Your Stress is Making You Fat

Did you know that your lack of sleep, heavy workload, and family obligations can leave your body in a weakened and stressed out state.

And, when you feel stressed your body increases its levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. This hormone can actually direct fat to deposit around your midsection. This layer of fat is often affectionately referred to as a “spare tire” or “pot belly.”

To make things worse additional fat can lead to higher cortisol levels, which only leads to more fat…

No you can see how this really is a viscous cycle…

Don’t worry too much, though, because tomorrow I’ll give you a few tips on how to reduce your stress levels and reduce your fat.

Source: Institute of Public Health in Bilthoven, Netherlands

How to Warm-up Properly

I wrote a post earlier in the week that included one of my favorite body weight warm-up exercises to do  before a workout session.

Today, I want to take you through one of my typical dynamic warm-ups that will loosen you up and increase your flexibility and mobility before jumping right into your exercise session.

Your best bet is to pick a few exercises that will prepare you for that day's workout. So, if you will be doing some lunges, push-ups, and dumbbell rows you would want to make sure you warm up those corresponding muscle groups.

For example you may choose to warm-up with:
#1. Backwards lunges with a 2 arm raise x 12 reps on each side
#2. Resistance band standing reverse flys x 12 reps
#3. Jumping jacks for 30 seconds

By performing these 3 exercises you'll also be increasing blood flow to all your joints and muscle tissue which will decrease your likelihood of getting injured when performing your exercises.

Keep in mind that you may also want to complete a general warm-up before even getting into these dynamic movements if you are a true beginner or feeling particularly stiff. A general warm-up would consist of doing 5-10 minutes of light walking on a treadmill, elliptical, or bike to increase your core temperature and safely ease into your workout.

Hypnosis to Lose Weight?

Hypnosis for weight loss is more popular than you may think…

What hypnotherapy does is to help you to develop new thought patterns associated with healthy and unhealthy foods.

These new thoughts formed during a hypnosis session in regards to healthy foods as positive and "bad" foods as negative bring about an emotional response that is meant to help you lose weight. These same thought patterns can be applied to exercise and your activity levels as well.

As long as these thoughts and suggested desires are what you want, then hypnosis for weight loss may very well help you to maintain a healthy weight.

For more information and to form your own opinion please feel free to check out additional resources related to "Hypnotherapy for Weight Loss."

Invasion of Privacy

"Whatever you can measure, you can improve," that's what Dr. Richard Daines, the state health commissioner of New York said in regards to measuring the body mass index of school children.

New York will now join 12 other states in testing 2nd, 4th, 7th, and 10th grade students at the beginning of the school year.

They plan to collect this data throughout the US to have a better idea of childhood obesity. Currently, it is estimated that 21% of 3rd graders are obese and a far greater percentage are overweight.

I personally have no problem with this data being collected confidentially and wish they had started making people aware of the severity of childhood obesity a decade ago.

Overweight children become overweight adults and the problems only continue to compound themselves. I really hope that along with the collection of data there is a plan in place to educate children and families about the value of healthy eating and daily exercise.

What do you think? Is this an invasion of privacy to be forced to have your child's BMI taken?

Source: Childhood Obesity News

Exercise of the Week: Backwards Lunge with a 2 Arm Raise

This week's exercise is actually used more as a dynamic warm-up movement that it is as part of a workout routine.

All that means is that before you lift weights you always want to make sure that your body is properly warmed up by moving into multiple planes and ranges of motion.

The reason the backwards lunge with a 2 arm raise is great is because it opens up many of the muscle groups that get tight from sitting down all day. It's one of my favorite ways to open up the whole front of the body (since you probably hunch over a computer most of the day…) while working on balance.

Here's how to complete the backwards lunge with a 2 arm raise:

1. Stand up tall with your arms by your side
2. Step backwards
3. Allow the knee of the back leg to move towards the floor but not touch
4. Raise your arms as the knee is slowly lowering
5. Hold the stretch for 1 second
6. Push back to the top standing up straight
7. Repeat 12x on each leg

Tips to remember:

1. Breathe in at the top and out as you lower your back knee down
2. Keep your core and glutes engaged to maintain balance
3. Don't try to stretch too deep on your first few reps
4. Always stop if you feel any pain

Enjoy the exercise and be sure to include it occasionally before some of your resistance workouts!

Energy Drinks Go Healthy?

There seems to be a new resurgence in energy drinks where manufacturers are looking to reposition them as "healthy."

What these companies have done is add more herbal ingredients to their drinks to replace some of the more typical ones like caffeine.

Their hope is that by adding herbal stimulants like guarana and ginseng, they will be able to reframe their carbonated beverages as healthy alternatives to the popular choices such as Red Bull.

Time will tell if the consumers who have been drinking their regular caffeinated beverages will switch over to these new, more "natural" energy boosters…

While I'm not suggesting anyone should pick up an energy drink as a way to artificially stimulate themselves, I do think that these "healthy" versions won't pack the same punch that true energy drink consumers look for.

If you use these types of stimulants, I'd like to hear what your take is on switching over to an herbal stimulant versus straight caffeine and sugar (or the sugar-free variety).

Stop Shuffling Your Feet!

You may not even be aware of it, but you may just be a "foot shuffler."

A foot shuffler is someone who barely lifts their feet off the ground while walking or even when they go for a jog.

Believe it or not, this act of shuffling your feet actually has serious repercussions to the proper biomechanics of walking. Your body was meant to perform each step by squeezing your glutes as well as creating knee and ankle flexion and extension with each new stride.

Shuffling, however, minimizes posterior chain activation (glute, hamstring, and calf involvement) and as a result creates imbalances in your physique and compounds incorrect movement patterns.

To correct this shuffling, start by first being aware of when you are "dragging your feet." Next, you will want to lift your chest and make sure your core works to keep you upright. After that, begin to focus on squeezing your glutes and pushing off your back leg as you step forward. This will force your knees to bend and your ankles to flex and extend as you step forward. Lastly, don't forget to allow your arms to swing gently by your sides as you walk.

Start incorporating these simple techniques and before you know it you will find yourself moving around more quickly and you'll be burning more calories during the day just by walking...

Do You Have Excess Skin Hanging Around?

One issue that I've heard many readers on NutritionData talk about is trouble or concerns with excess skin after loosing weight.

Excess skin is due, in large part, to a variety of factors that control how quickly your skin with "shrink back" to its original state.

Here are 7 factors to consider when thinking about excess skin:

1. The older you are the less elastic your skin is
2. The longer you've held on to excess weight the harder it will be for the skin to return to it's normal state
3. Rapid weight LOSS will not always give the skin enough time to shrink back
4. Rapid weight GAIN will often times over stretch the skin too quickly and as a result, it may be harder for the skin to go back to normal
5. As in pregnancy, we do see that the skin does have a remarkable ability to return to its original form so don't loose hope
6. Along the same lines, there are cases of people who have seen their skin eventually tighten back up after 2 years of continued weight loss
7. Surgery should only be viewed as a final option to remove the excess skin and should not be taken lightly. You must make sure that you have already reached your goal weight and carefully considered all your options.

I hope this answered some of your questions and I'll follow up on this topic soon!

Fitness Study: Save 33.6% on Your Health Care Costs?

Interested in keeping more money in your pockets each month while increasing your health?

Over 3,249 people participated in a recently completed "Fit Choices" study done by Medica. They were asked to exercise at least 8 days per month, or about 2x per week.

After approximately 2 years in the program participants saw a 33.6% decrease on their average claim costs on a per-member per month basis.

So not only are these members making a smart decision to increase their quality of life through healthy nutrition and exercise choices they are saving money at the same time.

It looks like that gym membership or home exercise equipment may just pay for itself after all…

May, Medica Minneapolis MN, non-profit health insurance company

JC Resistance Band Fitness Equipment Review

In yesterday's post I recommended incorporating a great exercise called the band chop. This movement can be done horizontally, low to high, or high to low and you can complete each rep with any type of resistance band.

The bands we use at my studio are called JC Bands. We've been using them for years and they were invented by a fitness professional in Florida named Juan Carlos Santana, which is where the "JC" comes from.

Although you don't have to go with this brand, the nice thing about these resistance pieces is that they are really 2 separate bands attached at one point in the middle. The middle piece is also strung as a 10" loop so that you can attach it to an object or slide it into a door hinge.

I also like to take them with me while traveling since they are compact and you can just use one band to get in a whole workout! The JC resistance bands come in 2 sizes: 56" and just about half that for the travel size.

So if you're interested in adding in some band work to your exercise program you can pick up one of these JC Bands or any other type of resistance band at most on and offline fitness equipment stores like Perform Better and Power Systems.

I think you'll really enjoy adding this resistance band to your workout arsenal!

Tighten Your Core & Abs!

