Check Out Santa's Before And After Pics

So this past year, Fitness Planning Consultants had a celebrity training with us. Mrs. Claus, tired of her husband getting stuck in chimneys, decided to utilize our services and get him to shed some pounds.

Santa was a little reluctant to start off the program, but eventually warmed up to the idea, since our staff had been really GOOD this year. So check out his before and after pics to see his stunning transformation. He said that he was able to really make great time this year now that Rudolph didn't have to continually pull him out of chimneys.

Awesome Inspiring Story For The Holidays

I don't get to discuss much about my Wellness clients' successes because frankly I have more athletes that work with us than clients that want to get healthy. In the future I will try to recognize our athletes' successes more as well, but today I wanted to update you on Joyce. The picture of Joyce really smiling wide and jump rope on the ground is her after picture.

Joyce was mentioned back in a newsletter in June about how she changed her diet around and finally started seeing results. Well, I wanted to talk about her changes after a year.

We did weighing and measuring and Joyce has dropped 4 percentage points in her bodyfat, equating to a 27 pound fat loss. The scale for her has dropped 26.5 pounds, meaning she was able to gain a half a pound of muscle. This is awesome! This means we were able to keep all her muscle which in turn keeps her metabolism high and allows her to burn more fat.

She is ecstatic about the weight loss and rightfully so. I'm going to attach pictures to this newsletter when I post it on my blog and fan page. You should check them out. She's ended up losing around 15-16 inches around her body.

To Joyce though, the bigger thrill is the energy she has. She just feels better, she feels stronger and her doctors are taking note. Her arthritis doctor was really happy with the weight loss and progress she has been making. In fact, Joyce has been able to eliminate all of her pain meds and that is wonderful. Doing a full squat was unimaginable and now she can do it like it is nothing.

She realizes that this is the tip of the iceberg and next year will be another big year for her. She has a new weight goal that we will be trying to accomplish together and when she accomplishes it, you can bet we will be sharing it with you.

So, I want to say great job to Joyce and keep up the good work. Whether she realizes it or not, she is and will be an inspiration to many people who think they can't. Joyce is beating the odds and trying to change her life around and enjoying it while she is doing it. You will be hearing more about Joyce's progress in the upcoming year.

See If You Can Do These Simple Tasks

Just the other day, I woke up in the morning and as I was getting dressed realized how stiff I was trying to put some of my clothes on. I managed, but it got me to thinking about a topic for today's newsletter. When clients work with us, they might start with something like weight loss or looking better, but ultimately it is to improve their way of life. They should be able to do all of the various chores that life presents to you on a daily basis.

So I came up with a list that I want you to use as a guideline. Everyone should be able to do these things regardless of age (unless you have already broken a leg or something like that). We should be able to have the same range of motion now, that we did as a kid. So can you do these tasks:

• Can you squat down and tie your shoes?

• Can you shovel snow off of your driveway without tweaking a muscle or having a throbbing muscle afterwards? Or without losing your breath? There are a lot of people that have heart attacks shoveling snow.

• Can you stand in the shower and either squat down to wash your entire leg, or balance yourself on one leg as you lift the other up and wash it?

• Can you pick your toddler up or grandchild up in awkward positions and not hurt yourself?

• Can you go up a flight of stairs without breathing heavy?

• Can you bend over and touch your toes?

• Can you still run?

• Can you jump?

• Can you pick something heavy off of the floor and put it on the highest shelf that you can reach without hurting yourself?

• If you were to propose again (or for the first time) to your spouse or potential spouse and get on one knee, could you get down and get up without holding onto anything?

• Could you do a situp or a push-up?

• After sitting for awhile, can you stand up and not have your lower back hurt?

There are probably plenty of more tasks that are simple, we do daily, but I can't think of them off the top of my head. These are all tasks that we do and should still be able to do. The modern, easy lifestyle does our bodies no favors by allowing the body to get lax and lose it's strength and range of motion. Your body is your most precious machine and you need to take care of it. These tasks don't go away because we get older. Take the time to work a solid stretching and strengthening program into your lifestyle, so that these tasks don't become an issue for you.

Don't become that person that can't get out of a chair without some assistance. Ultimately, you'll be glad you took the time to exercise.

Superman's Training With Us To Get Faster

Yeah, you read that right, Superman - The Man of Steel, approached us recently to help improve his speed.

"I had this contest with that braggart, Flash, in a race around the world and I needed some help," Superman recently told us for a quick testimonial.

Upon timing him for his 10 yard dash, I quickly realized I couldn't see him, so Superman got a special video camera that taped his sprints. Once we slowed the speed down, we were able to analyze his sprint form and make a few tweaks to it. These seemed to really help his leg stride and he was very appreciative.

His start also was a little weak. Since he is faster than all of us, he never really bothered to work on his starts. So, we made sure he was in proper form and got that better. Every little bit helps when you are running against Flash.

"If it wasn't for Adam and his staff here at Fitness Planning Consultants, I wouldn't have been able to beat Flash by .00000000000005 seconds. They are top notch. I've already recommended them to a few of the Justice Leaguers."

Superman you are too kind. We are happy to help you anytime.

Why Do Athletes Come And Train With Us?

Last newsletter, I acknowledged a few of our athletes that had received end of the year accolades for their particular sport. Recently, in the last month, I have read about several of them in the Dispatch and so I wanted to further discuss some of the success they have been having.

The simple answer to the question I asked is that these athletes aren't satisfied with their god given talent. They want to better themselves, improve their weaknesses, reach their optimum potential. Because if they don't, some feel their competition will take advantage of programs such as us and get the better of them.

Here are some of the athletes that have worked with us in the past that I have read about recently and what they were able to do with us:

• Jack Gibbs is a sophomore at Westerville North. Over the weekend, he scored 34 points for the Warriors. Jack participated in our entire speed program as an eighth grader. He is a point guard who wanted to improve his technique and overall quickness, skills essential to blow by defenders in basketball.

• Alex Radkiewicz is a sophomore at Olentangy Liberty. Last night he scored 3 points in their varsity game. Alex worked on his lateral quickness and explosion off the floor as he plays an undersized 4 position in the OCC. He wanted to develop these other vital skills to compensate for the lack of size he might have to contend with his opponents at the 4 spot.

• Heather Laueffer is a sophomore at Pickerington North who played goalie for her state runner-up soccer team. Having heard about us through her sister, Linda (a fine softball player in her own right), Heather developed her quickness and explosiveness at a position that demands it.

• Jordan Gallegos and Bryant Bednerak were the starting running back and quarterback for New Albany's playoff bound football team. Both participated in our full program as sophomores to set the stage for big improvements in running form, speed, and quickness.

• Morgan Reichert is a senior at Watkins Memorial. She worked with us two years ago, to help improve her strength and explosiveness for cross country. It helped for her kicks that she needs during the race, especially at the end. This year she was a state qualifier. AWESOME!

• Amber Stokes was written up in the paper recently as she recovered from a bout of mono. She currently is a redshirt sophomore for the OSU Lady Buckeyes. Her, her older sister, and younger brother worked with us for a couple years, to help improve their already fine athletic skills.

• Courtney Deena is a sophomore at Columbus Academy who plays field hockey for them. Courtney was a big contributor on a team that experienced their first loss in the state final four. She worked worked with us several years back at the time trying to refine her quickness and speed for soccer. As she switched sports later on, it was a smooth transition due to the similar athletic demands of the two sports.

Do I think we are the sole reason these athletes have had success? Absolutely not! I think we are just one piece of the puzzle for them. A good athlete realizes there is always constant work he/she needs to do to refine their game. Never be satisfied with where you are. That separates the good from the great.

Insight From Celebrity Trainer Pat Manocchia

I was all set on writing a different newsletter, when I heard this interview with celebrity trainer Pat Manocchia and decided to review some of his fitness tips. Manocchia has worked with many celebrities in the NYC area including John McEnroe, Howard Stern, and Madonna.

As a personal trainer, you ask yourself what separates you from these big celebrities. Do they really know that much more than you or is it they are in the right place at the right time? I don't know if that question was answered in this interview I heard (even though the guy was good friends with JFK Jr.), but here are some of his tidbits that maybe will help you out as well.

1. You HAVE to get exercise in daily. Your life doesn't have to be consumed by it, but you need to get some type of exercise in to improve your overall health.

2. Do not run outdoors with an ipod playing. First of all, you need to be able to hear what is happening around you - cars, bikes, other people, etc. Secondly, you need to be in more tune with your own body. You don't want to start running harder because of a great tune and slowing down because of a sucky one. Finally, you also need to be aware of your own breathing as you are running. This goes hand-in-hand with the second thought, but understanding your body will help you become more efficient a runner.

3. Do not exercise with the sole purpose of making yourself look better. No matter how good you get your physique, you will always find some type of flaw. You need to change your mindset. You need to work out for the overall good feeling you get after accomplishing a hard workout and then knowing how it is helping improve your health.

4. Manocchia feels that Weight Watchers is the best of all the weight loss programs out there (I have my own views about this, but this newsletter is about him not me) and is encouraged by what Richard Simmons does. If you take away his hair and goofy outfits, he is really trying to help people. He knows the demographic he wants to hit and tries to make it fun for them.

