Blog 10: Pay your fitness forward

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Congratulations, you did it! If you have been taking part in the previous blogs in this “Back to Fitness Basics” series, you have successfully made a healthy lifestyle change. You have found a true motivation to stay fit for yourself, and you have learned how to shop healthy and lift properly. You have come very far since you started your health journey. Now I have one more challenge for you today. Your last challenge is to simply pay it forward. Remind yourself of the great reward you achieved with your health by simply making a lifestyle change. Think of someone, somewhere in your own life that could use someone like you to help them become healthier.

Think back to the beginning of your health journey. Together we worked on the “how” to get fit, but in the beginning, you had to establish a “why”. Think of that same reason that drove you to want a lifestyle change, and tell your story to others! “You need to know the powerful emotional reasons why someone cares about fitness in the first place before you can get to the how. I call this discovering the “emotional relevance of exercise.” 1.

Another great way to motivate others in your life is to simply live your new healthy lifestyle and let others see the results of your healthy change. Along with leading by example, try expressing how this healthy lifestyle  has changed you in ways that cannot be seen on the surface. “The “real” reason people hold back from change is usually fear of losing something important or exposing themselves to danger. That something important can be anything from the simple pleasure of doing something they enjoy (like eating a bag of chips while sitting on the couch and watching TV) to some deep psychological need to stay overweight and avoid the risks of being socially or sexually active.” 2.

Love your new healthy self and show others the importance of having a healthy lifestyle. There is someone, somewhere in your life, who may need this change in their life. Be that positive influence that they need and encourage them to make that first step. Remember why you made your health journey and pay your fitness forward!

1. Finding The "Why" behind Your Clients' Goals. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2015, from https://www.acefitness.org/blog/4999/finding-the-why-behind-your-clients-goals
2. Helping Others Make Healthy Lifestyle Choices. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2015, from http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/motivation_articles.asp?id=931&page=2

Blog 9: Eating Smarter

The first step to eating smart comes with shopping smart. Eating healthy is very dependent on what you buy from the grocery store. You are in essence, what you eat when it comes to food you consume on a daily bases. Take a look for an example of what you may look like if the food you consumed each week was mostly from fast food. Could you keep a healthy body while maintaining those negative eating habits? Truth is, is that you can not out work a bad diet, and a healthy body starts in the kitchen.

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/quick_and_healthy_gluten_free_dinner_recipes

For foods that are not whole foods, are manufactured. Meaning that these types of foods are man made and will consist of more than one ingredient on the food label. The biggest thing to understand when shopping for healthy food, is to understand how to read a food label. “Reading food labels can be quite confusing; manufacturers tend to hide the bad ingredients and chemicals behind different names (especially with sugar).” “1” A good rule of thumb is that if you can not read an ingredient, it may not be healthy for you to begin with. Eating smarter also consist of choosing foods that are composed of few ingredients. Another good method to follow, is that if it has more than five ingredients, do not eat it.

Reading food labels of manufactured foods also consist of understanding the specific order of the ingredients on the label. “Carefully review the ingredients list. Note that the ingredient list is in decreasing order of substance weight in the product. That is, the ingredients that are listed first are the most abundant in the product. The ingredient list is useful for identifying whether or not the product contains transfat, solid fats, added sugars, whole grains and refined grains.” 2

Choosing what to eat can be the greatest step to make when choosing healthy habits to live by. It doesn’t matter how much plates (45 lbs.) you lift in the gym, as much as what you put on your plate at home. Remember these two easy steps for reading food labels next time that you go shopping, and you will truly be eating smart!

1. Become The Best Food Detective and Live Your Best Health! (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2015, from http://www.rockondivas.com/become-the-best-food-detective-and-live-your-best-health/
2. What You Need to Know About Reading Nutrition Labels. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2015, from http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/healthy-living-article/59/3319/what-you-need-to-know-about-reading-nutrition/

Blog 8: Staying motivated

By this point in your health journey, you may be experiencing difficulty staying on track of your health and fitness goals. Finding ways of continuing your journey and keeping your focus are going to help you accomplish your health and fitness goals.

http://www.thlc.tv/article/Reinvent-Your-Body

As with the first Back to Fitness Basics series that dealt with goal setting, now would be a good time to look at those same goals you have previously made to motivate yourself. Remember why you started to workout in the first place? For some it may be for a friend or loved one that wants them to become healthier. For others it could be more self driven. “Try focusing instead on reasons for exercising that genuinely make you feel good about yourself, like wanting to get stronger or to test your own limits. That’s the kind of stuff that will help you power through when your abs are shaking and you’re pretty sure you can feel your heart in your esophagus.” 1

Using an incentive as a self reward can be very rewarding. Try setting a goal for yourself in the near future as motivation, such as a big summer vacation or a high school reunion that you want to look in top physical shape for. Having a short term goal to focus on can keep you motivated on your health journey.

