is claimed that drinking too much water will cause a sharp loss in electrolytes and micro-nutrients making. It can indeed make you very sick and even land you in the hospital. But the few, very rare cases of hyper uremia, have occurred in ultramarathoners and tri-athletes in extreme heat conditions who hydrated with water rather than electrolyte replacement drinks. The largest majority of people exist in a state of simple under-hydration not, over-hydration. If you are engaged in a chronic endurance activity, one lasting more than 45 minutes, a sports drink like Gatorade will keep all electrolytes in perfect balance. Take plain water up to the 45 minute mark and a few ounces of sport drink every 5 or so minutes after. Warnings like "...you know, it's possible to drink TOO MUCH WATER" are merely knee jerk reactions from the ignorant, yet well meaning who desire to contribute to the topic but their lack of knowledge forces them to fall back on the old saw-"anything in excess is bad." An awareness of the facts reveal that it is virtually impossible to cause hyper uremia in a healthy body that has not been weakened by chronic endurance activity.
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SUPERIOR-PEAK PERFORMANCE When a new student comes to me for personal training and before we ever begin to go over an exercise says words to the effect, "...you know what?...I feel better already!" It tells me that they likely took my advice and started upping their hydration. Like a litmus test it let's me know that this trainee will progress well because they are serious about following their trainer's directions. An easy day for me, and a happy new client who has made an instant association between me and my facility and truly feeling better, and true as it is, feeling better can mean many things. But when my student says she is "feeling better," my response is that, "you are not merely 'feeling better,' you ARE better." Only because it is the truth. Better hydration makes you feel great because all of your body's millions of reactions and processes, which depend upon adequate H2O are made more effortless with healthy hydration. A better functioning body is ready and able to get the very most from exercise AND just as importantly, will react to that exercise better than a sluggish, under hydrated body which is made even worse from the exercise bout. Muscles produce heat when they contract and with intense exercise the heat must be removed and one of the bodily processes that hamper performance is the body's own effort to remove heat. The cooling effect that icy water has on the inside of the body goes a grand long way in keeping heat from building up and even at the point where the body MUST remove the heat-essential water is in abundance for the blood, kidneys and bladder to do their work without reducing exercise performance. The result? Better and quicker bodily improvements because of greater comfort from exercising at higher intensity levels for longer periods. MAKING THE MOST OF SUPERHYDRATION A few very simple new habits can make your Super hydration experience easy. Since the rewards will begin immediately, RIGHT NOW would be a great time to begin. So pour out 20 more ounces of cool water and have it finished by the time you end this chapter. Here are some healthy guidelines for your healthy hydration process;
Drink Early And Often- first thing in the morning, and on that morning that you miss it, you will REALLY MISS IT! Don't Wait For Thirst- by the time you feel thirst your hydration levels are already low. Monitor Your Body Weight- get on the scale just before you exercise and immediately following. You should not be an ounce lighter. Pee Clear- I know. Not very gentlemanly of me, but check that what you eliminate is clear as water. That's your sure sign of improved internal function. Avoid Saunas- avoid steam baths and hot tubs too. All they do is foster loss of fluids and dehydration.
At this point I feel compelled to add an important note. *Sweat is not the juice that comes from fat. Sweat is fluid drafted from your bloodstream. No amount of sweating will reduce your bodyfat. Dehydrating may make you "lighter" but all that does is make you a SMALLER but FATTER person. Fatter because you lowered body weight and yet did
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not change the quantity of fat- so you unavoidably increased your bodyfat PERCENTAGE.
Reduce Your Coffee- caffeine is dehydrating. If you get your coffee on the road, mix half regular with half decaffeinated, plenty tasty and you have just HALVED the caffeine. Reduce Alcohol- also dehydrating. Avoid Sports Drinks- unless your activity is nonstop for 45 minutes or more. Keep H2O Handy & COLD- fill your travel bottle halfway with water and freeze it overnight. When you are ready to leave, fill to the top with cold water. The bottle stays cold as the frozen ice melts Drink Even More- than one gallon. Quite a number of my students are so ardent with their super hydration that they sometimes consume as much as two gallons a day. As I pointed out before-in my experience the more water-and the colder the water consumed, the more efficient the fat loss.
SIDE EFFECTS Certain Other happy things you can expect from Super hydrating.
Fresher breath. And with your thirst at bay, you are unlikely to go for sweetened beverages that pollute your mouth. Brighter eyes, and better skin tone too! See the whites of your eyes looking fresher and healthier. Better sleep. I don't know why, but maybe when your system doesn't have grope around all day for fluids, sleep is more restful. More good habits. Feeling better gets you addicted to doing good things for yourself and you will seek them out.
Best of all. You get instant payback. See how you feel after just a single day of SUPERHYDRATION, you may be surprised and even a little giddy at the thrill of how quickly you can change your body.
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How to Eat During the Holiday Season: Tips for Enjoying Yourself Without Impacting your Waistline
By Robert L. Selders, Jr.
With the holiday season approaching, many of us are looking forward to briefly stepping out of the rat race and spending quality time at gatherings with our family and friends. From the bountifulness of Thanksgiving to the generosity of Christmas to the festiveness of New Year's Eve, a barrage of oven-roasted turkey, honey glazed ham, your grandmother's special stuffing, candied pecan sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy, not to mention all the cakes, pies, ice cream, and of course, alcohol, will greet us in never ending supply. The mere thought of partaking in this endless food fest is enough to make most people put their diets on the shelf until after the New Year. While recent research suggests that the average weight gain is only one to two pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's, the problem is that those one to two pounds are typically not lost when the holidays end. Consequently, it results in a ten to twenty pound weigh gain in ten years. I know what you're thinking, 'How can I enjoy the holiday season and satisfy my appetite for delectable dishes without the guilt and fear of weight gain'? I'm glad you asked! Here are tips you can use, without depriving yourself or being terrified of the holiday-weight-gain blues: 1. Keep your focus: It's important to remember that the holidays aren't about the food. Granted, it's a wonderful perk, but it is not, and should not be your main focal point. Social gatherings, celebrating with friends, and spending time with our families is where we need to concentrate our attentions. 2. Drop the diet: When severely restricting calorie intake, you may find yourself in a psychological conundrum, one that you are bound to lose. Set your holiday goal as weight maintenance instead of weight loss. 3. Plan, Plan, Plan: If 'Location, Location, Location' is the war cry of real estate agents, then 'Plan, Plan, Plan' should be your holiday season mantra. Planning meal frequency and content makes you less likely to over-indulge. 4. Break the fast: Avoid running on the previous day's fumes by making sure to eat a solid breakfast. Kick start your day and then plan for 3 to 4 smaller meals, spaced 2 to 3 waking hours apart. 5. Slow Down: Before you grab a plate and hit the buffet table or all the goodies in the break room, cruise the entire offering to see what you would truly like to sample instead of just diving in and scoring a little of everything. Also, eat
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slower. It takes 20 minutes for your brain to send the signal that you've had enough to eat. That could save you from that second helping of mash potatoes or pumpkin pie. 6. Get the Right Stuff, Avoid the Fluff: Make sure each meal contains a lean protein and a complex carbohydrate food item; avoid processed foods like the plague. This will help you maintain consistent energy levels and keep your body properly fueled throughout the day. 7. Eat more vegetables: They have low calorie-high fiber content and high consumption of raw, steamed, or stir-fried vegetables provides bulk to your meals and actually tricks your metabolism into staying elevated because your body has to process a large volume of food. 8. Drink and Be Merry: If you're planning a night of high spirits, make sure to eat before you drink. Also add a little water to the mix to minimize hangovers, a good rule of thumb is one glass of water for every alcoholic beverage. 9. Stay Fit: In our quest to do it all, we forget to exercise. If there is ever a time to continue our fitness routines, it's during the holidays. Exercising assists in reliving stress and tension and prevents weight gain. 10. Strategize: if you do end up overeating, don't beat yourself up and don't give up all together. Develop a strategy for getting back on track and addressing potential weight gain. Besides, you needed a New Year's resolution anyway, right? Healthy holiday eating should not make you feel deprived or detract from the time you spend with loved ones. By planning better and eating more of the right things, you'll have more energy and your metabolism will turn your body into a fat-burning machine. Who knows, you may actually lose weight in the process and end up looking more fit than when the holidays began. Party up!!
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"Whats In YOUR Supplement Cupboard?: A Nutritionists Recommendation for 5 Key Supplements that Will Make the Biggest Impact on Your Overall Health, Fitness and Energy"
By Roxayn Daniels
Which supplements are in YOUR cupboard? Do you take any supplements at all? Or have you ever spent a lot of money on supplements and wondered whether they are even making a difference? Maybe youve accumulated an interesting collection of different supplements... the result of reading the latest study about a particular supplement in the newspaper or magazine. If youre like many people you have probably taken certain products off and on with no real consistency. Maybe you are confused about what you should take or wonder if supplements are even necessary at all? Following are a nutritionists recommendations for five key supplements that will make the biggest impact on your overall fitness, health, and energy. In a Perfect World There is still a small (and shrinking) number of nutritionists and dieticians who claim that supplements are unnecessary and that we can get everything we need from our food. While it makes sense that our bodies would more efficiently absorb and utilize nutrients from food rather than from supplements, after more than 10 years doing computerized analyses of peoples actual diets, I have yet to see even one person who is receiving at least 100% of their minimal requirements for 15 of the essential vitamins and minerals on a regular basis. In a perfect world where we would have our own organic garden complete with balanced, mineral rich soil, and eat an abundance and variety of only fresh, whole foods, ever day, never having to skip a meal or eat occasional processed or fast food, and werent exposed to things such as excess stress, exercise, pollution, and chemicals that increase our need for certain nutrients, then maybe it would be possible to achieve optimal health from our food alone. The Reality For most of us living in the real world, even with an above average diet, it is impossible to eat optimally all the time and most people are not getting everything their body requires every day for optimal health and fitness. Did you know that nutrient deficiencies can drastically affect your energy level, your long-term health, and your bodys metabolism and ability to burn bodyfat? You may be surprised that malnutrition is a major cause of obesity in North America!
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If a body is deficient in even a few vitamins or minerals, this can cause excessive hunger. Also when there is inadequate intake of essential nutrients, energy production will be decreased and fat cannot be efficiently burned. To illustrate a few of many such examples: The B vitamins are essential to energy production and fat is burned at a greatly reduced rate if Vitamin B5 or B6 are undersupplied. Insufficient Vitamin E can cut fat utilization in half! Chromium, a mineral that is now deficient in 90% of our diets, is essential for muscle growth and normal insulin metabolism and therefore very important for control of bodyfat. Leave Fat Burners, Creatine and other Extras on the Shelf Until You Have the Basics Covered! Before you even begin to experiment with optional supplements such as natural fat burners, creatine or others, it makes sense to ensure that you first have the basics covered. The five foundational supplements highlighted below will have the greatest impact on your overall health, energy, athletic performance, and ability to burn bodyfat and build muscle. 1. A Green Supplement Not as much a supplement as a superfood! Most contain an extremely healthsupportive array of foods such as barley and wheat grass powders, chlorella, sprouts, fiber, as well as a variety of beneficial herbs, and sea vegetables. A quality green drink is loaded with nutrients, antioxidants, and phytochemicals and a serving is equivalent to eating several organic salads. Green drink powders such as Greens+ (watermelon flavor is most popular), Blueberry Greens Force, GreensRx, and others can be purchased at most health food stores and are best taken first thing in the morning or any other time of the day on an empty stomach. There are even great tasting green drinks available for kids. Although not inexpensive, think of your green supplement as a worthwhile investment in your health. After just a couple weeks of daily use, most people experience a noticeable difference in energy level. Within a relatively short time, you may also begin to notice other benefits such as increased mental clarity, nicer skin, better digestion, better sleep, and overall just a cleaner, healthier feeling. You have to try it to believe it! 2. A Protein Supplement Are you aware that your need for protein increases significantly if you exercise regularly, especially if you are strength-training? A good quality whey protein can be utilized by your body even more efficiently than protein from other sources such as chicken or fish. A protein shake is perfect for a post-workout snack and is also a great solution for people on the go. Place a serving of protein in a shaker cup and carry if with you. When youre ready for a quick between meal snack, just add water, shake and drink! When choosing a protein powder, look for supplements containing primarily whey isolates (either high alpha whey isolates, which are the best, or cross-flow micro filtered whey isolates). Because whey isolates are expensive to produce, many companies will mix these isolates with less expensive protein concentrates (such as caseinate and milk protein isolates) and still call them isolates. Read your labels. Not only are whey isolates the highest quality dietary proteins known to modern science, but they also have
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demonstrated a significant ability to increase our immune response particularly in the fight with cancer. These proteins also aid in fat burning and muscle growth, work as an appetite depressant, and can be used by those who are lactose intolerant. Avoid protein supplements with artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and others and instead find one that is sweetened with a natural plant based sweetener called stevia. Vegetarians and those with allergies or intolerances to whey protein supplements can use brown rice protein, hemp protein, soy protein, or an exceptional vegetarian meal replacement product called Vega. 3. Essential Fats Many people are still eating too much fat. Surprisingly, many of these same people are actually deficient in the extremely important essential fats (Omega 3,6,9). These essential fats are important for a healthy brain and nervous system, immune system, and skin; for mood control; and also for efficient burning of bodyfat. Omega 3s in particular are most deficient in our diets and must be supplemented. Good sources of the essential fats are foods such as high-fat fish (e.g. salmon, mackerel, sardines), raw nuts and seeds (e.g. walnuts, hemp seed and ground flax seed), supplements, or flax oil or an omega balance oil such as Udos Choice Oil. 4. A Good Quality Multi-Vitamin/Mineral While I am not a big believer in mega-dose supplements (except when needed to correct a severe imbalance or nutrient deficiency), a quality multi-vitamin/mineral is a great addition to an already healthy diet. It will help fill in the gaps on those days when you dont eat as well as youd like to and also make it easier to reach your recommended intake of certain nutrients that are most difficult to get from food alone such as iron, zinc, chromium and others. 5. Extra Calcium/Magnesium This important supplement recommendation is primarily for women as most men seem to achieve their calcium requirement from their diet and multi-mineral. Did you know that besides being critical for maintaining strong bones, there is a strong calcium / bodyfat connection? Estimates of the relationship between calcium intake and weight indicated that a 1,000 mg calcium intake difference is associated with an 8 kg (or almost 18 pound) difference in body weight. Many women are not getting enough calcium in their diets. Are you? According to the National Institute of Health, the recommended total calcium intake (from diet and supplements) is 1,200 1,500 mg per day for teens and young adults under the age of 25, 1, 000 mg a day for women between 25 and 50 years of age, 1,200 1,500 for pregnant or lactating women, and 1,500 mg per day for postmenopausal women. The average calcium consumption among North American women is currently only 600 mg per day. Increasing this average intake by about 600 mg through supplements and making a conscious effort to include more high-calcium foods in your daily diet, can have a dramatic effect on body weight and also ensure that you are not stealing calcium from your bones to make up for a shortage in your diet. Its always best to take a
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calcium/magnesium combination (possibly with the addition of vitamin D depending upon how much youre getting from other sources). Keep it Simple So there you have it folks my recommendations for 5 Foundational Supplements that almost everyone could benefit from. Your supplement program doesnt have to be confusing. Keep it simple and take these five supplements (three of which are actually food based supplements) on a regular basis and you will know that your supplement money has been spent wisely! These five can provide many benefits including:
enhancing weight loss and muscle gain enhancing sports performance and recovery from workouts boosting energy levels improving appearance stabilizing mood protecting your long-term health
If you need some help selecting quality products, ask a knowledgeable health food store employee for their brand recommendations. Take care of your body and invest in your long-term health - you will be glad you did!
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Have you had your Metabolic tests and received your Customized Supplements?
By Ryan Kollock
Metabolic testing and Customized Supplements are a necessity. In todays world things are constantly changing. Every time you turn on the television, the radio, the internet or read the latest newspaper or magazine, someone is advertising a new supplement. Take this for weight loss, take this for anti-aging, take this for better sleep, etc. What do we really need? We dont know, we are just guessing, and some of us take every thing, just hoping it will work. As our body and the world changes, so are the ways we practice health.. The guessing is over. We dont need to take everything, we just have to take what we are not getting from our foods. How do we find out what we need and what we are deficient in, we get tested. Metabolic testing and customized supplementation is the wave of the future. They are a necessity for anyone who wants to be and stay healthy. Metabolic testing and customized supplementation are no longer luxuries just for the rich, they are available for us today. The future of health has arrived and we can take advantage of it now. There are a variety of factors that impact our health today. These factors range from over planting, soil depletion, the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, man-made toxins, free radicals, and the amount of nitric oxide in our bodies. Modern manufacturing methods also destroy or lessen many of the nutrients in processed foods. A recent report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) by two Harvard University researchers stated that Americans need to supplement to remain healthy. Here is what many leading nutritionists, medical professionals, and fitness experts are now sayingTaking vitamins is just not enough. We need to be metabolically tested and have customized nutrition based on our results. The reality is that there is no ONE supplement out there that is perfect for all of us. Supplementing needs to catch up with science. Is your liver receiving the nutritional support it needs? Poisons and carcinogens are in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. Fortunately, the liver in your body can remove these poisons. However, if your liver is not getting the right nutritional support, it cannot detoxify your body and neutralize the toxins that bombard it from every direction. Are you taking the right antioxidants in the right quantities necessary to protect your cells?
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Science has made great strides in understanding the damage that "free-radicals" can do to your otherwise healthy cells, and in identifying the "antioxidants" that can protect them from free-radical damage. However, too many antioxidants can be harmful to the systems they were designed to protect. Are your nitric oxide levels where they should be for immune, nervous and circulatory system regulation? The 1998 Nobel Prize in medicine was given for research in nitric oxide regulation and its impact on vital metabolic functions in the immune system, the nervous system and the circulatory system. Only when you keep these systems in balance can you maintain good health. Scientific testing is a vital tool to find out the answers to these questions. Laboratory analysis of an overnight urine sample can examine key biochemical pathways and determine if you have the nutritional support you need to protect your tissues against cellular damage from uncontrolled free radicals, eliminate harmful toxins in your body, and keep your immune, vascular and nervous systems in balance. In fact, without testing, vitamin supplements that cost $80 a bottle may be as ineffective as the drug store brands that cost $9 a bottle. Neither may address the specific needs of your body in a way that supports your optimal health. While most other multivitamins contain less than 20 ingredients, Custom Essentials multivitamin is a blend of up to 50 pharmaceutical-grade vitamins, chelated minerals, amino acids and phytonutrients. These ingredients are buffered to be gentle on your stomach and have a low potential for allergic reactions. Theyre designed to stay in your body longer and many are already in their "activated" form, which means they go to work immediately to detoxify, provide digestive support and increase energy production. The minerals are chelated with amino acids to be sure that your body absorbs the essential nutrients. Your individual formula is carefully balanced and combined with a rich, naturally grown food base. Whether youre looking for a men's multivitamin or a women's multivitamin, Custom Essentials is for you. Taking Custom Essentials is like giving yourself a daily tune-up with targeted nutrition unavailable from any other source. Critical nutrients falling below needed levels are added to, excess intake is reduced, and harmful toxins are removed every day! Can you think of a better gift to give your body than custom health and peace of mind! You no longer have to guess which nutrients you need from a bewildering variety of "invogue" or "one-size-fits-all" supplements. Easy sample collection in the privacy of your home, and analysis by our world-renowned laboratory is the beginning of your journey to renewed health and vitality. Our affordable metabolic tests can point out where problems exist, and our customized multivitamin and supplements can help turn your body back
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toward health ...and keep it there. Every day you wait may be compounding a problem you could be solving with the gift of custom nutrition from - Ideal Health
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Of course there are other supplements out there that help with muscle gain and body fat loss too. There are tons of supplements and supplement companies out there, so which ones work and who do you trust. I trust the professionals. I use Prograde products, which are the choices of the top fitness and wellness experts in the industry.
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6.MINIMIZE TIME IN THE MAGAZINE STAND During my most recent airport experience I visited a magazine "stand" in an effort to buy my son a souvenir. As I waited in the line, I couldn't help but to focus my attention on all of the candy bars and fruit treats encircling the cash register. Do you think those goodies are there by accident? Of course not. Store owners know that people's purchases are driven by emotion and wants rather than logic and needs. Those high calorie goodies? are conveniently place at the register to facilitate your impulsive purchase. Don't give in!
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incompetence, inadequacy, guilt, frustration and even depression. These are all negative emotions that perpetuate negative belief systems and a negative self-image, which potentially lead to unsupportive lifestyle habits and consequently more weight gain. Am I saying that all diets are useless? No. What I'm saying is that if you develop a pattern of eating that is unrealistic for your lifestyle, that deprives your body of essential nutrients, and that you cannot maintain for the rest of your life, then you will likely continue to struggle with your weight.
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Do Calories Matter?
By Shondelle Solomon-Miles
As mentioned before, the only way to lose weight is to force your body to use stored calories in the form of fat for energy. If you eat too much and/or move too little, then your body has no need to burn fat for energy. Consider this. If you had enough money in your checking account to pay your bills and maintain your lifestyle, would you take money from your savings account? No, you wouldn't need those funds so you'd just let them accumulate. What if you were unable to pay your bills because your checking account was short on funds? Would you take money from your savings account? Yes, of course you would (at least if you don't want bill collectors calling you). Your body works the same way. If it doesn't need to use the stored calories or fat for energy, the fat will accumulate. However, if your body were to become short on energy, it would rely on your fat stores to provide additional energy. Burning 75,000 calories to lose 50 pounds may seem like a daunting task, but if you focus on using 500 to 1,000 of these stored up calories each day via 'diet' and exercise, you could lose approximately one to two pounds of body fat each week. One to two pounds per week may not seem like much. In fact, you might think it will take forever to lose all the weight you want to lose at that rate. However, scientific research proves that one to two pounds of body fat loss per week is a healthy and realistic goal, as well as a goal that supports permanent fat loss. You don't wake up one day 50 pounds overweight. Weight gain happens gradually and over a period of months and years. Therefore, you must also expect to make gradual withdrawals from your fat reserves for healthy and permanent weight loss to happen. It's imperative you understand that a sound weight-loss-program will not produce results overnight. However, by consistently reducing your calorie intake via portion control, monitoring calories, and exercising consistently, you'll force your body to burn fat for energy. You may not understand why you're having difficulty losing weight despite having a 'healthy' diet. You minimize fats, you don't consume sugar or processed foods and still your weight won't budge. Please understand this. Weight is determined by calorie intake versus calorie output; health is determined by where those calories come from. Therefore, if you choose healthy foods, but still eat too much of them, you'll not lose weight because your overall calorie consumption is greater than your calorie expenditure. The bottom line is this: no food in and of itself will make you lose weight. Only eating less calories than you burn daily will accomplish that task.
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Maintaining a healthy lifestyle that supports your weight loss is a habit; it has to become part of your programming. Its not something that you can leave up to willpower, discipline, or motivation, because, just like the latest fad diet, those qualities come and go. Besides the negative physiological impact dieting has on the human body, it also takes a psychological toll. When the inevitable happens, and your diet begins to stop working (though it never really worked in the first place), it breeds feelings of failure, incompetence, inadequacy, guilt, frustration and even depression. These are all negative emotions that perpetuate negative belief systems and a negative self-image, which potentially lead to unsupportive lifestyle habits, and consequently, more weight gain. Am I saying that all diets are useless? No, theres a time and place for everything, even a diet. What I am saying is that if you develop a pattern of eating that is unrealistic for your lifestyle, and one which you cannot maintain for the rest of your life, then managing your weight will always be a struggle. Repeat the following declaration whenever youre feeling inclined to go on another fad diet: IF I WANT TO LOSE FAT AND KEEP IT OFF, I MUST LEARN HOW TO EAT IN A MANNER THAT I CAN MAINTAIN FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!
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consume during breakfast will be used for energy throughout your day. On the other hand, if you skip breakfast and eat larger meals later in the day as you become less active, your body has a greater chance of storing those calories as fat. Nancy Clark, registered dietician and author of Sports Nutrition recommends eating 1/3 of your daily calories for breakfast. Clarke says, If youre going to skip any meal, skip dinner but not breakfast. Your goal should be to fuel by day and eat a little less at night. Breakfast is also important because it provides you with the energy you need to get through your day. Many studies indicate that children who go to school without eating breakfast have more trouble concentrating, are less alert, perform worse on tests and have less energy and motivation compared to children who eat breakfast regularly. Is there any reason to believe that this is any different for adults? Food is energy, and after fasting all night, its essential to begin your day with a meal so that you can have the energy to complete your day. Eating breakfast stabilizes blood sugar and stable blood sugar results in more energy. What does lack of energy, alertness and concentration have to do with weight loss you ask? Well, I dont know about you, but when Im feeling weak, lethargic and lackluster, I have no desire to move, much less exercise. Heres the point: The more energy you have, the more active youll be and the more active you are, the more calories you burn. Consequently, the more calories you burn, the more weight youre capable of losing.
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Stop blaming weight gain on innocent potatoes and bread, and start blaming them on the fact that we spend too much time in front of the television, too little time moving our bodies, and for many of us, our idea of a workout is taking out the trash or strolling through the mall.
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studies had participants with a mean age over 53 and none of the controlled studies lasted longer than 90 days. Information on older adults and long-term results are scarce. Many diet studies fail to monitor the amount of exercise, and therefore caloric expenditure, while participants are dieting. This helps to explain discrepancies between studies. The weight loss on low-carb diets is a function of caloric restriction and diet duration, and not with reduced carbohydrate intake. This finding suggests that if you want to lose weight, you should eat fewer calories and do so over a long time period. Little evidence exists on the long-range safety of low-carb diets. Despite the medical community concerns, no short-term adverse effects have been found on cholesterol, glucose, insulin and blood-pressure levels among participants on the diets. But, adverse effects may not show up because of the short period of the studies. Researchers note that losing weight typically leads to an improvement in these levels anyway, and this may offset an increase caused by a high fat diet. The long range weight change for low-carb and other types of diets is similar. Most low-carb diets cause ketosis. Some of the potential consequences are nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and confusion. During the initial phase of low-carb dieting some fatigue and constipation may be encountered. Generally, these symptoms dissipate quickly. Ketosis may also give the breath a fruity odor, somewhat like nail-polish remover (acetone). Low-carb diets do not enable the consumption of more calories than other kinds of diets, as has been often reported. A calorie is a calorie and it doesn't matter weather they come from carbohydrates or fat. Study discrepancies are likely the result of uncontrolled circumstances; i.e. diet participants that cheat on calorie consumption, calories burned during exercise, or any number of other factors. The drop-out rate for strict (i.e. less than 40 grams of CHO/day) low-carb diets is relatively high. What Should You Do? - There are 3 important points I would like to re-emphasize:
The long-range success rate for low-carb and other types of diets is similar. Despite their popularity, little information exists on the long-term efficacy and safety of low-carbohydrate diets. Strict low-carb diets are usually not sustainable as a normal way of eating. Boredom usually overcomes willpower.
It is obvious after reviewing the topic, that more, well-designed and controlled studies are needed. There just isn't a lot of good information available, especially concerning longrange effects. Strict low-carb diets produce ketosis which is an abnormal and potentially stressful metabolic state. Under some circumstances this might cause health related complications.
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The diet you choose should be a blueprint for a lifetime of better eating, not just a quick weight loss plan to reach your weight goal. If you can't see yourself eating the prescribed foods longer than a few days or a week, then chances are it's not the right diet. To this end, following a moderately low fat diet with a healthy balance of fat, protein, carbohydrate and other nutrients is beneficial. If you do decide to follow a low-carb plan, remember that certain dietary fats are associated with reduction of disease. Foods high in unsaturated fats that are free of transfatty acids such as olive oil, fish, flaxseeds, and nuts are preferred to fats from animal origins. Even promoters of the Atkins diet now say people on their plan should limit the amount of red meat and saturated fat they eat. Atkins representatives are telling health professionals that only 20 percent of a dieter's calories should come from saturated fat (i.e. meat, cheese, butter). This change comes as Atkins faces competition from other popular low-carb diets that call for less saturated fat, such as the South Beach diet plan. Low-carb dieting should not be considered as a license to gorge on red meat! Another alternative to "strict" low-carb dieting would be to give up some of the bad carbohydrate foods but not "throw out the baby with the bath water". In other words, foods high in processed sugar, snacks, and white bread would be avoided, but foods high in complex carbohydrates such as fruit, potatoes and whole grains, retained.
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processed like pre-made cakes, cookies, muffins. Cutting out fried foods will also be a necessary step in lowering cholesterol. Choose a side salad or cole slaw instead of french fries when eating out. 3. Lose weight. When combining steps 1 and 2 you will help bring your body weight down. Make sure that your overall calorie intake does not exceed that of what your body expends. 4. Decrease the stress in your life. Again, steps 1 and 2 will have a profound effect on lowering stress. Although stress is not directly related to cholesterol levels, scientists have found highly stressed individuals to eat high fat foods and lose sight of proper nutrition and exercise. As you can see, starting not one but multiple ways to lower cholesterol will have a synergistic affect on your body. This way you will be able to stay off medications that may have unwanted side effects. If you take action and start on at least the first 2 steps you will see drop in cholesterol by your next doctor's visit.
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sweetened soda will provide an additional 150 calories to the daily diet; however, it will not make you apt to consume 150 calories less throughout the day. The physiological reason for this is that liquid calories do not appear to trigger the satiety mechanisms in the brain as solid foods do. This would be a direct correlation as to why individuals feel less guilty about consuming the 32 oz. of soda in comparison to the 2.17 oz. pack of Skittles which are nearly identical in nutritional facts; having sugar content exceeding 90% of the total calories. The lack of nutritional content of sugar-sweetened beverages should deter anyone from taking these empty calories in when striving to meet nutritional and fitness goals.
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5. Never eat sugar before going to bed. Try to limit your overall food intake to two hours before you go to bed. 6. Drink water! You probably hear it all the time. so do it. that means it's important. 7. Keep your diet clean. Cut out fried foods, fast food, and limit packaged and processed foods. Stick to free range meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. Our society has trained us the wrong way to lose weight. Big bucks are poured into books, magazines and commercials making big promises with little to back it up. Whether you or someone you know has experienced the diet ups and downs realize ultimately, it didn't work and never will. Commit to making lifestyle changes in you nutrition and exercise and you'll be sure to lose the unwanted body fat.
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3 Fatal Nutrition Mistakes You Are Making Right Now Bringing Your Fat Loss To Screeching Halt
By Tim Chudy
If you really want to lose that unwanted body fat and get rid of those soft and mushy areas once and for all then making sure your day starts out on the right foot is critical. And that begins with a nutritional breakfast. Often times I talk to people most are making at least one, if not all three of these fatal nutrition mistakes. You are waving a big red flag will bring your fat loss to a screeching halt. There are common misconceptions and many poor habits being practiced that are fatal flaws to any weightloss and fat burning program. Two keys to getting rid of that stubborn fat are to boost the metabolism and balance out your blood sugar levels. This all starts with breakfast. Remember, you are breaking the fast. These 3 mistakes will make or break your day. 1. Ordering coffee with all the extras. Starbucks is not to blame, but does have an impact on this one. As Americans we went from drinking regular coffee to venti, double mochas with whip cream. Its not uncommon for someone to add 200-600 calories to their diet from their morning cup of Joe! This is a big problem and definitely not the best way to start your day. When having coffee eliminate the creams and sugars. Switch to skim milk instead of cream. Use a no calorie sweetener over sugar. Adding in these will save you up to 500 calories over the week! 2. Not eating any protein. If youre working out properly your body should be screaming for protein in the morning. This is not to say eat all of the bacon, sausage, and eggs you want. But do include protein with breakfast. This will kick start that metabolism, leave you feeling fuller longer, and give you that balanced meal your body is looking for. The best sources for protein are protein shakes, eggs and egg whites, and low fat cottage cheese. 3. Having too much fruit for breakfast. When people try to clean up their diet they increase the amount of fruits and vegetables they eat. Thats great. But not necessarily for breakfast. A bowl of fruit with oatmeal is not the best choice. This causes blood sugars to rise and fall causing insulin imbalances and ultimately telling the body to store fat. Scale back on the fruit at breakfast and add in some protein and healthy fat to keep those blood sugars in check. There are three of the fatal mistakes people make before even leaving the house for work. They are all too common among people. And if you want to eat a nutritionally sound diet
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or burn massive amounts of fat off your body, they will prevent you from doing so. This makes it even more frustrating. Fix these three morning problems and youll speed up the fat burning at record pace.
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You will lose more muscle mass than body fat. Now, you may say, "It does not matter as long as I'm thin", but understand that muscle burns more calories than fat -- this helps to keep your metabolism elevated. Muscle also gives you a shapely, firm and more defined physique. If you end up with less muscle than when you started, you can bet that your metabolism has been slowed a great deal, which, in the long run, means your body will be burning fewer calories and storing more fat. Ultimately, you may get down to the weight that you desire, but you will have more body fat, less muscle mass and no muscle tone. This is why people who have a history of dieting off and on (yo-yo dieting), will lose weight and look thinner, but still remain very soft or "jiggly". You know them because of their waving triceps. This type of dieting is notorious for weakening the immune system. THE BEST WAY TO LOSE FAT Honestly, if you are tired of being overweight and "soft," or if you desperately just want to develop your "six pack," then you must educate yourself and get serious about changing your body. It has to become a priority in your life (at least until you reach your goal). There are no quick fixes, however if you use the right information, you will be able to make dramatic changes to your physical appearance in a very short period of time. For the last few years, I have been researching ways to gain muscle and lose body fat. During that period of trial and error, I have learned to follow those who have been successful and losing fat and gaining muscle. Natural bodybuilders have been successful in losing body fat while maintaining their muscle mass for years. Their techniques work, plain and simple! SMART EATING HABITS All bodybuilders know that the first key to gaining muscle and losing fat is eating correctly. When I say eating correctly I mean not only the correct amount of calories, but the correct amount of protein, fat and carbohydrates taken at the correct times. In the past, I would just skip over this part. It seemed too difficult to grasp. That was a mistake. Your eating habits are the single most important element of a successful fat loss program. It should be geared to maximize fat loss, while minimizing any muscle loss. Here are a few key points to remember: EAT MORE OFTEN To lose fat you have to eat! DO NOT starve yourself. Your body is designed for survival, and part of its survival mechanism involves storing and holding onto body fat to be used in times of food shortages. If you make it a habit of not eating, or eating only a small amount of calories each day, eventually your body will think that you are in a time of famine a begin to slow your metabolism. Your body is just trying to conserve energy (calories) because it is getting so little
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nourishment. Your metabolism determines the rate at which your body burns calories, so if you have a fast metabolism, you will burn a lot of calories without much effort. If you have a slow metabolism, it will be very difficult to burn calories especially fat calories. Your body will always slow your metabolism in response to low calorie dieting. Here is a sample meal plan: To avoid this, you simply must eat. Unfortunately, eating three meals per day will not cut it! It does not provide your body with the constant flow of nutrients and energy it needs increase your metabolism and burn fat. Ideally, you should strive to eat 5-6 meals evenly spaced throughout the day. Just make sure that you eat breakfast and dinner at home. That way, you only have to worry about lunch and two snacks during the day. It's not difficult, but it will take some planning. EAT FEWER CALORIES Your diet should create a mild caloric deficit. In other words, your body should burn off more calories than you take in. After your body has used all the food calories for energy, it should (in theory) turn to using your fat cells for energy. However, as I stated earlier regarding fad diets, this is not always the case. Without resistance training to stimulate muscle growth, and diet manipulation to prevent muscle loss, your body will turn to using muscle cells for energy instead of fat cells! Anyone interested in losing body fat, should begin by eating around 10-12x their bodyweight in calories. Eating five meals each day, weight training and cardio will help to increase your metabolism. Because of this, everyone will have an initial loss of weight, and then the results will begin to taper off after a couple of months. What you must do is stick with the plan and be consistent. The fat will begin to come off again if you do not quit. After about 6-8 weeks you will have to change your program since your body will have adjusted itself to the calorie levels and it will have also made the diet much less effective by slowing your metabolism. This is where cycling your diet will be beneficial. EAT MORE PROTEIN The ideal fat loss meal plan contains moderate amounts of fats, moderate amounts of carbohydrates and large amounts of protein. Protein helps to build and repair muscle, and it also aids in increasing your metabolism and enhancing your immune system. To promote maximum muscle growth and repair, you should try to eat at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. Some good sources of protein are lean meats, egg whites, whey protein and soy protein isolate. I recommend starting with a diet that is around 40% protein. Many of you may worry that this amount of protein is too much or harmful. And I understand your concerns. However, since everyone is different (size, weight, metabolism, physical stresses, lifestyle, etc.) it is almost impossible to have a standard number. I believe that any amount over 2x your bodyweight is too much, however, that is
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a matter of opinion, and so are all of the answers you will get to this question. Most doctors will also say that you are eating too much protein. "All that protein is not necessary", they say. They are however assuming that you are an average (sedentary) individual. They do not take into account demanding physical activities like weight training, which put strains and stresses on your body that the average person does not have to deal with? It is true that large amounts of protein can put a strain on your kidneys. Ammonia and urea (waste produced by protein assimilation) are removed from the bloodstream by the kidneys and liver and excreted in the urine. When you have a lot of these waste products in your system, your kidneys will have to work harder to keep your system clean. Those with a history of kidney or liver problems should probably not be on a high protein diet. If your kidneys cannot efficiently remove any excess production of ketones from your bloodstream it will increase your blood acidity, which can lead to other problems. Because your liver is also involved in the process of metabolizing protein, if it is not functioning properly, high protein diets can cause further problems due to the added strain. EAT MORE FAT Yes, that's right, fat! I know what you are going to say -- "My doctor said that my cholesterol level is too high and I should eat a low fat. . ." Sound familiar? You have to understand where your doctor is coming from. Most people in the medical profession tend to be on the overcautious side. If it's not a fact among their peers, it will be dismissed by them. However, many techniques that bodybuilders, weightlifters and athletes use to gain strength and weight have not been proven the medical community, so they consider them ineffective. For example, most physicians still argue that steroids and hormone supplementation does not increase lean body mass, because there has been no study on this level--but bodybuilders know differently. Saturated fats (found in all animal flesh, eggs, and some vegetable oils) will raise your LDL (bad cholesterol) level. This is the stuff that clogs arteries, but impossible to cut out of your diet completely. Saturated fats are the cause of many illnesses like heart disease, and cancer, so beware. However, Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) are unsaturated fats that are necessary for thousands of biological functions throughout the body. Since they cannot be manufactured by the body, the must be provided by your diet. Essentially, these are the only fats you will ever need. There are two types of EFA's; they are linoleic acid (omega-6) and linolenic acid (omega-3). Linoleic acid is primarily found in oils like canola, sunflower and safflower. Linolenic acid is found in cold water fish. It is also found in linseed oil. Oils that contain both fats include evening primrose, borage and my favorite, high legmen flaxseed oil. These fatty acids not only help increase testosterone production, they aid in the prevention of muscle breakdown, help to increase your HDL level (good cholesterol) and assist in hormone production.
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Having high cholesterol levels does not mean that you will have coronary or heart problems in the future. About half the U.S. adult population has total cholesterol levels less than 200, which is considered desirable. But it is a fact that just as many heart attacks occur among people with total cholesterol levels less than 200 mg/dL as occurs among individuals with total cholesterol greater than 300 mg/dL. To avoid heart or blood vessel problems in the future, it is recommended that you concentrate on RAISING YOUR HDL levels instead of concentrating on lowering your total cholesterol. USE NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS There is a lot of hype in this industry. Some supplements are a complete waste of money, but there are also a few great products out there that can really help you if you have the correct meal plan and training program in place. The key word here is "supplement". They supplement your existing meal plan and training program. If you are not training and eating correctly then they will not help you. You will be wasting your money! Supplements are not a substitute for proper nutrition and training. The supplement that has helped me to lose the most fat has to be whey protein powder. This product helps me to get my required daily protein amount without having to eat a lot of animal products like beef or chicken (though I do eat a lot of chicken). It is also very quick to drink and can be mixed with a variety of foods or liquids. In this respect, it is much better than meat or poultry; not to mention far more convenient. Two other supplements that I advise everyone to use in their program are Vitamin C and the amino acid L-Glutamine. The vitamin C aids in connective tissue repair, while the glutamine helped to strengthen my immune system, maintain cell hydration and protect against muscle breakdown. THE SECRET TO GETTING A SIX-PACK IS PROPER NUTRITION! If you ever want to see your "six pack" of abs, eating right is the only way! Many people will dispute this, but I'm sorry, it's the truth. No amount of crunches, ab gadgets or special hanging abdominal exercises will make your abs magically appear. You cannot spot reduce. In other words, you can't burn abdominal fat simply by doing abdominal exercises. Your body doesn't work that way. Go to any auction site on the web and you will see hundreds of those fancy ab machines for sale. Why do you think that is? It's because they don't work. If they did, do you think people would be trying to get rid of them? If fat is covering your abs, implementing a consistent fat loss diet, coupled with moderate exercise is the only way to reveal your "six-pack". I used to work my abs almost everyday. Doing unusual and difficult exercises -- trying to make them appear, but they never did. It was not until I start dieting correctly that they finally began to reveal themselves. During my fat loss program, I only worked my abs by performing crunches (yes, regular crunches) 3 times per week, before my weight training session.
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To be totally honest, 3 times a week was too much. Your abs are just like any other muscle, and technically should be worked no more than twice per week. Even though I know it's not helping me, I still work my abs 3 times per week -- it just makes me feel better (I'm human) -- but no more than that. No matter how many times I say this, it will not sink in with most people. They will still continue to look for that magical abdominal exercise, or secret product. Here's the secret -"Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym!" CONSISTENT EXERCISE (Cardiovascular and Resistance) To accelerate your fat loss and increase your muscle mass, you need to train with weights. The benefits of weight training are so positive, that I cannot understand why everyone is not doing it. For example, it helps to increase your muscle mass. This is essential because muscle burns more calories than fat, so the more muscle mass you have the faster your metabolism. Weight training also tones up your existing muscle, giving you a shapelier silhouette. With the right exercises, it can broaden your shoulders, trim your waist, lift and tighten and lift your butt, tone your thighs and broaden your chest. As an added bonus, weight training also helps to strengthen your bones and tendons, which is essential for helping to prevent injury as we age. USE FREE WEIGHTS NOT MACHINES Not only did I have to change my diet, but I had to learn the correct way to weight train for muscle mass as well. In the past, I was using mostly machines, and had no reason to use free weights. This was a mistake. The only way to gain muscle mass quickly is to use free weights. Most machines are a waste of time and they give you a false sense of strength. Pro bodybuilders and Olympic athletes do not use many machines - they use free weights almost exclusively! DON'T OVERTRAIN I also had to stop training so often. Some people still believe that the more training means more muscle and increased fat loss. Not true. It doesn't work that way. Working out too often does not allow your muscles the necessary time to recuperate. Not only will you not gain any muscle, but you will be setting yourself up for chronic injuries from over training. Improper eating habits and over training are two reasons why most people never get beyond an average physique. I see people at the gym that workout 5-6 days per week for 2 hours or more each day but they always look the same.
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As an amateur bodybuilder, I worked out 3 times per week, working my upper body twice per week and legs once. I kept my workout between 45 to 75 minutes and concentrated on exercises that worked large muscle groups like bench press, squats, deadlifts, pull-ups and dips. I used heavy weight (weight that was challenging for me), and low reps. I rested 2 minutes between sets and increased the weight after each set. My body adapted quickly to specific workouts so I had to change my parameters (sets, reps, tempo, and exercises) frequently (usually every 4-6 weeks). I believe that one of the most important benefits of weight training is more psychological than physiological. It not only is one of the best stress relievers around, it gives you a sense of accomplishment and pride after each workout. After I workout, I always feel as if I actually "got something done today!" PEFORM AEROBIC EXERCISE REGULARLY To shed the fat quickly, aerobic exercise is essential -- it is not an option. Many people will begin to see results just from this alone. It not only helps to burn fat and calories during the actual time you are exercising, but it also elevates your metabolism for hours afterwards. This leads to greater calorie burning and fat loss throughout the day. Any exercise that elevates your heart rate for about 30-45 minutes will do. I prefer riding a stationary bike, but many people prefer running, climbing stairs, aerobics classes or boxing. When choosing an exercise, make sure that it keeps your heart rate elevated consistently without breaks. Some "stop & go" sports like basketball or football, are not adequate candidates for our purposes. These games have too many pauses, breaks and periods of low activity. They will not keep your heart rate elevated long enough to burn much fat or elevate your metabolism. It is not the simple fact of doing the cardio that will increase your fat loss, but when you do it in conjunction with a good meal plan and weight training, you have better success. The only time you should be doing cardio for fat loss purposes is first thing in the morning before your first meal -- this is when you burn the most fat. Any other time should be considered recreational. After about 4 weeks of this, you can then add interval training into the mix to change things up. This is when you do one minute of normal intensity, then one minute of high (almost max) intensity. You alternate this for 30-45 minutes. If you are a beginner, start out slowly. Exercise at a moderate pace for about 20 minutes, no more than three times per week. Keep your heart rate around 55%-65% of your
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maximum heart rate. Eventually your goal will be to work up to 30-45 minutes of moderate-high intensity cardio 3-4 times per week. BE CONSISTENT This can be the difference between success and failure. Just wanting to lose weight is not enough. You have to be willing to put up with the temporary inconveniences that come along with a fat loss program. Don't kid yourself and think you can do this part time. For long lasting results, you must be consistent in your daily efforts. There should be nothing standing between you and your goal. Until you reach your desired body, you should be living, breathing and eating fat loss. Here's a summary of the fat loss concepts I recommend: Eating Habits - To lose body fat you must eat fewer calories than your body burns off, so EAT LESS -but you must NOT starve yourself, otherwise you will lose more muscle than fat! - Start eating 5-6 meals per day (space them out to about one every 3 hours). You are eating more often, but not necessarily more. - Increase your protein intake. Without protein your body cannot build new muscle. Protein also helps to increase your metabolism -- which burns calories. - Increase you water intake. A good formula for this is to multiply your bodyweight by .66 to get the required number of ounces per day. - Limit your carb intake to less than 300 per day. Training - Keep your workouts under 75 minutes. - Concentrate on compound exercises that work the large muscle groups. - Use moderate to heavy weights with low reps, rest 2 minutes between each set. - Do only 2 (maximum 3) exercises per body part. - Weight train no more than 3 times per week, working each body part only once per week. - Include some form of cardiovascular activity in your program. This will not only help to burn calories, but it will elevate your metabolism for hours afterwards - Perform aerobic exercise 3-4 times per week
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- Rest After years of helping people transform their bodies, I can honestly say that anyone can make a significant change to their health and appearance in as little as 16 weeks. You can do the same if you follow these four simple steps: 1. Decide on a very specific goal. The only way to get to your goal is to know exactly what you want. Whether it's a look, a weight or a dress size, you need to know what you what the end result to be. 2. Educate yourself. You must learn the best way to build a house before you start building. Otherwise you will be wasting your time and effort. 3. Plan and organize yourself. You must put all your great information into a training program that you will be able to follow everyday. 4. Carry out your plan. Follow your plan consistently, without fail until you reach your goal. Are You Ready? If you've been thinking of getting in shape and losing a few unwanted pounds, then what's stopping you? Do you think that you can't lose weight? Have you been told that you can't change your body because that's your natural genetic make up? It's all Bull****. Don't believe it. Losing unwanted body fat is not difficult. It's just a matter of consistency. Body transforming, appears more difficult that it actually is simply because most people either expend too much energy doing the wrong things, or they just give up because they cannot make the necessary lifestyle changes needed. Well, if not now, then when? The facts are, more than 59% of the adult population can be classified as clinically obese. Men are considered obese if they have a body fat level that is over 30%. Women are classified as obese if their body fat level is over 35%. This year, more than 300,000 men and women will be sent to an early grave because of the damaging effects of being overweight. Being a victim of a chronic disease like type 2 diabetes, hypertension, strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, prostate cancer, gall bladder disease, gout, sleep apnea and a host of other obesity related illnesses can be avoided, by adjusting your diet and adding a little exercise to your weekly routine.
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intestine and utilized by the body. Protein is a chain of several combinations of 20 different amino acids. They are essentially the building blocks of the body. There are non-essential and essential amino acids. Your body can produce non-essential amino acids on its own. Essential amino acids, on the other hand, are just that- essential. They must be consumed through the food that you eat. Generally, whole food animal products such as beef and eggs provide all of the essential amino acids, meaning that if they are not a staple in your diet, then it is time for a complete dietary overhaul. When protein is ingested, it travels to your stomach where it is broken down by enzymes called protease and pepsin. They allow the amino acids to flow through the blood stream and perform their specific tasks, based on the specific amino acid chain (hair, nails, muscles, etc.). Okay, so enough with the boring science gibberish; Lets get into how to construct an eating plan that allows you to lose fat and gain muscle optimally, while still allowing a little wiggle room for some of the foods that you love. Now, when it comes to making an eating plan you should first consider whether or not you will be able to eat this way for the rest of your life. With fad-diets the weight will come and go, but a consistent eating plan will allow you to change your body composition (body fat %, muscle mass, etc.) permanently. With this in mind, you have to be realistic with your eating plan and the kind of results that you expect to get. Changing the way your body looks will not happen over night or in 30 days. Sure, youll make progress, especially if you are new to exercise and healthy eating, but making permanent changes takes time. Remember, Rome wasnt built in a day. Neither is the perfect body. So, how do you start? Well, keeping a food log for a few days of everything you eat is a good start. It allows you to see some of the areas that you may need to improve. Secondly, you have to realize that eating fat will not make you fat, and that eating a low calorie diet with no regard to macronutrient profile (remember those?carbs, fats, proteins) will not help you achieve your goals. That said, I believe that the most optimal, and easiest, way to eat is high protein, moderate fat, low carb, while understanding the importance of nutrient timing. All of your meals throughout the day should consist of fats, protein, and vegetables. Counting calories is not the goal here. The goal is to balance your nutrient intake. This alone will help you change your body composition. By doing this, your body will become more efficient at burning fat, while keeping your metabolism high. Diets that are higher in protein cause your body temperature to increase. This is called the thermic effect of food (TEF). Protein has the highest TEF on the body. This will allow fat
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oxidation, the mobilization of fat stores to the blood stream for energy, to increase while retaining, as well as, building muscle (dont worry ladies, you wont be walking around with bulging bicepsits physiologically impossible). (1) Consuming fat with the high protein meal will allow for a slower rate of digestion, causing more stable blood sugar and insulin levels in the body. The carbohydrates in the form of vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, romaine lettuce, peppers, etc. will allow you to ingest a significant amount vitamins and minerals, which are essential to proper health and bodily function. As stated above, nutrient timing is a very important aspect of a good diet. Weve already covered the majority of your daily food intake where carbohydrates are low. Doesnt sound like a very appealing lifestyle does it? This is where exercise becomes a critical part of the equation. If you want to eat your carbs, then you had better be exercising, and Im not talkin about Pilates! Before I discuss the nutrient timing and the workout window I should probably explain to you what happens to your body when you eat a high carbohydrate meal. The amount of blood glucose will increase to levels above its normal level of 100mg of glucose per 100mL of blood volume. At this point your pancreas will release beta cells, which release insulin and bring your blood glucose levels back down to 100mg per 100mL of blood. The insulin will then allow the glucose to be metabolized into glycogen and stored in your liver and your muscles. This is called insulin sensitivity, which basically means that you can tolerate a slightly high carbohydrate diet. If this were a perfect world, then the process above would take place 100% of the time and we could have our cake and eat it too- literally. The fact, however, is that it is not a perfect world, and for a majority of the population, the high carbohydrate diets that are in vogue alters the above process (dont be fooled by the idea of complex carbs and simple carbs; many of the complex carbs are still much simpler, processed versions of their ancestors). Blood glucose levels will remain elevated for extended periods of time. As a result, insulin levels will remain high while they attempt to normalize blood sugar. After a while, you body will become accustomed to an elevated blood sugar. This will minimize the release of insulin, thus the glucose will not be metabolized and stored. This is called insulin resistance. When you reach this point, you are at a very high risk for developing type II diabetes. Does this mean that you are limited to meat and vegetables only? No! It means that you have to time your nutrient intake. And the best time to consume large amounts of carbohydrates is immediately following your intense weight training or sprint workout. Why? Because insulin sensitivity is through the roof during this workout window, which varies in length but is at its highest 1-2 hours after intense exercise (1).
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This is how you can add some of your favorite foods into your diet, and generally a time when your macronutrient profile will be completely backwards. Rather than high protein, moderate fat, low carb it will be high carb, moderate protein, and low fat. The idea is to cause your blood glucose levels to rise so that insulin can be released and shuttle the nutrients into your muscles rather than your waistline. An example of a good post-workout meal could be spaghetti and meatballs or a chicken burrito. Obviously you dont want to go too crazy and leave your kitchen looking like a bomb went off, but it is the most optimal time to enjoy some of the foods that you may have had to give up if you were not exercising. Take away points: -increase protein intake (not soy!) -increase green vegetable intake -increase intake of olive oil, peanut butter, almonds, butter, etc. (no soybean oil!) -keep carbohydrate intake limited to vegetables except after workouts -exercise and perform at least 4 hours of physical activity a week (2) I know it sounds like a lot of work, but assess your daily routine. What can be taken out? Maybe a little TV? If being healthy and fit is important to you, then finding some time to exercise shouldnt be too big of an issue. Honestly, after a few weeks, it will become second-nature and youll start to notice improvements in your life. Get excited! They will only get better the longer you stick with it. References 1. Berardi, John M., Massive Eating Reloaded, Part II. T-Nation, March 2004. 2. Berardi, John M., G-Flux: Building the Ultimate Body. February, 2006.
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These are the absolute foundational basics of a healthier diet. Implement these actions first. If you need more help with creating a healthy eating lifestyle, the STOP DIETING! nutrition program is simple to follow and will guide you through the process of discovering the exact foods that allow your body to melt away fat and support your health for a life time.
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side effects of conventional treatments for them(7). Several different companies have bottled it and are trying to sell it since the early 1990's as the next cure-all(6). Although not federally regulated, it is available for human consumption and sales and is generally set up as multilevel marketing. The NCCAM defines CAM practices as those not adopted into conventional medicine. As CAM practices are proven to be safe and effective, they are adopted into mainstream health-care practice(7). Is it safe? Morinda Citrifolia has been in use for about 2000 years by those that live in tropical regions as food and folk medicinal purposes(1). The bark, leaves and the fruit have been used to heal wounds and extract poisons from the body. Typically, Polynesians would put the fruit in bottles covered with water, loosely covered until the fruit has slightly decomposed and place the jar on a windowsill in the sunlight or in the refrigerator. After the fruit has slightly decomposed more water is added to it and is drank a little at a time anywhere from a few tablespoons to a cup daily (2). There are no adverse health effects even at high doses(3). However there have been accusations of herbal hepatotoxicity directly associated with noni juice. Given that there are known side effects of approved pharmaceuticals people are turning to alternative medicines because they are considered more natural and healthy. However, due to the fact that FDA does not regulate such remedies there is very little or lack of knowledge associated with such alternative therapies including side effects and safe dosages. Hepatotoxicity reports are an escalating concern and have serious consequences including death, liver failure and transplants but even this has been refuted by the same journal a mere year later(4,5). Conclusion Effectiveness of noni juice is in the eye of the beholder. We could be talking about something as simple as what your belief becomes your realization. Is it really the noni juice, or what you believe it can do for you, and so therefore creating your own circumstances? Noni juice has its advocates and also has its critics. Besides folklore and old wives' tales, there is very little documented evidence that noni juice works. It has a long legacy with the Polynesians for 2000 years, but when you take something out of context from its breeding ground and try to bottle it and make money from it you spoil the effectiveness by commercialization. Noni juice can be effective as preventative measures, but not as a cure. It should be used much the same way as vitamins(3). References: 1. Wang MY et al / Acta Pharmacol Sin 2002 Dec; 23 (12): 1127-1141 2. McClatchey. From Polynesian Healers to Health Food Stores: Changing Perspectives of Morinda citrifolia (Rubiaceae) Integrative Cancer Therapies, Vol. 1, No. 2, 110-120 (2002) 3. B.J. West, C.J. Jensen, J. Westendorf, L.D. White (2006) - A Safety Review of Noni Fruit Juice - Journal of Food Science 71 (8), R100-R106. 4. Stadlbauer et al. Hepatotoxicity of NONI juice: Report of two cases. World Journal of Gastroenterology 2005:11(30)4758-4760
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5. Brett J West, C Jarakae Jensen, Johannes Westendorf. Noni juice is not hepatotoxic. World Journal of Gastroenterology 2006:June 14;12(22):3616-3619. 6. http://www.nonipakistan.com/faq.html#q1 http://www.nonialoha.com/ http://www.tahitian-juice.com/ http://noni-juice-hawaii.com/ http://www.noninz.com/ http://estatenoni.com/index.html http://www.noni-is-good-for-you.com/ http://www.monsieurnoni.com/english/index.php http://www.all-noni.com/index.html 7. Engel, Straus. Development of therapeutics: opportunities within complementary and alternative medicine. 2002 Nature Publishing Group:March Vol 1.229-237
xeronine is a new alkaloid, useful in medical, food and industrial fields; an alkaloid patented by Ralph Heinicke; associated with the morinda citrifolia, derived from the fruits, leaves, bark or roots of morinda citrifolia for the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of mammals suffering from tinnitus, the medicament also may be made up of lycopene, vitamin C, coenzyme Q10 and an extract from the leaves of Ginkgo biloba, it may be given orally, rectally, introduced through the skin, or inhaled. http://www.google.com/patents? hl=en&lr=&vid=USPAT6436449&id=0GgKAAAAEBAJ&oi=fnd&dq=xeronine
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Weightloss Secrets
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"Eating Chocolate Ice Cream Every Full Moon Promotes Weight Loss"
By Adam Kessler
Are these the kinds of stories about weight loss that we as health professionals are trying to write to enlighten the public or gain fame and notoriety? I read this story several days ago about some doctor who claims if you limit your flavors and pick a flavor of the day you will lose weight and has the case studies to prove it. Cmon!! First we have the Atkins diet, then the cabbage diet, and now this. I mean if you really want to prey on the many people who are so desperate to lose weight then do a case study on the above title. Im sure you will sell some copies for that book as well. Now, if someone didnt read the story very carefully theyre going to say, Hmmm, Ill start with a bowl of cherries, thats healthy. Then move on to cherry ice cream, then some cherry pie, and lets wash it down with some cherry coke. Laugh, but trust me those people are out there. They are the same people that think a French fry is a vegetable. I shouldnt be too hard on this guy because most of the time the health professionals that have these wacky new fads at least go for something that is usually considered a sin. At least the Atkins diet let you eat bacon and hamburgers, just set that bun down okay. This diet still suggests that you eat fruits and vegetables, except eat one particular fruit for the whole day. Yummy, I think Ill eat apples today. Ill have Fuji apples for breakfast, red ones at lunch, and those green ones for dinner. Is that really going to attract a whole bunch of people to buy his book? Heres my point. It is almost getting to the point where eventually there will be a book called, The Sit Down With Remote in Hand Weight Loss Diet. This is what people want and as a personal trainer, Im getting sick of reading these articles. What was the recent book called, The French Diet??? Look do you really want to lose weight?? Then, Im going to tell you the bad news; you are going to have to work at it. Yes you are going to have to watch what you eat, and exercise. If you notice all these articles on these new diet trends, even this last one on the flavors, they all have a one or two line blurb saying, oh by the way you might want to exercise as well. Im tired of seeing my clients try the latest new diet that has them lose weight only to gain it back and then some. Columbus wake up and smell the coffee. There is not going to be some magic pill that will make you lose weight. If there were, someone would be making money off it. Right now the only people who are making money are all the authors of these so-called diets that are lining their pockets with your hard earned cash, while you follow diets that
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dont work. Or if they do, it only works for a small percentage. Suck it up people. Take charge and control of your destiny. Accept the fact that you will have to exercise for the rest of your life. You will have to watch what you eat, even though you can splurge once in awhile. If you have to lose weight, yes it might take some time, but it will come off (it didnt come on in a day did it?). If you accept these facts and implement them right now, I guarantee you will have a very fulfilling life that will be so much better than wondering how many peaches you have to eat today.
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same results, this is a wonderful way to remain accountable. Motivation and support permeates throughout the group, to help each other out. 5. Keep a log of your workouts and eating: This will keep you more accountable by seeing what you are doing. You might be less likely to skip a workout or have a poor quality workout, if you can see what weights you worked with last time. Also, you will be less likely to put that doughnut in your mouth, if you know you have to write it down. You can correct the errors in your diet and workout and keep you on the right track for success. 6. Hire a personal trainer: Yeah, I might be tooting my horn here, but my clients tell me that if they have to pay money for something, then they are going to try and stick with it. A personal trainer will put you on the right exercise program and nutrition plan that will best help you achieve your results. All you have to do is follow their instructions. I hope that these tips help you out. I know it sounds simple for me to say, but you have to be patient. You didn't get in your current shape overnight, so don't expect to change overnight. If you follow the guidelines that I suggest, you will be well on your way to achieving that lifestyle change you so desire.
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exercise. The pill might get you to lose weight, but it wont prevent the other horrible diseases and illnesses that still could be prevented with proper nutrition and exercise. You may want to roll the dice on this pill, but if they already recommend good diet and exercise as a side note, why not make it the focal point of your life and you might be surprised of the outcome.
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The whole program was quite the buzz and very successful.
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This program dramatically sets apart the truth from the quick fix. Its the nuts, bolts and tools required for proper fat loss. If you think this booklet will only require a quick glance, you may be disappointed. Take the time to read and study this monograph page by page. Take time to master each step. Follow the simplicity of this plan. Add a touch of common sense. You will be amazed with the results. There are no miracles, no secret codes, and no supplements to buy. These steps are timeless. Use them throughout your life, regardless of what level of fitness you attain. Stay toned, sculpted and say goodbye to unwanted body fat forever. Step 1 We must start with this to remove the biggest fallacy of weight loss, spot reducing. This is to remind you that the only way you can spot reduce fat off your body is with a surgical procedure. You cannot burn fat by weight training or resistance training. You have a better chance of washing your car and then miraculously finding that your house is clean also. Body fat burns systematically, from everywhere at once. Generally, this process starts when you lower your calories or increase your activity level. Some are still doing hundreds of sit ups, waist bends, and leg lifts thinking these areas will tighten up because of the constant burning. I sympathize for people when they tell me, I'm really trying to trim up this waist, I'm doing a hundred million sit ups a day. Or the famous girl from a popular TV show when she responded to a question some talk show host asked her. He wanted to know her secret to a great stomach. Oh, I do a hundred sit-ups a day!? she responded. Get a clue! Please remember, weights build and maintain muscle, and diet and cardio burns fat. When you do a weight training exercise and feel a burn in a certain muscle group, what your feeling is the muscle burning not the fat burning. If you want to lose the soft stuff around your waist or thighs and you do waist or thigh exercises your not burning fat your building muscle. This goes for all areas of the body. Some of the popular ways people try this type of magic are doing butt exercises to make the butt smaller (wrong)! Doing arm exercises to lose the fat in the back of the arm (never)! Doing inner thigh movements to get rid of the soft spots on the inside of the leg (impossible)! You have a much better chance of building those areas bigger than you do of making them smaller. If you want to lose fat, remember it burns systematically off your body. Step 2
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Before you even think of starting a fat loss program you must recognize and identify exactly what you want from it first. Properly identifying and recognizing what you want will make all the difference in the world! The story of a client of mine really explains it all. I was employed as a fitness center manager. My office was positioned so I could see every member as they entered the gym area. I had an office door that had one of those glass windows in the center of it. As I was doing my paper work one day, I felt someone looking at me . I looked up and saw a young man with a very odd looking expression on his face. He was motioning as if he wanted to come in and talk. He had a not so happy, frustrated look on his face and it looked like I was in for a membership problem. I waved him in and found out that it wasn't a membership problem. He introduced himself to me as a member who wasn't really using his membership. He went on to tell me that he was in his third year of trying to be a consistent exerciser. He was trying to lose weight but it never worked. He was 5'6, 265 lbs. and only 31yrs old. Let's just say that the weight wasn't all muscle (to say the least). I asked him what type of workouts he had done. He had tried everything. Fad diets, workout tapes, home programs, treadmills, miracle diets, meat grinders, toothpicks under the fingernails, nothing worked! After some more discussion I also found out that he hadnt done any of them for more than 4 wks. He didn't know why he lost motivation immediately after he started. I asked him if he had properly identified his major fitness goal. He explained to me that he wanted to lose about 100 lbs. As quickly as he was explaining his goal I was identifying his key obstacle. I asked John if he had ever heard the old adage about goal setting. It was about looking at the top of the big mountain before climbing up. That can be kind of intimidating. I encouraged John to change his general 100lb. goal to something smaller such as 1 lb. of fat loss per week. It's not as overwhelming, allowing him to focus on a smaller 1 pound rather than large intimidating 100 pound goal. He agreed. He decided to pursue that one pound per week goal. John came back 3 months later. I instantly recognized his changed attitude. It was obvious that he had lost a significant amount of weight. He explained to me that according to the scale he is 5 pounds lighter than he was at our previous meeting. However, according to his body fat percentage, his clothes size, and the favorable reaction he gets from people when they see his change, he actually benefited much more. He removed 12lbs. of body fat . He gained 7 lbs of muscle.
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If you're asking yourself how he achieved more results in three months than he did in three years, the answer is this: he completely identified what he wanted in small believable parts. In order to be successful at burning fat, you must recognize exactly what you want and break it into small parts. Once you do this you will have a much better chance of succeeding. Our mind likes it when we make it easy for it to see things we want it to accomplish. Our mind wants to go after easy goals. It's easy! You can make it a simple process to get your goals reached when their small and achievable. Also, if John had that ?visible? goal three years ago, he would not have given up as quickly. You can reach any goal you set if you break it down into small parts. After that, write it down and read it daily. Write down exactly how much fat you want to lose. What your number one goal is. Take some time right now and identify what you want and then break it into small parts. If you skip this crucial step you can expect to resemble John during his first three years. An unfocused goal setter. He knew where he wanted to go. However his goal wasn't completely identified so he didnt know how to get there. Do it now, recognize it, break it down, then write it down and read it often. Step 3 Without this action step, your expectations for results may get unfocused. It reminds you to use your common sense when thinking of losing fat. It has to do with the difference between muscle and fat. It keeps you correctly focused. I make this point first because 9 out of 10 people who start exercising, start because of a desire to reduce size. Some forget to use their common sense. They forget to take in consideration the simplicity of how the body works. Blindly, most just want to see that weight come off. First of all, if your goal is to lose weight, you want to lose fat, not muscle or weight necessarily. Think of a pound of fat which has a caloric consistency of 3500 calories. If you took one pound of fat and put it in front of you it would equal a grapefruit in size. If you take a pound of muscle which has a caloric consistency of 600 calories and put it in front of you it would equal an orange in size. Looking at both youll find that they are both the same weight but one pound of fat is bigger and takes up a lot more room. If you lose 10 grapefruits off your body , and gain ten oranges, and they both individually weigh one pound, you would be the same weight but a lot smaller afterward. Because of this size difference you may see your clothes get bigger on you, your inches go down, and people telling you that it looks like you lost weight. However, if you get on the scale you may stay the same weight and appear to be a lot smaller. This happens when you do a regular exercise program because you always initially build muscle. Usually 2-4 pounds for a woman, and 5-10 pounds for a man. This can happen within the first few months.
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When measuring your results by the scale, you may be heavier or the same weight. This is because you will build muscle faster than you will lose fat. But after your muscle building slows down, after the initial growth period (1-3months), you can count on seeing fat consistently peeling off your body. You can lose 1-2 pounds of fat a week. Imagine losing a pound of fat every week! That's 52 pounds in one year (imagine 52 grapefruits off your body) . So remember to use to use common sense when thinking of fat loss: don't just think of weight loss. Step 4 Most fat-loss failures could be avoided if people will just absorb this next step. This helps you to remember that by doing weight training you can prevent committing exercise suicide. Here's why: If everyday you willingly lost muscle off your body, don't you agree after a while you wouldn't be around much longer? It would be like you were intentionally trying to kill yourself, right? Dont you agree, that deliberately letting this happen could be perceived as a ridiculous method of suicide? Thousands of exercisers everyday are doing this. They don't directly commit suicide, they do it on the installment plan! They even confirm it with remarks like I'm going to lose weight first then I'll tone. Or, I don't want to weight train now, I'm waiting until after I lose the weight. My bones quiver when someone says those phrases within listening range. They do this type of suicide by trying to diet without weight training, (or something totally different but with exactly the same result), they do cardio exercise before weight training. It's all categorized as committing exercise suicide on the installment plan. I'm going to explain to you how this happens. I'm also going to show you how to prevent these catastrophes. I feel its time to stop the violence! Its time to set the record straight. First lets look at the annoying habit of dieting without weight training. I call this the ?I want to lose weight first then tone? disease. The reason this fallacy started in the first place is because if you think about it, it appears to make sense. You have to lose your fat first in order to then build up muscle. That statement may sound sensible, but dont be deceived, it's not! This is where the exercise suicide comes in. (If Dr. Kavorkian only knew). Our bodies are programmed to prevent starvation. Imagine your body has 3 separate sources for food: muscle (protein), fat and carbohydrates. Fat contains 9 calories per one gram and muscle and carbs contain 4 calories per one gram. Fat is more valuable to your body because it has more calorie burning power in case of starvation. It has nine calories as opposed to four. This means that in case of starvation
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one gram of fat would last longer for food supply than one gram of muscle (protein) or carbohydrate. Fat would have a longer calorie burning period since it has 9 calories per gram and muscle and carbohydrates have only 4 calories per gram. Imagine you needed money and someone asked you ? Do you want 4 dollars or 9 dollars?? You would undeniably pick the nine. The 9 dollars would last you longer and provide more usefulness. Same with your body. It would rather have the 9 calories from fat rather than only 4 calories from carbs or muscle (protein) because 9 calories provides more use (more valuable). When you diet, your body burns more calories and at the same time consumes less calories. This gets your body nervous because it thinks its getting ready to starve. So what does it do? It says, ?Since Im starting to starve with this diet, I better prepare and hold on to my most valuable form of food, fat. Instead of using fat for energy, like you want it to do, it has to hold on to fat (retain it) because of starvation alert. It then uses carbs and muscle for energy instead. To sum this up, your body thinks its starving and fat is being hung onto for dear life! You give your body no choice but to use muscle for energy. Carbs may be used in the process too, but when dieting, there are little available due to calorie reduction. So why can't the body use muscle (protein)? Using muscle is obviously detrimental. Burning muscle (protein) is like burning wet wood in a fireplace. It's ineffective and unproductive. In any case, using muscle (protein) for energy has this end result: you lose muscle and become a smaller version of yourself with the same consistency. If this was taken to the extreme it can be called suicide because you are gradually killing yourself, i.e., physically and voluntarily deteriorating your muscle (committing exercise suicide on the installment plan). There is a way to prevent all this! Incorporate weight training into your dieting plan. Weight training builds muscle . When you weight train and grow muscle you send a message to your body that tells it that it is not starving, its growing! It tells your body that its okay to go ahead and burn fat for energy. You're preventing the starvation process because you're adding muscle through weight training. When you weight train you build muscle. This signals your body that its growing and healthy, not starving and dieting. By weight training you speed up the metabolism. This too helps burn fat and also lets your body know its not starving. Starving bodies don't get faster and bigger! Your body knew this all along, now you do. By building up muscle through weight training you allow your body to burn fat and lose fat faster. So the proper saying should be, I'm going to tone first then lose, instead of lose first then tone. One more thing.