5. He doesn't believe in dieting, but eating a variety of items. He doesn't deprive himself of foods he enjoys whether they are healthy or not, but does focus on making sure he gets the appropriate amount of fruits, vegetables, proteins, and carbs in. If he happens to have an occasional doughnut, so what, he is getting everything else his body needs.

I only caught the last half of the interview, so I'm sure there were other things he discussed. Ultimately, it boils down to you and whether you can make a commitment to yourself, not to me, about doing the best that you can for your health. Even so, sometimes hearing fitness tips means a little more coming from someone else rather than the same voice each time.

Fitness Tips To Gorge Yourself This Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving officially marks the start of the inevitable excuses I get from individuals about why they shouldn't start a workout program now. These pitiful excuses last until a little after New Year's Day. This is a topic for another newsletter, but I always fail to see the logic in eating tons of Holiday treats and eliminating your exercise (which helps burn calories and offset that) until after the New Year. People work so hard trying to keep pounds off, lets throw a bunch more on during the holidays, to work overtime afterwards shedding them.

Anyways, one of the initial questions I receive is this, "How can I avoid adding extra pounds when I love all the Thanksgiving day foods?"

Thanks to some of my clients and their wacky families (some of you have some odd family members), I have come up with a fitness regimen that you can apply that day, during your Thanksgiving feast, that will help you burn calories, yet allow you to stuff down as many pumpkin pies as possible.

We will begin with arriving at the family household where you will commence your eating. You will want to wear something that is loose fitting or expandable, but looks like you are dressing up for the event. Maybe you can iron some nice black Nike sweat pants. This isn't for allowing your belly to expand when you engage in the eating, but to allow for movement for the following exercises:

• Chasing the Bratty Kid - Your cousin Alfie has this little brat of a son that is constantly hopped up on Mountain Dew and is a terror. Your first order of business is to chase this little kid around the house. Make sure you have a packet of sweet tarts to feed the kid so he has plenty of sugar and just let him go. This will get your heartrate going, work on your speed, quickness, and agility as you avoid all the appalled relatives. Bonus Workout: Once you catch him, throw him up in the air five times. I'll let it be your option if you catch him on the fifth toss.

• Catch the Table Scraps - Aunt Millie, you know the nutty one that open mouth kisses you hello, has made some type of green stuffing balls. These things are perfect to chuck on the floor. You can either try to quickly squat down and catch them before they fall or let them fall and squat down and pick them up. Who is going to eat these things anyways. A great leg workout.

• Avoiding the Head Nods - You need to be mentally alert to have a exercise properly, so challenge yourself. Listen to one of Uncle Art's stories and focus on staying awake. So what if you have heard the story about the bear and the rabbit a million times. It's about mental sharpness. Try to do this story prior to eating Turkey, unless you want to earn double points.

• Chucking the Potatoes - At one point during dinner, you will be freaking out because of your "wonderful" relatives. Before you snap, take two handfuls of mashed potatoes and chuck them at the relatives really getting under your skin. Make sure you throw equally hard with your right and left to keep them balanced. Try to replenish quickly to get the heartrate up.

Follow these four exercises and you will burn plenty of extra calories to fill them up with pie, stuffing, whatever your heart's content. I hope you can tell that this whole story was in jest, but in case you didn't please post on our Facebook fan page how the workout went and if you are banned from all other family functions.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

We Can Survive Off Of Twinkies And Ding Dongs??

No doubt you have heard about the doctor who recently lost 27 pounds on a diet consuming twinkies, ding dongs, and every food in the Hostess family. If you haven't, click here to go to my fan page and read the article, but I'll give you a quick summary.

Dr. Mark Haub, from Kansas State University, wanted to conduct an experiment determining if it is more important about how many calories you consume, not the nutritional value, when it comes to weight loss. He ate all sorts of treats, and mixed in some vegetables, a multi-vitamin, and a protein shake daily to round out his diet. He consumed around 1800 calories a day, ended up losing about 8% points of body fat, lost the 27 pounds, and his LDL went down (the bad cholesterol) and the HDL (good cholesterol) went up.

I think you have to look at this for what it's worth. The amount of calories you eat does make a difference. I think a lot of times people vastly underestimate how many calories they burn throughout the day so when they eat food, they usually eat a heck of a lot less, thus they don't lose the weight they want. Their body thinks they are starving and they store fat.

You also have to view this as one example. It seems that when you hear that one case of the healthy guy who dropped dead of a heart attack running, all the coach potatoes say, "see that is why I don't exercise." It is one example, and the number of cases exercise helps vastly outweighs the one time someone died because of over-exertion.

This example was conducted over a period of a couple months. Once he reaches his goal weight, what then? You still going to eat processed treats? How is that going to affect your health numbers over the long haul? Will your cholesterol continue to go down, will your blood pressure stay the same, how about getting proper nutrients in to stave off sicknesses?

Even Dr. Haub has said he doesn't exactly know what this study shows beyond the fact that less calories in and more calories burnt will help lose weight. He does not condone a diet rich in Twinkies and Lil Debbie snack cakes.

So, don't get too excited with the findings of this study. I think over the long haul your best bet is having a diet of whole foods and grains, fruits, vegetables, and plenty of balance, with the occasional Twinkie sprinkled in there. Bottom line, those foods are still junk and good for a treat, but not to help your body live a long and healthy life.

Do You Remember Your First Time?

The First Time!

What does that mean to you? I was talking about my first client and my first training session. Which I'm sure is exactly what you were thinking as well.

My first training session wasn't my first client. My first training gig was at Ballys and the trainers did orientations. Meaning, the first couple "free" workouts members get when they sign up for a health club. I was taking this nice lady around on the circuit that we were supposed to use for orientations, when she asked me a question I would hear many times throughout the years. One of those all-important questions when it comes to health and fitness.

"Will I sweat during this workout?"

I'm not kidding when I say, I get this question a lot. I have several stock answers that I give to this question now and I really can't remember what I told this lady that day, but I'm sure it was a sign of good things to come. And it was...

I never saw her again after that session.

My first paying client lasted all of 4 days. She wanted to come in and train with me Monday through Thursday at 6am for a half hour each day. Alright, I'll make the sacrifice for my first client.

I'll never forget that first session. We were doing dumbbell lunges. I thought I picked a weight she could handle, but I think I was wrong. It was a little crowded in the weight room that morning so I was standing inbetween a leg press and a hack squat to do the lunges. She did them all on one leg first and handled them, not easily, but alright. The second leg she told me felt a little weak. She did one lunge and as she went for the second lunge, her leg basically gave out and she started spinning out of control. It looked very much like a helicopter spinning around and around right before it crashes. As she was narrowly missing hitting either machine beside her, I basically had to wrap my arms around her as I came in for a big bear hug to stop her momentum.

Needless to say, after that day, each day she gave me more snippets of her life as to how hectic it was. What she was doing was getting all the ducks in a row, when after the first 4 days she had to stop training and she still had 10 sessions left (it couldn't possibly have been the fact, I told her to do an exercise when she was spinning so wildly she almost clocked her head). And that was the finish to my first client.

So, what did I learn from that?

1. You have to work with an intensity when you workout and if you happen to sweat, then so be it. I do know a place where they keep the temperature at 62 degrees so that the sweat can be eliminated. I don't know if it works, but they seem to stay in business.

2. There is a progression you must follow as you continue to workout. You are building upon layers. It is not my job to work you like a dog each session so you can crawl out of my facility. I progress you so your body can safely adapt to a workout routine, yet continue to see results. Yes, there might be some soreness and yes, sometimes there is an inherent risk with certain exercises, but if I were to work that lady out again, I would not do lunges with her until I felt her legs can handle it. And even then it would be bodyweight lunges at a low volume.

I wonder what those two people are doing today? I wish I could remember their names, but I'm sure they forgot about me a long time ago. Hopefully, I've grown as a trainer so that you won't ever forget about me.

Top 11 Nuttiest Things Witnessed At The Gym

I have seen some pretty insane things when it comes to workouts and exercise. There are some messed up routines out there, some work, some don't. I have also seen some very odd individuals trying to do those workouts as well. I got to thinking recently what has been some of the more unusual things that I have seen at a health club and came up with this list. I hope you enjoy it and maybe you can add to it with your own stories on my blog:

1. I saw a lady standing on top of a stability ball, like she was in the circus. Some people can barely sit on the things let alone stand on them.

2. It always amazes me why some people will park illegally to get as close to the gym as possible so they won't have to walk that far, then run for over an hour on the treadmill.

3. A young man was so inspired by the music he was listening to on his walkman (yes, I said walkman) that he started doing can-can kicks in the middle of the dance floor like he was with the Rockettes.

4. In an aerobics class I participated in during the mid-90's, I saw an individual with an 80's haircut wearing spandex shorts bringing new meaning to the word "jock support" (or lack thereof) as he was jumping around.