One more very good method to use is to physically see how far you have come since you started your health journey. A good way to do this is to simply take a picture of yourself now and compare it to pictures before your health journey. “If you're more intrinsically motivated, take photos of yourself regularly so you can compare them and see the results. When you do notice changes, take a moment to reflect and bask in the glory. Allow your success to motivate you to future changes!”2

Staying reminded of your short term goals is vital to staying motivated in your health and fitness journey. Keep reminding yourself why you started, and why you must continue to persevere. Nothing worth having in life is easy, so stay motivated on your health and fitness journey and never give up! Finish strong!

18 Mental Tricks That Will Get You To Push Yourself Harder During Workouts. (n.d.). Retrieved April 6, 2015, from http://www.mtv.com/news/2111493/mental-tricks-workouts/

2Gym Psychology: The 6 Types Of Motivation - Bodybuilding.com. (2014, April 14). Retrieved April 6, 2015, from http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/gym-psychology-the-6-types-of-motivation.html

Blog 7: Lifting smarter not harder

How is your health journey so far? By this point you must be doing well with your diet, hydration, and sleep schedule. In a previous blog, we learned about the value of lifting heavy versus cardio exercise. The blog this week is about how to “lift smarter not harder” by using proper form and technique.

http://www.quick-weight-loss-principles.com/free-weight-training-for-women.html 

By this point in time, I am sure you are familiar with the normal gym goers that visit your gym. What you may or may not have noticed is poor technique by some participants, that may be the result of simply lifting too much weight. I tell my clients this same thing that I will share with you….. You are a bodybuilder and not a weight lifter. By this point I mean that your goal in the gym is to become stronger and develop more lean muscle tissue. Sure, improved numbers on the amount of weight lifted can be a great plus to your goal, but it isn’t the ultimate goal that is improving your overall health. So as we will discuss further soon, it important to “lift smarter not harder”.

Without going into the specifics of proper lifting form for each main lift, lets think of any lift that is similar to a Deadlift, or any other exercise, that requires lifting heavy weight off the ground. As we use this exercise example, is it a good idea to lift with the legs or the back? The obvious correct answer is to lift with your legs and not your back, but do you know why? “Repeated flexion also adds to spinal stress, greatly increasing discal pressure and continually stretching the posterior spinal tissues. Over time, repeated flexion can lead to tissue breakdown. Microtrauma of this type gives rise to classical postural pain syndromes”1.

If you start to find that your lifting form is becoming poor as well in the middle of you set, try reducing the weight in order to lift all of the reps in the set with proper form. A great way to estimate how many reps you should lift, try finding your One Rep Max (1RM). Always have a spotter when finding this number. Once you have this number, use 80% of your 1RM and perform 3 sets of 8-12 reps with this new weight. “For the client who cannot complete maximum lifting, start with a weight they can comfortably lift and gradually increase the weight until they find a weight that feels challenging by the last couple of repetitions of the rep range.”2.

Resistance training can be a great addition to your health journey. Proper lifting however, needs to be of most importance if you ever want to make healthy progress and minimize the risk of injury. Always use a spotter when you lift heavy weight. Lifting with proper technique can help you to progress in your health goals by “lifting smarter, not harder.”

