Motivation

For many people to make it to the gym, they have to set their alarm extra early to exercise before work looking half asleep or stop at the gym on the way home from a long draining day and would rather sit on the couch and watch the Olympics.  Let's face it, many of us find excuses to miss a day at the gym or make an appearance but don't really work hard enough to benefit.  Everyday we make decision that will affect us in some way. With food as well, we become lazy and emotionally eat. It is true, "you are what you eat." Keep this in mind when you are failing to reach your goals. You may think you eat healthy most of the time or you worked hard enough to eat that dessert but the truth is that your food intake is holding you back. Staying motivated will help keep your workouts consistent and your diet on track. Set both short term and long term goals for yourself with deadline to be held accountable. That could reach a certain weight by a certain time or   even to fit into an old pair of jeans. One day you may be pumped up and ready to go but others something brings you down. Keep that hunger to better yourself everyday! Find an old picture of yourself when you felt best, or a picture of someone you want to look like or maybe even a picture of a beach you will be at in a month. Put it everywhere...bathroom mirror, refrigerator, steering wheel of your car, background on your phone, by your desk, wherever. Don't stop until you reach your goal.

Muscle Release

Life is hard on our bodies. Whether you are on your feet all day or sitting at a desk like most, it puts different stresses on our muscles that affect the way we move with our joints and posture. Then if you exercise (like you should) you also are contracting muscles a lot which in turn makes them tighten up as well.  Many of you are familiar with what is referred to as static stretching like pulling the foot back towards the glutes, stretching the quad. Today I want to introduce a stretching technique called self myofascial release. This is typically done with a foam roller (as seen in the picture above.) By applying constant pressure through the foam into the muscle, the connective tissue called fascia is released, allowing the muscle to relax. Think of it like getting a deep tissue massage. If you have ever had one then you know at some times it can be a bit uncomfortable but will leave you feeling very relieved and relaxed. Beside foam rollers which are specifically designed for this purpose, you can use different kinds of sports ball such as a softball or even a pvc pipe depending on your tolerance. Larger muscles like the muscles of the legs and back are more receptive to foam rollers and smaller and/or hard to reach areas can be released with a ball. If using a ball say for instance on the chest muscles, place the ball in the palm of your hand and apply even pressure as you slowly move it around the muscle. Using the foam roller, start first with the calves. They are highly active muscles group. Place the roller under one calf and cross the other leg on type. If you can, place your hands face down on the outside of your hips on the ground and lift your body weight up (upper body workout!) Slowly push your body forward, rolling the foam up to the top of the calf. If you feel a spot that hurts a lot and has a hardness to it, stop and just rest at that point on the foam for about 30 seconds to really get it to loosen up. Remember to keep your core in tight while you roll. Here is a link with some brief instructions on how to roll some other muscle group. Foam Rolling Tips  Remember it is our muscles that hold us up, not bones. So when your muscles are too tight, they are attached to bones and subsequently pull on that bone, throwing out joint alignment and causing other problems. Next time you are at the gym, look to see if they have foam rollers available and give it a try!

Getting Lean For Summer!

Summer is just around the corner, that is if it hasn't already started for some of you. Whether you admit it or not, men and women worry about  showing a little skin in a swimsuit. So I have compiled a list of tips to help you get lean and toned for that pool party or beach vacation.  Most of them relate to food intake because diet is essential to cutting out the fat. You can't build lean muscle and burn fat by trying to out exercise a poor diet!

1. Eliminate Empty Calories- this means quit the things you know are bad but think won't hurt if you just have a little here and a little there. I.E. daily nightcap (beer, liquor, wine), sweets, late evening snacks, detrimental toppings, etc..

2. Cut Down Sugar Intake- this goes along with sweets as well but you can take in a lot of sugar and you don't even know it. Cereals, juices, cokes, items that say low fat and food toppings are some common culprits.

3. Increase Lean Protein Intake- No brainer here, I'd be surprised if you haven't heard this before. Start adding a little more protein in each meal, this helps burn fat and build lean tissue. Eggs, fish, chicken, lean red meats, turkey and low calorie protein shakes. Meats need to be baked grilled or steamed without added fats and oils.

4. Revamp But Don't Eliminate Carbs- Trying those no carb diets will leave you drained and results will be lost when you get off the diet. Instead eat healthy carbs in smaller portions and eat them earlier in the day for breakfast/lunch instead of late night. Non-flavored oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, green vegetables, sweet potatoes. Try to stay off of breads (I know it's hard)

5. Increase Your Cardio Workout- Get your heart pumping, go faster and longer, increase the resistance and incline! Pick your poison. Whatever you like to do for cardio, make it harder on yourself and burn more calories. Run, walk, jump , climb stairs and bleachers, or use the cardio equipment and group exercise classes at your gym. Even increasing the intensity and decreasing the rest time of you weight lifting workouts can increase the heart rate and calorie/fat burn.

If following these diets rules on the fly is hard for you, prepare your foods ahead of time and make small meals with plastic containers. Spread your meals out in smaller proportions every 2-4 hours and drink lots of water! If you think you drink a lot of water drink more. It will flush out sodium and increase your metabolism. Don't forget calories are in drinks as well, except water!