5. I have seen people get in physical altercations because one person went over his time on the treadmill by a minute.

6. I witnessed an individual trying to do calf raises on a leg press machine with a pretty decent amount of weight. Condensation had formed on the press so that the person's feet slipped off the press and it came crashing down on his shins.

7. I haven't quite figured out the benefit of doing the stairmaster and holding light dumbbells for the duration.

8. I have heard more people break wind while working out then I care to admit. Then trying not to laugh while you are pretending you didn't hear a darn thing.

9. I recall one female/male couple that worked out together all the time. They took spotting your partner to a whole new level. Let's just say if you had a video camera on them during their workout sessions, you would have a borderline pg-13, r-rated movie.

10. How many times are you going to see the guys wearing tank tops and always wearing long pants? It could be 90 degrees and they still have pants on. You have other muscle groups besides your chest and biceps, work them out.

11. Finally, the nuttiest thing I have seen at the gym is a fine looking woman such as my wife deciding that she would like to spend the rest of her life with someone like me. Yes, we met first at the gym. (Just want to see if she is reading my newsletters)

I know there are many more that I have seen, so maybe I will add a part 2 to this list. In the meantime, you can add to it yourself by going to our fan page at http://facebook.com/fitnessplanning and post what you have seen. I would love to see the list.

Throwing Up Doesn't Necessarily Equal A Great Workout

Have you ever heard this before, "I worked out so hard, I made myself throw up." Some people equate puking with a great workout. You aren't working hard enough if you're not throwing up. I ran track with a guy that would run the 800 and throw up on the back stretch while he was running.

Well, I'm here to tell you that throwing up isn't necessarily a sign that you are working hard.

Example #1

I might have told this story before, but I have a cabin up in Canada that I go to each summer and fish at. I usually don't work out while I'm there, but this particular day I decided to jump in the lake around 4pm and swim. I hadn't eaten anything since 11am that morning. I would swim out 50-100 meters then come back to the dock. Do a bunch of push-ups, then repeat. I did that sequence a total of 3 times. By the third time, I was dead. I felt sick to my stomach, I was light headed, and had that tingling feeling in my head when you feel nauseous. After resting, I went up to the cabin, ate a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and was all better.

Example #2

A client of mine was training with me at 10am one Saturday morning. He didn't live too far from the gym so he jogged there. It was middle of July, so at 10am it was already pretty hot. We did 3 sets of a leg press and two sets of a leg extension before he went to the bathroom to throw up. I came to learn that he hadn't eaten any food the night before, but had plenty of margaritas at the happy hour he was at. Hadn't eaten in the morning and then decided to do physical activity. I bought him a pop and called it quits.

In both cases, the blood sugar level was very low, meaning hardly any energy available. When you start doing activities of that type of exertion, you need energy. If you don't have it, your body will quickly stall out, thus the sick feeling that both examples showed. Notice in example #1, that once I ate some food, I immediately felt a lot better. I got what my body was demanding...energy!! In example #2, not only hadn't he eaten, but he had dehydrated himself with the alcohol plus running in hot weather.

The point is that you can handle intense workouts, if you have properly fueled your body. Even for just everyday activities or fun competition, you should eat balanced meals, with good carbohydrate sources such as fruit, to fuel your body. So, as much as I would like to take credit for you running to the bathroom during our workout session, unfortunately, it is probably related to more of what you had eaten than the awesome workout I was giving you.

5 Ways Eating Better Will Help Your Daily Life

I am a firm believer that nutrition is the key to correcting a lot of life's little problems. We have become so reliant on fast foods and processed foods that we are not getting a lot of the proper nutrients into our bodies. Eating better is a big key when I talk with my clients who want to lose weight. It also plays a part in these 5 items in your life that you might want to pay attention to.

1. Energy - You have seen the ads for 5-Hour Energy or whatever other energy is out there. You know why you need extra energy, because you aren't filling up your energy stores to begin with. Bottom line is food is important because it provides us with fuel for our body. We need a decent amount of food to make it run properly. These low calorie diets provide you with barely any energy. That is like filling up a car with 1/8 of a tank of gas and expecting it to run forever. Eventually, it will just quit and then bad things happen. That is the same with our body. Without food, you can't keep your energy levels up. With food, you will not need any extra 5-hour energy stuff unless you are driving cross-country. If you do need that extra energy burst, ask me about Advocare's Spark. The best product you probably have never heard of.

2. Sleepy During The Day - This falls in line with the "energy" point made above, but a lot of this is related to what you are eating at lunch. Once again, they feel they need the energy drinks to boost them up. Really, they just need to eat a balanced lunch of good carbs, protein, and veggies. This keeps the blood sugar level even steven, unlike a lot of people's normal lunch of either too few calories or very carbohydrate heavy lunches. The carb heavy lunches are usually comprised of a lot of processed sugars, this will cause the big rise in sugar levels, insulin is secreted to get rid of the sugars, it takes all the sugar out of your bloodstream, thus you have the energy crash. Then you want to sleep. Eat balanced and you will be fine.

3. Maintain Your Focus - They have done studies at schools where they exchanged the normal lunches in the cafeteria with healthier choices that also have fruits and vegetables. What they have found is that kids who were deemed ADD or had issues at the school, were suddenly starting to focus better. They were getting better grades and doing their work better. Just think what it can do in your life. Good carbohydrates are fuel to your brain and spinal cord and keep you mentally alert.

4. Help Control Allergies - I picked up allergies when I was 21. Every spring and fall my eyes would itch and I would have this stuffed up nose that would kick up morning and night. When I met my wife, her father was a physician so I would get samples of Allegra to help me out. When I hit 30, I decided to implement more fruits and vegetables into my diet, eat better carbohydrate choices, and have a multi-vitamin. The result has been that I barely notice my allergies and haven't used allegra in the last 9 years. I don't think it is a coincidence that the nutrients in those foods have helped to control my allergies. I'm not saying it will help you against your allergy towards cats, it might. I don't know what I was allergic to, possibly ragweed, but I don't seem to have those symptoms anymore and maybe it will have the same effect for you too.

5. Don't Get Colds or Sicknesses As Often - It seems the worse thing I acquire is a cold. It might last 2-3 days then start to subside. Colds don't hit me as long as they hit the rest of my family. I also haven't been sick in years. I think a lot of that is due to nutrition. Getting the right nutrients in to help build my immune system.

When it comes to health and fitness, exercise does take added time throughout the day to do, but we have to eat. We all take time to eat daily and if we don't we will cease to exist. Start planning on making good choices to eat and these extra benefits can help you too.

Even I Have A Cheat Day

Last year, I had sent out a newsletter that gave a glimpse into a cheat day for me. In case you aren't familiar with the concept, I discuss with my clients having one cheat day where they can eat anything they want. The theory is that it will help keep my client's sanity, plus if you are eating healthy the other 6 days of the week, then one cheat day isn't going to blow your weight loss program to bits.

So here is my cheat day this past Saturday. I will comment on it at the end:

• 6:45am - I had a bowl of Raisin Bran and some orange juice before I went to train one of my star clients, Catherine Adams, owner of Caterina Ltd. in German Village. You should check it out.

• It was OSU game day so I went down to the stadium to tailgate. I arrived at one tailgate around 10:15am and had a egg and bacon bagel sandwich. It was pretty good.

• 10:45am - I arrived at Columbus Academy's tailgate (my old high school) and had another bagel with some hazelnut cream cheese on it and a bottled water.

• 11:30am - I visited the tailgate of another star client, Kathy Manner and her company the Hylant Group. Interestingly enough, I had given a speaking at their company in August about nutrition and eating healthy. So, to celebrate their tailgate I ate 2 bratwursts with ketchup and mustard and another bottled water. This was to give them examples of how to eat unhealthy if you ate this way everyday (sarcasm). My goal at this point was to fill me up so I wouldn't have to shell out a mortgage payment paying for food at the game.

• 3:30pm - The game was a blowout as OSU was crushing my alma mater Indiana, so my buddy and I went back to his original tailgate. There, I replenished my energy with two servings of a pasta salad, complete with some veggies, pepperoni, and some cheese blocks (I don't care much for those). I had some baked wheat thins, plus two slices of coffee cake left over from the morning. I washed that down with some Coke free diet zero something or other. I don't drink pop much.

• 5:30pm - I arrived back at my house to wash up for my 20th high school reunion shindig and threw a couple of handfuls of almonds in my mouth plus a bottle of propel.

• 6:00pm - 9:30pm - Throughout the evening reminiscing with classmates, as I was telling them I was in the fitness industry still, I was feeding my pie hole with 2 more brats, a decorative cookie with our grad year on it, and about 4 of these great lemon squares. I then had a couple glasses of apple cider as well.

A couple comments about my cheat day. I love good, grilled brats. Also, I eat a lot throughout the day anyways. I burn a lot of calories daily so to keep my energy up I have to eat a lot of food. So, this might seem like a lot, but I don't eat just to eat, I eat because my body was craving calories and I needed to satisfy those cravings.

The biggest point though, is I can eat this way because I have EARNED it. My other days, I definitely do not eat like this. I exercise and keep my health in check, so when I have a cheat day such as this, it doesn't affect my body at all. My body can handle this because it isn't a daily occurrence and your body can handle these days as well, if you do the things you need to do on the other days.

