We are living in a day and age where information is readily available. We don't have to be dependant on our family doctor as the be and end all of our health. Now is the time to stop blaming our genes and start taking charge of our health. Everyone knows the importance of regular exercise. In addition, research is supporting how important it is to eat real food from non genetically modified seeds. We also don't need added fillers such as cellulose which is wood chips that the FDA deemed non harmful to our health in limited amounts. Really?? What type of bread do you eat? I eat only Ezekiel Bread and tell my clients the same. It has 7 ancient grains like quiona and millet and absolutely no flour. It is made from sprouted grains which is so much healthier for you and the seeds are not genetically modified. We need to look for more than just 100% whole grain on our breads now. Knowledge is power. Know what you are putting into your bodies. If you need extra help to understand all the information that is out there, give me a call. I am going to be an ACE Certified Health Coach soon in addition to a Certified Personal Trainer.
Let's face it, everyone indulges a bit over the Christmas season. Now that most of it is over, what is the best way to detox from all the added sugar in our diets? What works for me is limiting all sugar and starches for at least a week. I make sure to abstain from anything that breaks down into sugar in my body which includes breads, even whole grain ones, potatoes, anything starchy and especially sweets. I eat a diet rich in eggs, yogurt, lean protein, and lots of vegetables. I even watch my fruits due to their high sugar content. I try to eat no more than 100 carbohydrate grams a day for a couple of weeks to detox myself. If I need a quicker detox, I limit my diet to fruits and vegetables only for 3 days and then gradually add back in the other food groups.
I get asked this question quite a bit. The research is in and if you are already a fit adult at any age, I may add, you may be ready for it. I recommend you working with a certified personal trainer who can safely access when you are ready for this type of training. A researcher by the name of Tabata found that 8 rounds of 20 seconds of bike riding followed by only 10 seconds of rest increases fitness levels, decreases body fat and will even help you lose weight. This study was done with a cardio type of training and not heavy weight lifting like they do in Crossfit. I do not recommend Crossfit to any of my clients because it is unsafe and the injury rate is through the roof. I do believe in pushing past the point of where people push themselves. I have been doing Tabata training with many of my advanced clients for over 5 years, but we do it safely with body weight or cardio training only.
This is a question I get asked a lot. It is better to always try to build more muscle because the more muscle you have, the more fat you will burn. It also speeds up your metabolism and makes you a fat burning machine.
If you are a cardio junkie force yourself to just warm up for 5 minutes then attack the weights or do body weight training. Later, reward yourself by doing your cardio after you have given your all to your weight training. The minimum amount to see muscle tone is 2 days a week, but I recommend 3. For example I do body weight training 2 times a week using the TRX and lift weights 2 days a week. Because men generally have more muscle than women, this is the reason why men lose weight so much faster. Become a fat burning machine and lift weights everyone!
Let me know if I can help you in anyway. I have strength and conditioning as well as body weight training classes using the TRX available. In addition, I do one on one sessions.
I have a lot of clients ask me this and I even remember thinking when I was a beginner that it really wasn't important. I couldn't have been more wrong. More and more research keeps coming in about the many benefits of deep breathing with the diaphram. It has been proven to reduce blood pressure, reduce stress, work the core more, give much needed oxegen to the muscles, reduce soreness, and makes exercise more doable and enjoyable. When lifting a heavy weight, that is the time to exhale either through the nose or mouth. When releasing the weight that is when you inhale deeply. You should see your stomach rising when inhaling. Even runners can benefit by inhaling every two steps and exhaling on the third step. Try it and see if you are able to lift more and enjoy your workouts more!
I am a huge advocate of body weight training. First of all, you don't need any equipment and secondly you are working many muscles simultaneously which is more functional and burns more calories.
Personally, I do mostly body weight training for my upper body using the TRX Suspension Trainer and I feel I have a lot of muscle definition without being too bulky looking. I also do pull ups for upper body weight training.
However, since I am a pear shape, I have re-shaped that part of me by doing heavy squats and dead lifts. That has worked for me and also works for many of my female clients that are bottom heavy. So, in summary, it depends on your goals. Body weight training is enough for a client that is looking to get moving, but that same client may need more as he/she gets conditioned.
This is a question I get asked a lot. It is a good idea to do interval training at least twice a week and three times is better. Interval training will help with your overall endurance so if you are training for a long running race, you can cut your running time in half according to a recent study.
A good place to start is with 30 seconds all out on a bike or running or any exercise. Then take up to 2 minutes rest at first. Repeat this at least 4 times and work up to 8 times. Eventually you will be able to cut your rest time way down to even 30 seconds. Your will be amazed at how long you can work out at a steady pace after training this way.
It is a good idea to check your heart rate after each interval bout to make sure it is increasing. By the last bout, you should be at your heart rate max or you didn't work hard enough. Happy training!!
Let me answer this with another question. Do you take a break from life? Do you take a break from breathing? The answer to these questions is a definate, "NO!" I have been in this business for 4 years and was just featured in the national news in an article about baby boomers and their effect on the fitness industry. Every single time someone I am training tells me they are taking a short break and will come back next month, 2 months from now or so on, it doens't happen. I help people get a new healthy life style which needs to be addressed everyday. If you find yourself saying this, just know you are setting yourself up for a huge setback. You may gain several pounds in a short period of time and then want to stop trying after that. How much do you value your health? That is the real question. Your loved ones want you around a long time. Don't you think you owe it to them to do everything you can to be there?
How did you do with your workouts this past month? Did you get a few extra ones in to compensate for a few extra calories you don't normally consume? Did you plan for ways to deal with the challenges that are hardest for you? I planned ahead to avoid the holiday cookie challenge. First, I didn't bake any. Secondly, I avoided cookie exchanges and the like. I did eat a few of my favorites here and there, but overall I think I was successful this year on that front. I hope you all were successful yourself!
Even if you didn't lose weight, but maintained, that is a very good thing! The average weight gain used to be 7 pounds, but it has climbed up to 12 pounds according to one source I read. I am holding a Holiday Challenge for my clients to encourage them during this time of the year. I weighed them in before Thanksgiving and will again after New Years. Those that maintain their weight are winners and those that lose the highest percentage of weight are eligible to two free training sessions.
For many years I let the scale define who I was as a person. I would weigh everyday and if I wasn't where I thought I should be I would eat because I was depressed. Then if I was under where I though I should be, I would eat to celebrate. In essence, when I was losing weight, weighing everyday didn't work for me. Now that I am at my goal weight, I can weigh everyday, but I still chose not to. I like what was recommended to me when I was losing. Once a week is enough at the same time everyday because otherwise it is too easy to get thrown off by water weight etc. due to the flucuations in our bodies. I tell my clients to go by their clothes, by their inches, and body fat more so than the scale. What about you?
