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!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
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.
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.
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