So, as the holidays start to come upon us, don't freak out about holiday parties or the Thanksgiving day massacre. You can enjoy those eatings and gatherings as long as you are doing what you need to do on the other days. Exercising and eating right. You do that then you can handle cheat days, not necessarily like mine, but your own version of a cheat day.

Weight Lifting And The Fear Of Bulking Up

There is a huge urban legend that has been around for years. This legend has been scaring many people who want to lose weight off from the weight room. So the legend goes that if you pick up a weight to workout, you will get so big that you will never lose weight, ever. Thus, the "I don't want to bulk up" legend is born and probably running rampant in your town right now.

This hasn't been the first time I dispute this urban myth and it won't be the last, but just because you work out with weights, does not mean you will bulk up. There are a couple key factors why and I will discuss those right now.

1. Testosterone Levels - If you are a female this is a big reason why you won't bulk up, you don't have the testosterone levels to pack on the muscle the way your male counterparts do. So all those lovely pictures you see of female bodybuilders with no bodyfat and bodies bigger than middle linebackers are not created because they just lift weights. They take something called "steroids" that makes them look the way they look. I lift harder and heavier than just about all of my clients and in my prime, I was 190 pounds. I'm a lean 182 right now, but according to this lifting theory I should be 250 and that just isn't the case. But, I'm a male you may ask, I have testosterone, so why am I not bigger. This leads me to point #2.

2. You Don't Eat Enough - You have probably heard me say people don't eat enough to lose weight effectively. If they don't do that, then they sure as heck don't eat enough to create the caloric surplus needed to put muscle on. I have worked with two football players - one trying to lose weight and one trying to gain. The one trying to lose weight did my metabolic nutrition program and because he is so active we found out he had to eat 3200 calories a day to lose weight. He had to make sure to compensate for all the energy he is putting forth for his practices, then he would be able to lose fat. The other football player wants to gain weight. If he is putting forth all that energy (practicing and lifting), then he needs to eat that much more just to gain muscle. Probably around 5000 calories. So, yes you can add muscle lifting, but you have to combine it with eating huge quantities of food to allow your body to create that muscle.

I wish there was more in depth analysis than that, but it is really that simple. I have females that are training with us that are eating anywhere from 1800-2200 calories a day, lifting three times a day, that are losing weight. Trust me, I know they are lifting hard because I'm putting them through their workouts. So, help me try to debunk this awful urban legend. Lifting weights alone will NOT bulk you up.

Glucosamine Might Not Work As Well As Hoped

If you are a fan on our Facebook fan page, you might have seen this newspaper link I had on the wall. It was a report that suggests glucosamine does nothing to help joint pain. Unfortunately, I have seen several studies like this and through my own experience with glucosamine, it does not shock me. On the other hand, I have had people who swear by it and love the supplement. Whether it works or not, that is a debate for another time, but I wanted to discuss a few ideas that might help alleviate some joint pain.

1. A Functional Movement Screen - If you have been on my newsletter list for awhile, you know that I became FMS certified recently. This screen grades movement patterns and if you don't score well, then you are at a higher risk for injury and could possibly explain joint tenderness. So if you have a tender joint, it might be because your muscles aren't firing properly when you are doing movements. Thus causing stress on joints that shouldn't be stressed. Once the movement patterns are corrected you can then hope to alleviate that stress and be just fine.

2. Rolfing - Along the same lines, a lot of times if you have pain in certain joints (I'm assuming it isn't a torn ACL or something along those lines, maybe a tendinitis) it might be because of an issue above or below the joint. Maybe there is a tightness or maybe something is not aligned properly. Rolfing might help that. Rolfing is a series of sessions that manipulates muscles back into their proper position. Once that happens, you then can retrain the muscles to move properly. Thus, relieving the pain. I have done this with rolfer, Michael Loukas, and I have had several issues alleviated because of rolfing.

3. I do believe that there are certain supplements that can be taken or an increase of whole foods that can help the lubrication. I'm not as familiar with this process, but I did read at one time pineapples can help with tender joints. Omega fatty acids also seem to help the process as well. I don't have documented research to back it up, but I firmly believe that these things could help.

So, if you are bummed out by the glucosamine story, all is not lost. Take advantage of these methods and see if you can correct some of those minor aches and pains that you just chalk up to old age. Feel free and post me your thoughts.

Are All These Weight Loss Ads Scams?

I get questions a lot about the latest weight loss program. Some I know about, but many I have to research just like you because I can't keep up with them. Seems there is a new one everyday. Supplemental products and exercise programs are a billion dollar industry. Weight loss is an obsession in our country and there are people that want to prey on your emotions. 30 minutes before writing this newsletter, I flipped through my wife's free Cosmopolitan magazine she had laying around to see what weight loss ads were in there.

First, let me say Cosmo has tons of beautifying ads. Wow! Finally, on page 191 I got to an ad for Slim Quick Ultra Power. Lose up to 25 pounds quickly it says. Then if you read the fine print it says that a control group did it in 90 days. Not really what people want to hear, but safely an individual is supposed to lose 1-2 pounds of fat a week, so seems alright. I did have a client lose 22 pounds in 7 weeks, but he was really following the program to a T (eating 6 times a day, good amount of calories, working out 3 times a week).

Well, this program is promoted in Cosmo so it has to be legit right? Kind of.

After going to the website, they have a bunch of pill packets for different items. Hoodia was one item I saw, plus caffeine free energy packets. You combine that stuff with exercise and an average of a 1350 calorie diet and can you lose weight?

Possibly, but probably not the weight you want to lose. It will probably be water and muscle because I usually don't have any clients that can lose fat eating 1350 calories daily. Just too big of a gap between that and the calories they are burning throughout the day and the body thinks its starving. Most of my clients looking for fat loss (I don't focus on weight loss), eat between 1700 - 2100 calories daily.

After skimming past a tampon ad with Venus Williams, I got to a two page advertisement for Almaseed. Taking this stuff will get you ready for your bikini. The first week you drink this stuff in a shake for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and have as much vegetable broth as you can tolerate. Then the second week and beyond, you have it for breakfast and dinner, with some meat and vegetables at lunch, plus some broth. I might be a little off with the program, but you get the idea. Once again, probably very low total daily calories causing immediate weight loss due to water and muscle loss. Which that weight will come back fast and even more pounds when you start eating normally. I would pass it, if it was me.

Finally, I saw an add for a Jillian Michaels program. She doesn't need to make any outrageous claims because she is pretty famous and I'm sure her mug will get people to buy her products.

So, what I'm saying is that if it is too good to be true, it probably is. If it doesn't seem like you are eating enough (anything less than 1500 calories), you won't be losing fat, but storing it. I use only a few supplemental products to facilitate one's eating, but it is combined with eating healthy good foods frequently throughout the day. This is the only tried and true way to lose fat and keep it off.

High Fructose Corn Syrup is Changing Its Name

If you have been on my newsletter list for years now, then you have probably read my reports on high fructose corn syrup (hfcs). There is a growing opinion that hfcs has been one of the many reasons why our obesity rate has been on the rise. There is some evidence that suggests that hfcs can't be broken down by the body very well and thus is left to be turned into fat.

Supporters for hfcs state there has been a big misunderstanding. Sugar and hfcs have nutritionally the same value and there is nothing wrong with it. The reason hfcs is so prominent now is that it is more cost-effective than sugar. If companies stop using hfcs than the cost of a lot of consumer goods will increase.

Whether you are pro or con against hfcs (I think I am more con than pro, I use products that contain hfcs very sparingly), the usage of hfcs is at an all-time 20 year low. There is a strong wave of people that feel hfcs is very, very bad and it is shown by the lack of recent consumption.

Well, the manufacturers aren't taking any chances. They are launching a campaign to change the name from high fructose corn syrup to corn sugar. They feel it is a more appealing name and will help consumers better understand what it is about. Now, it could take the FDA up to 2 years to change the name but that doesn't mean they can't change it in advertising campaigns.

Look for new campaigns that promote corn sugar. There is already a website, www.cornsugar.com, that has been created to provide helpful facts about corn sugar and how safe it is. So, if you are against hfcs don't be fooled by this new corn sugar campaign. Ultimately, the bottom line is that you want to reduce your consumption of any sugars whether it be hfcs, corn sugar, corn syrup, or anything. If you do that, you will be better off in the long run.

Tips To Run A Marathon Besides Just Running

I have a few current clients and several past clients who are training to run marathons or some type of distance event. They aren't professionals, they are just doing it because they enjoy the challenge and something they like to do. They work with me to try and give them that extra edge to help their performance. So, I'm going to discuss a few tips that I use with these clients that might help you out as well.

• Strength Training - No, just running a lot of miles doesn't necessarily make your legs stronger. What we are trying to do when we strength train is to get you stronger which in turn will make your running more efficient. If you are more powerful, then you won't have to work as hard during your runs thus you can run longer when you couple this with the right running program. A good exercise routine will also help strengthen your core. If your core is weak, that could be the first to go, thus it can't keep your body in proper running position. If that happens, then you have to work that much harder to run and that wears you out quicker.