1. Proper lifting techniques for a healthy back. (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2015, from http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/proper-lifting-techniques-for-a-healthy-back

How Much Should My Clients Lift? (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2015, from http://www.acefitness.org/blog/3232/how-much-should-my-clients-lift

Blog 6: Importance of proper hydration

Are you thirsty yet? While the actual feeling of thirst isn’t a good sign of dehydration, it is vital for all of your body systems to remain hydrated. “Water is one of the most essential components of the human body. Water regulates the body’s temperature, cushions and protects vital organs, and aids the digestive system. Water not only composes 75 percent of all muscle tissue and about 10 percent of fatty tissue, it also acts within each cell to transport nutrients and dispel waste.” 1

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/which-bottled-water-is-healtiest.html#b

Now that you have been living a more active lifestyle, it is vital that you work on your hydration throughout the day. A good rule of thumb on how much water to drink each day is simply half of your body weight in ounces. Example, if you weigh 180 lbs. you should drink 90 oz of water a day.

How much are you sweating in your workouts? Perspiration in your workouts, isn't necessarily a sign of a workout’s value, but it is a good sign of how much water is lost during your workout and also how much water needs to be consumed after the workout in order to replenish the body’s hydration status. Another great simple hydration rule to follow is to simply consume half a liter of water for every pound lost during a workout. Example, if you lose 2 lbs. during the workout, drink a liter of water when you finish the workout. When you weigh yourself before and after your workout, wear loose clothing or simply compression shorts, and/or a sports bra.

The next question to ask is, “Are you currently hydrated”? A great method is to simply check your urine color. “In addition to recording body-weight, hydration levels can be monitored by simple urine color measurements. When optimally hydrated, urine color will appear clear or very light yellow. As dehydration settles in, your  urine color will become dark yellow or even brown. The darker, more concentrated the urine appears the more you are dehydrated.” 2.

All of the great hard work you have worked on so far, in your improved diet and exercise, will be for nothing if you are poorly hydrated. Water composes so much of the human body and all of the systems within the body need it to operate efficiently. As you sweat more this summer, be sure to drink an extra glass or two of water to keep yourself properly hydrated. Avoiding dehydration is critical in helping with your health goals. Bottoms up!

1. Healthy Hydration. (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2015, from http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/fitness-fact-article/173/healthy-hydration/
2. Hot Topic: Beat the Heat - Combat Dehydration. (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2015, from http://www.nsca.com/Education/Articles/Hot-Topic--Beat-the-Heat---Combat-Dehydration/
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Blog 5: Health benefits of greater sleep

How is your health journey going so far? By this point you have been “lifting more” and “shopping healthier” to improve your overall health. If you have done these things, great! If you have not, please visit my previous blogs. This weeks blog will be about how catching more zzz’s can help you lose weight and gain lean muscle mass.

http://www.americansleepcenters.com/home-sleep-testing/ 

How much sleep do you get a night? Do you ever feel like you simply do not get enough sleep at night? On average, “adults aged 18-64 need 7-9 hours of sleep a night.”1 Sleep can do amazing things for your health, but most Americans simply do not get enough sleep each night. To sum up the importance of sleep is to think of it as the time your body repairs itself and morphs you into the healthier version that you are working to be.The health improvements you have made to this point, with your increased resistance exercise and improved diet, need time to make their effect in your sleep with your GH’s.

When we sleep and go into our REM cycle, within the 1st hour we will release our own natural Human Growth Hormone (HGH) that is very vital in our health development. “Growth hormone is produced by the pituitary gland — a pea-sized structure at the base of the brain — to fuel childhood growth and help maintain tissues and organs throughout life.”2. This miracle hormone is vital to your health goals because it puts to use the work you have put in to your improved diet and exercise by simply building that dream body in your sleep.

“HGH does something no other weight loss regimen does - it actually recontours the body, melting away fat and building muscle. In many cases, people look like they've shed years away with the fat. Even better, the greatest loss occurs in the deep belly fat, the area that is not only the bane of aging men and women but is most often associated with increased risk of heart attack.”3.

So here is the next challenge in your health journey. Get 7-9 hours of sleep a night to go along with your improved diet and exercise. This extra sleep will help you tremendously by allowing your body to repair itself. Eat well, lift well, sleep well.

1.How Much Sleep Do We Really Need? (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need/page/0,1/

2.Healthy aging. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/healthy-aging/in-depth/growth-hormone/art-20045735

3.HGH Benefits. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://www.i-care.net/hgh-benefits.html

Blog 4: Becoming a healthy shopper

So what have you done this week? Have you, “developed a good accountability group”? What about, “starting a resistance training program”? By this point you must be doing well for yourself as you continue your journey to a healthier you. The next step we will discuss today is grocery shopping. The bulk of your health results will be actually what you consume in your daily diet. Specifically today, I will discuss what exactly you should do when you go grocery shopping in order to become a healthy shopper.