  One of the best exercises for strengthening and tightening your core, lower back, obliques, and abs is the chop.

I have demonstrated how to do a diagonal dumbbell chop in a previous post and today I want you to see how you can easily complete a horizontal chop at home using just a band.

Remember to start out with just enough tension to feel your core muscles engage and then gradually work your way up in resistance. If you have access to a gym you can also choose to use their cable machines.

Here's how to complete band horizontal chops:
1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart
2. Clasp one handle with both hands
3. Keep your knees slightly bent and your core muscles engaged
4. Chop the band across your chest and shoulders using your arms
5. Resist twisting your upper body
6. Slowly come back around your body
7. Repeat 10-15x

Tips to remember for band chops:
1. Never lock out your knees or elbows
2. Be careful not to round or over arch your back
3. Remember to keep your core muscles engaged the whole time
4. Pay attention not to twist your body as you chop
5. Make sure to breathe on every repetition

With a little practice you'll find that your stomach feels tighter and you are standing up straighter thanks to your new found core strength!

Burn More Calories While Exercising

Want to burn more calories while exercising without adding any minutes to your workout?

Here's how:

The University of Idaho published a report demonstrating the increased oxygen consumption and elevated heart rate of exercisers who took longer strides.

This means that the longer your step or range of motion when using the treadmill, elliptical, bike, or step mill, the more calories you will burn.

I'm all about efficiency and with this new tip you can really crank up the results you get from each workout!

New Study: How to Live Longer

A new study out of Stanford University School of Medicine concluded after a 19 year study that they have evidence to support their theory that runner's live a longer, healthier life.

The study included over 500 50-plus year olds that each ran for 4 hours per week.

Now, 19 years later the average run time is only about 76 minutes per week, but the group is still going strong and outliving their non-runner counterparts.

The study reveals that only 15% of the group had died versus 34% of others in their age group who were non-active.

This study is just one more to add to the growing list of reasons why there has never been a better time to start your own exercise program. And if you're already active, keep going and looking for new ways to stay excited about living a healthy and fit life.

Just think about that 30-60 minutes a day you don't think you have right now could end up extending your life by quite a few years - it just may worth your while…

August 11th issue, The Archives of Internal Medicine

Video: The Truth About How Celebrities Become Skinny In Seconds!

Yesterday's post about "The Beauty Report" was really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how women (and men too) are made to feel that they must fit some perfect mold that is for the most part, unachievable.

Plus, even if it was achievable, that doesn't make it healthy for both physical and emotional reasons.

Today, I have one of the most revealing videos from a behind the scenes editor of major celebrity photo shoots.

Want to see how celebrities really appear thin and beautiful?

You'll never look at another magazine cover in the same way again… and to me that's a very good thing.

Hollywood Cover-Up Exposed: Beauty Report Released

Maybe now more than ever women are bombarded with thousands of ads and stories about losing weight and trying to fit a particular ideal.

"The Beauty Report" just released by the YWCA revealed these disturbing findings:

* 80% of women say they are very unhappy with the way they look.
* 67% of women aged 25 to 45 are trying to lose weight – even though 53% of them were considered to be a “healthy” weight.
* While 40% of newly diagnosed cases of eating disorders – like anorexia or bulimia – are found in girls between the ages of 15 and 19, symptoms of the disorder are now showing up as early as kindergarten.
* American women spend almost $7 billion dollars a year on products used in the pursuit of beauty. Over a 5 year period that translates into 1 year of college tuition. Invest just half of that sum into a savings account for 10 years and end up with nearly $10,000.

The report went into how many women are making themselves emotionally and physically sick by trying to become something they believe to be "perfection."

It also says that the "bullying" to be beautiful by the "in-crowd" doesn't end when women reach their 40's either…

The truth is though that many of these ideals are not only unhealthy, but actually unreal.

If you saw how much backroom, touch-up work and editing went into the photos that land on the news stand covers you may just rethink your mission to emulate what you see in magazines and on TV.

Tomorrow, I reveal the whole cover-up Hollywood doesn't want you to know about!

Break the Speed Limit

There's been a lot of talk lately surrounding the amazing performance by the young Olympic sprinter, Usain Bolt.

It wasn't the fact that he shattered world records, but rather it was the way in which he did it.

He seemed like he was so far superior to the others in field (which he was) that he could literally put his body on cruise control and still win. Some of his ability and world record time comes from a longer stride, a higher ratio of fast-twitch muscle fibers, and a faster track, but that doesn't account for everything…

Usain Bolt got himself into amazing shape through a top nutrition and training program. He started working out with resistance and followed a healthy eating program in addition to his daily sprint program.

Obviously, not many of us are going to break a world record for world's fastest man, but we can use the same drive, determination, and focused training regimen that allows these athletes like Usain Bolt to be great. We can find our own inner athlete and set time aside each day for our own training and meal selection.

You may only have 30 minutes a day, but that doesn't mean you can't make the most of it…

Should I Bulk Up First?

Reader Question:
"I'm in the army and I have always been a little heavy I am trying to build muscle and lose body fat at the same time. I am into the middle of my third week I haven't lost any weight but I have noticed being stronger. One of my friends told me it would be easier to loss the weight then bulk up. what do you think?"

Answer:
The first thing to figure out is what is more important to you – putting on muscle or getting really lean?

The most efficient way to put on muscle is through strength training and making sure to get an adequate amount of calories to build more muscle. If you are trying to lose weight at the same time, there's a good chance you will be reducing your calories and therefore limiting your maximum potential to gain muscle.

Don't get me wrong, you can lose body fat and gain muscle simultaneously but it isn't as efficient as choosing one or the other.

The most effective way is to not worry about losing body fat at first and just concentrate on putting on muscle and gaining strength. After you add as much muscle as you'd like, you can then focus completely on losing body fat while trying to maintain muscle mass.

I hope that answered your question and good luck!

A Word of Caution

I just got a question from one of my older online clients who asked if she should be using higher repetitions or lower reps with each exercise for her age.

The truth is that regardless of your age, you should train in all different rep ranges to work your muscles, nervous system, and overall strength development. This will lead to a well-rounded program and a healthy and fit body.

The one word of caution I have to add is that lots and lots of reps and is not the answer.

Many people believe light weight and tons of reps will get you lean and defined muscles, but this is simply not the case. It's just another myth that just keeps circulating…

I would actually shy away from keeping too high of a rep range per exercise set (20+) in your workout routines for too long, especially for older exercisers. This can lead to repetitive motion damage to their joints and larger levels of inflammation within their body.

Train smart and vary your programs every 4-6 weeks for best results.

Burn Calories like Michael Phelps

You've probably heard about the massive amount of food Michael Phelps consumes to maintain his 6'4", 185lb Olympic physique.

If you haven't, he eats about 10,000 calories a day!

Most Americans consume 2,000 – 3,000, so you can see how much work it really would be to eat that much food… his breakfast alone takes over 30 minutes to get down!

Did you know though, that swimming burns a ton of calories?

So, if you like the idea of eating more food (healthy of course) and wouldn't mind putting in the extra exercise to offset the calories check out these stats on swimming.

Practicing the butterfly stroke can burn up to 800 calories an hour. Even lesser strokes like the back stroke still burn about 500 calories in the same time period.

Now you can start to see how a guy who completes 500 laps with about 5 hours of training time per day can eat so many calories and not gain weight!

To Each His Own…

A couple days back Kathy posted a comment on one of my blogs called "Where's the Workout Love?" which talked about choosing a workout that is right for you.

She said, "Don't just do something others are doing unless you really like it."

I have to say that I completely agree. Although some methods work better than others in terms of weight loss, the only way you are really ever going to keep the weight off permanently is by finding a lifestyle fit for you.

Some people love to run while others enjoy lifting weights…

It really comes down to personal preference as long as you don't kid yourself and choose a workout activity that isn't very effective as a fat loss tool.

Personally, I like to mix up my workouts by incorporating resistance work, yoga, interval sprints, and kickboxing/martial arts. I also enjoy a lot of outdoor activities and plenty of walking. These variations keep my exercise program balanced and my mind never gets bored… find your fit and feel free to let me know what's working for you.

In future posts I'll write out specific activities and options you can use to vary your workouts – keep an eye out!

Move Faster – Burn More Calories!

Whether you're just going for an after dinner walk or doing some cardio, there's a sure fire way to burn more calories with this one little trick…

Whenever you are walking or running you must focus on using your glutes.

The best way to accomplish this is by squeezing the glute of the leg that is behind you as you are striding forward. The back leg and glute will propel you forward with greater force by activating the correct muscles to move you efficiently and powerfully.