• Stretching - Distance runners sometimes have flexibility issues because they are always doing the same range of leg motion for long periods of time. Thus they lose some of their elasticity. This will hurt you when your trying to sprint towards the end or other areas of your race. You can't get the greatest range of motion possible, so you got to do more leg cycles to get to the same place. So stay flexible to keep that range of motion big.

• Plyometrics - These are movements such as jumps, that help train your fast-twitch muscle fibers. They also help develop the power and explosiveness in you. Doing some of these will help train your body for those bursts that you need at the beginning, up a hill, or towards the end of a race. Your body needs to feel that explosiveness before you actually do it in a race.

• Nutrition - My sister-in-law is a professional ironman competitor. Her big problem was always collapsing at the end of a race and not being able to keep everything down during the race. She hooked up with a nutritionist recently and what happened, she won her first professional ironman. Don't underestimate the importance of nutrition and how it can keep you performing optimally during a race.

Hopefully, you can implement those tips so that your performance can be at peak levels for your own race. See how it will improve your time and you'll be hooked on these items just like you are for your 10 mile run.

Youth Sports: Fun Times For Kids Or Outta Control

If you live in C-bus (Columbus for those of you not from here) and receive our local paper, they have been running a series all week about youth sports. Since I deal with a lot of student athletes, I have found this series to be really intriguing. The piece has talked about the popularity of youth sports, what a big business it is, injuries, parents out of control, and keeping up with the joneses. Having read each series so far, I thought I would add my two cents to what I have seen thus far.

I tell the parents of my clients that I'm in a catch twenty-two. I don't necessarily agree completely with the way that youth sports have gone, but it has provided me with a source of income. Whether parents are striving for their kids to get that scholarship or they just want them to be able to do the best to their ability, people come to me in hopes of making their kid a better athlete. Parents entrust me with their kids and I can definitively say this: There are a lot of phoney-baloneys out there who might not have the skills to put your athlete through a safe, carefully constructed program. I will try everything in my power to get your athletes to the best of their ability with a method that will not increase the risk of injury. There are different training methods for different age groups, but I feel regardless of age, our program emphasizes safe training methods that will enhance their physical skills.

A lot that has been said in these articles, I have witnessed. Here are some quick comments on some of the items:

• Now that I am no longer an athlete, but a fan in the stands, sometimes I am appalled by the behavior of the parents. You don't truly realize it when you are playing, but it smacks you right in the face when you are sitting next to some nut who is constantly yelling at the opposing team's players in a negative manner.

• A lot of my competition from a business standpoint isn't necessarily other speed programs, but the sports themselves. Even if a kid is playing one sport, there seems to be a year round commitment to that sport or you are doing yourself or worse yet, the team, a disservice. Year round commitment huh? Who is paying who for that year round commitment?

• When I was growing up, it was encouraged to play different sports and not until you hit high school did some decisions have to be made about giving up a particular sport. Nowadays, I have middle schoolers that are playing four or five sports a year. How the heck is that possible? Well, in the winter they play basketball and then participate in hitting leagues. In the spring, they play baseball, spring soccer, then travel basketball. An athlete's only downtime is a weekend or two.

• Injuries are popping up all over the place. Muscles aren't firing properly or overuse injuries are prevalent. I have had a few 12-13 year olds, who develop elbow and shoulder issues because of their pitching. I don't know if it is mechanical or not, but when you play 80 to 100 games over a summer, you have to wonder if that is good for a growing boy.

• I hear the common reason from a parent being, "he/she wants to do this so I let them play all these sports, games, whatever." At a certain point, parents being the adults have to identify what is too much. My kid likes ice cream doesn't mean I get it for her everytime she asks. At a certain point a parent has to say, no we're shutting it down for now. Rest, unwind, and then we'll pick it up later.

• Are the demands for one sport too much? I'm going to use tennis as an example and I'm not picking on tennis players, but it could be any sport here. I have tennis players who play tennis 5-6 days a week. Some private, some group. The coach knowingly or unknowingly suggests the athlete needs to do this often or they will get left behind. Then they come to me because they're "not as athletic" as some of the others. My training requires a commitment of 2-3 times a week, but where are they going to fit that in? Should they give up a few tennis lessons a week, to develop their athleticism or speed or ignore it and keep working on their skill?

• What about homework in all this?

I thought this would be good food for fodder and if you want to comment on this with your own experiences, please do so.

Top 5 Food/Eating Misconceptions

When I am going over food logs or discussing health/fitness with my clients, I tend to uncover some common misnomers or "a-ha" moments that seem to come up quite a bit. So I'm going to quickly name off the most popular of these and maybe it will be something that you didn't realize that will help you in your everyday life.

1. I am not big on eating snacks such as chips, corn chips, etc. But, if you have a need to eat something like that with a sandwich (every so often), did you know that there are "baked" options that can be healthier alternatives. Now when I say healthier, I don't mean chalked full of nutritional value. What I mean is that they have less cholesterol and saturated fats then there un-baked counterparts. So instead of Doritos or Lays, why don't you try Baked Doritos or Baked Lays.

2. Just because a bread says wheat on it doesn't automatically make it a healthier choice. To make it truly healthy (compared to other breads), it should say "100% Whole Wheat" or "100% Whole Grains." Otherwise, the regular wheat breads are just colored white bread.

3. If you are using ground meat for say tacos, don't assume that ground turkey is better than ground beef. You still have to look at the nutritional label to see how much fat is in there. If you see them proclaim a ratio like 85/15 or 90/10 on the package, that isn't ideal. If you want a lean ground meat, regardless if it is beef or turkey, look for "93/7 or higher."

4. Ice cream is "not healthy." Some of you laugh, but I get this argument every so often. Even "natural" ice cream made with real ingredients and milk is not healthy. You can get your calcium from other foods that don't have nearly as much sugar in them as ice cream. Even low fat ice cream is not good. You don't want to know about the special ingredients they add to the ice cream to make it taste good.

5. You deplete all nutritional value of a potato if you load it up with toppings. Cheese, sour cream, butter, and bacon aren't wise choices for a potato if you are eating healthy. Use some of those butter flakes or be very conservative with the amount of butter you put on, but that is it. The same goes with a salad. If you put all those great vegetables in a bowl to eat, don't drench them with a fatty ranch dressing. There are a few good fat free dressing out there that can make a salad taste good. Yes, they have some sugar in them, but it is better than the saturated fat of the other dressings.

Athletes, It Is Time To Get In Shape

I wanted to inform you of a couple specials we will be doing through the end of this month.

Functional Movement Screens - You have heard me talk about the FMS, these past few weeks and I just can't tell you how informative this screen is. Regardless if you are an athlete or someone wanting to improve your health, this can be an indicator if all your muscles are firing properly AND if you have injuries in your future. The FMS is included in all our assessments, but now until August 31, you can ask for a FMS for just $50. If you are part of a sport team, tell your coach about it and I will provide a group rate. This could determine which of your athletes will be playing more than others because the others will get injured this season. I will also discuss what exercises you would need to do to improve your movement patterns if that is deemed necessary.

Speed Program For Basketball Players - With school starting soon, that means that basketball players should be getting in shape for their season. I know tryouts are over 2 months away, but for today's game you are expected to be in great shape by the time tryouts start. From now until August 31, we have two rates for our semi-private training services that we want to offer for any new athletes or athletes we haven't seen in 6 months or longer. You can train with us for 1 month (twice a week) plus an assessment for $370. Or you can train with us for 2 months (twice a week) plus an assessment for $625. Your month will begin on your very first training session, not your assessment date. We have done wonders for individuals in a two month span, decreasing their 20 yard dash time by .2 of a second and increasing their vertical 2-3 inches. We know what we're doing and we want your athlete to be the best that he/she can be.

To take advantage of either of these offers contact us today for the remaining details.. Remember, you have until August 31, to get started.

Top 5 Tips For Shopping Correctly For Food

There are so many misconceptions out there about what is good and what is bad when it comes to buying food. In this day and age, you can get a nutritious meal, you just have to plan for it appropriately. I am constantly amazed by how many people really don't know how to cook food in general. If it isn't microwavable, they are dumbfounded. If you want to be successful with your nutrition plan, I'm sorry, but you will have to suck it up and learn the basics on how to cook.

With that in mind, you have to have an idea of what to look for when you go grocery shopping. So here are my top 5 tips of for grocery shopping so that you can make the correct choices:

1. To find a good protein choice, you need to look at the meats available. Chicken or turkey breasts (boneless, skinless) are good as is fresh fish (which is stocked with omega fatty acids). In a pinch, the frozen options for these meats are satisfactory. If you like red meats, try something with a loin (like pork loin) in it. This is usually a leaner cut. Try to stock up when the price is good and freeze the meat, so you can use it later. For the sake of this newsletter, I'm not going to discuss protein choices if you are a vegetarian. That is a topic for another day.