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A lot of times, my clients tell me the thing they struggle with the most is simply what to eat, or what not to eat. The best place to start is your grocery shopping habits. The first thing to consider when grocery shopping, is the layout of the building. “Grocery stores are strategically and systematically constructed.” Think for a minute about the store you most frequent for food shopping. There are the aisles and the perimeter of the store.  Along the perimeter is the fruits and vegetables; meats, dairy, and eggs.  In the aisles, all of the packaged, processed foods.” 1. As you change your eating habits, you will want to naturally purchase healthier foods to consume. By doing this you will want to stick to the perimeter within a grocery store to purchase your nutrient rich whole foods such as: meats, dairy, eggs, fruits, and vegetables. Stay away from the middle aisles as they contain mostly processed foods that can hinder your health goals, because they have less nutrients available.

Next thing to consider when grocery shopping, is to develop a shopping list before you ever step into the grocery store. “Take the time to write down the items you need for the week, and try your best to not stray from your list.” 2. This method can become some security to your shopping plan, because it can keep you from purchasing unhealthy items that will not benefit your health goals along with helping to save precious time and money. We will discuss the importance of your shopping plan in a later Back to Fitness blog about meal prepping.

There you have it! I want you to develop a detailed grocery list this week and shop with a purpose while sticking to the perimeter of the grocery store. Doing this will ensure that you add more nutritious items to your meals and consume less products that are unhealthy. Fueling right is important on your journey to a healthier you, so make it a goal this week to start becoming a healthy shopper.

1.Surviving the Jungle Known as the Grocery Store. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2015, from http://jeffreysharrison.com/blog/surviving-the-jungle-known-as-the-grocery-store/

2.Transform Your Grocery Shopping Experience. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2015, from http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/fitness-fact-article/3652/transform-your-grocery-shopping/

Blog 3: Empowering women to live fit

How familiar does this line sound? “If women lift weights, they will get bulky like a man.” What if I were to inform you that this belief is incorrect? Truth is, women do have small amounts of testosterone, but not near as much as men do. So “bulking up like a man” is actually impossible. For a large number of women, the idea of lifting weights is intimidating due to the obvious common misconception that resistance training will add bulk to the female body. Today we will discuss why using resistance exercises may help to empower women to live fit.

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A large number of times, when I start a training program with my female clients, they ask me to help them “tone up”. What exactly does this mean? A common misconception is that lifting low weights with high reps will help to “tone up” the female body. “Neither lightweight nor aerobic endurance training is effective for stimulating the muscle fibers responsible for growth and definition. The most effective way to create muscle growth and definition is to activate type II (fast twitch) muscle fibers using heavy weight or explosive movements.”1 These types of lifting exercises will consist of heavy resistance that you can do 8-12 repetitions for 3 sets, as an example. Emphasis also needs to be placed on exercise technique, but that topic will be covered in a later ”Back to Fitness Basics” blog. The main point in this, is to not be afraid to lift with heavy resistance, because it will result in the lean fit muscle tissue that you want.

As you start to lift more with resistance exercises, plus an addition of more protein content in your diet, you will naturally develop more lean muscle mass. The true beauty in building muscle is that more calories will be burned outside of the gym than on a treadmill due to the increased muscle mass. “Muscle gives your body its strength, shape and definition. It's also very metabolic, since each pound of muscle can burn up to 50 calories per day. The more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you burn 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In this way, adding muscle to your body through resistance training helps you to become a higher-calorie-burning individual. This helps you lose weight that is fat without sacrificing muscle gain.”2.

Working out and being physically active can help to sculpt the body as well as the self esteem. Don’t ever be afraid to take part in resistance training. With time and dedication, exercise can help to empower more females to live fit in the future. If however, you are still unsure of how to lift properly, I would highly suggest purchasing the services of a certified personal trainer.

1. 4 Myths about Strength Training for Women. (n.d.). Retrieved February 9, 2015, from

https://www.acefitness.org/blog/5040/4-myths-about-strength-training-for-women

2. Muscle Gain & Weight Loss. (2014, February 4). Retrieved February 10, 2015, from        http://www.livestrong.com/article/41086-muscle-gain-weight-loss/

Blog 2: Dawn of a new you!