Setting Goals

A new year has begun and more people are flocking to the gym. The most common reason? To lose weight. However some of us are pretty slim people and think we don't need to set any goals because we think we are already "in shape." Well let me ask you, do you know what your body fat percentage is?  Go to your local gym and find out or try these simple calculators at home body fat calculator

The truth is some of us just be young and have a high metabolism, or may be active but don't eat right and lift weights. If you read my last blog, I included body fat as part of my discussion. The National Council on Strength and Fitness body fat breakdown is as follows:
                Essential     Lean/Fit     Healthy     Risk         Obese
Males         3-5%        6-15%      16-19%   20-24%     >25%
Females     11-14%    15-22%     23-26%   27-31%     >32%

Keep in mind these are just guidelines but may vary based on level of fitness and muscle mass etc. If you are looking to improve your number, here are some things you can try to change your body.

Change up your diet! Eating every 3-4 hours throughout the day and never skipping meals will help increase your metabolism and decrease the chance of overeating. Drink more water, eat less sugar and saturated fats. Stick with fresh fruits, vegetables and lean meats. Avoid drinking anything but water and resist processed foods. Also increase protein consumption with tuna, eggs, black or kidney beans and decrease carbohydrates especially breads and pastas.

Make your gym time worth it! In addition to 4-6 days of cardio workouts (which probably need to be faster paced) get at least 3 weight training sessions in. If you can, break up your workouts to twice a day. Do not rest more than 45 seconds between sets. Keep the intensity up! Building lean muscle mass will decrease body fat and burn more calories throughout the day. Make sure you get getting 8 hour of good sleep to help the muscles properly recover as well as protein shake 30-45 minutes after any type of workout.

A New Year...A New YOU

So it's the start of a new year, the time everyone decides to lose weight and tone up but doesn't last a month. Time to make this year count! Before you decide what your goal is going to be, take a step back and assess where you are at. First take a photo of yourself with tight fitting clothing. Next, take measurements. If you live in the Dallas area, come see me at Coit 24 Hour Fitness, if not go to your local gym and ask a trainer to take your body fat measurement. Also, you can have a friend or family member take circumference measurements around  your neck, chest, waist, hips, thigh, calf, bicep and forearm. This is also used as a motivational tool in checking your progress besides just stepping on  scale.
The National Council on Strength and Fitness body fat breakdown is as follows:
                Essential     Lean/Fit     Healthy     Risk         Obese
Males         3-5%        6-15%      16-19%   20-24%     >25%
Females     11-14%    15-22%     23-26%   27-31%     >32%

Now time to take a fitness test, I got this from Jillian Michaels' book Making the Cut

1. The Aerobic Endurance Test
Find something stable about 12 inches tall that can support your weight. Step up with one foot and then the other  and then back down one at a time. Repeat the four step cycle at an even pace for 3 minutes. Afterwards, stop and take your pulse.

 2. Upper Body Test
Get a timer and count how many real, standard "military style" push-ups you can do in a minute. No cheating, slouching or girl push-ups for either gender.

3. Core Test
Again with a timer, count how many sit-ups you can do in a minute. Do not use your arms to pull you up and go through the entire motion. If you aren't sure if you are cheating then you probably are.

4. Lower Body Test
Find a stable wall and lean your back against it and squat to 90 degrees at the knees, called a "wall-sit". Start a timer and hold the position as long as you can.....keep holding! OK, 30 seconds is average, 60 seconds is good, 90 seconds is excellent.

Consult the tables and see where you stand (sorry the picture quality is poor). Then work on improving  those things by healthy dieting, weight training and cardiovascular training!

Again, if you or any friends and family are in the Dallas area, we have great specials on personal training right now at Coit 24 Hour Fitness. Come see me and I will help you get started on your way to a new YOU!

Eating out might not be as healthy as you think

Click this link, very intestesting stuff on nutritional facts

Happy Thanksgiving

As the beginning of Holiday season nears, I just wanted to remind everybody to stay on track with your fitness goals. Just because you are off of work a lot and having a lot of social events doesn't mean you have to gain weight back. There is no excuse. In fact, with this extra free time from work it should be even more convenient to get a work out in. As I don't expect you to eat as healthy as you should, it becomes even more important to stick to your workout plan to help compensate for the increase in calorie intake.  Be active, go for a run, hit the gym first thing in the morning and stay consistent.  Get some type of exercise in 5 to 6 days a week. It will keep you feeling healthy and fit and relieve stress of the holiday season. Don't you want to show up to those holiday parties and  family gatherings looking to impress?

I know today, Thanksgiving Day, will be filled with your favorite traditional home cooked foods you love. It is after all only once a year and I'm not telling you to pass up on them.  But be realistic, watch your portion control and skip second helpings. The average American consumes 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat  from their Thanksgiving Day meal, not including other meals/snacks of the day! Take a look a this link and get an idea of what you might be at and consider serving sizes!  Thanksgiving Day Calorie Calculator