The issue is that most people shy away from squeezing their glutes when walking since they lose a lot of that "mind-muscle" connection from sitting for so long. They forget what it's like to move fast and fire those muscles properly…

Get back in the habit of firing your glute muscles and not only will you move faster and burn more calories, but you'll tone and tighten those areas as well… after all the gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body!

So go get your butt in gear!

Partner Workout: Wife Carrying Championships?

Yesterday, I wrote about the Role of a Workout Partner and today I wanted to share with you a way in which two people can workout together regardless of what you have for equipment.

The two of you may be at different fitness levels or weigh one hundreds pound apart, but that shouldn't stop you from partnering up if you're in it for the same reasons.

Here's what I mean.

If you're stuck for a partner workout I always say you can't go wrong with body weight movements. This type of workout puts everyone on an even playing field and forces each person to use their own body as the resistance for the exercises.

You can choose to get your heart rate pumping with moves like jumping jacks, mountain climbers, or squat thrusts, or you can crank up the intensity and work on 1-legged squats, push-ups, inverted rows, and all sorts of other fun body weight movements.

The time flies by and before you know it you're sweating and your heart is pumping from a great workout.

I also thought I'd share a fun video that takes body weight workouts to a whole new level… it's called "wife-carrying," and it's actually an international sport…

It's pretty outrageous, and they literally set up an obstacle course that couples have to compete in. Check it out at:

Wife Carrying Championship

The Role of a Workout Partner

I used to think a workout partner was only there to make sure I didn't drop a weight on myself while lifting…

But that was way back in my college days and this is now.

I now know that if you have a workout partner you are far more likely to keep your exercise appointments and stay on track. A partner is also great to have a friendly competition with in terms of pushing each other to the next level.

And if you're in a relationship I highly recommend the two of you make a commitment to each other to stay healthy and exercise together. This is great because it's a nice way to spend some quality time together while boosting your confidence and feeling great about the way you look and feel.

It's also a healthier choice to make when the alternatives are usually based around going out for food, the movies, or some other non-activity.

Just make sure to keep the workout partner relationship 50/50… meaning, both people get an equal workout and time spent exercising.

Quick Fat Burning Interval

One of my favorite ways to burn body fat is through body weight exercises.

They're fast and easy to access no matter when you find the time to workout.

As promised, here is one of my jumping jack intervals that can help you to get your heart rate up and get your body moving within seconds… this means you'll be burning calories before your feet hit the floor on your first rep!

Here's how to complete this interval:

20 seconds of full jumping jacks as fast as you can with good form
10 seconds of rest
20 seconds of full jumping jacks as fast as you can with good form
10 seconds of rest
20 seconds of full jumping jacks as fast as you can with good form
10 seconds of rest
20 seconds of full jumping jacks as fast as you can with good form
10 seconds of rest

That's 2 straight minutes of 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off.

Think you can handle it?

Give it a shot and make sure to take a break if it becomes too intense. On the other hand if you're already at a pretty high fitness level you can continue on for another 2 minutes of jumping jack interval work.

This is also a great one for you to pack up with you when you're traveling!

(See my previous posts on this topic here)

How Committed Are You?

Everyday I have the pleasure of personally working with or having my team meet with about 50 people who are looking to transform their bodies or maintain their healthy and fit lifestyle.

We literally get to watch people change right before our eyes and the process is pretty powerful to say the least…

The funny thing is, though, although each one of these clients are coming from all different walks of life, they all have one thing in common.

This one thing also separates them from at least 86% of the population (Did you know less than 14% of US residents exercise).

This one thing is they made a commitment to themselves. They know that losing weight, increasing their energy, and creating a healthy lifestyle isn't a walk in the park to get started. They wanted expert guidance to smash the learning curve and take their results to the next level.

Now, I'm not saying you have to hire a qualified fitness professional or registered dietician, but you need to at least start with making a commitment that sticks. It's also helpful to have a workout partner, family member, or friend hold you accountable when you start to shrink away from your responsibility of creating your new lifestyle.

If you're committed and set to go, I have a great exercise for you tomorrow that you'll definitely want to add you your workouts. Stay tuned!

Do You Have a Case of the Mondays

You know, "the Mondays…"

That's when you're back to work and the weekend hangover sets in.

Many people are sitting at their desk today looking back on the weekend and kicking themselves for eating too much, drinking too much, and not exercising nearly enough. It's a pretty normal experience, but it's the reaction to this "Case of the Mondays" that separates people into 2 groups

The first group looks back at the weight they may have gained or at how out of shape and tired they feel and just get depressed. They feel that they have only dug themselves a deeper hole and add one more excuses to the list of why they'll never get back into shape.

The second group realizes they fell off the wagon a little over the weekend, but they don't see it as a reason to quit (or not begin) their fitness program. This group of action takers gets their butt in gear and add "go to the gym" to their Monday to-do list.

It comes down to believing in yourself and knowing that you choose to either get back on track or fall behind. And the further you fall behind the harder you make it on yourself when you finally decide to take back your health…

It's a whole new week and a fresh start awaits you.

"Am I Over Trained?"

I think people often misuse the definition of over-training and confuse it with what they are really referring to, which is over-reaching.

In a nutshell, over-reaching is caused after training too hard for too long without adding in any recovery weeks. These recovery weeks would allow you to decrease the volume of exercise that you are currently doing and give your body a chance to recover. But instead of taking a break you continue to keep pushing yourself and your body begins to breakdown.

This happens over the period of about 4 weeks and usually takes 1-2 weeks to recover.

Over-training, on the other hand, is far more severe and is characterized by a greater degree of nervous system malfunction. At this point your body is chronically fatigued, you may have a decreased desire to exercise and eat, as well as having an elevated resting heart rate. For a more detailed description you can check out ExRx.

Over-training comes on after about 6-12 weeks of strenuous training without recovery weeks built in.

So the real question as to whether or not you are over-reaching or over-training is very individualized. Some people are far more susceptible to over working their bodies while others fair perfectly well with the heavy workload. Keep in mind, though, that if you have a stressful job, personal life, etc, than that will also fatigue and wear down your body.

So if you've been training 6-7 days a week with a continual increase in your lifting or cardio, then it's time to step back and evaluate your program. You very well could be on your way to becoming over-trained…

Bust through a Plateau (Part 3)

Unlike the first 2 reasons that may have caused you to plateau, this third reason is produced from the best of intentions.

You probably thought you were doing yourself a favor by hitting the gym hard for 2 hours or so a day… it turns out though that all that working out has left your body a little run-down.

You may have heard it called "over-training."

Think of your body adapting to this process the same way as eating too few calories per day. In both situations your body compensates by burning less calories on its own, such as in non-exercise energy expenditure.

Basically, you've become determined to burn a ton of calories during your workout sessions and your body responds by limiting the amount of calories you burn when you're outside of the gym.

Here's the solution.

Take a couple of days off to stretch, take a gentle yoga class, go for a massage, and eat well. You've been training hard and you deserve a break…

After a couple days of rejuvenation you can pick back up with your workout program, but aim to keep all your workouts to about 60 minutes. This is still plenty of time to accomplish all you need to get great results and it will be far less than what you may have been doing.

In my next post I'll show you the difference between over-training and over-reaching and how to structure your program to avoid both of these unhealthy repercussions to working out too much.

Bust through a Plateau (Part 2)

The 2nd way to bust through a plateau is by looking at your current caloric intake per day. Back when you started your weight loss journey you were working with a specific set of calories per day that you knew you could eat without gaining weight. This number was also low enough to allow you to safely lose 1-2lbs per week.

However, if you have lost 10 or more lbs you may have found that your weight loss has begun to slow down.

What's the reason for this?
One possible reason is now that you weigh less, you require fewer calories per day to maintain your current weight. So if you are looking to lose even more weight you will have to either decrease your calories or increase your exercise to continue to lose weight at your previous pace.

Always be cautious, though, in dropping your calories too quickly. You want to make sure that you have already increased your activity levels first and that the quality of the calories you are eating is high.

After you've sufficiently upped your workouts and improved the quality of the foods that you are consuming, you can then decrease your daily caloric intake.

It's always best to see what you can get away with first, so I wouldn't recommend cutting back more than 20% of the calories you were previously consuming before you hit a plateau.

(* Note: the flip side of this plateau busting tip is that if you're consuming too few calories per day your body will limit your fat loss attempts to prevent starvation by causing you to burn fewer calories during the day…)

In Part 3, I'll show you how an unlikely source could be the reason you're stuck in a rut. I think you'll like the answer of how to overcome this one…

Exercise of the Week: 1-Leg Deadlift

The full name of this exercise is the dumbbell 1-legged Romanian Deadlift, but you can just refer to it as a 1 leg RDL… it's a lot easier that way.

This is a great exercise to do when you want to work on toning your glutes and hamstrings. You'll also find that your balance and stability improve as you continue to work on the 1 leg RDL.