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As I just said, when you weight train you speed your metabolism and you really help out the fat burning process. Here's why. Muscle to your body is like an engine to a car. The bigger your engine the faster it goes! If you went out and added an extra cylinder to your cars engine it would be faster. When you build muscle it speeds up your metabolism and is like adding an extra cylinder to your body. As an extra cylinder in your cars engine would make it faster. An extra cylinder in your body makes your metabolism go faster too. Approximately 50 extra calories a day are burned when you weight train. This 50 calories a day may not seem like much, but over 7 days that's 350 calories. After 10 weeks that equals 3500 calories. That happens to be the caloric consistency of one pound of fat! So when you weight train you get a bonus fat loss. Fat (the size of one grapefruit) will systematically burn off your body every 10 weeks just for adding one pound of new muscle. As I said earlier, dieting without weight training isn't the only way you can be considered suicidal in exercise. There's another way too. Ive been watching exercisers do this for years. Not only do they slowly commit exercise suicide by doing this, they also cause zero results from their exercise routine altogether. It's when an exerciser walks into the gym, fitness center or their own exercise facility and they start doing a cardio exercise before they weight train. They do a full cardio session then start pumping the machines or free weights. I'm talking about a warm up. A five to ten minute cardio warm up is okay. I'm talking about a 20-60 minute cardio session. The cardio session could be walking, running, jogging, biking, aerobics, treadmill, or even a walk around the park. The point is they do this first and then they weight train. This is wrong! Remember we were talking about your body having three separate food sources, fat, muscle, and carbs? Well, it loves to use the carbs first. When you do a full cardio session before your weight training routine you use mostly all the carbohydrates your body has available. When you weight train right after, your body searches for an energy source to use while weight training but can't find one. It wants to use carbs but you just spent them on the cardio. It can't use fat because fat requires oxygen to be burned. (When you weight train you contract your muscles. Veins and arteries that deliver fat burning oxygen to your muscle get constricted. When this happens they are unable to deliver oxygen for fat burning purposes.) Your body is then forced to look for an alternate form of energy to support this weight training. It looks for carbs but they are all gone. It tries to use fat but the veins and arteries are being squeezed and constricted. Your body has no choice but to use itself for energy and feed off of your own muscle mass.
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The result: you become a smaller version of yourself with the same consistency, i.e., exercise suicide on the installment plan. Do weight training first! When you do weight training first, you put your body in a win-win situation. Your body wins because it gets to do what it wants to do. It uses carbohydrates for energy first. Your body also wins because it gets to use carbs during weight training (like it's supposed to) rather than using its own muscle mass. Make sure you do cardio session after you get done with weight training. Most of your carbs will be burned, and as long as you don't get out of breath and deplete your oxygen supply, after a few minutes your body will be using fat for energy. The point is your body can only use muscle or carbohydrates during weight training. It cant use fat directly. If you deplete your carbs before you start weight training with cardio, you leave it no choice but to use muscle. Here's a quick hint for you when doing cardio session after weight training. Always go at a pace where you can carry on a conversation without having to huff or puff to catch your breath. This will guarantee enough oxygen supply for fat burning. By doing this action step you will be an alive, toned, sculpted, and an enthusiastic exerciser! Step 5 You must remember to always have a steady income of fat in your diet in order to lose fat off your body. Incorporating fat in your diet is like having money in the bank. If you have some money in the bank, and you have a steady income coming in regularly, you dont mind spending some of that money in the bank. BUT, when you have money in the bank, but no steady income, what do you do with that money in the bank? You hold onto it and use it sparingly. This is precisely how your body thinks. If your body sees that you don't have any fat intake, it gets nervous and thinks your starving. It will not release body fat for energy. The message is to always consume 15% of your diet from fat. Don't be afraid to eat something you really love at least once weekly. Make sure you pick a day and time and stick to it. Marty, a previous client of mine, is someone who loves this concept. He really started to see results when he incorporated a cheat meal once a week. There was a problem though. He kept changing the cheat day. Originally his day was Sunday. One Wednesday, I saw him eating in a pizza place at the local shopping center. I approached him cautiously. I didn't want to give him any time to think of an excuse. I said, Marty what are you doing here?? He said, Oh hi, I didn't tell you, I changed my day to Wednesday now, its not Sunday anymore. I asked when he had decided to make the change. He said, Just recently when I walked by this pizza place. A couple of days of cheating will never hurt anyone that bad
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but too much inconsistency and flexibility definitely will. Include a good percentage of fat in your diet and eat a desert or something you really enjoy one or two times a week. Step 6 Write down everything you eat for three days. Do this on three days that your not pigging out. Do it on three average days of eating in your life. Write down every piece of food or drink that goes into your mouth. Before you do the action steps that follow, you must write down everything you eat for three days. Doing this will allow you to do a caloric maintenance level check. This tells you how many calories your body requires on a daily basis to operate and maintain your weight. Doing this will let you adjust your calories to whatever specific goals you have. If you sporadically try this action step, your attempt at any specific fat loss goal will certainly fail. You must, like everything else, be consistent for it to work. Losing weight, gaining weight or maintaining weight is simple when this formula is adhered to. Heres what you do. Get a little note pad and take it with you everywhere you go. Start writing down everything you eat, every morsel of food or drink that enters your mouth for three consecutive days. After three days get a little two dollar calorie book from the supermarket and add up your calories. Just the calories. This gives you a great idea of how many calories it takes your body to operate every day. To maintain your present weight. Let me repeat. Write down everything you eat or drink for three consecutive days. After the three days add up the caloric content of everything. Now, after you have done all of the above divide the total. This is the magic number. This number indicates the calories it takes your body to operate on a daily basis and to maintain your current weight. By choosing from the 4 food groups, youre ready to start developing your eating plan. You can now effectively lose weight, gain weight or maintain weight. A quick warning. If your like 95% of the people I have done this with, you might be saying, I don't have to wait for three days, I know what I eat already, it's in my mind!? Or, maybe your saying, My diet is so bad, I eat all junk, or I hardly eat anything at all. It doesn't matter! You must have the discipline to write everything down for three days or you will not formulate a proper eating plan. Step 7 In order to lose body fat, keep your energy levels high, and keep your thinking capacity normal, you must follow this next action step. This will help you remember that you must have the proper serving of each food group included in your eating plan.
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It's quite easy to do. All there is to it is to follow the Recommended Daily Allowances (the US government pays for all the work). Don't be concerned, in this case, the government is right on the money with there recommendations. Forget about any dieting concoctions you've tried or heard about. Low carbohydrates, high carbohydrates, high cal or low cal is all a confusing waste of time. There is no quick fix, miracle diet, or any other magical potion . Since 1982 I have tried every diet, eating plan, and fad there is. Eating is simple. Don't complicate it by thinking youre different. Those roads lead to nowhere but inconsistency and frustration. Just follow these next serving recommendations when formulating your eating plan. Unless you have some sort of nutrient deficiency, you need not sway from what the US government spends millions of dollars to give you. Your goal in eating should be to get the proper servings from the RDA and the four food groups. This is regardless of what your goals are. The RDA for adults is 2 servings of meat or high protein, 2 servings of milk and dairy, 4 servings of fruits or vegetables, and 4 servings of cereal and grains. A serving of meat is about a four ounce piece of any type of meat. The serving size for vegetables, fruit, cereal and grains is one cup. You can get a list of the foods in each book free off the Internet or by requesting it from the federal government directly. Eat a minimum of four small meals each day consisting of these groups ,no questions asked! They will keep your metabolism going, your energy level high, and your functioning capacity primed. If you feel you have a very slow metabolism, you can increase your meals to 5 or 6. These are not 7 course meals I'm referring to. They are 1-3 regular meals and maybe 2-3 healthy snacks. So when you go grocery shopping keep a list of the food groups. Let your shopping revolve around them. Change your eating habits if they do not match the RDA. You will be thankful when your feeling great, looking great and staying healthy. Step 8 This step is simply meant to inform you that 60% of your eating plan must consist of carbohydrates (carbs). Never do a zero carb or even a low carb eating plan. Unless you enjoy feeling weak, looking scary, becoming moody, and appearing stringy. If you like those things cut back on your carbs and warn those who see you on a regular basis. The people who do this type of eating are usually the ones really determined to lose weight. This does nothing but drop water weight. (You see a weight loss from water loss-this is not good). Your body is 70% water. Every gram of carbohydrate in your body attaches to 3 molecules of water. When you eat low or zero carbs, the water leaves the body due to the lack of carbs present.
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When this happens, your body panics because it thinks it is starving. Then you know what happens...it will not release any body fat. You then leave it no choice but to burn muscle for your everyday energy. You have then lost water and muscle, not fat. Youll feel as productive as a car driving down the highway with flat tires. When you eat high carbohydrates (high meaning in proportion to your eating plan) you feel energized, clear headed, and able to endure a workout properly. Eat carbohydrates! Remember that rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, cereals, fruits, veggies and the like are the preferred carbohydrate fuel for the human body. They are the main energy source. This is one of the reasons why the fruit, veggie, bread, and cereal group requires 4 servings in each category. Unlike the meat and protein group which requires two. Step 9 This step is the logic behind losing fat. This reminds you that you must initially subtract calories from your caloric maintenance level to lose fat. You formulated your maintenance level when you did Step 6 and wrote down all your food intake for three days. Subtract calories from the magic number of calories determined from Step 6. This will put your body in a caloric deficiency and ready to lose fat. How many calories per day do you need to subtract from that number to lose fat and create a caloric deficiency? A realistic goal of fat loss is one pound per week. One pound of fat consists of 3500calories. Divide the 7 days of the week by 3500 calories which equals 500 calories. Subtract this amount of calories from your original caloric maintenance level and youll lose one pound of fat a week (provided you are following the other steps). Let's say the number of calories it takes to maintain your weight was originally 2000 calories a day. You would then formulate an eating plan to fit in 1500 calories a day. Again, first find out how many calories it takes you to maintain your current weight by doing Step 6. After that, subtract 500 calories from the overall caloric intake number then arrange the content of your food to fit RDA standards and the 4 food groups. You will now start to lose weight and fat. After you hit a plateau, gradually and slightly continue to decrease your calories every few weeks. Once you get as low as 1200 calories a day its time to stop decreasing your calories. Anything lower than 1200 calories is a nutritional risk for you. This leads to step 10. Step 10
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If your calories get to 1200 and you still want to lose more fat, do this next action step. Its actually two action steps in one: Add activity and increase your meal frequency. Lets look at the adding activity first. Adding activity will decrease your calories in addition to lowering them from food intake. You can do this by walking, doing the stationary bike, maybe a light jog or maybe adding some sports to your agenda. Whatever you do remember every 30 minutes of light to moderate activity burns about 300 calories. This is a great way to lose weight if you dont like to decrease calories and you like to eat. The next part of this action step is to increase your meal frequency. Eating many mini meals throughout the day will keep your metabolism high and your body burning fat throughout the day. (Don't confuse mini meals with Happy Meals, these are mini meals.) The best way to do this is to pre-plan your meals ahead of time. The minimum you should eat for fat loss is around 3-4 meals a day. If you really want to be a fat burning machine then increase to 5-6 small meals a day. For instance you may eat some oatmeal for breakfast, then chicken, rice and veggies for lunch. A piece of fruit a couple of hrs. after that. Another piece of fruit, a meal replacement shake, or some yogurt 2 hours later. For dinner some beef, potatoes and salad. Maybe a tuna, chicken, or plain salad a few hrs. before bed. This is the best way to lose the fat pounds. Especially if you have a slow metabolism and you enjoy eating like me. I love food, so I eat many mini meals throughout the day. I stay satisfied and am less likely to binge when I see my favorite junk food around. Basically, the gist of this is if you want to lose fat or weight you must burn more calories than you consume daily. Review STEP 1: Realize that you can not spot reduce fat. It burns systematically. STEP 2: Properly recognize and identify your goal, then break it down into small parts. STEP 3: Use common sense and expect fat loss not just weight loss. STEP 4: Weight train regularly to avoid exercise suicide (losing muscle). STEP 5: Incorporate fat into your diet and never remove fat totally from your eating plan. STEP 6: Write down 3 days of food intake to discover your caloric maintenance level. STEP 7: Follow the RDA to create the proper eating plan and food variety.
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STEP 8: Never eliminate carbohydrates from your eating plan! STEP 9: Calorie reduction is the initial physiological step to trigger fat loss. STEP 10: Do calorie burning activities and eat frequent meals to enhance fat burning. What To Do Now? As a fitness expert, let me tell you...the biggest mistake anyone can make IS TO TRY TO LOSE FAT WITHOUT PROPER INSTRUCTION! Many people believe working with a personal trainer is too costly. This couldn't be further from the truth. If you think about, people spend all kinds of time and money on things in life that really don't help their health and appearance. Things such as junk food, alcohol, cigarettes even drugs, all which tear down health rather than build it up. Unfortunately, people spend more money and time participating on these things rather than their health and fitness. Some people even spend money on supplements, which is good, however without the proper program supplements can't do much! One of the worst things you can do is try to formulate or implement your own weight loss program without the help of a professional trainer. Even a few sessions can get you going in the right direction. What harm would it do to get some correct instruction every so often? Imagine having someone to call anytime to answer any questions you have? Think of how much time and effort you can save! Having someone show you exactly what to do to lose weight is exactly what you need, now that you have the proper system!
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Do any of these excuses sound familiar? I have heard them a thousand times. Lets break each one of these excuses down. 1. I don't have time to eat right and exercise.... Well tell me when is a good time to take care of yourself? You brush your teeth and comb your hair in the morning. Why not look at eating right and exercising in the same light? 2. I don't know where to begin.... Starting is half the battle. A body in motion is better than sitting on the couch. Get up! Walk the dog. Wash the car, etc. If you really get serious, take advantage of a free session with a personal trainer. 3. I don't deserve to look and feel good.... Now this is just nonsense. Everyone deserves to look and feel better about him/herself. Don't be so self -deprecating. 4. I have lost hope.... It is never too late to get things right. You will feel so much better when you do.
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5. It's impossible.... It's only impossible if you don't try. Okay, now to get back to my secret revelation. Are you ready? Eat less and exercise more. There you have it. Now the question is, what are you going to do with it? Trust me, it really is that easy. There are 3500 calories in one pound of fat. If you can burn 500 more calories than you consume everyday of the week, you will lose a pound a week. If you want to lose 5 pounds it should take 5 weeks, 10 pounds in 10 weeks, 15 pounds in 15 weeks. I know you were expecting some miracle diet. The truth is, diets don't work. You can only deprive yourself for so long. Changing the way you look at food and fueling your system is key. Over consumption in all areas of life is bad, but it only effects your midsection with food. I say eat what you want, but consume less of it. The food still tastes the same regardless of whether you eat one bit or all of it. So eat only till you are satisfied. Most of us know how to eat healthy, but we choose not to. Making simple changes to your diet, like switching from regular food items to low fat items will drastically cut your calorie intake. Preplanning your meals will cause you to make healthy food choices. Eating 5-6 smaller meals will spread your calories out and keep your metabolism working all day. Drinking four 16z.glasses of water a day, you will burn an extra 100 calories. Try not to consume extra calories in the form of beverages. Plan on having some sort of physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day. Start counting your calories. It is really not that difficult. After about two consecutive weeks of counting your calories, you will not even need a calorie counting book. You will be able to calculate it in your head, by grouping foods together according to their groups. Losing weight really is not that tricky, but it does take a conscious effort on your part in order to make it last. Trust me your health and body are worth putting in the effort to feel and look better. Science and time have proven that if you do not take care of your bodies, health problems are sure to happen. Heart disease, strokes, type 2 diabetes, cancer, sleep apnea, and osteoarthritis are all health related problems that arise due to being over weight. The secret to losing weight and keeping it off is not really a secret at all. You knew the answer all along. It's just easier for you to try that miracle exercise equipment or weight loss supplement, and then be disappointed when you do not see results. Choose today to change your mind- set on diet and exercise and begin a quest to a healthier, fitter you.
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Up at 6:30 am, out the door with a cup a coffee (no breakfast) by 7:30 am At the office by 8:00 am Starving by 10:30 am, so you hit the pasty cart that comes around each day Grabbing a burger at lunch or miss it all together and hit the snack machine by 2:00 Leave work to rush off and pick up the kids A quick drive thru dinner on the way to ball (ballet) practice. Home in time to drop into bed Start the merry-go-round cycle again tomorrow, and over and over
Look familiar? Now you tell me, where in there, did you eat anything that in the least way resembled healthy and the only moving you did was to rush from one thing to the next. If we do that day after day, is it any wonder that our weight continues to rise. Remembering, at some point a large percentage of people will add into the cycle a fade diet. Unfortunately, we will stay on that cycle until something intervenes. The most common deterrent to that cycle is a health scare of either a heart attack or a strong warning from our doctor. The simple but not easy solution is you have to get off the merry-go-round before it is too late. You should not and can not wait for a deterrent. You must take responsibility for your health and the health of your families. When you have health as a goal; things will change. When you decide to eat healthy, you will have a breakfast even if it is just a whole grain cereal and a piece of fruit. Youll buy fruits and veggies that you can keep with you to eat between meals. Youll plan your meals so youre not dependent on fast food.
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When you decide to move more, you can park as far away from work as possible, and take the stairs instead of the elevator. You can go for walks at lunch, with your kid or spouse after dinner instead of dropping in front of the TV. It takes time and effort. Remember anything worth having is worth working for and what could be more worth having than your health? Eat healthy and move more. You deserve to live a long and healthy life.
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that will lead to dreams being achieved and a happy/healthier lifestyle ahead. Who would not want that?
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improve your cardio vascular function (heart and lungs) build and repair your bones stabilize your blood sugar increase your strength improve your balance reduce your body fat elevate your mood create flexibility increase your lean body mass reduce your stress levels
Imagine if you could improve the workings of your heart and lungs without drugs. You can improve their functions by challenging them with aerobic type exercises. The definition of aerobic exercise is anything that elevates your heart rate moderately for a prolonged period of time. An example might be riding a bike for 7 or 8 miles at 65-70 RPMS or approximately 10 miles an hour. If you are more of a walker then walking at about 4 miles an hour for 30 to 45 minutes will improve your cardio vascular system. The thing for you to remember is that consistency is the key to getting healthier!! According to the Academy of Sports Medicine (ACSM) you can do and should do cardio exercises most days of the week for 30 to 45 minutes. If you are just starting a fitness routine and have been inactive for a while; you can divide up your 30 minutes into 3 ten minute sessions. This is to get you started. You will eventually want to work up to doing the whole 30 to 45 minutes continuously. Remember, you are never too old or too sedentary to start an exercise program.you just have to be smart about it!! Osteoporosis is the buzz word of the 90s and beyond. This is a serious disease that destroys bone mass. Exercise is always prescribed for the prevention and retardation of this life threatening disease. When you impact your bones consistently, they get stronger by rebuilding. The stimulation makes them respond and rebuild. Jump roping is an ideal way of impacting bone. Strength training helps retard osteoporosis by making your muscles stronger which in turns makes your bones stronger to support the new strength of the muscles.
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All Diabetic doctors recommend exercise because they see how important movement is to controlling blood sugar. Each patient is different and should listen to their doctor as to how much exercise and how often. Keeping strong can keep you independent. I just talked to a girl who is 35 years old and is on disability. Her problem was that she let herself gain a tremendous amount of weight and she became disabled. She couldnt do anything for herself. She was stubborn enough to get herself turned around and she has lost about 160 pounds and she is getting into exercise. She has a goal of another 200 pound loss. She was telling me how great it is now to be able to carry groceries up to her apartment. She can do the stairs now when before she was unable to go out of her apartment without assistance. Balance is something that is lost over time. Somewhere in our 30s we begin to lose our sense of balance. Again, we can improve on that loss by challenging ourselves. Stand on one foot and count to 10. Simple little exercises can be done to tackle our losses. I think that we get too serious as we get older and we avoid walking on cement walls or curbs because we dont want to embarrass ourselves. Maybe because we stop playing we just get old. You probably notice that when you take care of yourself and exercise, you do improve how you feel about yourself. Your whole day seems to go better when you know that you are doing something positive to take control of your health and well being. Stretching at the end of each exercise session will improve your flexibility. Only stretch when your muscles are warm. Flexibility is an important part of being fit. When you can easily bend down and tie your shoe or even put your shoe on for that matter, it means that you are flexible. Just to do every day type things, you need to be able to bend and stoop. All these things are part of being flexible. Fat loss and lean body gain are two of the main reasons people exercise other than for the health benefits. When you engage in cardio vascular exercises for most days a week you are actually using your fat stores, especially if you do a long warm-up and stay at a moderate pace. When you do strength training you are creating more lean body mass consequently making yourself smaller and stronger. A pound of muscle takes up a lot less space than a pound of fat. When you have a lot of lean body mass you use a lot more calories just being you. Stress can kill. Its been proven that stress is a killer. When you exercise, the stress just seems to leave your body and its replaced with endorphins that give you a sense of euphoria. What a pleasant thing to look forward to as you go to the gym or get ready for a run outside. On the days you dont feel like exercising just tell yourself that you only have to do 10 minutes.youll continue and youll be so glad that you did!! I have just listed about 10 things that being fit can do for you. There are many, many more benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle. Why not try it and see how many things you can find that it does for you.
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I know four things that I didnt mention that are probably the most important. Consistency with exercise will lower blood pressure and lowers LDL (bad) Cholesterol. Ive even read where being active can reduce the risks of Breast Cancer and Heart disease. Those two things by themselves ought to give you the motivation to get on a fitness program. Remember, when you choose a program or regimen be sure its something that you enjoy. If you dont enjoy what you are doing its been proven that you wont stay with it for very long!!
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5 and 5 until it becomes routine. By week 8 your new 'normal' probably doesn't even seem like such a big leap. You are exercising regularly, eating well and you have noticed changes in your appearance and energy levels. Other people you know tell you that something is different about you. In the end, if you learn proper nutrition and your body learns weight regulation, you succeed in looking and feeling your best. Live for the Moment.....Exercise for Life
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Weight Loss: Diets and Supplements and Their Ridiculous Claims! No More Bogus Claims About Weight Loss
By Brian T. Rurak
So, let me begin this article by saying, no by SCREAMING: "THERE IS NO PILL THAT BURNS FAT IN YOUR BODY & DIETS DO NOT WORK", to an extent. I will explain later. Weight loss is the number one New Years resolution which, in my mind, is bittersweet. On one hand it's awesome that people are willing to at least make the attempt. But on the other hand it is sad that there are SO MANY people in our world that have to make that commitment. The other sad part is that if only 2% of these people actually achieve their resolutions, it would be a miracle. Speaking of miracles, what about those miracle weight loss diets and miracle supplement drugs that solve all your problems and 'melt' the fat right off your body? It's been going on forever and I am sick of it. It makes me cringe any time I talk to a person who buys into these ridiculous offers conjured up by multi-billion dollar companies. One time while doing a consultation with a new client, she pulled out a full bottle of a carb blocker supplement. I threw them out and she freaked out. I didn't care because I knew her body needs carbs to burn fat; PERIOD. You can't argue human physiology and the biochemistry that occurs in all of us. The problem is that we are so easily and overly medicated in this country that if we just took all these snake-oil products and got back to basics we would be so much better off. People start taking these supplements before they even try to change their nutritional habits or begin exercising. Then when they finally do address those and they begin losing weight, they think it was the supplement that did it. UGH!!!! The diet book & supplement business is a $20 billion a year business with over 150,000 people taking part in it. Sometimes I wish I wasn't an ethical person. If I wasn't, that is exactly where my efforts would be focused. I would put the best damn infomercial on TV to make millions. But, I am not a millionaire and I am an ethical professional. My business is run under the premise of 'Fitness thru Truth and Logic'. There's a good chance that if you have turned on your TV or have opened a magazine you have encountered the ads for weight loss. And I can guarantee you have come across the miracle supplement ads or seen them on the shelf in the grocery store. There are
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thousands of diet books and hundreds of weight loss aides on the market that claim you can lose 10X the amount of weight than with just diet and exercise alone. Are you kidding me?? First of all, our bodies are not designed to do that. That shows true in all the people who are taking these supplements or are on these low calorie diets and are still overweight. And if by chance they do lose weight they become squishy. Meaning, they have depleted their body of muscle which is the weight loss and they have held onto their fat which means they still jiggle. And the worst part about it is they have also just destroyed their metabolism. Second, the body is designed to lose 1-2 lbs. per week safely and sensibly. So if you were to take these supplements you should be losing 10-20 lbs per week. In a month you would have lost a small person and in 2 months, you will vanish into thin air!!!!! If these pills do work, why is our country investing so much money in extreme surgeries like gastric bypass and we are still in the same poor condition and getting worse? You may think I am being a bit harsh against people with some of my comments in this article. Please don't get me wrong, I love working with people and I left teaching high school so I could educate more people. But I also want to educate people who want to be educated and are willing to put in the effort. My frustration lies solely with these companies who are taking advantage of the unsuspecting consumer. You have to remember a supplement is something that is ADDED to a diet because something is missing. It is a multivitamin or maybe a meal replacement shake because you are on the go. But that is it, it is NOT 5 shakes a day, 8 pills a day and one meal a day....that is the formula for failure. Let's talk a little about diets. Diets can work but diets generally don't work! Why? Because if you start a diet, it's a good chance you are going to come off that diet. You may have come off because you were frustrated with it. Or perhaps you reached your goal or got close so you figured the work was done. Wrong! Your work just started. You must learn how to discipline yourself in the 'real world' of eating. Self-discipline and life balance is what will prevent you from putting the weight back on, plus extra. It's also a good chance you were so sick of being on the diet that you planned to 'treat' yourself to some of the 'good' foods that got you there in the first place. Enjoying some "treats" now and then will not hurt you if you stick to your plan. I like to recommend that people eat 80- 90% mindfully and they can cheat 10-20% depending on their goals. Just realize, enjoying a treat now and then will not hurt your progress as long as you don't make it a daily habit. Referring back to putting weight plus extra back on is the Yo-Yo effect and I am sure you have either experienced it or heard of it. If you have achieved an (over)weight status, you have added fat cells to your body. You can shrink those cells by losing weight but you don't lose them. So, when you go off the diet and start eating the way you used to, all those fat cells fill right back up and will also split. Many times this results in an extra 10www.FitnessExpertNetwork.com - 962
20% weight gain. Isn't dieting great? And again, there is NO supplement pill out there that melts fat off your body. What you need to do is adopt a lifestyle change so when you come off the diet, which will happen, you have established good habits. This is the biggest downfall of people who are struggling with weight loss. We as fitness professionals help you to establish that lifestyle. We help you get around the obstacles that keep you from your goals. We have a unique way of looking at your lifestyle and provide very simple solutions to your issues. Contact us at http://www.t3fitness.com/contactus.html if you are in need of some guidance and want to make some serious permanent changes to your body and lifestyle. I want you to think about some of the diets for a second. They are just down right ridiculous. One that kills me is the Tabasco and lemon juice diet. Do you seriously think you are going to lose weight by drinking a Tabasco and lemon juice cocktail? I am a hot sauce FREAK! And when I say FREAK, I mean FREAK. I can shoot Tobasco straight into my mouth without a problem, it's not hot enough. I have over 60 bottles of the stuff and can't get enough. I eat hot sauce on just about everything and if that is the major contributor to an amped up metabolism, I would be absolutely emaciated and weightless. SILLY, SILLY CLAIM!!!! Do you really think you will change your size, lifestyle and habits by taking a supplement pill? Your problem really isn't weight; your problem is resistance to change and possibly laziness. And again, it's no fault of yours because you are getting lied to from these companies wanting to sell you their ridiculous products. But, the blame is on you if you are lazy and you want to take the easy route. The federal government has been cracking down on these so called 'miracle' drugs. Now in 2007 they are penalizing the companies for making these false claims and are basically saying put up or shut up. They aren't pulling them from the shelves, which I can't understand, but they are challenging the marketing aspect of the drugs which are making the outlandish claims of weight loss. They have to start backing up the claims with scientific facts. GOOD LUCK!!!! I foresee that being a huge problem for these companies because it's not going to happen. The people they get to promote these supplements are paid individuals who are getting around $20,000 for their testimonials. And on top of that you have other celebrities like Anna Nicole Smith and John Daly claiming Trim Spa will help you step into their new world of weight loss and you too can achieve those results by taking their products. Why wouldn't you believe these people? The miracle drugs currently being targeted by the federal government are the popular ones like: Xenical, Trim Spa, One a Day Weight Smart Formula, Xenadrine and Cortislim. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is conducting investigations and now handing down some hefty fines totaling $25 million to the marketers of these products.
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These fines are coming after they found absolutely no reliable scientific evidence supporting the claims of these drugs. A good example of scientific evidence, or lack thereof, was Xenadrine claiming it was clinically proven to cause rapid and substantial weight loss. But the actual study proved the people who took a placebo lost more weight then the ones taking their product. My guess: the placebo people changed their habits and the control group did not. Just to give you an idea of how long this has been around, at the turn of the century Frank J. Kellogg saw a need for a 'solution' to our expanding waistlines due to our abundance of food and the slowing of an agrarian culture moving into the industrial age. Since there were no regulations whatsoever from the FTC, he decided he would sell a weight loss solution that was compiled of thyroid, breadcrumbs and laxatives. YIKES!! He was the first one to capitalize on this upcoming trend and made millions until the American Medical Association reviewed his product. As these products evolved and everyone jumped on the money bandwagon, companies started selling laxatives and other worthless appetite suppressants, or in other words starvation drugs, as the new miracle drugs. Then in the 70's Dexedrine became popular, not only for its weight loss claims, but also as a recreational psychoactive drug. (It falls into the same chemical class as the now popular drug used by teens known as MDMA or Ecstasy). That is just about the time when the government started to make some changes and pull back on the reigns. Hopefully with past history and the new fines being levied upon these companies, this will be just the tip of the iceberg and soon many of these fraudulent companies will have to cease the production of these drugs. Then hopefully, people will come to understand that there is no magic pill or easy way to live a healthy lifestyle. Everything takes a little bit of effort or even a lot. But if you wait too long and your weight gets out of control that effort sometimes can lead to poor choices like a quick and simple fix. Again, if you want real solutions to your weight problems and you are willing to give us 100% of your effort, come see us and I guarantee you 100% of our effort and a lifestyle that will help you lose weight.
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As far as how much, that can be tricky and that goes beyond the scope of this article. It can really depend on what their activity level is, what their goals are or even how much muscle mass they may need to feed. However if an overweight person wants to achieve a certain weight a general rule of thumb is to eat around 10-12 calories per pound of desired body weight of GOOD food. If they maintain that, without going below a 1200-calorie per day diet they should eventually achieve that desired weight. I say eventually because again weight loss takes time. It took a while to get the weight on; it takes a while to get it off. With regards to how often women should be eating, everyone should eat small meals every 3-4 hours so their body does not go into starvation and hold onto fat. Skipping meals actually makes a person store fat more easily when they do eat again. So 4-5 regular feedings of mindful, supportive food choices helps control blood sugar, hormone levels and hunger, all which lead to weight loss. A note here is that the meals are small, portion controlled, NOT our typical over-indulgent sit-down meal. You emphasized good or mindful food; care to explain? I would love to. Good food is essentially non-processed whole foods. When you eat it, it should look just like it did when it came out of the ground, off the tree or from the animal or fish. There are no frozen dinner trees out there. A big issue here for people is the 'carbs'. This is actually easy because carbs really are our friend and they have been getting a bad rap. If you are going to eat bread, which I totally support, eat WHOLE GRAIN bread. That means that the first two words on the ingredient label should read whole grain. Just because it states it on the bag doesn't mean it's whole grain. Other good items here are brown rice, steel cut oatmeal, and bulgur to name a few. Why is resistance training so high on the list for weight loss? Resistance training is important for building those 'furnaces' I mentioned but the other major benefits are:
Enhanced bone growth to increase bone strength and reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Stronger connective tissues to increase joint stability and help prevent injury. Increased functional strength for sports and daily activity. Increased muscle tone and decreased body fat. Higher metabolic rate because of an increase in muscle and a decrease in fat. Improved self-esteem and confidence.
But what women need to realize is that resistance training is not necessarily just moving a bunch of cast iron weights or sitting at machines. With all the equipment we have at my studio, resistance training becomes much more than that. We make it fun and beneficial
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and functional to your needs. We are so far outside the box of resistance training that you won't even realize that you are doing resistance training and still reap the benefits. Putting it all together is sometimes the most confusing part of trying to take charge of your weight loss goals. This is where a fitness professional can be worth your weight in gold. If you are ready for serious results and you need guidance anywhere in the country or world contact us at http://www.t3fitness.com/contactus.html or call 401.849.6030. Final Note: Let me just state here Ladies, you WILL NOT get huge muscles from resistance training. You are not men and do not have the levels of testosterone in your body that men do which helps them achieve their muscular physique. Resistance training prepares your body to burn fat and become more efficient for you during your daily routines. It is a significant component to weight loss.
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magazine while eating. 8. Avoid Tempting Situations- At least until you are comfortable with your healthy lifestyle, it may be best to try to avoid situations that could sabotage your goals. Whether it is all you can eat buffets, certain restaurants, parties, etc, avoid the situation until you can learn to control your eating behaviors at these establishments. 9. Wait it Out- If and when a temptation arises, first ask yourself if you are actually hungry. Chances are you are not even hungry, and more than likely you are thirsty for some good ole water. If it is a craving, establish ways that you can talk yourself out of it. Try to distract yourself by taking a walk (with or without a dog), calling a friend, or doing some housework or other work. If the craving is still there, consider a piece of fruit or a healthier version of whatever you are craving. 10. Perform Regular Assessments- Every 6-8 weeks, review your goals and what you have achieved. It is important to have a baseline at the beginning to track your achievements. Remember, healthy weight-loss takes time. Plan to lose 1-2 pounds per week. Set realistic goals that you can achieve within 6-8 weeks so you do not get discouraged. Then reset your goals with each assessment.
Follow these 10 tips and you will be on you way to losing weight once and for all. Just remember to learn from your past mistakes and try to avoid making the same ones in the future. Achieving weight loss goals requires time and effort, but the payoff is well worth it. Even small weight losses will reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis, as well as many other diseases. Always remember to eat a balanced diet with lots of vegetables, fruits, protein, complex carbohydrates, as well as a small amount of fat. Stay motivated and fight the battle against obesity in America.
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Another key in improving your diet is to nix the second serving; you only need the first serving. If you want another serving, wait until your next meal 3 hours later. Remember to eat according to your hunger, and not in response to stress, anger, or boredom. If there is a certain time of day or situation that you are most likely to eat out of emotion, schedule an activity that will interfere with your snacking. After you have established your correct portion sizes, you can also use smaller bowls or plates to make each serving appear bigger. We have been fooled on portion sizes by restaurants that serve your meal on a plate meant for a 2-mouth monster. Many times a restaurant meal should be equal to 2 or even three meals! Watch for hidden fats with meats and dairy products. Choose lean cuts of meat, fish, and poultry and use low fat or skim dairy products. When shopping for groceries it is best to go with a full stomach to avoid impulse buys. It is best to limit eating out while you are trying to change your habits and to avoid fast food all together. On top of these tips, it is most important to make sure you are getting at least 8-10 glasses of water a day. If you are also drinking a lot of caffeinated drinks, you will require at least 10-12 glasses of water. While you are working on improving your nutrition habits, it is a good idea to supplement with a multi-vitamin to insure you are getting the correct amount of vitamins and minerals. When summing up a nutrition plan, I like to think of the quotes Eat to live, not live to eat and moderation is key. You must properly fuel your body for you daily activities. Exercise is obviously also a very important part of making the proper lifestyle changes.
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actually backfire on people in two ways. First people cut back too much and that sets them up to binge the next day, which can damage your metabolism. The second problem with cutting back calories is that your body reacts to this decrease in calories by slowing its metabolism in order to conserve energy stores. The key to a diet that will increase your metabolism is to determine how many calories you should be consuming and then pay attention to the type of calories consumed. Despite what many nutritionists think, all calories are not created equal. The calorie-is-a-calories theory only takes in to account the total energy in food, and does not account for the energy that is required to process it. For example, up to 30 percent of calories from protein are burned through the digestive process, compared to just 8 percent of carbohydrates, and 2 percent of fats. This is known as the thermic effect of food. The key is to eat complex carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It takes more energy for the body to digest and process calories and nutrients from healthy foods than sugary and refined foods. By eating a lowfat healthy diet, you are asking the body to work harder and burn more calories to turn food into energy, the process of metabolism. Avoid processed and refined foods, as they are the culprit to our obesity epidemic. Just remember that processed food has already been processed and that does not leave any work for your body and metabolism, and so they are just stored as fat almost immediately unless they are burned off. It is nor only important to eat the right type of foods, but also at the right time. To start the day, it is essential that you eat breakfast. This gets your engine started for the day and without breakfast, your metabolism will be in slow motion all day. Throughout the day, it is essential you eat small meals every 3-4 hours. Eating three large meals a day is terrible for your metabolism because you have three peaks in your blood sugar/insulin response and the rest of the time you are in a valley that is not good for your insulin response. The key is to make sure each meal is well balanced and contains the right amount of protein, carbohydrates, and a small amount of fat. It is also essential to drink at least 8-10 glasses of water everyday, possibly more if you work out intensely and/or drink caffeinated beverages. My final recommendation that is crucial for maximizing your metabolism is to get enough sleep. Only you know how much sleep your body requires, but not getting enough sleep will drain you and in turn slow your metabolism. As you can see, the ways to increase metabolism is through diet and exercise. Just like an engine, the better we take care of our metabolic engine through proper diet and exercise, the better our metabolism will run; keeping us healthy and looking good.
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This is the reason why some people stay slim and energized on various kinds of highprotein, higher fat diets while other people feel sluggish and gain weight by eating this way. Conversely, some people are able to stay trim and fit on low-protein, low-fat, highcarbohydrate diets, while these same diets cause others to pack on the pounds and be chronically fatigued. Metabolic Typing can take the confusion out of nutrition and give you a nutrition plan that will help you achieve your weight loss goal. You can learn more about Metabolic Typing by doing a Google search or visiting www. ultrafitness.net.
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Top Ten Lame Exercise Excuses Why People Who Want A Better Body Dont Want to Exercise
By Dale Andrew
Ive been working in the fitness industry for over 10 years. During that time, Ive probably heard just about every exercise excuse you could imagine for why a person who wants a better body cant exercise or eat right. It makes me sick just thinking about it! I dont think its the exercise excuses themselves that bother me so much as when the person making the excuse actually believes it to be true. Nothing will stop the quest for a better body faster than self-defeating exercise excuses. Heres one fitness professionals list of the lamest exercise excuses Ive ever heard: 1. Im a busy person. I dont have time. Everyone has the same amount of time. You are free to choose how you spend it. You can choose to spend it watching must-see TV or you can start building a better body. This is a cop-out exercise excuse anyways. Anyone who has done burpees for four minutes can tell you that. 2. No money! First off, I know plenty of people that have money that arent in the best shape. Secondly, there are tons of great bodyweight exercises that can be done anywhere for FREE. And I dont think skipping ropes are that expensive, either. 3. I have bad genetics. This is a crutch that people lean on too much. Few people ever reach their genetic potential. Whats needed is the determination and persistence to try and do so. Never settle and always live your greatest possibilities. 4. Its too sunny out. Unless youre a vampire, Im not accepting this one. Exercising outside is a great way to get back in touch with nature and the play element that adults miss and need. Oh yeah, one more thing, if youre a vampire, I dont work with vampires! 5. I dont like to sweat. I dont like it either, but I like being fat and lazy a lot less. Exercise is a stress on the body. Sweating is one way your body copes better with increased body temperature 6. Exercise is boring. If you do the same routine day after day, month after month, its not only boring but it wont give you results either. Exercise is the stimulus for our body to change. Your body adapts quickly, so you must change your routine every 3-4 weeks if youre serious about building a better body. 7. Im too tired. For me, thats a reason to exercise not an excuse. But I guess its all how you look at things. You need to make sure that youre eating enough healthy food each day. Proper nutrition gives you the fuel needed for exercise. Without it, you run out of gas, and break down before you get where youre going.
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8. Ive got kids. Do you want to see them grow up? You might not want to hear it, but you need to. Ive worked with busy moms and dads that have got into the best shape of their life. Ive often marveled at how they do balance successful careers and busy family obligations. Their response is insightful: Exercising regularly gives me the energy to do it! Success always leaves clues. Dont re-invent the wheel, learn from success and model it. 9. I dont have anything to wear. If you dont start exercising, you really will have nothing to wear. Now, do you want to spend your money on a new, bigger wardrobe, or do you want to get to work? 10. Im not in shape. Huh? Thatll be the case as long as you keep making excuses not to exercise, and until you start taking appropriate and sustained action. You need to swallow any embarrassment and use it as fuel for your journey towards a better body and a better you. What exercise excuses are you making? 11.
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You Want a Better Body, You Joined The Gym, Now What?
By Dale Andrew
Too often, we look at exercise as a chore, rather than a choice towards self-improvement and building a better body. Joining a gym is something that busy professionals typically contemplate for months or even years. Certainly, taking the physical and financial steps to join a gym indicates a desire and commitment to improve ones physical fitness. Theres also a belief or hope that joining a gym will allow produce a better body image. Buying a membership gives you access to a facility but not necessarily the skills needed to produce lasting change, itself. We all have access to the tool department at the local hardware store, but how many of us would possess the skills needed to repair our car should it break down? Were more likely to take our car to a mechanic because their knowledge and experience allows them to properly identify and correct the problem faster than we ever could. However, when it comes to taking better care of our body, the most complex of all machines, it seems most are more likely to rely on hope than skill. Certainly, Im not saying that hope is a bad thing; sometimes, it is the best of things. Im suggesting that success nourishes hope, however. When you consider approximately 50% of new gym members discontinue regular exercise within the first 6-8 weeks, its apparent that motivation wanes and often disappears in the absence of real results. Its necessary to possess a degree of skill before one can experience success. However, fitness is not a tangible product like groceries; although, it is often portrayed, packaged and sold as such. Skills must be acquired and learned; they cant be bought they can only be taught. Two of the most important elements of any skill are knowledge and practice. So, how do you learn what you need to know to build a better body? Most people think that all they need to know is how to work a machine or two. If this is why they are going to the gym, well then theyre on the right track. For everybody else that believes that the act of performing an exercise method is a means towards goal achievement and a better body image, you must ask yourself, Are these methods informed by the correct principles? If youre unsure or answered no, there is a fundamental disconnect between the methods employed and the desired outcome of a better body. The skills needed to produce lasting physical change surely include the performance of various exercise methods, but it is principles that must first determine their selection. It is principles that purposefully bridge together isolated methods, and enables the successful accomplishment of specific goals, such as building a better body.
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This can be pretty confusing and overwhelming for someone who has never exercised gone to a gym before and has low self-confidence. When you join the gym, youll probably find all kinds of people that want to give you advice. This is where it can get even more confusing. When it comes to building a better body, what you dont know can hurt you. This is why you must always consider the source. What are their qualifications? Have they helped people like you? Is this their job or just a hobby? Only take advice from people that have trained at a high level or make a living and pay their rent getting results for people just like you. If you dont have a lot of time to exercise, you need to use your time wisely. A good mentor can make all the difference. Dont make it harder than it needs to be.
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Notice this short list does not include any excuses at all! Another positive influence this competition has on people is that anyone can lose weight with the right tools. ANYONE CAN LOSE WEIGHT WITH THE RIGHT TOOLS. This is unfortunately where this show loses me! The viewing audience needs to be aware just how closely these people are monitored for the 3 months they are on the ranch and for the 3 months they are on their own. There has to be constant monitoring and adjustment of exercise, meals and rest to insure the success of the contestant and for their safety and well-being. Let me ask this simple question: What percentage of the population do you think has a Personal Trainer, Nutritionist, Medical Doctor and Physical Therapist with them every step of the way for 3 months straight? Would you agree it is not the nearly 70% of Americans that are overweight. But it would not make for good television to disclose too much of what really happens behind the scenes. So the people who suffer are the newly inspired millions that have no plan, no help and certainly no staff of professionals to lead them. One of the pinnacles of this deception came when the producer of the show along with a husband and wife previously who recently competed were interviewed by Matt Lauer on the Today Show. Through a series of questions to both the producer and the couple, Matt Lauer extracted some interesting information and here is an overview of how they say the weight was lost:
They dropped their individual Calorie consumption from 3000 to 1500 Calories per day. They exercised daily to burn an extra 1000 Calories. This led them to net only 500 Calories per day of intake.
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This is not only extremely dangerous but a perversion on how to safely and effectively lose weight. Common sense does not rule when it comes to weight loss for most people, for if it did we would not be in so much trouble. Because of this misinformation countless thousands, and maybe millions, are thinking hmmm, I just need to eat 500 Calories per day and I can lose all of my weight. NO! Again I cannot stress how dangerous this could be to someone. To reiterate...these people were in an exceptionally structured environment that is near impossible to replicate without huge amounts of cash! Now for the exercise prescription from the touted celebrity trainers on the show. My colleagues and I are amazed that there have not been any serious injuries on the show because the trainers evidently do not pay attention to technique, progression or safety. They may be able to make the contestants burn more calories but what happens when the show is over and they are on their own? They are great however at pummeling these people into the ground followed by a great big hug and an Im so proud of you. I know plenty of A list trainers and they will all agree that they were in the right place at the right time and their success began with one big name client. From Michael Jordans trainer to Oprahs trainerits not that they are doing anything wildly out of the box. Their training protocols are sound and they get great long term results for their clients and that is what makes them great, not the A list. Heres another question I have: Would a self promoting celebrity trainer take on one of the contestants from the showif they were not on the show? The entire premise of the show is to win money with the back drop being weight loss, better health and more self confidence. Who doesnt want that? So all you need is a structured program, no outside responsibilities like family, career etc; have every meal planned and prepared for three months and receive constant evaluation and adjustment by your staff of professionals on a day to day basis. Piece of cake! (No pun intended).
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What most gyms dont tell you is that it takes 4 to 6 weeks for your body to actually begin to change, it terms of long term fat loss or muscle strength. The success of the first few weeks are largely due to loss of water weight and your brain sending more efficient messages to your muscles which feels like more strength. The highest dropout rate is at the 4 to 6 week markdropping out from the workout~ while still paying the monthly membership dues! So, if you are ready to dive into your why lets get started! I will take you through a couple of real conversations that I have had with my clients to give you some insight on how you can find your why. Let us begin with an easy one: ME What brings you here today? CLIENT Well, Ive thought a lot about this and I want to drop 2 dress sizes. ME Why do you feel you would like to drop 2 dress sizes? (Why?) CLIENT Because I hate my body. I have never looked the way I want and Im going to a wedding and I just cant find a dress that looks good on me. Im single and can never get any guys to even look my way so I dont even have a date to this wedding. Ive been on workout programs before and I have XYZ machine at home that I bought on from an infomercial and that didnt work either! ME Why do you believe you have failed in the past? (Why?) CLIENT Because every time a start with something I might lose a little bit of weight and then I stop for some reason. Then I gain it all back and more! This young lady simply needed to follow through with a commitment she made to herself for herself. Her self esteem was low because she had seldom completed what she promised herself. We recognized that her internal desire to fulfill commitment (her why) ~ it motivated her to reach her initial goal of going from a size 8 to a size 6 and maintaining that to this day! Her new body and increased confidence also turned her into quite a catchjust ask her husband! Here is one of my favorites:
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ME What would you consider the number one reason for beginning this exercise program? CLIENT I want to lose my gut, like 25 pounds would be good, and put on some muscle. ME Tell me more about that. (Why?) CLIENT Im finally taking a vacation and I want to get into a bathing suit and not be embarrassed. ME Wow that is great, how long has it been since you took a vacation? (Why?) CLIENT Let me tell youtoo long! ME Im sorry to hear that. How come so long? (Why?) CLIENT I never do anything for myself! I work too many hours. Im always stressed out. My blood pressure is up and Ive gained this stupid weight over the last 8 years and I hate it. Im sick of always being too tired to play with my kids and enjoy my family. So can I lose the 25 pounds? This, my friends, is a very common scenario. As you can see this person has some huge reasons to begin right now! The 25 lbs. he wants to lose is a fringe benefit to his other much more important desires like having the energy to play with his kids and enjoy his family. Dropping his blood pressure and lowering his stress by utilizing exercise as an outlet as he loses the weight will change his life forever! Note.this person actually lost 30 pounds. He eventually left his stressful job and started his own company~ and is one of the happiest, stress free people you would ever meet! Once you find your personal why you can then set concrete, attainable goals and begin the journey to a brand new you!
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I have worked with many clients and I would say most of them have a good amount of stubborn body fat. This fat is literally "programmed" to be very difficult to lose. It seems to remain on our bodies no matter what we do, hence the word stubborn fat. Modern diets and weight loss programs almost all seem to work in the beginning, but then they never really address this crucial part of fat loss the last bit of stubborn fat. Stubborn fat develops when your hormonal pathways are broken down. Age does play a role in this: Fat deposits increase and become more resistant to fat loss methods as you get older. This you have little control over, but some things that lead to stubborn fat development are under your control. Yo yo dieting is one of them. Losing weight on crash diets and then regaining it often known as the "rebound effect" will only increase stubborn fat in the long run. A decrease in exercise and activity level also compounds the stubborn fat problem. This is why people who crash diet on low calories and refuse to exercise and move their bodies, often have the worst stubborn fat problems of all. Our ancestors really never had to deal with this problem because they moved and engaged in physical labor as a regular part of daily life, whereas technological conveniences and the modern lifestyle have caused many of us to become lazy and inactive. Stubborn fat is metabolized extremely slowly and is resistant to the hormonal process that takes place while the fat burning process is started up. To burn fat, the adrenal hormones better known as adrenaline and noradrenaline, attach to the fat cell receptors and essentially "open them up" so the fat can be used in the energy pathways. There are two kinds of receptors in your fat cells: one is alpha and the other beta. The beta receptors are much more active and respond to adrenal hormones. To lose body fat, the adrenal hormones switch on and the body begins to use fat as energy. However, in the case of people with stubborn fat, this does not occur, so no body fat is lost. According to my good friend and colleague Ori Hofmekler, author of the warrior diet, "stubborn fat" has a lower ratio of beta receptors to alpha receptors." Therefore, your body's hormonal "fat dissolver," adrenaline, will not be able to enter the fat cell and open the door. Ori also points out that "to make these matters worse, stubborn fat has more estrogen receptors which cause even more stubborn fat." If all this sounds bad enough, what makes it even worse is that if you indulge in the typical modern diet and sedentary lifestyle, this often results in reduced insulin sensitivity (read my past article on Insulin Sensitivity for more information). Added on top of everything else, your fat tissue becomes so incredibly resistant to your attempts to lose it, it seems like you will be stuck with it forever. Diets fail because they only look at the caloric reduction side of the equation. You need to understand the other variables in the equation exercise and lifestyle. You need to understand the deeper issues you are really dealing with. Getting rid of stubborn fat is not nearly as simple as just slashing calories and dieting. Stubborn fat is the result of a complex interplay of biological and hormonal processes all of which are affected by
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how you eat, how you move and the type of lifestyle you lead. Now that you understand why you have stubborn fat, right down to the hormone and receptor level, the question is "How do you alter your nutrition, exercise and lifestyle to get rid if this resistant body fat?" The answer will be found in part two. Stay tuned.
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time line, hardly enough time to rewire our evolutionary predisposition or influence our fat cell distribution. So in the battle of the bulge, what can we do to vanquish vicious visceral fat? 1. Become Calorie Conscious. You cannot change what you do not know. So you must become aware of how many calories you are ingesting each day and how many calories your body requires. If you've been consuming too many calories, you will have to reduce the amount of calories you consume by 10 or 15 percent. Don't take the "cookie cutter" approach and reduce your daily calorie consumption by a large number like 500 or 1000 calories. Cutting 500 to 1000 calories out of your day on a dime may slow your metabolism down and make it more difficult to vanquish visceral fat. It is difficult to get an accurate assessment of how many calories you need each day quickly as your age, height, weight, sex, and activity level factor into your caloric requirements. A quick and easy way to ESTIMATE your daily caloric needs is listed below: Women Multiply your weight (in pounds) by 12 Men Multiply your weight (in pounds) by 14 When you get your estimate subtract 10% or 15% to get your reduced calorie daily requirement. It is important to maintain a food log or meal journal that tracks the time you eat, the amount of food you're eating and how many calories the food contains. (Read labels, don't estimate). If you forget to read the label and have access to the internet look up your food on www.calorieking.com or www.calorie-count.com. 2. Become More Active. As stated earlier in this article, INACTIVITY has been proven to increase your visceral fat. So increasing the amount of physical activity you do each day will help in the fight. You don't need any fancy equipment or to join a gym, just start moving more. Take the stairs at work instead of the elevator, park far away from a stores entrance and walk the parking lot, take a brisk walk around your neighborhood or around your local high school track. As you get in better shape, start practicing TABATA intervals or interval training. Aim for a cumulative effort of 60 minutes of extra activity a day. It doesn't have to be done all at one time; breaking it up into 10 minute bouts of activity is fine. Just increase the amount of activity you are doing now. 3. Become Muscle Motivated. Along with becoming more active, you must be motivated to increase your muscle mass. Unlike visceral fat, muscle is active tissue that burns calories, even when you are at rest. Again you don't have to join a gym or get fancy equipment. There are plenty of exercises you can do with just your body weight that will help build muscle. 4. Practice Patience. Like all body fat, it comes off gradually, and unfortunately no exercise, pill, powder, or special diet will cause fat from your midsection to
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disappear at a faster rate. Creating a caloric deficit, increasing your physical activity, and building more muscle mass is the sure fire way to vanquish your visceral fat! 5.
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BUT I am further convinced, primarily because of my own experience, that all of these principles, while important, are secondary. Skeptical? Here's what I want you to do. Before you put another bite of salad with lowcal dressing, or broiled fish, or sugar free Jell-O into your mouth, take out a piece of paper and write down 10 good reasons and/or benefits of losing weight, or getting healthier, or whatever else your goal may be. After you are done, I want you to post the piece of paper where you can read it every day. Get back to me in 60 days and tell me how you're doing. "BUT Dean".
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The Get Fat Quick Plan-7 Steps You Dont Want To Follow
By Dean Carlson
As a physical preparation coach, I sometimes get into discussions with my friends or family regarding nutrition and weight loss. While I always enjoy talking shop and want to help as many people as I can live a healthier lifestyle, it didnt take too many of these conversations to figure out this truth; while a lot of people say they want to lose weight, not many people want to do what it takes. This is probably not earth-shattering news, but as obesity levels and preventable disease rise at a seemingly uncontrollable pace, it is frustrating. Heres the scenario - Friend asks I want to lose 10 lbs of bodyfat, what should I do? I say Eat lean protein and vegetables with every meal He replies I dont like vegetables, what else can I do? I can see we are off to a rousing start. I make the following suggestion Ok, lets start slowly; make sure you eat a good breakfast, including lean protein and complex carbs, every day. Nothing else, just that. He tells me That would be pretty tough, I usually run out the door and grab a coffee and bagel on the way to work. I suggest Why dont you get up 30 minutes earlier and have a cup of coffee while you make a nice veggie omelet? He retorts Are you crazy? Im usually up late unwinding and watching the tube, I have to relax sometime! Id be toast all day if I got up earlier. And round and round we go You know what? I decided it would take less time and serve more people if instead of nutrition and exercise plans I just wrote a get fat quick plan. Since most of the talkers seem do the opposite of what I suggest, maybe a little reverse psychology is in order. So after long periods of development and tested by hundreds of thousands of people, here it is! 1. Under no circumstances eat breakfast. If you have to eat something, make sure it has the words Swiss double mocha or crme filling in the ingredients. 2. Dont prepare your food ahead of time. It is much more efficient to go down the block and grab a double cheeseburger and a large order of fries than to bring a healthy bag lunch. And dont walk to the burger joint; drive. 3. Drink large amounts of soda, and not that wimpy diet stuff either. The sugar and caffeine will give you the edge you need to get throughout the day. If you start getting tired, just drink another one. 4. If you absolutely are convinced you need to eat vegetables, make sure you eat corn and potatoes, and dont skimp on the butter. Better yet, stick with onion rings and french fries. You cant be too careful! 5. Make sure you eat a big dinner, preferably pasta or pizza. Its a long way to the next Swiss double mocha.
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6. Try to get at least 3-4 hours of quality time in front of the television. Put a channel block on any station that in any way might motivate you to exercise. Dont forget the bag of chips. 7. Aim for no more than 5-6 hours of sleep a night. This does a couple things; it makes it less likely you will have the energy to workout, and poor sleep habits are great for packing on the pounds! So there you go, seven quality tips to get fat and stay fat. I wonder which is easier, getting up 30 minutes earlier, or rehabbing from quadruple bypass? I hope you never have to find out the hard way.
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9. If you have a cheat day, dont sweat it. It has been my experience with clients, that if they stay on track most of the time and go off one day a week and eat whatever they please, it does not affect their ability to lose weight. ONE cheat day, though not 4 or 5. 10. Stop using food as a reward. Enjoy going out to dinners and restaurants for the shear pleasure of spending time with your friends and family. Reward yourself with something that feeds your spirit and soul. You have creating a vision for your life. Stay with it.
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If they did have the right approach of supportive nutrition and proper exercise (cardio, strength, and flexibility) in the right duration and were consistent in it's execution, they could absolutely lose fat in a consistent and healthy manner. One of my clients who recently went through gastric bypass recently revealed to me "I wish I would've tried this before I went through with the surgery. I know it would have worked." That really says it all. If you know of someone who is considering weight loss surgery and feels that they have "tried everything", I assure you that they haven't. Please pass this article along to them.
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Use full body movements over smaller isolated moves in the beginning. To burn the most calories pick exercises that pack more muscle behind the movements. It's simple; the more muscle you put behind a movement with the proper amount of resistance will burn lots of calories. Balance out your movements with opposing movements. I'm sure you do not want to injure yourself right? Then adding this simple concept to your training can help you burn tons of calories and help you structure your training plan to get rid of the fat for good. Move in all directions. Using a movement map such as the 'Primal movement patterns' can help you pick exercises in a balanced format. Using lateral movements and rotational as well the many others that are mapped out help prepare your body for other activities in the future. Train at a comfortable speed at first. Starting with a slow tempo is going to increase the safety of your exercises and allow you to learn better form. You want to ensure you train for a long time so, take your time at first. When you feel ready, play with different tempos. Different speeds can help develop different aspects of strength. It will also add to your athleticism and help you in other areas of fitness.
It is important to consider to eventually moving into other areas of fitness and playing other activities and sports. Use resistance training as one of your foundational methods for creating fat loss and burning calories. To create a solid program and get maximum results, seek education through qualified professional.
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Consuming less energy than we burn we result in our needing to burn stored energy (sugar or fat) to make up the difference. Conversely, consuming more energy than we burn will result in our storing the additional energy in our liver or cells as either sugar (Glycogen) or fat. Glycogen is stored in the Liver and Muscle cells, while Fat is stored in Adipocytes or Fat cells. Our body's Primary and Preferred source of Energy is Glycogen or Sugar. In fact, some processes can only use Glycogen (Anaerobic exercise, Brain, Nerve, Red Blood and White Blood Cells can only use Glycogen as fuel). Therefore, we must use up our stored Glycogen before we can start burning stored fat. However, once Glycogen stores have been exhausted, glucose will start to be synthesized from proteins in a process called Gluconeogenesis. This means we may be Breaking Down our own Muscle cells to make Glycogen. If we are restricting our intake of carbohydrates, the only way to prevent the breakdown of our muscles is to consume adequate amounts of Protein to convert into Glucose. This process continues for about 24-48 hours until our body can begin the process of Ketosis. Ketosis is a chemical process which results in the Brain being able to use stored Fat as fuel. It is designed to help save our Vital Muscle Mass, such as our Heart! We do not want to lose weight by losing Muscle, we want to Lose Fat. Our body likes stored energy, especially fat. Our body's mechanisms and processes have not caught up to life in a modern 21st century society. It is always preparing for the famine it still believes can happen at any moment. Therefore, if we cut the Calories we consume by about 10% or more for more than 2 days in a row, our body will believe there is a Famine and it will go into starvation mode. This means our body will start to cut out processes it considers non-essential for survival and lower our overall Metabolism (the rate at which our body burns energy or Calories) by about 10%. Once we have used up our stored Glycogen, our body will also begin to burn Fat and Muscle. It will turn Muscle into Gylcogen at approximately the same rate it burns Fat. So until we enter Ketosis, for every pound of Fat we burn, we can lose up to 1lb of Muscle. Our body can either store excess energy primarily via the action of the hormone Insulin or it can release stored energy via the hormone Glucagon. Our pancreas will secrete either Insulin or Glucagon. It can not do both at the same time. So we cannot release Fat in the presence of Available Blood Sugar.
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When our blood sugar rises, our body produces Insulin to facilitate the uptake of the excess blood sugar and blood fats to our muscles and liver. When this happens our body will not be able to burn any energy stored as a form of Glucose or fat. So it will be impossible to lose Fat while the level of our Blood Sugar is high and this process is occurring. In order to get our body to release stored energy, our level of Blood Sugar must remain below the level necessary to induce the production of Insulin. This will stimulate the production of the hormone, Glucagon. Glucagon facilitates the release of stored sugars (Glycogen) and fats from our cells and liver. Eating infrequent large meals or meals containing a high percentage of simple carbohydrates will cause the level of our blood sugar to rise very high, very quickly. This will cause Insulin to be released. There is only one natural way to get rid of fat. That is to burn it. Without going into Ketosis, there is only one place to burn fat and that is in a Muscle cell. Keeping your body in a state of Ketosis for an extended period of time is not considered Healthy by many leading health experts. Therefore, Low Carb diets are not recommended by them.
Therefore, we can help ourselves burn fat by working with these very principles which regulate its Storage and Release in the first place. All we have to do is be Mindful of Why we are Eating, When we are Eating and How we are Eating. And do the Following: In order to Gain Muscle and Lose Bodyfat, we also need to reduce our levels of Stress and Sleep deeper and longer. Let's look more closely at these two Concepts: Stress: Even Today, Our Pre-Historic body knows only two kinds of Stress: Getting enough to Eat and Avoiding Being Eaten. 100,000 years ago, this was just about All the Stress there was in our great great....grandfather's/grandmother's lives. And the only response they had to it was Fight or Flight. In order to better prepare us to be successful at Fighting or Escaping, our body learned to do the following:
Become Mentally more Alert Dilate our Pupils and Make Vision and Hearing more Acute Increase our Circulation and Respiration Inhibit our Digestion & Shunt the extra Blood Supply to our Muscles Constrict Blood Vessels in many parts of the body Raise Blood Sugar Levels and Release Insulin Dilate the Blood Vessels in our Muscles Inhibit our Tear Glands and Salivation Relax our Bladder and Colon Inhibit Erections Release Adrenaline, Noradrenaline and Cortisol
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The benefits for survival for most of these responses are obvious. However, the adverse affects of the Long Term Elevation of the Hormones associated with these responses is just now being understood. Adrenaline increases the heart rate and force of heart contractions, facilitates blood flow to the muscles and brain, causes relaxation of smooth muscles, helps with conversion of glycogen to glucose in the liver, and other activities. Noradrenaline has strong vasoconstrictive effects, thus increasing blood pressure. So long term elevated levels of these two Hormones would seem to be associated with our Heart working much harder than it should be and certain organs receiving less than the optimal Blood Supply. It would also seem to make burning Fat more difficult since it keeps our Glucose levels higher than normal. Cortisol is also involved in determining how the body Metabolizes Proteins, Carbohydrates and Fats. Long Tern Elevated levels of Cortisol would seem to imply our body will not be processing our Nutrients as it should. It has also been linked to Impaired Cognitive Performance, Suppressed thyroid function, Blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia, Decreased bone density, a Decrease in muscle tissue, Higher blood pressure, Lowered Immunity and Inflammatory responses in the body, as well as other health consequences, Increased abdominal fat, which is associated with a greater amount of health problems than fat deposited in other areas of the body. Being in a Fight or Flight response mode, or in a sort of Pre-Fight or Flight mode, means we are looking for, and indeed, maybe even expecting Trouble. Trouble is what is suppose to happen. That is why we are primed to look for it and that is why we are in the state we are in. We do not need our Rational Mind, Our Heart and our Conscience to beat a Snake or run away from a Sabre Tooth Tiger. Indeed, they will probably even get in our way! In my humble opinion, being in such a state makes it harder for us to listen to our Hearts and our Conscience or to take the time to figure things out. So, if this affects our ability to look at the Bright Side, be Understanding or Forgiving, Generous, etc. would you be surprised? To quote a couple of popular songs: "What's Love Got to Do with It" and "I know What I was Feeling; but, What was I Thinking." I will even go so far as to say we are addicted to Stress. Is it Now a coincidence that Violent Movies/VIdeo Games and Scary Movies/Video Games are the most popular? When a person watches one of these movies/video games, the better the movie/game, the more he/she becomes involved in a Fight or Flight Reality more Real than their present lives.. Their responses will be proportional to their involvement.
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This Cannot be Good for the Person involved. And it Cannot be Good for a Society where a Majority of it's people are living this way. Sleep: Sleep is when (or perhaps Where) your body repairs itself and builds new Muscle. With the Right Stimuli during our awake time, more sleep can mean more Muscle (and less Fat in the long run). It is relatively easy to make your sleep time result in Fat Loss. Sleep is also where we work out things which happened during the day and remain unresolved (perhaps that why a lack of sleep makes us more irritable. It leaves more things unresolved and un-accepted). Thus, during Sleep, we can lower our Stress levels by waking up with less unresolved and un-accepted issues in our minds. There have also been new studies which show that people who get less than 5 hours of sleep each night are more overweight than those who get 8 hours. The less sleep group higher levels of Ghrelin in their blood. Ghrelin is a hormone produced in the stomach that sends out hunger signals to the brain, which then makes you feel hungry. They also had lower levels of Leptin. Leptin is another appetite-regulating hormone. It's produced by fat cells and delivers satiation signals to the brain. The particular hormonal ratio of high Ghrelin/low Leptin was probably making the less sleep group eat more often and in greater amounts. A University of Chicago study found that people who slept less than 4 hours actually had increased levels of the hormones Cortisol and Insulinwhich are linked to a difficulty in processing Carbohydrates. Of course, we don't know if the increased levels of Cortisol and Insulin are involved in causing the poor sleeping patterns or the result of the them. In any case, remember, Exercising can help you sleep longer and deeper. Practicing an Internal Art such as Yoga, Qi Gong, Meditation (Concentration), Taijiquan (Tai Chi) or I Liq Chuan can also help. They have All been shown to help reduce Stress and its accompanying Hormones, which are linked to increased levels of Body fat. So What should I Do? I'm Glad you asked? Learn an Internal Art which cultivates in you a Healthy Body, as well as, Mindfulness, Willpower, Love, Peace, Tranquility, Compassion, Kindness, Generosity and Forgiveness. Yoga, Taijiquan (Tai Chi), Meditation, Qigong, True Martial Arts are all means to This End. They All Promote a Healthy Body and a Healthy Mind with a Positive Outlook.
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Forego the pasta, potato or rice at your evening meals for lean proteins like fowl or fish, along with a side dish of veggies. Or enjoy your favorite protein shake recipe. Okay, maybe not your favorite if your favorite contains a lot of simple carbs, but you get the idea. 3. Too Much of the Wrong Type of Cardio. What happens to the guy or gal who performs 1-2 hours of cardio a day? (We know you're out there!) They send their body into a tailspin, a state where the "starvation hormones" secreted by the body skyrocket (it's your body's survival mechanism, a response to too much exercise!) causing fat cells to try to hoard their energy! Too much cardio will eat away at muscle tissue, causing your metabolism to slow down and your body to start storing fat. In other words, the exact opposite of what you are trying to accomplish. Substitute shorter duration, high intensity interval training for the slow, long duration cardio you've been doing and watch your metabolism get a boost as you burn more fat in less time. Just check out marathon runners' Is that the body you want? I didn't think so. Try switching up your cardio to contain more high intensity interval training. It will a. b. c. d. Burn more calories by elevating your metabolism so you lose fat faster Increase your power Increase your speed Increase your endurance
No matter what your fitness goals, HIIT is one of the best ways of helping you achieve them. And the variations are endless. You can vary the training parameters (exercise to rest ratio, number of intervals) to make the workouts harder or easier, depending on what you are trying to accomplish. You can also use any number of exercises for your training, such as cycling, sprinting, treadmill, elliptical trainers, jump rope, rope climbing, hill sprints, and more. Don't continue doing endless hours of aerobics that aren't helping you reach your goals anyway. Get more out of your cardio workouts by performing interval training. Luckily for me, I have a hill just down the road that is perfect for interval training. I jog over to the hill.
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This takes about 4 - 5 minutes and serves perfectly as my warm up. Then I sprint up the hill to the top. This takes me about 15 - 20 seconds. I turn around and walk back down, which serves as my rest interval. I then repeat for a certain number of intervals and the jog (or walk) home serves as my cool down. Another great interval training program is jump rope. You may need to practice a bit on this one. After a brief warm up, I will jump rope as fast as I can for about 10-20 seconds, followed by a slower cadence for about half a minute. This form of interval training is brutal and will get your heart rate up fast! You won't last long on this program. Always warm up before starting your intervals. If you're not in the best of shape break into it lightly, starting with more low or moderate intensity cardio. You might also want to check with your doctor. No sense in getting hurt right when you start your interval training. 4. Cycling Your Calories. I've mentioned cycling your calories in a previous article but here's an example again so you know what I am talking about. Don't forget the numbers are for the example only. You'll need to adjust the calorie number to what's appropriate for you. Day 1 - 2,600 Day 2 - 2,500 Day 3 - 2,400 Day 4 - 2,300 Day 5 - 2,200 Day 6 - 2,100 Day 7 - 2,000 Day 8 - 2,500 Day 9 - 2,400 Day 10 - 2,300 Day 11 - 2,200 Day 12 - 2,100 Day 13 - 2,000 Day 14 - 1,900 Day 15 - 2,400 Day 16 - 2,300 Day 17 - 2,200 Day 18 - 2,100 Day 19 - 2,000 Day 20 - 1,900 Day 21 - 1,800
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At this point, I will take a look at my progress (using body fat calipers, the scale and the weight increases on my exercises) and then devise a new plan for the next three weeks. The cycling of calories in this manner is good both for building muscle and losing fat. How high you start and how low you go depends both on your goals (building muscle or losing fat) and your individual metabolism. If you are building muscle you don't want to make your low days too low. You just want to have some slightly lower calorie days so that you keep fat gain to a minimum as you add muscle. For losing fat, you don't want your high days too high (for obvious reasons) but you also don't want your low days too low, otherwise you will lose lean muscle and put your body into starvation mode, which will cause it to slow your metabolism down and store fat - two big no no's. If the weight stops coming off, don't always go lower on calories but consider increasing your cardio training (or just increasing the intensity of the time that you do your cardio - the more intense it is, the more calories you burn during the same amount of time). You still need to be careful with the amount of food you eat when you do this. After all, it doesn't take too much to completely wipe out that week's progress. 5. Eat Whole Natural Foods: Stay away from all processed foods. And while protein shakes and meal replacements can really help you get the nutritious calories you need (not to mention the convenience) don't go overboard. Get most of your calories from whole natural foods like vegetables, meats, oils, eggs and whole grains. This is all pretty basic stuff. The problem is that most people think basic won't work so they go searching from one gimmick to the next, never really making any progress. Then they quit out of frustration without giving what really works a chance. How many people do you know that want to know how to lose weight and have tried all these weight loss tips and stuck with them? I bet not many. If you want to know how to lose weight, go ahead and give these weight loss tips a try and see if you don't lose fat, build muscle and develop a lean sexy body with six-pack abs in no time.
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This weight training program will be a serious shock to your system. It's nothing like the bodybuilding programs you see everyone else in your gym doing. Not even close. In fact, I would bet you've never seen one person in your gym train on this routine. But, hey, how many of them have you seen lose fat or gain mass quickly or, for that matter, make any positive changes in their body recently?