 Congratulations, you did it!!! In deciding to make a health change in your life, you have already accomplished what many others have not! This could be the dawn of a new you! However, before you start to envision yourself hoisting a Lombardi like championship trophy, you and I know there is work to be done. That is why we are here today. Now lets start building the more healthier you!.

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    In this dawning of a new you, you have a vision for what you want to become. Today we are going to discuss how to build that body, appropriately, from the ground up. Two major goals I want you to work on are who can be your healthy support system, and how can you develop S.M.A.R.T. goals. Focus on these two important goals before you ever look at a salud or purchase a new pair of tennis shoes. These two fundamental fitness goals are the foundation blocks will be the solid ground you build your dream body appon. These two goals will set the tone for what is to come in my later blogs in this Back to Fitness Basics series.

    First thing you need to work on is developing Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound (S.M.A.R.T.) goals.  A few examples of a SMART goal are: “I will walk five days each week for 30 minutes each.’ or  “I will drink water instead of soda every day this week. I will bring my lunch to work instead of eating out four times this week.”1 Setting benchmark goals, which are S.M.A.R.T. goals, help you progress and keep you on track towards the main long term goal of greater health. If you fall off the waggon one week, that’s fine. Get back up and work on being better the next week.

    The second fundamental is to develop a good support system. “Build a social support network. Find a buddy with whom you can work out regularly. You can help and encourage each other, rely on each other for moral support and accountability, and share in your accomplishments.”2 This accountability partner will push and remind you why you started to change your health in life for the better. Surround yourself with individuals who will support you in your struggles and keep you accountable. Purchasing a personal trainer is also a great option for accountability and health guidance.

    These two fundamental basics will be what you build your dream body appon. Be SMART about how you set your goals and include others in your health journey to be the fire that drives you to finish. It’s ok to mess up and have a few days of struggle in keeping your goals. Never get discouraged with failure, and always get back up, because for you my friend, this is the dawn of a new you!

1. A SMART guide to goal setting. (n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2015, from http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/fitness-fact-article/3575/a-smart-guide-to-goal-setting/
2. ACSM | Articles. (n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2015, from http://www.acsm.org/access-public-information/articles/2012/01/09/finding-the-motivation-for-exercise-and-fitness-within

Blog 1: A lifestyle change starts with small steps

“The future depends on what you do today” -Mahatma Gandhi. We are all the result of our actions in the past. Our choices have shaped us and molded us into the people we are today. But you are here today for a lifestyle change. This blog today is to help you understand that, whether that goal is to gain muscle or lose weight, we all have to start with the basics.

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One great way to start your change is to stock your kitchen with nutritional foods and remove any unhealthy foods. The typical American diet consists of processed foods with little to no nutritional value. Some examples of no nutritional value food that you may find are fast foods, sodas, and candy.  One easy healthy item add to your diet is any food item that has Omega 3 fatty acids in it.  Fish, eggs or any type of Omega 3 fatty acid supplement can be a great alternative to your red meats. “Omega-3s reduce blood clotting, dilate blood vessels, reduce inflammation, and act to reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels.”1

Another great place to start is to physically move more. Push yourself to be active everyday, whether it be walking during your lunch hour, actively visiting your local gym, or something as simple as throwing a football with your child at the park or in your back yard. The American Heart Association recommends thirty minutes of moderate-intense activity a day for five days of the week, totaling 150 minutes a week.2

Even if you have lived a sedentary life, you can still start today and make a lifestyle change. Start with little improvements each week to your daily diet and exercise habits. It can be as simple as eat better and move more each day. Make a decision today that your future self will thank you for.

References

1Omega-3s could combat negative effects of the western diet. (n.d.). Retrieved January 25,

2015, fromhttp://www.acefitness.org/acefit/expert-insight-article/47/4868/omega-3s-could-combat-negative-effects-of-the/

2American heart association recommendations for physical activity in adults. (n.d.).

Retrieved January 25, 2015, fromhttp://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/PhysicalActivity/FitnessBasics/American-Heart-Association-Recommendations-for-Physical-Activity-in-Adults_UCM_307976_Article.jsp