All you need is a set of dumbbells and about 6 feet of space. So, let's get started!

Here's how to complete it:
1. Hold a pair of dumbbells by your side
2. Slowly pick one foot off the ground and balance on 1 leg
3. Sit back with your hips and let the leg that is off the ground extend backwards
4. Stretch the hamstring and glute muscles of the leg that is on the ground
5. Maintain balance through the stretch
6. Squeeze those same muscles to pull you back up straight to the top
7. Repeat 8-12x total

Tips to remember:
1. Maintain a flat back
2. Feel the stretch in your glutes and hamstrings
3. Look forward (not down) the whole time
4. Breathe in at the top or on the way down
5. Exhale on the way up
6. Do not let your knee buckle inwards
7. Only use your lower back muscles as a secondary muscle group to support your upper body weight and stabilize you through your core

NEW: Bust through a Plateau (Part 1)

I know from my own personal experience and those of my clients' how tough it is to be stuck at a plateau in your fitness program.

If you're trying to lose, it's really frustrating…

You're putting in all this effort only to see your hard work not show up when it's time to weight in.

So now let's take a look at #1 of 3 for the best ways to bust through a plateau and keep your results coming.

The first and easiest way is to look at your current exercise program and evaluate its effectiveness. If you've been doing the same types of exercises or cardio for more than 4-6 weeks it's definitely time to switch things up!

Make sure to vary your intensity levels during your workouts and also try to incorporate different movement patterns to work every muscle in your body. For example, if you usually run every time you hit the gym, try using the rowing machine. Also, if you always stick to steady-paced cardio give resistance training a shot and keep your heart rate pumping by supersetting 2 exercises back-to-back before resting.

The bottom line is that to break through a plateau you need to give your body a reason to change… now you know the first step, so get a move on!

Stay tuned, because tomorrow I'll be back with a powerful exercise you can use to boost your metabolism and burn more calories during your workouts.

Fitness in a Bottle?

We are always looking for the quick fix with things. Here is one more example of immediate gratification at its utmost.  Researchers at the Salk Institute in San Diego "reported that they have found two new drugs that do wonders for athletic endurance of couch potato mice."(Are there really athletic mice?) The premise is to help people too frail or ill to exercise, although I'm sure it would end up going much further than that if the medications were widely available - one more "magic bullet" to avoid doing a little work.

Need I remind everyone that people need exercise for numerous other health benefits other than to lose weight or to exceed in athletic performance. Here are just a few things it can do:

• improves our mood and decreases stress.
• combats chronic diseases like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, and some types of cancer.
• improves self-esteem
• makes you look and just plain feel better
• promotes better sleep
• sparks up your sex life (Yes it can!)
  

Alrighty then, let's get moving!

Fitness vs. Wellness

There seems to be a division taking place in the health club industry.

It used to be that all health clubs were into marketing fitness and the dream of developing the "perfect body." However, over the last few years we're beginning to see a split between facilities that cater to those who want to increase their fitness levels versus those who wish to promote "wellness."

The wellness niche has started to emerge as a direct result of some people being turned off by the thought of working out next to hardcore weight lifters, runners, or anyone with goals contradictory to theirs.

These new wellness members want more of a well-rounded healthy lifestyle program that caters to their specific needs. Some of these members include the aging population while others are just more health conscious and want to increase the quality of their life.

Keep an eye out for more specialty facilities opening their doors to the up and coming wellness crowd… which group do you belong to?

The Top 8 Trends Coming to Health Clubs in 2009

According to a survey done by Fitness Business Professional, health and fitness clubs are changing up their design elements in hopes of appealing to more members.

Here are the top 8 trends and improvements that you will see within the next year:

#1. Better Lighting: energy efficient and mood setting

#2: Technology: more flat screen TV's and entertainment systems

#3: Locker Room Lounges: private sitting areas and couches

#4: Non-Member Services: appeal of juice bar, spa and classes

#5: Clean & Tidy: focus on hygiene and touch-free bathroom facilities

#6: Elevators: easier access to multi-story clubs

#7: European Influence: more elegance and "chic" look

#8: Social Scene: places for people to gather off fitness floor

I've personally consulted with a few clubs who have already made this leap in trend-setting and I have to tell you it makes a huge difference.

I no longer want to walk into a filthy locker room and be afraid to touch anything… I'm all for the new changes!

"Will Listening to Music While I Workout Help Me to Burn More Calories?"

This was a great question I got from one of my readers last week.

The truth is the right type of music really can help you burn more calories while you workout.

Here are 3 reasons why:
1. The more beats per minute the music has the more inclined you'll be to keep up your pace
2. Your favorite type of music will no doubt motivate you to exercise and maybe even go a little further than you might with nothing to push you
3. Just the act of having headphones on at the gym will keep you from getting distracted from taking breaks and talking with others or having people come up to you to chat. Save the water cooler chatting for after your workout…

So go ahead and download your favorite music, create your workout mix, and hit the weights!

Exercise Keeps You Young?

Still in search of the fountain of youth?

Well, I haven't found the magic potion yet, but I think we're getting closer…

Last March the Archives of Internal Medicine showed research that looked a person's telomeres. Telomeres are basically just the ends of your chromosomes that shorten over the course of your life.

What researchers found was that the more physically active subjects had longer telomeres when compared to more sedentary people. The study was also done in twins and the results were the same. This means that those people who are more active on a regular basis possibly have a better chance to live longer and healthier lives.

So how active do you have to be?

The results came from people who were active for 30 minutes or more per day.

Video Game Exercising Does Not Replace Real Exercise

The facts are in.

The American Council on Exercise and MFit of the University of Michigan both stated at separate times that video games like Dance, Dance Revolution do not qualify as exercise.

They found that video games like these do require more activity than typical video games, but they did not "qualify as aerobic exercise."

I've been saying this from the very beginning, but I honestly think there is a decent percentage of the population who really wanted this to be considered exercise. I'm not saying it isn't fun or entertaining, and yes you are active while playing the games, but it's just not enough to get in shape or increase your fitness to any significant degree.

All this means is that you don't have to cut out your video games, but you shouldn't substitute them for your workouts!

How to Get Kids to Like Exercising

I like to try to simplify things as much as possible and when it comes to getting kids to exercise it's no different.

I have gotten the best results from just letting kids be kids.

I try to make the exercises I select as fun and entertaining as possible. So on some days I will set up a timed obstacle course for a group of children to complete, and on others I may play a game like copy cat where they have to try and mirror whatever I do.

The great thing is that all the exercises can be done with just their own body weight and a few props. You may want to include some medicine ball tosses, cone drills, ring hops, short hurdles or any other activity you think your kids will get up and move to.

Get creative and have some fun!

The Treadmill Test

Here's a scary statistic that I just read…

In January of this year the Archives of Internal Medicine made this statement:

Research showed that people who have a difficult time keeping up with a moderate pace on a treadmill are at much higher risk for having a heart attack, chest pain, and even dying.

That's a serious statement, but luckily if you've been staying active you don't have to worry about stats like that one. Plus, you don't even have to ever set foot on a treadmill to pass that test. You can elevate your heart rate with daily fast paced outdoor walks, weight workouts done in an interval fashion, or choosing your favorite bike or elliptical to spin on.

On the other hand if you have trouble keeping up a fast paced walk, then it's time you got moving!

Why Are We Settling For This?

I keep hearing that the rise in obesity and those categorized as overweight has leveled off…

Is this good news?

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that 32% of children and 66% of adults are overweight.

So although we may have seen a leveling off of these numbers, the studies didn't suggest the rates were going down. These studies actually found that rates were still on the rise, but the stats just didn't change in any significant way over the last 7 years.

I don't think we should sit back and pat ourselves on the back… we need to keep making exercise and healthy living a top priority.

I believe that you and I need to first create a healthy lifestyle for ourselves and then share what we have learned to do with those closest to us. Hopefully this effect will snowball and larger groups of people will begin to adopt a more fit lifestyle.

So just think "me first, then others." It's not selfish to put yourself first because if you don't first create the life you want your family to lead then no one is going to buy into your plan.

Danger: Are You a Weekend Warrior?

Yesterday I spoke about how overloading the weekends with exercise is not going to make up for too little time spent during the week working out…

The truth is it can actually be dangerous.

I don't want to scare you out of hitting the gym on the weekends, but you should keep in mind that you've just gone 5 days being inactive and not increasing your heart rate to any great extent. You should keep in mind that your body is also probably pretty stiff and inflexible from sitting down most of the day and not stretching on a daily basis.

