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

Liquids Have Calories Too!

When trying to get in shape, tone up, lose weight or whatever you term your fitness goal, diet is an important key to your success.  Sometimes we tend to overlook what we drink is also a part of your overall calorie intake for the day.  Starting off the day with coffee is OK in moderation but just like food, it can quickly change from things you add to it like cream and sugar. Milk of course is a healthy choice but go with 1% or skim milk to cut down on the fat, sugar and calories.  Next comes the obvious, cokes (as we like to call it in Texas) depending where you are from, maybe you call it soda or pop. If you are a habitual coke drinker, try to cut that from your diet for a week and two and I think you'll be surprised what an effect if can have on you.  You might experience headaches but eventually they will subside and you can get some caffeine from alternative sources.  Unfortunately many juices aren't much better for you than coke. They are packed full of sugar as well, so unless you are freshly squeezing it yourself, read the sugar content on the label before you think you reaching for a nutritious drink.  Lastly comes the nightcap. Here again are empty calories and carbohydrates you can eliminate from your diet and that will help change the shape of your body. Whether it is a mixed drink or beer, you are just adding more calories to be stored as fat! I know you've heard the term "beer belly" before! So instead of reaching for these drinks, just have a nice old fashioned glass of.....ICE WATER. Not only are you cutting these empty calories and extra grams of sugar, drinking a lot of water will help boost your metabolism, have you feeling more energetic and happy,  and improve your overall health.  If you get bored easily with the lack of taste, try a calorie free water enhancer like Mio.

Start Your Day Off Right

It's 6:00 A.M. in the morning when your alarm goes off. Among many other possibilities, you've got to feed and walk the dog, shower and get dressed, then head off to fight traffic, coffee cup in hand. What's missing from this picture? BREAKFAST! In a poll by ABC News, 4 out of 10 Americans skip breakfast. This number actually surprised me. From my experience speaking to people about diet and nutrition, I expected an even higher number. Nonetheless, it is a problem that needs to be addressed. I remember a saying I was taught at a young age, "Eat like a king for breakfast, a queen for lunch, and a pauper for dinner." It turns out there is some truth to be told in this saying. Unfortunately, the norm in America is quite the opposite.

Why is breakfast so important? First, you consider the fact that you (should) have been sleeping for the past 8 hours and have obviously not had any food to eat. Your body needs to refuel for the start of a new day. You will feel healthier, more energized and have better concentration on school or work. Also it plays part in another principle of diet and nutrition of eating smaller portions 4-5 times a day. This will help boost your metabolism and keep you eating the right amount of food. When you go long periods of time without eating (i.e. sleeping and the waking up to skip breakfast) your body is going to conserve the food you eat and store it as fat. This slows down your metabolism.

While I am reminding you to eat breakfast, just as any other meal it needs to consist of healthy and beneficial nutrients. Good lean proteins, high fiber and whole grain/whole wheat carbohydrates are the most important things to consider when choosing your menu.  Plain unflavored oatmeal is one of the best things to start with. You get good whole grain complex carbohydrates as well as a smaller amount of protein. Note I said PLAIN oatmeal, not flavored or sweetened. Most people give me an ugly face when I tell them this. Some simple ways of adding flavor to it are a teaspoon of peanut butter, cinnamon, a small mix of honey, or some of your favorite fruit. If you are using milk, make sure to use low fat or skim milk. For protein, eggs are considered one of the best natural sources of protein for breakfast. Specifically the egg whites are the most beneficial part so if preparing more than one egg, keep it to just one or no egg yolks which hold more cholesterol. Other items good to have as part of a breakfast meal are yogurt and cottage cheese. Be wary of high sugar/high sweetener yogurts though. Greek yogurt is also high in protein so look for those. Lastly, the most common form of breakfast is cereal. Again, be careful which cereal you choose as many of them have high sugar levels. There are some great whole grain cereals that have protein in them as well. Post and Kashi brand cereals are among the best! As you can see, these examples I have given take little to no preparation time so don't tell me you don't have time. Tomorrow when you wake up, start your day off right!