2. I'm going to say a word, but I don't want you to get scared....CARBOHYDRATES. There has really been a misguided perception towards carbs. Processed carbs are very bad, but whole carbs are essential. You need carbohydrates for energy. So, get your carbs from potatoes, sweet potatoes, 100% whole wheat pasta, brown rice, oatmeal, fruit. Processed carbs to avoid are foods such as cookies, crackers, regular pasta, doughnuts, pop.

3. I really think fruits (which I mentioned earlier) and vegetables are the key to keeping you healthy throughout the year. Fresh vegetables are the best, but sometimes you might not know how to prepare them properly. So, your next option is frozen veggies, followed by canned veggies. There is a decrease in nutritional value as you go through your choices, but I don't think it is that big of a difference. I have canned mixed veggies daily.

4. There are some fats that are good for you, some would even say essential. Some good choices for those would be canola oil, olive oil, flax seed oil, almonds, walnuts. These have essential fatty acids that taken with the right portions can really benefit you.

5. Finally, AVOID a lot of flour products, those boxed juices, most dairy (you can get a lot of your calcium with fruit and vitamin D with sunlight), all sugars, processed snacks. These provide hardly any nutritional value when you pop them in your mouth, but tons of calories.

So I hope that helps you out next time you go shopping. Remember, if you plan ahead and stay organized, just like you should be doing with most things in your life, this can be a rather painless process. Pretty soon, this could be a lifestyle change for you.

Being Able To Predict Future Injuries

If you are a fan of our Facebook page, then hopefully you have been able to see the posts about our new Functional Movement Screen. Recently, I had traveled to Indianapolis to attend a seminar that would get me certified to perform a Functional Movement Screen (FMS).

So, if you are scratching your head asking what the heck is an FMS, then let me explain.

As a little kid, we had great flexibility and movement. But, as we grew older and developed movement patterns, sometimes we wouldn't do things correctly, but the "easier" way. With today's technology and modern science, we definitely don't have to move like our forefathers did back in the day. Our movement patterns became "incorrect" movement patterns.

Because of this, we develop strength deficiencies and muscle imbalances. Thus, are body isn't properly lined up and we are prime to set ourselves up to acquire various injuries or "itis" issues. That is where the FMS comes into play. The FMS is a test that scores you on 7 different movements. The maximum score you can get is a 21. The number you are trying to shoot for is 15 or above. Anything 14 or below, the research has shown you have a drastically increased chance of getting injured. You also want to look for any symmetry differences between your right and left. You want to address those as well.

By correcting these issues, you will be better balanced, have your muscles firing appropriately, and thus will have a more efficient moving pattern. This is a great test for someone who has had some nagging injuries, aches, or pains that they can't identify why they have them.

Now, if you have had some prior surgery before then this must be taken into account when doing the testing. But, if the doctor has said you are able to do anything and everything with no repercussions, then you should do this test to see if everything is firing normally.

So to detect if you are prone to future injuries, we are implementing this FMS with our own individual assessments. These will be included with your personal training sessions if you are a wellness client. If you are an athlete, the FMS will be included with the individual assessment you purchase. If you just want to get screened, but aren't currently training with us, the cost will be $75. Contact us today to get scheduled. You will be put through the FMS, we will discuss the results with you, and go over the corrective exercises you need to do to help your issues.

We can also do the FMS with various sports teams. These are great indicators if your athletes are operating as efficiently as possible. The research has great evidence in the fact that if your athlete scores lower than a 14 on this screen, they will greatly increase their chances of having an injury during the season, thus they won't be able to play. Contact us today, to see if we can put your team through an FMS.

This is a great screen that I firmly believe will be able to help you become healthier and avoid a lot of nick nack problems that we automatically chalk up to "old age." Check it out today.

Exactly What Constitutes A Cheat Day

Within our nutritional program, we suggest to our clients that they have a
cheat day. A day where they can have some of the foods they enjoy tasting, but
might not be on their particular menu plan when it comes to losing weight.

The thought process behind that is if you eat more good meals than bad, your
body can handle a few meals that might not be on the up and up.

Upon studying meal logs from our clients, we have morphed the cheat day into a
few cheat meals. Meaning, that most of our clients don't pick Sunday as their
cheat day and gorge themselves with all the food they have been craving.
Usually, they will pick one meal on this day or a lunch with friends on that
day and continue to surround those meals with healthier choices that stick with
their meal plan.

Most of our clients have to eat frequently throughout the day and this breaks
down to about 6 meals/small meals daily. So over a 7 day period that is 42
"feedings". What I have noticed with my clients looking to lose weight is that
if you have 3 or 4 cheat meals within that 7 day period and keep everything
else on point, you can still accomplish the health goals you desire and not
sabotage your program.

As an example, I will discuss a few of my cheat meals this past weekend. I
went to Indianapolis for a seminar and sometimes you have to make due with what
you have available.

I got in to Indy Thursday night. Throughout the day, I had been eating my
normal schedule - lean steak, whole wheat pasta, mixed veggies, fruit, almonds,
occasional meal replacement bar. Once I arrived in Indy, I was pretty hungry
so I ordered a pizza from Domino's. They had some special going on so I
ordered two medium pizzas (one with sausage and onions and the other with
chicken and mushrooms). I probably could have done without the sausage (an
unhealthier choice), but I said what the heck. I saved one of the pizzas in
the refrigerator for the next night and drank water with it.

The next morning I ate a waffle (without butter), a bowl of fruit, and for some
protein, bacon. I didn't bring any snacks with me so I didn't eat again until
lunch which was a footlong ham sub loaded with veggies and some baked lays.
This is one of their leaner subs. After the seminar, I ate a chicken breast
sandwich at the Hard Rock Cafe, some fries, and for dessert a peanut butter
something or other in a shot glass (I ate half of it). Finally, my dinner was
the other pizza I had in the fridge.

The next morning, the seminar provided some orange juice and bagels which I
ate. For lunch, I went to Panera's and had a bacon turkey bravo (one of the
leaner choices) and a baked lays with water. I then got a mocha shake from
Steak and Shake, didn't like it, and pitched it (the whipped cream and half of
it was remaining). After the seminar, bought some trail mix, some sour patch
kids, and headed back to C-bus, where I promptly resumed my normal eating
schedule.

So as you can see, not every meal was a total cheat and I tried to make some
healthier choices along the way. I allowed myself to have a few indulgences to
satisfy any cravings, but still tried getting some carbohydrate and protein
with some veggies. You can do this too. If you follow a healthy eating plan
most of the time, you can EARN the right to have a few cheat meals throughout
the week. Your body will not self destruct and you can still enjoy some of
those delicacies that might not otherwise be on your menu.

The Top 5 Fittest Foods To Eat

If you have a choice about what to pick for a healthy food, then my guess is that you will want to start with one of these next five foods. I discovered this list in Men's Fitness. A great magazine that I read monthly. There is no doubt that if you want to start eating healthier, pile these foods on your plate.

1. Salmon - An excellent source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. This means it helps prevent memory loss as you age and improves your heart health. This low-fat option helps burn calories and keep you from packing on unwanted pounds.

2. Blueberries - There was an article recently that said this fruit was an excellent cancer fighter. It has a bunch of antioxidants in it which help you prevent disease and acts as an anti-aging food. It is rich in fiber and also helps prevent memory loss. Throw it in a smoothie, on your cereal, or down your throat, get these berries as often as possible.

3. Oatmeal - When I create meal plans with our Metabolic Nutrition program, this is one of the very few breakfasts the software likes. Try to avoid the packaged oatmeal because it has added sugars in it, but get the instant oats and add your own sweetness to it i.e. blueberries or other fruits. Oatmeal helps get rid of the bad cholesterol and get you very heart healthy.

4. Tomatoes - Tomatoes have a nutrient in it called lycopene. Lycopene gives tomatoes its red color and is a powerful antioxidant that helps to prevent a lot of diseases, for men this includes prostate cancer. Studies have shown that men with a lot of tomato based foods in their diet are less likely to develop prostate problems. NICE!!

5. Broccoli - My mom repeatedly told me this when I was growing up, "Eat your broccoli, it is a cancer fighter." This is probably the best vegetable to choose because it helps your circulatory system, fighting colds, and your bones. Try sneaking it in your salads or some stir fry.

Rounding out the top 10 are spinach, yogurt, almonds, whole-wheat bread, and beef. So, start devouring some of these foods and see your immune system improve, unwanted fat drop off, and just feel overall OUTSTANDING!

Why A 1200-1500 Calorie Diet Will Make You Fatte

I get a lot of people talking to me about what particular diet they are on. They try this diet or that diet, see initial results, and then nothing happens or it is slow to happen. Rather than blame it on the diet, they blame themselves for not being 100% perfect with the diet and that is why the weight loss slows down.

I'm here to tell you that isn't the case. It is the diet you chose. A lot of those diets are 1200-1500 calorie diets and folks, that just isn't enough calories for most individuals to lose body fat (notice I didn't say weight). Unless you are 120 pounds to begin with (and why would you want to diet), 1200-1500 calories won't cut it.

But, Adam, aren't you supposed to eat less calories than you burn.