Here's how to safely ease into your weekend program:
1. Begin with a 5-10 minute walk or gentle way of warming up your body
2. If you know how to use a foam roller make sure you massage out any tight and inflexible areas before increasing your intensity level
3. Complete a dynamic warm-up get your body moving in all 3 planes of motion (search my previous posts under "dynamic warm-up")
4. Choose either resistance exercises or your cardio routine to complete
5.Complete a slow cool down
6. Use static stretches to elongate your tight muscles
7. Make sure to have a nutritious post-workout meal!

Keep your workouts fun and safe and you may even find yourself sneaking out more often to squeeze in a workout!

"My Endurance has Decreased?"

Last week I spoke with a handful of people determined to get into shape before the summer is over.

I was there to answer their questions and explain to them how a balanced approach to health & fitness yields a life-time of healthy weight maintenance.

One person asked me an interesting question, though.

He was wondering why his cardiovascular endurance has dropped from a year ago?

I began asking him questions about his current workout program to see if we could figure it out together.

Here's what we found.

Over the last year he was becoming busier at work and started to drop off days of his exercise program. He felt that in order to make up for it, he would just exercise longer on the weekends. The problem was he was used to working out every other day for 45 minutes and now he was just going 2 days in a row for a little over an hour.

That means he was going 5 straight days just sitting at a desk and not exercising…

So the lesson is not to go too long without keeping your body active. Even if it is only a daily walk or a 20 minute body weight workout, just make sure you fit it in.

Health Scare: Top 10 Signs Employees Are Stressed Out!

Although more and more companies are subsidizing health and fitness benefits for their employees they still have a long way to go to combat rising stress levels on the job.

Many employees are not taking advantage of these benefits and one of the reasons is that the resources are not available to them on their company's grounds. For instance, employees would be far more likely to exercise if their company had a health club or small facility within their building. That way there they could run down during lunch or before or after work to get in a quick workout to their lower stress levels and improve their health.

According to Gordian Health here are the top 10 signs employees are stressed out and may be in serious need of improving their health & fitness:

1. A decrease in productivity among employees, or marked drop-off in quality of work

2. Increased overtime, with little output to show for it

3. Frequent colds or other illnesses among workers, resulting in an increase in sick days

4. More tardiness or absenteeism among employees

5. Frequent cases of employee insubordination, lashing out at co-workers, or overreacting to constructive criticism

6. Workers hitting the medicine cabinet on a regular basis, seeking medications for headaches, backaches, stomach upset, indigestion and other ailments

7. Complaints of insomnia and exhaustion, leading to spontaneous naps in the break room, dozing off in front of the computer monitor, or more frequent smoke/coffee breaks

8. Increased frustration with certain tasks or level of workload, and complaints that it is impossible to get everything done

9. Grumbles among staff members that no one listens to them, and that bosses don't take their suggestions or input seriously

10. General lack of enthusiasm about job performance and low morale in workplace, including repeated threats of quitting

If your company doesn't currently offer some type of fitness facility on its premises you should get a petition together with other co-workers and bring it to Human Resources. Most companies want to keep their employees healthy and happy and this little addition may just do the trick.

Can Drinking Too Much Water Kill You?

Yesterday I wrote a post on how to prevent yourself from becoming dehydrated while exercising in the heat.

The techniques are fairly simple to stay healthy and have plenty of energy to exercise for as long as you want. However, there are always a handful of people who have seen the media frenzy over drinking too much water…

Have people died from water intoxication and hyponatremia?

Yes, but the number of total cases that have been recorded is only in the hundreds and the vast majority of those instances occurred with marathon runners who had just completed a four hour marathon.

So while I don't discount the fact that you can consume too much water, your likelihood for doing any harm is negligible. In most cases you'd have to be really sweating profusely and depleting your body of a lot of sodium. This specific group of endurance athletes can just add some Gatorade or other electrolyte formula to their water which they can sip throughout their workout.

For the rest of us, we can breathe a sigh of relief and let go of the fear that water is dangerous.

Dehydration Can Leave You Weak

Here in Boston the summer is in full swing. Lately we've had some serious heat and humidity which can affect many outdoor fitness enthusiasts.

If you like to run, bike, rollerblade, exercise, or are active in any outdoor activities then one thing you need to pay attention to is your hydration levels. Exercising in the heat can cause you to sweat excessively which makes it essential to be sure you are drinking plenty of fluids.

So how do you know if you are becoming dehydrated?

Watch for these warning signs:

* Fatigue
* Lightheadedness
* Total Body Exhaustion
* Extreme thirst (it is possible not to feel thirsty though)
* Shaking
* Weak
* Accelerated heart rate

An easy way to make sure dehydration doesn't set in and you don't suffer from heat stoke, muscle cramping, or any dehydration related issues is to make sure to drink 16oz of water an hour to two before you plan on exercising, as well as sipping fluids throughout your workout routine. And of course, rehydrate directly after your workout.

As long as you follow those few easy steps you won't have to give a second thought to becoming dehydrated and you can focus on having fun and enjoying the summer weather!

Are You Too Old to Exercise?

At what point do you hang up the gym shorts and sneakers?

I hope you answered never!

I'm willing to bet your body agrees with me too. One of the fastest ways to let your body deteriorate is to stop being active and sit more.

Unfortunately, this is how most of us progress when we graduate from college and park ourselves at a desk for the majority of the day.

It's definitely no way to treat your body.

Depending on your capabilities you may modify your particular type of exercise as you age, but you should NEVER stop moving.

Exercising feeds your body mentally, physically, and emotionally. You simply can't substitute anything else for it. Believe it or not, the increased blood flow will help to alleviate arthritis pain, improve digestion, mood, sleep, and your overall quality of life.

I hope you're not missing out…

Workout Less, But Get Better Results! (Part 3)

If you have tons of free time and love hanging out at the gym than this information probably isn't for you.

This topic is for everyone else who doesn't have very much free time (or hardly any), but wants to stay in shape.

The best way to complete your resistance workouts to get in shape fast is to use supersets or trisets. A superset is simply 2 exercises done back-to-back and trisets are composed of 3 exercises in a row without resting (don't worry about using the same body parts for all exercises).

Using these methods you reap all these benefits:

1. Keep your heart rate elevated
2. Burn more calories
3. Interval style training
4. Tone and tighten your muscles
5. Complete the same work or more in less time
6. Cut down on your workout time, but still get the same (or far better) results
7. Increase both aerobic and anaerobic capacity

Now that you know this little trick there's no excuse not to pencil in 30 minutes most days of the week to fire through 2-3 supersets per workout!

Check out my previous posts here on supersetting.

Get Better Results with Less Exercises (Part 2)

The key to burning more body fat and seeing better definition is choosing the exercises that are the most metabolic.

All that means is that you should pick movements that force a lot of muscle to work at the same time. These exercises should engage your core and strengthen your entire body.

For example, let's compare these 2 leg exercises:

With a "seated leg extension" you are trying to isolate the top side of your thigh, or quadriceps.

With a "squat" you are also targeting your quads, but now you get to work all of your leg and core muscles (even your upper and lower back) in this 1 exercise. It's pretty much a full body movement…

As you can see both examples work your legs, but one of them requires a lot more work out of your body. If you were to replace all your seated machine exercises with more full body standing movements your results would literally amaze you!

So what are you waiting for… Get started!

In part 3, I'm going to show you how to cut your workouts in half with one little trick…

Why You Aren't Getting Results from Lifting Weights (Part 1)

Reader Question: I've been weight lifting at least twice a week and I'm not seeing any results. Could you explain why I haven't seen any changes?

Answer: The first reason why you may not be seeing any results is that you haven't lost enough body fat to see the muscle tone and definition you are creating.

You can lose that body fat through proper nutrition, exercise, and health lifestyle changes.

Let's assume that you are eating well, though. The reason you are not creating any new muscle, tone, or definition is probably attributed to choosing the wrong types of exercises.

Most people go to the gym and just hop from machine to machine.

When I used to consult for health clubs we called that "musical chairs." Basically, members would just come in and mindlessly move from one piece of exercise equipment to another without any thought as to what they were working or what they were doing…

That type of workout is going to be limited in the results you see, especially if you never increase your resistance.

In my next post I'll explain to you how to get way more results with less exercises.

Stay tuned!

Take Advantage of the "Recession"

Whether you believe we're in a recession or not is up to you…

Some people are feeling its effects while others don't see the slightest decline in their business.

Regardless, one industry that is taking a hit is the big gym chains…

They are starting to cut prices as memberships begin to drop off.

Here's the latest news from USA Today:

"Gym memberships, which average $35 per month, fell last year for the first time in more than a decade to 41.5 million from 42.7 million in 2006, says the International Health Racquet & Sportsclub Association. The fitness industry is not immune to "the credit crunch, increasing fuel and food prices, slowing employment and the housing crisis," said IHRSA's 2008 report in June."

I look at this as good news for anyone who has been wanting to cut a deal with "the man" and possibly negotiate a great membership deal to begin working out at a local gym.