When you can easily complete eight sets of eight reps, it's time to up the weight at the next workout. Obviously, you won't be training to failure on most of your sets. Most likely you'll only do so on the last set or two of each. However, you will be training like you've never trained before. This routine is brutal on your body and, especially, on your mind. This is even more true on the big compound exercises, like dips, deadlifts, squats and bent over rows. Don't think you can handle this intense muscle building weight lifting routine? You could start out by applying this technique to one body part. If you are going to do that, you'll want to cut back on the rest of your training. Also, if you want results, you'll perform the routine on the big muscles, like the back, and not use it just for biceps. This is what I usually do. I'll perform the 8 x 8 routine on one body part at a time. It's a great way to keep your routine fresh and prevent burnout. Here's an example of a complete routine: Day 1 Chest Decline Bench Press 8 x 8 Decline DB Flyes 8 x 8 Dips 8 x 8 Shoulders Dumbbell Upright Rows 8 x 8 Bent Over Lateral Raises 8 x 8 Day 2 Legs Leg Press 8 x 8 Leg Extensions 8 x 8 Leg Curls 8 x 8 Standing Calf Raises 8 x 8
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Day 3 Back Two-dumbbell Rows 8 x 8 Dumbbell or Machine Pullovers 8 x 8 Lat Pulldowns 8 x 8 Abs Weighted Crunches 8 x 8 Day 4 Triceps Tricep Pressdowns 8 x 8 Overhead Extensions 8 x 8 Biceps Barbell Curls 8 x 8 Incline DB Curls 8 x 8 For many of you, even fewer sets may be more effective, as you can quickly overtrain on a program like this. I don't recommend performing this weight training routine for more than 4 - 5 weeks before taking a complete week of rest from the gym. Keep in mind that weightlifting workouts like this are a great way to quickly build muscle but it's also a great way to lose fat, completely change the shape of your body, and keep the fat off. Weight lifting is much more effective for fat loss than aerobics or dieting alone.
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Too much cardio will eat away at muscle tissue, causing your metabolism to slow down and your body to start storing fat. In other words, the exact opposite of what you are trying to accomplish. Substitute shorter duration, high intensity interval training for the slow, long duration cardio you've been doing and watch your metabolism get a boost as you burn more fat in less time. 4. Never "Cheating" on Your Diet. Once in a while you should let loose and give yourself a break from the rigors of dieting and scale watching. In fact, it's helpful in losing weight. That's because continual dieting eventually leads to roadblocks where the body responds by slowing its metabolic rate. Strict dieting also takes its toll on you mentally, and can leave you feeling deprived. That's a bad combination! Taking in a couple of high calorie meals once every 710 days not only provides a mental break from dieting, but helps you side-step roadblocks by preventing the body from entering a starvation state where the metabolic rate slows. While understanding how to get rid of love handles it's important to realize that you still need to be careful with the amount of food you eat when you do this. After all, it doesn't take too much to completely wipe out that week's progress. Look, if you want to know how to get rid of love handles, focus on the fundamentals of fat loss. Forget about whether supplement a is better than supplement b or if turkey is better than chicken or should you have whey protein with casein or take them separately. If you aren't doing the fundamentals of how to get rid of love handles correctly, these things just don't matter. This goes back to a previous article I wrote where I stated that things such as narrow grip, wide grip, etc. won't mean a thing if there are major flaws in the fundamentals of your training program. Master the fundamentals first! The fundamentals of how to get rid of love handles include:
Weight Training - you gotta lift weights Burn more calories than you consume Eat 5-6 small, frequent meals and never skip meals Take in a few tablespoons of good fats such as flax seed or sunflower Eat natural foods; avoid processed & refined foods Drink a lot of water Eat more fibrous carbs, fruits & vegetables, Consume at least 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass Perform high intensity cardio
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If you're not doing all these things, and you're looking for the perfect supplement stack or the optimum periodization plan, then you are just setting yourself up for failure from the beginning. Learning how to get rid of love handles does not include these things. They just keep you from taking action. Don't get me wrong, the little details can help, especially when you are at that point where you almost have the body you want. But if you put the details ahead of the fundamentals, you are not going to get the results you are hoping for with your program. So now you've learned the basics of how to get rid of love handles. Now take action on the knowledge!
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1 serving of a post-workout supplement 1 serving Creatine (I use Creasol by Muscle Link, available on A1Supplements.com) 1 cup frozen fruit (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries)
Mix in a blender. You can alter how much of the powder and fruit you use to get the appropriate number of calories you want.
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Or you can try this version of the muscle building fat burning post-workout shake:
1 1/2 cups of Orange Juice 40 grams of whey protein isolate (I use vanilla, strawberry, or fruit flavored) 1 serving Creatine (I use Creasol by Muscle Link, available on A1Supplements.com) 1 cup frozen fruit (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries)
You can alter this any number of ways to suit your taste buds. You could add banana, or even some yogurt, which will also make the shake a little thicker in its consistency. One thing I've found that has helped my progress is to add a few more calories than I normally would and then drink part of the smoothie right before my workout, or even sip some of it during my workout so my muscles are constantly getting the nutrients they need, both to power my workout and to recover from it. If your goal is purely burning fat, you don't have to add more calories, just have about a third of your shake before your workout and the rest as soon as you've finished your training session. Consider creating your own pre and post-workout muscle building smoothies so you can start adding new muscle mass and burning fat fast.
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It does not offer the progressive increase in resistance that is needed in order to build and maintain strong bones. Progressive overload forces the body to adapt to increased strain it faces, creating stronger bones and muscles. Weight training and cardio work trumps yoga in every aspect related to weight loss. Opt for an exercise programme that incorporates resistance training and cardio training as its main elements. You can throw in a couple of sessions of Yoga a week in order to increase overall activity, but it should not be the cornerstone of any fitness regime that has fat loss as a serious goal.
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You weigh more now than when you did in college? You can't fit into your "good" or "skinny" clothes? Your doctor told you that you have high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, or some other health reason and she wants you to drop some pounds? You have a school reunion soon? You have a big event such as a wedding or prom? You don't like what you see in the mirror? You can't do the physical activities you want to do? You just don't feel good!?
These are all valid reasons for you to get down to a healthy, realistic weight for yourself! The most important secret is the one I will give you right now. And it is so simple you'll say, "I know that already!" or "that will never work!" (Trust me, it WILL work!) Ready for the secret? The key is that starting now you will not be on a diet, but rather, you will modify your lifestyle to eat and act like the healthy person you want to become. And you will continue to do this for the rest of your life! That's it! If you stopped reading now and just took that one secret - you'll be a changed person! The reason this is so powerful is because this is a new life-style change you will make. And the choices that go along with this new lifestyle will all be made from a position of strength, not weakness! You will be in complete control and you will not be a victim where food wins! I said it was simple, but I didn't say it was easy! Absolutely, you will be faced with hard choices throughout the year, month and even on a daily basis. But once you understand you are in control, and once you have a clear understanding of what your goals are, it will become simply a matter of making the right choice when you come to a fork in the road. There are two phases of this new life-style change for you:
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1. Getting down to the weight you want to be 2. Maintaining that weight Let's Start With Phase One: Keep in mind that excess calories, whether they come from eating too much, food that is too high in calories, or not burning up the excess calories by incorporating the needed movement, will put on the extra pounds of fat . It comes down to a mathematical equation: 3500 calories will either make or break a pound of fat. (That means to loose a pound of fat you either have to burn up 3500 calories or reduce your consumption by 3500 calories. The same goes for gaining excess fat - if you eat 3500 calories more than you need, you will gain weight.) So depending on how much weight you need to now lose, this means that you must somehow get rid of 3500 calories per pound of fat you want to lose. You can do it anyway you like, but studies have consistently shown if you do a combination of increasing exercise and decreasing consumption - you'll be better off! Also, an important fact to note: The more muscle you have - the more calories you burn even just sitting here reading this report! So, I always suggest to my clients to be sure to get enough exercise so they are more metabolically active than if they didn't do any exercise. Now, Let's Get to Phase Two: 1. EAT SLOWLY: Decide that you are worth (a minimum of) 20 minutes per meal to just sit, relax and enjoy your food. If you eat in less than 20 minutes your brain does not have time to register that you have eaten. You may eat beyond fullness before the rising blood sugar level can send your brain the "full" message to tell you to stop eating. Try timing yourself to be sure you take 20 minutes. 2. EAT WITHOUT EXTERNAL DISTRACTIONS: Eat in a peaceful environment without T.V., reading, doing office work or having upsetting conversations. If you can't give up these distractions and eating at the same time, notice your resistance to change. Try eating one meal in total quiet or just with soft music. Notice if any feelings come up for you around just being with your food and being fully aware of the mechanics of eating and what you're eating. Do you pay more attention to the tastes? Do you enjoy that particular dish? Does eating bore you?... 3. EAT WHILE YOU ARE SITTING DOWN: Are there certain foods that you are more likely to eat standing up or lying on the floor or couch? (Cookies, chips, etc.) Notice that you never eat broccoli lying on
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the sofa. Some people eat in the car, in front of the 'fridge, or walking down the street. Thus, these relaxation activities, and/or postures become associated with eating certain (junk) foods. When these foods become part of the relaxation process, you will not feel able to relax when you are not eating these foods, even if you are not hungry. Example: You come home from work tired and stressed. You fling yourself on the couch, turn on the T.V. and devour a bag of chips to give you the strength to get up and make dinner. If you do this a few times it becomes a pattern. Here is a weight-loss strategy to try: Notice what it is like to relax or lie down, read a book, etc., without eating. Is it just as enjoyable? Consider if a glass of water or hot tea would be just as relaxing. Give it an honest try to break your habits. 4. CHOOSE ONE EATING LOCATION IN YOUR HOME OR WORK: Eat all your meals and snacks at this one location You may discover that once you formalize your chaotic eating patterns by eating at your eating place, you begin to disassociate eating with relaxation or socializing and start to eat more for nourishment. Be sure to take every meal, midnight snack, or even a simple handful of pretzels to you eating place. Notice if it takes the fun out of your "stolen" munchies. If you have to make the effort to go sit down, you may notice that you are more willing to let go of this quick enjoyment. 5. MAKE EATING A SPECIAL OCCASION: (Especially if you eat alone). Make your eating place attractive by creating a place setting. Use candles, flowers, linen, music, etc. Even if you don't do that - at least clear off the table of the past week's newspapers and mail! 6. IDENTIFY YOUR EXTERNAL FOOD CUES: If you are triggered to over eat by the sight or smell of a particular food, even when you're not hungry, you might consider the following: Drive or walk in another direction to avoid your favorite ice cream or cookie store. (Did you ever notice how you crave a Mrs. Fields cookie as soon as you see their counter?) o Don't shop for food when you are hungry- statistics show that when your are not hungry you will buy up to 20% more food, and your food choices will not be as good. o Leave the room or change the channel when food commercials come on T.V. o Time can be an external food cue as well. Do you eat because you're hungry or because it's lunch time? Do you follow a routine that triggers you to eat even if you are not hungry? 7. IDENTIFY OVER-EATING HABITS and TRY THESE STRATEGIES:
o
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Remove leftovers from the table immediately to avoid picking. Cut back on baking deserts for your family. Discover other ways to show your love for them, such as taking walks or spending more time doing activities together. o Portion out everyone's food from the kitchen when they first sit down. Family style serving often leads to overeating. o Have your partner or kids buy or make their own snacks if they want high fat/sugar. When you find yourself saying "I must buy brownies for the kids" know that in fact you are buying them for yourself! 8. IDENTIFY RESTAURANT AND SPECIAL OCCASION OVER-EATING HABITS: o Alcoholic drinks before your meal often lead to overeating as well as "empty calories". o Identify eating companions who trigger you to overeat or emotionally eat. It may require you to find other social activities with these companions than eating. o Assertive behavior may be necessary with people who want you to eat for their sake or because "they made it just for you", "it's only a little piece", "how often do you get to eat this"? They may act offended, but remember it's your body and you are in charge. If nothing else works tell them you are allergic to it! o Before going out to a meal, imagine yourself as only eating what you want and taking the rest home in a doggie-bag. Seeing yourself doing this before hand will make the action easier. You can enjoy the meal twice by having the leftovers again tomorrow! o When your food first arrives at the table, divide it in half. Make a conscious decision that after you eat half the food you will re-evaluate how you feel, wait five minutes and then decide if you want anymore. o If you think you might be full but aren't sure, stop and wait five minutes before another bite. o Have the waiter clear your plate as soon as you know you are through eating. o Visualize what a naturally thin person would do before you go to a restaurant. Imagine yourself doing that. Re-program your brain as if you already think and act like a thin person and your body will follow. o At holidays, weddings, parties and other social gatherings decide to choose five things you really like and eat only those. Prior to going out for the evening, imagine yourself doing the above suggestion and you will leave the party feeling light and energetic instead of stuffed! o Notice what it feels like to go out with your friends and focus on the conversation and companionship as the main event, rather that the eating.
o o
GIVE IT A TRY AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT YOU WON'T BE IMAGINING THAT YOU ARE A THIN, HEALTHY PERSON - YOU WILL BE A THIN, HEALTHY PERSON!
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parents tend to have inactive children. Be a healthy, active role model for your children. Here's a great story to share on this point. My six year old daughter had a friend over for a play date. My husband came home early from work so I could get a workout in with one of my trainers. I was saying good-bye to my daughter and her friend. My daughter's friend asked, "where's your mom going?". As natural as could be my daughter said, "my mom's going to workout". Perplexed her little friend said, "what does that mean?". I wish you could have seen the look on my daughter's face when her friend asked this simple but what appeared to be odd question. The point of this story - my "working out" or setting a healthy example is normal in our house. My husband and I are role models for our kids and our kids know that my husband and I make exercise and healthy eating a part of our lives. Do your kids know what exercise is? Do your kids see you make exercise, and a healthy active life style a priority? 3. Don't talk about Dieting Do you talk about dieting around your kids? Don't! Instead educate your kids on foods that provide important nutrients they need for building strong bones and healthy bodies. Teach them that the colorful packages that claim to promote good nutrition are not always the healthiest choices. A parent's job is to ignore the marketing and look to the back and teach your kids about what to look for. A great example of this is "low sugar" versions of popular kid's cereals. Oftentimes at a close look you can easily see that serving sizes are made smaller to make the nutritional values appear better. It is a parent's job to educate themselves and their children about these marketing tactics and teach kids how to maintain a healthy diet. 4. Take the Lead Learn how and educate your kids on ingredient lists. Words like hydrogenated oil, high fructose corn syrup and "enriched" signify harmful fats and empty calories. Also pay close attention to sugar and portion sizes. Even something that appears to be healthy, like yogurt for example, can be packed full of sugar. 5. Eat Family Meals at Home Sharing meals together at home provides more opportunities for you to model healthy behaviors. Your preparation of healthy foods and beverage choices will have a much more positive influence on your children than any other attempt you make to control what they eat or drink. In conclusion, there are many behaviors that parents need to adjust to encourage kids to be healthy and the points discussed in this article are just a few.
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Childhood obesity is reaching epidemic levels. Portion sizes, mystery ingredients and marketing are all to blame but this mom and fitness professional believes the parents are where this dramatic increase in unhealthy, inactive, overweight and obese children begins. Over 25 million kids face a future potentially plagued by diabetes, high cholesterol and other health problems. It's time that we, as parents, change the future of our children and in the process create healthy families who continue to pass the healthy and active mind set down from generation to generation. If we all do this - we will have healthy generations to come.
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them. You must give it your all. If you are reading this article chances are you have extra fat you wish to loose. Cortisol management is a huge step in doing that. Take the following stress reducing techniques to heart. You only have fat to loose! The leading researchers all agree on the number one way to manage stress. SLEEP!!! This is something that none of us get enough of. It is, however, the number one way to lower stress and reduce Cortisol levels. We need good quality sleep. Six hours of sound REM sleep is better than ten hours of tossing and turning. Be sure to get quality sleep as many nights as possible. You will notice the difference in your belly. The second most important thing to do is exercise. When I exercise regularly, I feel more relaxed, less irritable, less cranky, and ultimately less stress. Periods in my life when I have neglected exercise, the opposite is true. Give yourself 3-5 hours of exercise a week. That's all it takes. The third way to reduce stress is recovery. By recovery I mean recovery from exercise. It is possible to exercise too much. Be sure to give your body ample rest time between workouts. Also, be sure not to overdo yourself during your workout. 35-40 minutes a day is plenty if it is done correctly. Lastly, take some time throughout the day to just relax. Take 10-15 minutes to lay back, close your eyes, maybe turn off the lights or listen to some comforting music. This may sound hokey but it works. All research shows that this simple technique reduces stress by considerable amounts. If it is applied with all of the above techniques, you will notice reduced Cortisol levels by the reduction of the fat on your tummy. You may be wondering, ?Why cant I just take one of those pills I see on TV?? Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Cortisol is a part of the Endocrine system. The Endocrine system controls all of the hormones in the human body. This means that they are all interrelated. The supplements you see on TV attack Cortisol and Cortisol alone. Eliminating Cortisol chemically will cause other hormones to be out of whack. This is because those hormones have an inverse relationship. By chemically altering Cortisol, you could be putting yourself in serious danger by causing other hormone levels to spin out of control. This could have a major impact on your health. While managing Cortisol naturally is not the fat loss magic bullet we would all love to have, it does play a significant role and cannot be ignored. By controlling stress and thereby controlling Cortisol, you greatly increase your chances to have that lean, fit body you dream of. Remember to incorporate the stress reducing techniques above into an effective weight training, cardiovascular, and eating program.
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and make your body a fat storing machine. I put the emphasis on small (meals) because portion control is so important. If you eat five large, calorie dense meals, you will gain weight. Keep portions to the size of your fist. Three of the meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) should consist of a lean protein, starchy carb, and fibrous carb. The other two meals should be light snacks (fruit, yogurt, protein bars/shakes, tuna and crackers, cottage cheese, nuts, etc.) One of these meals should fall between breakfast and lunch, and the other between lunch and dinner. Remember, lean proteins are building blocks of the muscle the will raise your BMR. Starchy carbs (whole grain breads, corn, oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.) are the energy your body MUST have to take part in an intense exercise regimen. Fibrous carbs (Vegetables) provide the body with essential vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants that aid in tissue repair and bolstering the immune system. Lastly, stay away from simple sugars (sweets, desserts, etc.). THEY MAKE PEOPLE FAT!!!!!!!!! Also, greatly limit your intake of saturated fat. Get your fat from healthy fats such as olive oil, nuts, coconut oil, avocados, etc. You should keep your water intake high. Aim for 1/2 ounce of water per pound of body weight. If you weigh 170 lbs you should drink 85 oz. of water per day. Be sure to allow yourself one cheat day a week. This is the day you get to eat ANYTHING you want. Just keep it to one day a week. Go nuts!! These are the basics. If you have any questions or need further help feel free to contact Fitness Together. Cardiovascular exercise Cardiovascular (aerobic) activities are easily the most common and popular form of exercise. This includes walking, running, cycling, elliptical machine, some sports, swimming, etc. While it is the most popular, you would be shocked how often it is neglected. Aerobic exercise serves so many wonderful and life-changing purposes. First, aerobic exercise keeps your heart and respiratory system working efficiently. This means a longer life. One of the hearts main functions is to pump rich, oxygenated blood to the body. Your body needs this oxygenated blood to function. If there are blockages in the arteries then the heart cannot work as it should. If you have a high resting heart rate or your heart does not recover quickly after exercise, you may have this problem. Healthy eating and regular cardiovascular exercise WILL reverse these blockages. Studies have shown that people who regularly participate in aerobic exercise throughout their lives, live longer. If you have family, friends, or co-workers who care about you, you owe it to them. They are reason enough to do it. The blood also delivers nutrients throughout the body. The body needs protein, carbs, fats, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants for the reasons described above. You need your
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heart to be capable of delivering these nutrients as the body is calling for them. An inefficient heart will be unable to do this. Cardiovascular exercise also BURNS FAT!!! While enduring an intense cardio session, your body calls upon fat for energy. Your body will burn fat while the cardio session is going on and for a little while after. Approximately one hour after the cardio session has ended, the fat burning will stop. That is what separates aerobic activity and resistance training. Resistance training results in 24-hour fat burning while cardio results in short bursts of fat burning. Thats why they must BOTH be done. Remember, proper aerobic activity involves a sustained elevation of the heart rate. While performing aerobic exercise, you want your heart rate to cross into YOUR target heart rate zone (THZ) and keep it there for a period of time (usually 25 to 45 minutes). Many people take part in activities that they think are cardio intensive but fall short. Some examples are slow walking, a light game of tennis, walking the golf course, cleaning house, etc. These are great activities but do not confuse them with aerobic or cardio sessions. I suggest that anybody truly interested in being healthy and fit purchase a heart rate monitor so they can be assured that they are getting the most out of their cardio session. Below is the equation used to calculate target heart rate: 220 - Age = Maximum Heart Rate (Your heart rate should NEVER exceed this number) Maximum Heart Rate X .55 = low end of THZ Maximum Heart Rate X .85 = high end of THZ Example: 50 years old 220 ? 50 = 170 (Maximum Heart Rate) 170 x .55 = 93.5 170 x .85 = 144.5 93.5 ? 144.5 is the THZ You want to fluctuate all around this THZ. Some days keep your heart rate around 95 beats per minute (BPM); some days keep it around 120BPM, and some days around 140BPM. This will keep your body from adapting and plateauing. Lastly, you want to keep your intensity level high whenever you exercise. We all face tough, exhausting days but that is when intense exercise will do us the most good. Too often we complete a weight training or cardio session by simply going through the motions until it is FINALLY over. This will get you nowhere. What if you approached
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your job, school, or family this same way? What kind of success would you have? Treat your health the same way, it is just as important. The above information may or may not seem basic but it is extremely important. Following this prescription will ensure success. We work with over eighty clients at Fitness Together. Those clients who subscribe to the Synergy theory and apply it, have 100% success rates. Baring some sort of metabolic disease, this is the answer to the weight loss riddle, the magic bullet if you will. If you are already applying this information, congratulations! You have either attained success, or success awaits you. If you have not yet been able to combine resistance training, cardiovascular exercise, and supportive nutrition, hang in there. Focus on one element at a time. Once it becomes a habit, implement the next until it becomes a habit, and so on. Remember, this is a marathon not a sprint. You are looking to make a lifestyle change not overnight weight loss.
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journal. If you are reading this article and saying to your self, ?I can't keep up with a journal or I don't have time for that?. Look around you, how organized is the rest of your life. If the answer is not at all, then that very well could be the problem. If you are organized but find it hard to maintain a journal, then maybe it is question of priorities. You have to make your health a top priority. Give yourself time to do so. In closing, I am very proud of each of you who have made fitness a part of your life. My challenge to you now is get a nutrition journal (if you are a Fitness Together client you already have one) and USE IT! Use it everyday. Nobodys perfect, and your diet won't be either. But we should always strive for perfection. If you fall a little short, so what. You are still way ahead of the game.
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"Is Your Weight Loss Program Failing You? 5 Strategies to Ensure Your Results"
By Jason Zaretzky
Are you failing at your program, or is your program failing you? In todays society it is a known fact that we have an obesity problem. The funny thing is that there is huge fitness craze going on as well. There are Health clubs and weight loss centers on almost every street corner and everyone I know currently does some form of exercise with the goal of losing weight. If diet and exercise is the answer to losing weight, and if the majority of the population participates in exercise, than why are we still fat? Is it because people dont have the discipline to follow a program? Are the people who cant get results from these programs made differently than those who reap the benefits of diet and exercise? Maybe, Maybe Not! Or maybe its the current weight loss and diet programs that are failing us. In other words It is flawed technology! In a recent study 96% of all weight loss programs failed to help even those already fit lose weight and keep it off. The study also showed that 95% of all people who lost weight gained the weight back at an alarming rate. In the media today you are bombarded with weight loss programs that are filled with BS and big promises to give you the ripped abs youve always wanted, or those trim buns, hips, and thighs never thought imaginable. These programs are backed with brilliant marketing ads and commercials to keep you confused, Thats their intention. They change the perception of their product to make you believe its something its not. Here is an example: Go to your local supermarket and grab a bottle of Slim-Fast (a proven weight loss drink). Now walk over to the beverage isle and pick up a Yoo-Hoo. Now compare the food labels of each one. Curious to see what youll find? Ill tell ya! That can of Slim-Fast that guarantees to be the answer to all your weigh loss needs turns out to be nothing more than a more expensive version of your classic Yoo-hoo. The ingredients are primarily the same. What about exercise? Here is another example: Summer time is around the corner and you have to have that beach ready body. You rush over to the store and pick up the latest edition of muscle & fiction magazine. Right there on the cover in big bold red letters it states, Ripped Abs in 15 days. The media now has your attention and has you thinking that all you have to do is buy this magazine, perform the routine in this article for the next 15 days, and you will have an amazing set of washboard abs. So you begin the routine and after the first 5 days you see a whole inch come off your waist. However, on day 8 only inch, and by day 15 you find your waist measurement is right back to where you started without any chiseled six pack. Why is this? It was flawed technology. The program guaranteed results with exercise alone. They misled you into believing that all
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you have to do is the exercise program provided. But they lied. Exercise is only one piece of the puzzle. In order to achieve weight loss and to keep it off the common approach has obviously failed you, but thats not the main problem. The major problem is that you dont realize that its the program that lacks results. Instead you believe that it is YOU that fails the program, so you end up thinking your helpless and give up all together. We are gonna change that! Now that we know that its the flawed technology that has hindered you weight loss goals, lets learn how to start getting real results with your program. Here are my five no fail strategies that I implement into all of my clients fat loss programs: 1.) Eat Supportively In order to achieve the best and fastest results humanly possible, it is essential to incorporate what I call supportive nutrition. This does not mean going on the latest fad diet or going on the classic starvation diet. Supportive nutrition simply means that you have to eat to support your life-style and physical activity demands. Instead of counting calories or trying to stick a restrictive eating plan, try to consume a more balanced nutritional program that allows you to eat the foods that will support your daily energy demands and exercise goals. Here are a few general guidelines to get you started ? Try to consume a meal every 3 4 hours ? Drink your body weight in ounces of water each day ? Try to consume a protein, starchy and or fibrous carbohydrate, and a fat at every meal ? Avoid simple sugars ? Avoid / minimize saturated fats ? Eliminate hydrogenated oils ? Eliminate products made from flour (e.g. - bread, pasta, cookies, cakes, bagels etc) ? Take a multi vitamin on a daily basis ? Take 3-6 grams of fish oil/flaxseed oils daily ? Try to consume 1-2 servings or more of green tea 2.) Incorporate interval based cardio (or at least Moderate Aerobic activity) Im gonna stir gas into the fire on this one! Long steady-state aerobic activity is counter productive for fat loss. Thats right; too much steady activity will do more harm than good with regards to fat loss. Let me explain. When you perform steady-state aerobics for extended periods of time you will increase metabolic rate (burn calories), and even burn a higher percentage of calories from fat. These are both good things. However, after you stop that bout of exercise your metabolic rate goes back to the original state, and your percentage of fat calories is only relative to how many total calories you have burned. And in the long term you will actually decrease your resting metabolic rate (amount of calories burned at rest).
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For example, lets say you go out and run a mile that takes you 15 minutes. During those 15 minutes your metabolic rate increases and you burn 200 calories, with 35% of those coming from fat. Sounds pretty good doesnt it. But hold on, the next time you run that 15 minute mile you will burn only 150 calories with the same 35% coming from fat. Now you have 2 options, run longer or run faster. Option one will leave you doing endless hours of cardio in order to get the same effect, option 2 will leave you running yourself into the ground, and at some point you will have to incorporate both options. This will lead anyone to dread exercise altogether. Alternatively, if you perform an anaerobic interval based program, you can reap the same benefits plus more. First, what is anaerobic interval training? Anaerobic interval training is simply performing high intensity exercise (i.e.-sprinting as fast as possible) followed by a lower intensity exercise (i.e.-walking or jogging). Using our same 15 minute example as above, using this type of protocol you will increase your metabolic rate and burn more total calories for the duration of exercise, while using less percentage from fat. So would you rather burn 200 calories with 35 % coming from fat, or would you rather burn 300 calories coming from around 20%-25% coming from fat. On top of getting more caloric burn in the same amount of time, when you finish anaerobic interval based training your resting metabolic rate will remain elevated for 1224 hours after your done. This means that you will burn more calories throughout the day at rest resulting in more weight/fat loss. 3.) Have a concern for muscle When trying to lose fat you need to participate in a structured resistance training program. What you need to realize when it comes to fat loss is that the more muscle you have, the more fat calories you burn throughout the day. The only way to add muscle to your body is by weight lifting. That doesnt mean you need to become a professional body builder, but you do have lift weights with the intension of adding some quality dense muscle. Using a machine based program or performing single joint isolation type exercises (i.e.- bicep curls) wont cut it. The easiest way to add muscle and burn fat is by performing multi-joint movements such as squatting, lunging, bending, pushing, pulling and twisting. By using these types of movements you will get more bang for you buck, meaning you will burn more calories, increase strength, and build more muscle than any type of isolation or machine exercise. 4.) Set achievable and measurable goals Without a plan, you plan to fail. Setting an attainable goal will help motivate you as well as allow you to see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You need to set a time specific goal and plan your program around that date. This will help you monitor progress as well as keep you moving in the right direction. I see way too many people that want to lose weight become stagnate because they dont have that deadline. By giving yourself a specific time to lose X amount of weight, will keep you moving forwards without stop. 5.) Seek professional help. (For Optimal results get an Optimal program) It has shown time and time again that people who are most successful at weight loss all
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shared one thing in commonIt is one-on-one counseling from a professional such as a personal trainer. With the guidance and support of a qualified fitness professional you will ensure proper programming, implementation, and instruction of a results oriented fitness and nutrition program.
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results? Most people tend to take the easy route and buy that magazine. But if these workout programs provided results, we wouldn't have obesity problems would we. And let's not forget get that there is no magic program, you still have to get down and dirty, sweat a little bit and actually do the program. Remember Actions Speak louder than words!!! 2. Failing to plan: If You Fail To Plan, You Plan to FAIL! Just as you plan a vacation, you should do the same with your fat loss program. Flying by the seat of your pants in the gym will only hinder results. Instead, invest in a workout journal so you can keep track of all of your workouts and track your progress, or better yet have a credible fitness professional design a program for you to follow (take the guess work out of the equation). 3. Inability to stabilize blood sugar: Maintaining blood sugar levels is where success lies. When you stabilize your blood sugar you keep insulin levels in check which result in proper metabolism function, a decrease in drops in energy levels, and accelerated fat loss. Most people who consume refined carbohydrates and high amounts of simple sugars (i.e. cakes, cookies, breads, bagels, etc.) in excess will not stabilize blood sugar levels resulting in decreased metabolism, energy spikes followed by dramatic crashes, and fat gain. 4. "Soakin" up the sud's? or should I say, "you booze you lose". Consuming alcohol is many peoples biggest downfall when talking about adhering to a weight loss program. Alcohol is a toxin and when consumed it will ruin your metabolism. Alcohol is basically a simple sugar, when referring to stabilizing blood sugar; I think you get the point. A question I hear all the time is, "if I'm gonna drink tonight what's the best thing to drink without getting fat?. My answer is usually something like this, "Well if you must drink tonight? umm? DRINK WATER!!" I don't care if hard alcohol doesn't have the calories, because the fruit juice you mix the alcohol with does, and it's primarily sugar (by the way 1 ounce of hard alcohol has approximately 7 calories). And what about the rum and "diet coke?" Well the soda may not have calories (that doesn't mean it's good for you), and the rum still has a minimum of 7 calories per ounce, never minding the fact that the alcohol will convert to sugar and spike you blood sugar levels (see above). Get the point Alcohol Bad? 5. Not enough fibrous veggies: Another obvious one. I know far too many people who eat lots of leafy greens that are healthier and leaner, than those whose won't touch anything green. Green leafy veggies and most other veggies for that matter will keep you full and satisfied and provide you with nutrients you can't get else where. 6. The "one a day" body part routine: I can go on another 6 hour rant here but I'll keep it quick! Performing workout routines that bodybuilders perform made sense at
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first. However, after realizing the drug (steroid) usage and the fact that these bodybuilders have the time to spend hours in the gym due to the fact that it's basically their job (they get paid to look like that), maybe it doesn't make so much sense. Let's face it, as a whole we don't have 8 plus hours a week to workout, and if you did, your body couldn't recover from that kind of volume anyway (unless you were on drugs). Instead, we need to change our mind set anyway. Let's compare an elite athlete in any sport to a bodybuilder. The elite athlete will usually be lean and in shape the majority of the year and they usually perform whole body movement based workouts 3-4 days per week with some interval based training mixed in there. Ok, now the bodybuilder who follows a body part split routine will always be somewhere under 5% body fat for a very short amount (their in-season, usually 4 - 6 weeks). The rest of the year that bodybuilder will be fat and out of shape (their bulking season) the rest of the year. Which would you prefer? Lean and mean year round, or super lean 4- 6 weeks out of the year? 7. Failure to monitor progress: the last pitfall is ones failure to monitor progress. If you don't track progress than you can't plan ahead. In other words if you don't know how much body fat you currently have, or if you don't know what you weigh or any circumference measurements, then how will you know if you have got results or not? Remember keep that workout journal and check in at least every other week. See how much body fat, how many inches you lost, or simply how you clothes are fitting. Doing this on at least a biweekly basis will help you stay motivated, as well as ensure you program is working.
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Eat every few hours with a focus on 5 or more meals per day
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When in a rush concentrate on getting a quality meal replacement bar, shakes, or other healthy snacks Focus on protein (without the fat) intake along with fruits and vegetables Eat a healthy breakfast with carbohydrates and protein every day this starts the metabolism for the day Focus on getting stronger through weight training Understand that losing weight through increased metabolism takes time, hard work, dedication, and planning Do not diet because dieting leads a decreased metabolic rate instead focus on healthy nutritional and exercise changes
You can change your metabolism as you can see from the facts outlined above. Increasing your metabolism takes consistency, focus and a commitment to nutritional and lifestyle changes. This is a lifestyle not a diet!
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Q: I've followed most of your nutrition advice as well as purchased a few nutritional information products. I've managed to drop a good amount of weight but I have hit a wall. I decided that my carbohydrates were too low so a few weeks ago I began cycling them. I was able to drop a few more pounds but nothing great. Do you have any tips for fat loss? - Nancy A: Your problem can be answered in two simple steps. While I do suspect that you have over dieted, meaning that you dieted for too long that you need to increase your calories. This is a common issue with females but I am going to assume that is not your problem since you seem to have a good idea of correct eating. Here are two suggestions. 1) Add in more light active recovery work in. The problem with many dieters is that they simply focus on their weight training and aerobic work, nothing more. While it is true that most people over exercise, not enough people are performing light circuits on their off day or after exercise to further increase their energy usage. It is as simply as going for a walk with a weighted vest on, performing light sled pulling (I typically perform this 1 to 2 times a week at local parks) or adding in light medicine ball circuits. The med ball doesn't have to heavy, 10 or 12 pounds. An effective circuit would look like this. - Rotation throws - One arm wall bounces - Front loaded squats - Throws for distance - Side throw downs I've had my clients perform this circuit for 2-4 sets of 20 reps and have seen improved results in both fat loss and recovery. Best of all it takes about 5 minutes 2) Correct diet planning. This is another big failure for most people, even those who know that they have to eat every two hours. People just don't plan correctly. If you want to give yourself a chance at success you've got to pre-cook and pre-plan. You say that you have a good of nutritional information so I will take your word on it. The best available product is Dr. John Berardi's Precision Nutrition. This is with out a doubt the top nutrition product today that covers diet planning, effective strategies and delicious recipes
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Q: Help! I went bathing suit shopping this weekend and need to tighten some areas up before I step into the sand. This isn't a one piece either, help I need to lose fat!-Lee A: I'm going to assume that you have trained hard and are already pretty lean. Here's some suggestions to lose fat - Focus on your upper back, abs, arms and glutes/hamstring since they are the most noticeable areas in your bathing suit. - Prioritize deadlifts, under hand rows, single leg deadlifts, steps-ups and bridges to bring up your back and glutes/hamstring. - Prioritize heavy reverse and hammer curls for your arms and weighted, heavy ab work to make those areas "pop". These should make you lose fat fast.
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5. You're doing the same all routines Do what you've always done, get what you've always gotten? It's the quote in front of Ronnie Coleman's treadmill and it needs to be in every gym in the country. It could be cardio, weights, Pilates, stretching, yoga, spinning, whatever you want to do but if you continue to do the same thing you're going to screw yourself. Even if your consistently switching exercises, sets, reps, intensity you need to be even more creative. Everything should be in your toolbox, kettlebells, powerlifting, Olympic lifting, bodybuilding methods; it's your entire playground.
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Obese employees filed twice the number of workers' compensation claims Obese employees' medical costs from those claims were seven times higher Obese employees stayed out of work 13 times longer after a work-related injury or illness Obese employees medical claims cost per 100 employees per year was 51,019 USD compared to $7,503 USD for non-obese workers Obese employees lost 183 days of work per 100 employees as compared to 14 days for non-obese workers (thats 13 times more!)
Yeah but those guys were OBESE. Well it doesn't look good for the overweight/mildly obese either...
Overweight employees took four times the number of days off after being injured or getting sick at work. Mildly obese employees took five times as many days off after being injured or getting sick at work.
And what are employers doing? The study reveals that... "As many as 40 percent of employers are giving workers products, cash or health insurance discounts to lose weight," said Laura Linnan, the study's principal investigator and a professor at the University of North Carolina's School of Public Health. Employers are getting scared off as well. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, assistant professor of medicine and health economist at Stanford University co-authored a 2005 study that showed employers compensate for anticipated higher medical costs of obese workers by paying them less than slimmer employees and passing them over for promotions. What are we gathering from this?
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Being fat is bad for employees (that's most of us) because it costs us in terms of career advancement and money, and its bad for employers because its affecting their profit margins when they pay for all these health costs. Simple problem yes, simple to fix, not quite. We need to approach this troubling issue with a corporate fitness solution from both ends. The employer as well as the employee.
Align your company culture with your strategic goals (being fit saves money, makes your employees more productive and more attractive to customers, and increases profit) Develop a specific action plan that can leverage the good things in your current culture and correct the unaligned areas. (free employee breakfasts on Fridays may be good, but making it doughnuts and pancakes is BAD)
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Brainstorm improvements in your formal policies and daily practices. (allocate some work time to fitness and health education and activities, ensure managers lead by example, bringing healthy food into the cafeteria, allow 15 min breaks during work for healthy snacks) Develop models of the desired actions and behaviors. (how many hours a week minimum that an employee must exercise, social support and encouragement to make healthy eating not just acceptable but preferable, all management staff must enthusiastically take part) Communicate the new corporate fitness culture to all employees (tell everybody about it) Over-communicate the new corporate fitness culture and its actions to everyone. (tell everybody about it again and again, with checks to ensure that the new culture is followed)
Remember, often people don't do what you EXPECT. They do what you INSPECT. 2. Hire a Fitness Professional This one may seem a like a bit of a sales pitch, me being a fitness professional and all... but bear with me. A respected fitness professional is a real asset to a corporation. Think about it. Companies get accounting firms to do their accounts and taxes, they get law firms to do their legal documents, and they get business consultants to check their business processes. So is it a big stretch to think that they should get a fitness professional to take care of company health and fitness? Not at all. The best fitness pros will know how to approach corporate fitness. They will be able to advise on the set up of health facilities, run fitness classes, be good public speakers on more general topics like nutrition, and be able to give individual training programs for more difficult cases of extreme obesity or employees with past injuries and medical conditions. 3. Only accept success No CEO would accept sub-standard work by an employee, neither would they accept failure on important projects, they wouldn't accept a lack of integrity with regard to finance either. Shouldn't this be the case with the company fitness program? Like I mentioned in point 1, this new program has to be enforced. It's a kind of "tough love" that needs to happen. Hey Mr. CEO...take attendance at fitness classes, walk around the cafeteria at lunch to see what people are eating, do your managers speak as positively and motivationally about the fitness program as they do about meeting project deadlines?
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When I run group classes, the participants go through some pretty tough training. But they form awesome bonds and all of them become great friends. I have seen this happen with every body from kids to adults, from overweight clients to national level athletes. Suffering together tends to form strong friendships. Even in my personal experience from my time in the military, I know there are guys who I can trust with my life because we had some pretty tough missions and spent some pretty cold nights out in the field together. Same thing in the corporate fitness situation. If your fitness professional knows about fat loss, those fat loss workouts are going to be challenging (he/she should structure training so that each person is challenged) no matter if you are the fittest person in the company or one who hasn't done any exercise for the past 5 years. Some of those workouts can be downright brutal. Soak it in. Relish it. Make friends over it. Maybe you will find work even more pleasant with all those comrades you know from yesterday's 10 sets of burpees and chin ups. There are only good things that can come out of a corporation that has a fitness focus. Corporate fitness has come a long way. I do know of companies that have gyms and health facilities for their staff. But as usual we need to look for the person before we provide the place and the program. In this case there are 2 people. The fearless CEO with a vision and the fitness professional who can deliver the results.
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My experiences are the norm for people who use this method. Weight loss (NOT fat loss!) and loss in strength. In addition LSD takes a lot of training time and takes more and more as you get "better" at it and need to increase the distances and mileage. Science also backs up these experiences. For fat loss, LSD is not even an improvement over diet alone. I wrote about the details about LSD and its minimal and even negative effects (muscle, strength, power loss) in my "Real life reasons for strength training" article. An example of a LSD training program would be 45 minutes of swimming 2x a week, and 45 minutes of jogging 2x a week. Does it work? - No, its ineffective and takes a lot of time. Both of these are BIG NO NOs. There is a place in rehabilitation and therapy for LSD but not for fat loss. Method 2 - Metabolic Disturbance Training The main idea of metabolic training is to create as much "disturbance" to the body's systems so that we burn calories all day not just when we are doing the exercise. In addition, it maintains and even builds muscles and that's important when losing fat. This disturbance is so great that one study shows 9 times greater fat loss for this form of training when compared to LSD training. And the exercise time was lower for the metabolic training group. They just did such intense training during that exercise time that the body was burning above normal calories for up to 38 hours after the training session. WOW. The calories burnt DURING exercise was about 1/2 the LSD group, but the total calories burnt was far higher. Coach Alwyn Cosgrove calls this "afterburn" and Craig Ballentyne calls it "turbulence" training. That's exactly whats happening, lots of disturbance to the body's state, so lots of adaptation. That adaptation is fat loss. I have used this method extensively with clients and myself as well. It plain works. Fat melts off. The workouts are short (1 hour or less) and challenging. I have clients losing 10kg in 2 months easily. Here is a sample of a metabolic fat loss workout that was performed just a week ago by one of my fairly strong clients. Note A1, A2 etc mean that the exercises are performed one after the other, a "super-set". All exercises are done with a 3 sec lowering and 2 sec lifting timing A1: Stiff Leg Dead lifts x 12 reps rest 45s
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A2: One handed Push ups x 6 reps/side rest 45s repeat A1 Total 5 super-sets B1: Seated Cable Rowing x 12 reps rest 45s B2: Barbell Lunges x 10 reps/side rest 45s Repeat B1 total 5 sets C1: Stability ball sit ups x 12 reps no rest C2: Shoulder external rotation x 15 reps/side rest 30 sec Repeat C1 total 3 sets The training session ended with 10 minutes of interval sprints on a stationary bike. This will be discussed later. The total training time was about 60 minutes. Does it work? YES!. This is THE preferred method of fat loss for my clients. Results are just about guaranteed, the body simply cannot keep fat around when its being worked like this. Method 3 - Interval training This method burns calories, and creates significant disturbance and post exercise calorie burn. It's disadvantage is that it doesn't do as well at maintaining/building muscles as resistance training (but its not nearly as bad as LSD). Interval training can really vary from a sprint(90-100% of your best) + a walk(20-30%) to a fast striding pace (75-85%) + a jog (40-50%) or anything in between. I use some kind of interval training for all clients wanting fat loss. Its not as demanding on recovery as resistance training so it can be added to most training programs. A sample interval session would be: 10 sec sprint cycle (100% effort) followed by, 20 sec slow cycle (30% effort) repeat 20-60 times depending on conditioning level. It only takes 10-20 minutes but its really effective.
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another example of a lower intensity (not as effective but less demanding on recovery ability and can be done more often) 30 sec fast cycle (80% effort) followed by 30 sec slow cycle (30% effort) repeat 10-20 times Does it work: Yes. Intervals are a valuable fat loss tool in any training program. Method 4 - Strength training This method focuses on retaining as much muscle as possible while letting fat loss occur through diet. The weights that are lifted remain heavy and the repetitions per set low. The idea is to make sure that we lose little to no muscle or strength during the fat loss phase. My experience of this is a personal one. I tried the "velocity diet" from T-nation. In short its a supplement based diet with really low calories and lots of healthy fats and protein. I ate only 1 solid food meal per week for 4 weeks. I dropped 12 pounds of fat and retained almost all my muscle mass using a strength and power based training program. I did no intervals or LSD training because I just didn't eat enough calories to support such training. I went to about 5-6% body fat and had the "ripped look". If I had used a different kind of fat loss training method, my muscle mass would have dropped and that would have been terrible news on a reduced calorie diet. Exercise volume (total weight lifted) must be kept low because we match this kind of training to a lower calorie diet. A sample workout would look something like this A: Barbell Squat 3 reps x 6 sets 120s rest between sets B1: Barbell Row 5 reps x 3 sets 90 sec rest B2: Military Press 5 reps x 3 sets 90 sec rest C: Step up 5 reps/leg x 3 sets 90 sec rest Does it work? Yes but the workout doesn't burn that many calories and the disturbance is not as much as metabolic training (Method 2). So far all I have given are the 4 main methods that are in use today. "So what should I use?" you ask. Ok It depends on who you are.
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For a beginner to intermediate client (1 year hard training or less) with a fat loss priority, Use method 2 and 3 together. 30-40 minutes of metabolic training + 10-20 minutes of intervals will do the trick. For an advanced client (great technique, strong for their body weight), use method 2, 3, and a sprinkling of 4 (1 in every 6 to 8 training sessions. 40 minutes of strength/metabolic training + 10-20 minutes of intervals For a athletes in metabolic sports (lots of running around) who need to lose a bit of fat, use method 2 with a bit of 4. Sport training will take care of the "interval" requirements. For athletes in a power/speed sport (sprints, throws, weightlifting) who need to make a lower weight class, use 4 with a bit of 3. Let a reduced calorie diet take care of the fat loss. Use training to maintain strength, power and speed. Also keep the intervals in the high intensity range. If your sport training has tempo runs or sprints, you can cut out the intervals entirely. Hope this clears up any misconceptions about fat loss training. Once again I cannot stress enough the importance of clean eating for fat loss. Get to you goals quickly and wisely. Good luck!
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How did I feel afterward? Did I feel like I missed out? I felt so good about myself for keeping my goals and I didn't feel like I missed out. Actually, I had gained a notch on my scale of self-esteem. And I felt proud of myself for being able to overcome such a stressful situation. How? By asking how.
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"Cap" Josue Cano Don't Wait Get in S.H.A.P.E. Drop body fat fast and get fit quick To book Cap to speak at your next event call or e-mail: (877) CAP-3159
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Family Matters
By Kenneth Reed
We as African-Americans are not exercising enough, not eating enough nutritionally balanced meals and not drinking enough water. I did a survey of one hundred African-American men and women and asked them this question: 'How many glasses of water do you consume in the course of a day'? The answers were quite startling. Two of the surveyed said: ('and I quote'). 'I don't like water, I drink water when I think I need it.' I drink coffee, juice and soda. Then they asked me with a serious look on their face; 'that's water isn't it'? and 'It's water in it right'? 'Isn't that considered drinking water'? 'I mean it's a liquid right'? I looked at them in amazement; I couldn't believe what I was hearing. But if you don't know you don't know, so I told them about the importance of drinking water. Can you imagine what their kidneys look like? When I finished talking with them, they said that they would do better. I said to myself, boy do they need help! I asked God to please help my people learn to take better care of their bodies, which is the temple You gave them. If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. 1 Corinthians 3:17 Did you know that your body is made up of about 70% or more water and it needs water to take care its internal organs and daily bodily functions.
Muscle is made up of about 75 percent water. Fat is made up of about 50 percent water. Bones, too, are about 50 percent water.
Please, drink plenty of water, at least 8 glasses a day. I know a lot of African American families were raised up on Kool-Aid, soda and juices. We had Kool-Aid at least five times a week and when mom and dad weren't around we drank as much as we could. Juices, Kool-aid and Sodas have 5 things in common 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. They all taste good They all have large amounts of sugar They all can be bad for your health They all can be addictive They all can add to weight gain
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I say that they can be addictive because if you're a soda drinker it's hard to have just one soda per week and some folks it's hard to have just one a day. Try taking a child off of soda and juice 'cold turkey' and watch how they act. It's like taking a junkie off of dope or a crack-head off of crack. It's like taking candy away from a baby; by the way you should take candy out of your child's diet. Did you know that Sugarcane and Cocaine are so much alike, they both give you a blood rush or what we call a sugar-rush. One is stronger than the other but has the same effect to a degree. Sugarcane and Cocaine can make a poor man rich and a rich man poor and can make a person beg for more. You can control this beast by limiting or eliminating sugar completely out of your diet. Try drinking water instead of soda, juice and Kool-aid for about a week. Pray about it before you start and be disciplined and consistent. Now I hope you're listening to the 'right side of that small inner voice' and not the 'left side of that small inner voice.' The left is saying, 'No Way, I can't do this' and the right is saying; I Can Do This! Gradually reduce the consumption of these sugary drinks and eventually kick the habit! You can do it! Look, the benefits from not drinking that sugary stuff and replacing it with water flushing out toxins will be well worth it. You will begin to lose weight just from drinking water instead of drinking sugary drinks. The benefits out weigh the problems that come with sugar consumption. Your family is worth it, Family Matters.
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Are you satisfied with the changes you have made so far with your fitness program? Have you been doing the same old routine for more than 6 weeks? If you have, you are sabotaging your chance for change.
Keep Changing To Get The Changes You Want! Start making small changes in your exercise routine and eating habits and you'll make major changes in your life. Here's how you can get started now. Take the time to journal. You're probably saying to yourself, how can I take time out of my busy schedule to write a journal? I barely have time for my exercise. If you're on a mission to lose weight, build muscle, burn fat or just get healthier and stay fit, than you'll find time to journal and still exercise. Here's what you do. 1. Get a journal or a notebook or even a laptop. 2. Find a special place that you can be alone. 3. Pick the time of day, 3 days a week to get to your special place. Take 10 minutes or more each day to journal. 4. Write down the changes you want. Example: A smaller waist, smaller butt & hips, more energy etc. 5. Plan your meals ahead of time to ensure that you eat. 6. Hire a trainer for a few sessions to get you started on a routine. 7. Jot down the exercises you do or will do on the next session. 8. Write down how you feel before and after you eat and exercise. For 7 days. Make changes in your exercise routine and eating habits and this will give you major changes in your goals. The human body is very adaptive. If you do the same exercise over and over again for more than 4-6 weeks your body will get used to the routine and stop changing. Change the order that you do your exercise, the amount or reps and the amount of sets. You can also change the amount of weights you use. Keep track of your changes. Try using resistance bands in one workout and weights in another. If you have access to machines, you'll have more than enough to make the necessary changes in your workouts. Plus it won't be so boring; variety is the spice of life. Keep Changing To Get The Changes You Want!
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Make exercise fun, just because it's called a workout doesn't mean it has to be like work! So keep it fun, challenging and interesting. Keep your muscles in a state of confusion. Just by changing your exercises frequently you can get the changes you want. Change your eating habits now! Nutrition plays a major role in the changes you want. Take an honest look and assessment at your nutrition program and make the changes needed. Make sure you are feeding your muscles the right food, vitamins and nutrients after your workouts. The more muscle you have the more fat you'll burn. So feed your muscles and Keep Changing To Get The Changes You Want!
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Muscle tissue (you already know why this is on the top of the list) Meal frequency (the longer you wait between meals the more your metabolism slows down to conserve energy. Eating more often speeds up the metabolism) Activity level (important but doesn't make a big difference if you don't match your eating to your expenditure) Food choices (balancing blood sugar levels)
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Hydration (over 70% of bodily functions take place in water; lack of water causes all your systems to slow down and unnecessary stress) Genetics (some people have higher metabolisms than others, you can't change genetics but you can still speed yours up!) Hormone production and function (before you make the thyroid your culprit first stabilize your blood sugar and throw in some progressive exercise 2-3 times each week) Stress (stress also can slow metabolism by placing extra stress and strain on numerous systems. plus, many people tend to overeat when "stressed out")
I frequently hear people say "as soon as you hit 30 your metabolism slows down"! You've probably heard people say it too and maybe you've even said it. I know I hear it all the time and I got tired of hearing it so I did a little research and found that the metabolism does NOT slow down significantly due to aging but DOES due to a lack of muscle. The fact of the matter is that you don't lose muscle quickly due to aging either but due to a decrease or lack of physical activity. What I've found through my research is that there are three major causes for a slower metabolism: 1. You lose muscle due to the lack of physical activity. (A sedentary lifestyle) 2. Your body cannibalizes muscle when it needs energy but you won't supply enough energy to the body because you are "dieting" and skipping meals. (Body starts using muscle as fuel) 3. Your activity levels tend to decrease as you age. Ok, so we have discussed the problem but what is the solution? We need to address those 3 issues!! I've found through years of experience helping numerous people, that increasing your metabolism and getting rid of excess body fat can often times be easier than you think! Yet you'll hear of all these experts telling you how hard it is and why you need to buy their new diet program, supplement, or fitness contraption. Most of them are just trying to get you to buy something that you don't need. It doesn't have to be confusing, and you really don't need any of that stuff! The main tool that you need is an understanding of how your body works and the willingness to make some small changes. There are 3 steps you need to follow to speed up your metabolism: Step 1 - Stop the storage of new fat If you're just going to add new fat later that day it doesn't make any sense to start an exercise program. This is a common error that people who start an exercise program often commit. They start to exercise but then they go back eating the same harmful foods that made them overweight before. That is a recipe for disaster. Did you know that we don't get fat simply due to a lack of exercise? We get fat because we supply the body with more calories than it needs at a given time. The solution is more about your eating and caloric intake than it is about exercise. I'm not telling that you have
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to eat a low-fat, super clean and healthy diet consisting of salad and tofu only. We all know how boring that is. You can still eat the foods you like IF you can give the body just the AMOUNT it needs. The key is to give the body the energy it needs, but just that amount and not a bunch of extra useless calories. The reality is that anything can be stored as fat. Salad can be stored as fat, apples, broccoli, skim milk, etc. It's a numbers game. If you consume more calories than you burn you will gain weight. If you burn more calories than you consume you will lose weight. You can forget about trying to burn off any fat unless you can first stop storing new fat! In review, you do that by matching your eating to your activity level. This means small, balanced meals or snacks every 2-3 hours and the amount of calories in each feeding should depend on how active you are at that time of day. The more active you are the more calories you will need at that point in the day. You want your snacks to be as well balanced as your meals. This means proportioning your calories. Shoot for 160-200 calorie snack intervals. Some great examples include:
6 oz. plain yogurt plus 2 tablespoons granola or Kashi cereals 1/2 cup whole grain cereal (such as Good Friends or Great Grains) + 1 tablespoon dried cranberries + 8 almonds 1 medium apple or pear (about 1/2 lb.) + 1 skim mozzarella stick 1 Tablespoon natural peanut butter (no sugar or salt added) on %100 whole grain toast 6 oz. cottage cheese with sliced fruit 1/2 whole grain pita with 2 tablespoons hummus or black bean dip Kashi brand granola bars and/or Cliff health bars
Your eating is all about timing. I advise eating a breakfast of at least 400 calories, followed by a mid-morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack, and dinner. The goal is to shoot for 5-6 well balanced snacks/meals per day. If this seems impossible for you to do, start out by just adding one additional snack/meal per week until you are able to reach the goal of 5-6. When your activity levels increase you will notice yourself needing to eat more frequently anyway. If you have a habit of "working through" your snack or meal times, I recommend that you set a timer on your watch or computer to remind you that it's time to eat. It is vital that you do not skip meals. When you eat erratically it signals the body to burn slower and conserve fat. In fact, when you skip meals, your body thinks it is starving itself and will try to conserve calories. In addition, your body will turn to use muscle for fuel if there is nothing left to burn. We don't want this because remember we said that muscle helps to speed up our metabolism! Eating throughout the day jump starts your metabolism and tells your stomach to keep on working! Eat a carbohydrate rich snack 1.5 to 2 hours before your workout for peak performance. Also be sure to eat a snack or meal within 1 hour after your workout for the best benefits. This post-workout meal should be high in protein and complex carbohydrates. A protein shake along with an apple or a low-fat turkey sandwich on rye bread are both great choices.
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I also want to inform you that there are some delicious whole grain cereals now available. Watch out for the cereals that say "contains Whole Grain" in large letters. Most of those are only 10% whole grain! "Whole" should be one of the first words in the ingredient list. Also look at the fiber content. Goodfriends, Kashi (Might Bites and Honey Puffed), and the Great Grains lines are all great choices. In addition, drink plenty of water. Shoot for 8-8 oz. glasses per day. This will help offset hunger. Please note that if you feel thirsty your body is already dehydrated and needs more water so make sure you drink an ample amount. I also recommend that you consume a good amount of lean protein which will produce a satiating effect. In English, this means that it makes you feel full and when you feel full you are able to avoid those nagging hunger cravings that all too often lead to "pigging out". Some foods to avoid include foods high in sugar, saturated fats, and foods low in fiber. Recommended foods include: whole grains, vegetables, fruits, beans and legumes, fresh herbs and spices. These food choices provide the proteins, carbohydrates and fats that give you energy and even blood sugar levels. Healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, fish oils, seeds, nuts, soybeans) promote longer-lasting, stable energy levels. Lean proteins (fish, soy foods, white meat poultry, lean meats and low-fat dairy) offer essential proteins for better digestion and muscle building Step 2 - Attack the existing fat In order to accomplish this you need to establish stable blood sugar/energy levels, and progressive cardiovascular/aerobic exercise and strength training. Earlier we talked about how important stable blood sugar and energy levels are and how to match your eating to your activity level. Let's talk about the exercise part of the equation now. In order for the exercise to even be worthwhile you must be sure it's progressive. Just because you go on the elliptical for 40 minutes three times a week, doesn't mean your body has to burn off that unwanted body fat! You have to force the body to make changes and improvements and the ONLY way to do that is to consistently provide a stimulus or stress that is greater than what the body is used to. If you keep on doing the same things every workout your body will continue to look the same way. In order for the body to change you will need to continually change your workouts and challenge your body beyond what it is used to. Here are some general guidelines on how you can make your exercise progressive and productive: Strength training
Change exercises frequently (every 2-4 weeks) Increase resistance Increase Reps Slower reps for more time under tension or faster reps for more neurological recruitment Shorten rest periods
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Cardiovascular training
Increase speed/resistance Perform intervals ( decrease rest time to increase intensity) Increase distance traveled Cross train by performing numerous activities
For more specific techniques call me at (856)596-4966 or visit the other weight loss articles on our website. I should also say that it is extremely important that you have a well thought out and detailed plan to follow. You can't just say "ok, now I know what to do" and then try a little of this here and little of that there. Many people try that and it just does not work. If you are serious about achieving your weight loss and fitness goals I highly recommend you get the help of a professional. Whether that means one on one, personal fitness training, or just a do-it-yourself fitness plan, your chances of success are much greater. When I need something fixed on my car I go to the mechanic. When I need some fresh workouts I go to a personal trainer. I could try to fix my car on my own but it would be a big hassle to figure it out so I will let the experts take care of it. You will find that working with a trainer will help educate, motivate, and assist you in reaching your goals faster than you would on your own. In conclusion, please remember, it doesn't have to be confusing. I hope this information has shown you how easy it can be if you know what you are doing. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about how you can guarantee your fitness success, please give me a call at 856-596-4966. While you're at my website be sure to sign up for my free email newsletter, FitTips Newsletter, it's full of great articles, tips, healthy recipes, contests, and more!
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Lets say for example that one day you increase your bicep curls from 10 to 12 reps, but you dont write this down. Now keep in mind, this is just one of 12 exercises that you might be doing during your workout routine. Now, you workout again 2 days later but cant seem to remember if you increased to 12 reps or 11 reps? So what do you do? You do 11 because thats what you seem to remember doing. And right there is a great example of moving backwards and regressing because you never wrote down what you did. This works just the same for the amount of weight you are lifting. And thats even harder to remember. Lets look at a sample workout routine: Wts./Reps Chest Press Shoulder Press Squats Bicep Curls Tricep Push Downs Lat. Pull Down Lunges Crunches 30/12 10/15 32 10/13 20/12 45/15 15 R&L 25 40/10 15/12 25 15/10 25/10 55/10 12R&L 22 45/9 20/12 18 20/8 30/8 60/8 12R&L 17 50/6 25/9 15 20/6 35/7 60/6 10R&L 15 30/7
35/6 60/6
I dont know about you, but I have enough going on in my life and theres no way that Im going to remember all of those numbers listed above. I dont think you would be able to either. And with a solid strength training routine you should be increasing these numbers every couple of weeks or so. This makes it even harder to remember. You want to make sure you are always at best lifting the same weight as you did the last time. One sure way to slow down your progress and actually regress is not writing down your workouts and guessing how much weight you lifted last time or how many reps you did.
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It doesnt take long to just write it down. What some people do, myself included, is write down the weights, reps, and sets in between exercises. This is a perfect time to jot down what youve just done. Writing it all down also lets you look back at what does and doesnt work well for you. You might look back a few months ago, at a time when you were in your best shape, and see exactly what exercises you were doing that helped you look and feel so good. Maybe you were doing lunges and squats. Now, after seeing this, you might want to incorporate them back into your program. Looking back at your past workouts will also help to motivate you. How motivating is it to see that 2 months ago you were doing 3 sets of the chest press at 40 lbs., and now youre doing 5 sets at 60 lbs. This kind of thing shows you that all of the hard work youve put in to your exercise program really pays off. And it motivates you to push yourself even more. Does this work for cardio too? Of course. Simply write down mode (bike, running, etc.), duration, distance covered, and heart rate if you want to track that. I find it helpful to also write down how I felt during my cardio session. Just like with the weight training, its important to keep track and remember exactly how fast you were going, or how many RPMs on the bike, etc. Its good to write how you felt after each session because if you have a session that was too fast or too tough, you can write that down. This way, right before you do your next workout, you can look back and know that you should maybe slow it down a little this time. It also works the opposite way as well.
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You might look back at your previous workout and see that you have written down Felt good on Treadmill, next time increase speed from 5.0 to 5.3. This serves as a motivator as well. And believe me if you keep increasing the amount of weight youre lifting and going faster during your cardio sessions, you will lose weight. And thats the biggest motivator of all. What about writing down my food intake? This is a biggie. This is extremely important for you to do if youre serious about losing weight. But to know what is and isnt working for you, you have to write down everything you eat each day. If you only have 2 meals (which of course I do not recommend) then thats what you put. If you have a salad with creamy ranch dressing with your dinner, then make sure you write that down. I recommend that every couple of weeks you have a certified personal trainer or nutritionist look over your food journal. The person you give it to might notice that you are eating too many carbohydrates, or drinking a lot of soda, or snacking on junk food too close to your bed time, etc. They will then point this out to you and you can make the necessary adjustments to your eating plan. Once you find an eating plan that works for you and you are losing weight, you can make sure that this is the way you should eat all of the time. Youll also be less likely to eat junk food or eat too much at one sitting. The reason for this is that you wont want to have to write it down in your journal. It will make you feel guilty to write that down. Youll feel almost as if you are reporting this to someone each week. Even if you never show the journal to anyone, writing to yourself can be enough to keep you on the right track.
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The most important thing though is to make sure that you write down EVERY SINGLE THING that youve eaten. There are a few exceptions. If one day out of the blue, you happen to pop a few peanuts in your mouth, you dont have to record that. If you do that every day though, then that would be something you should write down. It wont make sense to keep a food log unless you record all that youve eaten. If youre not going to do that then dont waste your time. It is only by writing everything that you will truly know what you need to change and what you see you are doing well with. Another important thing to record is the time of day that you eat. Ive worked with women before and noticed on many occasions that they dont eat breakfast. We all know that you should eat breakfast every morning. Another thing I see is that a lot of women are spacing their meals too far apart (5 to 6 hours). You will slow down your metabolism this way, and thats not good if youre looking to lose weight. So how does writing down my meals prevent me from spacing them too far apart? You will hopefully first develop an eating plan that has you eating more frequently (5 to 6 small meals a day is optimal for increasing your metabolism and losing weight). Then as time passes this will become second nature to you. Then one day when you only write 2 entries in your food journal, it will seem like somethings not right. And something is definitely not right if you are only eating twice a day. Another advantage to writing down the times is you can see what time of day is your weak point. Maybe youll notice that 3:00 p.m. is your weak point and you seem to snack on unhealthy foods.
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Or maybe after looking at your journal for the last couple of weeks you notice that youre eating at 9 or 10 at night. Whatever the case may be, the bottom line is that by writing down the times of your meals you will be able to pinpoint what time of day is the hardest for you. Or better yet, what time of the day are you eating the most or unhealthiest. So as you can see, if your goal is to lose weight, you will find it a lot easier to achieve your goal by writing down your exercises (weight lifting and cardio) and your food intake. I truly believe that writing things down can and will help you lose weight. And losing weight can be difficult at times; so why not use everything to your advantage? Dont wait another day. Write all of it down to lose all of the pounds!
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can choose to put margarine on your potato or salad dressing on your salad, but not both. To limit salad dressing and make it go farther, for easier weight loss, serve your salad dressing on the side of your salad and then dip your fork in the dressing before spearing your salad for each mouthful. Sugar is not evil - You just can't afford the calories. Sugar only contains carbohydrate so use an artificial sweetener in beverages or drink sugar free soda in reasonable amounts. Alcohol in moderation - Alcoholic beverages are just as empty of nutrients as sugar, but your liver processes them like fat. If you drink, limit yourself to one drink per day (12 ounce beer or 4 ounces wine or 1 ounces distilled liquor) and then only add fat to one meal that day. Have your cake too? - Probably not. Desserts are mostly fat and sugar which will put you over your calorie intake goal for the day.
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Reduce your caloric intake by 250 calories a day. Keep a food journal for a week and write down everything you eat Keep a trigger journal write down things that set you off. It could include: What you were doing What you were thinking What you were feeling With whom you were interacting What they said to you What you ate just before the onset of the problem Find a quiet, peaceful place to regroup and recharge. You can simply read, sew; listen to relaxing music, and do anything you can think of to be free from all the stresses of the world. A great idea on how you could use this time is to boot up the computer and share with other women going through the same thing as you! DO NOT WATCH the news! One of the most contributing factors to high stress levels is watching the local news. The worst times to watch is in the morning or before you go to sleep. Laugh. Watch a funny movie, or read a funny book. Whatever your preference, laughter will help keep your mind off the stressful things.
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This is a great place to begin to learn how to reduce belly fat. Its step one on your journey to learning how to control your metabolism. Now youre wondering What about my belly fat. I want to get rid of my belly fat. I want exercises for my belly fat! Heres the most important fact about reducing belly fat. Exercise programs and gadgets that are advertised to reduce belly fat are actually working the muscles of the abdomen and waist area. You can have really tight, toned abs but if you are carrying extra weight that has settled around your belly, no one will ever see those tight, toned abs. Fat is fat and muscle is muscle. Fat does not turn into muscle. When you exercise with weights, focusing on your large muscles, your metabolism will increase, your body will burn more calories and you will be able to reduce your belly fat. Now, what about those abs. It is important to include exercises for the abs, waist and back to improve posture, strengthen the back and for tight toned abs!! So, in addition to your exercises with weights (to increase your metabolism), a few basic core conditioning exercises are important. You can include these exercises two or three times each week. I recommend curls on a stability ball (or the floor), and Pilates crisscross. You can actually work your core muscles all day long if you follow these easy steps. 1. Hold your tummy in as tightly as you can. Imagine that you are buttoning your belly button to your spine. 2. Lift your ribs (still holding your tummy tight) 3. Slide your shoulder blades down your back as if you were placing them in your back pockets. 4. Try to relax your shoulders. Imagine that you are lengthening the space between your ears and shoulders. (Think long neck) 5. Now, holding all of the above, breathe. As you inhale try to imagine that you are stretching away through the top of your head. And then exhale. Secret #2: Sit up Straight! Simple Core Training When you do a few basic exercises for your abs, waist and back, you will train your muscles to hold you in good posture. Focus on this posture alignment as you go through your daily routine. Try it when youre driving, (add a few deep breathes for stress relief), sitting at your desk or talking on the phone. Itll become your natural posture in no time. Making exercises with weights, or weight training your priority when you exercise will translate into spectacular results. Forget those long walks. They just dont work to reduce belly fat! Many researchers report that long cardio can actually rob your body of precious muscle tissue. Your aerobic or cardiovascular activities should be designed to keep your heart and lungs healthy. Start with basic simple and safe cardio activities like walking. You can learn how to burn fat with interval training as you become more fit. You can retrain your fat cells to release stored fat with the right exercise program. Go to www.betterbodyenterprises.com for more info. Youll find simple sensible fitness
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solutions for busy people including workout DVDs and videos and program manuals to guide you every step of the way. When youre motivated to get rid of stubborn belly fat, it seems sensible to cut back on calories. Unfortunately most attempts to reduce belly fat by eating less food can backfire. When you under eat, or have only 2 or 3 meals each day you are actually training your body to hold onto stored fat. Long spans of time between meals encourages your metabolism to slow down. Its the same response as if you were actually starving to death. SKIPPING MEALS ENCOURAGES YOUR BODY TO STORE FAT! To keep your metabolism fired up eat 5 or 6 times daily. Eating a mini-meal every 3-4 hours also keeps your blood sugar levels stable. You should feel energized all through the day. A healthy combination of nutrients (lean protein, whole grain, and a veggie or fruit) works best. Its actually a good idea to eat the same things every day. If you have a few choices that you enjoy, youre more apt to stick with it. I carry a small cooler with me whenever Im going to be out of the house for more than three hours. My mainstays are fat-free cottage cheese (lean protein), reduced-fat Triscuits (whole grain) and baby carrots. No prep time for anything I just throw the containers in the cooler pack and go. Many researchers feel that foods made from white flour and white sugar (as well as alcohol) are more easily stored as belly fat, particularly as we get older. This is related to insulin production in response to certain types of foods. The simple carbs (foods made with white flour and sugar) are easier to digest causing a surge in insulin production. Over time, the pancreas/insulin process is short circuited. The body compensates by creating a detour and just stores the fat, from the digestion of these foods around the belly. The thought of changing eating habits and food choices can seem overwhelming. Instead of going on a drastic diet program try to keep it simple. Pick one small strategy to work on each week and when that one is mastered go on to something else. NEVER GO ON ANOTHER DIET! LEARN TO EAT TO SUPPORT A HEALTHY METABOLISM! I suggest starting with a nutrient-rich lunch and afternoon snack. Try to eat sandwich at lunch with a cup of broth based veggie soup or a small salad. Then a few hours later eat the other sandwich with a piece of fruit. This should carry you until dinnertime. When this becomes a part of your routine you can work on eating a sensible, healthy dinner. When you eat that snack in the afternoon youre less apt to be starving when dinnertime rolls around. Your body (stomach) will adjust to smaller portions over time. Be patient! Learning to eat to support a healthy metabolism is the single most important thing you can do to have an impact on your health and to reduce belly fat! Secret #3: Eat to Reduce Belly Fat
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Be sure to visit www.betterbodyenteprises.com for information, workout DVDs and videos and programs. Our goal is to provide simple fitness and get healthy solutions for busy people.