Yes, you are, but a lot of people underestimate how many calories they burn throughout the day. Take your bodyweight and multiply it by 10 and that is a rough estimation of how many calories you burn throughout the day if you were to just lie around doing nothing (your resting metabolic weight). But most of us don't do just that, so you have to factor in more calories to compensate for your daily activity level, plus how many calories you burn exercising.

That is your total and for some people it could be between 2200-2500 calories or more a day. So that could be 1000 calories or more a difference between what you are consuming and what you are burning. You need that caloric deficit to be between 300-500 calories. Greater than that, your body thinks it is starving and will go into survival mode.

Survival mode means your body starts burning muscle and stores fat because fat is emergency energy. This is the initial weight loss people see, but it is slowing your metabolism down and you're not losing fat. Because you are keeping the fat and losing muscle, your bodyfat percentage is either staying the same or rising.

Obviously, that is not what we want to have happen.

So once you figure out how many calories you burn throughout the day, you can then be put on a proper meal plan with the right caloric amount that will allow you to burn bodyfat, keep your muscle which will make your metabolism faster, and then see the weight loss you desire.

So the next time you want to try getting slim, fast, you might want to avoid those diets that have you take a shake for breakfast, a shake for lunch, and a sensible meal for dinner. The weight might fall off quick initially, but is it worth getting an increase in bodyfat and having mushy arms??

Ohio Improves Its Obesity Rate? Or Did It?

In yesterday's Columbus Dispatch, there was an article about the announcement
of the latest state obesity rates. The news wasn't rosy. My state, Ohio, was
ranked the 10th worst state last year, but this year we tied for 13th with
Texas. In Ohio, 29% of all adults are considered obese. Mississippi was
ranked #1 with almost 34% of the adults considered obese.

Now Ohio shouldn't be too happy. We didn't drop 3 places because we actually
got slimmer. Basically, there were other states that dramatically had their
obesity rates increase at such a pace, that they leapfrogged Ohio.

Well, that stinks!

Just to clarify, in terms of the Body Mass Index (BMI - a version of the
height/weight chart), anything 30 and over is considered obese. So, a 5'9"
individual who weighs 169 or more is overweight and if that person weighs 203
or more is obese. BMI doesn't take into consideration bodyfat percentage, so
really it provides us with a general indicator.

If you go by bodyfat percentage, generally for women 25% - 33% is considered
overweight and 34% and over is considered obese. For men, 21% - 25% is
considered overweight and 26% and over is obese.

That is why when clients come to me and we do measurements, yes I look at the
scale to see how the weight has changed, but I pay closer attention to the
bodyfat measurement. Someone can actually stay the same weight, have the
bodyfat percentage drop, and look like they have lost weight.

Basically, this shows that we really haven't made any progress with this
obesity epidemic. I know I will keep plugging away and helping people who want
to make a change in their life. As long as their is hope, we will have a
fighting chance to lick this once and for all.

The Secret Ingredient To Weight Loss Really Is The Nutrition

I know you have been listening to me rattle on for weeks now about how I think nutrition is the key to your weight loss. I wouldn't just say it if I didn't know it to be true. Here are three preliminary cases of clients who are changing their nutrition and seeing the benefits. I'm still holding off on all the details until I can provide a thorough success story for you, but all of them have done our nutrition program and the early results are great.

Joyce started off the first three months of our program only losing 6 pounds and out of those 6 pounds 3 were from fat and 3 lean muscle. Not the ratio we want to see. So all signs of the erratic weight loss pointed to nutrition. At the time she was working with a registered dietician, so I didn't approach the nutrition topic, but something wasn't working. So at the three month mark, we looked at the meal plan our software provided (which was created by registered dieticians). It provided the right amount of calories she needs per day. We discussed how to get her meals in and make it work for her schedule. The next 3.5 months she loses a total of 20 pounds of fat and gains 6 pounds of muscle, a net loss of 14 pounds. This is excellent and exactly what we want to see.

Kelly is a female athlete and wanted to shed some fat before she reported back to school. We put her on the program and found the right amount of calories she needed to give her energy for her grueling workouts and shed some fat. The early numbers are: 4 weeks doing the meal plan, 4 pounds lost. Actually, she has lost 6 pounds of fat and gained 2 pounds of lean muscle. Perfect!

Lisa wanted to get back in shape and started our program a month and a half ago. She has dropped a dress size and went to a wedding where her friends were commenting admiringly about how good she looked. A man started asking her questions about her transformation, which she repeated a lot of the knowledge I had told her about nutrition and weight loss. Finally, the man said that she was spot on with everything she said. He was just finishing up his residency in general medicine and encouraged her to keep doing what she is doing because she is on the right path.

Those are the success stories I love to hear about. Those are the stories I want to hear more of. What is stopping you from getting that physique you desire? Or getting into the optimal health you richly deserve? I don't know what is stopping you, but hopefully, YOU can be our next awesome success story.

Odd Fitness Facts That Won't Help You At All

Taking a break from the usual health topics that I discuss, I decided to put together a bunch of interesting health and fitness facts that you probably weren't aware of. They won't make you any healthier, but they might make you the life of the party. Repeat some of these and have the people eating out of your hand or get kicked out of the party. Try it and let me know what happens.

• Left handed people live slightly shorter lives than right handed people.
• Toxic houseplants poison more children than household chemicals.
• Wearing headphones for an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.
• The first owner of the Marlboro Company died of lung cancer.
• Apples, not CAFFEINE, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.
• A sneeze travels out of your mouth at over 100 mph.
• You cannot sneeze with your eyes open.
• Seaweed is used to thicken ice cream.
• The average person eats 8 spiders in their sleep in their entire lifetime.
• Every time you lick a stamp you are consuming 1/10 of a calorie.
• Americans eat 18 acres of pizza daily.
• Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.
• 85% of men who die of heartattacks during intercourse, are found to have been cheating on their wives.
• The largest muscle in your body is located in your rear end.
• The human neck has the same number of vertebrae as a giraffe's neck.
• Your nose makes about a cup of snot each day.
• Women blink twice as much as men.
• Not a spinach lover? Eat honey - it has similar levels of heart healthy antioxidants.
• Strawberries contain more Vitamin C than oranges.
• Per ounce, Chicken McNuggets contain twice as much fat as hamburgers.
• Blueberries fight the bacteria that cause diarrhea.
• Honey speeds the healing process to wounds.
• The surface area of a human lung is equal to a tennis court.
• On average, a pound of potato chips cost 200 times more than a pound of potatoes.
• Carrots really can help you see in the dark.
• You burn more calories sleeping than watching TV.

If you enjoyed them, click here and post your favorite one on my facebook fan page.

Calorie Counters Could Be Misleading And Sabatoging Your Workout

I get people that tell me all the time about how many calories they burned during their workout.

"Dude, I had a killer workout. I burned over 500 calories on the stairmaster."

I don't mean to ruin your workout entirely, but some of the calorie counters on these machines could be misleading. They could be giving you a number that is higher or lower than what you are actually burning. I don't have my clients focus so much on counting calories, especially how much you are burning during workouts, but in case you do focus on that, read on.

First of all, those numbers that the calorie counter are spewing out should be used more as a guideline rather than gospel. You need a lot more sophisticated equipment to measure calories than just gripping the handle bars of this cardio machine.

A lot that determines how many calories you burn depends on your own fitness level. The more in shape you are, the fewer calories you could burn. For example, if you are a beginner at level 1, you will start off shedding more calories than a fitness stud at level 1. The fitness stud would have to crank up the intensity to burn the same amount of calories.

To get a better feel for how many calories you are burning, you should probably invest in a heart rate monitor. The machines heart rate sensor shouldn't be the one you solely rely on, so having another heart rate monitor, can help take out a lot of guesswork. Polar's Fitness F4 Training Computer is recommended by Men's Fitness and this could probably work for you. Being able to see where your heart rate is will help determine your intensity level, thus give you a truer indicator about burning the right amount of calories.

According to Men's Fitness, here is what you should expect to burn per minute based on activity:
• Low Intensity Training (softball, golf) 4-6 calories if you're fit, 6-8 calories if you aren't
• Moderate Intensity Training (jogging, rowing) 8-10 calories if you're fit, 10-12 if you aren't
• High Intensity Training (running, boxing) 12-15 calories if you're fit, 15-20 if you aren't

What Is The Big Deal About Supplements?

Whenever I talk about supplements, there seems to be some confusion out there. For most people, supplements is a general term that includes everything from multi-vitamins, holistic foods, protein drinks, steroids, HGH, and the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, what is associated with the word "supplements" is all the negative press to really only a few of these items in regards to health issues.

I think you have to make a distinction between supplements and performance enhancing drugs (we will call them PED'sfor short).

PED's are in the news a lot. They are used by athletes to help them become bigger, faster, and stronger. Some of these, if taken under a doctor's supervision, can be beneficial for an individual. Most are questionable at best, not so much about what they can do, but what negative affects they will have on your body down the road. Sometimes these PED's are taken for recreational use and this is where it gets a little crazy. If a little is good, more must be better, and these rec-users take them in crazy doses.

These PED's are not what my clients would be taking if they were looking to achieve their health goals. So, when you hear the word "supplements" immediately discount the PED's because these aren't sold at any store.