Then again, you could always save the $35 a month and create your own "exercising sanctuary" right in your own home… it's your call, but you have to choose one.

Exercise Video: Kettlebell Fat Burning Workout Explained

In yesterday's post we went over how popular these old school pieces of equipment are getting and what their benefits are.

Today, I want to get right into how you can put these simple kettlebells exercises to good use to burn fat and shape up.

The exercises demonstrated in this video are just the tip of the iceberg, but will get you started and on your way to burning fat with these fun new movements.

Here's how the workout looks in action:

1A. Kettlebell swings x 15 reps
1B. Kettlebell 1 arm snatches x 10 on each side
1C. Kettlebell front squats x 15

Just click on the video below to watch me demonstrate these kettlebell move – and feel free to join in the workout!

What is a Kettlebell Good For?

Since Kettlebells are officially making their way into every gym (and maybe even home) around the globe, I want to set the record straight on what they are good for…

You may think they are just a funny looking dumbbell, but I can assure you that although they may look strange, it's for good reason.

Unlike a dumbbell they are only weighted on one side which makes them unique to almost every other piece of equipment in your gym. The one weighted side makes it more awkward to use, and as a result it can provide you with benefits you really can't get anywhere else.

Here's what some of the benefits look like:

1. Greater core engagement through swinging movements
2. Ability to use your natural momentum in a good way
3. Every exercise becomes a full body effort
4. Burns a lot of calories through compound movements
5. One kettlebell can be used for your whole workout

The possibilities are really endless, but the great thing is all kettlebell movements are really based around creating a strong core and powerful and stable shoulders.

Tomorrow, I'm going to show you a great fitness kettlebell video demonstrating 3 exercises you can do at home or in the gym. This is a can't miss!

4th of July Hang Over

Now that the 4th of July Holiday weekend has come to a close here in the US, it's time to do a little "damage control."

I just had a person email me saying that they gained 4lbs and needed to get started on a weight loss program fast!

So, how did you do this weekend?

Did you gain a couple of pounds from too much celebrating, or were you able to pick and choose the spots where you indulged in a few of your favorite foods? Personally, I chose the latter.

I got in a quick 4th of July morning workout and then made sure to munch on some celery and carrot appetizers. This prevented me from snacking on chips and nachos while waiting for the grilled foods to be done. I ended up going with a bunless burger with lettuce and tomato. Since I saved so many empty calories by skipping the bread and chips I didn't feel any guilt about having a few drinks with my friends and family…

I hope you enjoyed your weekend and even if you had a little "too good" of a time, we'll get right to work on Monday with some fitness and exercise tips on how to reverse the effects of the last couple of days.

Get ready!

Which works better, exercise or dieting?

People on Weight Watchers and gym memberships were recently placed in a twelve week study by researchers from the University of Missouri to determine whether diet or exercise won out in the long term.

The results were a mix. They both have their benefits and drawbacks. Those who were just attending Weight Watchers lost more lean muscle mass not real fat. You want to keep your lean muscle mass so you look leaner, maintain a stronger metabolism and of course burn more calories. (I would wonder why these members were not exercising, as I know Weight Watcher members are encouraged to exercise as part of their program.)

Those working out in the gym lost very little weight by comparison.The problem with exercise in a gym, according to Steve Ball, MU Extension fitness specialist, is that “Nearly 50 percent of people who start an exercise program will quit within six months.” There isn’t the same support element as in Weight Watchers. Researchers did indicate that those who worked out in the gym probably derived more overall health benefits because exercise in general improves all body functions.

The bottom line is weight loss is a complex issue. Not only does success rely on support, accountability, and exercise but it needs to address all the other numerous facets of weight loss which include finding the right metabolic food plan, the appropriate calorie level, socializing around food, dealing with cravings, planning/preparing meals easily, emotional/stress eating, and motivation.

4th of July Workout

Are you planning on enjoying the big day off tomorrow with friends or family at a cookout?

You may also be thinking to yourself that there's no way you're going to survive the day without adding a pound or two from all the extra food and drinks you indulge in.

Well, besides making healthier food choices, you can also try this 10-20 minute trick to help negate the excess calorie intake.

Tomorrow when you wake up (before you do anything else) toss on your workout clothes and begin a quick body weight workout.

Here's one that you may be familiar with and will require less of a learning curve for you to get started with right away.

* Complete 30 seconds of jumping jacks without resting
* Rest for 30-60 seconds depending on your fitness level
* Repeat 30 seconds of jumping jacks and rest intervals 10 times

If you're able to, begin with a safe dynamic warm-up to safely get the body moving.

You can also end with some light stretching and you'll be off and ready to enjoy the 4th (guilt free)!

Runners Gain Weight More Easily

Have you seen the latest study?

If you're a runner… it's bad news.

The study done on runners who stopped running or decreased their volume of running
portrayed a pretty bleak scenario of weight gain.

The Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise showed an increase in weight in runners as they became more and more sedentary after having taken up a regular running program.

The study was strictly done using information reported by runners to the researchers, so there may be some skewing of actual results. I do think, though, that the overall picture is correct.

So what's the solution?

Don't stop exercising! Better yet, don't just take up a program that consists solely of running. The chances of you getting bored, injured, or having some other excuse is just far too high.

Why not include some longer cardio days, some shorter interval days, and a few resistance workouts for the best of all possible worlds?

You can find more information on these well-rounded programs in my previous posts.

Exercise of the Week: Dumbbell Box Deadlifts

This is one of the most functional and practical exercises you could ever attempt.

By using good form and progressively adding weight each week you will quickly develop greater strength.

This new strength will make everyday tasks that much easier to accomplish. So whether you are picking your child up or lifting bags off the ground you can rest assured that you have the technique and muscle to do so.

Here's how to complete the Dumbbell Box Deadlift (it can also be completed from the floor):

1. Hold 2 dumbbells by your sides facing your body
2. Sit back and squat with your hips
3. Lower yourself and the weights down to the boxes
4. Keep your core muscles engaged and push back up through your heels
5. Stand up straight using your glutes and core muscles to improve posture
6. Repeat for 8 – 15 total repetitions

Tips to remember:
1. Keep your chin parallel to the floor and don't look down
2. Keep your chest up to prevent your back from rounding
3. Do not let your knees go past your toes
4. Do not allow your heels to leave the floor
5. Keep your weight back on your hips and on your heels
6. Take a breath in at the top and breathe out on the way up
7. Keep your core muscles engaged the whole time
8. Use a strong grip on the weights

I've featured a similar exercise before, which many readers thought was a squat…although you are squatting with your legs the movement is considered a pull, not a push. Deadlifts can be completed with bent knees or as a "Romanian Deadlift" with the legs just slightly bent to about 20 degrees.

In general though, don't get overly worried with the name of an exercise… there are many different names for the same exercise and the only thing that really matters is performing the movement correctly.

It's Better to Do Something than Nothing...

I feel that so many people are tormented with the idea that if they don't do this "killer workout" then they're not really getting any benefit.

Literally, there are groups of people who live by the motto, "train hard or go home!"

While I agree that your workouts should be challenging and intense, I think we need to get over the attitude that if your workout doesn't physically break you then it wasn't hard enough.

There's a lot to be said for a well-thought out 20-30 minute workout versus a marathon workout where you just do a lot of "stuff" to try to burn yourself out…

Don't use time as an excuse not to get in your daily (or at least 5x/week) exercise. Some days it may be just going for a nice long walk, while other days may be fitting in an intense 20-30 minute resistance workout.

The bottom line is it's always better to be active and do something than lie down and do nothing.

Your body definitely recognizes the difference-

How Quickly Can You Lose 10lbs of Fat?

In my last post on Tim Russert and George Carlin, I wrote about how losing just 10lbs can make a huge impact on your health.

It's amazing what reducing the size of your waist and dropping excess body fat can do for limiting many health problems including heart disease.

So, how quickly can you lose 10lbs?

The standard answer is 1-2lbs a week. In this scenario it would take 5 – 10 weeks or about 2 months.

A more accurate estimation would be using 1% of your total body weight as a weight loss benchmark per week. For example if you weigh 165lbs, you should shoot for a weight loss of 1.65lbs per week.

Obviously, some weeks will be better than others, but in the end you should average about 1%.

Lessons from Tim Russert and George Carlin

In the weeks following Russet's and Carlin's premature passing, there has been a lot of talk about cardiovascular disease and prevention.

In response, the Caroline Biology Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine has issued their own 7 factors to reducing heart disease.

I'm sure you may have guessed that "inactivity" made the list. It was #5.

One big recommendation they made is to aim to lose 10lbs. By simply dropping 10lbs, your chances for cardiovascular risk drop significantly.