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fruits, veggies), enough water to keep you hydrated, and regular sleep patterns. Why sleep? Well the process that is triggered during the day mostly happens while you are asleep! Good news huh! Aesthetics While burning off fat is a hormonal process, sculpting the appearance of your body is a postural corrective process. Good posture and alignment of your joints not only feels good, it looks good to. Crooked necks and backs create a domino effect in the body that affects the tone in your muscles, particularly your core, which includes your abs and glutes. Protruding bellies and droopy backsides are usually indications of muscle tone that has become distorted by crooked joints. Proper weight training should include exercise to restore proper muscle tone and joint alignment, similar to the way an orthodontist progressively straightens out your teeth via braces. A body with a flat tight tummy and taut firm buns is the body you are supposed to have! Its up to you however, to give your body what is needs so it can give you what you want. Remember if you want to be fit you have to live fit, and it is not as impossible as you think.
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naturally lose muscle mass. We lose about 5% of our muscle mass per decade. Combine that with a sedentary lifestyle and it's easy to see how we get the simple answer of not enough muscle and too much fat. So why the hips and thighs? Because your body stores fat where it has the most fat cells and on women that's typically the hips and thighs. Now that we know how we get cellulite and why it looks the way it does, let's get rid of it! If losing muscle mass in your legs is one reason why we get cellulite, then what can we do to reverse that? That's Right! Increase the muscle mass in our legs! By increasing the muscle in your legs you are beginning to "straighten the sheets" of your bed. As your quads and hamstrings become tighter and tighter, the fat on your thighs will lose that dimpled appearance. That's not to say that you won't still have fat on your legs, it just won't have that cottage cheese look. We know that the other reason cellulite takes hold is because of too much fat. Where do we get too much fat? Where don't we is a better question. These same desk jobs that lead to muscle atrophy also are a breeding ground for horrible food choices. Often it seems like it's impossible to make a good choice. Lunch ins, Reps bringing food, ice cream socials etc.. happen so regularly that you don't even realize what's happening. By bringing food from home and refraining from the social eating at your job you can drastically reduce the fat you are taking in. Do this, and what you're doing is, "making that comforter on your bed a lot thinner." If you aren't depositing as much fat (or in the best case, none) on your thighs and you are exercising regularly to increase the muscle on your thighs, then your lighting the cellulite at both ends! One key thing to remember regarding the exercise issue. In order to build that muscle we've been talking about, you have to do strength training. Running, walking, swimming, biking, etc., are great for burning calories and they should be used too, but remember, nothing will replace lost muscle except resistance training! If you have never strength trained before, then I suggest taking the money you might be spending on creams and topical procedures and hire a trainer so you can address the root cause and not just the symptoms. If you train at least three days a week and you follow a sensible nutrition plan then in eight weeks you should notice a good change. You can expect to lose some inches off your hips, lose fat and gain muscle and youll probably find that you feel better too! Strength training + cardio + nutrition plan + consistency = a reduction in cellulite!
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2. Exercise the Power of Choice. Exercising your power as a parent to make supportive choices is the cornerstone for a healthy family. Read labels. Choose fruits, vegetables, lean proteins essential fats and complex carbohydrates over highly processed, chemically-preserved, growth hormone-enhanced, trans-fatty and genetically modified foods. Maintain a simple approach. As the decision maker in the home, if you don't bring a lot of garbage home to eat, and instead bring home healthy, tasty options, then your family will begin to learn to expect and appreciate the difference. Our children have learned to love Sweet Tomatoes, a soup and salad bar restaurant, far above any fast food option because the expectation created by me and my wife is that our family doesn't eat fast food, we fuel our bodies with healthy foods! 3. Model Desired Behaviors. It's really no secret. The path to health and wellness entail straightforward steps: 1) eat well, 2) move your body often, 3) get proper rest and 4) minimize stress and great health is almost a guarantee. As proud, conscientious parents it behooves us to model these three simple steps to reduce the risk of childhood obesity for our children. If you don't make personal changes and improvements, you can't expect your children to make good healthy choices. Furthermore, mixed signals to your children yield mixed results. What happens when a parent who smokes tells their children never to smoke? I'm sure you know the answer: their message and credibility are diminished. Slow down, take your time and be an effective fitness role model for your children. In the long run, not only will your child thank you for modeling positive behavior, but our society and health care system, at large, will thank you for raising healthy and happy kids. Let's commit to reducing the incidence of childhood obesity in all of our communities by 'spreading the health' together for a brighter future for every child in America!
of increasing muscle mass as upgrading from the 4 cylinder engine to the big V8! That is why it's essential to be involved in some type of resistance training program whether it be weight training, calisthenics, or even swimming. 5. Engage in morning exercise: When possible, morning exercise is preferable over an evening workout for two reasons. First, it ensures it gets done. All too often, the best of intentions to exercise in the evening (after work) get pushed aside by a late work night or a rough day at the office. Those conflicts are non-existent in the early hours of the day. Second, there are also slight metabolic benefits to morning exercise. By 'revving up the engine' in the morning, the body maintains a slightly higher burn rate for the remainder of the day thereby burning more calories all day long. Conclusion Implementing these simple daily strategies are the key to increasing your body burn rate. Raising metabolism leads to increased energy, the ability to burn fat faster, and maintaining a lean and healthy physique. Neglecting to cultivate a fit metabolism results in an inevitable decline and increased health concerns over time. Through the tools of diet and exercise, your metabolic engine can be 'tuned up' and 'revved up' - leading to a happy, healthy, and long life.
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It is important that all five parts be implemented together. Some people may want to pick one or two parts and hope it will be their answer-it will not. Each step works synergistically with the other. One missing link will drastically decrease your results. Step number 1: Perform resistance exercise in supersets for 30 - 45 minutes per day, 4 days per week and with each set taking you to momentary muscle failure. Exercise until the muscle is fatigued and you feel you can't do another repetition (momentary muscle failure). Always remember to use strict form and controlled speed. Organize your exercises into super-sets. For example, perform an exercise using one muscle group then immediately follow it with another exercise using a different muscle group, then rest (1 minute) and repeat. Super-sets can greatly increase calorie expenditure and workout efficiency. Resistance training is critical to taking control of your metabolism and increasing muscle tone. Resistance training (weight training) is an often underrated component of a successful fat loss strategy. You must always work to increase-or at least maintain-the muscle you have or you risk not optimizing your metabolism. This training is one component to helping you do just that. A minimal amount of muscle can make a significant impact on your long term fat loss. Step number 2: Perform staggered intensity aerobic exercise immediately following resistance for 20 - 30 minutes. Here's great news on how to take the boredom out of exercise that many people experience. Stop starving yourself and stop spending an hour on the treadmill. The myth that lots of aerobic exercise helps you lose fat is stopping many people from getting the results they desire. The only thing excessive aerobic exercise does is diminish your resolve and decrease your lean muscle. Instead, perform staggered intensity aerobic exercise for 20-30 minutes after a resistance training workout. In other words, perform efficient and engaging aerobic exercise, not long boring and counter productive aerobic exercise. Follow your resistance training workout with aerobic exercise to maximize fat utilization. Vary the intensity from high to low throughout the aerobic session and you will increase caloric expenditure, increase the efficiency of your aerobic workout and decrease your boredom by being engaged, rather than staring off into space. Even if you are a beginner, vary the intensity. For example, walk at a slow pace for 3 minutes, then increase to a moderate pace for 2 minutes, and then add a short speed walk for 30 seconds. After completing this cycle repeat it for a total of 20 minutes. Step number 3: Eat 5-6 meals per day, every 3-3 1/2 hours; 1/3 of each meal should include a protein. What if you were told you could lose weight by eating more often? It's true. Many of the
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struggles Americans have with weight are due to skipping meals and then bingeing when they get home from work. On top of that, you actually will slow your metabolism down by skipping meals. Your body perceives it is starving and makes metabolic adaptations to compensate. By skipping meals in an effort to lose weight you are actually doing more harm than good. You can fire up your metabolic furnace by consuming five meals a day and making a third of each meal a lean protein. You will control your appetite, increase your metabolism and let your body know you are providing it with consistent calories throughout the day and therefore it can release fat stored for energy during exercise. Step number 4: Avoid simple sugars, refined carbs and avoid adding saturated or hydrogenated fats to foods. Here's the "eat right" part where we learn about the notorious nutritional enemies of fat loss-better known as sugars and refined carbohydrates. But don't get me wrong, I am not advocating a low carbohydrate diet, absolutely not! We need to understand the difference between good carbohydrates and undesirable carbohydrates. Simple sugars and refined carbohydrates would qualify as undesirable ones. Simple sugars would be anything ending in "ose" (glucose, sucrose, fructose, etc.) and most of the foods we normally consider "sweets." Fruit juice, sugared cola, cakes and cookies (even those labeled "fat free") contain enough sugar to throw pancreatic hormones completely out of balance severely limiting the potential for fat release. Sugar intake can also lead to erratic energy levels, food cravings and sudden fatigue due to insulin spikes and residual blood sugar drops. Refined carbs include white flour and bleached and processed grains. These foods have very little actual nutritional value and the carbs are rapidly broken down into glucose which takes us into the simple sugar challenge. In addition, they are easily converted into triglycerides and stored as fats. Speaking of fats, the essential fats are vital (as the name implies), but the fats that are solid at room temperature, such as the fats in a marbled steak, butter or the hydrogenated oils found in butter substitutes, have little place in an effective fat loss program. By developing an awareness of these sabotage foods, you'll be equipped to make better nutritional choices, keeping fat release at its peak. Step number 5: Implement a high-low caloric consumption. If you are a person that does not find tracking calories to be an absolute pain, then the following technique can be a valuable tool in your fat loss tool box. If you do not like tracking calories, however, then simply visually decrease and increase your portion sizes as I explain. To amplify fat loss, you can employ a technique called the high-low caloric stagger. In other words, you alternate a "regular" day, where you consume lean protein, starch and fiber (visually equal portions) every 3 hours, with a lower calorie-higher protein day. Now, lower calorie just means slightly smaller portion sizes, but not so small that you are
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starving. You must honor your hunger. On the "protein day" you eliminate the starch and increase the protein size (in each meal) by approximately 25 percent. This manipulation of calories and carbs allows the body to release and access greater volume of stored fat with reduced likelihood of muscle loss. The higher protein on the lower calorie days provides ample amino acids to prevent the body from turning to muscle as a fuel source on your lower calorie day. Do not repeat more than two days of either a high or low day. The end result is a reduction in weekly caloric intake without the protective mechanisms that act to slow metabolism in times of calorie deprivation, and fat loss is amplified, leaving your metabolism stoked. This nutritional system works well for four weeks, but to keep the body from adapting, it's best to return to a more balanced nutritional program immediately following the fourth week. If additional fat loss is desired, consider employing this system again after 8 weeks of balanced nutrition with a consistent caloric intake. There you have the fad-free and hype-free ultimate five step fat loss strategy that I have used successfully with many of our clients. By incorporating all five steps you can effectively achieve the body transformation you desire and enjoy the process as well.
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Why Isn't My Fitness Program Getting Me Results, Even Though I'm Spending Hours In the Gym (Part 1 of 3) !!!
By Randy Gruezo
My fitness program consist of weight training five times a week (5x/wk) doing a different body part everyday which takes me about 1 1/2 hours to finish. After I'm done with weights I do cardio for another 30-45 minutes depending on how I feel and if I have time afterwards. Does this sound like your fitness program? You would think with all that work put in you should see good if not great results. Right? For most, the answer is probably a big NO!!! Ok already, tell me why I'm not get any results? The reason you're not getting results is due to G.A.S. Huh, what the heck? The reason I'm failing is because of what I get after eating a burrito? No I don't mean that gas. The G.A.S. I'm referring to is Hans Seyle's General Adaptation Syndrome Principle (aka G.A.S. Theory). [Sidebar] It is my goal that by the end of this article series you will understand the basic concept of what this principle is and know how to apply it to your fitness program. It is not my intent to give you all the intricate details because the last thing I want is to drown you with scientific jargon and get you electrocuted because you fell asleep and drooled all over your computer. So now that we have that squared away let's get down to the nitty-gritty. The simple rationale behind the G.A.S. Principle is when the body is exposed to an external stress, the body goes through a specific set of responses and adaptations. Okay simple English please. When you go to the gym and lift weights or do cardio (external stress) you give a signal to your body to adapt or not to the stress imposed. For the purpose of this article you want your body to adapt. The G.A.S. Principle is divided into 3 stages which are: Stage 1- Alarm/Shock, Stage 2Adaptation/Resistance, Stage 3- Exhaustion. [Sidebar] I will focus on Stage 1 in this article. I will address Stage 2 and 3 in the following two articles of this series. This will allow me to go a little bit more in-depth into each stage's importance for your understanding of this principle. Generally, it's the Stage 1 phase (Alarm/Shock) that most people focus their efforts on. If you don't believe me go to your local bookstore and see what's on the magazine rack in
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the fitness/health section. Main headlines of magazines focus on the "BEST WORKOUT FOR...." I'm sure you get my point. Why is it important that I know this again? Glad you asked and that you're still with me. The reason this is so important is because you're body will only adapt if the right amount of stress is placed upon it. Not too much because you'll be in Stage 3 Exhaustion (aka Overtraining) or not too little because you won't even force your body into Stage 1 Alarm/Shock. Again you will see with the later articles how all the stages connect with each other. Coincidentally from my experience, most people who start working either fall into two categories. People who either do too much too soon or who don't even do enough. More the former, because beginners are so excited to get started. Either way it's both a waste of time and energy because you don't get the desired results from your program. If people do get it right it's by accident and that's not a good situation either. You can't repeat the results you achieved because you don't know exactly what you did to get it in the first place. Sounds familiar? To induce Stage 1 (Alarm/Shock) phase you must provide enough stress to your body to disrupt homeostasis (a state of equilibrium). The way you do this is by imposing an overload (unaccustomed stress) to your body. Simply put, you have to give a reason for your body to want to get stronger and improve. There is no point of getting better if the body doesn't have to. However, that begs the question what is enough? For beginners you don't need to do to much to disrupt homeostasis. You are already in a detrained state. That doesn't mean I'm saying you're out of shape and overweight, although some of you maybe. I'm only saying that your body hasn't developed any type of resistance to performing work. Many beginners fall prey to doing so much so soon when in fact it should be quite the opposite. Pssst...Come close I'm going to give you a closely guarded fitness secret...Come a little bit closer...Okay here it is... Initially, just about anything that you do will provide sufficient overload to your body to improve your fitness levels. Man, I just spilled the beans. No more business for us fitness coaches... All jokes aside, it is the truth. There must be a catch here Mr. Randy Gruezo? Nope no catch, it's the truth. Initially anything you do will get you results. However, your body ultimately starts to adapt. At that point the results start coming slower and slower until you hit a plateau (no change in progress). Generally this happens around the 8-12 week mark of a fitness program depending on the individual. Conversely this is the same time when most people abandon their fitness program and/or quit the gym. Hmmm... I wonder why? By the way you haven't mentioned anything about intermediates or advanced individuals?
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I actually did mention a lot for you intermediate and advanced fitness individuals out there. Remember the G.A.S. principle applies to your fitness program as well. The only differences lie in the quality of the stress and length of time you impose the stress to your body. You will need to provide a greater level of overload for a longer period of time (days, weeks to months) to induce Stage 1. While the beginner can pretty much disrupt homeostasis with lighter stress for a shorter period of time (the workout itself). So what should I do now, now that I know that I need to provide sufficient stress for my body to adapt? Unfortunately, I can't give you any sample fitness program right now. I could, but you won't understand the logic behind it without understanding Stage 2 (Adaptation/Resistance) and Stage 3 (Exhaustion) of the G.A.S. Principle. I won't be doing you any good if I just give you a fitness program to follow without the premise of how I put it together. That's just not me. I'm a teacher and a coach. I'm teaching you how to fish instead of giving you a fish. For now be on the lookout for Part 2 and 3 of this article series.
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5. Drink plenty of water - Often, the first sign of hunger is thirst. As a general guideline you should have about 1.5 to 2 liters daily. To avoid getting thirsty, have little mouthfuls throughout the day. Drinking plenty of water also acts as an appetite suppressor, helps flush toxins out of our body and helps your body move much better. Drink plenty of water to help with your weight loss. 6. Keep consuming good fats - Having the right amount of good fats in the diet is essential to helping with fat loss as well as maintaining optimal health. People that try to lose weight on a low fat diet will never succeed long term as it is not sustainable as a balanced diet. However, just like all foods, good fats should be taken in moderation (depending on your metabolic type) and bad fats should be minimized to help your weight loss. These are listed below. Bad fats - Trans fatty acids, (TFA's). Structurally they are closer to plastic than fat. E.g. margarine. Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. - Vegetable oils. - Fats from conventionally raised animals/fish/diary. (Toxins are also stored in animal and plant fats) - Roasted nuts 7. Understand the relationship between food and emotions. There is an inverse relationship between unstable blood sugar and emotions. To avoid emotional eating from low blood sugar, eat a diet that is low in high glycemic foods and is appropriate for your metabolic type. Recognizing that there can be a negative relationship between food and emotions, regardless of blood sugar level), is the first step. Behavior modification techniques or using techniques such as EFT or NLP is the next step to changing your emotional eating habits and losing weight. 8. Be consistent with your nutrition - Make it a lifestyle rather than just another diet. Be especially focused for the first 4 weeks to establish it as a lifestyle habit. After that, follow the 90/10 rule. Be consistent most of the time and you can still have the odd treat and still lose weight. Are you ready to lose weight and keep it off forever instead of gaining and losing weight. Use the above strategies consistently and your will achieve your weight loss goals forever.
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Bibliography 1. Brinkman, Rob. 2004. www.freeweightloss.com 2. CHEK, Paul. 2004. How to eat, move and be healthy A CHEK Institute Publication. Vista, California, USA. www.chekinstitute.com 3. CHEK, Paul. 2004. A six pack to die for NZ Fitness, October/November 2004. www.fitnessmag.co.nz 4. Day, Phillip, 2004. Diabetes - Extracted from the ABC's of Disease Credence Publications, UK. www.campaignfortruth.com 5. GNLD. 2004. News you can use, Issue 3. Weight loss www.gnld.co.nz 6. Mercola, Joseph. 2004. Reduce grains and sugar and lose weight and improve health www.mercola.com 7. Mercola, Joseph. 2004. Low grain and carbohydrate diets. Treat hypoglycemia, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and nearly all chronic diseases www.mercola.com 8. Smiley, Cat. 2004. Timing is everything - Get more form your food. NZ Fitness, October/November 2004. www.fitnessmag.co.nz 9. Willcott, W. Fahey, T. 2002. The Metabolic Typing Diet. Broadway Books, New York.
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in order to lose consistent weight will leave you with a less than optimal metabolism. Once the cutting of calories begins, the body responds by slowing the speed at which it burns calories. So traditional dieting methods are futile. Another important factor of measuring traditional weight loss is that you dont know what you are measuring. Are you made up of all muscle? Are you made up of all bone and skin? Are you considered big boned? Do you have high levels of fat? What about when the scale starts moving and going down? What are you losing? Is it all water? Is it muscle? If it is, youre creating a snails pace metabolism. So does the scale really know what its reading? The answer is no. It just knows the weight. If you want to lose weight the right way. It takes a paradigm shift. A different way at looking at weight loss. First, we have to determine what is it that we want to happen to our body. Do we want more energy? Tone up? Build strength? These are all benefits of following a program that will help you lose weight in time, but more importantly lose body fat consistently. Weve got to understand that there is really two different weight systems that make up weight. One is fat mass and the other is muscle mass. These two subjects make up the human body along with a host of other things. But what we are concerned with here is muscle mass and fat mass. By measuring these two things we can determine a body fat percentage. This is the ratio of fat to muscle. We then compare the amount of fat mass by the total body weight For example, if you weighed 130 pounds and you had 35 pounds of fat on you entire body you would have a body fat percentage of 27%. There would be a remaining balance of 95 pounds composed of muscle, bone, water weight, and organs. The measurement of fat and muscle gives us a better perspective of what you are made of. Using this gauge we can determine a body fat percentage and design a practical plan that increases metabolism and therefore burns body fat at a much higher rate without sacrificing muscle tissue. So once we make our paradigm shift from weight loss to fat loss we can move forward. To design a fat loss plan. You are going to need a few things in your tool box. I call it my fat loss toolbox. There is no fat loss magic bullet, so I use multiple tools to increase my metabolism and burn fat. My fat loss tools are; water intake, muscle, optimal cardio in the morning, balanced nutrition, proper sleep and stress reduction. Tool #1. Lets start with water. Before you start scheduling your workout program and spending hours on the treadmill, you need to realize that there are so very practical but easily missed tools that get missed when trying to lose fat. You must drink water. Just like the world is primarily made up of water, so is our bodies. That should tell you right there that water is essential to life. So just common sense says increase you water intake. Water is the transport system. It transports nutrients to our body. It also transports fat to
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be burned as energy. So, fat loss is increased by increasing water. (A side benefit is your skin will glow.) My recommendation is .55 percent of your body weight in ounces. So if you weigh 100 pounds you should consume easily 55 ounces in your day. This is your first step that will help promote fat loss today. Tool #2. My second tool is supportive nutrition. Notice, I didnt say diet. Its not that diet is a scary word, for me. For most people it is considered a negative term. So, I dont use it. Dieting doesnt work anyway. What diet really means is the food that you eat. Not bad food, good food, less food, or more food. It just means its the food that you consume any given day. So diet does not mean starving, cutting back, rabbit food, or anything that resembles these things. So I use the words supportive nutrition. It has a better ring to it. Its positive. Supportive. Meaning, that it supports my body nutritionally, for the physical demands that I place on it. It supports my activities. Work. Play. Working out. Resting. Sleeping. Anything that I do in a given day. Each meal I eat is composed of a lean protein and a complex carbohydrate. A good example of this is a lean steak with a sweet potato or a chicken breast with green beans or salad. These two foods combined provide our bodies with what it needs nutritionally. I get amino acids from the protein to help repair muscle tissue and I get a complex energy source that regulates blood sugar by eating a complex carb. This dual combo promotes consistent energy levels with consistent fat loss. Remember fat loss is key. When my blood sugar is level. The pancreas secretes a hormone called glucagon. Glucagon is responsible for fat loss. So by eating balanced between a protein and carb, I get balanced blood sugar levels which result in body fat loss. Tool #3. My third tool is muscle. Im not talking about being Mr. Universe or Mr. Olympia. Im talking about just having a concern for muscle. Muscle is what burns calories at a very high rate. Its simple, the less muscle you have the less calories you will burn. The more muscle you have the more you will burn. So, if you want to be firm and fit for life, youve got to preserve or add some muscle tissue. How you do this is through resistance training. Resistance training is anytime you use any amount of weight in opposition to a muscle. To challenge a muscle you must resist against it. Not just with the same weight every time but progressively as well. Resistance training builds muscle in response to their work load. So the more you consistently work your muscles with weight, the more your metabolism is going to speed up. Do you see how this is very important if you want to lose body fat? Do you also see why the scale is not the way to measure results? You may lose fat put on muscle, look like a million bucks but still be the same weight. Eventually if you have weight to lose it will come off. If you keep working with your tools, youll lose all the weight you need to. Your muscle increase will be limited especially if youre female. Thats why its so important Tool #4. The next tool in the toolbox is optimal cardio in the morning on an empty stomach. This yields great fat loss results and gets the metabolism working early in the day. Cardio is aerobics. Aerobics is when you use non stop full body motions for extended periods of time. Its basically walking. Jogging. Using an elliptical. Treadmill.
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Basically, anything that gets you moving consistently, with oxygen. When you use oxygen which is most of your day, you can burn fat. But, doing cardio will enable you to burn fat at a faster pace. The reason why I do cardio in the morning is because Im coming from a fasting state. Exercising on an empty stomach, allows youre body to start burning calories from fat. If youd like to burn more fat, then do youre cardio on an empty stomach and start the day off on the right foot. This is a great way to lose fat. Tool #5. Proper sleep. Im not going to go into detail about this one but its very important. You know this. Those who get less than optimal sleep, get sick, look worse, and are cranky and irritable all the time. Im not a sleep specialist so I dare not go too far into this but remember a few basics. Your body needs rest to do what? Repair itself. The body uses hormones to accomplish this. If you have bad sleeping habits, this will impair your bodys ability to recover. If your body doesnt repair and its hormone production gets out of rhythm, youve got a big problem. So get the recommended eight hours. Go to bed at the same time consistently. For example bedtime at 10:00pm and arise at 6:00am everyday of the week. Tool#6. Stress Relief. If you are stressed out to the max. Your body will not work optimally. Stress has a catabolic effect that will break down muscle and store body fat. If stress is getting the best of you, it will keep you from burning fat and more importantly make you older much faster. In order to keep this from happening you need to find things you enjoy to decrease your stress levels. This can include anything from going on a walk to playing a musical instrument. It is usually doing something that you enjoy and gives you a way to release your stress. If you want to just be healthier, find a way to relieve your daily stress. So now that you realize the significant difference between weight loss and body fat loss you now begin to really see results daily and consistently. Remember its not about weight loss as it is so much fat loss. What does it matter what you weigh as long as you feel great, look stunning, fit into your clothes, and enjoy life to a new level. This is what a true fat loss solution can do for you. By using the tools in the fat loss tool box you can burn more fat than ever before and reach new fitness goals. Consistent fat loss. If you use them consistently you will never put the pounds back on. So, put your fat loss tool belt on and start losing fat today.
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How to Win the Body Fat War: 10 Strategies from a Personal Trainer to Turn Your Body into a 24 Hour Fat-Burning Machine!
By Roxayn Daniels, RHN
Are you struggling to lose body fat and achieve a lean, fit body? Maybe you've tried some of the diets and weight loss products on the market only to end up right back where you started within a relatively short period of time? If so, it's not your fault! Most diets and weight-loss centers use methods that are so out of sync with physiology and nutritional science that 95% of people who lose some weight will regain all of the body fat (usually with a few extra pounds) within a short period of time. But what about exercise? Here's another interesting statistic for you? The International Health & Fitness Organization completed a survey that found that 75% of people who exercise are not getting the results they want either. But of the 25% of people who are getting results, 90% of them are consulting with a Personal Trainer! Personal Trainers are in the business of helping people get results. An experienced fitness trainer understands that there truly is no quick, effortless way to lose weight and will never put you on a "crash" (and burn) diet or fitness program that will work against your body in the long-run. A good trainer should be able to help you set up your fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle for success and keep you moving in a straight path towards your ultimate goal. It is my passion and purpose in life to help others become the best they can be. I am an experienced Personal Trainer who has seen it all, tried it all, and sifted through the lies, the scams, and the mediocre to discover what actually does work for myself and for others. In this Free Report, you will receive some of these strategies and practical ideas to help you get started on a Total Transformation of your own. Although creating an attractive, fit, lean, healthy and energetic body requires some effort, the process can become an exciting and rewarding journey? Enjoy! Fat Loss Strategy #1: Mindset Matters! Too many people begin a fat loss program with an unhealthy mindset. Things like expecting quick and easy results, or having an "all or nothing" diet mentality, will work against you and make it impossible to ever achieve your best body. Oprah said it best when she recently admitted that "Getting my lifelong weight struggle under control has come from a process of learning to treat myself as well as I treat others in every way." Changing the way you eat or exercising regularly should not be about self-deprivation or punishment because you have a few pounds to lose. If you truly value and appreciate one of your most special gifts "your body" you will do your best to take care of it. You will avoid all of the desperate and unhealthy ways people try to lose weight (crash diets, dangerous "fat burner" supplements, the latest exercise gadget on the shopping channel that promises ripped abs in return for just minutes a day). Instead you will make an effort
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to eat the healthiest foods, exercise regularly, and take care of yourself in other ways too. The end result? An increasingly beautiful, fit, energetic, and healthy body that you will be able to maintain for life. Putting it into Action: What is it that makes you special and unique? List 10 of your best qualities. Then, rather than focusing on the things you don't like about your body or your appearance, list at least 5 things that you like! While you are working to establish a new nutrition and exercise program, hide your scale. Take time to appreciate and congratulate yourself for all of the many benefits (besides weight loss) that you will begin to notice. Fat Loss Strategy #2: Effective Goal Setting Do you ever put your goals in writing? To me a "goal" is simply a dream or a wish until it is written down along with a plan of action to achieve the goal. One of the very first things I do with each of my personal training clients is to help them establish some short and long-term goals that are realistic, measurable, and attached to a deadline. I have clients place their goals somewhere noticeable and read them every day. My sister demonstrated the effectiveness of this to me many years ago. One day, I walked into her bathroom and noticed that she had several goals accompanied by cartoon pictures taped onto her bathroom mirror. Her goals were mainly health and fitness related. I recall they were something like, "Run 10 km without stopping," "Drink 8 glasses of water and take vitamins daily," "10 Men's Push-Ups," etc. I teased her about the cartoon pictures, but was very proud of her when she achieved every single one of those goals and then went on to set new ones. Putting It Into Action: Write down some specific and measurable short-term goals (next 3 months) and some longer term goals. Then write down some things you will have to change or do in order to achieve those things. You can also visit my personal training website listed at the end of this article and download a free Goals & Fitness Log to help keep you on track! A goals deadline is invaluable to keep you on track. What might give you some extra motivation? Training for a 5 or 10 km "Fun Run"? Training for a fitness competition? Looking your best for a wedding, a reunion, or an upcoming vacation? Doing a 12 Week Challenge such as Body-for-Life or my 10 week Total Transformation Challenge with a friend? What about setting a date with a photographer for some fitness photos? Fat Loss Strategy #3: Strength Training is Not an Option Are you currently on a good weight training program? When I only have time for a couple of short workouts during the week you will definitely find me hitting the weights rather than grinding it out on the treadmill. Here's why: I guarantee you, there is no activity that can dramatically re-shape your body in the way that weight training can. There is no activity that can boost your metabolism 24 hours a day to the degree that weight training can. Add just 5 pounds of muscle and you will burn an additional 250 calories a day, even on days you don't exercise! Add that up over a
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week and over a month and you'll see why strength training is crucial if your goal is to maintain a lean, fit body. Plus, if training properly with some intensity (no more useless low-intensity, high-rep sets with "Barbie" weights!), you can work your heart and lungs and get some great cardiovascular benefits at the same time. Fat Loss Strategy #4: Use Interval Training for Optimum Results Have you ever been told that long slow cardio workouts in the "fat burning zone" are the way to go for fat loss? If you're like many others, you've probably done some, or maybe a lot of aerobic exercise, but haven't noticed much of a difference in fitness level or physical appearance. The prospect of putting in even more time probably isn't very appealing, but there is a great alternative! Interval training (alternating periods of higher intensity cardio with periods of low-intensity) is a super way to produce maximum results in minimum time. Almost all of my clients incorporate interval training into their fitness program with impressive results. Research shows that when you exercise using highintensity intervals, the total amount of calories your body burns during the hour after your workout is elevated 143% more than with low-intensity, long-duration exercise. That's because interval training speeds up your metabolism (the rate at which your body burns calories) significantly for up to three hours after exercise - a benefit not found with lowintensity exercise. Putting It Into Action: Substitute some interval training sessions 2-3 X per week for some of your longer, moderate intensity cardio sessions and it won't be long before you notice the results. There are many different ways to do intervals, but if you haven't tried this before, start with this basic program: After a good warm-up, kick up the intensity and go hard for 1 minute. (It will take some trial and error to find a pace that is fairly challenging but that you can maintain for the full minute.) Follow this interval with 1 minute at an easy pace. Repeat sequence. Depending upon your fitness level and endurance you might start with 3-4 of these intervals per session but gradually increase number of intervals over the next few weeks until you can do 10. Always follow your interval session with a 1 minute cool down at an easy pace. Need some new ideas for your fitness program? Turbo-Charge Your Results with the Total Transformation Challenge program (e-book or via mail) which includes a 3-phase fitness training program that will help maximize your ROI (return on investment!). It includes easy-to-follow strength training workouts that can be done in the gym or even at home with a minimum of equipment, along with some highly effective interval training workouts that are guaranteed to take your fitness to a new level! Getting fit doesn't have to take a lot of time - train smarter not longer and reap the rewards! Fat Loss Strategy #5: Nutrition is the Key that Will Unlock Your Potential! Often I see people focusing on either "diet" or fitness alone in their efforts to lose body fat. You can't do one without the other and expect good results. Lose weight through dieting alone and you'll lose tons of muscle and slow your metabolism. Expecting that your 2 hour long workouts will compensate for anything you decide to eat is also a big
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mistake. The truth is that your nutrition will account for up to 80% of the visible results you will get from your fitness program! So expect to put at least as much thought and effort into what you're eating as you do into your fitness. Are you eating too much? Maybe you're eating too little and slowing your metabolism. I've seen many clients who had been eating less than 1000 calories a day while still packing on bodyfat! Are you getting enough protein to optimize your metabolism and ensure best results from your training? What about "essential fats"? did you know that many people who eat too much fat are still deficient in the critical essential fats?? Are you taking advantage of the incredible power of a "green supplement"? Are you receiving enough of essential nutrients such as chromium, iron, and zinc. Nutrient deficiencies are bad news from a long-term health viewpoint but can also dramatically affect your metabolism and body's ability to burn bodyfat. For instance a shortage of Vitamin E will cut your body's ability to burn body fat in half. What about calcium, magnesium and Vitamin D ? are you getting enough on a daily basis to keep your bones healthy and strong? If you are unable to answer some of these important questions about your diet, then there is some work to do in this area. What you eat are some of the most important decisions that you will make every day. Taking the time to learn about proper nutrition is one of the best investments you can make in your body and your future. Putting It Into Action: One of the most powerful tools you can use when trying to lose fat or improve your diet is a nutrition diary. Try writing down what you eat for a couple days and you may be surprised at what you discover! You'll also see how the simple act of writing down what you eat, makes you much more conscious of the choices you are making. A nutrition diary makes it easy to look back at the end of the day and see exactly what you did well, and which areas could use improvement. Fat Loss Strategy #6: Eat Small Frequent Meals One of the most common trends I have noticed amongst people who are very overweight is the tendency to skip breakfast. Skipping meals will only play havoc with blood sugar and insulin levels, slow your metabolism and program your body to store more fat! Shoot for three small meals and two healthy snacks throughout the day (rather than eating only a couple larger meals). Ideally, you should be eating something about every 2 to 3 hours while trying not to consume more than about 500 calories in any one meal as this is the maximum number of calories that most people can metabolize without storing fat. If you're used to feeling full after a meal, it may take some time to adjust to eating smaller meals. Hang in there! What you'll notice though is that your energy levels will be more even throughout the day, your digestion will be better and you'll have a lighter, leaner feeling. Putting It Into Action: Use smaller plates. Go for quality rather than quantity (paying attention to a nice presentation helps too!) To minimize calories in a meal but still feel like you've eaten something substantial, load your plate with salad, or lightly steamed veggies, along with your serving of protein. Low-fat soups and stews are also very filling. For quick, healthy
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between meals snacks on the go, try a piece of fruit; a handful or raw nuts/seeds such as almonds or hemp seed; raw food bars such as Rebar or Rebar Nuts'n Seeds Bar, or Larabar; low-fat cottage cheese mixed with a little lemon yogurt or other fruit flavored yogurt; or a raw fruit and veggie plate. You can also carry a shaker cup with you that contains a serving of your favorite protein supplement or meal replacement. Just add water and shake it up for a quick between meal snack. Fat Loss Strategy #7: The Power of Protein If you're an average "couch potato," you probably are getting enough protein. But did you know that if you exercise, especially if you strength-train with some intensity, your need for protein increases significantly? The majority of people I see are not consuming enough protein to support their workouts and get maximum results. If you don't get enough protein your metabolism slows down significantly. Protein helps elevate metabolic rate (the number of calories your body burns). Compared with a highcarbohydrate meal, the thermic (calorie burning) response from a high protein meal can be 40% greater. Meals that contain a good source of protein are also more satisfying, digest more slowly, and stimulate the release of glucagon, a fat-burning hormone. Putting It Into Action: Try to include a good source of protein (ie. chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, low-fat cottage cheese, quality protein powder supplement) in at least 3-4 of your meals and snacks throughout the day and stoke that calorie burning furnace! A quality protein powder makes great shakes and is a very convenient way to boost your protein intake. Protein supplements with the highest known "bioavailability" (ie your body can utilize it much more efficiently than protein from other sources) are made from WHEY ISOLATES as opposed to lesser quality caseinate and milk protein isolates. Look for labels that specify "high alpha whey isolates" or cross-flow microfiltered whey isolates. Avoid aspartame and other chemical sweeteners. Stevia is a natural plant-based sweetener that is used in some of the higher quality protein supplements. Soy isolates, hemp protein, and brown rice protein and some protein alternatives for people who cannot use a whey protein. Fat Loss Strategy #8: Choose the "Right" Carbs and Watch the Timing of Your Carbs Whoa, I could say a lot of important things about carbohydrates here but to keep it short I thought I'd highlight just one important 5-Star Fat Burning Tip. Try to eat most of your carbs early in the day (at breakfast and lunch) when you need them most for energy and brain function. Choose lower-glycemic whole grain carbs such as oatmeal, berries or other lower glycemic fruit, rye bread, yams. For your last meal of the day, cut out the bread, pasta, rice, and starchy vegetables such as corn and potatoes. You don't need a lot of carbs right before bedtime, especially if your goal is to burn bodyfat all night long! Instead have a serving of protein along with a big plate of steamed or stir-fried veggies and/or raw salad. And then no snacking after dinner! You don't have to do this every night, but the more often you do, the better your fat-burning results will be.
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Putting It Into Action: Consult a Glycemic Index chart and learn which carbs to emphasize and which to avoid. Substitute whole grains for white flour products (100% whole grain breads, brown rice, large flake oats, quinoa, whole grain pastas) Count how many servings of fruit and veggies you eat in an average day (one serving = cup of veggies or 2 cups of lettuce or 1 med size piece of fruit) An average person eats 2-4 servings but most health consultants today recommend 10 servings! Include more colorful salads, steamed or stir-fried veggies, and home-made soups. Fruit, nature's fast food, makes a great between meal snack. Fat Loss Strategy #9: Designate a Weekly Treat Day! Woohoo! Do I mean to say that you can still eat some of your favorite treat foods and lose weight? Yes, you can and you should? and this is how. Remember that you are trying to avoid the very counterproductive "all or nothing" diet mentality. You are also working to develop an eating style that you can maintain for life! Trying to be too strict with your "diet" and not allowing room for an occasional treat will only work against you in the long run. On the other hand many people find that it works great to designate a certain day of the week where they splurge a little, maybe a special night to go out for dinner and have a glass of wine with the meal and your favorite dessert (its more fun to share), or a pizza and movie night. Knowing that this is possible helps you to stay on track during the rest of the week even when you have cravings for something that is not on the plan. Putting It Into Action: Decide how it would work best to manage "treat" foods. If you have a lot of self-control, you might be able to get away with smaller amounts of treats more frequently. If your self-control is low (at least for now, this can change over time), you should remove the most tempting junk food and treats from your house and designate a treat day. When you do splurge, make it special and enjoy it, guilt free! Fat Loss Strategy #10: Surround Yourself With People Who Support & Believe in You, and Most of All, Believe in Yourself! Putting It Into Action: Invest in your body and your health and consult with a professional such as a personal trainer and/or a nutritionist. Spend more time with friends who live a healthy, fitness lifestyle. Can you think of a new fitness activity you would you like to try? Join an activity group such as a running, cycling, or hiking group or take some lessons and learn something new! Spend time developing a positive mindset and feeding your motivation inspiration can come from books, movies, music, successful people. A good place to begin and kick start your transformation is with the inspirational DVDs - Body-for-Life Success Stories and The Secret! Anything is possible. Believe it! What Now?! So now you hold in your hand some great fat-burning strategies to help you get your own Total Transformation in motion. But getting the right information is only the first step. Translating that information into action and results is sometimes where
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people get stuck. I have helped many people achieve incredible transformations with a 10 week women's fitness and wellness program called the Total Transformation Challenge. This program is broken down into very manageable weekly lessons, and comes with accountability, free phone or email support, and some extra incentives including great prizes. For more information on this revolutionary program, please visit the Total Transformation Challenge website listed below! ***roxayndaniels,rhn.shtml***
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11. Drink water and lots of it. Your body is 60% water. General recommendations include; consume at least 96 oz. (3 quarts) of water per day, Consume an additional 8 oz. of water for every 25 lbs. a person is over ideal bodyweight for fat loss increase water intake if the individual is exercising or is in a hot climate. 12. EXERCISE!!! Get up and move. You should resistance at least 3 times a week for 20 - 45 minutes and do cardio at least 3 times a week for 20 - 60 minutes. Start off with what you are comfortable with and then challenge yourself each week with more intensity in your workouts, and longer bouts 13. Consistent fat loss requires good habits. If you want to create good habits then you need plan. Therefore, map out your meals every day and follow them. Also, weigh and measure your food at least once a week to increase your awareness of portion sizes and caloric intake. If you follow your plan everyday for 3 weeks you will begin to form habits that become part of your daily routine and part of your life. 14. Record what you eat and drink. You will be amazed by what you find. Keeping a food journal is critical to your success because you need it to evaluate and analyze your current eating patterns. If your fat loss efforts are stagnant the answer can usually be found in your food journal. 15. Cheat once a week. Don't be obsessive and compulsive 24/7 about your diet, but be conscious of it. Reward yourself with your favorite food or favorite meal 1 time per week, not 1 time per day. 16. Follow the 90/10 rule. If you can follow your plan 90% of the time you will soon see unwanted fat melt off your body. However, if you find yourself breaking these rules more than 10% of the time your chances of failing increase significantly.
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Method 1- Reduce Your Caloric Intake! Method 2- Increase Your Caloric Expenditure! Method 3- Do Both!
We will discuss these methods in greater detail in just a minute. But first we need to address those who have seen there weight increase over the last 4 weeks. Lets say youve seen a 2 pound weight gain over the last 4 weeks. There are 3500 calories in a pound of fat. By using the following formula you can calculate (on average) how many extra calories you are consuming on a daily basis over your caloric expenditure:
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# of pounds gained times 3500 divided by 28 days equals extra calories per day 2 x 3500 divided by 28 = 250 calories per day Using the above example with this formula, you are consuming 250 more calories each day than what you are burning up through your metabolism and activities. Using Method 1 would require you to decrease your caloric intake by 250 calories to stop the weight gain. If you used Method 2, then you would need to increase your activity level by 250 calories to stop the weight gain. Or, you could use a combination of Methods 1 & 2 to eliminate the extra 250 calories per day so that your weight remained stable. Method 1 Reduce Your Caloric Intake! The easiest and fastest way to drive your weight loss program is through Method 1. Method 1 doesnt have to be an extreme program of caloric reduction. You didnt gain all your weight rapidly but over a period of time. So, look to eliminate 50 to 100 calories at each of your meals. Here are some suggestions:
The most powerful step you can take is to switch from soda to water. A 12 oz soft drink has 140-150 calories and water has ZERO! The average American consumes 1.5 cans per day. Switching to water would save them 230 calories per day. Dont make the mistake of switching to diet pop! Diet pops do not eliminate thirst. Diet pops do not eliminate hunger. Water does! Plus, much of the water in diet pop is needed by your liver to help it remove toxins so little of it goes to the cells. This affects your metabolism in a negative way. Cut your spreads in half. One ounce of butter or cream cheese is 100 calories. Cut the amount you use in half and you just saved 50 or more calories. If you dont want to cut the amount, then switch to an alternative. Instead of butter use Smart Balance Light Butter Spread at 47 calories per ounce. If you use regular jam on your bread then switch to Sugar-Free. You will go from 50 calories to 10 and save yourself 40 calories. Find alternatives. Instead of mayonnaise try tomatoes and mustard to save 50 calories. Instead of a vending size bag of potato chips at 155 calories try an apple or pear at 90 calories for a 65 calorie savings plus needed fiber. Instead of a highfat creamy dressing substitute a low-fat dressing to save 80 to 150 calories. Choosing a grilled piece of meat instead of a breaded, deep-fried piece of meat will save you 80 calories. Reduce the portion size. You like French Fries then choose the small size at 210 calories vs. the medium at 450 calories or the large at 540 calories for a savings of 90 to 330 calories depending upon your choice. Stop eating the Super Size meals because all they are doing is making you Super Sized! Take half of your restaurant meal home in a doggy bag since many restaurant meals top out at 1700 calories or more. If you dont feed it to your dog, then youve got a meal for the next day which saves you both calories and money. Instead of a 12 ounce glass of juice go with a 6 ounce glass of juice and save yourself 85 calories.
To help you in your search for ways to reduce your caloric intake just Google calorie counting and you will find a host of very good websites that will help you find
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alternative foods and options. Just remember if you try a new product that doesnt meet your taste standards, than continue looking. Dont give up and revert back to your old ways. Also, dont cut a lot of calories out of your small meals especially breakfast and lunch. To do so will leave you low on energy and may set you up to overeat at your next meal. Method 2 Increase Your Caloric Expenditure! Exercise is the primary way to increase your caloric expenditure but it will not have the same impact on weight management as Method 1. I know there are a lot of exercise people about to disagree with me but here are the hard cold facts. The average person who weighs 175 lbs and works out at a moderate level for 30 minutes will expend about 250 calories. Remember that small size order of French Fries at 210 calories. It doesnt take you 30 minutes to eat those French Fries. Exercise is important in weight management but it is more important to your general overall health. Find activities that will naturally add to your caloric expenditure like:
Play with your children. No only will it create a special bond but light to moderate playing for 30 minutes will burn up 111 to 159 calories for a 175 lbs. person. Sit up rather than lie down. Just the change in your position from lying on the couch to sitting up will help you burn more calories at a rate of approximately 60 more per hour. Deliberately choose to expend more calories. Instead of finding the closest parking space to the front door park at the back of the lot and walk. Instead of taking the elevator to go to the second or third floor use the stairs. Instead of having someone else wipe down your car at the car wash wipe it down yourself. All these extra activities can help you burn an extra 100 calories during the day. Find an activity you enjoy and enjoy it. Whether it be a leisurely bike ride, a bowling group, general exercise, basketball, soccer, gardening, playing a musical instrument or some other activity, 30 minutes spent could burn anywhere from 100 to 250 calories depending upon your weight and intensity. Drink water. Just this simple activity will do wonders for improving your energy and general metabolism. This will help you burn more calories throughout the day.
Method 3 Do Both! This is the real key to weight management because it works both sides of the equation to drive a more effective weight loss program and weight management lifestyle. It will have a positive impact on your general overall health and be a contributing factor in slowing down the aging process. Now you know the Secret Formula for Weight Loss! Its not mysterious. Its not complicated. It has no agenda. It doesnt sell any type of product. But, it works all the time. Enjoy your new found power to take charge of your weight management lifestyle by harnessing the power of this equation to reshape yourself and your life.
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vegetables, and beans. Fats should be kept to a minimum and they should come from sources like fish oil, olive oil, flax seed, and whole fish. 3. Do three to four cardiovascular workouts each week This is how you'll burn the majority of your daily calories. Cardio increases your metabolic rate, so that you'll burn more calories throughout the day, even while resting. 30 minutes of cardio, three to four times a week, is enough to raise your metabolism and help burn calories. Any more than that could lead to overtraining. Choose cardio machines that get more of your body moving. the more you move your body, the more calories you burn. The Stairmaster, biking, and running on the treadmill are all good examples of intense cardio that will move more of your body. 4. Weight train three to four times a week Weight training will not burn a sufficient amount of fat while you're doing it. Weight training will help you burn more calories and fat in the future. When you add more lean muscle tissue to your body, you have to expend more energy (burn more calories) just to maintain that lean muscle tissue. So when you're at rest, even sleeping, you'll burn off more calories with this additional lean muscle. The more calories you burn, the more body fat you will lose. That's why weight training is an important part of the weight loss equation. The more lean muscle tissue you have on your body, the more calories you will burn off as a result. 5. Begin to slowly reduce your calorie intake In order to lose body fat, you need to expend more calories than you consume. Or simply put, burn off more calories than you eat. Begin by reducing your daily calorie intake by 150 to 300 calories. Start cutting out extras like butter, cream, mayo, sugar, and any high-calorie dressings or condiments. Instead, use spices or low-calories sauces to add flavor to your food. As you reduce your daily calories, begin to observe in the mirror what effect it's having on your body composition. This will help you decide whether or not you should reduce your calories again or if you're making progress where you are.
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If you don't see results after a couple weeks of reducing your daily calories, reduce them again by 150 to 300 calories. This slow, methodical drop in calories will allow you to find the number you need to keep losing fat, without sacrificing lean muscle tissue. If you eat too few calories, your metabolism will slow down and you'll also stop adding lean muscle tissue. Over time, you'll find the number of daily calories you need to keep losing body fat, without losing lean muscle tissue. There you have five simple, proven ways you can lose more fat in less time. The more of these tips you use, the quicker you'll begin to see positive changes in the mirror.
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sugar levels. Change what you're eating and get walking and you'll be amazed at the pounds start to fall off. The fatigue and fuzziness will start to disappear and in turn you'll feel much better.
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your goals. Ask yourself Is body transformation something that I genuinely desire? If the answer is yes, then you are ready to begin your journey. If the answer is no, then you are more than likely wasting your time.
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The reason is that the weight loss industry knows that you're eager and desperate to lose weight and keep it off. They know that you are impatiently waiting for an instantaneous and easy weight loss solution and you'll spend your money on almost anything that promises to deliver fast results. Therefore, by continuing to disseminate false information and manufacture bogus products that could never in a million years produce lasting results, you always remain the customer in search of the next "new" weight loss solution. As long as there are unsatisfied customers, there are profits. So yes, the billion-dollar weight loss industry is designed to help you fail. In fact, its survival is 100% dependent upon your failure, because as long as you keep failing, you will keep spending your hard-earned dollars on the next "promised solution." God forbid you discover the truth that there is no magic diet, pill, powder, or potion. How then will they make their money? Exactly. Please understand this. Losing weight is not about a pill, a shake, a piece of equipment, or a fad diet. Weight loss is not about a pie-in-the-sky method that has only one goal in mind: to take your money. Weight loss also does not depend on extreme habits including adhering to all-or-none diets, killing yourself at the gym, starving yourself, or depriving yourself of one of life's greatest pleasures-good food. Losing weight involves consistently applying scientific principles and a little common sense until "it" works. Trust me when I say that pills, diets, and quick fixes don't work.
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next goal. Think of each goal as a single domino in a line of dominoes. All you have to do is knock down that first domino and all the others will go tumbling down. Visualize with the End in Mind Visualization is the process by which you create clear, mental images of things and/or ideas that are not physically or visibly present, and it is a very powerful way to maintain motivation, both consciously and subconsciously. The subconscious mind does not differentiate between that which is imagined and that which is real. It accepts everything that enters its realm as truth. Therefore, by visualizing yourself looking and feeling, not as you are now, but as you will be, you're in effect tricking your subconscious mind into believing that your desired result has already been attained. It's important not only to create a visual image, but to imagine how you will feel when you reach your desired weight. Imagine yourself running and laughing in the park with your children, or walking into a crowded room wearing a sexy, strapless dress, or perfectly tailored suit and having all eyes on you. Embrace and savor those feelings and before you know it, you'll have more enthusiasm, determination, and motivation that you can handle.
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The Missing Ingredients of Weight Loss Success are NOT Motivation and Willpower
By Shondelle Solomon-Miles
Do you know that lack of motivation and will power have nothing to do with weight loss success. Yep that's right-Nothing. More times than I can count, people tell me that the reason they don't consistently exercise or eat healthy is that they lack motivation and willpower. This is an excuse, and a very poor one at that. You have willpower and you can be motivated if you so choose. You go to work everyday when you may not always be 'motivated' to don't you? I mean, isn't it true that many mornings you would just rather stay in bed? Lack of willpower and motivation are not inherited like a disease. You choose to be unmotivated and unwilling. If you claim to lack willpower, then I can assure you that you also lack a deep, uncompromising desire to accomplish what you say you want. Motivation and willpower are the offspring of desire. If you want something badly enough, you'll do whatever it takes to get it. For everything worth accomplishing there is a price to pay. If I told you that I'd pay you ten million dollars if you consistently exercise five days a week, eat a small meal every three hours, drink at least eight cups of water a day, and eat fast foods and desserts only during your 'cheat' meals, would you be able to do it? I'm 99% certain you would. Why? Because your desire for 10 million dollars would far outweighs lack of motivation and will power. Trust me-you would find the motivation and will. If I told you that you'll never see your children or loved ones again unless you drop four dress sizes within six months, do you think you'd be able to do it? I bet my life you would. Why? Because your desire to see your family again would motivate you enough to rise to the challenge. Many people wish or hope to lose weight, but few genuinely desire it. Well, aren't wishing and desiring the same thing? No, they're not. Hoping and wishing are passive and imply being acted upon, desiring involves taking action and requires being
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proactive until the job is done. To desire something, means to adopt an attitude that you'll stop at nothing, and you'll make whatever changes necessary in your life, no matter how difficult, to attain the 'object' of your desire. In addition, unlike wishing or hoping, desiring implies a sense of urgency. Philosopher, Napoleon Hill says, 'You must not only want to do a thing, or to possess a thing, but you must want it hard. You must want it as the hungry man wants bread, as the choking man wants air. And if you will but arouse in yourself this fierce, ardent, insatiable desire, you will set in operation one of nature's most potent mental forces (desire)'. You may be thinking to yourself, "But I do set goals and I have a strong desire but yet I don't reach my goals!" If you haven't reached your weight loss goals in the past, and assuming you were using a sound 'system,' then subconsciously you were not driven enough to do what it takes to reach your goal. I know this sounds harsh, but this is the reality. It's very possible to want or desire something on a conscious level, yet be unsure of it on a subconscious level. Here's an example. If I walk into any public establishment and ask ten random people if they want to lose weight, most will answer 'yes.' I also know that if I see those same ten people one year later, most, if not all, will look the same. So what's the reason for the discrepancy between what we say we want and what we actually possess or experience? Desire. How do I know? Because you can achieve anything as long as you want it badly enough and are willing to do whatever 'it' takes (safely and ethically) to achieve it, despite the obstacles you may face. If you're not doing what "it" takes, then either you don't understand what 'it' is, you self-sabotage, or your desire is not strong enough.
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failure. You don't need a lot of fancy equipment. You can get a fantastic workout using your own bodyweight, resistance bands, or a stability ball. 3. Get at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity each day for a minimum of 3 days a week. This activity should be challenging while at the same time being careful not to overdo it. A good way to gauge the intensity that's right for you is to use the talk test. If you can't say more than 5 or 6 words without taking a breath, you're working too hard. 4. Make your diet something you'll stick to by cheating once in a while. My theory is that if you eat a healthy diet 80 to 90 percent of the time you'll be successful. It's unrealistic to think that you'll never again eat the foods that you love so much. Whether you choose to have a cookie or two after lunch or an entire day each week that you cheat, it will help you stick to the healthy stuff more consistently. 5. Make exercising fun. Partner up with a friend or members of your family and think of activities that you enjoy. You'll not only look forward to it more but you'll have a good reason to not say to heck with it. You and your partner wouldn't want to let each other down would you? Losing weight and getting fit shouldn't be a chore, it should be something that brightens your outlook on life by making you feel more energized, motivated, and maybe even a little sexy. It's a nice thought, why don't you give it a try.
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Have you ever seen an overweight dog or cat? Where are they fat? In the abdominal region! That's where all higher order organisms store excess fat - around their internal organs. Now have you ever seen a lean dog or cat? Do you think they got that way from doing crunches?! Your best bet for losing fat is the combination of the right eating plan for you, full-body strength training focusing on the largest muscles in the body - the legs and lats - and high intensity cardio (tempo runs and interval training) mixed with occasional long, slow distance (LSD).
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Heres One Big Weight Loss Idea That Has Nothing To Do With Fitness Or Nutrition!
By Tim Chudy
Exercise more. Eat less. Count carbs. Lighter weight, more reps. Heavier weight, less reps. Pre-packaged meals. Count points. Youve heard it all. Youve been bombarded by so many different weight loss messages its no wonder that as a country, were still overweight. But there is one secret that most if not all, overlook. And it doesnt even have to do with fitness or nutrition! What is that secret? Sleep. It is essential to our lives and we would not be able to function without it. Recent studies show a strong relationship between sleep deprivation and weight gain. Here are three specific findings: According to a study over 16 years, women who slept five hours or less gained more weight than those sleeping seven hours a day. People who sleep less than six hours a night saw an increase in body mass index versus those who slept seven to eight hours a night. And lastly, but most importantly, people who slept less than eight hours a night had greater increases in body fat. These are all profound findings and give us an obvious reason to increase our sleep when trying to lose weight and get rid of that unwanted body fat. Our bodies run on a 24 hour cycle. We all have internal clocks that help us operate our lives. In todays hectic society we run at a frantic pace and often times throw off our internal clocks. This in turn messes with our hormonal regulation among other bodily systems and functions. Our feelings of being full and hungry are thrown off. Many times being tired or fatigued leads us to make poor food choices and causes us to gain weight. When beginning a weight loss program it is essential that you get proper amounts of sleep. This helps the body recover and rebuild and keeps our clocks on schedule and functioning at optimum levels. Whats worse is when stress is thrown in the mix we eat to relieve it and we cant sleep because of it. Getting eight hours of sleep every night is optimal. But that is hard to do in our lives today. Here are four steps to help regain control of your own internal clock and help prevent sleep being the reason for weight gain or preventing weight loss. 1. Make a schedule and stick to it. Were creatures of habit. Making a regular schedule for eating and sleeping will have a profound effect on your weight loss. Make it a goal to eat 5 -6 times per day and make sleeping seven to eight hours per night a priority. 2. Dont use food or drinks to give you needed energy. This only cures the symptom of being tired. Your goal should be to cure the problem. Schedule a power nap for
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15 minutes on days you dont get enough sleep. Relying on sugary foods and drinks will only add weight while giving you a temporary fix on your energy. 3. Know the difference between mental fatigue and physical fatigue. Mental fatigue is usually related to stress. Acknowledge this and cope with it through exercise, meditation, or something else that makes you happy. This will help return your energy level while not relying on foods and drinks to pick you up. Sleep is never addressed by the companies selling you weight loss solutions. (They cant make money when you sleep!) Getting the proper amounts of sleep is essential when trying to lose weight or body fat. Make it a goal to get eight hours and youll be on your way to a successful weight loss and body fat reduction program... well, youre exercising and eating healthy right?
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want big bulky muscles train like a body builder (single joint machine based training) and if you want to look like an endurance athlete the same applies, train like one. Basically your goal is to work every muscle group hard, frequently and with enough intensity to create an elevated metabolism several hours after your workout. 3. High Intensity Anaerobic Interval Training- This type of training burns more calories than steady state Cardio and elevates the metabolism more so than any other form of Cardio. The secret is EPOC (Exercise Post Oxygen Consumption). What does this mean you ask? Well it basically means you continue burn more fat calories after your exercise session than you did before, especially when compared to steady state cardio. And guess what? It takes less time, but in all fairness it's hard and sucks to do. But I think running on a treadmill for 45 minutes compared to 20 minutes sucks way more, plus you can't even compare the benefits, so basically it's a more efficient way to do cardio. So here is an example of a great program that I learned from Alwyn Cosgrove at www.AlwynCosgrove.com : Weeks 1-4 Warm-up 3-5 minutes 1 minute high intensity 2 minutes easy cardio Repeat for 3 rounds 3 times a week. Warm down 5 minutes Weeks 5-8 Warm-up 3-5 minutes 1 minute high intensity 2 minutes easy cardio Repeat for 4 rounds 4 times a week. Warm down 5 minutes Weeks 9-12 Warm-up 3-5 minutes 1 minute high intensity 2 minutes easy cardio Repeat for 5 rounds 5 times a week. Warm down 5 minutes Weeks 13-16 Warm-up 3-5 minutes 1 minute high intensity 2 minutes easy cardio Repeat for 6 rounds 6 times a week. Warm down 5 minutes
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Well there you have it! 3 proven strategies that when used together will accelerate your fat loss efforts. It's basically a fool proof strategy, so if you want fat loss results you need to immediately implement these strategies to take the high road to fat loss success!
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Just Do It!; 8 Proven Strategies For Staying On The Fat Loss Track
By Tim Rudd
Simple isn't it? This headline is short and to the point, no mistaking the message is very clear! But in fact sometimes 'Just Do It!' isn't so simple. I see people every day that have trouble doing just that, taking action and following through to achieving fat loss. So what is their deal, what makes these people so different from the others who can 'Just Do It!', follow a plan, whether it is strength training or nutrition and get the fat loss results they seek? I find it interesting when comparing the many ways in which people have different vices that basically stop them from achieving their fat loss goals. Now I do understand that bad habits are hard to break, but I guarantee in the long run they will be harder to live with! So where do I start? What is the secret to getting through to people who struggle to stick with a regimen of strength training and/or nutrition? How about a list of 8 ways to Just Do It! 8 simple but effective strategies to keep you focused on your fat loss goals, no matter what they may be. I know how frustrating it can be to want something so bad and keep falling off track. I've seen it in new client's faces and heard it in their words when first meeting with them. This list came from my own experiences, whether it was from a book a fellow fitness professional, and sometimes even my own clients. All these strategies have one thing in common and that is to get you to 'Just Do It!' 1. Write down your goals: It is one thing to have a goal, but completely another to write it down. Studies have shown that actually writing down goals compared to keeping them in your head to be a much more effective strategy in achieving success. This goal must be driven by emotion, a passion, something you really almost need to achieve. Remember that a Goal is just a dream unless you take the time to write it down. 2. Write down how you will feel and look if you achieve your fat loss goalsVisualize this each day, pay attention to how that makes you feel. 3. Now that you have your fitness goals written down, how about writing out how you're going to achieve this goal. What steps are you going to take to make sure that your fat loss goals are realized? You need to have a plan written down on how you will achieve your goals. Without a plan you're setting yourself up for failure. Now remember if you see a fitness professional they should have a plan written out for you to follow. A clear concise strength and nutrition strategy for you follow, and if you don't have a fitness professional then either get one or do some self education on what proper steps to take to achieve fat loss. 4. Take Action: Easy enough right? That's what this whole article is supposed to help you do. Well if you've followed the first two strategies then taking action at first shouldn't be so difficult, it's continuing to take action that is the hard part.
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5. Failure leads to success- Sounds like an oxymoron right? But it's true; when you fail realize it's just a setback not the end of the world. Remember most successful people in any profession have failed most of their lives, they just didn't give up, look at athletes a .300 batting average in baseball is considered successful, so is 40% shooting in basketball and the list goes on and on. You've developed bad habits that took some time to get, now accept the fact that developing good habits are going to take some time also. Studies show that you can break old habits and develop new ones within 21 days. Just remember with each failure you must pick yourself up and stay positive, make no excuses take responsibility and learn from your mistake. The key is not to keep making the same mistakes, but to be conscious of it and fix it. Remember Rome wasn't built in one day and neither is developing new habits. One other thing you must do, you've already written down and visualized how you will feel if you succeed, in times of failure visualize how you will feel and look if you don't achieve your fat loss goals. Use this as motivation; don't accept anything less than what will make you happy. 6. Keep a Journal- Keep a log of your training and nutrition programs. You need to have these logs, how else will you how you're doing. Nutrition can be as simple as keeping an adherence chart using symbols such as an X for a designated meal a 0 if you miss a meal and an * if you eat a non-compliant meal. This will give you the cold hard facts of your adherence each week to the nutrition plan. Now as far strength training goes you must also keep track of exercises and weights. This all can be compared to the results you're achieving. If the logs show progress with eating and a proper strength training program shows continual progress then guess what? You should see progress. If the charts show you're not complying with the nutritional part and missing strength training sessions, then your lack of results will coincide with your adherence. This is simple but very effective in keeping you motivated and responsible for your own success. 7. Make your training days like an appointment, plan ahead know what days and at what times you will be working out. Schedule it in your calendar don't leave it to chance or you will make an excuse not to go. Don't allow yourself to fall into that trap, know what and exactly when you're going to do it, hold yourself accountable don't feel comfortable with missing appointments. Build good habits in this regard and it will become easier and easier to not miss, in fact you will start to feel bad if you do. 8. Make sure you surround yourself with people who are going to support your goals. Having positive reinforcement from family and friends can go a long way in keeping you on track. Make sure they know what your goals are and what it will take to achieve them. They can also hold you accountable, and I'm guessing you're less likely to fail if you told everyone close to you what you're going to do. If you don't follow through now you have them to answer to, and believe me they will ask. 9. Build on success- Each day try to do better than the last, achieve something new and exciting and continue to build on this. When you do this each day you will feel excited, motivated and good about yourself like nothing can stop you. It's a very powerful strategy, take advantage of it.
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Okay there you have it, 8 proven strategies to keep you on the fat loss track. Remember you must take action and use these strategies to help you stay on track, don't wait until the perfect time, there isn't one as one great philosopher once said 'Jump and build your wings on the way down'. So I guess what I'm saying is 'Just Do It!'
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Eat three regular meals a day and two snacks. Try to schedule your meals at fairly regular times. This keeps your blood sugar steady, so that you're less vulnerable to cravings. Build your meals around a lean protein source. Protein is the building block behind muscle. The more muscle you have on your body the less body fat you will have! Modify your intake of starchy carbohydrates or complex carbs (brown rice, potatoes, cereal etc.) to one serving a day and make it early in the day also. These carbohydrates are used to fuel your body. When they are not used they will be stored in your body as fat! Eat two servings of fresh fruit. Stick to eating berries since they are lower in carbohydrates and sugar. Eat two servings of low-fat dairy foods daily. Many times dairy products are completely left out and the all important calcium is lost! The lack of calcium leads to bone loss and osteoporosis. Choose healthy fats such as olive oil or nuts. One serving a day is suffice. Drink plenty of water. Your goal should be 8 yes 8! 12 ounce glasses of water per day. Plan your grocery list and record what you eat on a daily basis.
The last recommendation might just be the most important one out of all of them. That is because if you really want successful and lasting weight loss, WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN!! This will single handedly make the biggest difference because it will keep you accountable to what you are eating. And that my friend is what makes it work, every single time. Now what's important is for you to understand that the good news is you only have to keep a journal for 5-6 days of the week. The other days, or preferably 'day' will be a free one. That is the day for you to have fun. Go to dinner, have a brownie, or eat some pie WITH ice cream. HMM that's my favorite Cherry Pie. Remember though the
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other days are for journal writing and making good food choices with the above recommendations. With these guidelines for practical weight loss solutions for men and women it will be a great starting point. The goal of this article was to give some very practical down to earth recommendations that should be easily remembered. Plan to use a notebook or some scratch paper and you will be all set to begin. Remember the goal is to stop the pattern of overeating and instead eat smaller more frequent meals to increase the efficiency of your metabolism. So make that happen, and let's start hearing about those success stories.
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to really build muscle in the buns to fight off that cellulite and fat. Adding 5 pounds of lean muscle will go a long way in increasing the metabolism and making it easier to keep bodyfat and weight off the body. Plus it will really tone and shape the female figure to a more toned, sexy looking appearance. The cellulite Status protrusus cutis is a little bit different fish to fry. With this type (remember visible when pressed or pinched) hydration is the key. Water not only helps with digestion, it helps your skin cells and consequently cellulite. So think at least 75 ounces of water a day. In addition, receiving lymphatic massages will also help this type of cellulite. So there you have it. A more detailed explanation of what cellulite is instead of hearing the you have cottage cheese thighs that everyone hates. Now that you are armed with how to conquer cellulite lets hear about victory. Take on more lunges with weights and start drinking plenty of water. Get to work because we want to hear about youre success story!
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1. Run upstairs and walk back down run - repeat that for five or so minutes and you'll be exhausted. Plus, you'll totally elevate your metabolism and increase blood flow and circulation and have you feeling great! 2. Perform 10 minutes of calisthenics (jumping jacks, kick butts, high knees, jog in place, mountain climbers, etc) 3. Take a quick 10 minute power walk. Walk nearly as fast as you can and over time try to increase your distance and/or speed Mini-workouts can work extremely well so don't be afraid to experiment. Beach Body Secret # 3 Your workouts must be progressive! Training progressively with strength training is probably one of the most important forms of exercise you can do. Plus, this principle applies to all forms of exercise and fitness. So when you're talking about reshaping the body, boosting metabolism, and burning off that excess body fat, you have to ensure that nearly all of your workouts are progressive in nature. Give the body a reason to change! Just because you go to the gym and do strength training a few times a week doesn't mean anything - you have to provide a stimulus or reason for the body to make improvements. The number of sets and reps doesn't matter, what matters is that the muscles and systems are subjected to a greater than stress than what the muscles are used to. Here are some general guidelines: one to three sets per exercise, as many reps as possible in good form on each set, perform slow controlled reps to maximize muscle involvement, change exercises frequently, etc. Beach Body Secret # 4 Keep your body well hydrated! Fat metabolism is directly affected by how well hydrated your body is. People totally underestimate the effective that water has when it comes a fat loss and also on overall health. Over 70 percent of the processes that happens in your body take place in water. Certain things like organs can't function optimally without enough water. There's still a debate on how much you need and I don't think anyone will ever know for sure but to play it safe I would recommend you strive to drink at least 4 cups or more each day - and NO!, tea and juice don't count. Yes, they have water but they also often have sugar and other ingredients that actually limit the amount that is absorbed and used. Beach Body Secret # 5 Get a tan! The Florida sun is very intense. With that in mind, you should start your color quest at a tanning salon. The salon staff can educate you on the benefits. Before
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attempting to lie out in the sun, be smart and get a base tan in a salon first. This way, minimize the chance that you'll burn your first day in the sun. Having a nice tan, enables you to display all of your hard work and lets others appreciate your dedication to having a fit body. If I can be of any assistance to you, please don't hesitate to call or email me. I will be happy to speak to you and give you my recommendations. Visit my site for more tips at bodbytodd.com or email me at todd@bodbytodd.com or call me at (407) 927-FLEX (3539). I am also available for one on one training sessions. If you feel that you need my help, contact me and we will set up a consultation.
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Second You will lose more muscle mass than body fat. Now, you may say, "It does not matter as long as I'm thin", but understand that muscle burns more calories than fat -- this helps to keep your metabolism elevated. Muscle also gives you a shapely, firm and more defined physique. If you end up with less muscle than when you started, you can bet that your metabolism has been slowed a great deal, which, in the long run, means your body will be burning fewer calories and storing more fat. Ultimately, you may get down to the weight that you desire, but you will have more body fat, less muscle mass and no muscle tone. This is why people who have a history of dieting off and on (yo-yo dieting), will lose weight and look thinner, but still remain very soft or "jiggly". You know them because of their waving triceps. This type of dieting is notorious for weakening the immune system. THE BEST WAY TO LOSE FAT Honestly, if you are tired of being overweight and "soft," or if you desperately just want to develop your "eight pack," then you must educate yourself and get serious about changing your body. It has to become a priority in your life (at least until you reach your goal). There are no quick fixes, however if you use the right information, you will be able to make dramatic changes to your physical appearance in a very short period of time. For the last few years, I have been researching ways to gain muscle and lose body fat. During that period of trial and error, I have learned to follow those who have been successful and losing fat and gaining muscle. Natural bodybuilders have been successful in losing body fat while maintaining their muscle mass for years. Their techniques work, plain and simple! SMART EATING HABITS All bodybuilders know that the first key to gaining muscle and losing fat is eating correctly. When I say eating correctly I mean not only the correct amount of calories, but the correct amount of protein, fat and carbohydrates taken at the correct times. In the past, I would just skip over this part. It seemed too difficult to grasp. That was a mistake. Your diet is the single most important element of a successful fat loss program. It should be geared to maximize fat loss, while minimizing any muscle loss. Here are a few key points to remember: EAT MORE OFTEN To lose fat you have to eat! DO NOT starve yourself. Your body is designed for survival, and part of its survival mechanism involves storing and holding onto body fat to be used in times of food shortages. If you make it a habit of not eating, or eating only a small
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amount of calories each day, eventually your body will think that you are in a time of famine a begin to slow your metabolism. Your body is just trying to conserve energy (calories) because it is getting so little nourishment. Your metabolism determines the rate, at which your body burns calories, so if you have a fast metabolism, you will burn a lot of calories without much effort. If you have a slow metabolism, it will be very difficult to burn calories - especially fat calories. Your body will always slow your metabolism in response to low calorie dieting. Here is a sample meal plan Time 8 am 9 am 10:30 am 1:30 pm 4:30 pm 7:30 pm 10:30 pm Meal Whey protein powder, vitamin C (1,000mg) Workout Meal [egg white omelet] with Glutamine, and vitamin C Meal 3 [5oz chicken breast, 1 cup of brown rice, small salad] Meal 4 [snack] Meal 5 [6oz of tuna, 1 cup of vegetables] Whey protein powder, vitamin C and Glutamine
To avoid this, you simply must eat. Unfortunately, eating three meals per day will not cut it! It does not provide your body with the constant flow of nutrients and energy it needs increase your metabolism and burn fat. Ideally, you should strive to eat 5-6 meals evenly spaced throughout the day. EAT FEWER CALORIES Your diet should create a mild caloric deficit. In other words, your body should burn off more calories than you take in. After your body has used all the food calories for energy, it should (in theory) turn to using your fat cells for energy. However, as I stated earlier regarding fad diets, this is not always the case. Without resistance training to stimulate muscle growth, and diet manipulation to prevent muscle loss, your body will turn to using muscle cells for energy instead of fat cells! Anyone interested in losing body fat, should begin by eating around 10-12x their bodyweight in calories. Eating six meals each day, weight training and cardio will help to increase your metabolism. Because of this, everyone will have an initial loss of weight, and then the results will begin to taper off after a couple of months. What you must do it stick with the diet and be consistent. The fat will begin to come off again if you do not quit. After about 6-8 weeks you will have to change your program since your body will have adjusted itself to the calorie levels and it will have also made the diet much less effective by slowing your metabolism. This is where cycling your diet will be beneficial.