So, out of the remaining items in the term "supplements," you hear a lot of strange words being used nowadays - hoodia, ginko bilobo, ephedra, phen-phen. A lot of these words are associated with fat burners. Some have caused negative repercussions and others don't do anything except burn a hole in your wallet. Eliminate these "fat burners" from our supplements term. There is no such thing as a pill or powder that burns fat. It doesn't exist.

What remains for the most part are the products I lump into the discussion of supplements and explain to my clients how they might help. First, of all, they have to be eating healthy for most of their meals. If you continue to eat like crap, then no supplement in the world is going to help. Then, if you are like most of my clients, you have a busy schedule and little time to prepare many meals. That is when my version of the word supplements come into play. I feel using a meal replacement shake or bar to help get you between meals is fine. These products are man made, but they are consistent with healthy choices and can fulfill your nutritional needs until you get to your next whole meal. I also discuss using a quality vitamin strip. There are nutritional gaps in a person's diet no matter how perfect they eat. These help fill those gaps.

So when I think of supplements, that is what I think of. No fat burners, no shots to your stomach, nothing hard core. Just something to aid in the getting of healthy calories so that your body can become a natural fat burner and get rid of fat safely. Nutrition is the key to accomplishing your health goals and the supplements I suggest can be a good complement towards achieving that goal.

Exercise And Arthritis Do Go Hand And Hand

This month is National Arthritis Month, plus the other health observances that I have discussed in earlier newsletters this month. It used to be thought that exercise would just worsen arthritis so doctors told their patients not to exercise. But now there is new research that indicates you would be crazy not to exercise if you have arthritis.

To begin with, exercise builds strong muscles around the joints, increases the flexibility, and helps reduce joint pain and stiffness. Besides promoting overall health and fitness, it helps reduce the inflammation associated with arthritis.

So what are some things that you want to do?

The first thing before doing any exercise program is to have a good warm-up. You might even want to have a longer warm-up than your normal individual. This is to make sure you have the blood flowing through the joints as good as can be and get the muscles extra warm. The more blood flowing through these areas the easier it will be for you to move. Your warm-up should consist of something low impact: brisk walking while pumping your arms, stationary bike, or an elliptical which is designed to take stress off your joints.

If you have extreme pain, you might want to start with some water exercises. Water takes all the pressure off your joints plus there are pieces of equipment you can use to get a good total body equipment.

If you desire to use weights, you can use them and get a good workout, but you have to be smart. Don't do maximum lifts. You want to have a moderate weight, go for a higher rep range, and use strict form. There really is no limit to what you can or can't do. It is all based on your pain threshold and what exercises aggravate your arthritis. If there is no pain or it is not going above normal pain levels then you are probably alright.

Stretching is very important. The more flexible you are, the better your range of motion is for your joints. This means you can put your body in proper positions and not put extra pressure on your joints due to tightness.

Just because you have arthritis doesn't mean you have to give up your health entirely. There are great ways to keep you in shape and keep your arthritis under control. All it takes is a little work on your part and a little know-how given by me.

If You Aren't Losing Weight, You Might Not Be Eating Enough

When people talk with me about what diet they have been on, I hear several of the same themes:
• They still feel hungry
• They lose weight initially, plateau, so they cut more calories to try and lose more weight
• They feel lethargic
• As soon as they go off the diet, they gain weight
In my experience, this all leads to one common problem - they aren't eating enough food for their body to properly lose fat, thus lose weight.

Yes, to lose weight, you do want to make sure that the calories you are consuming is a little less than the calories you are burning. The problem is that you only want to cut back several hundred calories, not 1000 calories where you are only getting 1200-1400 calories a day. What people fail to understand is that they burn a lot more calories than they realize throughout the day, thus you need to consume more calories in order for your body to lose weight, but more importantly fat.

Here is what is happening. Your body needs a certain amount of calories each day in order to do its normal bodily functions. If it does not get that amount, your body thinks it is starving. When that happens, your body turns into survival mode and slows down your metabolism by using muscle for energy and storing fat. So any initial weight you may be losing due to a low calorie diet is due to muscle and water loss NOT fat. This is why you will hear experts say to eat small meals frequently throughout the day. So your body doesn't think it is starving, preserves the muscle, meets its energy demands, and burns fat for energy.

So how do you find out how many calories you need to eat each day?

Good question. That is where our Metabolic Nutrition program comes in. This program figures out how many calories you burn throughout the day, then uses that number to figure out a registered dietician approved meal plan that is customized to meet your health goals. As long as you follow the plan, you will lose weight, but not just body weight, body fat. This is important.

My clients who have used this and lost weight have been told to eat anywhere from 1800-3200 calories a day. So what I'm telling you, is that you can eat food, and possibly eat a good amount and still lose fat. If you haven't got time to exercise then you should at least try this program. As Andy Rahe proved (you can watch his video on youtube or my facebook fan page), you can lose fat and a good deal of it by eating right and not exercising. Exercising will only enhance what you do and is very necessary, but eating is the key.

So, if you are exercising, you will be just spinning your wheels if you are not changing your nutrition. If you are working with me or exercising somewhere else, I would encourage you to try this Metabolic Nutrition program. This could be the answer to your health problems. It is only $99 to take the metabolic test, receive a 3 day meal plan, and a grocery list. Some additional meal replacement shakes and bars will need to be purchased, but I'm telling you if you follow the program, you will accomplish your health goals.

Contact me today to schedule your appointment and let's get that nutrition taken care of. Find out really how much food you can eat and still lose weight.

Lowering High Blood Pressure Through Exercise

If you read last week's newsletter, I told you that May happens to be the awareness month for many different health issues. I discussed Osteoporosis last newsletter and this week's newsletter is dedicated to high blood pressure since it is National High Blood Pressure Awareness month.

I meet a lot of people that have hypertension (high blood pressure) and are on medications. Did you know that more evidence is being produced that exercise, plus a healthier lifestyle, can eliminate the need for those medications by keeping your blood pressure in check? I'm sure some of you did, but just don't care. I understand it is simpler to just take your meds, but being healthy can hopefully eliminate plus prevent a lot of other issues besides high blood pressure. But, I digress. That isn't what this newsletter is about.

So how does exercise help blood pressure? I'm glad you asked.

As you exercise, you make your heart stronger. If your heart gets stronger, than it takes less effort to pump blood throughout your body. Because your heart pumps blood more efficiently, the force on your arteries decreases, thus lowering your blood pressure. Implementing exercise can lower your systolic number (the top number) an average of 5 to 10 mm/Hg. That is as good as some medications and in some cases can reduce the need for them.

It takes about 1 to 3 months of continuous exercise to start effecting your blood pressure. These benefits only last as long as you continue to exercise. We increase our chances of acquiring high blood pressure as we age, so if we can get into a steady exercise routine, then we can keep it low as we get older.

Just like anyone, if you are just starting an exercise program, you will want to start conservatively and progress as you are adapting to the program. You can then get to the point, where you have a high intensity to your workout with no repercussions of raising your blood pressure. Aerobic activity is key, but combining it with weight training will really help out.

So if you are tired of taking yet another medication for a disease that you acquired as you got older, than why don't you try some exercise. Not only will it help you lower your blood pressure, but you will have more energy, feel better, and look great. I would definitely love to have those side effects, wouldn't you??

Exercise And How It Might Help Kids With Autism

I bet you didn't know that this month was National Autism Awareness Month. I wanted to find out if exercise could play a role in helping kids with autism. What I found out was that there is still debate on how much it could help autistic children, but it definitely isn't going to hurt.

Autism can have varying affects on children from mild to severe affections. So it is difficult to say how exercise will help the child, but the only way to find out is to try. Exercise and physical activity helps develop their motor skills, social development, and emotional maturity. But, like many kids nowadays it is very important to help them maintain their healthy weight and improve their coordination. Lack of physical activity is becoming all too common in all our kids whether they are autistic or not.

So here are a few tips to help get your autistic child acclimated to physical activity:

• Check with your doctor first, just in case there are limitations to what your child can or cannot do. The doc might even have some suggestions on what to start off with.

• Encourage the child to participate in activities that require a lot of body parts such as jumping rope, weight lifting (if old enough), or jumping on a trampoline. To improve balance and coordination try activities like swinging or cartwheels. Hand eye coordination and motor skills can be improved by playing catch or basketball.

• Exercise can help with emotional control as well. Choose activities that your child enjoys so it will be fun. Exercise has been known to be an anti-depressant of sorts because it raises your serotonin levels which makes you feel good and relaxed.

• Structure the exercises to the ability of the child and then build upon those successes. For each new hurdle accomplished, the child will be eager to try exciting new exercises.

My thought is like I stated earlier, which is more kids in general need to become more physically active. It will help them with their self confidence, paying more attention in class, keeping the weight off, and avoiding these health issues that are creeping up on them at an earlier and earlier age. But, for autistic kids it is that much more beneficial. I see no downside to them being active. Also, it will force you to be active as well because you will have to keep up with them. So maybe in the process, you will lose a few pounds. Is that so bad??