To find out over 200 ways to go about losing that 1st 10lbs check out my previous posts here.

To read about the other 6 factors for reducing heart disease check out the full report at newswise.

Weight Loss Leads to Loose, Excess Skin?

Reader Question: "I'm 41 and I'm trying to lose about 60lbs. If I lose the weight through proper diet and exercise, will I still have all the excess skin, particularly around the mid-section?"

Answer: As long as you do not drastically drop weight, your skin should slowly pull back tighter to keep up with the inches you are losing.

The younger you are, the more true that is... if you are middle aged and have been overweight (or at least 20lbs over your ideal weight), you are more likely to be left with some loose skin, possibly around the lower abs and around your joints. However, the elastic properties of our skin vary from person to person so your best bet is really just to aim to lose 1% of your body weight per week.

I've actually only had one client who ever had "extra" loose skin leftover after he met his goal weight... but then again he lost 128lbs, was 51 years old, and had been overweight for about 20 years.

Good luck with your weight loss goals and don't worry too much about the loose skin... reducing body fat is going to help you look and feel younger either way!

The Only Way You're Going to Bulk Up from Lifting Weights…

We've had this debate before about muscle weighing the same as body fat, and I think we now have an understanding that although 1lb. of muscle weighs the same as 1lb. of body fat, they aren't the same size.

Muscle is just far denser than fat, and therefore, takes up less space.

This is one great reason to lift weights and try to tone your muscles by adding additional lean muscle.

Another reason to add muscle is that by increasing your lean body mass, you will become stronger, burn more calories, and improve the shape of your body.

However, building a lot of muscle mass is not likely for many people unless they are genetically gifted. Women especially have a difficult time adding muscle, since they lack higher levels of testosterone.

Therefore, women (and most men) should not fear bulking up lifting weights. By working out with resistance you are actually more likely to boost your metabolism and reshape your body to become leaner and more toned… not get bulky.

Really, the only way you're going to bulk up from lifting weights is if you eat too many calories and add body fat… but then again, eating too much would cause that to happen whether you exercised or not.

For Your Health, the Sooner is Better

The ND President's Fitness Challenge week has come to a close and I wanted to see how everyone did…

If you haven't yet taken the adult fitness tests, you can check out the previous posts on how to complete each test.

The President's Fitness Challenge for adults is really just a fun way to give yourself a little wake up call. The tests aren't overly complicated and you can complete most of them right at home.

They should serve as a reminder though, that no matter where you are in your life, your fitness level plays an important role in your health. Many people believe that a healthy diet is enough to keep them in the clear, but that's just not the case. You need a strong, fit body to have the energy, strength, endurance, and physical capacity to perform at your peak level whether it be at work, playing with your family, or climbing a flight of stairs.

You only get one body and it's time you started to take better care of it. If you've already made strides in improving your health, then keep pushing forward. For those of you who haven't started yet, now is the time to get a move on.

The sooner, the better…

Is Your Waist Size Leading to Poor Health?

Sometimes an expanding waistline can become a greater problem than just having to buy bigger pants  every year.

The last set of assessments in the President's Fitness Challenge is the BMI score and waist to hip circumference measurements.

These two tests can serve as preliminary data allowing you to see if you fall within the healthy or unhealthy range.

For example, if either of your numbers are too high, you are at an elevated risk for type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, and certain types of cancer.

To find out your score go to the adult fitness test and interpret your numbers.

How did you do?

Remember, a high number today doesn't necessarily mean you're destined for a life of health issues. It does mean, though, that it's time to get to work reversing those numbers through a sensible nutrition, exercise, and healthy lifestyle program.

Lower Back Pain: Can You Touch Your Toes?

The 3rd assessment in the President's Challenge adult fitness test is the "sit and reach."

This assessment tests your hamstring flexibility and is a useful gauge to see how tight you really are. This one measurement will be extremely useful for anyone with lower back pain.

The reason being, many people with lower back issues have very tight hamstring and hip muscles. When these specific muscle groups are tight, they can inhibit hip movement and, as a result, your body must compensate for the lack of range of motion.

Unfortunately, your lower back often takes the brunt of the abuse.

To combat tight hamstrings you must first find out your baseline measurement by following these instructions.

After you know how flexible you are, you can get to work on correcting the problem areas. You'll find that dedicating just a few minutes a day to stretching will greatly improve not only your flexibility, but your posture as well.

The next thing you know, that lower back pain may just be a thing of the past…

How Strong Am I?"

The 2nd assessment in the adult fitness test is the muscular strength and endurance test.

Here are the President's Fitness Challenge tests:

#1. The Half Sit-up

#2. The Push-up

Although these 2 tests are a good baseline measurement of "pushing" upper body strength, as well as abdominal endurance, they really don't paint a very clear picture of how strong you are.

For example, there aren't any assessments for lower body strength (not endurance) or upper body "pulling" strength like a row or pull-up.

Without these other assessments, it's difficult to truly see how strong and balanced you are. So, feel free to add a squat and a pull-up into your personal testing formula to measure your strength.

As for the half sit-ups and push-ups, aim for the adult fitness test guidelines of 3 days of practice per week. Go for 3 sets of 25 reps for half sit-ups, and 3 sets of 10-20 push-ups.

Tomorrow we'll see how flexible you really are and then some ways to improve...

Are You in Good Cardiovascular Shape?

The President's Fitness Challenge has 4 parts to their adult fitness test with the first being the aerobic endurance tests.

They split it up into a 1.5 mile walk and a 1 mile run.

There is no specific time to beat, but it does recommend that you time yourself, as well as take your pulse after you finish to see how many beats per minute you're at. You can easily take your pulse on the inside of your wrist for a 6 second count and then multiply by 10.

Within 6-12 weeks of practicing both tests you should see a steady improvement in your cardiovascular conditioning. As always, it's best to start making small, but calculated increases in your intensity to produce greater results.

Before taking these tests it is recommended that you have already started walking for 15-20 minutes several times per week.

The President's Fitness Challenge is Back – But This Time for Adults!

Do you remember when you were in elementary school and they made you take the President's Fitness Challenge? It was a group of physical fitness tests designed to see what type of shape you were in.

Well, the President's Fitness Challenge has come up with a new program geared specifically for adults.

The official website, Adult Fitness Test, explains what the adult fitness test is all about and why they are implementing it.

Here's what they define as adult fitness:

Performance-related fitness is linked to athletic performance (for example: a 50-yard dash time or the ability to maneuver around obstacles quickly) and is linked to speed, reaction time, and coordination.

Health-related fitness is linked to fitness components that may lower risks such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or low back pain. Health-related physical fitness includes the following components:

• Aerobic fitness - ability of the heart and lungs to deliver blood to muscles,
• Muscular strength and endurance - enough to do normal activities easily and protect the low back,
• Flexibility - ability to move your many joints through their proper range of motion, and
• Body composition - not too much body fat, especially around the waist.

All this week we'll take a look at the 4 parts of the test: aerobic, muscular, flexibility, and body composition. Stay tuned to see how you measure up!

Report Cards Are In!

It's Friday and you know what that means…

It's time to hand out grades for the week!

Just like when you were in school when you know your efforts are being graded you're more likely to work harder to pass the exam.

Well, this week you were being graded on how well you structured your week, as well as how you followed through on your plans?

So take out your goal sheet for the week and see how many of your "to-do's" you crossed off?

I hope you set daily goals and made each one a priority throughout the day. Give each day an honest assessment and come up with a grade for yourself. Do you think you deserved an "A," or was it more of a "C" effort?

After scoring each day look to see how you can improve for next week. If you do this one thing you'll find yourself accomplishing more and more each week in steady increments. So don't worry if you didn't get straight "A's" your 1st week, the semester is not over and you've got time to bring those grades up!

What are you planning to do better next week?

Late-Night Workouts

Are you not a morning person? Do you dread the idea of having to workout first thing before you head off to your job?

If you answered yes, then you may be more inclined to complete your workouts after you get out of work.

Although some argue that exercising first thing in the morning gives you a metabolic boost and burns more body fat due to your fasting state, I've found that you can get equally great results either way.

The only downfall to working out so late at night is that the closer you exercise towards your bedtime, the harder it is to fall asleep. Some people are asleep the minute their head hits the pillow, but for others, it's a completely different story. If you're someone who gets revved up after a good workout and can't seem to cool your body down and slow your heart rate, then you may want to reconsider your late-night workouts.

It's best to keep an eye on your sleeping patterns on the days you workout versus your off-days. This way you can monitor the effect your exercise has on your ability to fall asleep quickly and get a good night's rest. After all, recovery is an extremely important piece of your exercise program.

How Strong is Your Grip?

Reader Question:
"Are 'hand/wrist squeezing' devices bad for you?"