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EAT MORE PROTEIN The ideal fat loss diet contains moderate amounts of fats, moderate amounts of carbohydrates and large amounts of protein. Protein helps to build and repair muscle, and it also aids in increasing your metabolism and enhancing your immune system. To promote maximum muscle growth and repair, you should try to eat at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. Some good sources of protein are lean meats, egg whites, whey protein and soy protein isolate. I recommend starting with a diet that is around 40% protein. Many of you may worry that this amount of protein is too much or harmful. And I understand your concerns. However, since everyone is different (size, weight, metabolism, physical stresses, lifestyle, etc.) it is almost impossible to have a standard number. I believe that any amount over 2x your bodyweight is too much, however, that is a matter of opinion, and so are all of the answers you will get to this question. Most doctors will also say that you are eating too much protein. "All that protein is not necessary", they say. They are however assuming that you are an average (sedentary) individual. They do not take into account demanding physical activities like weight training, which put strains and stresses on your body that the average person does not have to deal with? It is true that large amounts of protein can put a strain on your kidneys. Ammonia and urea (waste produced by protein assimilation) are removed from the bloodstream by the kidneys and liver and excreted in the urine. When you have a lot of these waste products in your system, your kidneys will have to work harder to keep your system clean. Those with a history of kidney or liver problems should probably not be on a high protein diet. If your kidneys cannot efficiently remove any excess production of ketones from your bloodstream it will increase your blood acidity, which can lead to other problems. Because your liver is also involved in the process of metabolizing protein, if it is not functioning properly, high protein diets can cause further problems due to the added strain. EAT MORE FAT Yes, that's right, fat! I know what you are going to say -- "My doctor said that my cholesterol level is too high and I should eat a low fat. . ." Sound familiar? You have to understand where your doctor is coming from. Most people in the medical profession tend to be on the overcautious side. If it's not a fact among their peers, it will be dismissed by them. However, many techniques that bodybuilders, weightlifters and athletes use to gain strength and weight have not been proven the medical community, so they consider them ineffective. For example, most physicians still argue that steroids and hormone supplementation does not increase lean body mass, because there has been no study on this levelbut bodybuilders know differently.
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Saturated fats (found in all animal flesh, eggs, and some vegetable oils) will raise your LDL (bad cholesterol) level. This is the stuff that clogs arteries, but impossible to cut out of your diet completely. Saturated fats are the cause of many illnesses like heart disease, and cancer, so beware. However, Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) is unsaturated fats that are necessary for thousands of biological functions throughout the body. Since they cannot be manufactured by the body, the must be provided by your diet. Essentially, these are the only fats you will ever need. There are two types of EFA's, they are linoleic acid (omega-6) and linolenic acid (omega-3). Linoleic acid is primarily found in oils like canola, sunflower and safflower. Linolenic acid is found in cold water fish. It is also found in linseed oil. Oils that contain both fats include evening primrose, borage and my favorite, high lignen flaxseed oil. These fatty acids not only help increase testosterone production, they aid in the prevention of muscle breakdown, help to increase your HDL level (good cholesterol) and assist in hormone production. Having high cholesterol levels does not mean that you will have coronary or heart problems in the future. About half the U.S. adult population has total cholesterol levels less than 200, which is considered desirable. But it is a fact that just as many heart attacks occur among people with total cholesterol levels less than 200 mg/dL as occurs among individuals with total cholesterol greater than 300 mg/dL. To avoid heart or blood vessel problems in the future, it is recommended that you concentrate on RAISING YOUR HDL levels instead of concentrating on lowering your total cholesterol. USE NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS There is a lot of hype in this industry. Some supplements are a complete waste of money, but there are also a few great products out there that can really help you - if you have the correct diet and training program in place. The key word here is "supplement". They supplement your existing diet and training program. If you are not training and eating correctly then they will not help you. You will be wasting your money! Supplements are not a substitute for proper nutrition and training. The supplement that has helped me to lose the most fat has to be whey protein powder. This product helps me to get my required daily protein amount without having to eat a lot of animal products like beef or chicken (though I do eat a lot of chicken). It is also very quick to drink and can be mixed with a variety of foods or liquids. In this respect, it is much better than meat or poultry; not to mention far more convenient. Two other supplements that I advise everyone to use in their program are Vitamin C and the amino acid L-Glutamine. The vitamin C aids in connective tissue repair, while the glutamine helped to strengthen my immune system, maintain cell hydration and protect against muscle breakdown. THE SECRET TO GETTING AN EIGHT-PACK IS DIETING!
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If you ever want to see your "eight - pack" of abs, DIETING is the only way! Many people will dispute this, but I'm sorry, it's the truth. No amount of crunches, ab gadgets or special hanging abdominal exercises will make your abs magically appear. You cannot spot reduce. In other words, you can't burn abdominal fat simply by doing abdominal exercises. Your body doesn't work that way. Go to any auction site on the web and you will see hundreds of those fancy ab machines for sale. Why do you think that is? It's because they don't work. If they did, do you think people would be trying to get rid of them? If fat is covering your abs, implementing a consistent fat loss diet, coupled with moderate exercise is the only way to reveal your "six-pack". I used to work my abs almost everyday. Doing unusual and difficult exercises -- trying to make them appear, but they never did. It was not until I start dieting correctly that they finally began to reveal themselves. During my fat loss program, I only worked my abs by performing crunches (yes, regular crunches) 3 times per week, before my weight training session. To be totally honest, 3 times a week was too much. Your abs are just like any other muscle, and technically should be worked no more than twice per week. Even though I know it's not helping me, I still work my abs 3 times per week -- it just makes me feel better (I'm human) -- but no more than that. No matter how many times I say this, it will not sink in with most people. They will still continue to look for that magical abdominal exercise, or secret product. Here's the secret -"Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym!" Consistent Exercise (Aerobic and Resistance) To accelerate your fat loss and increase your muscle mass, you need to train with weights. The benefits of weight training are so positive, that I cannot understand why everyone is not doing it. For example, it helps to increase your muscle mass. This is essential because muscle burns more calories than fat, so the more muscle mass you have the faster your metabolism. Weight training also tones up your existing muscle, giving you a shapelier silhouette. With the right exercises, it can broaden your shoulders, trim your waist, lift and tighten and lift your butt, tone your thighs and broaden your chest. As an added bonus, weight training also helps to strengthen your bones and tendons, which is essential for helping to prevent injury as we age. USE FREE WEIGHTS NOT MACHINES Not only did I have to change my diet, but I had to learn the correct way to weight train for muscle mass as well. In the past, I was using mostly machines, and had no reason to use free weights. This was a mistake.
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The only way to gain muscle mass quickly is to use free weights. Most machines are a waste of time and they give you a false sense of strength. Pro bodybuilders and Olympic athletes do not use many machines - they use free weights almost exclusively! DON'T OVERTRAIN I also had to stop training so often. Some people still believe that the more training means more muscle and increased fat loss. Not true. It doesn't work that way. Working out too often does not allow your muscles the necessary time to recuperate. Not only will you not gain any muscle, but you will be setting yourself up for chronic injuries from over training. Improper diet and over training are two reasons why most people never get beyond an average physique. I see people at the gym that workout 5-6 days per week for 2 hours or more each day - but they always look the same. For my program, I worked out 3 times per week, working my upper body twice per week and legs once. I kept my workout between 45 to 75 minutes and concentrated on exercises that worked large muscle groups like bench press, squats, dead-lifts, pull-ups and dips. I used heavy weight (weight that was challenging for me), and low reps. I rested 2 minutes between sets and increased the weight after each set. My body adapted quickly to specific workouts so I had to change my parameters (sets, reps, tempo, and exercises) frequently (usually every 4-6 weeks).
Below is an example of my first workout: Monday (Legs) Wednesday (Chest, Shoulders ,Triceps) Friday (Back, Biceps) Squats leg extension superset Calves 4 strips sets Abs Crunches (4 sets of 50) Shoulder press side raises superset Tricep pushdowns
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Abs Reverse incline leg raises (3 sets of 45) Wide grip pull-ups lat pull downs superset EZ bar bicep curl incline dumbbell curls superset Abs Crunches (4 sets of 50) Notice that my workout days are the normal Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It does not matter which days you choose. At the time, these were the only days I had available at the time. I believe that one of the most important benefits of weight training is more psychological than physiological. It not only is one of the best stress relievers around, it gives you a sense of accomplishment and pride after each workout. After I workout, I always feel as if I actually "got something done today!" PEFORM AEROBIC EXERCISE REGULARLY To shed the fat quickly, aerobic exercise is essential -- it is not an option. Many people will begin to see results just from this alone. It not only helps to burn fat and calories during the actual time you are exercising, but it also elevates your metabolism for hours afterwards. This leads to greater calorie burning and fat loss throughout the day. Any exercise that elevates your heart rate for about 30-45 minutes will do. I prefer riding a stationary bike, but many people prefer running, climbing stairs, aerobics classes or boxing. When choosing an exercise, make sure that it keeps your heart rate elevated consistently without breaks. Some "stop & go" sports like basketball or football, are not adequate candidates for our purposes. These games have too many pauses, breaks and periods of low activity. They will not keep your heart rate elevated long enough to burn much fat or elevate your metabolism. It is not the simple fact of doing the cardio that will increase your fat loss, but when you do it and what you eat. The only time you should be doing cardio for fat loss purposes is first thing in the morning before your first meal -- this is when you burn the most fat. Any other time should be considered recreational.
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The pace should be moderate otherwise you would be working towards cardiovascular endurance, not fat loss. After about 4 weeks of this, you can then add interval training into the mix to change things up. This is when you do one minute of normal intensity, then one minute of high (almost max) intensity. You alternate this for 30-45 minutes. I know aerobics instructors who teach 5-6 classes per week, but are still soft and overweight. You would think with that much cardio exercise, they would be ripped. They are not because their diets are not correct and they do not train at the correct times for fat loss. If you are a beginner, start out slowly. Exercise at a moderate pace for about 20 minutes, no more than three times per week. Keep your heart rate around 120-140 beats per minute. Eventually your goal will be to work up to 30-45 minutes of moderate-high intensity cardio 3-4 times per week. BE CONSISTENT This can be the difference between success and failure. Just wanting to lose weight is not enough. You have to be willing to put up with the temporary inconveniences that come along with fat loss dieting. However, if you really think about it, anything in life that is worth having will cause some inconvenience before you get it. If it's not a priority, then fine. Stop fooling yourself, and wasting your time. And most of all, stop whining about losing weight, and get on with your life. But, if you really want it, then make it a priority in your life, and do it. There should be nothing standing between you and your goal. Until you reach your desired body, you should be living, breathing and eating fat loss. Here's a summary of the fat loss concepts I recommend: Eating Habits To lose body fat you must eat fewer calories than your body burns off, so EAT LESS -- but you must NOT starve yourself, otherwise you will lose more muscle than fat! Start eating 5-6 meals per day (space them out to about one every 3-3 1/2 hours). You are eating more often, but not necessarily more. Increase your protein intake. Without protein your body cannot build new muscle. Protein also helps to increase your metabolism which burns calories. Increase you water intake. A good formula for this is to multiply your bodyweight by .66 to get the required number of ounces per day. Limit your carb intake to less than 500 per day. Training Keep your workouts under 60 minutes. Concentrate on compound exercises that work the large muscle groups.
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Use moderate to heavy weights with low reps, rest 2 minutes between each set. Do only 2 (maximum 3) exercises per body part. Train no more than 3 times per week, working each body part only once per week. Include some form of cardiovascular activity in your program. This will not only help to burn calories, but it will elevate your metabolism for hours afterwards Perform aerobic exercise 3-4 times per week Rest After years of helping people transform their bodies, I can honestly say that anyone can make a significant change to their health and appearance in as little as 12 weeks. You can do the same if you follow these four simple steps: 1. Decide on a very specific goal. The only way to get to your goal is to know exactly what you want Whether is a look, a weight or a dress size, know what you the end result to be. 2. Educate yourself. You must learn the best way to build a house before you start building. Otherwise you will be wasting your time and effort. 3. Plan and organize yourself. You must put all your great information into a training program that you will be able to follow everyday. 4. Carry out your plan. Follow your plan consistently, without fail until you reach your goal. Are You Ready? If you've been thinking of getting in shape and losing a few unwanted pounds, then what's stopping you? Do you think that you can't lose weight? Have you been told that you can't change your body because that's your natural genetic make up? Its all Bull****. Don't believe it. Losing unwanted body fat is not difficult. It's just a matter of consistency. Body transforming, appears more difficult that it actually is simply because most people either expend too much energy doing the wrong things, or they just give up because they cannot make the necessary lifestyle changes needed. Well, if not now, then when? The facts are, more than 59% of the adult population can be classified as clinically obese. Men are considered obese if they have a body fat level that is over 30%. Women are classified as obese if their body fat level is over 35%. This year, more than 300,000 men and women will be sent to an early grave because of the damaging effects of being overweight.
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Being a victim of a chronic disease like type 2 diabetes, hypertension, strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, prostate cancer, gall bladder disease, gout, sleep apnea and a host of other obesity related illnesses can be avoided, by adjusting your diet and adding a little exercise to your weekly routine.
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Move! Get up, get out of your chair and move yourself more often. Every time move, your body uses energy or calories. Your body gets energy (calories) from food and stores the excess primarily as fat. Therefore, the more you move, the more of the energy you take in will be used. Get up at least once every hour and walk around for 5 minutes or better yet, pick your favorite exercise from the STOP WORKING OUT! Program and do a set or two. You will find that you feel better throughout the day, youll avoid that tired afternoon crash and before you know it youll even be losing fat. Build Some Muscle Did you know that an extra pound of muscle added to your body will burn an extra 50 calories per day? If you did nothing other than add 5 pounds of new muscle to your body, you could lose a pound of fat every 2 weeks. Thats 26 pounds of ugly, nasty fat you would lose in a year without dieting! If there is a miracle formula, this is it! Youll get stronger, move better, have more energy, sleep better, and your aches and pains will feel better. And, thats just for starters. Were not talking about becoming a body builder, or spending your life in the gym. Im talking about a small change that will make a HUGE difference in your life over time. Just go out and gain some muscle. Youre probably thinking, how do I do that? First, make it a priority. Start thinking about gaining muscle. Next, find a program of progressive resistance training that looks like something you can do. You can hire a trainer if that makes you more comfortable. Or, you can find a self guided program that you can do at home or at the gym, similar to the program outlined in STOP WORKING OUT! Whatever you do commit to it and make it work for YOU. It really is that easy.
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Once you are moving in toward what you want, then you can learn more about what youre doing so you know what to do next. This pattern of action creates momentum, which will keep you moving in the right direction and insure long term success. Quite honestly, this is the point at which a coach or consultant will be most beneficial to you as well. Once you have committed to taking action and doing what you know, a partner in the process can help you continue to learn, define and refine what you know so that your actions can become even more effective. Even the best coach in the world cant create success for you.... Your actions determine your outcomes. Stop looking for magic answers and START DOING WHAT YOU KNOW!
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If youve had disappointment with the changes in your numbers, start looking for some of the qualities that have improved as a result of your efforts. Ask a close friend, relative or coach what theyve noticed about your improvements, or simply take a picture and compare it to a picture taken before you started your exercise program. Find a way to consider yourself successful now, and it will be easy to keep moving forward. Stay the course, make necessary adjustments along the way and the journey will prove successful.
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Summer Is Almost Here! - There's Still Time to get into Swimsuit Shape for This Summer
By Travis Speegle
Summer is here! Its not too late. I hear the same thing each and every year. Summer just snuck up on me again, and I need to lose my winter coat Around here, it literally happens overnight. One day rain, the next sunny days with temperatures in the 90s. So I can almost understand how many people thought they had more time to get into swimsuit shape. It would have been nice to be thinking about this a couple months ago, but if youre a procrastinator, like me, we can get started today and have you back in shape before summer kicks into high gear. Stop! Put away the excuses! Put down that Pepsi and potato chips and lets start making some positive changes. Here are a few things that you can do right away that will absolutely, positively get you headed toward a lean, fit physique that you cant wait to show off. Step 1 Believe that you will create the body you really want quickly. This is often overlooked, but very important. Create a crystal clear mental picture of how you will look and feel in the coming weeks and months. Imagine looking in the mirror and seeing exactly what youve always wanted to see. How do you look? How do you feel? You can do it. You will do it. And its going to happen fast! Step 2 Schedule 20-30 minutes a day 4 to 5 times a week to train. Extraordinary results absolutely require consistency. Getting your training time booked into your schedule and making it a top priority will insure your success. Step 3 Create a program of progressive, high intensity resistance training coupled with activities to enhance muscle recovery. You need to stimulate your body to adapt to greater volumes of work in each successive training session. In other words, you will do slightly more (more reps, more sets, or more resistance) each time you repeat the same exercise. Step 4
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EAT! To facilitate rapid and lasting change of your metabolism and body composition, you need to properly fuel your lean tissue and starve the fat. The best way to do this is to eat small, balanced meals about every three hours or 5 6 times per day. Split up your total daily caloric intake evenly across your 5 daily meals and make sure that each meal contains a source of complete protein and fiber. Start your day with a good meal first thing in the morning. Now, I know that for some these guidelines are exactly what you need to actually use what you know about exercise and nutrition to finally start achieving great results. Thats great, get started right now and keep me posted on your progress. I also understand that you may asking what exactly do I need to do in terms of training and eating? For you Id like to mention a few tools that will greatly assist you in this, very personal, journey. 1. Open up your copy of STOP WORKING OUT! This book contains a very effective, full 12 week progressive resistance training with full illustration and description of the process. If you dont have a copy yet, its available in hard copy or e-book at http://www.stopworkingout.com. 2. If you need a more defined approach, designed specifically for you with multiple levels of accountability to insure the success of your program, consider enlisting the help of a professional fitness coach. In most cases, this will prove to be the fastest and most effective means of getting into "swimsuit shape" in time for this summer. If you happen to be in Northern California, I invite you to visit my Fitness Together website at http://www.stocktonft.com in Stockton, CA for a program that will guarantee results in time for this summer. See you at the pool.
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I have to admit something...I believe that everyone who comes to me can and will get into the best shape of their lives. This belief is so strong that most often my clients also begin to believe in themselves, and amazing results are achieved. Want proof? Call me or come in today to get started on a personalized fitness plan that will change your shape and improve your quality of life. I believe in you - now it's your turn. Take the first step by contacting me today ? Because whether you believe you can or you can't... you'll always be right.
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5. Full client loads offer less availability and higher demand Top 5 Reasons people use personal trainers 1. Safety 2. Motivation 3. Accountability 4. Perceived results 5. Friendship The advantages to getting a little ?push? in the gym can mean the difference between lifechanging health and lifestyle improvements and life-altering health symptoms that you can never recover from. When looking for professional help to get to those fitness goals just remember, there are lower cost alternatives that will provide you with all of the necessary tools to feel better and look great! Jennifer Behling Personal Trainer and Dance Instructor in Santa Monica, CA Dr. Walter Theis Owner of VERT Fitness of Santa Monica, CA For more information and to learn more about VERT's (Velocity Enhanced Resistance Training) unique performance program check out www.vertfiness.com
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Choose an aerobic workout that you enjoy, you will stay with it longer. Realize that you have to get your heart rate into your target range to really be doing any good. A stroll is not the same as a fast walk or even running. The stroll is a good start, but increase your speed as your fitness level allows. Here is my time saving tip. If you are time challenged, I recommend you spend 3 times per week 30 minutes lifting weights and 30 minutes doing interval training. Interval training is a mixture of high intensity burst with low intensity periods for recovery. An easy example would be your stroll; you stroll for 5 minutes then burst into a sprint (fast walk at first) then back to the stroll until you get your breath (maybe 2-5 minutes) then sprint again. Repeat this pattern for 30 minutes. As you get more fit you will be able to maintain the burst longer and your stroll will be more of a fast walk. As you get more fit change it up, use the bike, the stair stepper, or other things. Interval training is an excellent compliment to weight training and increases muscle building and weight loss. In summary, 3 hours work out, 2 hours of meal planning; thats only 5 hours per week. As you get fit you will naturally want to do more so you can LIVE LONG AND PROSPER!!!!
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is just to get a proper start and an education on how and what to do to succeed. When considering if you can afford a trainer; I recommend you consider the cost of not succeeding. So stop the insanity. Start getting results and stay away from the wall. A trainer does not cost too much; a trainer is priceless.
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12. Do you let the words of others affect you? Do you mind what they think of you? Remember that no one can make you feel inferior without your consent. It's not what they say to you that are the problem it's what you say to yourself after they have stopped talking that's the problem. Change the way you think. 13. List the words that you use on a consistent basis when you feel let down or annoyed. People use different words to mean the same thing and depending upon the intensity of the word this will have an effect on your confidence. Instead of saying I'm enraged about this? say, I'm a little annoyed. Make a substitute list for the words that you use. Make sure they are lower in intensity and then use them. You'll be surprised with the results. 14. At the end of each day list your achievements and successes throughout that day. 15. Be appreciative of what you have to be thankful for in your life right now. Who do you love? Who loves you? Who do you help out? 16. Every morning when you're in the shower, play over in your head the events in the day as though they have already happened and they were a success. Visualize all of the meetings that you had, the people you talked to, the outcomes you had. Visualize success and confidence and it will be so. 17. Improve your body language. The way that you move your body has a massive impact on your confidence levels. Move your body assertively and walk with your head up, shoulders back and as though you've got somewhere very important to go. Feeling low in confidence? Change you body language 18. Emotion is created by motion. As in 17, make sure you move around consistently. This creates energy and gets the blood pumping around you body it makes you feel better and more confident. 19. Learn to brag about yourself. Yes, you heard me! Talk about your achievements and successes more than you currently are. 20. And finally...You only live once, so any time that you are down just ask yourself in 10 or 20 years time will what I am worrying about really matter?
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Do people tell you how great your hair is? How beautiful your eyes are? That you have a nice smile? Try to see what they see. 3. Stand far enough away from the mirror so that you can take it all in. What do you see? Find at least three positive things. 4. Now, get up close. Really close. Look at your eyes? The irises. What color are they? Are they all one color or are there flecks of various colors? How would you describe them using positive analogies or adjectives? 5. Now, smile. What does your smile convey? Warmth? Happiness? 6. Find at least three characteristics you like best about yourself, and then accentuate them as you dress to go out. If you love your eyes, make sure your hair doesn't cover them up Love your lips? Make sure to keep them soft and moisturized Your hair? Get a flattering cut and condition it regularly to keep it shiny and healthy In short, amplify what you like, and don't worry about the parts you don't. Here are some ways to do just that: Go shopping and bring a good friend. Ask them to help you pick out colors and clothes they think flatter you. Don't worry if your first reaction is that's not me!? Experiment! Feel better about whatever it is you don't like about yourself by picturing the absolute worst-case scenario. Exaggerate whatever it is you're hung up on and blow it up in you mind until it's comical. Then look in the mirror not so bad anymore is it? Accept yourself for who you are, how you look, and focus on what really matters the things about you that cant be seen, your heart, mind and soul! What do you want people to praise you for? Is it really how you look? Probably not. You probably want people to think you're funny, smart, nice, or generous something along those lines right? Make a list of your positive personal qualities and characteristics. Then ask yourself, what's more important? Get involved in activities that build on your personal characteristics volunteer, join a club, and take a class to sharpen a talent. These will help
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you emphasize and focus more on the more important qualities that get you through life successfully and with more fun.
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How can you acknowledge your success, even as you utter the word failure?? Well, you can point out: a. everything that was learned in the process of getting to where you are now surely not everything goes to the scrap heap b. that simply being able to recognize everything hadn't gone according to plan, or achieved the desired outcome (i.e. failed), is in itself a positive outcome c. that the specific path you took this go round, clearly wasn't the right one and so it has successfully been eliminated and will not be repeated d. that you'll know to do things differently in the future e. that the experience has enabled you to grow in some way Failure is feedback Failure can simply be a great way to get us to pause in the midst of our process, and get some critical information to indicate that we may need to change direction, try something new, continue our learning, or shift our focus. Imagine what would happen if we didn't get that feedback, and continued endlessly along the wrong path, toward the wrong goal, or without ever learning a new approach? The thought is pretty scary, isn't it. Failure then can really be seen as positive feedback & information that gets us back on the right track! For, without it, we would surely be lost. The key then, is to identify it quickly, and change direction, try something new, or shift our focus. Here are some tips: Always have a clear idea of where you want to go and continue to re-evaluate it as you move forward Identify specific milestones or markers along the way, to let you know you're on the right track and celebrate each success If something doesn't appear to be working, or working fast enough, dont hesitate to try something new
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Continually learn from others with whom you work, seek out experts, find others who may have traveled down a similar road before And always remember: You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down You NEVER fail until you stop trying? If you are not making any mistakes, you're not really doing anything with your life
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Acknowledge that it has happened. Dont hide from it. These things happen. So what? What positive empowering questions can you ask yourself? What is good about this situation? How can I make the most of this situation? What can I learn from it? What are the facts about this problem? How can we make it a successful outcome? Acknowledge that setbacks occur to everyone and you are not being singled out. View them as a challenge to overcome rather than an issue or problem Think about the negative dis-empowering thoughts that you think on a regular basis after a setback. What new empowering questions could you ask yourself to give some better answers! Write these down now and make them a habit.
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They will feel honored that you have asked them and the feedback that you will receive will truly make you feel fabulous and full of confidence. Rightly or wrongly, we live in a society where other peoples opinions count to our self esteem and confidence. By completing this exercise you will get some really good insight into some of your strengths. Often you receive valuable information on the strengths that you didn't even know you had! EXTERNAL FEEDBACK QUESTIONS What do you perceive to be my greatest strengths? What do you like most about me? What do you value most about me? What three words sum up the positive points about me? If you needed help with something, what would you call me to help you with? After you have received all of the feedback it is now time to reflect on what has been written or said: How do you feel about it? Are there any surprises? Do you feel confident about your abilities? How can you use this information going forward? How can you maximize your strengths? If these people think you have these strengths, so do a lot of other people as well ? how does that make you feel? What are the key insights you have learned? What will you do now that is different to what you have done before?
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Our community is teaming with activities in the summer such as softball, soccer, community runs, even cleaning up the roadside is an event that the whole family can participate in. Some of these events are quite inexpensive and some dont even require an entrance fee. Most of the walks that are sponsored by different groups give you the opportunity to participate by getting sponsors to support you and pay your entrance fee. Make it a game to see how many steps each person takes during the day. You can get very inexpensive pedometers that measure that type of thing and competition is very healthy!! Kids are mirrors of their parents, they follow examples very well. If a parent is active and involved in activities.the kids will follow suit!!! Remember the adage you are what you eat? There is a perfect example of this in our society today!! If we could follow some kids and parents around for a day I think that we would find that the food choices that they make are from the brown and white world as opposed to the GREEN world. What Im saying is that most people today eat easy, fast, processed foods which contain almost no nutritional value and are actually breaking the body down. The way we can offset eating these convenient foods is with more exercise. Anchorage is blessed with wonderful bike trails and using it is a privilege. Make a date with your loved ones and walk a mile or two daily. As you get fitter and fitter youll want to go further.do it!! A great way to get your kids involved in more activity is by using the stairs in your own house. Have your kids count how many steps it takes to get upstairs and then see if its the same number coming down. Then have them time themselves how long it takes to go up or down or both! Again, competition is great!! See if they can cut seconds off their time. You should join them, too! If you live in an apartment.most of the time there are stairs; use them for the same purpose. There are great stairs off the bike trail. Lead by example. Parents have to educate themselves and find out which foods honor their bodies and give them energy and then pass this valuable information along to their children. Why do you think type II Diabetes is on the rise? Could it be from the food that is selected? I know that you can reverse this horrible disease by changing your diet and becoming more active. How hard a choice is that? Its really simpleto avoid obesity or to reverse it.all you have to do is change your diet. When you change your food choices youll have more energy and you will want to move your body. The combination of the right foods, water, and movement will get you to your ideal weight; rid you of your joint pain, increase your energy, and eliminate other health concerns.
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Exercise is so beneficial to your body, mind and spirit. Regular, consistent, exercise will improve the quality of any ones life. In myriads of studies, researchers have proven that people who exercise their minds and bodies are much younger acting and they stay vital longer. A recent study has shown that people who are physically active are less likely to contract the dreaded Alzheimers disease. It has been said countless times that exercise is the closest thing to the Fountain of Youth we have. So, go for the zest take a walk, today! Add life to your years through regular exercise. And make movement a part of your daily life!
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Spiritual Health Family Friends Sleep School Hobbies Exercise Home Finances Work Eating
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Retirement
This list is not all inclusive, but it is a great place to start. Start by compiling a list of all you life priorities. There is not set number of items. Everyone's list will be different, some will be long and some may be very short. Next to each priority, write down how much time you would like to devote to each area. There are several ways to measure length of time including day, week, month and year. I suggest a weekly measurement because it will be easy to track and you will be able to see your progress more often. Having a timeline that is too short will only create another burden on your time. Having a timeline that is too long will not allow you to celebrate your successes on a regular basis. Now next to each priority write down how much time you actually spend in each area. You may be surprised at the results. Most people are very out of balance, and need to take steps to balance their life. Some are closer than initially thought and only require minor adjustments. And a rare few are right on the money. If you are out of balance, your next logical question is how do you balance your life? Now that you have a starting point as a guide, you must first do a reality check. If you are 30 years old and only want to work 10 hours per week you may have to adjust your other expectations. Anything is possible, but it will not happen overnight. After your reality check, pick two (2) priorities that you want to adjust. Pick one priority that you are spending too much time on and another you want to spend more time on. Balancing your life requires compromise. Comprise between our desires and sacrifices. For example, you desire to spend more time with your friends on the weekend. In order to do so, you may have to sacrifice the overtime you put in at work. The good part is you are in control of your own destiny. So start by just working on the 2 priorities you chose. Making life changes is hard. Consistently pick 2 priorities to work on and do not overwhelm yourself. Nor should you try to change all you priorities at once. Balancing your life is just life increasing your fitness level. Slow, methodical changes are easy to accomplish and will last much longer. Live for the Moment.....Exercise for Life
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many of the same movements as static stretching, but is done is short gentle bursts instead of a constant hold. Examples of dynamic stretching include swinging your arms and rolling your shoulders. By implementing a consistent stretching program you can reduce muscle soreness and help prevent injury not only while exercising, but in everyday life tasks. Many people have hurt themselves accomplishing physically non-challenging tasks simply because their muscles were tight and overstressed. As we age stretching becomes even more important helping us to maintain good posture and stay active. It only takes 5 minutes to stretch but its value is worth a lifetime. Live for the Moment.....Exercise for Life
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The Truth About How To Boost Your Metabolism, Fitness Levels, and Weight Loss
By Brian T. Rurak
Multi-billion dollar companies are stealing your money by promising impossible results like boost your metabolism 400% or melt fat while you sleep if you JUST drink their shake, take their pill, wrap your body, or do 10 minutes of exercise on their modern day miracle machine. The real truth is that most (if not all) of the products they are peddling are worthless - to you and your metabolism, that is. To them, the products are a gold mine, since they are raking in the profits. Your metabolism and how it relates to weight loss is not a one and done type of venture. It takes a little hard work and a lot of self discipline right out of the gate but after that it's smooth sailing to the fitness levels and weight loss you want and deserve. Are you one of those people who have been on an exercise program for what seems like forever, but haven't seen any significant weight loss results or maybe you have hit a plateau? Will you try anything to get fit and increase your metabolism? Are you a person who has found that your strength and endurance just isn't what it used to be? Are you still searching for that 6-pack from the Ab-Lounge? Or have you told a friend, I just have a slow metabolism, that's why I can't lose weight! Well if any of these strikes a nerve I am here to help because they strike a nerve in me too. I can't stand when I hear people say they have a slow metabolism or they can't lose weight. I can guarantee if you are one of those people after a 15 minute chat with me, you will see exactly why you think you have a slow metabolism or you haven't been losing weight. This article won't give you all answers to boosting your metabolism or fitness levels but it will give you TRUTHFUL and LOGICAL solutions to become the most fit you have been in years and achieve weight loss like you never have before!! First let me tell you that the main secret to success is YOU; always has been always will be. Now we can coach you and provide you with all the right tools you need to regain that awesome body and that incredible feeling you always loved, BUT YOU have to be willing to change your habits, be dedicated to a little hard work and be willing to accept the proper coaching that will inevitably allow you to achieve a body that rocks a metabolism like no other.
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Here are the components that will help you succeed. Remember this is not rocket science but it is physical science which can sometimes be even harder to grasp. That is where my education comes into play. If you don't know my background, visit my profile at http://www.t3fitness.com/aboutus.html. OK, here we go!! Here is how you are going to boost your metabolism higher than it has been in years. Let's start with the MOST IMPORTANT, which is everyone's favorite: Diet. Now if you hate diets good, so do I. The first three letters of the word sums it up, DIE and we have no desire to do so. So what I am about to tell you, WILL NOT KILL YOU! So what we will talk about is eating supportively to fire up your metabolism and lose weight. Think about what food is and what it does for you. Got it? Correct! It is a fuel source that drives your body by a way of calories, which is energy. Food is also something that should be enjoyed, not held over your head like the Sword of Damocles. FOOD IS WHAT IS GOING TO HELP KICK YOUR METABOLISM INTO HIGH GEAR! Calories can work for you or against you, depending on how you use them. And we can teach you how to use them as a full on assault to burn the fat, lose the weight, and crank up your metabolism. So let's talk mindful eating or supportive nutrition which is essentially one in the same. Mindful eating is realizing that everything that passes your lips has some consequence to your body, whether good or bad. Supportive nutrition is just that, it supports you on your quest for a better body. You don't want it to bring your efforts to a screeching halt. So what are the supportive foods and where do you find them? These are Mother Nature's goodies in their natural state: vegetables, grains, fruits, dairy, nuts, fish, meats and natures champagne: water. You will find these if you shop the perimeter of your supermarket. When choosing fruits and vegetables you want to choose multiple colors so you can be sure to get a wide variety of vitamins and antioxidants. Dairy products should be low-fat and cuts of meat should be lean. Don't neglect the fish and nuts, like salmon and walnuts, where we get our healthy Omega 3 fats. When choosing your grains look for these two words at the beginning of the ingredient list: WHOLE GRAINS, not to be confused with Whole Wheat Flour. Many times the
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flour has been enriched which means it has been stripped of it's nutrients. This goes for bread, cereal, rice, pasta and anything else you might enjoy. So why stay out of the middle isles? With the exception of the healthy fats/oils such as olive or canola and a few other items, most if not all of the products in the middle isles are processed. The processed evils are what you need to eliminate from your food intake. Processed foods are not supportive eating and they will make your metabolism crash and burn. These foods are normally calorically dense and nutritionally deficient, while the fresh foods are nutritionally dense and calorically sparse. That is why you are allowed to eat 46 small meals per day when eating mindfully or supportively. I guarantee if you just begin to eat more frequently and always eat breakfast you will see your energy levels increase and your metabolism will start to work for you. With that, you will begin to lose weight and that will be a long term ongoing process, IF you stick to it. One other thing to mention here is to avoid excess sugar which is hidden everywhere. Be sure to read my report 'Where is the Sugar Hiding?' You can find that article here on the Fitness Experts Network also. If you are just too baffled and you need help at the grocery store shopping sensibly, check out our service for helping you to shop smart at http://www.t3fitness.com/services.html The second part should be regular resistance exercise, 2-3 times per week, made up of functional training. This is where your metabolism jumps thru the roof and the weight loss increases. Along with supportive nutrition resistance training is the second most important part of boosting your metabolism. Have you tried to start an exercise program on your own before? Did you try to do too much too soon and it totally turned you off? Logical progressions will help your body develop smoothly and safely and in turn it will be much more enjoyable. Working your muscles in a progressive, safe manner and as a system allows you to make gains that you never thought possible. It also makes your body feel tighter and work much more efficiently. Want proof? Take a look at what some of our clients have said about starting on a well designed exercise program at http://www.t3fitness.com/testimonials.html Functional training, as I mentioned previously, is basically exercising the body with a purpose. Your purpose as human beings is to carry out daily activities with ease and excel at others in which you choose to partake, i.e. sports, etc.
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Sitting down at a machine and moving one limb at a time does not serve our daily purpose on this earth unless your purpose is to be a body builder. I want you to think about this just for a second. While at home do you ever just sit in a chair and push your arms overhead 15-20 times loaded up with weight? Or do you ever just hang something on the end of your leg and extend it 15-20 times? I am going to guess here and say NO, you don't. So why exercise that way? You really have to think outside the box these days for exercise and this is where a fitness professional is worth his/her weight in gold to you. If you would like to start on a logical, safe exercise program that will boost your metabolism please contact us at http://www.t3fitness.com/contactus.html The third component is your cardio program. Be sure not to be a cardio junkie here. Cardio is NOT the way to burn fat and most of all NOT the way to boost your metabolism. I am sure in the past you have jumped on a treadmill for hours, or went outside and walked mile after mile, or took every aerobics class available and in the end you still had that jiggle or softness to your body. Why is that? It's very simple: you used your muscles for energy, not your fat. It is a classic mistake trying to burn off fat thru this method. But what you actually did was you brought your metabolism to a screeching halt. The reason being I am willing to bet, is that you reduced the amount of food you were eating and increased the amount of cardio you were doing? In the end you become a skinny fat person; meaning you look thinner but you still jiggle because you held onto your fat. And as soon as you change your eating habits again, you WILL put the weight right back on because your metabolism is in neutral. THAT is why you have had to tell people you have a slow metabolism, because you killed it yourself. But don't worry, we can help you get it back, but it's going to take some work. So if you are serious about getting your metabolism back right now, contact us at http://www.t3fitness.com/contactus.html All of these things can be accomplished on your own but many times you may not have the drive to do so or you end up leaving out one of the components. That is why you can benefit from a fitness professional. We will find out where your tweaking needs to occur, help educate, motivate and guide you through your transformation. Think about all success you have had in your life and more than likely there was a teacher or coach or someone there who sparked that idea to make you successful or
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perhaps lead you to that success. Even business professionals and professional athletes still have coaches to help them be the best they can be, so should you. So if you want to create the synergy in your body and boost your metabolism, lose weight and start looking and feeling better contact us now and we will get you on the road to success.
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barefoot in a while you will be surprised at the amount of muscle soreness you can induce by going barefoot. If you want to incorporate some barefoot training into your exercise routine I would suggest integrating it into your dynamic warm-up. If you aren't doing a dynamic warmup/mobility work/movement prep as part of your routine you should be and this is an easy way to strengthen your feet and ankles without adding additional time to your routine. There are obviously some specific movements that you can add to your warm-up routine to enhance ankle/foot function: toe/heel walks, squatting/lunging movements, leg swings, and marches are just a few examples of movements that enhance ankle/foot function in a multitude of ways. I hope this article makes you think that any structure (your body) is only as strong as it's foundation (your feet and ankles) and that there are time efficient ways to strengthen your feet and ankles which will help you move better in your daily activities as well as decrease the chance of orthopedic issues whether it be knee, hip or low back. None of these joints work in isolation but depend on the proper functioning of the other joints in the kinetic chain in order to do their tasks properly.
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The previous two soft tissue modalities though very effective require a lot of expertise, time, and aren't cheap. What can someone do to augment their occasional massage or ART sessions? There are several modes that are inexpensive, can be done at home or the gym, and don't require a license. Self-myofascial release or SMFR can be done by virtually anyone and requires only some inexpensive, easily available tools. Many people use foam rollers to do SMFR. Essentially, you roll (duh!) over the part of your body that ails you: quads, adductors, hamstrings, upper back, etc. for 30-40 seconds or until you find a "hot" spot and then you can concentrate on that area. You can use a tennis ball for the bottom of your foot or even other areas where it will give a more penetrating, focused feel. Initially, a tennis ball may be too intense for many and you will have to work up to the ball. I have even used a baseball/softball with myself and clients and in one extreme case a shot-put. Not recommended for everyone but necessity is the mother of invention! Another tool for SMFR is the Stick which is a patented plastic roller with rotating spindles on it. It's advantage is that it is portable and lightweight. You will see many track athletes with the Stick because of those attributes. Essentially, with the Stick you are doing the SMFR in a standing position as the user creates the pressure on the soft tissue as opposed to using gravity to help as with foam rollers. For SMFR methods, if you have poor tissue quality, an injury history, or poor mobility, you may have to do some work nearly every day. As these issues improve, you can decrease to several times per week but you still have to be consistent with it. You can incorporate it into your dynamic warm-up, do it post workout, or set aside some other time in the day. A thorough program shouldn't take longer than 5-10 minutes--the key is consistency. I hope this article helped you understand the value of soft tissue work in improving function, aiding in recovery/regeneration, and making you feel better. Give it a try and see how well it works for you.
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Lateral lunge: stand in side split with feet flat. Lunge over 1 foot and then back over to other side. Keep feet flat and torso as upright as possible. Look straight ahead. March w/leg cradle: march and cradle leg with both arms in front of body. Minimize break at waist. Give these exercises a try before your workouts or activity to improve hip mobility and see if it doesn't make you feel better and improve performance.
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Here's a few steps to follow: Eat Brown. Throw out all the white food, no white bread, bagels, pasta, processed foods. Go natural and your body will naturally get more of the fiber and healthy grains it craves. Follow the rainbow. Surround yourself with colorful fruits and vegetables. The prettier they are, the more healthful benefits you'll get. Eat Breakfast!! Start the day off right! Don't let your body starve and begin to store the excess fat. It's true. Eating 5-6 small balanced meals a day WILL help you keep the weight off. These are just a few ways to begin to feeling fit and healthy - Nothing I'm saying here is new to you. You've heard it all before. But perhaps the best way to motivate you to begin to live a healthy lifestyle is to get you to focus on how YOU want to look and feel, not how someone tells you how to. Just be healthy, live your life to the fullest extent for yourself. Keep that healthy attitude and be the best you can be!
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Educate yourself. Read books and check out the internet. Check out Samuel Epsteins The Safe Shoppers Bible. One of my favorite internet sources is www.ewg.org. You can find out what toxins are in all your personal care and beauty products. Read labels and throw out products that contain toxic ingredients. Avoid the following ingredients: o Coal tar colors (FD&C or D&C)used in makeup and hair dye. It is an allergen, irritant, and possible carcinogen. o Leadused in hair dyes and makeup. A brain and nervous system toxin, a known carcinogen, and a hormone disruptor. o Phthalatesused in fragrances, deodorants, nail polishes, hair products, and lotions. Found to produce cancer of the liver and birth defect in animals. Phthalates are if great concern to the scientific community as their concentration in American bodies is much higher than had been previously believed, with the highest levels in women of childbearing age (20 to 40). For phthalate-free cosmetics go to nottoopretty.org. o Dibutylphthalate (DBP)used in nail polish and mascara o Dimethylphthalate (DMP) and diethylhtphalate (DEP) are often listed as fragrance. Choose products that are labeled fragrance-free. Essential oils provide much safer fragrances. o Another 35 chemicals listed as preservatives, sudsing/foaming agents, and other ingredients. All these chemicals that cause harm. It is frustrating and makes one think, why bother? Or everything causes cancer, so it doesnt matter what I do. But I say it does matter. It just takes a little time to educate yourself and buy smarter products. If you wont change for yourself, think about your children and grandchildren.
We watch our baby every minutes shes in the bath so she doesnt hurt herself while we shampoo her hair with antifreeze and engine degreaser and other potentially toxic chemicals that could harm her developing eyes, irritate her skin, and be potentially carcinogenic. Does this make sense? Sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate are engine degreasers that have been shown to impair hair growth, irritate the skin, and impair proper structural formation of young eyes. Studies have shown that washing your hair one time with shampoo containing sodium laurel sulfate could put as many nitrates into your blood stream as eating a whole pound of bacon. That is just one application. Many people wash their hair everyday. After the bath we lotion our baby with products containing Propylene glycol (PG). PG is implicated in contact dermatitis, kidney damage, and liver abnormalities. And speaking of our children-
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Every 30 seconds a child is poisoned and 60% of these kids are under age six. The most common products involved in these poisonings are first, cosmetics and personal care products, second, prescription drugs, and third, cleansing agents. There is enough fluoride in 4 ounces of most brands of toothpaste to kill a small child. See the poison control warning on your toothpaste. One ounce of a mouthwash containing more than 25% alcohol can prove dangerous to young children one ounce can cause seizures and brain damage. Five ounces can kill. Select safer alternatives for products you use most, leave on the longest or dont wash off, such as moisturizers, or those are easily ingested, such as lipsticks. It is best to choose safer eye makeup creams, too, as mucous membranes around the eye are permeable and highly sensitive. Buy products which contain healthier ingredients such as, Annatto, beeswax, candelilla wax, carmine, carrageenan, cornstarch, hematite, iron oxides, jojoba oil, kaolin, pycnogenol (from pine trees), rice-bran oil, shea butter, sunflower oil, sweet almond oil, titanium dioxide, vitamins A, C, E. Avoid products that contain unspecified fragrance. Write to your favorite cosmetic companies and ask them to ban phthalates and other toxic ingredients.
How long do we have to wait before we decide to return to natures skin care instead of using only synthetic, petroleum-based chemicals?
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Start by deciding if losing weight or getting healthy is really important to you. You may think you want to lose weight, start exercisingbut if it is not among your top priorities, you will not commit the time necessary to make it work. Instead, take it off your list and save yourself the stress. Take a look at the barriers that get in the way. Are you unable to exercise because you work all day and when you get home everyone vies for your time? Then put your exercise shoes and clothes in the car and dont go home until youve had your walk (20 to 30 minutes). Decide what things stand in your way and then devise a plan to work around them. Notice how much time you spend being inactive. Most people underestimate the time they spend in sedentary activities. I use a monitor called a Cal Trac, which tracks the number of calories I use everyday. You can also use a good quality step counter. I live in a two-story house and always thought I was very active. You can imagine my surprise on the days I did not exercise and monitor showed a whopping 147 calories burned. No wonder its so hard to lose weight. Add movement to your life. Dont feel that you have to have planned, hour-long exercise sessions. Find ways to combine exercise with family activities (tag with the kids), social times with friends (dancing is great). Park a block from work. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk to the post office to mail that letter. Set realistic, measurable, short-term goals. If you only goal is to lose 100 pounds, it will be quite some time before you will feel successful about reaching your goal. Instead, set a realistic, measurable, short-term goal. Depending on your fitness level, your goal may be to walk one mile in 20 minutes, three times per week. At the end of one week its easy to determine if you have met your goal. Try to set a goal that challenges you, but is obtainable. Create a plan. On Sunday write out your plan for the week..Exercise Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 5:15 p.m. for 20 minutes. Make the plan a commitment to yourself. This means that come Hell or high water you will exercise three times this week. If something happens to your Monday, Wednesday or Friday workout, you will find a way to fit it in somewhere else. Recognize success. Reward yourself for the small successes. Dont wait until you lose the 100 pounds. Reward yourself for showing up for your exercise sessions. It is important to progress your training to avoid plateauing. Once you start a program, you might find yourself on a plateau where your fitness level does not
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seem to improve. When this happens, it is easy to get discouraged. At this time a change in your program can help get you over that plateau. Get help when needed. Whether its getting someone to exercise with you, so youll show up Or working with a personal trainer to help you get over that plateau. Be consistent. This is the most important factor. Exercising even after the excitement of the new has worn off. Its like the water in a stream that erodes the rock. Its the small amount of work day in and day out that will get you the results you desire.
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to 3 times per day, for the net 60, 70 or 80 years? Is it any wonder why so many people hear the words, Youve got cancer. Maybe its because of my age, but it seems that I am suddenly surrounded by an epidemic of friends and family that have strokes, cancer, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis or even mystery diseases. And each time I hear them say, I just dont understand how this could happen to me. I have always been so healthy. I was fine until I hit 52 and then I started falling apart. The truth is you neglected yourself for 30 to 40 years and these years of neglect are now culminating in disease. The only connection I see between age and disease is that living longer provides more opportunity for neglect. Most of us come into this world in an absolutely amazing, healthy body. Then the neglect starts. We dont mean to neglect ourselves, but we are busy living our lives. When it comes to our health and taking care of ourselves we are also cheap. We will spend $15,000 to $20,000 plus on an automobile and additional dollars taking care of it to ensure that it runs efficiently. At the same time we refuse to buy organic because that head of lettuce costs an extra $1.00. Unfortunately, we end up spending much more than that extra dollar in treating future disease. I truly see our culture as suffering not from cancer, heart disease, and stroke, but as a culture suffering from the disease of neglect. I feel our present condition comes mainly from neglect in three areasfood, water, and exercise. The good news is that these are three of the most inexpensive gifts you can give, they reap tremendous benefits, and result in thousands of dollars in savings over the years. You ask but how do I give these gifts. Well, to have the most impact you must give them to yourself. This quote by Jim Rohn has become my words to live by and as my gift I am sharing them with you in hopes that they might impact your life-- I will take care of me for you, if you will take care of you for me. I think it should be part of every marriage vow. What an extraordinary gift to give your spouse, your children, your grandchildren. The fact that you will start taking care of you for me. Because you choose to take care of yourself, your daughter wont have to give up her life for 10 years to take care of you at the same time that she is raising her own family. Your grandchildren will be able to go fishing with you, instead of coming to visit you in the nursing home. I hope this article has made you think and that you now have an interest in turning around that path of neglect. If you are ready to end the pattern of neglect here are four things you can do starting today that will positively impact your health.
Look at labels and avoid eating foods containing hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils Drink 6 to 8 glasses of pure, clean water daily in place of something else
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Walk 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week Read labels and buy nontoxic products for personal care and household cleaning
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starchy carbohydrate by the end of the day. (example: 40% lean protein-chicken, fish, 30% fibrous carbs- whole wheat bread and pasta's, whole wheat cereals, brown rice, sweet potatoes, 30% starchy carbs-most vegetables, dark green veggies are better) Rule #5: If liquids are needed after 6pm, drink only water. Rule #6: Do an average of 30 minutes of moderate cardiovascular activity three times per week such as taking a power-walk. Rule #7: Do 2-3 30 minutes resistance training sessions per week of the entire body. It's as simple as this. Nothing hard about it! No diets to follow. All you have to do is plan ahead. Follow these 7 simple rules and you'll feel like a million bucks in no time!
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5. Make goals for yourself and your family 6. Get a physical - Hearing the truth from a physician about how at risk you are of death will get you going a lot easier. 7. Seek a fitness professional that knows about fitness, nutrition, and a healthy lifestyle. Remember the family I saw on the beach. Don't let yours be that family!
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20. Get outdoors. 21. Make sure you add functional exercise to your routine because it most resembles everyday movements. 22. Surprise the body as much as possible. 23. Seek symmetry. 24. When doing resistance training, train opposing muscle groups. 25. Theres no reason to exercise if youre not a believer. Healthy eating tips for being a fit, healthy person: 1. Eat right , feel right. 2. Remember the 6 essential nutrients: o carbohydrates o proteins o fats o vitamins o minerals o water 3. A carbohydrate is just another name for sugar. 4. You can eat a completely fat-free diet and still be vastly overweight. 5. The lull in energy between meals is the result of a drop in our blood sugar, so snack between each small meal. 6. You may look the same day in and day out, but your body is always recharging itself. 7. If you were to eliminate all fat from your diet, you would be dead in about 6 weeks. 8. What you eat determines whether you are going to burn fat or store it. 9. A healthy diet has the potential to affect every aspect of your body, mind, and spirit. 10. Eat to be fit and healthy. Eat to beat disease. 11. Dont skip meals. 12. Dont be obsessed with your weight, ever! 13. Drink plenty of water. 14. Dont consume more than 500 calories per meal if trying to lose weight. 15. Dont consume caffeine. 16. Make sure you eat foods that are low-fat, not fat-free. 17. Read labels. 18. Avoid saturated fats. 19. Eat protein, but low-fat sources of protein. 20. Drink 1% or skim milk. Tips for getting the best out of your body during exercise: 1. The foundation of any exercise program is aerobic activity and a balanced regimen. 2. Benefits will vary according to intensity, frequency, time, type. This is interval training.
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3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
The purpose of interval training is to overload your system. Always increase and decrease the duration and intensity of your workouts. Control the levels of intensity Interval training is controlled discomfort. Pain is not a product of interval training. HAVE FUN at all times!
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food back at a slow pace. Basically when we under eat we create a hormonal imbalance that creates an environment that makes it almost impossible to lose weight. We also do not have enough food in our systems to sustain basic metabolism. This will cause our metabolism to slow down. We eat our own muscle for energy and make it virtually impossible to see long lasting results. Our lives cause us too be so busy we are not prepared to eat. We must use meal replacements and planning to make sure we get the correct amount of food in our system in order for fat loss to occur. The third trend I see people do is extreme inconsistency with the three things that can make life so much easier. Those three things are balance nutrition, resistance training, and moderate aerobic exercise. Consistency, or should I say lack of, is the one thing that causes so many new years weight loss resolutions. If every person stuck with their new years resolution from the prior year, if they had a consistent nutrition and training approach, do you think they would be starting over again in 2007. It seems many people are able to perform one or two of the three areas extremely well, but they completely neglect the third. This will set you up for failure every time. Most of the time the area that gets neglected is nutrition, which should be the most important thing of all. Being on again, off again, with your nutrition and your off again days are requiring you to consume more calories than you burn, you will be promoting weight gain. Many people understand what to eat and even how, but lack of planning or stress eating causes an ambush on your nutrition plan. This results in people getting frustrated, blaming themselves, blaming their genetics, thyroid, or numerous other factors. After a few failed attempts they give up and slowly settle back into the trends that got them wanting to lose weight again. Then they look up and boom they are 7 pounds heavier than last year. So the mindset over the last 10 years has told us that January is a good starting point, so they start over with all these great intentions. After several bumps in the road they always come back to reality. The only true answer to effective health and lasting weight loss is sweat, hard work, planning, good consistent balance nutrition, consistent resistance training, and consistent moderate aerobic activity. The clients who are the most effective with maintaining their results seem to do all three effectively.
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Race- Caucasian or Asian Thin, small frame Smoking Excessive use of alcohol Low calcium intake over lifetime Vitamin D deficiency Physical inactivity Family history of osteoporosis
Osteoporosis can be prevented with regular physical activity including strength training, weight-bearing aerobic activities and flexibility exercises. Adults should aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day. These activities not only help prevent osteoporosis, but can also help improve strength and balance, decrease the risk of a fall that could cause a bone fracture, and improve posture. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) says strength training is the only known intervention that can potentially increase bone mass and strength throughout a lifetime. For persons over 50, the ACSM recommends strength training 2-3 times a week with a goal of lifting a weight that is heavy enough to achieve 10-15 repetitions per set for at least 20-30 minutes. Strength training not only helps strengthen your muscle and bone, but can also work directly on your bone to help slow mineral loss. Aerobic activity that is weight-bearing is also extremely important. Examples include walking, lowimpact aerobics, and dancing. Flexibility is also important not only to prevent injury, but to improve posture and mobility of joints. Stretching is best performed at the end of your workout session. They should be done slowly without any bouncing. A diet high in calcium and vitamin D is important in women of all ages. It is best to start preventing osteoporosis in childhood with adequate intake of calcium and vitamin D. Food sources are best and include fortified milk, cheese, leafy green vegetables, soybeans, yogurt, sardines, and salmon. Adults under age 50 need at least 1000 mg of
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calcium and 200 IU of vitamin D. Adults over age 50 need 1200 mg of calcium and 400 IU of vitamin D. Children over 9, need 1300 mg of calcium and 200 IU. Osteoporosis is a major cause of disability, especially in older women. However, the condition and/or its progression is preventable with proper strength training, aerobic exercise, flexibility, and a calcium rich diet. While it is best to start these habits in adolescence, it is never too late to start. Beginning after the onset of osteoporosis is better than not beginning at all. Exercise will increase your muscle strength, improve your balance, and keep your bones from getting weaker.
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If your days are packed, and you are just too tired in the evenings, try going to bed earlier and getting up 30 minutes earlier a couple of times a week to exercise. Once youve adjusted to that schedule, add a couple more mornings to your workout schedule. If getting up any earlier than you already do is just unthinkable, try working a few short 10-minutes workouts into your day. Lunchtime is a perfect opportunity to sneak in some exercise. Not only are these mini-workouts easy to squeeze into your schedule, they are also great for anyone who is new to exercise. When you havent worked out in years, it is much less daunting to take a ten minute walk than it is to commit yourself to hours at the gym. Park further away from your destination. If you drive to work, park a block or two away from your building, and finish your commute on foot. Or when you go shopping, park in the last row of the parking lot. It may not seem like much at first, but all those little bouts of exercise add up. Rethink you free time. If your normal weekend involves going to a movie or lunch with a friend, try going on a hike or a bike ride instead. This way you are having fun and improving your health at the same time. For some people, time is not the factor that keeps them from exercising. Sometimes, exercise can seem just plain boring. Not everyone enjoys going to the gym four times a week and completing the same workout. If this type of exercise sounds stale to you, try exercising in different ways.
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Make exercise a social activity. Try walking several times a week with a few friends, or inspire your friends and relatives to play softball with you at your local park. Check out sports leagues in your community. Recreation centers, health clubs, and even your employer may offer group sports that are fun as well as beneficial. Vary your routine. Regular exercise doesnt have to mean that you do the same thing every day. Choose several activities that interest you and get you moving, such as biking, swimming and hiking. If youre the type of person who has never considered yourself athletic, beginning an exercise routine may be especially intimidating. You may even be afraid that youll hurt yourself. But exercise is not about competition or even being a fantastic athlete. You can enjoy the benefits of many different types of exercise without being a superstar. Remember, most of us arent! Try these tips if the very idea of exercise is enough to make you sweat. Pace yourself. Dont be afraid to start small and build up to more intense workouts or more complicated activities. Be realistic. For someone who is not used to working out, it is not realistic to say youre going to work out for an hour a day everyday. Youll soon lose your stamina. Start with 20 minutes of exercise a day several times a week and go from there. If you try an exercise class, make sure its a class for beginners. Remember why youre exercising. You are not exercising to impress anyone but yourself. You should be proud of yourself for beginning an exercise routine in the first place. It is great step in the right direction. If you stick with it, you will surprise yourself with how much you can accomplish.
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vacation. Make the reward consistent with the accomplishment, but never forget to congratulate yourself! 5. Know when to take a break. Even the most committed and motivated among us can get burned out. If you start to feel that you absolutely cant survive another workout or eat one more low carb meal, take a break. Give yourself a day or two to rejuvenate. If you still dont feel motivated to get back into your exercise routine, you might want to think about trying something new. A new sport or activity may be just what you need to jump start your motivation!
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Back To Nature
By Crystal Reiber
When was the last time you have literally gone "back to nature"? Was it as a getaway in a cabin, to go camping, hiking, to retreat from life, or what? Go ahead, admit it....there is something soothing about nature. Simple, uncomplicated, ever-present.... nature. That is only the beginning of what I wish to address in this article. First, we all need to give time for ourselves: to recharge, relax, recuperate, catch our breath, refresh, whatever. We're human, it's the way it is, a fact of life, admit it. Secondly, nature is always close by. However, here is where the path takes a fork in the road folks. Nature is also a great place to challenge your creativity and find yourself in an infinite surrounding to workout however you need. So...Here are some examples for you to ponder and I can imagine to relate to or say/admit to yourself, "that's it! that's what I need or want!" Obviously, nature supplies great natural resources in hiking, biking, horseback riding, kayaking, boating, skiing, rock climbing, exploring, etc. Let's take it a bit further. What better back drop for stress relief than to take in some yoga in the natural surroundings, or meditation, or tai chi? What an enhancement! How about being creative and do something you haven't ever done or maybe haven't done since childhood? Climb rocks and skip stones, swing on vines (or ropes if you'd rather)*just remember, safety first*, climb a tree, do "skin the cat" on a tree branch or chin-ups/pullups. How about walk on stepping stones or another fixed object begging for your skill? How about step ups on the tree stump? Perhaps you'd rather try your skill at log rolling in the nearby water *again, safety first always, always ALWAYS**. Or lateral squats over the log, triceps dips, pushups(incline and/or decline, plyometrics over the log (or other low object), biceps curls with rocks, bent over rows with a log or rock or object that can safely be lifted, or of what else can you think? Are you getting a grasp on nature yet? Here's some more help: N-not to be overlooked A-adventure for creativity T-take it as it comes U-understand there are no rules but to be safe R-ready for a challenge to/with yourself E-explore and be excited to do so
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OK, I think you have the idea. Now, in keeping with "nature" get rid of those head sets, cell phones, iPods, or any other device you carry with your tunes recorded. Use the sounds of nature to keep you and help you workout mentally. Exercise your senses. LISTEN to the babbling trickling brook, the birds, the scurrying of chipmunks, etc. FEEL the breeze on your skin and through your hair, feel the dapples of sun versus shade, feel/touch the textures of nature, etc. SEE the beauty and how awesome it truly is in an untouched or nearly untouched state. SMELL the flowers, ferns, moss, breeze's embrace, etc. TASTE whatever your mind creates and stirs within you (I do not mean literally eat something you have no clue as to what it is or in an unhealthy state. I mean, what do the other senses evoke your mind to send through you in taste? Just like a scent of fresh baked bread, without eating one bite, heightens a sense of taste within you.) Get in touch with your inner child. We mature but the inner child is still within us, still just as curious and mischievous as we dare let ourselves be. When was the last time you truly had fun with your workout and came away as refreshes, revitalized, energized, and charged as what I described above? What are you waiting for? Dig out that backpack and check it out! Allow me to just remind you: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. SAFETY ALWAYS FIRST Stay open with your mind, heart, and senses Go with what presents itself to you Be in touch with your inner child Take time for Y-O-U Be creative Soar!
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Wellness...Simplified
By Crystal Reiber
Just what is wellness? Is it your fitness level? Perhaps it's your physical being only? Or is it deeper than that? I'm here to tell you that although we think of "being well" in mostly the physically arena, it IS MUCH DEEPER than that. It's not JUST nutrition, or JUST fitness and working out, not JUST a goal, or JUST ANY ONE THING. It encompasses ALL things that make up YOUR LIFE. To further explain let me use a simple illustration. Let's say that your thumb has been a bit sore for no apparent reason but it really is bugging you and making you think of nothing but "it". OK, now I come up to you and stomp as hard as I can on your foot. Do you think you'd be thinking of your thumb anymore? Probably NOT. Focus and center, or balance, is important in total wellness. When one area lacks, all areas suffer. When you have a headache doesn't it affect your productivity and other areas of "YOU"? Of course it does! To better sum up what I mean of balance in keeping with "wellness" let me further elaborate. 1. We have physical wellness. That which is our body and how it functions. Exercise, proper nutrition, proper rest, and not abusing the body's delicate inner systems with tobacco, drugs, and alcohol consumption is vital. 2. Next there is emotional/mental wellness. Feeding on the positive rather than the negative of forces upon or around you will greatly promote a healthier emotional state of stability as well as enriching your mental alertness. Understanding and processing of information is also a key. 3. There is spiritual wellness. Everyone wants to know what his/her place or purpose in life is. Some of us go through many paths on this journey and some are more acute right out of the starter's gate, so to speak. This doesn't necessarily mean your religious beliefs, but rather your purpose in the realm of the world around you. Your purpose in helping the positive, feeding, and the nurturing of it. 4. Social wellness is a biggie. Peer pressure doesn't stop when we reach adulthood. Building relationships and being a part of a positive awareness, understanding, and communication around oneself fits this category. Keep negative friends or family or work and what do you think the finished product will promote? Negativity! Turn it around and do exactly the opposite and see and feel the positive results. 5. The intellectual level doesn't exactly fit under "mental/emotional" wellness so I've categorized it separately. This allows a person to never stop learning and never stifle creativity. Ever-feeding one's mind is to help with the wellness blend and balance that I've been describing.
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6. What's your occupation? Yep, it's a form of wellness too. Occupational or career oriented and goal setting is a part of that process. Volunteering is also a part of this plain of wellness. If anything is a worthwhile cause to nurture your passion, then that fits this category. 7. Can you do anything to help the world? The answer is most definitely a resounding YES! By being aware of the balance needed for wholeness don't you want to be aware of what is happening around you? Especially of the earth you inhabit and the environment around you? This wellness helps strum harmony into the picture. 8. Lastly, a sense of "self"...an individual, unique, creative, and open minded has to be the accountability clause in the equation to total wellness. 9.
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reward. This isnt all that unusual, however. Many of our habits grow from repetition and delayed reward. Brushing our teeth several times a day does not yield any immediate reward, but that doesnt deter most people from engaging in dental hygiene! We dont get a diploma each day at school but that doesnt mean that we dont value education enough to regularly attend. Many people begin investing in retirement savings plans, decades before they intend to retire. Certainly, the rewards are delayed, but this doesnt stop most people from making regular contributions to secure their financial future. The Cycle of Change Likewise, people shouldnt excuse themselves from forming a fitness habits in the area of physical exercise and proper nutrition today just because the rewards of looking better avoiding future health problems in the future are delayed. The process of changing existing behaviors and creating a fitness habit is better thought of as a cycle rather than an all or nothing step: 1. Contemplation Stage Decide what you want. 2. Determination Stage Determine what you need to get. 3. Action Stage Start doing it repetitively. People only begin to contemplate the possibility of change once they face-up to the fact that they have a problem and are presented with a compelling reason for them as an individual to correct it. Most often, the desirability for change is increased when one is afforded convincing, personal and timely information, which is intimately tied to their current behavior problems, runs contrary to their established expectancies, and has intimate ramifications for some or many aspects of their life. The grand task for the early contemplator is to seize the moment, and let the opportunity for a better life pass them by without moving from contemplation to determination and action. Once someone has decided that they want to make a change, they must consider all aspects of their behavior problem realistically, begin to modify expectancies, and set realistic goals. If the goal is unreasonable or inadequate, attempts to follow a path towards it will fail. As a result, people with good intentions often become discouraged, such that they relapse or abandon the change process altogether. Determination will lead directly into action when goals are consistent with individual capabilities, values, and needs. Conclusion Its truly remarkable what people are capable of achieving once sufficiently motivated and invested in a realistic goal. If you know what your goals are, the next step is recognizing the potential means and barriers to the accomplishment of the goal. In designing an exercise plan, one should take stock of individual strengths and weaknesses, both physically and mentally. If you know whats limiting your ability to change, and youre serious about change, then you must take action to remove or at least minimize barriers to your success. Lifestyle changes aren't about fitness routines; they're about forming a fitness habit that makes it easier to regularly follow the exercise plan than not.
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Age-Proof Your Body (Part I): 5 Proven Ways to Look and Feel Younger and Healthier with Fitness and Nutrition
By Dan Cardoza
Fitness: Secret #1 For Your Age-Proof Body It is a medically proven fact that how you age is a choice - a lifestyle choice. In this, the first part of a special 5-part mini-series on the impact of diet and exercise on healthy aging, you will begin to understand the connection between lifestyle habits and the aging process. The Amazing Human Machine Your body has an amazing capacity to restore and regenerate new healthy living cells when given the right opportunity. But what building blocks will you use in the coming years to ensure that you are rebuilding your body for optimal health and wellness? By understanding and faithfully applying the 5 Age-Proofing Fitness & Nutrition Secrets outlined in this series, you have the power to finally put the brakes on premature aging once and for all! 5 Proven Ways to Look and Feel Younger and Healthier 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Get Fundamental With Fitness Nourish Your Genes With Supportive Nutrition Stress Less For Hormonal Harmony Make Sense Of Supplementation Personalize Your Plan And Take Action
There Is No Magic Bullet I'm always asked the question: what's the "one thing" I should do to get the most dramatic results? And my answer is always the same. The one thing you should do before you do anything else is accept the fact that there no "one thing", no "magic bullet", no single step that will catapult your results and make you look 21 years old again. Instead, I encourage my clients to understand and adopt a vitally important concept that I personally refer to as Synergy. Synergy simply refers to the interdependent relationship between all 5 of the components outlined above. THERE IS NO MAGIC FORMULA! You have to use the principles I outline in this series in conjunction with one another - or else the results will always disappoint.
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Given its power, Synergy is something you must understand and put into practice on a daily basis. You have to find a way to strike the balance between all 5 elements of the SYNERGY - Exercise, Nutrition, Stress Management, Supplementation, and Personal Coaching - when these 5 elements are working in perfect balance with one another, there's an internal harmony that's created that will help you achieve the dramatic results you're after. Let's begin by exploring each of the 5 secrets one at a time: PART 1: Get Fundamental With Fitness The most practical starting point to look and feel younger and healthier is to begin with a complete fitness program designed for your unique metabolism, body type and personal goals. But where do you start? Like most people, you've probably tried diet and exercise before with little or no results. You put in the effort, the time, and probably some money too but nothing happened, right? 3 Fundamental Keys To Fitness Success The reason you may have fallen short of reaching your fitness goals in the past is because you failed to strike the balance between all 3 of the key elements of a successful fitness program: 1. Progressive Resistance Training 2. Smart Cardio Training 3. Dynamic Flexibility Training If even one of these 3 key elements is neglected, performed incorrectly, or even overdone, the results will be less than optimal. Imagine driving a car with one wheel out of alignment. It's going to make it very difficult getting from point A to point B. The same is true of your fitness program. All components of your fitness program must be working together in a synergistic manner to maximize results. Let's look at each fundamental component individually as it relates to age-proofing your body. Age-Proofing Exercise Habit #1: Progressive Resistance Training The benefits of resistance training for overall health are clearly documented. But did you know that a targeted resistance-training program can actually have a dramatic impact on the way you age? Resistance training builds strength, boosts metabolism, prevents bone loss, and helps to regulate key age-proofing hormones such as insulin, glucagon, cortisol, and human growth hormone (HGH) in a positive way. Guidelines for your Age-Proofing Resistance Training Program:
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Perform exercises appropriate for your current fitness level and weight training experience Be careful not to over-train your body, which is usually accompanied by excessive post-workout soreness, decreased physical performance, reduced appetite, frequent illness, constipation or diarrhea, and a lack of desire to exercise. Be sure to breathe fluidly as you perform the exercise, not holding your breath at any time. Seek the help of a qualified fitness professional who can create and modify a custom fitness program for your unique metabolism, body type, and personal goals.
Age-Proofing Exercise Habit #2: Smart Cardio In addition to increasing heart and lung capacity, cardiovascular exercise (aka aerobics) has the power to begin releasing anti-aging hormones and neurotransmitters that will contribute to a reduction in the symptoms of premature aging. Guidelines for your Age-Proofing Cardio Training Program
Perform cardio training daily or almost daily for 20-30 minutes each session by walking, jogging, cycling, rollerblading, swimming, or using a cardio machine such as a treadmill or elliptical trainer. Always begin your session with 5 minutes of progressive warm up, increasing the body's temperature and heart rate, prior to engaging in regular intensity. Finish your session with 3-5 minutes of gradual cool down. Use the "Talk Test" to determine the correct intensity - this simply means you are working out hard enough that you can hear/feel yourself breathing, but not so intense that you can't still maintain a conversation with the person next to you.
Age-Proofing Exercise Habit #3: Dynamic Flexibility Training A head-to-toe flexibility program that mobilizes the muscles and joints of the body can serve to improve range of motion and balance, reduce risk of injury, and possible even relieve symptoms of pain. These benefits will make the other components of your fitness program (resistance training and cardio) more enjoyable. Guidelines of your Age-Proofing Flexibility Training Program
Always warm up the body prior to stretching any muscles/joints by performing a cardio-based activity that will elevate the body's core temperature. Warm up activities might include a brisk walk, jogging, calisthenics, or using a cardio machine such as a treadmill or elliptical trainer. Continue to breath while you stretch, not holding your breath. Holding your breath only creates more tension in the muscles and joints of the body. Don't overdo it with stretching. Your goal is not to be a contortionist! Simply aim to maintain a full range of motion in all major joints so that you can comfortably perform your fitness-related activities as well as other daily activities.
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Conclusion: A strong, lean, injury-free body is key to staying healthy for the rest of your life and putting the brakes on premature aging. I can't think of a better way to age-proof your body than with an exercise program that strikes the right balance between progressive resistance training, smart cardio, and a dynamic flexibility program.
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Age-Proof Your Body (Part II): 5 Proven Ways to Look and Feel Younger and Healthier with Fitness and Nutrition
By Dan Cardoza
You Are What You Eat-But You Knew That, Right? Your eating habits - what you eat, when you eat, and how you eat - has a dramatic affect on how your body ages. Makes sense, right? The nutrients you get from the foods you eat are the building blocks for every cell in your body. Because your body's cells are constantly being replaced, it is important to continually fuel your body with nutrient-rich foods that provide the raw materials for optimal health and wellness. 6 Ways To Eat For Prolonged Youthfulness:
Eat Whole, Natural, Unrefined Foods Time is precious in today's fast-paced society! Finding convenient ways of doing just about everything is a priority for consumers. Unfortunately, convenient ways of eating are rarely the healthiest approach. Highly processed foods contain less nutritional value and more substances the body doesn't need such as additives, preservatives, hormones, fungicides, pesticides, and unusually large amount of salt - all of which can contribute to degenerative biological processes. Instead, choose foods that you can (theoretically) pick, grow, gather, fish or hunt.
Eat Raw, Fresh Fruits & Vegetables More Often Fresh fruits and vegetables, preferably organically grown, can contribute a great deal to your health. These nutrient rich foods add vitamins, minerals, and fiber to your diet. They also help rebuild your body's tissues more quickly, especially for physically active people. Unfortunately, today's supply of fruits and vegetable contain far few nutrients than in previous years due to processing and preparation methods that deplete the nutrients from these foods. To combat this, I suggest choosing organic foods whenever possible and supplementing your diet with a high-potency multi-vitamin mineral supplement.
Drink Clean Fresh Water Even mild dehydration can disrupt vital cell functions, and considering the fact that most people are mildly (or severely) dehydrated all day long every day of the week, it is safe to conclude that proper hydration is probably one of the easiest ways to slow premature aging. Aim to drink at least 8-12 glasses of pure, filtered water every day. That may seem like a daunting task but if you make it a goal to
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drink just a glass of water every waking hour, you can easily get at least 8 glasses per day. It just takes planning!
Graze During The Days You've heard it before - eat 5-6 small meals per day instead of saving up for 1-2 big meals. This grazing approach helps to stabilize your blood sugar, which in turn contributes to greater hormonal balance. When you skip meals, on the other hand, your body thinks it is in starvation mode, and begins to shut down and conserve calories as fat for a rainy day. You want your body building itself up, not breaking down!
Get Lean On Protein Your body is made up of mostly protein, so it only makes sense to include a source of lean protein in every meal or snack you eat. Protein stimulates a hormonal response in the body that stabilizes blood sugar and contributes to hormonal balance. Simply fill 1/3 of your plate with quality protein such as egg whites, fresh fish, legumes, soy products, and lean cuts of meat. When choosing your protein source, try to avoid products that contain chemicals, preservatives, additives or hormones.
Go Nuts With Healthy Fats Not all fats are created equal! Saturated fats, trans fats, and hydrogenated fats are the ones you want to avoid. On the other hand, healthy Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) contribute to greater well-being and can also help reverse some of the symptoms of accelerated premature aging. Healthy EFAs can be acquired from dietary sources or from quality supplements. Dietary sources of healthy fats include nuts, fish, fish oil, flax seed, avocadoes, and olive oil.
Follow these basic principles of healthy eating you will see and feel the difference in the way your body ages.
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Age-Proof Your Body (Part III): 5 Proven Ways to Look and Feel Younger and Healthier with Fitness and Nutrition
By Dan Cardoza
Stress Less For Hormonal Harmony It is becoming more widely understood that stress from everyday lifestyle factors (i.e. work, finances, relationships) is the single greatest threat to our health and wellness and is the root of most all premature aging and age-related diseases. But there is something that can be done to manage our stress and effectively put the brakes on premature aging once and for all! The key lies in understanding the metabolic and hormonal triggers that cause the stress response. You might be surprised to learn that there are specific diet and exercise habits that you can implement right away that can help you minimize the affects of a stressful lifestyle, effectively putting the brakes on the aging process. Let's begin there. How Does Stress Contribute to Premature Aging? Stress is a normal part of life. That's a fact. But genetically our bodies are only equipped to deal with stress in short bursts until the stress trigger is removed. But in today's society, our stress triggers are not temporary. Today, our stress comes from our busy schedule, fast-paced lifestyle, rush hour traffic, a demanding boss, or financial pressures. These types of prolonged, low-grade stress are harmful because they create a persistent state of hormonal imbalance that leads to accelerated aging and age-related diseases. Cortisol: The Age-Accelerating Hormone Cortisol has gained a reputation as the "stress hormone". But, believe it or not, cortisol is actually an anti-stress hormone whose purpose is to mobilize the body for action in the face of threat. And while this fight-or-flight hormonal response may be useful in the face of a life-threatening situation, it is less useful when we are stuck in traffic or upset with a co-worker. Persistently elevated levels of cortisol eventually disrupt our body's inner balance and cause the following underlying problems:
Decreased immune function Increase cellular inflammation Protein breakdown in the muscles, bones, joints and skin
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Memory loss and decreased brain function Fat metabolism disorders High blood pressure Hormonal imbalances Increased sugar/carbohydrate cravings
These symptoms, if left unchecked, result in accelerated premature aging! What Can You Do To Manage Stress? There's no avoiding stress altogether, but there are steps you can take today to minimize the effects on your body and your health. Here are 3 simple strategies that you can put into practice right away to better prepare your body to manage stress: 1. Practice Conscious Breathing This advice might sound overly simplistic, but it is actually quite profound. Conscious breathing is an exercise that has the power to re-establish balance in our autonomic nervous system. And the best part is that you don't need any special equipment to do it and there's no fancy technique involved. Just take the time and focus 100% on breathing fresh air in through your nose and slowly exhaling out through your mouth. Try just a few minutes of conscious breathing three times per day, focusing on making your breath longer, slower, and deeper You'll be amazed at the results! 2. Get Fit For Life The primary goal of any exercise program is to make sure it is enjoyable. Otherwise, working out can act to create stress in your life rather than to reduce it. The ideal anti-stress workout will include moderate aerobic activity, progressive resistance training, flexibility training and possibly even a form of mind-body exercise such as yoga or Pilates. By getting physically fit, your body becomes physiologically more capable of managing the lifestyle stressors that come your way. You'll feel great and look great too when you get fit for life. 3. Increase Antioxidant Consumption Antioxidants (such as vitamin E, vitamin C, etc) are micronutrients that act to buffer the stress response and minimize the damage caused by hormonal imbalance. Most major health organizations agree that everyone should at least be taking a high-potency multi-vitamin/mineral supplement. In coming years, you will also begin to hear the same thing being said about Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acid supplements. Physically active individuals may want to explore a more comprehensive supplement plan that includes meal replacement shakes and postworkout recovery drinks.
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Conclusion: There's no avoiding stress altogether. But there are several lifestyle factors that can help minimize the age-accelerating damage of stress. Try the 3 powerful suggestions above and you will be amazed at the results.
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Age-Proof Your Body (Part IV): 5 Proven Ways to Look and Feel Younger and Healthier with Fitness and Nutrition
By Dan Cardoza
Making Sense of Supplements Even with dramatic improvements to your eating habits, it's still unlikely that you are getting optimal nutritional value from your food. Today's food supply is deficient of many key micronutrients and these micronutrient deficiencies can create problems at the cellular level of normal functioning cells that lead to accelerated aging. Are Supplements the Key to Age-Proofing Your Body? Every single day we are exposed to environmental elements, both internal and external, that damage important genetic material from the inside out and lead to premature aging. Examples include pollution, radiation, free radicals, and a whole host of unnatural ingredients found in our food supply. But can nutritional supplements play a part in minimizing the damaging effects? The answer to this question is a resounding YES! While supplements should not replace sound nutrition habits, they can play a role of filling in the gaps left in your diet. Supplements act as a form of nutritional insurance to guarantee your body's cells are being nourished on all levels. Top 6 Benefits of an Age-Proof Supplement Plan: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Reduced Oxidative Stress Minimized DNA Damage Enhanced DNA Repair Improved Immune Function Optimal Gene Expression Hormonal Balance
What Products Should I Take? While it is strongly recommend that you seek advice from a qualified professional regarding choosing nutritional supplements that are appropriate for your specific situation, the following product categories are ones you may consider when getting started:
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A quality, high-potency multivitamin-mineral formula can serve a number of purposes. The main benefit is its ability to provide the micronutrients needed for cellular function and repair. When choosing a multivitamin-mineral formula, it is important to understand that not all supplements are created equal. Contact me if you'd like a recommendation on the only multivitamin mineral supplement I personally use and recommend to my clients.
Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids Most medical health organizations now recommend the use of a multivitamin mineral supplement. But in the near future, I predict that the same will be true of high-potency Omega-3 EFA supplements. The benefits are numerous - but again, it is important to realize that not all supplements are created equal. Only select an ultra-refined high-dose EFA formula that is free from contaminants.
Antioxidant Formula Antioxidants found act to neutralize many of the free radicals produced in the cells, resulting in a dramatic reduction in damage at the cellular level. The top 5 anti-oxidants for an age-proof body include Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Beta-Carotene, Selenium, and Carotenoids.
Other Ways To Minimize Nutrient Deficiencies In addition to nutritional supplements, be sure to integrate the following strategies for optimal results:
Avoid cigarette smoke (including second-hand) Avoid over-consumption of alcohol Minimize exposure to air pollution when possible Avoid nitrates commonly found in burnt or charred meats Minimize X-Rays and other forms of radiation Don't overdo it with too much exercise Limit sun exposure to 30 minutes per day
Should I Take Supplements? The reality is that many of us live fast-paced, hectic lives and it is not always possible to get our fair share of these nutritious whole foods from natural sources. If this is the case, a sensible supplement plan designed to compliment your sound eating habits may be a smart investment to provide your body with the micronutrient support it needs to fend off cellular damage and put the brakes on premature aging.
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Age-Proof Your Body (Part V): 5 Proven Ways to Look and Feel Younger and Healthier with Fitness and Nutrition
By Dan Cardoza
Personalize Your Plan With A Coach Let's review the "5 Proven Ways to Look and Feel Younger and Healthier" outlined in this special age-proofing series. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Get Fundamental With Fitness Nourish Your Genes With Supportive Nutrition Stress Less For Hormonal Harmony Make Sense Of Supplementation Personalize Your Plan And Take Action
Driven For Results - The Car Analogy Think of your automobile for a moment. More than likely, your automobile has four wheels that work together to get you from point A to point B. But having four wheels isn't enough, is it? No! All four wheels have to be aligned and balanced and the wheels also have to be directed using a steering wheel if you want to get the desired result. Age-proofing your body works the exact same way. All four factors discussed to this point - fitness, nutrition, stress management, and supplementation - must be working together in a balance synergistic fashion if you're going to get the results you want. And don't forget about your "steering wheel", which can help direct your fitness, nutrition, stress management, and supplement program to guarantee to get the exact results you want in your life. For many people, hiring a personal coach to direct the whole process of body improvement can be the "steering wheel" they need to get from Point A to Point B in the most efficient manner. How Can A Personal Coach Help Me? An experienced, qualified fitness & nutrition professional can help you 1. Get maximal results in less time 2. Establish a starting point and determine a sound course of action 3. Monitor progress and revise your program to breakthrough plateaus
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4. Avoid the common pitfalls that can derail your progress 5. Integrate your fitness & nutrition program into your lifestyle Everyone Should Have A Personal Coach The reality is that a personal coach will help you get more results out of your fitness & nutrition program than you would otherwise achieved on your own. Experts agree that investing in a qualified coach or mentor can only act to accelerate your results, which at the end of the day, will make you a happier and healthier person. So take action today! Find a qualified fitness professional in your neighborhood. Many fitness professionals (myself included) are now able to utilize the world wide web to deliver highly customized fitness & nutrition programs online. Feel free to contact me directly and I can help you find the right fit for you.
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more energy to spend quality time with her family at night to be able to fit into all the clothes in her closet to be able to live a long, healthy life to enjoy time with her children, husband, and grandchildren (eventually) to not be uncomfortable in public to not become breathless climbing stairs to be able to do "active" things with her family and friends to be able to play on the floor with her children to be able to wear nice clothes
Her list goes on, but you get the picture. Make a long, extensive list. This may not seem important, but it is critical to be able to read this list when your motivation to exercise is waning. It's a powerful way to quickly get "re-motivated!" 3. Exercise with a friend. Statistics tell us that people who exercise with a friend are more successful at exercising consistently. You can keep each other accountable. Knowing that
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someone is waiting for you to exercise with them can be great motivation to show up and get it done! 4. Exercise first thing in the morning, every morning. Folks, if you're really serious about this exercise thing, then get serious about it. Our bodies were made to be active on a daily basis.. and when we are, all sorts of wonderful things happen.. we even get healthy and fit! People who exercise 6 to 7 days per week first thing in the morning, are much more successful at exercising consistently, than those who do the 2 or 3 day thing. It doesn't have to be a huge workout everyday.. get out there and take a 30 minute walk. For all the details on why you should exercise in the morning, see my article. 5. Train for a local 5k or 10k walk or run in your area. This can be great motivation to exercise on a regular basis. I've seen many people transformed from couch potatoes to lean, mean exercising machines, because they decided to enter and train for a competition like this. Don't think you can't do it... YOU CAN! 6. Reward yourself! Real life example => Claire from Atlanta told me that she puts $3 in a piggy bank every time she exercises. She gives herself the freedom to spend this money on things she normally wouldn't buy for herself. She says she usually ends up with over $70 per month! 7. Keep records. Write down your exercise time (minutes) each day. Keep a running total for the month and year. Calculate your average exercise time per day. Set some lofty goals! 8. Make your exercise as enjoyable as possible. For example, if you're a walker, you may want to get a good cassette or CD player to listen to music or books on tape, etc. If you're exercising inside, set up a TV so that you can watch it while exercising. On the other hand, you may just prefer peace and quiet. Do whatever makes exercise most enjoyable for you. You are much more likely to exercise consistently if you enjoy it. 9. Wear good shoes that are appropriate for what you're doing. Injuries seriously affect your motivation to exercise. Most people, especially walkers and runners, wear their shoes far too long. Worn out shoes will make you much more prone to injuries. 10. See results and get compliments. That's really motivating! GO FOR IT!
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When strength training, add variety by using the following ideas: Weight, reps, sets, speed of movement, range of motion (ROM), body parts and the exercise itself and the order you do them try them in reverse or completely rearrange them altogether. as well as more advanced techniques like super setting, drop setting, pyramid sets, negative sets or push and pull sets. After the initial 4-6 weeks of weight training the body will plateau, and a good varied routine is necessary to see further improvements. Like cardio, there are many ways you can vary your program. First, try to vary the sets and reps you do. If you are used to 3 sets of 10, switch to 2 sets of 8 with a heavier weight. You can also vary the exercises that you do. I can think of over 6 different exercises just off the top of my head that will strength train the chest, and I know there are more! Each day you train, do a different exercise! Another way to vary your weight training routine is to vary the body parts you work. Instead of always doing full body 3 times per week, try splitting it into 3 days of upper body and 3 days of lower body. Maybe you would enjoy doing a push/pull routine, or something similar. You can also vary the way you train: pyramids, negatives, supersets, super slow training, while these are all advanced training methods, they are great to do once in a while for variety. Finally, you might want to switch the times you train. If you are normally a morning trainer, try doing it during your lunch hour for a week. If you usually do cardio first, try strength training first for the next month. Subtle changes go a long way to making big improvements in your strength levels! So you can see that not only is it important for your body to add variety, but it is also important for your mind. If you picture yourself doing now what you will be doing in 10 years, do you think you will still be doing it? Most likely the answer is no. If you need ideas on how to incorporate some variety in your routine, you might consider hiring a personal trainer for a single session, if nothing more than to brainstorm with you! Picking a trainer's brain for an hour on how you can change your plan for the better may be well worth the money, especially if it keeps you exercising long into the future! Fitcorp Asia is the best place to start, and by joining for a 6 week program, you will learn all the tools and knowledge you need to make your exercise not only more enjoyable, but life long and more effective.
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Understanding Metabolism
By David Herber
In order to understand why the body protects itself so strongly against any attack on its reserves (striving for weight loss) requires a basic understanding of metabolism. The concept of metabolism basically covers nothing more nor less than the whole range of biochemical reactions which occur in our bodies. In everyday language, the metabolism is repeatedly mentioned in connection with speed: He has a high metabolic rate, she has a low metabolic rate, your metabolic rate will slow down with this medication, etc. It is clear that the speed of the chemical processes in our bodies can vary. The fact that the metabolism is indeed subject to variation like this means that it is somewhat more difficult to plan a specific weight reduction program. In reality, the logic is clear: If you consume more energy than you need, your weight increases; absorb less energy than you need and it decreases. But our metabolism does not work like that. For an understanding of the parameters involved in weight gain or loss, we use the image of a bowl of water: to illustrate the variability of the metabolic rate, we look at the rate at which water enters the basin together with the rate it drains out. If the inflow of water drops (energy uptake), the outflow (energy consumption) automatically drops after a short delay. By how much it drops and when the choke occurs depends on the individual. The reverse process is, naturally, that when the energy up-take increases, energy consumption also increases after a short time. If we want to apply this newly acquired knowledge about the variability of our metabolism to the task of controlling our body weight, we should avoid behavior which slows-down the metabolism. Three practical ways of naturally stimulating the metabolism are: 1. Building Muscle (hypertrophy) 2. Physical Activity 3. Eating More and/or More Frequently Building Muscle - Since muscle tissue has a prolific blood supply, its metabolic rate is higher in absolute terms than that of fatty tissue. In other words, the metabolic engine runs higher in muscle and increases fuel consumption than it does in fat. So training to promote muscle growth will assure weight loss success in the long run, for the more muscle you have the higher your metabolism will rev, even when you are not active. Women have a difficult time accepting this and are fearful that they will get big and bulky muscles. However, due to the minimal level of the male hormone testosterone in their bodies, it is not possible for women to get huge muscles like men unless they take steroids. Muscle also is more dense than fat so pound for pound it takes up less space which creates a smaller more compact fat burning machine.
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Physical Activity With all physical activity, the metabolic stimulation is achieved not only during the training: it goes on for a while after the end of the training. The more exhausting the training feels, the longer the metabolic rate is increased. This is especially true for resistance training as taxing your muscles has been shown to elevate the metabolism for up to 18 hours after the training session. This means that although you may not burn a ton of calories while actually performing your weight lifting workout, your metabolism will stay elevated for hours afterward. Unlike an aerobic workout where your metabolism returns to normal as your heart rate and breathing stabilize. Eating More and/or More Frequently The very people who tend to put on weight easily are often those who for days at a time often eat too few calories and do not meet their actual energy requirements. They often try to reduce their calorie intake by eating less often. Small or greater sins during the weekend or at parties are compensated for with a meager diet over the next week. But the sins involved cannot be compensated for by eating less over the next few days. The fact that this is not the case is explained by the economy measures applied by the metabolism. These come into effect after not just a few days of poor diet but after a few hours. If for example, you miss a meal because of a busy work schedule, all energy-consuming processes are slowed down so you body can make efficient use of the few calories you have consumed. With two meals a day the average metabolic rate may therefore by much lower than with five meals a day at three to four hour intervals. With the availability of microwaves and Tupperware food storage containers, preparing meals in advance and freezing them for later consumption should not take too much effort. Keeping your metabolism burning at a high rate requires you to have a pretty good idea of how many calories your body requires for your age, height, weight and activity level. This can be determined easily by using one of the various calorie requirement calculators on the internet, using the Harris-Benedict equation, or by getting your resting metabolic rate tested by a personal trainer or registered dietician. After your daily caloric requirements are discovered, it is best to divide this number by 4 or 5 to get the per meal calorie content that will help keep your metabolism elevated. Eating 4 or 5 meals every 3 to 4 hours of the exact same calorie content will keep your metabolism in high gear and help with the fat burning and weight loss process. But beware, you still need to become calorie conscious and keep track of all calories consumed to make sure you are not exceeding your daily caloric requirements. For an excess of calories, whether they come from carbohydrates, protein or fat will lead to extra pounds on the scale. And for most of us, that is not a desired effect. Understanding the biochemical processes of your own individual metabolism is difficult, but learning how to manipulate your metabolism so that it works with you and helps you reach your weight-loss and fat-loss goals is simple. By building muscle, getting regular physical activity, and eating more frequently you can keep your metabolism elevated at a higher rate and keep excess fat at bay.
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2. Take a complete history of the client, including medical history and background, training history, lifestyle and eating questionnaires, plus a motivation and goal worksheet. The more information that can be gathered the greater the chance for a successful outcome. 3. Perform a complete physical assessment of the client, to include but not limited to Posture, gait, flexibility, and fitness analysis. 4. Communicate with the client and encourage input into program design and implementation. Yes, an individual is hiring a trainer for his expertise, but not many people like being dictated to and micro-managed. Give and take between trainer and client helps the trainer know better what is and isn't working, and keeps the client engaged and active in the entire process. 5. Design programs with each individual client in mind - personalization. This is the point of all the assessment work; to evaluate strengths and weaknesses, and address these with the proper training. This does not always mean getting the client stronger, often times joint function and flexibility needs to be addressed first. Starting off every client with the same canned program is a recipe for failure. 6. Constantly reassess and seek improvement. In the client - a good trainer evaluates every rep of every set. Reassessments must be done on a regular basis in order to gauge improvement and adjust training. In the trainer - a good trainer is constantly seeking to improve his skill set and be more valuable to the client. The bottom line is value vs. cost. If a trainer is in tune with his client and getting results, cost is not an issue. Who would you rather have train you, someone scraping for business or someone who is in high demand because they are a professional who gets results? I'll take door number two!
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Remember Newton's law? We didn't talk about the second half - Things in motion tend to stay in motion. Once you make the choice to get moving, it is easier to stay moving. In fact, once you build up momentum, you are unstoppable! Make the choice to get moving today!
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What is Good Posture, Why Posture is Important or Why You Should Have Listened to Your Mom
By Denis Kanygin
Your Mom always told you to sit up straight or you'll have bad posture. You Mom was right! Posture is important! Why, you ask? The answer is simple - Gravity. Force of gravity is acting upon our bodies 24 hours, 7 days a week. The easiest way for our bodies to deal with this force is to be perpendicular to it. In other words we want all joints to be 'stacked up' one on top of the other. If you look from the side view (Frontal plane) your ankles, knees, hips, shoulders and ear should all be in one line. When such alignment is accomplished the effect of the force of Gravity is minimal. There is no muscle tension, you simply 'stick' to the ground. If you look from front or back view, ankles, knees and hip joints should all be stacked one on top of the other. It also important that knees, hips and shoulder are on the same level. In other words, if we draw a horizontal line through your left and right knees, both knees should be on this line. If such alignment is achieved and maintained, the chance of having muscle and joint pains and aches is almost zero! Good posture plays a vital role in how we feel and function. If any deviations from the above mentioned alignment exist, force of Gravity no longer flows smoothly and gently through that body. It becomes destructive. When the Force of Gravity flows through the body with various postural dysfunctions (ex. excessive lower back curve, rolled shoulders, elevated hips, torso rotation, bent knees) it gets 'stuck' on such deviations. Excessive lower back curve is a great example. As the Force of Gravity flows through the body and encounters excessive lower back curve (lordosis) it gets 'stuck' on it. Lower back starts absorbing the Force of Gravity, muscles get overloaded and you end up with a back ache. Another example would be flexed knees. Force Gravity runs through the body and if your knees are in constant flexion, it gets 'stuck' on them. In the end knees get overwhelmed by the constant stress and start aching.
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So your Mother was right! Posture is important. As a matter of fact having proper postural alignment is the most critical component that will guarantee pain free and healthy life. To learn what to do about improper posture and how to eliminate dysfunctions from your body look for my other articles or visit my website www.workoutiq.com
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Tips to Keep the Flow: Write down your progress and miscues Tape your resolution up in places where you will see it Visual cues, like packing up the workout gear and having it by the bed for when the alarm goes off does work! Be accountableto someone else. It is ever so true, if someone is waiting for you youll show up. See It...Feel It...BE It: Okay, sounds a tad sappy, but visualizing success gets you there. Try to go deeper and create the sensation of what it will feel like to achieve your goal. The more senses you can gather in your visualization the more powerful it becomes. Injury timeout: If a boo-boo happens strive to do any activity you can while protecting the injury. Also, dont cut social ties with your workout buddies just because you cant play right at the moment. Be their support crew & they will be yours.
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Heres the thing. Whatever you do, do it well and be free of guilt that you should be doing more. A program that is consistently and persistently leading you to make better life choices will guarantee that you exit this phase in your life strong, healthy and ready to take on the world!
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carbohydrates and proteins consume more energy in the digestive process than fats do and complex carbohydrates take more energy to digest than simple carbohydrates. Eat smart and lose pounds for good while creating a healthier, leaner you.
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be attainable, but it may not be realistic in your given situation. Genetics and environment influence what is realistic. If a woman that measures at 35% bodyfat comes to me and says that she wants to get to 18%, most of the time I will probably say 'That's not realistic'. Or a lot of people will make a goal of exercising hard for five or six times per week, but in most peoples' busy lives, this is not realistic. They miss a couple workouts and in a month, they've stopped all together. Set a workout routine that is realistic. Three days per week is a good starting point. The 'T' is for TIME-ORIENTED. If you just say, 'I want to increase my strength by 10%', that sounds nice, but generally won't get you to shut off the TV. Set the timeline. Stating 'I will increase my strength by 10% in four weeks' is a more motivating goal. Right now, take the time to think about your own goals and put them down on paper. Use the SMART Principle and make your goals more effective and motivating.
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James Perrin, professor of pediatrics at Boston's MassGeneral Hospital for Children states, "You could speculate that one reason for the increasing rates of ADHD is that kids are exercising less." I will further speculate that when children undergo increased activity that the common complaints from parents and teachers of ADHD children will diminish. Guess what? A study at the State University of New York at Buffalo found that exercise significantly improved behavior of ADHD children between five and twelve years of age. Here's a wild thought: Exercise and natural food is natural for the human body. When we don't exercise and eat processed food, we essentially become sick. "Sick" can be a lot of things. Depressed, obese, hypertensive, weak, unconfident, high bad cholesterol, low good cholesterol, low bone density, Type II diabetes, lack of sexual desire, impotence, heart disease, and finally premature death. Hmmm... proper exercise and diet can highly reduce the risk of all of these. You know what else? Prescription drugs, depending on the specific drug, can increase the risk of most of these. I'm not saying there's not a time and place for drug therapy. But in general...get the kids off the drugs and get them on vigorous exercise and natural foods. It's one of the best gifts a truly loving parent could give them. Even better, do the exercise with them by following the information at www.FamilyFitPlan.com. You get in some quality family bonding. Download the free reports to get started immediately.
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who are many times popping calcium tablets in the hope of preventing osteoporosis, are missing the big picture. Their bones will not stay strong without exercise! Let's take this a little farther. What type of exercise should it be? It needs to be weightbearing exercise. For example, although swimming is a wonderful exercise, it would have a negligible effect of bone strength. Why? It is not weight-bearing and would not create a demand on the body for stronger bones. How about walking? It's weight bearing, right? Yep, it's great for keeping bones in the lower body strong. However, it will do little to aide in upper body bone strength. The most effective way to keep bones strong requires the same recommendation as the most effective way to keep muscles strong. Which is this: To keep your bones as strong as possible, you should target each muscle with resistance training at least two to three times per week. Researchers at Tufts University found that high-intensity strength training was effective at preserving bone density, in addition to increasing muscle mass, strength, and balance in postmenopausal women. As a general rule, you should use enough weight to fatigue the muscles between eight to twelve repetitions. Those of sixty years of age and older may consider using a lighter weight that fatigues the muscles around fifteen repetitions. A last consideration: Free weight training that works the body as a whole and requires the use of muscle stabilizers is arguably better than resistance training on machines. This is because machines work the body in less natural movement patterns. The take home message: Both men and women can develop osteoporosis, although it's more prevalent in females. Activity in childhood and adolescents is crucial for the development of strong bones in adult life. One we are adults, the research is mixed as to whether we can strengthen bones further. However, we do know that adults who perform properly designed strength training programs can slow bone loss. Lastly, remember that if you are popping calcium tablets, but not exercising, you're missing the big picture. Your body needs weight bearing exercise through all major muscle areas to keep your bones in an ideal state of health.
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People like myself, or perhaps physicians, even well-meaning friends. I have had numerous clients whose one phone call to me was their way of "asking" for such a life jacket. Another client initially came to be "rescued" by way of her husband making the initial contact. The important component here was and is ACTION! When a depressed AND overweight person takes any kind of action, it is truly a miracle! Why? Because they finally are acknowledging that they need more than antidepressants -- they need a physical transformation which inevitably becomes a Life Transformation! Likewise, this transformation also results in a Spiritual Transformation, one which brings the formerly depressed and overweight individual face-to-face with the issues that really matter, the self-talk that previously belittled their self-esteem and destroyed their physical self. Is this metamorphosis or transformation an easy one? Can it happen overnight or even in a few weeks? No. In fact, quite the opposite! Usually when an obese and depressed client begins this change by improving their diet and engaging in meaningful exercise, they will often respond by becoming irritable with you and with their family and friends. As well, they will see this life change as a chore and will resent others who "appear" to be in check physically and mentally. In fact, it is extremely hard work and only the most dedicated will be successful! At times I have had to act as "Big Brother" on more than one occasion to keep these types of individuals in check and accountable for their actions and food choices. I have had to call clients every night to make sure they were not eating past a certain time or to offer words of encouragement and support. More often than not, it is this support by the Personal Trainer that makes-or-breaks the relationship between the client and the trainer. That said, the most important "prescription" I can prescribe to my overweight and depressed clients is this: DO NOT QUIT.
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"How Stress, Sleep, and Hormones Affect Our Weight Loss and Muscle Gain"
By Gary Giamboi
In order to Gain Muscle and Lose Bodyfat, we also need to reduce our levels of Stress and Sleep deeper and longer. Let's look more closely at these two Concepts: Stress: Even Today, Our Pre-Historic body knows only two kinds of Stress: Getting enough to Eat and Avoiding Being Eaten. 100,000 years ago, this was just about All the Stress there was in our great great....grandfather's/grandmother's lives. And the only response they had to it was Fight or Flight. In order to better prepare us to be successful at Fighting or Escaping, our body learned to do the following: Become Mentally more Alert Dilate our Pupils and Make Vision and Hearing more Acute Increase our Circulation and Respiration Inhibit our Digestion & Shunt the extra Blood Supply to our Muscles Constrict Blood Vessels in many parts of the body Raise Blood Sugar Levels and Release Insulin Dilate the Blood Vessels in our Muscles Inhibit our Tear Glands and Salivation Relax our Bladder and Colon Inhibit Erections Release Adrenaline, Noradrenaline and Cortisol The benefits for our survival for most of these responses are obvious. However, the adverse affects of the Long Term Elevation of the Hormones associated with these responses is just now being understood.
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Adrenaline increases the heart rate and force of heart contractions, facilitates blood flow to the muscles and brain, causes relaxation of smooth muscles, helps with conversion of glycogen to glucose in the liver, and other activities. Noradrenaline has strong vasoconstrictive effects, thus increasing blood pressure. So long term elevated levels of these two Hormones would seem to be associated with our Heart working much harder than it should be and certain organs receiving less than the optimal Blood Supply. It would also seem to make burning Fat more difficult since it keeps our Glucose levels higher than normal. Cortisol is also involved in determining how the body Metabolizes Proteins, Carbohydrates and Fats. Long Tern Elevated levels of Cortisol would seem to imply our body will not be processing our Nutrients as it should. It has also been linked to Impaired Cognitive Performance, Suppressed thyroid function, Blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia, Decreased bone density, a Decrease in muscle tissue, Higher blood pressure, Lowered Immunity and Inflammatory responses in the body, as well as other health consequences, Increased abdominal fat, which is associated with a greater amount of health problems than fat deposited in other areas of the body. Being in a Fight or Flight response mode, or in a sort of Pre-Fight or Flight mode, means we are looking for, and indeed, maybe even expecting Trouble. Trouble is what is suppose to happen. That is why we are primed to look for it and that is why we are in the state we are in. We do not need our Rational Mind, Our Heart and our Conscience to beat a Snake or run away from a Sabre Tooth Tiger. Indeed, they will probably even get in our way! In my humble opinion, being in such a state makes it harder for us to listen to our Hearts and our Conscience or to take the time to figure things out. So, if this affects our ability to look at the Bright Side, be Understanding or Forgiving, Generous, etc. would you be surprised? To quote a couple of popular songs: "What's Love Got to Do with It" and "I know What I was Feeling; but, What was I Thinking." I will even go so far as to say we are addicted to Stress. Is it now a coincidence that Violent Movies/Video Games and Scary Movies/ Video Games are the most popular? When a person watches one of these movies/video games, the better the movie/game, the more he/she becomes involved in a Fight or Flight Reality more Real than their present lives.. Their responses will be proportional to their involvement. This Cannot be Good for the Person involved. And it Cannot be Good for a Society where a Majority of it's people are living this way. Sleep:
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Sleep is when (or perhaps Where) your body repairs itself and builds new Muscle. With the Right Stimuli when we are awake, more sleep can result more Muscle (and less Fat in the long run). Sleep is also where we work out things which happened during the day and remain unresolved (perhaps that why a lack of sleep makes us more irritable. It leaves more things unresolved and un-accepted). Thus, during Sleep, we can lower our Stress levels by waking up with less unresolved and un-accepted issues in our minds. There have also been new studies which show that people who get less than 5 hours of sleep each night are more overweight than those who get 8 hours. The less sleep group higher levels of Ghrelin in their blood. Ghrelin is a hormone produced in the stomach that sends out hunger signals to the brain, which then makes you feel hungry. They also had lower levels of Leptin. Leptin is another appetite-regulating hormone. It's produced by fat cells and delivers satiation signals to the brain. The particular hormonal ratio of high Ghrelin/low Leptin was probably making the less sleep group eat more often and in greater amounts. A University of Chicago study found that people who slept less than 4 hours actually had increased levels of the hormones Cortisol and Insulin, which are linked to a difficulty in processing Carbohydrates. Of course, we don't know if the increased levels of Cortisol and Insulin are involved in causing the poor sleeping patterns or are the result of poor sleeping patterns. In any case, remember, Exercising can help you sleep longer and deeper. Practicing an Internal Art such as Yoga, Qi Gong, Meditation (Concentration), Taijiquan (Tai Chi) or I Liq Chuan can also help. They have All been shown to help reduce Stress and its accompanying Hormones, which are linked to increased levels of Bodyfat. So What should I Do? I'm Glad you asked? Learn an Internal Art which cultivates in you a Healthy Body, as well as, Mindfulness, Willpower, Love, Peace, Tranquility, Compassion, Kindness, Generosity and Forgiveness. Yoga, Taijiquan (Tai Chi), Meditation, Qigong and True Martial Arts are all means to This End. They All Promote a Healthy Body and a Healthy Mind with a Positive Outlook. That's What I Do. I can help you Do It Also.
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"How We Stand"
By Gary Giamboi
If you are expecting this article to about some erudite subject, I got ya. I am only going to talk about just what I said: How We Stand. Our Standing Posture is something most of take for granted. By the time we are just a few years old, we have forgotten how difficult it was to actually figure out how to keep ourselves erect and not fall over. In this article, I won't be focusing on Balance--as in not tipping over. I will be focusing on how we achieve the feat of keeping our spines vertical (notice I didn't say straight). We achieve this verticalness of the spine by using two major muscles groups in opposition to each other. They are our Erectae Spinal Muscles and our Abdominal Muscles. When we contract our Erectae Spinal muscles, they extend or arch or spine/back. When we contract our Abdominal Muscles, they Flex or Bend our spine forward. (Yes, I know the Shoulder, Neck and Hip Muscles do play a part in all of this; but, I am focusing on the two most important muscle groups in this equation). Exactly how vertical our spine will be and how straight and tall we can stand is determined by how well we can balance the forces from these two opposing muscle groups. Using our Hip Flexors can tilt us forward or backwards without necessarily bending or arching our spines. They also have to learn to hold our hips in Neutral, which means completely vertical. Now, this may sound simple; and, in theory, it is. However, in Real Life, our Muscles are hardly ever as Balanced as they should be. Notice I did not say as strong as they should be. Having one group of muscles stronger than its opposing group is a prescription for imbalance and injury. Flexibility is also an issue. This is because the shorter a muscle group becomes. the more strength its opposing muscle must have in order to ?stretch' its too short partner to the proper length. If the opposing muscle group has enough strength to ?stretch? its partner and the partner does not possess enough Elasticity or Flexibility to handle that amount of stretch, it will tear.
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If the opposing muscle does not possess enough strength to pull the too short muscle to its needed length, then we will not be able to stand straight. Some examples of this are when people 'pull? their backs by just coughing or bending over (not straightening up from the bent over position--that's another story). Both of these actions tilt our hips. Our Psoas muscle (one of the major Hip Flexors) attaches to our Lumbar Spine. So when we tilt our hips with more force than our Lumbar Spinal Area can Stabilize, we tear the muscles in that area. Now when we do try to straighten up, if our hip flexors are too short and/or our Erectae Spinal Muscles too weak, we can injury ourselves trying to stand up. Just to make matters a little more complicated, we should also know that our Hamstring muscles and Gluteus Maximus muscles play (or should play) an important role in standing up from a bent over position. Most people do not know how to do this. Just watch an experienced weight lifter perform a straight leg deadlift exactly the same way he does a good morning without using his hamstrings or glutes. As you can see, as infants, we had it Right: It is fairly complicated. We need to be Mindful of not only how we Stand; but, how we exercise our core. We can actually make injuries more likely to happen by strengthening our cores in such a way as to create an imbalance or make an existing imbalance worse. This is why professionals, like myself, need to evaluate a new client before proscribing an exercise regime. If you think you may have an imbalance, contact me and let's see what I can do for you.
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1) If you are releasing power, exhale. 2) If you are absorbing power, inhale. Now don't get confused between releasing and absorbing vs. pushing and pulling. They are not the same. If I am pushing out a chest press machine, I am releasing power when I push the handles away from me. If I am doing a seated row, I am releasing power when I pull the handles in to me. Even though my two arm actions may transverse almost the same trajectory, my power is going to different areas and energizing different parts of my body. Lowering a bar from a seated chest press machine is definitely not the same as pulling in the handles in a seated row. Understand that some modalities, like Pilates, Yoga and Dance may seem to contradict these two rules. But, remember, these modalities are not primarily about releasing or absorbing power. They are more concerned with expanding and contracting the body in a graceful manner and with the flow of energy in that closed loop (your body). Therefore if the Keyword is Graceful, then: 1) If you are expanding the body, inhale. 2) If you are contracting the body, exhale. What's different here? Well, if you expand a structure without any substantial condensing, the internal pressure of that structure will become lower. This will change that structure. However, if you inhale when you are expanding under these conditions, the resulting increase in air volume will keep the intra-abdominal air pressure more constant; and, thus, not affect the structures supports. There are many more subtleties to these two sets of rules; but, that is all for now.
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process, raise some great kids and put a few $$$ in the bank. You don't earn your living in front of cameras and in the pages of "look at how pretty and skinny I am". If you did, then I guarantee each and everyone of you would look exactly how all the stars look and would exhaust every safe and unsafe option in order to do so. When you work hard at your job, marriage, friendships, and parenting what happens? They become successful ventures. Becoming healthy happy and fit is no different! Get a healthy life around you and you will be amazed at how easy it is to build a healthy sexy fit body. I don't care if your 16,36,56 or 86. Hitting the weights CORRECTLY, making better decisions at feeding time and moving your ass around, yields results GUARANTEED. . . when you make it a frickin priority!!! Make YOUR BODY the best IT can!
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A training log eliminates reliance upon memory. There will be no, "Did I squat eight reps with 330 pounds at my last squat workout, or was it seven?" Refer to your journal and you will see precisely what you did last time; i.e., what you need to improve on if you are to make your next workout a step forward. With a well-kept and detailed journal, you'll know with absolute certainty what is working in your program and what doesn't. Are you stagnating? Not making the progress you want? Go back and consult your journal at a time that you were making fantastic progress? What were you doing then that you are not doing now? You must be 100 percent honest when entering data. Record the quality of your reps. If you did five good ones but the sixth needed a tad of help from a training partner, do not record all six as if they were done under your own steam. Record the ones you did alone, but note the assisted rep as only a half rep. It is not enough just to train hard. You need to train hard with a target to beat on every work set you do. The targets to beat in any given workout are your achievements the previous time you performed that same routine. If you train hard but with no rigorous concern over reps and poundages, you cannot be sure you are training progressively. And training progressively is the key to making progress. But for accurate records of sets, reps and poundages to have meaning, your training conditions must be consistent. If at one workout you rush between sets, then at the next workout you take your time, you cannot fairly compare those two sessions. If one week the deadlift is your first exercise and the following week you deadlift at the end of the workout, you cannot fairly compare those two workouts. And the form you use for each exercise must be consistent and flawless every time you train. Likewise, if you do 3 sets of the bench press and one workout you take 1 minute between sets and the next workout you take 3 minutes between sets, you can't be sure that you've progressed from one workout to the next. Get all the details of your training in black and white, refer to them when appropriate and get in control of your training. In addition to control over the short term, this permanent record will give you a wealth of data to analyze and draw on when designing your future training programs. Keep accurate records of each workout, each day's caloric and protein intake, how much sleep you get, muscular girths and your body composition. Then you will remove all guesswork and disorder from your training program. But all of this is just a bunch of words. You have to make the theory and rationale come alive with your conscientious and methodical practical application. Do exactly that now, and take charge of your training!
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Most trainees have neither the organization needed for success nor the will and desire to push themselves very hard when they need to. But these are the very demanding essentials for a successful fitness program. Find out how you did in trying to make today another step toward achieving your next set of short-term goals. Have all of today's actions? training (if a training day), diet and rest? met or exceeded the goals for the day? If not, why not? A daily critical analysis of what you did and did not do to take another step forward will help you to be more alert to improving tomorrow. Take a few minutes each day to review your journal. Take as much control over your life as you can. Learn from your mistakes. Capitalize on the good things you have done. Do more of the positive things you are already doing and fewer of the negative things.
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reason why human beings have been able to survive the harshest of conditions and in modern times, this requires compromise and intelligent planning in order for us to be all that we can be and to thrive as oppose to merely survive.
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Discover How To Overcome Fear Of Success and Unwanted Behaviors That Sabotage Your Health and Fitness Success
By Holly Leonard
So youve decided you want to improve your physique and live a healthier more fit lifestyle. You map out a nutritional strategy, design your own workout schedule and you embark on the journey to a leaner, more toned physiqueand it starts working! Youre starting to see results! But the minute you see success, you seem to fall off the wagon. You cheat on your nutrition program, you slack on your workouts, and you skip your cardio sessions. Whats most perplexing and frustrating is that you know exactly what you should do but no matter how hard you try, you cant get yourself motivated to do it! Its as if some force beyond your control is sabotaging your program and your fat loss results. Unfortunately, youre actually blocking your own success with feelings of being overwhelmed as you experience results and get closer to your goal. You allow yourself to become dominated by these unproductive feelings and behaviors and your state of mind affects your actions. Youre not able to accept the feelings of success, happiness and power associated with your health and fitness accomplishments. Denying these feelings of accomplishment and success, results in producing highly ineffective and selfsabotaging behaviors. The behaviors are self-sabotaging because youre responding opposite to what is necessary to reach your health and fitness goals. This fear of success occurs because negative self-talk and negative messages from others still dominate your beliefs and attitude. What chance of success do you have if you allow others to affect your thoughts and behavior? Realize that your goal to eliminate negative self-talk and negative messages and beliefs from others is aimed at improving your self-confidence. Developing your inner strength, your self-esteem, self-respect, and self-confidence will motivate you to accept feelings of success as you progress to your goals. Changing your way of thinking about success and your progress activates your inner courage to burst through barriers and achieve your health and fitness goals. Instead of letting your challenges and problems get you down and negatively affect your results, take control and energize yourself by saying, I am determined to reach my goals, and My self-confidence and self-worth are so strong that I will move forward in my program no matter what potential barriers come up. These powerful affirmations will enable you to master and take control of your emotional, mental, and physical qualities required to create the passion you need to reach your health and fitness goals.
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Your commitment to eliminate your fear of success, and change your thoughts and actions, is a personal commitment. Although negative self-talk and negative words and beliefs from others surround you, focus your inner thoughts and actions in positive and productive ways. When you experience barriers and challenges with your routine, discouraging words from others or negative self-talk, dont let yourself get down. Face the challenge head on and keep moving forward. Make a commitment to believe in yourself and use encouraging self-talk and affirmations to help you become motivated about changing your behavior and attitudes. 5 Great Ways To Overcome Fear Of Success and Unwanted Behaviors: 1. Continually tell yourself that you welcome challenges. Stay willing to challenge yourself to your maximum ability. Move forward in your commitment by eliminating all self-defeating words and phrases from your vocabulary and replace them with positive affirmations. 2. Believe that whatever goals you set out to achieve, youll give it 100% effort. Stop providing excuses to blame yourself and others. Believe that your success of accomplishment motivates you to eliminate all the shoulds, woulds, cants and musts, from your vocabulary. 3. Be the best you can. Continually visualize yourself achieving your health and fitness goals. Stretch all your mental, emotional, and physical power within you. Believe and feel that you are a successful, enthusiastic, motivated and powerful person. Remember, your beliefs significantly impact the way you feel and act. 4. Negative words from others can crush your motivation like nothing else so disregard self-defeating statements from others. Let others know you dont want to hear their negative comments. 5. Success is achieved by continually expressing positive self-talk directed at developing your self-esteem, self-confidence, enthusiasm, and motivation. I can do it, Great effort, Awesome workout are excellent expressions of your enthusiasm, influencing your success in health and fitness and the rest of your life. When we consider moving toward our dreams and desires, a part of us automatically looks ahead to the possible challenges and barriers - especially the negative ones. Your mental and physical comfort zone glooms onto these negative failures. Dont let your comfort zone bring on the negative consequences. You have the power within you and the choice to control negativity and self-sabotaging behavior by creating positive beliefs and envisioning positive outcomes of success and accomplishment. Eliminating your negative thoughts is a process not an action. To bring your awareness to your negative thoughts I want you to try a strategy called thought stopping. This will help you change the direction of your thoughts when you find yourself slipping into a negative thought pattern. Say to yourself, with a loud and authoritative voice: STOP! Once youve done this, its critical to replace your negative thought with a positive statement and vision. Start to acknowledge which statements
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cause you to feel threatened, anxious, and which statements allow you to feel success, pride, and happiness. When you start to stress yourself by thinking that you have no control over a controllable situation, you need to use your inner voice to scream the word STOP! Then remember to change tracks and redirect the situation to a more positive direction. Start to attach positive words to positive feelings and experiences, so you can recall these positive feelings at will by using those words. Try to apply a positive affirmation for yourself. Use a positive statement; attach it to feelings of success, pride, and happiness by making the effort to really FEEL these emotions. For example, When I challenge and encourage myself to do better, I consistently and progressively move toward my goals with a success attitude, I Can Achieve My Goals. Restate the affirmation to yourself several times. Each time, experience and internalize the positive feelings the statement generates. When you combine these positive statements to positive feelings, youll recall the positive feeling anytime you desire to create more positive outcomes. Challenge yourself to reach new levels. Stop your self-sabotaging thoughts and behaviors. Practicing thought stopping on a continual basis allows you to eliminate negative thoughts and to become more aware of your feelings of accomplishment, selfacceptance, and positive physical change. Your new, confident and powerful thoughts and feelings of success, pride and happiness drive you toward your destination of success. Positive feelings and beliefs increase your self-confidence and self-esteem, empowering you to take action. Consistently Take Simple Steps and Achieve Big Results 1. Dont sabotage your best efforts to be fit and healthy with negative self-talk and behaviors. 2. Take responsibility for your thoughts, health and life. 3. Focus on simple, daily goals to reach your ultimate, long-term goals. These three strategies are the solution to every self-defeating habit that interferes with your goals to look and feel your absolute best. We are often our own worst critics, deciding that we want to lose fat, eat better, or have more energy, and all the while continuing to eat foods that work against our best efforts, generating excuses for why we dont have time to workout, or blame others for our poor eating habits, all of which sidetrack us from reaching our goals. What you need to realize is that being healthy and fit doesnt take a total life overhaul or commitment. It does require a shift in your priorities however. Youre a living reflection of your priorities. When health and fitness is a priority, youll eat better and exercise. Youll adopt lifelong healthy habits of being fit and maintaining your results if it means enough to you.
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The fact that you have progressed through a course that has guided you thus far and are reading this article, it is safe to say that you want good health or a more lean and fit body to be your priority. But my question to you isHave you MADE it priority? No matter what you say is important to you, its where you direct your attention, spend your time and put your effort that speaks the loudest about what is most essential to you in your life. Take a step towards making health and fitness a priority in your life.
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Finally Discover The Complete Formula For Guaranteed Body Transformation Success
By Holly Leonard
You are about to gain insight into the most complete body transformation formula and you'll learn exactly what you need to do and why you need to do it in order to achieve your fitness goals. Not only will your body transform, but you will also develop a better understanding of how your body works. You will learn how to make wise, informed choices around a balanced nutrition and exercise program. In the process you will be able to replace your unsupportive habits and develop a new outlook on how to gain complete control over how your body looks and feels and achieve a consistent, long-term fit and healthy lifestyle. Traditional health and fitness programs isolate only one or two factors necessary for fat loss success. The truth is the following five factors MUST be in place in order to bring about a lasting, positive physical change. If any one factor is neglected or missing, the fitness program will fail to produce the results you are seeking. I guarantee if you incorporate the following five factors into your program you'll achieve incredible results in no time!
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But why is it that some people do lose weight on fad diets? The immediate success most people experience from fad diets is due to water loss, muscle loss, eating fewer calories or a combination of those factors. However, less than five percent of these dieters are able to keep the weight off. In fact, most people who diet end up fatter once they get off the diet. Diets simply dont work long term because of improper nutrition and the failure to change exercise and eating habits for life. America is fatter as a society today because we consume approximately 300 to 500 more calories per day than we did 10 years ago, yet we move significantly less because of advances in technology such as computers, escalators and other labor-saving devices. Supportive nutrition can be mastered by understanding that everything you eat and drink can either positively or negatively affect your fat loss goals.
recovery shakes, and meal replacement shakes, the attempt is made to satisfy all nutrient needs for repair and growth without exceeding the amount of calories needed to sustain the mandatory deficit for fat loss. When undernourished, the body must shed the muscle it cannot feed. Increasing Performance and Metabolism: Specific nutrients and combinations of nutrients have been found to improve exercise performance and increase the calories burned during and after exercise. Supplying the body with a recovery shake consisting of protein and fast-acting carbohydrates can improve performance and, therefore, assist with fat-loss and muscle-gain goals. Smart supplementation is recommended in order to supply the body with the right combination of nutrients and compounds that have the potential to enhance performance, reduce body fat, increase muscle and/or improve health. Proper supplementation creates the environment your body needs to get maximum results.
The most important aspect of resistance training is correct form of the exercise. Too many people are concerned with how fast an exercise is performed or how heavy a weight is being used. Most of the time this means the exercise is done incorrectly. This can cause injury and most often results in resistance training without the benefit or results you are seeking. If your goal is to improve your body composition and develop a lean physique, I recommend that you commit to a full body resistance training program designed specifically for your body type, abilities and fitness goals for 20-45 minutes, at a minimum of 3 days per week. Allow at least one day of rest between workouts for muscle recovery and growth.
weight-bearing type of cardio (jogging, aerobic dance, etc.), rest at least 36 to 48 hours between sessions to prevent injury. Intensity Intensity is described as the speed or the workload of a workout. When beginning a new exercise program, a qualified fitness professional can determine the intensity level most appropriate and effective for your starting point and your goals It is important that you continually monitor the intensity level to ensure that you reach your fitness goals in the least amount of time. As a general recommendation when you are performing your intervals There are many ways to effectively monitor exercise intensity. One common method is Rate of Perceived Exertion scale (RPE). The RPE scale is used to subjectively measure the intensity of your exercise. The RPE scale runs from 0-10. The numbers are used to rate how easy or difficult you find an activity. For example, 0 (nothing at all) would be how you feel when sitting in a chair; 10 (very, very heavy) is how you feel at the end of an exercise stress test or after a very difficult activity such as sprinting. A good rule of thumb thats pretty effective is: If you are doing your interval training and you are at your high point you should rate your RPE around 7-10. The low point of your intervals should be around 3-4 intensity. Be sure to start off slow and progress yourself to more intense interval workouts. Another way to measure exercise intensity is with the use of a heart-rate monitor. A heart-rate monitor is considered the most accurate method of measuring pulse rate. Time Time is the length of time an exercise is performed, not including warm-up and cooldown. More is not necessarily better when it comes to cardio. In fact, to reap the fat burning and cardio benefits you really only need 20-30 minutes of intervals. It is important to remember that as you become more fit, the intensity of your intervals should increase. Remember, more is not necessarily better. Type Type of exercise refers to the activity used to create a stimulus. Before choosing an exercise consider your goals, physical capacity, interests, available equipment and time constraints. Any activity that continuously uses larger muscle groups and is repetitive, is best. In the end, you want to make sure that your cardio is strengthening your heart and lungs and working as many muscles as possible and improving your cardio-respiratory efficiency, which is going to help oxygenate and feed every cell of your body.
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And you also want to make sure youre burning fat without sacrificing muscle tissue so interval training is the way to go.
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How To Get REAL and PERMANENT Health, Fitness and Weight Loss Results With 100% Certainty Every time!
By Holly Leonard
Goal setting is the most exciting and rewarding habit you can acquire on the road to improved health and fitness. It is the process, which, more than anything else, will insure with 100% certainty you achieve the results you desire and deserve. Goal setting is the KEY factor in determining your health and fitness success, but success in all areas of your life relationships, family, work, and play. Goal setting is the process of freely selecting what you want to accomplish and attain after careful consideration. It is a process which allows you to systematically get exactly what you want, so you must approach this whole goal setting activity as something, when utilized to its full potential that can become very productive and satisfying on the road to improved health and fitness. Goal setting is the key ingredient that will allow you to develop the healthy attitudes and habits you want to get you to where you want to be healthy and fit. Goals allow you to visualize and see" what you want to accomplish, as compared to where you are right now, and allow you to determine the step-by-step progress you are making toward the completion of your final goal. Goal setting is a HABIT that must be worked on and developed. But once developed, is an essential part of any fitness success process, because the key to achieving improved health and fitness is to develop a tangible and workable plan of action that enables you to take the proper action steps. It comes as no surprise that studies into human behavior have long recognized and continue to give increasing importance to the practices of planning and goal setting as factors in individual achievement and personal development. A comprehensive health and fitness plan of action for your should provide goals in a whole host of areas. I strongly suggest that your goals focus on a variety of areas, rather than one huge goal. A comprehensive plan of action could include goals such as the following: 1. Improve nutritional habits (i.e. I will eat 5 small meals today). 2. Smart supplementation habits (i.e. I will take my multi-vitamin everyday this week). 3. Improve exercise habits (i.e. I will dedicate 10 minutes to working out today.)
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4. Exercise performance goals (i.e. I will walk an extra mile in my next workout.) We are continually bombarded from all sides by demands on our time and attention. Most clients I meet are people, who, like most, are in a hurry. What seems like a clear goal and focus today can easily become blurred in the rush and urgency of tomorrow. Unless you write down your goals and objectives, there is a good chance that they will become forgotten in the hustle and bustle and excitement of new problems, challenges and decisions that we confront on a daily basis. Written goals will keep you on course, on track, and headed in the right direction. They act as "blinders" to eliminate outside distraction and/or interruptions. That which you wish to improve must be measured and documented. Written goals serve this purpose and allow you to measure your progress. They'll tell you how far you've come and how far you have to go to reach your ultimate goal. Many clinical studies on increasing human performance reveal that motivation is greatest when there is feedback by which to measure accomplishment. Without written goals and deadlines our memories become cloudy, the finish line blurs and that eliminates much of our desire to keep going. I recommend measuring your progress at least every four weeks to ensure you stay motivated and dedicated to improving your fitness results. Writing you goals down crystallizes your thoughts, and thought motivates you to action. The mere fact that you are putting your goals on paper gives you clarity to your purpose and dedication to fitness achievement. The act of writing your goals forces you to make a COMMITMENT. Commitment and desire are the two biggest factors to your health and fitness success. Written goals serve as a reference and a reminder about what you want and why you want it. The process of committing your goals to writing stimulates the use of healthy affirmations and visualization, because writing your goals requires that you clearly define exactly what it is you really want. Research shows that writing your goals increases your chance for success by 95%. Stated in another way, if you dont write down your goals you can expect failure 95% of the time. Remember that your goals MUST BE WRITTEN. They must be detailed and exact so as you read then DAILY they are EXACTLY THE SAME. You should write out your goals on a note card and read that frequently throughout the day. This makes an impression on your subconscious mind, very much the same way in which you memorized the state capitals when you were in school. I cant say it enough, but its imperative that you WRITE your goals and plans. No more wishing, hoping and praying for what you want to achieve. No more I shouldve, couldve, wouldve. Rather, you must specifically identify what you want and you construct a plan of action to get it.
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WHAT DO YOU WANT? Before you can lay out a plan of action to achieve your health, fitness and weight loss goals, you need to determine what it is you want. What do you want to DO? How do you want to FEEL? How do you want your body to LOOK? What kind of health and fitness do you want to HAVE? If you had Aladdin's lamp and all your health and fitness dreams could be granted, what would you wish for? The place to start is with a "Fitness Want List." Simply take a piece of paper and make a list of what fitness results you want, but don't be surprised if you find your old friend LOGIC trying to hold your thoughts back. Remember that youve always been taught to use logic and reasoning and often these two components are the biggest deterrents to setting and achieving goals. Logic can interfere with goal setting by interjecting questions such as, "Are the goals I listed really reasonable?" "Who am I to achieve these results?" "Am I worthy enough to be in great shape?" "Am I entitled to the results I want," and even, "What do I do first and who will help me?" When you are writing your Fitness Want List" give yourself the permission to dream, to think big, to desire, to imagine...to reach out. Nothing is out of your reach! With the right support team and plan of action you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. PRIORITIZE After completing your Fitness Want List, you must then PRIORITIZE your list. Be sure to put some easier goals first, so as you accomplish them you build the confidence that is necessary for you to move ahead to meet your larger goals. Progressing from the easiest to the hardest is very similar to your fitness program that should begin with easy exercises and progress to those that are more difficult. Review your "Fitness Want List" and prioritize your goals in the order you desire to accomplish them. BENEFITS AND REWARDS TO YOU Its often challenging to maintain a high degree of effort and momentum toward the accomplishment of your goals unless you know the benefits in advance. This helps you stay motivated and committed to your plan. Knowing the benefits and rewards of your fitness endeavor allows you to create the desire or willingness to pay the price. Knowing the benefits allows you to create and maintain that burning desire that propels you toward significant ACTION. Remember to spend some time and list in detail the benefits and rewards you expect to obtain when your goal is accomplished.
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Its only these personal rewards that will give you the reasons to keep going when the road gets tough and it becomes necessary for you to overcome the obstacles or roadblocks you may encounter. Rewards and benefits may be real and tangible or more esoteric, such as in personal satisfaction or pride. By listing the benefits you will become to take massive action. OBSTACLES AND ROADBLOCKS After youve defined your fitness goals and exhausted the benefits and rewards youll achieve, the next question to answer is "what are the circumstances that may prevent me from reaching this goal?" The answers to this question are the obstacles that youll need to overcome to attain the benefits and results you crave. Some obstacles may be simple, such a rearranging your time schedule to fit in exercise or meal prep. Others may be much more significant and call for you to make some difficult decisions, such as changing gyms, creating a home gym, hiring a fitness professional to help you create a plan and keep you motivated. Nevertheless, all obstacles must be handled and made to be important enough for you to overcome... or you'll find yourself burnt out and unmotivated. Unfortunately there is a natural tendency that when we begin to look at what may prevent us from getting what we want, our enthusiasm to accomplish our goal diminishes, because we look at the effort that will be involved to attain it...and both the obstacles and effort look like a mountain in your path. If this happens, re-read your Fitness Want List and increase the value you place on your benefit and reward list, focusing on your achievement...on the thrill of victory. To stop in the middle because of some obstacle appears to be too significant will greatly decrease your effectiveness in all areas of your life, not just the accomplishment of your fitness goal. Quitting is a self-image destroyer, so remember, NEVER QUIT once you are committed to something. SOLUTIONS Once you know what stands between you and your fitness goal, you can usually find a solution to the problem. Just identifying an obstacle goes a long way in providing the answer. You will find that most of the solutions to overcoming the obstacles that appear will come from within you. I say this, because Ive found that most of the roadblocks and barriers you will face are inside YOU. They are mental and emotional barriers that represent the limitations that have been placed around you. Determination, tenacity, audacity, creativity, flexibility, and a strong internal desire and commitment to your goals are some of the tools you can use to overcome most obstacles. Usually, as you become more accomplished at your fitness goal setting, youll probably find a shift in the way you view achieving what you want. You no longer see outside circumstances or people limiting you, but rather that you can overcome these
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circumstances by developing your untapped confidence, abilities and resourcesby expressing the power within you. This is where the breakthrough finally happens. It is at this point in your plan of action where youll begin to take PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL THINGS in your life and your fitness program. When our goals, benefits, obstacles and solutions are all committed to writing, the old clichs and programmed limitations will disappear. It becomes obvious (sometimes painfully so) that the limitations we experience are SELFIMPOSED. TARGET DATES A deadline is critical to the achievement of your fitness goal. It is an essential activating mechanism. When you set a target date for achieving a goal, you tend to act on the time frame you have set. This creates a sense of urgency. Deadlines challenge you to act now and focus your attention and concentration on the objective at hand. Deadlines must be handled with some further understanding. Sometimes through miscalculation, or because of unforeseen circumstances, you may not reach your goal in the time frame you have set. The key is to decide if the miss is because of an unforeseen circumstance or procrastination. Altering your target dates on the way to accomplishing your goals makes them more realistic and keeps you energized. I want to remind you that ninety-five percent of all people dont know exactly what it is they want, theyre just sure they dont have it yet. The winners, special 5% of those who set goals and are successful, have very specific goals and they are always WRITTEN AND READ REGULARYLY. The choice is yours!
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"Stick-to-it-help"
By Hut Allred
You know what a difference a exercise program makes in your life. It helps you stay fit and healthy both mentally and physically. You feel better, look great, and everyday tasks are a lot more manageable. So why is it sometimes so hard to stick with an exercise program? When you start your exercise program you have full intention of keeping it up, but it seems that life happens and while the thought is still there, the exercise sessions somehow start to diminish slowly, if not completely. So the question is, how exactly do you stick to your exercise program? A big reason why people dont stick to their exercise program is because of false expectations. Achieving your goals takes time and effort. You need to realize that your goals are obtainable, but reaching them does take time, patience, and a commitment to making lifestyle changes. Permanent lifestyle changes can be a key figure in whether or not your fitness training routine is a permanent success or failure. Change is not always easy, but there are some things that you can do that will help you stick to your fitness routine. If youre on a diet or simply trying to eat healthier you can try removing all the junk food from your refrigerator and cupboards, replacing them with healthy snacks and foods that are allowed on your diet. You also need to replace old habits with new healthier habits. This could be as simple as avoiding the break room at work in the morning for coffee and donuts, or as hard as forming new relationships with friends that have more in common with you and your new healthier lifestyle. Resisting temptation is not always easy, especially when your friends are constantly tempting you with dinner invitations and parties. Surrounding yourself with people that have the same health and fitness goals as you do, can make it much easier to sick with the exercise program. While you dont want to just toss all your friends aside, you do need to find someone who can support you in your new fitness goals. You might want to consider working out with a personal trainer. A personal trainer can give you the guidance and support you need to achieve your fitness goals. Getting out of your comfort zone is not always easy, even if you know its not good for you or makes you miserable. When youre changing your lifestyle for the better, sometimes its better to just jump right in instead of worrying about what might happen. Your personal trainer can help you in developing a personal fitness plan that works for you and is custom tailored to meet all your personal and physical needs. Your personal trainer can go over your strengths and weakness with you in order to battle the challenges that may arise as you make the necessary changes in your life that allow you to be healthier and happier. Making a lifestyle change is not always easy, but with the
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right help, support, and guidance you can make the positive changes that are necessary in order to achieve your lifestyle and fitness goals and stick to it.
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usually saved in the memory system part of the brain. In fact, most people end up dreaming about 'that something', that's the power of the human mind, it does thing that even scientists are still unable to comprehend. You see, once you start thinking, the entire process becomes so much smoother. 2. You must dream it will happen. If you know you need something that your heart truly desires, you cannot let self-doubt and negative energy flow evade your world, because the subconscious mind will erase the data completely and you will fail to dream. Consequently, you conscious mind will automatically stop processing the information. You must keep on dreaming because at some point you will start visualizing what you really need, and it will all start making more sense and become a reality. Now! Once the information makes more sense, you want to start working through the necessary steps that are needed to obtain what you need. It is hard to comprehend but it is very simple because if you can visualize your body, how your health could potentially change, you will set determine plan to attain the next level, just to get to what you need. Because of that, you will become motivated, dedicated, and willing to sacrifice what it takes to get your best physique. This is the time now to start analyzing. 3. You must analyze the situation in order to succeed. Every one who analyzes a problem usually finds a solution. Any problem or life challenges that you face, after you think about it, even dream about it, you virtually analyze just to make sense of it and make it works. Now remember we are talking about positive energy flow here, because obviously if you are a negative human being, if everything in your life is going wrong because you have been thinking all along that way, then it is merely impossible to analyze the fruitful outcome of what your heart desire. That is why it is crucial to analyze the situation that you are in, implement a positive outlook on how you will get there, and success will become your best friend. The same application is very important if you want to live a healthier, and better your body weight, and body shape. If you keep on gaining weight, you must find out first all the possible reasons why you are gaining weight. It might be because of extra calories intake, or perhaps lots of high carbohydrates food right before you go to bed, or some kind of medication that you are ingesting, or even because you are eating so many bad foods, and do not cleanse enough, and not having at least two bowel movements every single day. You see folks! The possibility here is unlimited, so when I say analyzing your body shape and body weight. Basically, I am telling you to take a deep look into your eating habits, exercise habits, and sleep regimen, because these things can either supply the body with good energy or bad energy, hence, changing how the central nervous system (CNS), process information to the rest of the body. And if these factors are supplying your body with bad energy they will impact the body in such a way to deteriorate your health and let you struggling with your body weight and body shape. Let me illustrate a perfect example here for you.
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Jill and Jane are best friends. They are huge extroverted individual who love to socialize. However, it is always a struggle to maintain a good relationship. Jill is not happy with the stress and the destructive path Jane takes towards her health, leaving her miserable at times and in serious mental pain. Jill and Jane used to play in the same soccer league 10 years ago, and they were never obese because they both stayed active. Unfortunately after a few years Jane started to socialize with a different group of friends that Jill thought were a bad influence for a lifestyle due to smoking and usage of alcohol. Jane suddenly changes her ways of leaving. She stops exercising regularly. Most of her daily diet comprise of foods that are high in saturated fats and chemical, preservatives, (i.e. lots of can food and closed bags food). She parties so much now that she barely sleeps six hours a day. Jane's lifestyle became imbalanced, stressful, and now being overweight, she is at risk for diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease, etc. Even though Jill and Jane don't see each others often and it has been seven years now, they still remain distant friend. Jill is a financial advisor who helps the middle class about different strategies to save money for retirement and creating emergency funds. She exercises regularly, after work, at least three times a week, and run once during the weekend. She pays a great deal of attention to the type of food she eats, monitor her calories intake, and sleep about seven to nine hours a day. Jill feels very good about herself and happy. My point here is very clear. If you need to live healthier and change your body weight and body shape, you must take action and most importantly, you must do the right thing. You must analyze your situation positively after the right thinking. You must do something about your dreams because a dead dream that sticks in your subconscious mind, and cannot be brought to reality consciously is nothing but a Dark Illusion After reading this article and understand it in its entirety, take a moment and think about what you need to change in your life and take action. As soon as you do, you will have a purpose of self-fulfillment. You will become more motivated toward such purpose, and you will take necessary action to pursue such purpose. Until then, can a healthy lifestyle with a better body weight and body shape become yours forever? The answer is Absolutely YES, as long as you put your mind into it, follow the right directions, be consistent, believe in yourself, and take action.
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Do you want to relax the recipient? Use long, slow light to moderately deep strokes. Do you want to get rid of tight 'knots'? Use short, deeper pressure or find tight spots or knots and press in and hold the pressure constant until you feel the knot release (or release when your thumb gets too tired!)
#6. KNOW WHEN TO USE LIGHT MASSAGE AND WHEN TO USE DEEP Light Massage is often referred to as Swedish massage. It is used for people who want to relax, increase circulation and de-stress. It is also used on athletes who have just recently concluded an athletic activity because their muscles will be fatigued and possibly even have slight muscle tears due to the physical exertion that was extended. It is ok to massage someone immediately after an event and even after surgery, but be aware of their pain levels, inflammation, etc. (When in doubt, ask their doctor if its ok for them to receive a massage) Deep Tissue Massage (DTM) is often referred to as Sports massage is used with people who have knots, spasms, chronic contracture of their muscles, limited joint range of motion due to soft tissue shortening or muscular aches or pain. As long as there is no bruising or swelling it is appropriate for you to use deep pressure. Deeper pressure should be used only if someone has had massage before and is familiar with a deep pressure. If your partner has tight areas, which they ask you to go deeper into, then it is probably ok to do so but ONLY to the point of a "good hurt". If they are tensing up against you, back off a little and see if they can relax into your pressure. The deeper you go the slower you need to go so it wont be uncomfortable for the recipient! When in doubt, don't go deep and just focus on creating a relaxing, nurturing massage. After some practice, when you feel confident to do so, you can apply deeper pressure, but in the beginning just use light pressure! I recommend you always keep in mind that the amount of pressure you apply should elicit a feeling of contentment, not pain. If the recipient feels it is too painful, it actually defeats your intent to relax the tissue. Remember, deeper is not always better! At Diamond Wellness Center we use a 0 -10 pain/discomfort scale and believe deep tissue massage should be at about a 7 or 8 on this 0 10 pain scale. (9 or 10 are too much!) #7. MASSAGE THEIR BACK FIRST I always suggest you start massaging the back since this is where most people carry their tension. The sooner you can get them to feel better and relax the better and the easier your job will be! Stand or sit near their head facing their feet. (If you have a massage table it will allow you to have better body mechanics.) Apply the lotion to their back. Then:
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a. Place both hands on their back with one hand on either side of their spine and start at shoulders and slowly glide down to their hips. (If youre a short person glide as far down as you can reach.) b. Once down at their hips let your hands go out to the side and pull up along their sides to their arms and then slide out over their shoulders and up their neck. c. Repeat this 4-5 times. d. Start at their shoulders on one side of their spine and with both of your thumbs make small circles working your way down to their hips. Repeat this 4-5 times. e. Repeat other side 4-5 times. f. Repeat a and b again #8. MASSAGE THEIR LEGS AND FEET Stand or sit near their feet. Do everything to one leg and foot and then switch to the other leg and footHave them lie either face up or down. Most people will actually want deeper pressure on their feet than you might think, so be sure to check in with them and ask if they want more or less pressure. (You need very little lotion on feet)
Lots of squeezes to heel Press 5-6 times into instep Press 5-6 times along balls of foot Rub anklebone 5-6 times with both hands around the big anklebones in a circular motion Squeeze toes starting at base and gradually work your way out to ends. With both hands start on one lower leg and reach up and surround hands around calf and holding tight, gently pull all the way to the tips of the toes. With both hands glide up the thigh using long slow strokes up the top of the leg and then with one hand on either side of the leg pull down to the foot.
#9. MASSAGE THEIR NECK (Client is Face Up) You sit or stand near their head facing them.
Gently pull all their hair out of the way and up towards you As you move their head around do it very slowly and smoothly. Make two fists and alternating hands apply gentle presses using the flat parts of your fingers into the tops of their shoulders. (The pressure you apply should cause their head to slowly roll from side to side) Gently hold the base of their head and pull VERY SLOWLY towards you. This creates a gentle traction down their neck and even into their back. Slowly massage with both hands at the same time on either side of their neck and shoulders in a kneading motion. Gently pull head over to one side and with your thumb or fingers start at the base of neck and gradually work towards their head using small circular motions. (Always press along the BACK of their neck, not on the sides or front of neck to avoid nerves and arteries)
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With hands facing up, cup their neck and with one hand start at the base of neck and gently pull towards head, then use other hand and continue to alternate 5-6 times. You can finish by doing some gentle, slow stretches for their neck and shoulders.
Again, it is important to note that as long as you are not inflicting pain they will love you for your efforts and it really is a lot of fun once you get the hang of it! #10. AMBIANCE & ENVIRONMENT Table: Set up the room with either a massage table (if you have one) or an area where your partner can lie comfortably. Have a blanket to cover them to keep them warm and only expose the area you are massaging. The room should be warm, with soft lights and relaxing music. Some people like to use candles for a nice effect and even aromatherapy such as incense or scented candles or lotion. Supplies: You can do your massage on the bed or floor, but of course the right tools make it easier on your own body and provides a better experience for your partner. Lotions You can use any lotion or oil you like, scented or not. We prefer a lotion with a nice 'glide' so it is not too slippery but you also don't want to keep re-applying cream every few minutes. (Quick tip: Put the cap back on immediately after you have put some in your hand so it doesn't spill!) More Insider Secrets To Giving The BEST Massage: 1. Start with the recipient face down. If you are not using a massage table with a face cradle, have them turn their head to one side so they can breathe. 2. Use as many pillows as needed to assure they are comfortable! 3. Start slow and move your hands less than you think, don't rush through it. 5 Things NEVER to DO: 1) Don't pull their hair unintentionally with your hands or arms 2) Don't have your breath exhale directly onto them 3) Dont 'crunch' their ears as you are holding their head. 3) NEVER press directly on BONE! (Only press on soft tissue of the muscles.) 4) Don't press so hard your partner tenses up! 5) Dont press into the soft side or front of their neck. (only massage the back of their neck) Remember You really Cant Mess Up! Just tune in to your partner Everything will be great!
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Stretching: Keeping flexible is important because as your hips and ribs shift and open to allow the baby to grow in your uterus, you will feel things stretching, pulling and tightening and a gentle stretching program specific to these areas will provide relief. Also your body produces a hormone called Relaxin which actually makes all your joints looser so your pelvis can open to allow the baby to pass through. But this hormone can also make you susceptible to injury because you could 'over-stretch' ligaments. Once a ligament is too loose, it will never return to it's original state. (This underscores the need for professional advice and moderation with a stretching program.) You can incorporate stretches throughout your day, or you can set time aside for a structured routine such as yoga, but just remember to not over do it. Strengthening: Staying strong is paramount to an easier pregnancy. When you have muscular strength and endurance you are able to carry your pregnancy as it progresses with less of a struggle. Most women gain 25-35 pounds, so just imagine lugging a backpack filled with that much extra weight all day long! You would be pooped if you weren't in shape for it! Your muscles, along with your joints, bones, heart, etc., are working overtime due to the added weight you are carrying. High repetitions, lower weight is what I recommend to develop strength, but more importantly, endurance. You can go to a gym if you want, but there are many easy exercises that you can do in your home or out-of-doors just using your body-weight rather than free weights or machines. I like to teach women how to
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use resistance bands and tubes which are simple inexpensive tools that provide a nice work-out. Cardio-Vascular: As the baby grows, she is using your blood and oxygen, so the stronger you can get your heart and lungs, the better it will be for you both. As your cardio-vascular system develops, you actually are able to increase the circulation of your blood more effectively and your lungs are able to work harder with less stress. (Once you are in labor and need to do all that hard breathing, you'll be glad you have worked out and are in good shape!) Walking is, hands down, the easiest way to get a good 'cardio' workout, but just because it is easy, doesn't mean it's not effective, it is still one of the most efficient ways to keep your heart and lungs in shape and you can do it any time, any day! The American College of Sports Medicine recommends you don't raise your heart rate above 150 beats per minute while exercising when pregnant. (To take your pulse use your finger rather than your thumb and gently feel for it on the inside of your wrist. Count the beats for six seconds and add a zero to that number to get your heart rate per minute.)
Step 2 - Nutrition: You may need to see a nutritionist to help you with more specifics, but when you are eating for two, nutrition is huge! Of course the basic rules apply such as eating lots of greens, lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and limiting fats. But it also important to be sure you are hydrated enough, specially in the summer. Also, there are some very important foods you should avoid when you are pregnant such as sprouts, raw seafood such as sushi because of parasites and even soft cheeses (especially un-pasteurized) like brie from other countries because they carry listeriosis which can result in premature delivery, miscarriage, severe illness, or death of the baby. Drinking caffeine and wine are still controversial, but most studies now show even two to three cups of coffee and one glass of wine per day are ok. I always say, everything in moderation. Step 3 - Stress Reduction Stress relief can come in all sorts of ways such as taking more breaks at work, to taking long walks, to meditation, to getting a massage. There are numerous benefits from receiving prenatal massage. Many of massage's most powerful effects come with the relief it brings from anxiety, stress and depression caused by pregnancy's hormonal changes. It also helps reduce edema (swelling) and musculoskeletal pain associated with pregnancy. The Touch Research Institute, affiliated with the University of Miami School of Medicine, conducted a study on 26 pregnant women and the effects of massage. The massage therapy study group reported reduced anxiety, improved mood, better sleep and less back pain by the last day of the study. In addition, urinary stress hormone levels
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(norepinephrine) decreased for the massage therapy group and the women had fewer complications during labor and their infants had fewer postnatal complications. Other recent studies have also credited prenatal massage for relief from fatigue, headaches, leg pain and cramps, constipation, nausea and indigestion. Women may find that it may also help keep their skin supple to help prevent stretch marks. Massage strengthens muscles in preparation for labor and delivery, helps control blood pressure, relieves pain associated with pressure on the sciatic nerve in the buttocks and back of leg, allows for deeper breathing, enhances self-image, maintains posture and body balance and strengthens the immune system. Doesn't all that sound great? It is possible to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby!
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If you are a working mom who asks, "how do you do it?", "how do you make it a priority?", "how do you find time?" or says "I'm too tired", "my family needs me", or "I can't take the time for me" - I respond to you as a fitness professional who happens to be a mom - "You will be a better mom, wife, friend, boss, sister, neighbor, employee or business owner if you make you and your health a priority. An hour is nothing in the scheme of a day. Go back to that feeling of independence you had once in your life. Go back to the time when you experienced the rush of your first taste of this true independence. Now, insert time in your day for you. As a working mom you need an hour of power everyday. Exercise is a way for you to feel independence, clear your head, organize your thoughts and have time for you. Exercise is and should be for you. Hiring a personal trainer is a way to ensure that you get your hour of power. Schedule exercise appointments into your week for you and then, like a Doctor's appointment (or hair appointment) let nothing get in the way of you giving this time to you. When you work with a personal trainer - you don't have to make decisions or plan what to do next. The time is efficient, and for the first time about you. Schedule an appointment to interview and investigate a personal trainer in your area. You deserve it. Your family deserves it. Make it happen and ask yourself "what can this working mother do for herself today?"
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Studies show the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish or found in a quality pharmaceutical grade fish oil supplement like OMEGAGuard by Shaklee can help reduce symptoms associated with joint pain but also change the levels of inflammation that may be causing the pain. Fish oil slows the production of inflammation signaling cells. The best natural sources are fish like salmon and tuna. Supplements The University of Utah School of Medicine found in a study of osteoarthritis knee patients that glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate two of the most popular dietary supplements used as alternative therapies to treat osteoarthritis provided a modicum of pain relief for patients whose arthritis was deemed moderate to severe. Glucosamine can be found in Joint Health Complex by Shaklee. Joint Health Complex improves the cushioning in joints for more comfortable movement, flexibility, and range of motion. Specifically, Joint Health Complex helps the body build cartilage for joints to promote comfortable movement and supports function and facilitates range of motion. Conclusion Anyone who experiences joint pain should consider the benefits of a complete wellness program which includes variety, a concern for muscle, proper nutrition and quality supplementation. Disability risk is reduced by 47% by exercising three times per week among men and women with diagnosed osteoarthritis of the knee? states the archives of internal medicine. There are many reasons that a complete wellness program is important but for many of you who complain of joint pain it is important that you take a proactive approach to your wellness. Research indicates that the improvements you will see if you take the appropriate action will be life changing.
Heredity is one of the influences as to wear our fat ends up. Look at the women in your family and notice where they hold their weight. Do you know someone who is thin except for the hip and thigh area? There are specific genes that determine where fat will reside in our body and in what quantity. Hormones are another factor for increased fat. During menopause estrogen production decreases. Lack of regular exercise along with a diet high in saturated fats and calories also contributes to abdominal fat.
Current research has shown that abdominal fat are active producing hormones and substances that travel through our body systems and dramatically affect our health and well-being. There has been research done through imaging that shows that waist size is a reflection of abdominal fat. Some researchers and scientists believe that waist size and not body mass index (BMI) is a better indicator of health risks and problems. A bigger waist size can be a risk predictor for many common health concerns that millions of people develop and struggle with such as:
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Memory loss Colorectal cancer Diabetes High Blood Pressure High Cholesterol
Good FAT Facts Heres the good news. Visceral fat is profoundly affected by exercise and diet and can not only lessen the severity of an illness but can directly determine whether we get ill at all! The belly fat that we pinch and grab, subcutaneous fat, is not as much of a health threat especially in people with normal weight. What to do about the FAT There has been so much research, which consistently supports that regular exercise, of moderate intensity, for 30 to 60 minutes daily, not only decreases the amount of visceral fat we currently store in our bodies, but also helps us to not gain additional visceral fat. Strength Training using weights and loading our muscles for just 2 hours per week can reduce body fat by 4% and again can help us to be more successful at not gaining visceral fat. Diet is also extremely important. Watch portion size, and read the labels of food you purchase to help make better choices. Replace saturated and trans fats with healthy substitutes. Make sure you are eating Lean protein, fruits and vegetables Developing and sustaining good health requires effort. Elicit help from a Wellness Coach or Private Trainer who can help you develop wanted habits, set goals and will help you be accountable for your success. By implementing consistent routines, unwanted behaviors can be eliminated. Good routines turn into good habits that we do daily. These habits become part of who we are. They are the foundation to enhance the quality of our health, well-being and life.
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My Vision Change is not always associated with expense and sacrifice. Accomplished goals become routine. My Wellness Goals Exercise: Nutrition: Stress: Life Issues/Happiness: What to do to stay successful.
Always!!! Write it down Visit your vision. Your goals are not unchecked New Years Resolutions without a plan. Who is part of my team for success and will help me stay accountable. What SMART Tools will help you increase your motivation by making the process easier. (For example pedometer, free weights, food processor)
My motivators: My Strengths: Create a Weekly Wellness Chart Break down your goals into small measurable, attainable and achievable steps. Is my Goal Specific (Does it answer what, where and when). Is my Goal Measurable (At the end of the week was your goal(s) accomplished. Is it Achievable (Can you complete the objectives you set for the week). Is my Goal Relevant. Is it the beginning step towards my Wellness Vision. Is my Goal Timely. Does my goal answer when will I do this. Each week decide what worked, what needs more time, what was challenging and where you can progress. Make a three month commitment to your plan. Thats when the changes you made begin to last. Believe in feeling good!
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Help, I want to feel good. What a Wellness Coach can do for you.
By Jane Yogel
A Wellness coach will guide and show you that you have the power to overcome your own obstacles. Through goal setting that is obtainable and measurable, you can overcome unwanted urges and self-defeating behaviors that stop you from being your best. A coach will help you be accountable for your progress and achievements. A coach will guide and show you that you have the power to overcome your own obstacles. Coaching is the link to realize your potential by showing you ways to grow and invest in your ability to achieve. How many of us constantly obsess about weight. On average, we have spent more than 50 billion (yes, billion) dollars last year trying to achieve the impossible idea of thinness and beauty. The stress, lack of value we place on ourselves and in our own abilities creates unwanted stress and wrecks havoc with all the other areas of our life. It affects relationships, our physical and mental health, productivity and our ability to fell satisfied and happy. In my 20 years of Training and Coaching I cant tell you how many times I have heard I want to feel healthy, I cant stay motivated on my own, I hate what Ive done to myself, Im so tired of my own excuses. Despite constant media attention on weight loss, health and well being, and a billion dollar industry to support our healthy lifestyle efforts, we are not only heavier but significantly less healthy. Perhaps because our choices are too great, or we rely on quick fix remedies that dont engage us, we have lost our ability to rely on ourselves. We focus on solving problems, which for many of us are overwhelming, instead of planning and creating visions for the future that excite, drive and motivate us toward the lifestyle changes we desire. Wellness Coaching provides a conversational skill which fosters growth and confidence in a persons own abilities. Wellness is taking responsibility for the quality of your life. The areas of well being are self-responsibility; exercise; nutrition; stress management (good & bad); value; purpose; gratefulness; emotional intelligence; play; fun and relationships. Being healthy and achieving wellness doesnt rely on the numbers of a scale to determine whether we are successful. Rather it embodies all aspects of our life: our mind, body, spirit and emotions each being an integral component of the other and each with the desire to feel intact and balanced.
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It is when we feel confident and self reliant we achieve the goals that we have for ourselves. Believe in feeling good.
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Routine gives life order, meaning and purpose. It was then I realized that I can rehab myself physically. I designed goals for myself asking for help when I needed it and sharing my goals with others for their support. I wanted to be accountable and not lose sight when situations occurred that were painful and difficult. It was practicing these new routines that transcended my spirit. During the past twenty years, I have encountered many setbacks, most noticeably a total hip replacement five years ago. The routines I began twenty years ago, serve me daily. They have become life-enriching habits; they are who I am. The behaviors we practice define our way in the world and our identities. Ultimately, injury and illness is an experience of personal adjustments that are only shared with others. My experiences and victories are private and did not dramatically change my goals. They are woven into the fabric of my life. In recognition, as a Fitness Trainer and Wellness Coach, I lend my hand in gratitude, guiding my clients to live a fulfilling quality of life. I am an athlete who never stops winning.
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In closing, I implore you; no I beg of you, make yourself a priority; if for only six hours a week. Every aspect of your life will change. You want it, you need it, and most importantly, you deserve it.
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"Change Your Mind, Change Your Body: 10 Mind Set Shifting Tips for Fitness Success"
By Jason Morgan
Imagine if one simple statement could impact your personal fitness future forever. What if I told you that I was going to share that statement with you right here, right now, and change your life forever? Here it is ?Are you ready for it? Change your mind and change your body? forever! Though simplistic in its nature, this one statement is probably the most challenging of any endeavor for those seeking to increase their personal fitness no matter what the goal. Below I will share with you 10 tips that I have found over the years to help motivate, empower, and drive my clients towards their personal fitness goals. 1. WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS. You can't hit a bull's-eye without a target. So, you want to have a better physique? What do you specifically want to improve and exactly how much? In how much time do you want to accomplish it? List your goals! Write them down in specific detail. Instead of saying, "I want bigger arms," say "My arms are 14 inches right now but I want them to be 16 inches by December 31st. I can accomplish this by working harder on both my biceps and triceps and use mostly heavy dumbbells and barbells." Once you have committed to such a detailed vision, you should automatically see the intensity and desire during your arm workouts dramatically improve. You have targeted certain performance goals for your personal fitness that will take all your effort if you plan on succeeding. Every workout will become much more efficient. Read what you have listed as goals frequently to continually "fuel your fire." If you are sincerely dedicated to reaching your goal, every day will be an opportunity to get closer to it. Every workout, every set, and even every rep, will be more meaningful. Everything outside the workout will also be seen as opportunities, such as each meal, each supplement, or every hour of sleep. Listing your goals in specific detail will help you become more efficient at doing the things everyday that help dreams become reality. 2. NEVER STOP LEARNING. The point at which you think you "know it all" is usually the time when all progress stops. Never stop learning and experimenting with new ways to do things. Fitness is constantly evolving. Over the years, many new and more efficient ways to train, eat, and
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supplement what you eat have been developed. Anyone who doesn't at least entertain new concepts is foolish. Don't be left behind -- never stop learning. 3. VISUALIZE SUCCESS. The mind is a very powerful tool. Using visualization techniques helps you tap its tremendous potential. Using these methods properly can help you use better form and lift more weight -- which will ultimately lead to muscle gains. Using visualization techniques will get your mind ready to do everything possible to achieve your goals. Visualize having a bigger sweep on your quads before your leg sessions or bigger upper pectorals during your chest workout. See yourself lifting the heavy weight while using perfect form and thus stimulating the muscle building process. Try playing that awesome workout in your mind over and over again. 4. HAVE YOUR WORKOUT ENTIRELY PLANNED BEFORE YOU GET TO THE GYM. Don't wait until you get to the gym to plan your workout. Try planning it the night before or at least on your way to the gym. Mentally put yourself through every exercise and every set. You will be amazed how prepared you will be to have a great workout. No other person has as much desire to improve your physique as you do -- so take 100 percent responsibility for your progress. Be structured with your workouts -- not instinctive. Instincts can sometimes misguide you. What if your instincts sometimes tell you to be lazy and cut your workouts short? Would you cut them short? Having a structured plan will help you steer clear the "path of least resistance" which will undoubtedly tempt you from time to time. 5. SHUT UP AND TRAIN! If you are engaged in casual conversation in the gym, then you cannot possibly be fully focused on your training. To maximize your workouts, minimize your talking! Try not to talk between your sets. In that downtime, you can do things such as really try to feel if you actually hit the intended muscle in the right spot or study your training partner's habits to learn from either their positive or negative example. If you cant resist, then do your talking between exercises ? not sets. 6. BEFORE EVERY SET, ASK YOURSELF, "WHAT EXACTLY AM I TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH?" If you ask yourself that question before you perform every set, you will constantly remind yourself of the need for proper form, strength, and intensity to be successful. Consistently performing each repetition of every exercise in such a manner over an extended time will surely lead to unbelievable gains. Get in the habit of asking yourself this question before every workout, every exercise, and every set. Also consider trying this with many things in your life outside the gym. Ask yourself what you hope to accomplish before every important conversation, special assignments at work, etc.
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Each major goal is accomplished usually after many smaller goals are reached. Think through those smaller goals and become 100 percent efficient at them. 7. FOCUS ON THE MUSCLE GROUP NOT THE MOVEMENT. It does not matter how much weight you have just lifted if you did not work the intended muscle group properly. So many of us fail to see results due to the fact that we worry too much about getting the dumbbell or barbell from "point A" to "point B," instead of training the specific muscle we are targeting during the exercise. How do we know for sure that we have worked the intended muscle properly? Our bodies will tell us -- but we have to get in tune with it to hear what it is telling us. This can be accomplished simply by closing our eyes and feeling where we feel the most muscle "burn." Is this exactly where we wanted to work, or did we incorporate additional body parts? Learn from your body and get familiar with the way proper exercise is suppose to feel. If you are not feeling it where you should, don't get discouraged. Just keep trying until you get it right. You may need to lighten the weight a bit, but that's fine. You will probably stimulate growth with less weight due to the increased efficiency. 8. STRIVE TO LIFT MORE WEIGHT. Lifting big weights equals better muscle tone. Dont let anyone try to tell you differently! Sometimes the weight you are able to lift is "all in your head." This could be a good thing or a bad thing -- depending on how well you use your mental power. It is indeed possible for you to make tremendous gains in strength -- especially if you break them down into "bite-size" pieces. Start by challenging yourself to lift just five pounds more. Once you have built the confidence needed, try making it ten pounds and so on. Get some help if needed -- but try to lift heavier. A reliable training partner who is ready to grab the weight in case you fail provides a simple way to be more comfortable as you challenge yourself to lift more weight. 9. FIND OUT WHAT WILL CONSTITUTE A GREAT FITNESS DAY. LIST ALL THE COMPONENTS -- AND DO THEM CONSISTENTLY. Nothing builds confidence and enthusiasm for transforming your physique like success. Ultimate success is attained sometimes only after dozens of smaller victories have been secured. This is especially true in physique transformation. Only after you have become proficient in the areas of training and nutrition can you expect to have a physique of which you can be proud. It is the synergy of doing many things correctly and consistently that will lead to ultimate success.
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Invest time writing down ten things that will get you closer to the body you want. Make yourself accountable to do these ten things every day. Once you have mastered the ten items on your list, add ten more -- and get even more specific. You will soon discover when you properly monitor yourself, you know exactly how hard you are working towards your goals. This type of self-monitoring will put you in the frame of mind to do everything it takes to improve your physique -- and do it every day. 10. CHOOSE A MENTOR. Finding inspiration in a person can help you get -- and stay -- in the right frame of mind. There are so many different opinions on the best ways to do everything in the areas of training, nutrition, and supplementation, whose advice should you follow? Choose someone whom you respect, admire, or identify with in a special way. Learn his or her opinion on everything. You will be surprised when you see how their success inspires you to do the same. BONUS TIP: ENTER A CONTEST. Competition can sometimes bring out the best in what people can accomplish. In life, it is when you put your butt on the line and leave your safety zone that you achieve outstanding results. Training and eating right takes on a whole new meaning when you have to show off your results a tiny posing suit. Knowing that you have a show to prepare for always seems to bring out more intensity and will ensure that you are doing everything possible to build your physique. Successfully changing your body will only be attained if you are mentally strong. Use these tips to help you develop your mind and expect a better-developed physique -- it is sure to follow!
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"The Body You Want In Less Than 5 Minutes: False Advertising In the Weight Loss Industry"
By Jason Morgan
As a fitness professional, I am concerned about the epidemic of obesity: the relationships between excess body weight and such medical conditions as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, and certain cancers (such as breast, ovarian, prostate and colon) are well established. I am equally concerned about false and misleading claims in the advertising of weight loss products and services. Many promise immediate success without the need to change nutritional habits or increase physical activity. The use of deceptive, false, or misleading claims in weight loss advertising is rampant and potentially dangerous. Many supplements, in particular, are of unproven value or have been linked to serious health risks. A majority of adults in the United States are overweight or obese. All told, they invest over $40 billion a year in weight loss products and services. These consumers are entitled to accurate, reliable, and clearly-stated information on methods for weight management. They have a right to know if the weight loss products they're buying are helpful, useless, or possibly even dangerous. Evidence-based guidelines issued by the National Institutes of Health call for weight loss by simultaneously restricting caloric intake and increasing physical activity. Many studies demonstrate that obese adults can lose about 1 lb. per week and achieve a 5% to 15% weight loss by consuming 500 to 1,000 calories a day less than the caloric intake required for the maintenance of their current weight. Very low calorie diets result in faster weight loss, but lower rates of long-term success. While exercise added to caloric restriction can help overweight and obese people achieve minimally faster weight loss early on, physical activity appears to be a very important treatment component for long-term maintenance of a reduced body weight. To lose weight and not regain it, ongoing changes in thinking, eating, and exercise are essential. Behavioral treatments that motivate lifestyle changes can promote long-term success by helping obese individuals make necessary mental and daily lifestyle changes. The public often perceives weight losses of 5% to 15% as small and insufficient even though they suffice to prevent and improve many of the medical problems associated with weight gain, overeating, and a sedentary lifestyle. Many in the weight loss industry promise effortless, fast weight loss then support this misperception by bombarding Americans with spurious advertising messages touting physiologically impossible weight loss outcomes from the use of unproven products and services.
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Research indicates that at any given time, almost 70 million Americans are trying to lose weight or prevent weight gain. In 2005 they spent approximately $45 billion on products they were told would help them achieve those objectives-- videos, tapes, books, medications, foods for special dietary purpose, dietary supplements, medical treatments, and other related goods and services. Most of which were complete fads or frauds. All advertisers, whatever their choice of media--cable television, infomercials, radio, magazines, newspapers, supermarket tabloids, direct mail, or commercial e-mail and Internet websites--know that only those products and services that help people adopt lifestyles that balance nutritional habits will prevent and treat the disease of obesity. For certain businesses (health clubs, personal trainers, makers of exercise equipment, suppliers of valid dietary supplements) to name a few, these deceptive and misleading advertisements prevent the public from hearing their messages, words that promote lifestyle changes as advocated by professional societies and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As with cigarette smoking and alcohol abuse, false or deceptive advertising of weight loss products and services puts people at risk. Many of the products and programs most heavily advertised are at best unproven and at worst unsafe. By promoting unrealistic expectations and false hopes, they doom current weight loss efforts to failure, and make future attempts less likely to succeed. In the absence of laws and regulations to protect the public against dangerous or misleading products, a priority exists for the media to willingly ascribe to the highest advertising standards, i.e., those that reject the creation and acceptance of advertisements that contain false or misleading weight loss claims. You, as a consumer, would be well served by becoming more knowledgeable about the evidence based guidelines, the scientifically-proven and medically-safe standards that underlie national public health policy. When more people know what's important and realistic in achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight, fewer will be inclined to waste their money, time, and effort on dangerous fads or miracle cures. I have provided you with the basic ?buyer beware? warning. The staff of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection has provided an analysis of current trends in weight loss advertising and how you can recognize these false claims. It is now up to you the consumer, and media to act in the best interest of the public health. Just a little end note however? Dont expect the major ?fitness media? outlets to do anything to help clean this mess up. All the major health, fitness, and exercise magazines are owned by these companies that produce the products in question. Oh what a tangled web we weave?
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increase joint range of motion increase neuromuscular efficiency decrease muscle soreness & relieve joint stress decrease neuromuscular hyper tonicity Corrects muscle imbalances Maintain normal muscle function and length.
In other words using a foam roller on a daily basis basically improves the overall quality of your muscle tissue. How does this work? Foam rolling works very similar to a massage, except by using your own body weight to self massage (roll away) restrictions by breaking up knots and adhesions, that your body develops through exercise, activity, as well as from chronic inactivity and overload patterns such as poor posture from work related tasks (sitting hunched over at your desk all day). How do you do this? To perform foam rolling you simply position a muscle on the roller and use your own body weight to apply pressure into the roller looking for tender spots. When a tender spot is noted just hold on that spot until the tenderness decreases by at least 50% - 70%. The knots or adhesions (that cause the tenderness) wont just disappear they will travel to different spots of the area you are working on, so be sure to scan the rest of the area you are working on to find where the knots and adhesions moved to. You can perform this on all the muscles of your body with the exception of directly on your neck and lower back. When Should You Foam Roll? It is best to Foam roll as part of your warm up (pre-exercise) before any kind of static (reach and hold) or dynamic (active/moving) flexibility work, as well as on your off days
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to help aid in recovery. You should perform you foam rolling work first because you will be freeing up your muscles allowing for better range of motion during your static or dynamic flexibility work, as well as prepping your body for more intense activity. To receive your free Foam Rolling exercise program, visit www.optcfitness.com and click 'Roll Your Pain Away' link on the homepage or in the articles section of the website.
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I responded to these feelings by turning my exercise knowledge into a tool for my own recovery. Since I couldn't bench press 400 pounds any more, I began to concentrate on the psychological benefits of my fitness routine. I started to focus on each and every movement - feeling the tightening, contraction and stretch of each muscle group. My mind and body were becoming one. In most people these are two separate entities, I wove them together to feel whole again. This exercise program which helped me feel alive again, laid the foundation for my work. Today, I am the owner of Custom Fitness Personal Training in Boston, one-on-one personal training facility that specializes in working with individuals suffering from stress and depression. I also work with top executives who are under everyday stress and may be addicted to other things - like work, money and prestige. I call my fitness program Mindful Movements - which uses exercise as a way to obtain peak mental and physical health. There are several steps you should follow: 1) WARMUP-5 minutes riding a bike or walking in place. 2) EXERCISE LARGER MUSCLE FIRST- Start with an exercise for your legs, chest, back, shoulders, arms, and. stomach. 3) KEEP IT LIGHT. If the weight is too heavy you can't focus on the movement of the muscle and there's a real chance of injury. 4) MOVE SLOWLY, USE CORRECT FORM. 5) CONCENTRATE ON THE PARTICULAR MUSCLE GROUP YOU ARE EXERCISING. You want to focus on the mind/muscle connection. Feel the muscle tighten on the way up, feel the contraction at the top of the movement, and concentrate on the stretch on the way down. 6) BREATHE CORRECTLY. Exhale through your mouth when lifting and inhale through your nose when lowering the weight. 7) GO EASY AT FIRST, SET REALISTIC GOALS. Don't try to look like Mr. Muscles or a supermodel. Your appearance will come if you enjoy the exercise routine. Good Luck!
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pool. You may get the initial 'that's stupid' remark but done well it will create a memory to last a lifetime. (Don't forget the camera!!!) Kids today are headed for some serious trouble as our society becomes more sedentary and we as parents are the key. Not only can we help them make better food choices we can encourage and participate in fitness activities with them. Fitness Together is here to help you in any way we can. We offer weight training programs, sport specific programs and cardio for all ages. We will also be happy to give you ideas. So get off the couch, turn off the T.V. (or video games) and go walk the dog with your children. If you don't have a dog, go get one or borrow the neighbors'..but get moving. Time your walk and turn it into a contest. Can you make it around the block 10 seconds faster this time? What about an obstacle course? Around the pole three times, sprint from stop sign to light pole, jump from sidewalk line to the next line etc. You get the drift?..MOVE. Everyone benefits! On February 1, The President and Mrs. Bush met with corporate leaders to encourage the private sector to join the federal government's efforts to promote child fitness and prevent obesity. The President and Mrs. Bush met with executives from industries dealing with product development, entertainment, retail sales, and advertising to youth to discuss the importance of improving healthy food offerings and encouraging physical activity in their marketing campaigns. Following the meeting, U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services (HHS) secretary Mike Leavitt will join DreamWorks Animation SKG chairman Roger Enrico and Ad Council president and CEO Peggy Conlon to launch a public awareness campaign to help prevent childhood obesity. The campaign is in partnership with the Ad Council and will include ads featuring characters from the Shrek animated movies encouraging children to "Be a Player: Get Up and Play an Hour a Day." Childhood obesity is a serious public health problem. More than 10 million school-age children in the United States (approximately 18 percent) are now considered overweight, and the problem is getting worse. The proportion of overweight kids tripled among adolescents over the last 25 years, and nearly doubled for children ages 6 to 12. This increases their risk for adult heart disease and diabetes, lowers life expectancy, and creates additional health-care costs.
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The Administration Is Working To Fight Obesity The Federal Government spends more than $600 million annually to fight obesity. The President's 2008 Budget proposes $17.3 million for approximately 3,600 schools to receive $3,000 To $5,000 grants from HHS to help implement school health index improvement plans. These plans will help schools assess and measure the health of their students. Grant recipients will develop action plans for promoting physical activity and healthy eating. The initiative will reach more than 3 million young people and their families. In June 2002, President Bush launched The HealthierUS Initiative to promote personal fitness and health. As part of this initiative, the President announced the revitalization of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS). The President also directed certain Federal agencies to review and revise policies, programs, and regulations related to physical activity and nutrition in accordance with the goals of the HealthierUS initiative. HHS Activities: HHS activities to promote the HealthierUS initiative include the recent launch, with the Office of Personnel Management, of HealthierFeds, the HealthierUS Fitness Festival, PCPFS challenge partnerships, and various forums and workshops. HHS also partnered with the Department of Veterans Affairs to launch HealthierUS Veterans and has also convened four National Prevention Summits. In 2005, HHS launched the We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition) program, a resource for tools to help children 8 to 13 years old stay at a healthy weight. Through the CDC, the Steps to a HealthierUS initiative operates a cooperative agreement program office that provides funding to 40 communities nationwide to support evidence-based community interventions. U.S. Department Of Agriculture (USDA) Activities: USDA has partnered with States and local schools to promote the availability of healthful foods and encourage physical activity, assist in the implementation of Local School Wellness Policies, and establish the Healthier US School Challenge. USDA has also initiated a number of efforts to make the National School Lunch Program and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children more effective vehicles for improving nutrition and preventing obesity. Two USDA campaigns - "Team Nutrition" and "Eat Smart. Play Hard." - are helping to deliver messages on the importance of healthy eating and physical activity. USDA And HHS Dietary Guidelines For Americans: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a joint effort by HHS and USDA, were updated in 2005 and serve as the basis of Federal food programs and nutrition education programs. The MyPyramid Food Guidance System incorporates the science-based recommendations of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and replaces the Food Guide Pyramid of 1992. This Year, the Administration's Actions to Fight Obesity Will Include:
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Public Messaging Partnerships: HHS will continue working with the advertising, entertainment, arts, food, and beverage industries to recognize achievements and increase support for obesity prevention initiatives. School Wellness Policies: USDA is helping schools across America to implement their Local Wellness policies. This school year, districts nationwide are required to establish goals for nutrition education and physical activity and to set school food nutrition guidelines. HHS and other agencies have also produced Federal tools and curricula on healthy diets and exercise. Outdoor Recreation: The Interior Department will promote physical fitness by facilitating greater access to public lands and National Parks. This will encourage young people and their families to participate in hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, and other forms of outdoor recreation. Physical Activity Guidelines For Americans: In 2006, HHS announced that it would issue comprehensive Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans in 2008. These will complement the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and are based on the premise that Americans must engage in physical activity as well as have a healthy diet. HHS will establish a Physical Activity Scientific Advisory Committee in 2007 to formulate recommendations that will serve as the basis for the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Dietary Guidelines For Americans: HHS and USDA will continue promoting the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and the revised MyPyramid Food Guidance System, as the basis for Federal food and nutrition education. USDA will also continue to promote MyPyramid for Kids as a vehicle encouraging children ages 6 to 11 to make healthy eating and physical activity choices.
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The Secret Key To Unleashing Your Potential For A Total Body Transformation
By John Kent
Are you unhappy with the way your body looks or feels and in need of a total body transformation? Understanding the law of the harvest can be the secret key to unleashing your potential to a complete, life-changing body transformation. The law of the harvest is very apparent when we are referring to a farm and a farmer. But it is sometimes harder to understand that these principles are in effect in every other area of our lives also. There are four main areas of life we all share as humans. They are the spiritual, social, mental and physical. They are overlapping and when one is strengthened the other three are also strengthened. When there is weakness in one area it also creates weakness in all of the other areas as well. And just because one area is strong, it does not mean the others are strong. So, it is important to try to be well balanced in these four major areas of life to create a passionate, balanced life with peace and security. It is called the "fire within". There are five principles of the law of the harvest. These principles can be applied to any area of your life not just fitness. Here they are: 1. You will reap what you sow. This is obvious if a farmer plants corn he does not expect potatoes. He expects corn. If we would like to have beautiful, fit and healthy bodies we must plant healthy eating habits and exercise into our lives. 2. You must sow before you reap. You would not expect to say, "I will plant later. I want to harvest now." You must sow first and give it a little time. The harvest will not be tomorrow. It will take a little while. But if we are sowing the proper combination of nutrition and exercise we cannot help but to harvest a healthy, fit body, full of energy that we can be proud of. 3. You will reap more than you sow. When you do start sowing what I call "Synergy" you will harvest way more than you expect. i.e. more confidence, more energy, better mental health, a feeling of well being, feeling more attractive, looking more attractive, longer life, better quality of life and way more. When I say "Synergy" what I mean is a combination of 1)Supportive Eating 2) A Concern for Muscle 3) and Moderate Aerobic Exercise. 4. You will reap in proportion to what you sow. If you sow sparingly, you will reap sparingly. If you sow generously, you will reap generously. If you train two days a week and eat a good meal or two here and there, your results will be minor. But if you commit yourself to 3-5 days a week of training and follow your "Supportive Nutrition" program you will reap generously and transform yourself completely.
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5. Then there is the law of change. If you do not like what you are reaping, if you do not like the way your body looks or feels, you can always change what you are sowing. Like I said, this not only applies to fitness, it applies to your spiritual life, relationships, your finances, and what you put into your mind. It is never too late. Are you ready to harvest something different this year? A lot can happen in 90 days.
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10. Change your routine as you reach new goals. Add zest to your workout and avoid the exercise plateau by increasing the intensity or the duration of your workout, or by trying a new workout or sport. Bonus -- Try to think of exercise as something you do for yourself: a gift you give yourself, a way to stay balanced and focused, and time when you can be alone with your thoughts. John Leinweber, Parker, Colorado
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Give the dog an extra 5 minutes on his walk (we need it even more than him) Stop emailing colleagues in the same office, instead go over and talk to them (shockingly effective considering how much email we send each day!... great for team building as well) Go for a walk during your lunch break, walk to get your lunch or to find somewhere to eat your lunch Get up and do something, run up and down the stairs for example during TV ads (no excuses here!) Walk to the corner shop instead of driving or popping in on your way home Walk to friends houses instead of driving Take public transport and walk from the train station Dr. David Bassett studied an Amish community to see what things were like in the past. These guys have no cars, no electricity and do hard manual labor to put food on the table. Its like time travel to the past. They eat 3 large meals a day with lots of meat, vegetables and natural starches like potatoes. The 98 Amish adults Bassett surveyed wore pedometers for a week. The men averaged 18,000 steps a day. The women took an average of 14,000 steps. The men spent about 10 hours a week doing heavy work like plowing, shoeing horses, tossing hay bales, and digging. The women spent about 3.5 hours a week at heavy chores. Men spent 55 hours a week in moderate activity; women reported 45 hours a week of moderate chores like gardening and doing laundry. Wow that's a lot of manual labor. Get a pedometer (its only like 20 bucks) and see how you fare. 2. Fat Percentages and Obesity Activity level leads us right on to this point about obesity. The scary obesity rate is one of the most obvious changes in fitness. The obesity rate among the participants in the study of the Amish population was 4 percent, as determined by body mass index, or BMI. The current obesity rate among the urban populations is 30% or more. OK the obesity percentages are a scary thing because obesity is already in the "VERY high risk of a lot of bad ways to die" category. There is still the overweight category (obviously fat but not hitting the medically obese range) to consider. These people are at a high risk already!
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The total percentages of overweight + obese are really wild... hitting close to 70% in some cities. Compare this to the average in the 1980s. 10-15% obesity in most cities. It rose to the mid 20% in 1995 and its now at an all time high. 3. Diet Ok linked to point no.2 is of course diet. This is another obvious change in fitness. Its very simple actually. We now eat more refined foods (white bread, sugar, rice, flour, noodles). In the body these give pretty much the same response - FAT storage. The only time we should eat these items is immediately after hard training. As we can tell from point no.1, not much of any training is going on. But lots of eating is! We also eat less fresh fruits, vegetables and meats. We eat more snacks like chips and cookies (which are also refined despite what advertisers claim). These changes in fitness are made more troubling because even natural foods today are not as good for us as they used to be. Current farming methods make vitamin and mineral content in fruits and vegetables drop about 10-40% depending on the mineral. Corn fed meats don't give us as good an omega 6 to omega 3 ratio as we used to get from grass fed and free range animals. (that means not so many healthy fatty acids for us) And of course, we are also simply consuming more calories. The Amish people in the study in point no.1 ate about 3600 calories/day for men and 2100 calories/day for women. Many sedentary people consume this much and more! How? Well a fully "featured" gourmet coffee from coffee bean or Starbucks can add up to 500 calories in an instant of caffeine folly. That's 2 hours of walking for an average sized lady. Just remember, calorie quality counts as well. 2000 calories of vegetables, meat and healthy fats is infinitely better than 2000 calories from french fries. Its close to impossible to get fat on the first, and nearly impossible not to get fat with the second. I like this car analogy. If you had a 2million dollar dream car, would you put low grade or high grade petrol into it? High grade of course! Then why do some people put low grade filth into their bodies which are so much more important than the car we drive? 4. Games children play The average child who grows up in an urban environment is a motor-skill weakling. As a hobby, I coach youth basketball. In our talent scouting, I have kids do a very simple drill of dribbling in and out and around cones. There are so many kids who can't do it and some who I think might fall down if asked to RUN
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around the cones without the ball! This is in contrast to the past where kids ran around, chased each other, played physical games and sports of all kinds, where the playground was the center of fun for young kids. This lack of activity not only causes a change in fitness for the child in his/her youth, but has a profound long term effect as well. Of course this change in fitness is a result of a combination of possible factors. Parents who only consider academic success to be worth striving for, who only give a child recognition and praise when they do well in academic subjects. An education system that also values book knowledge above other things and takes away physical education classes to put more academic lessons in. Poorly taught PE lessons that don't help a child develop motor skills in the key early years Busy double-income families where fathers are not free to play with their children (or don't care enough to... money isn't everything dads) The maddening computer game addiction situation where virtual life is more important than real life. I believe this is the reason for all the empty basketball courts in my neighborhood. It used to be that teams lined up to play there. Now only people my age (late 20s to 30s) play. No young kids are there any more. But actually, so what? The issue is that if kids stink at sport and physical activity, the well known psychological factor of "competence" comes is. Simply put, in general, we do what we are good at. If our next generation is poor at sport and physical activity, they are even less likely to do any of it! Which combined with items 1 to 3, make for a deadly health crisis for many countries. Obesity costs the UK 7.4 billion in national health care per year! If we don't help our kids, that's only going to grow to be a bigger and bigger burden for everybody. 5. Social Support This is a more subtle change in fitness. People are communal animals. We stick with things because there is a supportive community behind us. Even drug and alcoholism rehab centers recognize this. We all need social support. But social links are getting weaker. And no, friendster and Myspace links don't make up for it. In a more connected but less close world (I know so many people who are only comfortable behind a computer screen and not in front of a real person) there is less social support than in the past (extended families, communal living, strong friendships within a neighborhood etc) and its hard to stick with something which requires dedication and sacrifice like an exercise program. I'm not a sociologist but I do believe there is a reason that exercise classes do better in terms of membership than individualized training. Most of them certainly are not as
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effective as great individual coaching. But the social factor does come in when sustaining a lifestyle change is involved. 6. Free Time This subtle change in fitness is pretty clear. We just have less time that we "own". Bosses, social, family and other commitments make free time a very precious commodity and it adds difficulty to the fact that time is our only non renewable resource. When we choose to exercise or spend time cooking to keep a healthy lifestyle, we are competing with movies, games, TV and other things for free time. We know that exercise is good for us, but it not only has to be good for us, it has to be BETTER in our minds than the latest episode of desperate housewives, or the latest computer game. That's the issue. We need to prioritize long term health over temporary fun. 7. Training methods OK here is where we are doing well. 30 years ago the aerobics craze took the western world by storm. Its not a very good training method both in terms of results, and in terms of results per unit of time. Add that to the fact that we have such minimal time to train, we can't afford to train in a sub-optimal way. We know a lot more now. Fortunately for us, there are good methods that smart coaches use to improve training efficiency and get RESULTS even with less training time. Some of these include smartly designed resistance training programs, interval training and good assessment techniques to determine individual needs. If you have a coach like that in your corner, you can turn back the clock and avoid becoming one of the ever growing statistic of people who's health is headed in the wrong direction. Stay fit and strong and good luck!
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Whats the third and final straw that breaks the proverbial lower back? Or the third strike, if you will? Those weak abdominal muscles that have evolved from all that inactivity! The abdominal musculature not only protects the spine, but it also stabilizes the pelvis. In the absence of effective abs, the pelvis fails to un-tilt from its unstable position. In addition, those super-tight hip flexors tend to take over for weak abs. Thats cause for even more lumbar instability! So, to pull it all together weak abs, ineffective glutes, and tight hip flexors eventually lead to lower back tightness and instability (and pain!). That instability does not mean that the lower back is weak. It means that the muscles of the lower back are moving and working way more than they should be. And with that instability comes pelvic displacement, tight hamstrings, tight inner thighs, a loss of hip mobility, incorrect posture, and many possible opportunities for injury. In other words: three strikes, and youre out of the game! Whats the fix? This common type of lower back pain takes a consistent effort at multiple corrective exercises, stretches, and habits. It took a good while for the muscles to settle into their positions, so one should expect the lumbar stabilization process to take time as well. But consistent effort does not go unrewarded. Especially if you employ all of the steps below. Step 1: Find opportunities to stand throughout the day Now, while you cant eliminate all of the sitting that your current lifestyle requires, you can create a few new, beneficial habits. Is your commute fairly short? Ride your bike to work once a week! Do you work in an office? Request a standing desk for your computer. Or simply get up and move around more often. Do you plop down in front of the TV the moment you get home? Stop at the gym or the local park to exercise first! Just because you are used to a certain way of living doesnt mean that you cant make some changes. It may be hard work to change at first, but isnt your back health worth some effort? Step 2: Stretch your hip flexors / Regain mobility in your hips When a muscle is tight, it helps to stretch out the stiffness. I recommend stretching the hip flexors daily. Yes, daily. If you ever expect the stretching to counteract all that sitting, then you need to practice often. Stretching the hip flexors is easy. You can simply perform a kneeling lunge. Begin by kneeling, then take a large step forward so that one foot is flat on the ground. Make sure the front foot remains positioned directly under your knee. Sink your hips down toward the floor so that the hip flexor on the rear leg is experiencing the stretch.
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If you have bad knees, a standing lunge may be a better choice. While standing, begin by elevating your foot on a chair, the edge of a couch, or any raised surface; then sink your hips down toward the floor so that your rear leg is receiving the stretch. Step 3: Strengthen your butt! There are many, many exercises that target the gluteus maximus. As the major hip extensor in the body, the butt muscle can be involved in many common motions and exercises. It has the potential to be very powerful and very protective of the lower back. We simply need to stimulate the butt to gain some strength in order to be an effective muscle! The most beneficial glute-strengtheners are: lunges, squats, sumo (wide stance) squats, one-legged squats, deadlifts, step ups, and lying ball curls, to name a few. If you are unfamiliar with any of these exercises, take the time to look them up and learn how to perform them correctly. Extremely basic exercises for the butt are supine bridges and birddogs. These two easy exercises can be performed by all populations, especially those who currently have low back pain. They are good beginning exercises to get the glutes working properly. A supine bridge is performed by lying on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Squeeze your butt and lift it off of the floor, attempting to tilt the pelvis upward, and not hyper-extending your lower back. The bridging movement should be fairly small and should focus on the contraction of the butt muscle. To make the bridge more challenging, you can place your feet on a stability ball. Birddogs are performed on your hands and knees, back flat and stomach braced. Lift the right arm up so that its straight and parallel to the floor. Simultaneously lift the left leg backwards so that it is also straight and parallel to the floor. Balance for three seconds. Attempt to maintain both arm and leg on a straight line, not allowing either to drift off to the side. Switch the arm and leg combo to complete one repetition. Now, get to work on that booty! And remember - the only way that the exercises will work is if you perform them correctly. So, take your time, and focus on contracting the butt to get the largest benefit from your exercises. Step 4: Strengthen your stomach! Your rectus abdominus (the six-pack muscles) and your oblique muscles (the abs that cause rotation) are in serious need of some strength when the lower back is overly tight. However, when strengthening these abdominal muscles, make sure you choose a variety of ab exercises. Too many people simply do hundreds of crunches to work the abs. They just keep going and going like the Energizer Bunny. Yet, the action of repetitive torso flexion can actually lead to shortened stomach muscles, a hunch-back posture, and eventual problems
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in the upper back and shoulders! Therefore, it is absolutely essential that torso flexion exercises are complemented with abdominal stabilization exercises as well. So, while crunches are a beneficial stomach-strengthening exercise, they are not the only activities that will give you abs of steel. First, add weight to your crunching exercises this will make them more challenging, and you wont have to perform as many. Then, include some oblique work and isometric exercises (the challenging ones where you hold the contraction). Examples of these abdominal exercises are: standing cable rotations, oblique crunches, bicycle, reverse crunches, plank, side plank, and mountain climbers. Contact me or another qualified fitness professional to learn more details about these exercises. (**It is also important to address that famous abdominal exercise: the sit-up. Unfortunately, sit-ups are NOT the type of abdominal exercise to include in a program geared toward the correction of low back pain. While sit-ups do work to strengthen the stomach, they also utilize the hip flexors. And, remember, most lower back issues arise because of short, tight hip flexors. The last thing we want to do is knowingly contract an overly tight, problematic muscle. So, if you have low back pain, avoid sit-ups and sit-up variations in your exercise plan.**) Step 5: Employ techniques to release muscle tightness Using a cylindrical foam roller to perform an aggressive self-massage on tight muscles is a low-cost, beneficial way to release tension. Common areas of tightness in persons with low back pathology are the inner thigh, outer thigh, quadriceps (front of thigh), hamstrings (back of thigh), gluteus medius (outer hip), hip flexors, and the smaller, deep butt muscles. Loosening these muscles will help to increase the range of motion in the hip joints and if the hips are loose and mobile, the lower back can return to a more stable state. To determine the correct way to perform soft tissue work on these muscle groups with a foam roller, I suggest you consult with a fitness professional. It is not recommended to use a foam roller on the lower back since the process essentially causes temporary hyperextension. Alternate methods of tension release in the low back are massage and Active Release Techniques. These strategies can also be used on other tense areas as well. Through the use of these multiple techniques, posture can be restored, stability can be regained, and back pain can be relieved! Take control of your back pain! Taking these steps to develop a more stable lumbar spine can actually prevent injuries all throughout the body. All adults can benefit from the addition of proactive alignment practices whether they are currently experiencing low back pain or not! The correct alignment of the spine is really very essential for optimal health and functioning. But,
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remember to consult with a doctor or qualified fitness professional if you are having serious lower back issues. A personal evaluation is necessary to determine YOUR specific causes for back pain - or any other pain for that matter.
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Focus on goals: Once people start exercising and see the reality of trying to exercise on a regular basis, they may lose sight of the original long-term goals. If you know what inspired a person to start a fitness program, you can revisit the subject later. Try pairing a long-term goal (e.g., improved fitness, increased muscle mass or toning) with a shortterm goal (e.g., decreased heart rate, an added five or 10 minutes to a regular exercise session, walking or running a specified distance in a shorter amount of time or doing more laps around a track). Then, you can reinforce the original reason for exercise with tangible evidence of progress. Use telephone and mail reminders: Exercise participation tends to decrease over time. However, studies show follow-up by mail or telephone helps maintain participation. Since this reminder only needs to keep people interested, a brief phone call, postcard or e-mail will suffice.
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17 Simple Ways To Increase Your Energy Levels And Become More Active
By Marci Lall
17 Simple Ways To Increase Your Energy Levels And Become More Active You don't have to go to a gym to be physically active or fit. Here are a couple ideas to help you stay active, be fit, and have fun. At Home? 1. Stretch while you watch T.V or do some quick exercise during the commercials 2. Keep those dust bunnies away by dusting, vacuuming and washing your windows regularly. 3. Do some outdoor work such as weeding, mowing the lawn, or raking the leaves. 4. Create your own vegetable garden, the whole family can help out (building and eating) 5. Time yourself to see how long it would take you to wash your car. See if you can break your record for the next time At Work? 6. 7. 8. 9. Take short breaks to stretch when you need them (every 20 minutes) At lunch, go for a quick walk - alone or with some friends. You've heard this one a million times, but it works: Use the stairs Make use of the bicycle rack. If they don't have one, ask to get one installed
At Play? 10. Go for a mini hike or picnic. 11. Play the sports you loved as a kid! You'll have a blast! 12. Enjoy the outdoors: walk, run, swim, skate, rollerblade, etc. 13. Let your body free and dance! Do what you love, salsa, hip hop, ballet, whatever! You name it just DO IT! En Route? 14. Park your car at the back of the lot instead of close to the door. There's always parking in the back 15. Walk every chance you get. From the convenience store, mailbox, or park let your feet do the walkin! so you and your friends can do the talkin!. 16. Ride your bike or roller blade to work or school 17. Take public transportation to work, and errands.
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A good rule of thumb when selecting where to buy your gym membership is to ask yourself the question: is this gym/studio in the business of selling memberships or creating success stories? Do you want to buy a membership, or do you want to create your own success story? If drivers education schools functioned like the typical health club where you buy your key and walk up to an empty car with no one to tell you how to drive it things would get ugly on the road in a hurry. We have the opportunity to do something better. With the advantages of digital technology, greater support for health club members is easy to facilitate and an environment where people can learn, sweat, and succeed, Taking a step in that direction however will require that health club owners adopt a view that places greater value on their members and staff instead of their equipment and amenities. Empowering the staff to support the members in realizing the aim of why they joined in the first place will create better success for everyone. Your gym membership is only a good deal if it can deliver results you are happy with. How many floors it has, how many treadmills, neon lights and shiny equipment dont mean squat if the staff cannot teach you an effective fitness lifestyle.
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weights or the gym, I will walk instead". That won't work. Like it said in the movie Karate Kid, "nature rule, Daniel san, not mine." The most exciting news is that the program to accomplish this already exists, and no, it doesn't take a monastic lifestyle to do it. Think of it as a physical education course, the one you should have got when you were in school. Invest in learning how to take care of your body. What would you think of someone who never brushed or flossed his or her teeth but did go the dentist every six months? Think their teeth would look good or last long? Why is that any different from someone who doesn't exercise (or exercises poorly), eats whatever, and it totally ignorant of how to care for their body, but does go the doctor when they are sick? Going to the doctor is good, but aren't they missing the other half of the equation? That other half of the equation is the solution to adding 30 years to the prime of your life. Everyone will benefit from a fitness program, but only those who take action will. Make a decision and take action, your life is waiting.
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RECOVERY-When exercise is performed, impairment occurs. We cause damage to the connective tissue, muscle fibers and drain energy reserves. This damage occurs so stimulation and improvement can take place. Recovery is when the body repairs, overcompensates and improves as a result of exercise. This results in strength gains. Exercise provides the stimulus for progress. Recovery and nutrition allows the body to produce the results. Dynamic Bodies the Tucson personal trainers will help educate you about recovery for your body. SUPPLEMENTS-There are basically two different types of supplements, nutritional supplements and enhancement performance supplements. Nutritional supplements make it convenient to get in our required amount of nutrients. Examples of these would be vitamin/mineral supplements, meal replacement shakes, protein shakes and bars. Enhancement performance supplements are taken to enhance performance. They are not to be confused with nutritional supplements. A good example of this would be creatine monohydrated. This supplement is used widely for its strength enhancement qualities. Dynamic Bodies the Tucson personal trainers will help you decide which supplement program is best for you. PSYCHOLOGY TECHNIQUES - Learning to tap into your mind/body relationship is one of the more difficult areas of the Pyramid of Physical Progress. However difficult the struggle may be to unlock the door, the results will more than make up for the frustration encountered in the years of persistence it takes to master this great resource. Simply going to the gym and exercising without any previous mental preparation is like trying to run uphill. Likewise, going from set to set and exercise to exercise without being focused is like adding a stiff wind to that uphill grade. Knowing that this mind/body relationship does exist and making a true effort to learn and apply how it works is the first step towards results. It wont be long before people are using visualization and guided imagery, which have been proven to be highly effective at enhancing many of the aspects of physical performance/progress. It has been our experience that most people need help with basics first. Dynamic Bodies, the Tucson personal trainers will help you get started with the basics, exercise and nutrition.
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tells me to see the important information on the reverse, so I flip the page over, and begin to read. Here are a few of the statements: Question: How does IMITREX work? Answer: How IMITREX works is not completely understood. Some of the side effects listed: pain or tightness in the chest or throat when using IMITREX. If this happens to you, discuss it with your doctor before using any more IMITREX. If the pain is severe, or does not go away, call your doctor immediately. Shortness of breath; wheeziness; heart throbbing; swelling of the eyelids, face or lips; or a skin rash, skin lumps, or hives happen rarely, but if they happen to you, tell your doctor immediately. Do not take any more IMITREX unless your doctor tells you to. These were just a few of the side effects listed, and I printed them in their complete statement, so I am not paraphrasing (I hate when people only give you the bits and pieces of a story so they can give it their own twist). With this product, it seems like the cure is a hell of a lot worse than the disease. Migraines are painful enough, I dont need my chest and throat to hurt as well. I need to breathe, dont need my face to swell, or to break out in hives. And the fact that they really dont know how their own product works is a huge red flag. Think about that, pills that are administered, but not understood. Im sure they have done testing, and they have FDA approval to administer the drug, but lets get real here. If a product caused the same type of conditions to occur in a person, but it wasnt a prescription drug, the media would be all over it and the company would be told by consumer advocate groups to remove the product from the shelves immediately. Does Ephedra come to mind? I cannot, for the life of me, understand why Ephedra was removed from the market. I am not saying it is not dangerous or potentially harmful to those who misuse it. In every single case where Ephedra was found to be a contributing factor in a persons death, the concentrations found in the body were a result of an overdose, an intentional misuse. Ive read much of the material surrounding these deaths, and in each case the dosages required to match the levels found in the blood were several times the recommended dosage provided by the manufacturer of the product. Should Tylenol be taken off the shelves because people choose to overdose on it? How about Nyquil? How about Vioxx? As of the writing of this book, the FDA has yet to pull Vioxx off the market, although reports indicate it may be responsible for 50,000 deaths. Let me repeat: 50,000 DEATHS!!! I may be off on a little tangent, but if you think the FDA really has your health interests at heart, think again. Its all about money. The following is a quote from the FDAs website concerning approval of FDA Regulated Products: FDA reviews the results of laboratory, animal and human clinical testing done by companies to determine if the product they want to put on the market is safe and effective. FDA does not develop or test products itself. The Agency does this pre-market review for new human drugs and biologics (such as vaccines, blood products,
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biotechnology products, and gene therapy), complex medical devices, food and color additives, infant formulas, and animal drugs. FDA has streamlined its review process for medical products in recent years to help speed important new treatments to patients. For example, the average review time for an innovative new drug is now only 6 months, and some have been approved even faster. (http://www.fda.gov/opacom/7approvl.html May 26, 2005) If I read that correctly, I am to understand that the FDA relies upon the company to prove that its product is safe? Sounds to me like there is some room for negotiation when a company really wants to get a drug to market. The fact that the FDA is proud of being able to approve drugs in six months or less is downright frightening. I know there is a lot more to this process than I am addressing here, so dont blast me. But I think I was able to point out some really alarming features of the FDAs approval process. If this is an agency whose responsibility it is to keep dangerous foods and medications out of our bodies, and they rely upon the companies who are trying to profit from the drugs they are submitting to the FDA to prove they are safe, how can we place a lot of faith in FDA approval?
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This really doesn't have to be drawn-out into a huge philosophical dissertation. Kettlebells are great and effective not only for the exercise factor but in the life-lesson. They don't allow us to contemplate the negative. We just do and do some more until we accomplish the mission. Other facets in life make it easy to play the comparison game, or the should-be game, or the masking-game. I don't see that in my fellow gireviks, some days are better than others but progress is always universal. Here is where the crossover comes. Kettlebells model life. They are really no different than a job, house, or relationship. They are all just things--objects. But we don't usually approach them the same internally-but intent is everything. Whatever your inner-self wants is what it gets. Good, bad or ugly. You give power to what you focus on. So focus on your successes just as you would for a kettlebell session. I can do different kettlebell lifts or variations until the cows come home and get better-everyday. There are a limitless number of small success you can find. If you know what your gut is telling you about the reason and it makes you feel good on its own merits, that success is yours. Power to you all, now go train.
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Most are surprised how far calories go. I tell my clients, you need to eat about every 2 to 3 hours a meal consisting of a lean protein, fibrous vegetable, and healthy starch. By healthy I mean anything that has not been processed or enriched. After a few days you will find you have more energy that you ever did before. Your energy levels will remain high and constant throughout the day. Not to mention that body fat will begin to come off your body. Let me mention that it is body fat you want reduced, not just scale weight. The scale will not tell you the difference between water, muscle or fat. As clothes fit better, even if you see an increase in scale weight, be assured that you are making improvements. That is if you follow the concept of supportive eating, a healthy regard for building muscle, and moderate aerobic exercise.
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same location around the clock, it is a fact, you are going to have low back problems some time in you life. No matter what excuse you may give, ultimately people understand the need for exercise is paramount. Excuses, plain and simple are just give a way to give you an out. Isnt it now time we drop the excuses, refocus, and get focused on having the body we truly desire?
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they gain a lot of weight in a hurry. Your body has been thinking, Im starving, I must store food which is fat. Consider this for a second. Is losing weight really why you want to work out? When was the last time you woke up, jumped out of bed and said, I can wait to lose 20lbs? Think about it. Is it really the lower number on a scale you want? Or is it that you want to feel vital, alive, with a tight toned body? If you are really honest, isnt it the later? If these shows were actually going to benefit and inspire the audiences they cater to, they need to focus on fat loss, not weight loss.
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Could Your Overall Negative Outlook Be Undermining Your Weight Loss Attempts?
By Dr. Michael J. Norwood
Having trouble with weight loss? Do you struggle with trying to lose additional body fat? Is your fitness level lower than it really should be? Is your energy low all the time? Okay here's your challenge for the next seven days: avoid any form of complaining, blaming, justifying, projecting or negative self-talk. Sounds simple, right? Are you up for the challenge? Do you think you can do it? You might be wondering, 'What does this have to do with my weight loss attempts anyway'? The answer is both subtle and simple: Your thoughts lead to how you feel and how you feel ultimately leads to how you respond and act throughout your day (e.g., to exercise or not to exercise?). Finally, your actions (i.e., patterns or habits) determine your RESULTS for better or worse. In essence, how you think about you and your world invariably determines every outcome in your life: quality of relationships, financial matters, career decisions, personal development, spiritual growth, and, yes, your weight loss attempts. What recent research has suggested is that happier, more hopeful people, over time, tend to be healthier than those who are chronically unhappy and less hopeful. That is, mood states may, overtime, positively or negatively impact immune function, cardiovascular function, and endocrine function, as well as the brain itself which have profound implications for overall health, including weight loss. Here are a few self-defeating outlooks and ways to redirect this negative energy so that you can stay on the right path to proper weight loss and being as healthy as you can be for you and your family for the rest of your life: Complaining: When you are afflicted with this form of non-productive stinkin! thinkin!, STOP immediately, ask yourself, 'where am I going with this and how does this help the situation'? First relax and then redirect your thoughts to solution-oriented ideas that create win-wins for everyone involved. Oh yeah, and if your friends or family members are chronic complainers either deal with their complaining right from the start or disengage completely. That is, don't entertain or tolerate their debilitating attitude. Instead, confront or run as fast as you can in the opposite direction! Justifying: This non-supportive outlook enables one to shift focus away from the real source of the issue and shift it onto some external source. For example, one might state, 'I
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can't lose weight because I have 3 small children, a full-time job and no real time to do anything for myself like exercise. It's just too much work to lose weight. Besides I still look okay.' How disempowering is this statement? While life certainly presents numerous challenges, the real issue might be time management or prioritization. If this form of pessimism challenges you and prevents your from losing weight, examine your life, (namely time and values) more closely and prioritize your life around things that really matter like your health and well-being. Blaming: I once read that when you blame others, you give up your power to change, to truly improve. Blame and projection are similar to justifying in that the real source of the issue is often neglected and therefore problems are rarely resolved. When you blame, you deny responsibility. Nobody wins and nobody grows, namely you. The solution: if you've offended someone in some way own up to it through sincere apology and by all means forgive yourself for being a knucklehead. Also, if someone has offended you, forgive the person and move on. When you truly are sorry for some transgression and when you truly forgive, you free yourself up to be you and not some faade walking through life with a chip on your shoulder blaming others for your shortcomings. Now that's true power! In summary, how you look at your world determines all of your results, including your approach to weight loss and overall health. If you struggle with non-supportive thoughts, practice the elusive art of maintaining proper perspective so that your thoughts are channeled to benefit you. Do the best you can where you are with what you have, and get into the habit of regarding yourself in a way that empowers you instead of in a way that diminishes your capacity to achieve and lead the life you deserve. It's been said that when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at begin to change. Begin treating yourself with unconditional positive regard and watch your world change in ways previously unimaginable.
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For example, stomach exercises, can actually make a difference to your stomach if you do them every other day for at least 10 minutes. Arm exercises can make a difference in the same sequence and so on. Use stairs instead of the elevator. If you can walk up and down stairs, do it as opposed to riding the elevator. Stop every third step and do a leg raise by lifting up one leg in the position of a crane (the bird) and lifting up and down on the opposite leg for a count of 10 times. Switch legs and repeat. You can see how these compliment in strengthening your heart, not to mention your leg muscles, but would have to be done quickly to get your heart rate up to be considered a cardio workout. Eat Healthy. If possible, take a multivitamin. There are so many to choose from that it is best to buy smaller containers first to see if it is the right vitamin for your system. For example, many vitamins do not set well with my system and have a tendency to make me hungry. When I asked the doctor about this, he said to take the vitamin at night. Try to eat more fiber. Fiber can come in fruits, cereals, oats and plenty of other ways. Try to stay away from packaged foods and if you must grab something unhealthy, at least eat an apple or pear afterward to help absorb some of the fat. Eat smaller meals and more frequently. This is easier said than done. However, if you really make a special effort, it can be done and you will see the benefits sooner than you think. Eliminate Stress. Has anyone ever told you that you were going to die due to a high stress level? Its true. People in the medical fields have noticed that oftentimes in the brief periods, of let's say, just a few weeks, after devastating emotional trauma (like a layoff, being fired, death of a relative, close friend, pet, spouse, and/or bankruptcy, divorce or a huge disappointment), a heat attack occurs and oftentimes, age is not a factor but the stress level is a major contributing factor. Of course, the best alternative to stress is to stop doing whatever it is that is causing the problem in the first place. (Yeah right!) Oftentimes, this is as simple as delegating responsibilities to others. To be able to do this, you have to let go of control and go with the flow. Squash the "perfect" syndrome. You know what I am talking about: perfect project, meal, house, kids, dog, car, golf game, yard, etc. Decide today what you can do tomorrow to make your life, and those around you less stressful and you will have a successful head start into gaining a healthier heart and a healthier life
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If you feel you're at Stage 3 or above, check out this great workout. Pre-contemplation Stage If you're at this point in your quest for a lean and healthy body, you need to learn more about the importance of incorporating exercise into your life. Make a list of the pros of physical activity. Talk about exercising with your friends and family members. Get all the facts -- the more research you do, the more you'll learn of the profoundly positive benefits of exercise. Contemplation Stage Increase your chances by addressing your personal love (or at least like) of a certain type of exercise, and stressing the benefits those exercises will provide specifically for you. This is where your subconscious mind connects the dots. Say to yourself, "If I perform activity A, I will experience effect B." Once you realize how powerful this simple process can be, youre ready to move on to the next stage. Preparation Stage Create a plan for your exercise program and set a target date to start. Again, focus on the pros of exercise and how they will directly affect you. Go out and find resources that may
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assist you. Seek out professional help if necessary. If your Start Date comes and goes, reschedule, but don't let it set you back. Action Stage If you do your homework in the first 3 stages, stage 4 should be a breeze. Most initial dropouts are the result of unrealistic expectations and trying to do too much, too soon. Over-training can be prevented by starting slow, progressing at a sensible rate, getting adequate rest and recovery, and incorporating proper nutrition and hydration into your program. Results will follow. Those who make it through the first few weeks usually fall prey to boredom and lack of variety that effectively challenges them. Disinterest and boredom are much more complex issues that need to be overcome by the seasoned vet as well as the exercise novice. Research, knowledge and imagination are the keys to keeping yourself on track here. Become familiar with multiple exercise modalities instead of always sticking with the same old thing. Maintenance Stage No more than 10 percent of those who begin a fitness program make it through the first six weeks. That's a depressing statistic that needs to be gotten past if you're going to make exercise (and its profound effect on you) an enjoyable part of your life. Here are a few tips to keep you working out over the long haul. Maintenance Stage Tips Shift your focus from the outcome to the process. Instead of setting long-term goals that relate to outcomes such as weight loss, set goals that relate to participation. Set a clear goal for each exercise session. Don't be vague or you're likely to focus on boredom, discomfort or other negative experiences. Practice your concentration during exercise. Mental strategies can help you experience flow, an optimal psychological state characterized by intense absorption in your workout, a clear sense of your goals and a feeling of letting go. Tune into feedback. Take time after your workout session to note how your body felt and what you thought about. Take note of where you are, and where you've been. Appreciate what exercise has done for you, and its endless application in your life. What usually starts of as a goal of weight loss, turns into a lifelong pursuit of a trim, fully functional and healthy body. Identify how ready you are to actually start a new exercise program, and apply the specific strategy that fits your current scenario. Progress through each Behavioral Stage
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at your own pace, as no amount of pushing before you're ready will do any good. Ultimately, learning to enjoy the process is what makes a fitness or weight loss program stick.
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Last, but definitely not least is weight lifting. Unfortunately, this component is most often overlooked. Most people are either intimidated, fear that it will 'bulk them up,' or simply don't like the thought of lifting weights. Yet, it is the only form of exercise that helps you burn calories at rest. Cardiovascular exercise helps you burn more calories as you're doing it, but weight lifting helps you burn more calories as you are sitting behind that desk. This is due to increased muscle tone. Three additional pounds of muscle can help you burn an additional 10,000 calories a month! Weight lifting should be performed 2-3 times a week, involving all major muscle groups. It can prevent and decrease obesity, osteoporosis, arthritis, injuries to joints and muscles, low back pain, and so on. Before beginning a weight loss program, consider going to your physician for a stress test and check-up first. Do it for the right reasons. To feel good about yourself, improve your quality of life and health, and save money. They say, 'Patience is a virtue.' Stay committed and set realistic goals. And, most important of all, don't wait another day. Start now!
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patience you will create a new frame of mind and also a frame of heart. You will be able to hurdle any self imposed limitations and take it to the next level. Test your limits, discover what you are made of physically and mentally and prepare for the game of life while life, itself, becomes a sport.
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Let's look at some of the most common limiting beliefs and what changes we could make to get us closer to our goals: 1. "I know I am at an unhealthy weight. I never exercise, but I want to" First, simple wants and desires usually don't provide lasting incentive A goal is only made when it must be done! What belief can you have that makes it a must? New Belief: "I am losing years off my life everyday that I don't exercise." 2. "My weight's not that bad yet" If you believe it is not that bad, you are assuring yourself it will get worse. Your belief is saying you are certain it will get worse and then you will make a change. What belief can you have that makes it bad enough now to make it a must to change? New Belief: "My body is a reflection of how I view myself and my life." 3. "It takes too much time" or "I don't have enough time." This is a classic statement, but do you really believe that the most important asset we have, our health, is not important enough to devote time to? This ridiculous thought alone should make someone change this belief! This is a big one for many. So big, I feel obligated to give an example of a positive belief: "I must take the time for myself everyday because it gives me more energy to give more to (my family, business, church, etc.)." 4. "I don't have the willpower" Willpower is a feeling. What belief can you have that gives you enough emotional "Willpower"? New belief: "It's just as necessary to exercise and eat healthy in order for me to be successful in other parts of my life." 5. "Food helps me relax and feel good." New Belief: "Food is nourishment and not something to get feelings from." After reading these examples some of your limiting beliefs may have surfaced or maybe some of the examples resonated with you. What is very important in shaping your new beliefs is not to use "softeners". In other words, make it a must and give it some emotional juice. For example, "I will never love myself unless I love my body" or "Exercise is the fuel that gives me confidence." Remember, if you tell yourself something long enough and with enough emotion it becomes a belief. If you have read my previous articles you also know that a key to achieving your goals is Massive Action. Action today, not tomorrow or when I have time. Action right now! Here is your first action to changing your beliefs and therefore changing your body: First, grab a pen and paper. Write down what current limiting beliefs you have that are stopping you from exercising, losing fat, eating healthier or whatever your goal is. Write at least four limiting beliefs. STOP! WRITE THEM DOWN. Okay, now write down at least four new beliefs you will have; beliefs that will give you absolute certainty. I want to congratulate you if you did this simple exercise because you just did what many won't do. You took immediate action. Repeated actions create
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momentum and momentum gets results. Keep the momentum moving and schedule a time to read, memorize and reinforce these statements until they become your new beliefs! Get absolutely certain you will succeed and GET GOING!
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achieve your goal. Drum up the emotions as if you already achieved your goal. And take the time to write a detailed personal vision for what will be the end result and read this once a week. After reading your vision, establish weekly goals that are in alignment with this vision. Each group of weekly goals will be steps towards achieving your ultimate vision. Both of these tools done repeatedly can create a neuro-associative condition that will guide unconscious decisions supportive of your goals. It's not enough to just say I want to lose 20 pounds. After you have decided on what you want, you must create enough leverage to get yourself going. Desires without leverage are merely wishes and wants. Wanting is not enough to push you towards consistent action that will turn your vision into reality. You will make changes in your life when you see changes as important and urgent. This "must" feeling is developed using the leverage of avoiding pain. I mentioned in last months issue how sometimes this leverage finds us. We have a heart attack or receive some life changing news. Let's not wait until the pain finds us to create leverage. We want to intentionally create our own leverage and be proactive in making positive lifestyle changes. The question is how do we create intentional pain to gain the leverage we need. The following are examples that, if used repeatedly, can create your leverage: 1. Wear an article of clothing that is one size too small and uncomfortable. Possibly a pair of pants in the closet you used to wear. 2. Compare a picture of the skinny you and a recent picture. 3. Write commitment letters to a few people you respect (see sample) 4. Get a personal trainer or workout buddy to hold you accountable to consistent exercise and health nutrition. Utilizing these examples may work for you, but the most effective pain triggers are found by asking yourself some tough questions. What is it about my body that I don't like? How long has my weight been a problem? How do I feel about not being able to buy the clothes I would like? The bottom line is that change will only occur when you see change not only as important, but URGENT! Creating urgency starts by leveraging pain to force action and utilizing the pleasurable thoughts of your vision as the icing on the cake. My Commitment Letter Dear Sally, You have been one of my best friends for years now. I trust and respect you immensely. I am writing to ask you for a very important favor. I want you to know that I am absolutely committed to live a healthier life, take off a few pounds, exercise consistently and maintain healthy eating patterns to get vitality back in my life.
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So I have made the decision that I must respect myself and never go back to my old ways. I have a lot of respect for you and therefore I am asking you to hold me accountable to sticking with this decision. I want you to call me on it, even in public if necessary. I want you to know that you will most likely never have to do this because I am never going back to my unhealthy ways. Committing to you now will help me follow through on my pledge. I will keep you informed of my progress and when we see each other, you will see my progress. I really appreciate your friendship and support! Love, Jan
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You see the key to getting rid of your head trash and creating clarity is knowing why these so call "solutions" don't work. If you have these answers, you can now focus on what you should do and you will no longer second guess your positive efforts. You also need to understand the "why" behind your exercise and nutrition program. If you know "why" you should do "this" and not "that" then you are much more likely to stick with it. Just simply taking exercises from a video or following a diet plan is temporary. Educating yourself will again create clarity not confusion and confidence in your efforts which in turn will create consistency. If you can be consistent, you will get results. Now this may sound like work and yes it does take some effort. But if you do not make this effort, you will continue to fall into the trap of marketing lead misinformation the quick fix. Lets face it we all know it takes consistent exercise and sensible balanced nutrition to change your body. The problem is many don't know what an effective exercise program and sensible nutrition is. And in some cases they believe they do, but later come to find out they were mislead. Finally, find someone you have to be accountable to a friend, family member, or personal trainer. Having the education can be great, but not putting it to use is a waste. Schedule a time in the day to workout with your Accountability Partner and get the results you desire.
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However, let's not wait for emotion to find us. Let me share with you a science to finding your emotional force, three steps to developing your "motivation" and making a health change in your life. First, you must raise your standards and expect more of yourself. The most important step you take is expecting more of yourself. You can't accept that the way you are is the way you will always be. I suggest making a list of all the things you will no longer accept or tolerate. Write it down, you need to see it on paper and review it on a regular basis. Seeing this list will be a foundation in building your emotional juice. I would also suggest creating a personal vision statement. Just as a company creates a vision for what it will achieve, you must know what your objective is, or how can you make the right decisions? All your decisions (exercising or not exercising) must be in line with your objective. These exercises are now your standards, but these exercises will do you no good unless you consistently review your standards to give you the emotional force you need to succeed. Secondly, if you raise your standards but don't really believe you can meet them, you've already sabotaged yourself. You won't even try. You'll be lacking that sense of certainty that allows you to find the deepest of internal drive. Our beliefs are commands, telling us how things are, what's possible and what's impossible, and what we can and cannot do. All of this occurs at an unconscious level and most of our actions and decisions are made at an unconscious level only to be supported later by our conscious thoughts. In other words, logic comes in after you have probably already made up your mind with unconscious thoughts. Beliefs shape our actions, thoughts and feelings. Disbeliefs are ingredients for certain failure. Changing our limiting beliefs is central to making any real and lasting change in our lives. The final step after changing your standards and beliefs is making a strong commitment. You must find a way to make a commitment that binds you to achieving your goal. Tell a friend, spouse, co-worker what you plan on doing. Tell someone who you wouldn't want to disappoint. This emotional pressure can help you find the resources (time, money, education) that you need to accomplish your objective because many times it is not a lack of resources, it is a lack of emotional force. Don't rely on luck or chance. Get the right education and direction (technology) you need to make a positive health and fitness change in your life, but don't stop there. Just as playing the piano is a skill and needs practice, so does developing your emotional force for success. Utilize these three steps to develop your skills, live life and be fit!
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How To Fit Fitness Into Your Hectic Schedule - 7 Quick Tips To Make Exercise A Daily Habit!
By Peter Vasilis
Nowadays everyone seems to lead such busy lives, fitting in fitness can be an overwhelming challenge. Everyone you speak to is always so busy. As a result, a common excuse I so often hear from non-exercisers is, I dont have time to exercise. In essence what these people are really saying is, I dont have time to take care of my health. In my opinion, not having the time for exercise is a flimsy excuse at best. The bottom line is if you want to improve your health, lose weight and/or increase your fitness level, then you must make time for exercise. You simply cannot use time as an excuse anymore. The following 7 tips will help anyone find a way to fit exercise into their hectic schedule: Wake up one hour earlier each day The morning is the best time to exercise. An early morning workout kicks in feel good hormones called endorphins that are like giving you a jump start to your day. You will feel more energized, alert and more motivated throughout the day. Shorten your workouts Last time I checked there is not a written rule that states one must exercise for one hour or more during any given exercise session. Yet that seems to be the magic number would-be exercisers think is necessary in order to achieve results. Fact is you can get great results in as little as 20-30 minutes. Perform cardio & weight training on separate days Instead of performing a mega workout of one hour or more, encompassing both weight and cardio training, divide your weight training and cardio workouts into 20-30 minute alternating sessions performed more frequently throughout the week. Increase your exercise intensity Instead of going to the gym and proceeding to go through the motions of your routine, pick up the intensity and work harder instead of longer. Take shorter rest periods between exercises and limit the idle chat. This will result in shorter workouts and far more productive results. Workout at home You dont have to go to a gym or fitness centre to get into great shape. You can achieve dramatic results in the privacy of your own home. Your in home workout may consist of dumbbells, resistance bands, the stability ball and bodyweight exercises.
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Keep it simple If you have very limited time, instead of doing nothing perform some quick bodyweight callisthenic exercises including pushups, back extensions, squats, lunges and ab crunches. For cardio take a brisk walk or jog in place. If you only have ten minutes to spare it is better than nothing. Hire a personal fitness trainer A qualified personal trainer can help take a lot of the guesswork out of designing a productive fitness routine, thus saving you a lot of wasted time finding out what doesnt work through trial and error. The personal trainer should be capable of designing shorter more intense workouts that will deliver incredible results in less time and keep you motivated to reach your fitness goals. So, there you have it, 7 excuse busting tips for fitting exercise into anyones hectic schedule. Now you cant say you dont have the time to exercise, we have just created the time. So now what is your excuse? Now that you have the time, begin your journey to a fit and healthy lifestyle today!
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The Silent Killer - Read This Right Now Your Life May Be In Danger!
By Peter Vasilis
Could exercise procrastination be the number one killer of people in America? You may guess cancer, heart disease or diabetes. These would all be good guesses, however there is one disease that is deadlier than those fatal diseases combined! Believe it or not the number one killer is not even a disease at all. The number one killer of the American population and for that matter the number one killer worldwide is PROCRASTINATION! Let me say that again, The number one killer of the American population and for that matter the number one killer worldwide is PROCRASTINATION! Think about it, everyone knows that exercise and proper nutritional habits promote good health (if you dont know that then it is worse than I thoughtyou are in serious denial!) why is it then that so few people make the effort to exercise and eat right? May be they know they should exercise and change their eating habits, but do not feel like it right now. May be they do not have the time right now or may be they have so many aches and pains that are preventing them from exercising. Well, those may be valid excuses but it all boils down to that nasty word procrastination. Why does it usually take a serious health scare to force the average sedentary adult to wake up to the benefits of exercise and healthy eating? What if the doctor were to tell them they have x, y and z ailment and must exercise and eat right for the rest of their life or they will die. Amazingly, all of a sudden the urge to exercise would finally be found. They would actually find the time to exercise and those aches and pains would suddenly disappear once they actually began moving and working the body, instead of lounging around wishing they could do something to improve their health! Fortunately, if started early in life a healthy lifestyle consisting of an exercise and nutritional regimen may be able prevent the health related afflictions that plague so many later in life. If you have been contemplating starting an exercise program and improving your nutritional habits do not let procrastination fester any longer in your body.
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Now is the time to get into shape and feel great before you are forced to exercise, once your life is in serious danger! Exercise and proper nutrition has been proven to reduce harmful toxins in the body, decrease blood pressure, stabilize blood sugar levels and dramatically improve the effects of arthritis and osteoporosis. If you have been procrastinating about beginning a fitness and nutritional program, dont put it off any longer. Start right now, today your life could depend on it!
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Is spot reduction of excess body fat possible? The answer is absolutely not! The fact of the matter is low resistance, relatively high repetition exercise on specific body parts such as hips, thighs and torso do not significantly affect fat stores. Instead it is more important to take a well rounded approach incorporating nutrition, a total body resistance training program, and cardio training. Consistency, dedication and hard work will bring the results. Is explosive ballistic training dangerous? A common belief is that ballistic training, such as jumps, and explosive movements are more dangerous and account for more injuries than conventional resistance training. This is simply not true. Most injuries acquired while performing any exercise are most likely due to a lack of flexibility and knowledge of proper form and/or exercise technique. Ballistic training is being incorporated more and more into aerobic routines, gym classes and training programs to promote fast twitch muscle growth and improved cardio output. Is flexibility training necessary? A proper flexibility program is essential in all aspects of fitness. Flexibility helps increase the range of motion of specific joints and muscle groups. Having good flexibility helps soft tissue surrounding the joint to withstand and absorb shock, protecting the joint. It also helps to store elastic energy to aid in explosive movements and to exhibit strength over a large range of motion. Exercise proficiency and safety are determined by flexibility. Losing weight or losing fat? Many times we step on the scale after a hard week of training and eating right just to be disappointed by the numbers. How come it seems so hard to lose weight? The problem is that most people looking to trim down the waist line or lose an inch or two around their thighs should be more concerned with losing excess body fat instead of trying so hard to lose weight. It makes much more sense for one to keep a record of the following measurements: o Circumference of waist, hips, and chest o Skin folds measurements o Percentage of overall body fat
Like always, consistency and hard work pay off in the end.
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Maverick Miramar Personal Trainer Reveals 5 Shocking Secrets About Personal Trainers' Lives That They Don't Want You To Know About
By Randy Gruezo
Yes, this Miramar personal trainer is about to spill the beans on the lifestyle habits of the world's top personal trainers. But before I do that, I'm going to make a stunning confession right now, I Randy Gruezo, love Hooter's wings, drinking mixers, occasionally eating Taco Bell, and YES eating Ice Cream. Yes I know, throw him into the dungeon, report him to the police for being an imposter. Seriously all jokes aside, for now, we are expected to live and breathe fitness on a daily basis. Here is a quick story of what I mean. In a get together in my house my family, friends, and I ended up watching the movie 300. For those who haven't seen it, it is a movie loosely based on the Battle of Thermopylae. Anyhow, the reason it got a lot of recognition, other than the graphic violence, was because there wasn't a male character in that movie that didn't have a ripped six pack and had an awesome body. During the movie, my brother-in-law, made a comment about me, saying that I've been trying for three years and still can't get my body like that, referring to the characters. At first, I wanted to respond back and put him in his place. But, I didn't. The response I gave is "It's not what I can do for myself, it's what I can do for my client's." I left it at that and it brings me to the first shocking secret about personal trainers. Secret #1: We all don't have 6 pack abs and fitness magazine cover bodies. I know, I know shocking isn't it. Although most of us personal trainers would like that, it is not realistic for a lot of us. First of all, to go back to my brother-in-law's comments, I'm not getting paid millions of dollars to look like a god or at least a Spartan King. I guarantee you that if all I had to do was worry about looking good for a movie and my sole job is to train I would look like the actor's on the big screen. Ahhhhh, that would be the life, anyways back to reality. Fortunately for you I don't get paid to do that. I have a wife, three kids (all under 5), and a business to run. My focus is not just on myself, but my family and my clients who pay me top dollar to get them results. I guarantee everything that I do. For that to happen, I have to be on top of my game, meaning I'm constantly thinking about how I can deliver results. Don't get me wrong I'm not obese, a slob or anything like that. I do have some excess fat that I'd like to get rid of and want to be even more fit. Please, no finger pointing now. At this point in my life, I don't have the time to do that or inclination to do that yet. Let's put
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it this way my kids don't run me ragged and daily life is easy for me, energy wise. If you are paying me so you could have a trainer who looks like magazine cover models I have no problem with that too...But I highly doubt that you are paying me with your hard earned money to look good for you. Which leads me to secret #2. Secret #2: We don't exercise all the time. Shoot, as a personal trainer we may only have time to work out only 2-3x/wk because that is what our schedules permits. Shoot... we may miss even a whole week, but we don't get hung up on stuff like that. That's right, we are like you to. Sometimes we have to make decisions not to workout, because life happens. That's not the ideal situation, but hey we need to pay bills, reschedule clients, and make time for family commitments too. The difference is we have the knowledge and foresight not to fall so far off track. We try to take advantage of any opportunity we can get to "exercise." Speaking for myself, I could get an awesome workout in less than 10 minutes which even the fittest person will struggle with. If you are saying that's impossible, well, that's why my clients pay me top dollar because I know how to do that. If I can't get my exercise in, I try to be good at all the other aspects of fitness so I don't fall so far off track. For example, I get my 6-8 hrs of sleep so my body can rest and recover. I also try to keep my nutrition and food intake on point. Secret #3: We eat fast food too!!! Man, you must be having a heart attack with all the insider info I'm giving you. Again if we don't eat supportive meals, at the very least we try to make the best choices. For example, if I eat McDonalds, I select the new $1 menu wrap. I ask for the grilled version, even though it contains lots of sodium too, but hey you have to pick your battles. Anyhow, I get the wrap, side salad, and diet soda. Again not the best meal, but at least it will hold me over long enough to get a better meal next time. It's all about making better choices. Fortunately, as a personal trainer in Miramar I have a lot of choices to find supportive meals even if I have to eat out. Now it's up to you to find those places and more importantly learn what those better options are if you don't know them already. Secret #4: Personal trainers don't know all the answers pertaining to fitness and nutrition. I know for some of you that's hard to swallow, but that's the truth. Sometimes we could be wrong about something too. There is always new research that helps us understand the body more and we have to change our approach. Nothing wrong with that right? I probably have all the "elite" level certifications that a personal trainer can get, add to that a degree in Exercise Science, and then some. I still don't know all the answers. There is not a time when a personal training client has asked me a question that I always had the answer to. Unlike some personal trainers, believe me there are a lot, I don't pretend and give you a b.s. answer because I'm scared to tell you that I don't know. I'll just tell you I have to look into that and get back to you.
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I continually try to keep myself abreast of all the latest information out there in the personal training/fitness industry. However, the stuff I already know is going to get 99% of the clients I train, and yes even the elite athletes, the results they're looking for. This leads me to the final secret. Secret #5: We didn't get you the results, you did it yourself. Nothing irritates me more in this industry when a personal trainer takes credit for getting the client's results. It may be symantax but let me illustrate this key point with an analogy, btw... you will come to know that I love using them. If you were a millionaire would you like your college professors taking credit for getting you there. The answer is probably no, but why not? Didn't they give you the knowledge for you to make the decisions to get you those millions. Why shouldn't they take credit, if they didn't teach you wouldn't be rich, right? This is how a lot of personal trainers in the industry think. In this personal trainer's opinion, our main goals are to educate and coach. PERIOD. Yes that can branch out into other aspects of our job, but that is the foundation which everything builds from. If you are performing a movement wrong, we coach you how to do it right. When you're not eating a supportive meal we educate you how to make better choices, etc... You get my point. Remember all we can do is coach and educate you. You still have to take ACTION on all the information we give you. Oh no, here comes another analogy. If I was to give the world a book that will guarantee a 100% chance they will become millionaires, do you think we will have 6 billion millionaires in the world? The answer is no! Some people will take action and some won't, that is just how the world works. My personal training clients get results because they listen and take action, all I provide is the best information and coaching I possibly can. I hope this has shed some light into the life of a personal trainer. If you are thinking, "They are not as different as me", you are absolutely right! Cause we're not. The only difference lies in what we know and what you don't, but isn't that how all jobs work. That's why you hire lawyers, accountants, plumbers, etc... right? For now, this Miramar personal trainer, hopes that you will make less comments such as, "Aren't you a personal trainer?" because the biggest secret of all is we are like you to :D
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If you do not feel quite comfortable taking your clothes off for a complete stranger, try a Craniosacral massage. Craniosacral massage therapy focuses on the spine and head only. You may stay totally dressed, giving you the opportunity to get acquainted with your Massage Therapist. The basis for Craniosacral massage therapy is to use light touch to create a rhythm within the fluid that flows up and down your spine and manipulate the bones of your head. This is a very relaxing massage used to alleviate stress, neck and back pain, eye problems, depression, chronic fatigue, and is particularly helpful with head trauma. There are many different kinds of massage therapy. All work their magic in their own special way. I suggest finding a Massage Therapist knowledgeable in numerous forms of massage. That way, he/she can choose the right massage for your individual body based on your preference and health assessment. However, many states do not have a licensing law, so please look for a Massage Therapist with a National Certification. Of course, it is important that you feel comfortable with your Massage Therapist so you can relax fully and truly enjoy the moment. Many insurance companies will cover Massage Therapy if referred by a doctor. My goal is to have all insurance companies cover one massage a month as preventive medicine. It would be a healthier, more relaxed world if they did!
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can be dangerous because they consist of injecting toxic substances into the body. Homeopathy, on the other hand, removes the toxicity before allowing it to enter the body. The deeper I read into the book LET LIKE CURE LIKE, The Definitive Guide to the Healing Power of Homeopathy, by Vinton McCabe, the more eager I became to learn more. Homeopathic medicines have cured everything from allergies to mental illness. If you would like to learn more about homeopathy, I strongly suggest this book. There is so much to this healing vice, that I cannot possibly explain it all. According to Ellen Fowler, a homeopath in Missoula, Montana, the homeopathic success rate is 90%. It is covered by health insurance in some states. Even if it is not, think of the money you will save on medication over the years if you rid yourself of the chronic condition requiring medication. Of course, naturopathic and homeopathic care is similar to personal training in that we can only help those who are willing to help themselves. You have to take that first step to try something new at the risk of feeling better and living a higher quality of life. Are you worth it? I say "YES !"
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Who am I?
By Robert Johnson Jr.
Before embarking on your journey to a healthier you, the first thing you must is to find yourself, I mean really ask yourself, who am I? As a fitness professional I see and hear people make the same mistakes over and over again, by watching late night infomercials and reading false advertisement. If losing weight is easy as taking pills that claims losing 20 lbs in two weeks, then we Americans would not be getting larger every year. Who am I? am I that person? if so, stop searching for short-cuts, because there's no substitute for hard work. If you do find that magic pill or shots to lose a quick 15-20 lbs, it only would be temporary. So stop wasting your hard earn money. I suggest you get mentally prepared, do a self-check by looking in a mirror and say "who am I?", then visualize the past, present, and future. The next step hire a trainer, someone who can help you reach one goal at a time. When the training it's hard don't quit! and the end results you would know the answer to "who am I?" "It's not time to work hard... work hard all the time"
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A Better Body NOW!...7 Secrets to Creating a Better Body After the Baby
By Robert L. Selders, Jr.
It is truly amazing to witness how much the human body can change during the course of a pregnancy. Unfortunately, some of those changes leave their mark well after the baby is born. Flabby stomachs, stretch marks, and extra weight can leave some women feeling frustrated and depressed. You wonder if you will ever see your pre-pregnancy body again. Below are a few helpful tips for restoring your body, improving your energy and selfconfidence levels, and combating postpartum depression. Make sure you consult with your doctor before starting your postnatal exercise program. Embarking on an exercise program too soon can cause further damage to areas of your body that need time to heal. Women who have had a C-section will usually have a longer recovery period. 1. Relax. You've just spent the last 39 weeks carrying a lot of extra weight, so don't be unrealistic in your expectations. Take care of your baby and yourself for at least the next two months before even thinking about beginning an exercise program. If you've exercised regularly during your pregnancy and up to your delivery day, then you may be able to return to exercising much sooner. 2. Get the proper nutrition. It's especially important for breast-feeding mothers to eat between 5 to 6 meals per day, including breakfast. Make sure each meal contains a lean protein and a complex carbohydrate food item. Try to avoid any processed foods. Doing this will help you maintain consistent energy levels and keep your body properly fueled throughout the day. One little known fat loss secret is to eat more vegetables. They have low calorie-high fiber content. High consumption of vegetables provides bulk to your meals and actually tricks your metabolism into staying elevated because your body has to process a large volume of food. 3. Start from the inside out. During pregnancy, many women experience what's known as diastisis recti (separation of the right and left abdominus muscle). Strengthening exercises during and after pregnancy can help in preventing and recovering from this medical disorder. When ready to start exercising, begin by strengthening your pelvic floor and deep core muscles with exercises like PC squeezes, drawing-in maneuvers, quadruped alternates, and floor bridges. Stronger pelvic floor muscles also have the added benefit of preventing urinary incontinence and tightening the vagina stretched from childbirth. Pelvic Lift Exercise 4. Stepping it up a notch. Once your doctor has given you a full release, you may be ready to progress in your exercise routine by incorporating a few more abdominal
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and lower back exercises like iso-ab series, leg slides and hip extensions, and floor cobras. Hip Extensions 5. Add cardio to the mix. When your ligament and joint laxity has subsided, you should be able to add low impact cardiovascular exercise like swimming, cycling, and brisk walking to your fitness program. Start with multiple, short exercise sessions (8-10 minutes) and gradually increase the time (20-30 minutes) as your cardiovascular capacity improves. 6. Achieve balance. The uneven weight distribution you experienced during pregnancy can create compensatory patterns that lead to numerous imbalances in your musculoskeletal system. Integrate balance training into your postpartum exercise program to progressively challenge your body to restore neuromuscular control. You may also try yoga or other meditative techniques to relieve stress and tension for mental clarity and enhanced energy. Balance Exercise: Balance Stand on one foot with the other tucked into the calf of the balancing leg. Hold that position for as long as you are able. If possible, try without a support. 7. Weight training. Incorporating resistance into any training program has always been and will always be a key ingredient for building lean muscle tissue, increasing strength, and improving body composition. Start with exercises that require only your body weight like squats, lunges, push-ups, and inverted rows (modified as needed). When able, increase the resistance by using dumbbells and include additional movements for variety. Beginning a postnatal fitness training program can help you relieve stress and tension; and build strength and lean muscle tissue which will boost your metabolism and accelerate the shedding of those unwanted extra pounds. Additionally, postnatal exercising has the benefit of minimizing bouts of postpartum depression because it improves your emotional well-being and helps to reduce fatigue. Obtain consent from your doctor prior to beginning your postnatal fitness training program; and remember to start slowly and gradually progress. In no time at all, you will have your body back, along with a healthy self-image.
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Eternal Fairways and Greens...7 Tips That Will Keep You Playing Golf for a Life Time
By Robert L. Selders, Jr.
If current estimates are correct, over 60 million people worldwide participate in golf. It easily continues to be one of the fastest growing sports among all age groups. Golfers are also notorious for spending big bucks on new equipment, the best teaching pros, and high-tech training aids in an effort to make drastic improvements in their games. In fact, golfers spend over $26 billion a year on golf equipment and fees alone. Golf-related injuries are also proving to be more frequent and costly. More than 60 percent of the amateur golfers have sustained one or more golf-related injuries over the course of their playing years. Over fifty percent of touring professionals have had to stop playing because of injuries. Many of these injuries were attributed to a strength deficiency, lack of conditioning, or poor posture. A number of golfers have been enlightened to the importance of maintaining and investing in the most important piece of golfing equipment out there. Unfortunately, the majority still fail to realize that the piece of equipment that will ultimately determine their golfing success and allow them to play well for years to come is their own BODY. So while you're reaching for your counterforce brace, analgesic balms, or trusted antiinflammatory, consider why you need to make the effort to prepare your body now if you plan to continue playing for a life time. 1. Golfers ARE athletes! While the golf swing is performed in a different plane, its rapid, forceful movement requires numerous muscles to fire in the right sequence and synchronously with one another to produce a coordinated, harmonious swing. Whoever said golf is not a sport has probably never experienced the estimated 7590 mph force that accompanies an average golf swing. 2. Get checked before you get wrecked. Instead of scheduling a lesson that will only correct your swing faults, consider booking an appointment for a functional assessment of your body. This type of assessment can detect deficiencies and assist in developing your individualized conditioning program. 3. You need a solid foundation. Improving the strength, balance, and stability of your lower body will give you the support necessary to properly shift your bodyweight and generate loads of rotational power. 4. Flex for the X. By incorporating flexibility training into your fitness program, you will not only increase your X-Factor, but also help ensure optimal performance and reduce the risk of injury. 5. Don't forget the Core. Core strength and stability are essential in order to be consistent and maintain correct posture during the various positions of the golf
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swing. Without this integral piece, your ability to generate sufficient rotational power will be severely impaired. 6. You won't become a 'muscle head'. It isn't necessary to 'lift the gym', but golf does require a specific type of strength to handle the stresses your body is subjected to with each stroke. Strengthening these stabilizing and force producing muscles will add dimensions to your game that will make you the envy of your 'non-golffitness-program-participant' playing partners. 7. No 50 yd Sprints or Boston Marathons. Golf doesn't require you to sprint from one shot to the next or run any marathons. However, playing and walking 18 holes in the Texas summer heat can leave you feeling as if you had. You can improve your endurance capacity by performing at least 20-30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise like brisk walking, swimming, or cycling at least 3 times a week. This will allow you to remain as mentally focused on the 18th hole as you are on the 1st. There is a strong correlation between the physical condition of a golfer and their ability to produce a fluid and powerful golf swing. The nice thing about incorporating a regiment of fitness and strength training into your schedule is that you are never too old to do it or to enjoy the benefits. Whether you are in your early twenties or late eighties, you can increase your strength dramatically. A well designed golf fitness program will allow you to make more effective use of the additional tools you select to improve your game, and allow your golf teaching pro to help you get the most from your golf lessons. While it doesn't promise to give you a body that will end up on the pages of a bodybuilding magazine, it will give you a better conditioned body overall that will allow you to pursue your passion for a lifetime.
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Unstoppable! How You Can Charge Forward and Achieve All Your Fitness Goals NOW
By Robert L. Selders, Jr.
Greek philosopher Aristotle once stated that 'Man is a goal seeking animal. His life only has meaning if he is reaching out and striving for his goals.' There is no question that as human beings, we are working towards our potential when we are focused on meeting a goal. Setting goals is an important part of all of our lives. We set all types of personal and professional goals for ourselves every day, and that's a good thing. Some time ago, Grammy award winning singer, musician, and song writer Alicia Keys had a hit song called, 'Unbreakable' where she says: 'Cause he ain't no different from you And she ain't no different from me So we got to live our dreams Like the people on T.V. We gotta stay tuned 'Cause there's more to see (Unbreakable) Through the technical difficulties (Unbreakable) We might have to take a break But ya'll know we'll be back next week I'm singing this love is unbreakable Oh yeah, yeah? Our goals should do something similar for us: provide us with long term vision and short term motivation that makes us 'unstoppable.' With clearly defined goals, we are able to actually measure and take pride in the achievements that we make throughout our lives. Furthermore, by setting goals and meeting them, we raise our self-confidence and our willingness to continue improving ourselves by setting even higher goals. Other notable benefits of goal setting:
Forces us to set priorities in our lives and limits possible distractions, Improves our self-image and confidence, Gives us a positive focus for our energy, Provides us with a path to follow in life, Compels us to take ownership of our own successes and failures, and Offers us insight into our weaknesses so that we can improve them and make them strengths
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Setting goals is not always easy, particularly fitness goals. The biggest problem is that we define those goals too broadly. 'What do you mean too broadly'? you may ask. Well, we might set our goals to be something like, 'I want to loose 20 pounds' or 'I want to be healthier'. These are good goals, but if we want to increase our chances of achieving them we need to get more specific and map out a detailed plan; and then take action towards accomplishing those things in our plan. For example, it may be more effective to say, 'I will loose 20 pounds in 6 months' or 'I want to be healthier by decreasing my body fat by X percentage and lowering my cholesterol level to Y'. Setting realistic and precise goals increases our chances of achieving them. Once we have an idea as to the 'big picture' goal, as illustrated in the above example, we need to then break that bigger goal into smaller, specific target goals. For example, setting a goal to workout three times a week for 20 minutes is a smaller, targeted goal. We often tend to view goals as an end result instead of an intricate part of our ongoing fitness plan. By setting a smaller goal of attending the gym regularly, we are making that weight loss goal a part of our everyday fitness program. Furthermore, if we break that larger goal down into achievable smaller goals strategically placed within our fitness plan, we do two things. First, we have a goal that is achievable almost immediately, and that is exactly the kind of kick start that many of us often need in the beginning of a new fitness routine. Secondly, as we achieve these small goals, our confidence level will continue to soar and we will find ourselves motivated and energized to continue. The successful achievement of these smaller goals serves as our incentive to set up and achieve the next goal on our way to mastering the 'big one'. Before you know it, you will have achieved not only all of those smaller goals, but your end result. After setting your goals, do not be surprised if you see an increase in your energy level as you begin to live your life with renewed purpose and passion that often comes with having meaningful goals. You will feel more confident and motivated as you take control of your life and move in the direction you have defined for yourself. You can truly be unstoppable in your quest for a healthier you.
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According to Dr. McMinn, Syndrome X is not caused from a hypo-active thyroid, as often as most can figure but is more than often found to be common and in line with diabetes type II. The body just isnt insulin sensitive anymore and the cells no longer are responsive to receiving insulin. This can be developed from poor eating habits as well as a genetic disposition. We often have seen this in larger percentages in female African Americans. So the multi-pronged theory is true. Its a little bit about exercise, proper nutrition, genetics and hormone optimization. So its still a choice that can be made. Although you cannot change your genetics, you can control your metabolism by exercising consistently, eating healthy food, and seeing a specialist about your concern for where your hormone functions are. Get tested if you think your body is not functioning right. Then take action on to increase your metabolism naturally through nutrition and exercise. There is a cure for syndrome X, its through exercise, nutrition, hormone testing and replacement. With this well rounded approach you can do great things, so dont throw in the towel.
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in front of you frequently and in places that you pass by and are at most often. These constant reminders will lead to new dendrite and synaptic nerve formations and start reprogramming your subconscious mind. Now that you can see the light at the end of the tunnel and have a crystal vision, it's time to design a plan to get from here to there. The first thing to do is set clear, realistic goals. Make yourself short term goals and long term goals. Short term goals could be I will not smoke a cigarette today or I will not cheat on my meal plan today. I will exercise 4 days this week. I will save $50 this month. These are great examples of short term goals that are realistic, attainable and that have a timeline. Long term goals could be I will save $1,000 this year, I will lose 20lbs this year, and I will buy a home in 5 years. Take time out everyday to review your plan, this will help you stick to it and keep you motivated to perform those daily tasks necessary to reach your goals. When you reach your goals reward yourself. Rewards could be a night out at your favorite restaurant, a new outfit, a vacation or time off, a day of pampering at the spa or country club. Whatever you enjoy, reward yourself according to the goals you reach. The harder the goal is to reach, the greater the reward for yourself. The second step in planning is to get organized. It is so much easier to operate when you know where everything is at. De-cluttering your environment is the first step in decluttering your mind. Cleaning up your work space and household helps regulate your life, so you can focus on the important things. You are a product of your product, so practice, practice, practice. Practice staying organized, practice keeping things efficient and practice planning. Develop a schedule and plan out your day. Having a game plan is a great way to get started. Plan your meals, plan your workouts, plan for personal time, and stick to it. Make an agreement with yourself that you will stick to your plan. Have a specific time for your activities and be committed to them. I don't feel like it and I'm tired is not an excuse, those are reasons for you to stick to your plan and keep your agreement to yourself. To create even more efficiency in your life, make a task list for the following day and then rank the tasks according to priority. Take care of priority number one first and then work your way down the list, checking each task off one by one. When you do this, you find you have more time to get things done through out the day. Thirdly, be accountable. Make a contract with yourself, write it down, print it out and sign and date it. Now you have taken action and made a commitment and its right there in front of you. Put this in a place where you will see it often as a reminder of commitment to yourself and your dreams. If you have trouble with goals, with planning, with decision making or taking action, then hire a professional to help you out. Professionals are there to help you reach your goals. They are pro's, because they know their business inside and out. If you have trouble with finances, hire a financial planner, if you know you won't workout or don't know how, then hire a personal trainer. You wouldn't hire a mechanic to fix your broken leg, so why do you try to accomplish everything by yourself when you know that you don't know it all. Save time, headache and heartache by seeking out professional help in areas that are not your strengths.
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Another thing I do to stay the course is read motivational and inspirational books. I am always trying to keep my life in balance- mind, body and spirit. One of the most influential books I ever read is by Eckhart Tolle, "The Power of Now". In my opinion, this book lays it out, it is all about now. Each moment in your life matters, and being in the moment and staying present is the key. Being in the now you don't take things for granitite, you take them for what they are, experiences. Life is all about experiences, the more you have the more you can connect with others and the more you learn about yourself. This book also helps in making you look at the positive side of things; you can learn something from every person, from every situation, no matter how bad it may seem at the time, the right thing will happen for you. Other things that have helped me out are meditation and yoga. This allows me to relax and clear my mind of the daily clutter. I just take 10 - 20 minutes a day to meditate, or sit outside in a quiet area, close my eyes and just focus on my breathing. The easiest meditative technique is just to count your breathes, 1 - 10 and then back down again. Don't focus on anything but counting your breathes, let the thoughts that come into your head exit just as quickly. I try the same technique when doing yoga. Just breathe through each posture, relaxing the mind and stretching those tight muscles. This also helps keep you in the moment, staying in the Now?. One last tip for getting motivated is music. I use music to ease into my meditation, to relax me in traffic, or to give me energy for my workouts. Music can soothe the soul, or get your adrenaline going. One song that gets me pumped up for a workout is "Eye of the Tiger". Every time I hear it my heart rate increases, the blood starts to flow, and my mindset changes into overdrive I am focused on my workout, and raring to go. On the other side of the spectrum, when I need to relax and de-stress, I listen to classical, new age, or sounds of the earth music. This helps me slow down my breathing, calm my nerves, and quiet my mind. Find the music and the beats that move you. Listen carefully and pay attention to how certain music makes you feel, and then you can create play lists and cd's for particular moods. "Motivated for life" is about finding what works for you. I hope all these tips and suggestions will guide you on your path to taking control of your life. Enjoy, and bask in the energy of positive thinking and eliminate all negative self talk and energy from you days. Remember, we only have this opportunity, this body, once, so make the best of it. Live in the now, live in the moment, be where you are, be here now, be present in every second of your life, get in touch with yourself and your inner being. Find your passion, your desire and focus on that, and you will be "motivated for life".
Creates deep relaxation and aids the body to release stress and tension. It accelerates the body's self-healing abilities, Aids better sleep, Reduces blood pressure Can help with acute (injuries) and chronic problems (asthma, eczema, headaches, etc.) Aides the breaking of addictions, Helps relieve pain, Removes energy blockages, adjusts the energy flow of the endocrine system bringing the body into balance and harmony, Assists the body in cleaning itself from toxins, Reduces some of the side effects of drugs and helps the body to recover from drug therapy after surgery and chemotherapy, Supports the immune system,
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Increases vitality and postpones the aging process, Helps spiritual growth and emotional clearing
Whole body health is what Reiki provides for us. Revitalize, Reinvigorate, Renew Your Life!
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It is important to note that the research further indicates that training intensity is a key factor for maintenance of muscular strength. Working with physiotherapists trained in pain management and high intensity strength training can provide optimal results for people experiencing low back pain. References 1 Tucci, JT, Carpenter, DM, Pollock, ML, Graves, JE, and Leggett, SH. 1992. Effect of reduced frequency of training and detraining on lumbar extension strength. Spine. 17(2): 1497-1501. 2 Pollock, ML, Leggett, SH, Graves, JE, Jones, A, Fultan, M, and Cirulli, J. 1989. Effect of resistance training on lumbar extension strength. The American Journal of Sports Medicine. 17(5): 624-629. 3 Carpenter, DM, and Nelson, BW. 1999. Low back strengthening for the prevention and treatment of low back pain. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 31 (1): 1824. 4 Graves, JE, Webb, DC, Pollock, ML, Matkozick, J, Leggett, SH, Carpenter, DM, Foster, DN, and Cirulli, J. 1994. Pelvic stabilization during resistance training: Its effect on the development of lumbar extension strength. Arch Phys Med Rehabilitation. 75: 210-215. 5 Risch, SV, Pollock, ML, Langer, H, Graves, JE, Fulton, M, and Leggut, SH. 1993. Lumbar strengthening in chronic low back pain patients: Physiological and psychological benefits. Spine 18 (2):232-238 6 Graves, JE, Leggett, SH, Fix, CK, Pollock, ML, Carpenter, DM, and Fulton, MN. 1992. Limited range of motion lumbar extension strength training. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 24 (1): 128-133
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The skeletal muscles are the means through which all trainable systems (including the cardiovascular and skeletal systems) of the body can be exercised. Exercise occurs only as a result of mechanical work performed by the muscles. Muscle strength largely determines your ability to move and is, therefore, the most important element of physical fitness. The stronger you are the easier it is to perform any activity. With greater strength, you will hit the golf ball farther, climb the stairs more easily, and carry things without difficulty. The other factors of physical fitness play a supportive role to the work performed by the muscles. For instance, it is the ability of the heart to respond to and support muscular demand that determines cardiovascular efficiency. Improved strength also increases endurance since muscles can contract for a longer time when performing submaximal activities. Working the muscles against adequate resistance is the only means of producing consistent strength gains. Cardiovascular Efficiency The role of the cardiovascular system is to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the muscles and vital organs and to transfer carbon dioxide and other metabolic wastes away from these tissues. Any activity that places significant demands on the cardiovascular system will stimulate improvements in its efficiency. More and more medical and exercise research is demonstrating the benefits of strength training for this purpose. Again, it works because rather than operating in isolation, the heart responds to muscular demand. It works better than so-called cardio exercise because the muscle demand is greater. In addition, it avoids the high levels of force and impact associated with traditional aerobic activities. If you choose to do such activities, more lean muscle mass leads to improved performance and less risk of injury. Greater strength also has a cardiac protective effect in that daily activities will be less demanding on the heart. Flexibility Motion is lotion. It is important to regularly move all your joints through their range of motion. A gentle stretch often feels great. Less helpful, however, is the forced, sustained stretching frequently promoted to increase flexibility. Although necessary under some circumstances, there is no general health benefit derived from this behavior. In fact, if a joint becomes more flexible without a corresponding increase in muscular strength, the probability of injury or instability is increased. A healthy level of flexibility can be achieved and maintained with resistance training alone if exercises are performed over a full range of motion. In Summary Proper strength training produces improvements in lean muscle tissue, bone density, cardiovascular efficiency, glucose metabolism, and joint stability. Adequate resistance is required for a meaningful stimulus. Sufficient recovery is necessary to make gains and avoid overtraining. Exercise is best thought of as physical medicine and should be prescribed according to individual needs and goals. Supervision from a qualified trainer or therapist increases safety, guides progression, and motivates effort. Having been led to believe that exercise is about fun and pleasure, people often avoid real exercise or are
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disinclined to exert themselves when performing it. The utilization of unproductive, inefficient activities combined with an aversion to hard work prevents individuals from achieving desired physical improvements. Building muscle is the key to avoiding the decline and degeneration frequently associated with aging. The old saying is true: adversity makes us stronger! Thankfully, it can happen with as little as twenty minutes per week.
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Health Promotion
By Shervan Khanna
Millions of people have been led astray by incorrect information, beliefs, opinions, and practices recommended by health care professionals, fitness instructors, and coaches who do not understand exercise and its requirements. Such misinformation has caused many to miss the real benefits that exercise can deliver and, even worse, to end up injured in the pursuit of health. Others become frustrated by lack of results or conflicting information and choose to do nothing at all. Attempts at health promotion have focused efforts on increasing activity. Various agencies and individuals perceive a solution in promoting a kinder, gentler exercise, which takes the emphasis off a structured and planned program and emphasizes generic activities that occur during ones normal daily life. In an effort to gain exercise compliance, these organizations have lowered the standards of exercise to such a level that virtually every activity that involves movement of the body qualifies as exercise. This is a big mistake with potentially disastrous consequences. In order to produce the adaptations that improve health and function, the body requires a direct and significant stimulus, namely demanding muscular work. Exercise is a challenge to the body, which, if performed within safe parameters, results in positive changes. Unfortunately, non-demanding activities cannot provide the required stimulation and desirable benefits of proper, structured exercise. Even if an individual partakes in a very active lifestyle, they still must exercise. Exercise is not optional. Ironically, proper exercise requires much less time commitment than any of the bogus exercise replacements. As for the demanding nature of exercise and the unpleasant symptoms (muscle burn, elevated heart rate, increased respiration, sweating, etc.) that occur during its performance, these things are simply unavoidable. Hard work is necessary to stimulate changes to your body and some discomfort is part of the package. These uncomfortable feelings are normal and natural and they cause no harm. If effort is reduced in order to avoid discomfort, results from exercise will remain elusive.
What Exercise CAN and CANNOT Do In general, exercise CAN effect changes in the following six areas of physical condition: Muscular Improvements (strength, endurance, tone, shape) Increased Bone Density and Strength Improved Cardiovascular Efficiency Enhanced Flexibility Contribution to Body Leanness
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Increased Resistance to Injury Though proper exercise offers a multitude of benefits, exercise is sometimes promoted as doing things that it simply CANNOT do. A few of the more prevalent false beliefs are briefly discussed below. Exercise CANNOT: By Itself Cause Body Fat Loss Fat loss occurs only when total daily calorie intake is less than total daily calorie expenditure (ie. as a result of a calorie deficit). This occurs much more efficiently as a result of restricted intake. Burn a Significant Amount of Calories Calorie expenditure during exercise is very small relative to the amount of calories easily consumed through food. Burn a Significant Amount of Fat Of the calories expended during exercise, most are derived from carbohydrate. Depending on the exercise intensity, fat contributes no more than about 40 percent of the energy. If total expenditure is small, how can a small fraction of this small amount be significant? Alone for Overeating / Nutritional Infractions For the reasons discussed above, exercise cannot make up for excessive calories consumed from poor food choices. By Itself Significantly Alter Body Appearance Improving physical appearance requires reducing body fat and strengthening and shaping muscles. Exercise primarily causes the muscular changes. Body fat reduction requires dietary modification and control. Body fat lies on top of muscle and can hide improvements in muscle tone and shape that occur from exercise. Therefore, without dietary control, exercise is limited in its ability to change appearance. Prevent Heart Disease Cardiovascular disease has many contributing factors and cannot be prevented simply by performing aerobic exercise. Many people who exercise regularly still get heart disease and suffer heart attacks. Heart disease continues to be the number one health problem in North America.
The general public is harmed when it is misled and confused by incorrect information and incomplete advice, regardless of how well-meaning it may be. Having been led to believe that exercise is about fun and pleasure, people often avoid real exercise or are disinclined to work hard and exert themselves when performing it. The utilization of unproductive, inefficient activities combined with an unwillingness to work hard prevents an individual from achieving the physical improvements he or she seeks.
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Then, once you know what your goals are, break them down into small "bite-sized" pieces and take action towards achieving them. So for example if your ultimate goal is to lose 60 pounds, don't focus on 60 pounds because that's intimidating and overwhelming. Instead take the actions necessary to lose just one pound. When you've lost one pound, then focus on two pounds...then three. then four... you get my point. If you want to run a mile without stopping, take action on walking a mile without stopping, then jogging a mile.... Once you dissect your goals write them down ON PAPER & WITH A DEADLINE. Then, read them out loud several times a day. This is so important, because this habit forces your subconscious mind to take action on achieving these goals. Whether you are aware of it or not, your subconscious mind controls your actions 100% of the time. I'm sure you've accomplished many goals in your life: the birth of a child, a promotion, a degree, getting to work on time, buying a new car, or house...the list goes on. I'm also sure you would agree there is nothing quite as satisfying as establishing a goal, working hard at attaining it, DESPITE the challenges, and finally achieving what you were seeking What a feeling! In addition, you know what? Its that feeling that gives you the motivation and willpower to accomplish your next goal. Think of each goal as a single domino in a line of dominoes. All you have to do is knock down that first domino and all the others will go tumbling down. That is the momentum you create by setting your goals and stopping at nothing to achieve them! So if you have not done so already, don't waste another minute, take ten minutes, sit down quietly with no distractions, identify your goals, and your plan for achieving them. Good Luck and I'll see you "at the top".
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exercise and nutrition program. Not because she wasnt capable of completing her workouts and following a supportive eating plan, but because she did not truly believe it was possible. Why? Because she had failed in the past. Positive change is dependent upon the interlocking of belief and know-how. Weight loss programs that rely solely on external behaviors such as counting calories, skipping dessert, and doing cardio in your fat-burning zone, rarely lead to permanent weight loss if they do not simultaneously address the internal or intangible components of change, some of which include self-image and personal beliefs. Change begins with a shift in these intangibles. As adults, we hold many beliefs that are self-limiting and that retard our progress towards achieving physical transformation. Some of these include, I dont have time, This is too hard, I hate exercising, Im just not disciplined, Eating healthy is boring, or I have no self-control. These unsupportive thoughts and beliefs, disguised as excuses, are nothing more than self-sabotaging belief systems that you have chosen to accept as your truth. The good new is that you can also choose to accept beliefs that are supportive of the goal you are striving to achieve. Mark Victor Hanson, co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul says it best: Your belief determines your action and your action determines your results, but first you have to believe.
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Visualization, effective goal setting, and positive self-talk when consistently implemented, will transform your belief systems into more supportive ones. It's essential that you master these techniques, because they'll serve as your foundation. Your emotional and mental foundation like that of a house must be on solid ground so that you can build confidently on it. Live by the words of author Dennis Kimbro: "There is a difference between wishing for a thing and being ready to receive it. No one is ready for a thing until he believes he can acquire it. The state of mind must be belief, not a mere hope or wish. There is nothing, right or wrong, that belief plus burning desire cannot bring to pass."
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Most people find that they are a combination of two of these body types. Your body type is determined by genetics. This doesn't mean that if you're 75 pounds overweight you can blame it all on your family and decide there's no chance of changing it. That's called a cop-out. You may always have some excess weight but it can be on a much smaller scale with a good fitness plan. So before you can create realistic goals you have to identify your body type. Before we go any further let me make something perfectly clear. You don't have to be perfectly thin to be in good shape. No matter what your body type is you can be healthy and fit through sensible nutrition and exercise. If you're thin with next to no muscle development, you can absolutely add muscle to your frame. But if you're expecting to end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger you're probably expecting too much. It's possible but not probable. So why not make yourself feel successful by creating goals that are easier to attain? If you determine your body type you will more easily be able to set reasonable goals that you know you can achieve. Let's go through an example. You're a guy and your ultimate goal is to add 20 pounds of muscle to your frame. You've always been thin and athletic with good muscle tone. You're an ectomorph. You want to be more muscular. How do you go about it? The worst thing you can do is to just start working out without a plan. You've got to know what to eat, how often to eat, and what exercises to do or you'll be wasting your time. Your options are to get help in the form of advice or training from a fitness professional, do some research on the internet to find a plan that matches your needs, or get a book that has the proper fitness plan mapped out for you. You have to choose the option that you know you can follow on a consistent basis. Don't go the cheap route just to save money if you have doubts about sticking with it. Once you have a plan you can set your first shortterm goal. That may be to gain 5 pounds of muscle in the first 30 days. Once you have met or exceeded this goal, reward yourself. Make yourself feel proud for reaching this first goal. Get yourself something you've been wanting or go do something you've wanted to do. Then, set another short-term goal. Keep repeating the process until you get to your ultimate goal. The important thing is to set realistic goals. If you've always had a weight problem and want to lose 50 pounds, make it easier to achieve by setting reasonable short term goals. Set a goal of losing 10 pounds every 30 days and meet or exceed that goal. Treat yourself every month for being successful. If you have trouble meeting the goal, lower it. The important thing is to set goals you can achieve and to stick with it. When you're successful on a regular short-term basis, you'll have a feeling of pride and accomplishment. This will be the driving force that keeps you going.
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variety of reasons. But it is so important. Especially since many jobs today have turned into sitting in your chair staring at a computer screen for eight hours a day. Flexibility will help keep your muscles loose, prevent stiffness, and maintain joint mobility. It helps you keep that youthful feeling and defy the aging process. Do a minimum of three days a week for 10 to 20 minutes. Dont be afraid to stretch everyday. Even morning and night. You can over train when it comes to strength and endurance training, but it is near impossible to stretch too much. When stretching, keep the movements slow and controlled. Do not bounce or jolt the limbs. That is a ballistic style of stretching and can be dangerous. We want to prevent injury, not get injured. There you have it; endurance, strength, and flexibility training. If you incorporate these into your health and fitness program you will ward off any injury as you begin the aging process. Youll keep that youthful body and youthful energy. Youll friends will be asking, What is your secret?
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Lastly make sure you drink plenty of water. Shoot for one ounce for every two pounds of body weight. Keeping a water bottle with you all day and filling it up as it empties is a tip I like to follow. There you have it. I have given you four ways to optimize your fat burning potential. Because you do have the potential to burn every pound of fat off of your body!
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"Believe"
By Velma Esprit Garnes
At the time of writing this article Im in Orlando Florida in a beach resort listening to my husband snore. Its about 5:45am and of course, since we/re on vacation, we are sleeping in. I however, have other things on my mind that I would like to share. We frequent Florida often and this is the third of Im sure many visits yet to come, and as I continue to enjoy my stay and watch my vacation days dwindle, I cant help but be moved by the visits to Sea World. Sea World would be an otherwise enjoyable visit had I not seen the movie Happy Feet prior to my visit. Instead of enjoying the shows, I find myself obsessively concerned about all the animals in captivity. I took my kids to see the movie, thinking I was going to see, well, a kids movie and I came out on the other side of it with a valuable learning lesson about things I had some thoughts about, but never as in depth as they educated me. One of the shows we saw the at Sea World is Believe. This show Believe is about a boy at a very young age becomes interested in killer whales, and so from there he starts his research into killer whales. He wanted to know more and learn more about this killer whale culture. So, on the large screen in the pool with the killer whales there is the movie that plays out about this young boy whom, for now I will call John. John is so into the killer whales that he carves out the tail of a killer whale, makes a necklace that he carves out of wood, and dons it around his neck. Since the theme of the whole story is believe, we are to assume that John is believing so much in the whale that it eventually comes to life. Now, my point is this, stick with me because I do have one. What do you believe? Do you believe that your life is hard and that no one understands what you could possible be going through? No one has it as tough as you? We all have hard times in our life weve all had to endure, weve all had to overcome some major obstacles, so what? What seems to be the major difference between you and Martha (Stewart)? You and Jennifer Lopez? Or any of the other famous Jennifers for that matter. What separates us from those that succeed and those that only achieve mediocre success? Better opportunities? Money? Better upbringing? Better connections? What do you think? The more I talk to those that I admire, the more I begin to understand that those who reach phenomenal success in life are those that believe. They truly believe. If you ever
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watch the Martha Stewart show, she may seem snippy, or even snooty to some, but like her or not, Martha believes in what shes doing. If you ever watched or heard J.Los story, when she was a complete nobody, she believed that she would be where she is right now. She believed so much in where she would one day be; that she was often ridiculed and always gave 110% while others would sit back and just get by. She lived in it even though she didnt have it yet. She believed. Often, when I talk to women who want to lose weight, or even have lost all they wanted, they find themselves in a place where they cant believe that theyre there. If theyve already lost the weight, they have a hard time trying to find the right clothes to fit them, or when they do, they get stuck wearing the baggy clothes because they cant seem to buy the size they actually wear, since theyve become accustomed to wearing large, xx-large, or whatever their old person was. They cant seem to believe in their new bodies. This is a large reason why most people cant keep the weight off, they find themselves slipping into that fat identity. Its been them for so long, that they find it difficult to imagine being the new person that they are. This is difficult because while in their old bodies, they never took the time to imagine themselves in their new bodies while in the present. When they finally do get into the size they once were their mind has a hard time catching up to their hearts and they tend to think of the situation as temporary, or they simply hope it lasts for a while, instead of believing that thats who they are now. When dealing with weight loss it is crucial that you understand that in order to continue to live inside the body that youve created, you have to learn to believe that it s the new body that youre in. This may sound trite, but its not much different than visualization used by athletes in the sports arena. Now more than ever it is understood that where the mind goes, the body follows. It is beginning to be incorporated into medicine as well. Dr. Andrew Weil for instance was among one of the first to coin the phrase integrative medicine, where he is combining mind, body, and modern medicine to heal. To maintain weight loss, you must use visualization as your source of commitment to yourself. When you spend time in meditation, (and if you dont you should) you should make a conscious effort to imagine yourself, as you truly want to be. The mind does not know the difference between reality and fantasy. Understand that success must be created within you before it can manifest in your life. Our feelings determine what we aspire to be and what we can accomplish in life. Where your mind goes your body follows. Author /speaker Lee Milteer of the book, Success Is An Inside Job, she says that she uses storyboards to map out the kind of life she wants for herself, to help her minds eye make a crystal clear picture of the goal she is trying to achieve. I too have adopted this same ritual. This is effective especially if you have a hard time
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forcing yourself into visualizing what you want. Once you get the hang of it, it begins to become your reality. You can use visualization, but you can also use words, the words from your mouth are powerful and very important especially since youre the first to hear them. Make sure when you take the time for visualization weight loss techniques that you are supporting your positive visualization weight loss with positive sayings or mantras. In the beginning when youre trying to say things to yourself, such as You look better than J.Lo, or certainly Paris Hilton would be invisible next to you or whatever it is, it may sound like a farce, but after continual repetition and convincing your attitude begins to change and you will begin to make choices in line with how you feel about your new body and begin to make new and more supportive choices to get you in line with how you feel about your new body and your new self. Back to SeaWorld; The little boy in the story at the end of the video was shown on a split screen next to the man he has now become wearing the same necklace to show that he became what he believed and so the same is true in life. What do you believe? References: 1. Milteer, Lee. Success Is an Inside Job, Heart, Integrity, and Intuition: The Secrets to Getting Anything You Want. 1996
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"The Effects of Decreased Hormonal Activity on Bone Loss and Muscular Development in Pre-, Peri-, Post- Menopausal Women"
By Velma Esprit Garnes
It is a known fact that advancing in aging has side effects and whether or not it is viewed negatively or positively is up to the beholder. Typically as women move into this stage of their life there is increased awareness of bone density loss. Due to the significant decrease in the hormone estrogen, there is an increased incidence of vertebral and hip fractures. Estrogen is a critical hormone for the maintenance of bone mass in women.(1) Research shows that the most common remedy for the loss of the hormone estrogen is hormone replacement therapy (HRT) This is simply an attempt to replace the loss of the hormone estrogen (2). Osteoporosis is a bone disease which affects 20 million women, particularly Caucasian, in the United States over the age of 40. The National Osteoporosis Foundation found that 1.3 million hip fractures are attributed to osteoporosis annually. After menopause there is an increased amount bone loss due to the fact that estrogen production is significantly decreased. It is recommended that women undergo estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) in order to combat the degenerative effects of osteoporosis. ERT is considered the most combative form of therapy and the most important intervention for the prevention of osteoporosis. There are a large number of fractures to the hip and spine due to the fact that osteoporosis is closely associated with the aging process. The loss of gait and balance contributes to increase falling incidents during the menopausal years. Weight bearing activities such as high peak forces applied at high frequency rates result in the highest benefit in bone maintenance and enhancement. Weight training activities help to increase neuromuscular control and lead to improved balance and coordination. This article summarizes several key factors, which lead to the prevention of bone loss: Effects of estrogen on bone and estrogen replacement therapy; the effects of weight bearing exercise on bone loss; and aerobic exercise consideration. While in adolescence and young adulthood exercise is of primary importance in preventing osteoporosis. From the age of 35 it is estimated that women lose bone mass at the rate of 0.75% to 1% per year and this rate increases to 2 3% per year at menopause. In the initial 5 6 years after menopause the rate of bone loss is markedly more increased especially in the hip and spine. Women who participated in moderate to high intensity exercise for a
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significant portion of their life (athletes) in their premenopausal years were found to be more susceptible to increased bone mineral density (BMD) than nonathletic women. Maintaining a high peak bone mass in adolescence and young adulthood is of primary importance in staving off osteoporosis and fractures later in life. Even though it is well known that exercise is important and contributes to decreased bone density, it is still unclear as to what frequency, intensity, type or duration of the activity would be most effective in preventing bone loss. Dietary calcium supplementation seems to exert the greatest effect in the early years of peak bone formation before age 25 into 5 or more years beyond the onset of menopause. Calcium supplementation seems to best benefit individuals who have low calcium intake levels. There appears to be a synergistic effect with the combination of exercise with calcium supplementation as well as a synergistic effect of HRT with exercise. Physical fitness and body composition can be improved in pre- and postmenopausal females and show no difference in their ability to alter body composition and improve cardio respiratory endurance. In short there are positive effects of weight bearing activities, benefits to estrogen replacement in combination with exercise to combat osteoporosis, and calcium supplementation combined with exercise to increase lean body mass. The impact of a 1-yr resistance-training program on body composition and muscle strength in postmenopausal women and the impact of HRT on body composition changes with and without exercise alongside dose-response relationships between measures of program compliance and changes in primary outcomes is evidenced by the fact that resistance and weight-bearing exercise significantly changes the body composition in postmenopausal women and their lean body mass (LBM). Independently hormone therapy did not have an effect other than preserving the loss of LBM in postmenopausal women. LBM in women who exercised regardless of HRT status was increased. Significant fat weight loss was observed only in women who exercise while on HRT. Conclusively, resistance and weight-bearing exercise significantly changed the body composition in postmenopausal women and their LBM. Hormone therapy showed no independent effects on body composition. Independently hormone therapy did not have an effect other than preserving the loss of LBM in postmenopausal women. Muscle forces cause the largest loads on bones and the largest bone strains, which in turn forces the bones to become stronger. With the increase of muscle also comes an increase in bone strength thereby increasing muscle and bone mass. Aging adults lose momentary muscle strength, so their bone strain fall toward the remodeling threshold, this drop causes the bone to stop production and begins by removing bone next to the marrow contributing to the well-known loss of bone.
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Vigorous exercise turns back the clock on the bone remodeling and reduces or stops further bone loss, which causes a greater need for intensity than most adults would try achieving. To severely retard, or slow down the bone loss it is proven that HRT in combination with vigorous regimen of cardio respiratory training, weight training, and weight bearing activities be included within a healthy program. References: 1. Bemben, D.A, and N.L. Fetters. The independent and additive effects of exercise and estrogen and bone metabolism. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2000;14(1):114-120. 2. Burkhart. Exercise At Menopause: A Critical Difference. Medscape General Medicine 1999; 1(3). 3. Teixeira, Going, Houtkooper, Metcalfe, Blew, Flint-Wagner, Cussler, Sardinha, Lohman. Resistance Training in Postmenopausal Women with and without hormone therapy. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2003; 35(4):555-562.
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The Power to Commit to a Decision: Have You Really Made Up Your Mind to Get the Body You Want, or Are You Just Wishing for It?
By Velma Esprit Garnes
Recently, I'm struggling, I mean really struggling with making a commitment to myself and staying committed to my decisions. I'm not sure if my decision making process if severely flawed - which I'm willing to bet, or if I'm afraid of extra responsibility that comes with making decisions. Should we rent our extra house until the market gets better, or just unload and sell it? Should I expand my current business, or do I just make what I'm doing better? Green socks? White socks? No socks? The opportunities to make quality decisions affects the quality of your life every single day, some on a larger scale than others, but still affects our everyday living. Let me explain further. The one thing I've discovered is that by not making a decision IS making a decision. There's power that lies in making a decision, and the less you use that power, the more powerless you become, over yourself, over your goals and over your own options. Your direction in life will stem from whatever may happen to you, not a destiny you create. As a fitness professional, I teach fitness classes 5 days a week, some of those days I teach up to 3 classes back to back which may sound overwhelming but it's what makes me tick, gets me high. Whether I'm lecturing or teaching physical movement classes, I love to share my fitness enthusiasm with others because I truly believe if people feel really good it will improve their outlook in life, which in turn will allow them to treat others better, which in turn makes the world a better place to live. I know this sounds naively optimistic, but it truly drives me. I used to suffer alone of embarrassment from this secret mission until my 10 year old came to me with a sketch of superhero outfits he's designing for himself and one of his classmates to wear, which to him represents how he wants to save the world from itself (I made my kids watch 'An Inconvenient Truth' and Planet Earth on the Discovery channel every Sunday evening, the verdict is still out as to whether this is a good thing or not; it was my lazy attempt to answer their recycling questions). At first I thought it was really silly, but then I thought, 'Well, who am I to trivialize this decision he has made for himself' At least he's doing better than I am in the decision making department. This was a great lesson from my 10 year old. I'm certain I don't have to tell you how much more solidified my 'silly' secret has become with the recent tragic episode of Virginia Tech. Anyway, back to my fitness classes. At the beginning of the sessions I have students/clients come to me expressing their goals and how excited they are to finally be able to get into one of my classes as they have heard from others about the great results
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they get from taking my classes. My first response is always, ' Is that all they told you' Did they mention anything about how much work goes into making those changes? Are you committed to the decision you've made to change your body?? These questions are usually received with blank stares but I do want them to think about their decision, their commitment. The truth to the questions always comes out later. The first 3-4 weeks into the program, I like to define as priming their bodies. The first 3-4 weeks is very crucial. It gives me a glimpse of where they are physically, and most importantly mentally and gives me time to memorize their names - which is very important to me. In weeks 5 & 6 I'm parking a mile from the campus so no one knows what kind of car I drive (I'm not kidding). It's usually in these weeks where I retrieve the ammunition of their goals they set for themselves in the beginning as a gentle reminder of where it is they want to be in the 11th week. Then, as I'm looking into their, 'Let's kill her!' faces, it started to dawn on me that I'm not the only one with this decision-commitment problem. Other people need help in this area as well. As I look at my classes deeply perplexed at why they are spewing venom in my direction, I try to put myself in their shoes and understand why they were so willing to abandon their commitments and give me half-hearted attempts in their workouts when things get tough. I look into their faces and see, 'This lady is crazy!' expressions and I'm truly puzzled. Then I realize that their commitment does not match their decision. They were wishing for what they wanted physically and wanted me to do the work for them to get them there. I can't want it more than they do, they have to find that place in themselves and commit to it. They don't have the realization that I'm just part of the solution and that there was work still needed on their part. It became just as important to me to help them become better committed to their decisions as it was for me to provide a safe, effective yet challenging workout. So I got to work on making them into more committed decision makers. Here is the result of my findings: Different actions produce different results. As simplistic as that may sound, really think about the reality of that sentence. Take control of your consistent actions. What precedes all our actions? What is the father of all action? It's DECISIONS. Why don't people just make a committed decision and stick to it? Most of us are so much more than the person we're demonstrating. Most people state preferences instead of commitments. Making a true decision means cutting off any other possibilities. When you truly decide to quit smoking, that's it, there's no question of turning back you have a clear objective. For your decisions to make a difference in your life you have to decide what results you're committed to. Most people don't make those kinds of committed decisions, they make excuses instead. The best way to make better decision is to make more of them. Learn from each of them, even the bad ones. Do not be discouraged if you make a bad decision because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward. It gets better the more often you do it. Making decisions is the same as working your muscles, it gets stronger the more often you do it.
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Take control of these three decisions and you can sculpt your experiences and design your own life: 1. ACTIVELY DECIDE WHAT TO FOCUS ON EACH MOMENT YOU'RE ALIVE. Your decision about what to focus on is shaping how you think, what you feel and what you do. Even if it sounds hokie, just try it; what do you have to lose? If you want to feel better, focus on things that make you feel better, not on what you're lacking. If you haven't seen The Secret (www.thesecret.tv) please watch it, it does far better at explaining this than I ever could. Again, even if you think it to be hokie, what do you have to lose? 2. Decide WHAT THINGS MEAN TO YOU? No matter what's happening around you. What does this mean and how does this affect my future, my present or my past? Take the most recent tragedy of Virginia Tech: What does this mean to you, how does it affect your future decisions? Is this affecting your future decisions? Do you have an 'out there not happening in my world mentality?' Does it have any effect on you at all? 3. WHAT SHOULD I DO NOW? It's not what's happening right now, or even in your past that determines who you become, but rather it's your decision about what to focus on and what things mean to you and what you're going to do about them that will determine your ultimate destiny. If anyone is having more success than you in any area, whether it is weight loss and feeling great, financial success, or a great relationship, it's because they're making these 3 decisions differently than you in some way. Be directed by your own values not the current flow of the environment. Whatever challenges you face presently could have been avoided by different quality decisions. After finding the answers to these three important reflective questions, it's time to look to master your decision-making approach. There is a 4-step process for achieving decisionmaking success: 1. Clearly decide what you want - what it is that you are absolutely committed to achieving; 2. Take massive action to make it happen; 3. Notice what's working and not working; 4. When things aren't working, change your approach continually until you get what you want; Anyone can succeed on a large scale in decision-making by taking these steps. Understand that the power of a truly committed decision that is acted upon no matter what the conditions are on a continual basis is what brings you the results you want. If there's no new action, you haven't really decided. Make your decisions intelligently, make them quickly, and make them often. Don't labor over a decision. You know you've made a true decision when action flows from it.. The more decisions you make the better you get at it and this will help you to learn from your decisions. There's going to be times when you make bad decisions, but be sure you learn from them.
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Stay committed to your decision, but stay flexible in your approach. For example, if you're a 5"4" female and you had a goal in the beginning to reach 115 lbs before you learned about how important body composition is and you've reached 135lbs 17% body fat, feel and look the best you have in your life, then celebrate and move on to your next commitment to yourself. Make sure you show flexibility because circumstances can change at any moment that you may or may not need to take heed to in order to make an educated decision. Enjoy making the decision. The people who are succeeding at something you want aren't better people than you, they're just making better quality decisions. Remember, a truly committed decision is the force that changes your life. You'll be empowered to take control of the force that shapes your life. Reference: Robbins, Anthony. Personal Power II. Audio Renaissance; CD & Jrnal edition (January 15, 1997). ISBN-10: 1559274212; ISBN-13: 978-1559274210
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Your cardiovascular system will be activated Your joints and connective tissue will be more pliable Your nervous system that controls your muscles will be activated Your balance and reaction time will be improved.
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Your body will be in motion, negating the effects of keeping the body in a fixed position (usually sitting down for extended periods) as is common in our sedentary lifestyles
The exercises are designed to "bullet-proof" your core and major joints from injury. Injury is frustrating, prevents progress and is also uhinherently painful. The warm-up exercises are so important that if you really had a tough day with zero time for yourself, all your planning (you did plan to train right?) and all your scheduling (you did plan time to train right?) went down the drain the very minimum that you should do on that day is a series of warm-up exercises. If you are having a regular workout the warm-up exercises should be done before the training session.
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Dynamic Stretching/Muscle Activation Now the fun begins, there are numerous movement drills and bodyweight exercises that can be used in this category. The key idea is to increase body temperature and activate muscles so they work properly during the main workout. The key muscle to activate is the glutes (buttocks) because these are not well conditioned in most people. Failure to activate them results in hamstrings, adductor and lower back muscles taking the strain. That is a recipe for injury. Good instructional DVD's for dynamic warm-ups are "Magnificent Mobility" and "Inside-Out". Core Training I include core training in the warm-up because I have seen to many people with poor core function. The key muscles are: Transverse Abdominus (TVA) - This muscle performs the "drawing in" of the belly button. This is a skill that is lacking in many people, especially those who have excessive lower back arches. Stand up straight with arms overhead, and think of making yourself as "thin" and as "tall" as possible, as if you were trying to squeeze between two vertical poles which are close to each other. Hold the drawn-in position for 5 seconds for 5 sets. External Obliques - This is trained by moving the hips to the shoulders. Any kind of reverse crunch trains this movement Internal Obliques - This is trained by moving the shoulders to the hips, any kind of crunching movement trains this. Take note, the crunch movement curls the body into the "smallest" possible ball, it does not bring the "face to the ceiling" Lateral Flexion - This is achieved by all kinds of side bridging. do 2 sets of 5-10 reps at a controlled speed. Once you have all these elements in your warm-up, you are ready to train. It should take 20 minutes to get all this done. But it is important enough not to skip it!