Answer:
If you're worried about using a hand gripper, have no fear. There is absolutely nothing wrong with squeezing a ball, or hand grip to increase grip and forearm strength.

However, don't confuse wrist curls with grip strengtheners. Wrist curls can be done with dumbbells, barbells, or specific machines to increase forearm strength. The problem is most of those exercises only strengthen the forearm and wrist flexors and not the under utilized extensors. Keep in mind, too, that just like any exercise you can over do it. Complete these exercises just like any other with a specific number of sets and repetitions.

So to be safe, you can use your grip strengtheners and stress balls, but unless a medical professional recommends wrist curls it's best to lay off the isolation exercises for the forearms…

Tricks, Tips and Tools: What's on Your Checklist?

Today I'm interested in hearing what you have written down for your goals for the week.

Did you end up making at least 3 appointments with yourself to workout?

What about pre-planning your meals? Did you pick up the right foods, so that you weren't tempted to cheat?

I know for myself, I make sure to schedule my workouts in just as I do meetings and appointments  because if I don't the time passes too quickly and I end up missing my opportunity to exercise.

As for eating well, I try to keep things as simple as possible. I have a checklist that I use with my clients and if I ever feel that I'm straying too far from my healthy food choices I just refer back to the list. It keeps things easy and there's less temptation.

What are some of the tricks, tips, and tools you use to organize your schedule to keep health and fitness a priority in your life?

The Week Ahead: What's Your Plan?

Now that Sunday is coming to a close it's a good time to take a look at the week ahead.

I'm sure you already have your business and family commitments pinned down and you may even have a couple of social gatherings booked, but have you done that same type of preplanning for your health?

Did you schedule at least 3 definite days that you will make it downstairs to your home gym, or commute to the local health club?

Did you purchase the specific healthy foods this weekend that you will need for the week so that you don't have to make any excuses as to why you missed breakfast and had to grab a "quick muffin" on the go?

Did you set your short term health & fitness weekly goals? Was it to lose 1lb, or maybe to drink 8-10 glasses of water a day?

I mention this because, as they say, "life comes at you fast," and without the proper planning you're more than likely going to miss out on your opportunity to get fit this week.

I'll be checking in with you on Friday and I hope that you'll be able to say that you were able to cross off all your healthy to-do's on your daily lists throughout the week.

Sci-Fit Upper Body Ergometer

Have you ever seen one of these contraptions at your local gym?

They can look pretty intimidating, but once you get the hang of how to use this cardiovascular piece of equipment you may just like it.

The upper body ergometer used to only be found in places like cardiac rehabilitation units and other facilities specifically built for people who may have compromised cardiopulmonary systems or may not have full use of their legs.

Today, however, many gyms include one or two of them in the cardio section of their facility. You can take advantage of these pieces when you want to get your heart pumping by just using your upper body.

To use the Sci-Fit upper body ergometers just sit down in the seat with good posture and grab hold of the handles. Begin rowing the handles towards or away from your body.

You can really have some fun with this machine by alternating levels of high intensity rowing with slower cool down periods. Plus, if you really want to crank up the intensity you can remove the seat and try it in an unsupported squatting position.

This will really get your heart pumping!

Caution: Bootcamp Workouts in Progress

Fitness bootcamps seem to be all the rage lately.

I think every major city has one by now and they're becoming pretty popular. Many people like the camaraderie, competition, and the motivation they get from working out with others.

Plus, they have a set commitment each week that they must keep.

One word of caution I do have for any beginner bootcampers or those just starting out is to know when to say when.

I have heard too many horror stories from overuse injuries caused by novices being asked to complete hundreds of squats, lunges, push-ups, and crunches. All of those are great exercises, but too many reps can equal too much muscle and tendon breakdown. This can equate to higher levels of inflammation and the need for longer rest periods off.

The best way to go about these bootcamps is to stop when you feel your form is suffering and when the reps become too excessive. You will still get a great workout and you won't have to suffer any setbacks due to injury.

Park Bench Outdoor Workout

Yesterday's article about "Free Outdoor Workout Equipment" was such a hit that I wanted to follow up with an actual workout you can do at your local park.

All you need for this workout is a park bench or a two foot wall.

Here's how to complete the workout:

Exercise #1: Park Bench Push-ups
Place both hands on the edge of the bench slightly further than shoulder width apart. Slowly lower yourself down until your chest is an inch or two above the bench. Push back up until your elbows are straight, but not locked. Remember to keep your core pulled tight and stay on the balls of your feet the whole time in an incline push-up position. Complete as many repetitions as you can with good form

Exercise #2: Park Bench Step-Ups
While standing up straight place one foot on the flat part of the bench. Push up from the leg that is on the seat of the bench until that leg is straight, but not locked. Slowly lower yourself back down using the same leg. You can keep your arms in front of your body or out to your sides for balance. After you complete 15 repetitions with one leg, switch sides.

Try to complete this quick and easy superset of exercises without resting in between. Once you complete both exercises, rest for 60 seconds and repeat it 1-2 more times.

Enjoy the warm weather and have fun!

Pushing the Intensity

How hard should you workout?

When you're trying to lose weight and shed those extra pounds of fat that just won't seem to go away you need to keep an eye on hard you're pushing yourself.

When you're exercising can you carry on a conversation with the person next to you?

If you can, then you're probably not doing much in terms of helping you burn fat and add lean muscle. If you can easily talk to the person beside you then you are simply not working hard enough to give your body the stimulus it needs.

This goes for true beginners as well.

Sure, you can start by going for 20-30 minute walks, but eventually your results will plateau as you surpass that level of intensity. This is a great thing though. It means that you are getting into much better cardiovascular and physical condition and are now ready to take it to the next level.

So keep listening to your body and if you find that you're selling yourself a little short when it comes to your workouts, it's time to step it up a notch! 

Help Kids Lose Weight: Ban Junk Food From Schools!

A study completed recently by 5 Philadelphia elementary schools that cut back on the amount of candy available in their vending machines found that their students were 50% less likely to gain unhealthy weight.

I think most of us would think this fact is pretty obvious, but then why aren't more schools and children centers doing more about it.

Well, for one, companies like PepsiCo have partnered with child care centers like the YMCA of the USA. So it would seem that YMCA and PepsiCo have a vested interest in promoting soft drinks and other sugary, unhealthy foods.

I think when we combine this type of low nutritional food selection with a lack of physical activity in most schools and child care centers we are really setting our nation's children up for a life-time of weight loss struggles…

Information from the National Action Against Obesity

Where's the Workout Love?

Although I would like everyone to be fully committed to their health and workouts, I know that for many  people they just "don't feel the love." Part of that,  I think, is because they haven't found a system that works for them.

They try what their friends do, or what the latest "celebrity workout" suggests…

But why make yourself miserable by doing workouts you don't enjoy?

There are so many ways to get fit that you don't have to suffer or dread putting on your workout clothes. I personally like to design a 4 week plan that has me doing a new tri-set of exercises every workout. Then I try to beat my previous best the next week in those exercises. I might use kettlebells, dumbbells, medicine balls, or even body weight exercises to challenge my body and keep my mind interested.

The one thing I never do is let myself become bored.

Always switch up your workouts every 4-6 weeks and keep adding in new ways to stimulate your muscles and your mind. Also, don't be afraid to call an "audible" on a particular day's workout and go outside for some sprints, a light jog, or maybe even an intense game of basketball.

The point is that there is a workout out there that is right for you… you just have to keep searching!

Energy Gum: Can't Get Your Caffeine Fix Fast Enough?!

If you want the energy to party all night or need a quick pick-me-up before playing sports then this all new energy gum is for you!

Well, at least that's what the makers of VE2 Energy Gum want you to believe…

They claim that since it is absorbed directly through your oral membranes (in your mouth) and doesn't have to pass through your stomach, you can get your caffeine "high" that much quicker.

How much caffeine can it really have though?

Just two pieces of gum are roughly equal to one 8-oz. energy drink or 1 cup of coffee! That's about 120-200mg of caffeine in only 2 sticks of gum!

So I guess you could technically kill your coffee breath by chewing on a couple of pieces of energy gum and keep the caffeine stream going all day long…

Of course, I'm being a little sarcastic and hopefully you understand that although 1-2 cups of coffee per day may be fine for you, there's no way drinking coffee, energy drinks, and now chewing caffeinated gum is healthy for you.

Keep it natural - Keep it healthy.

Best Time of the Day to Exercise

I think the standard answer is "whatever time works best for you…"

However, I've seen a noticeable difference with a certain part of the on-the-run population who find working out to be time-consuming, lower on their priority list, and simply unexciting.

If this sounds like you, then you really only have one choice if you're going to come up with a plan you can commit to in order take back your shape.

And for you the best time of the day to exercise is definitely first thing in the morning.

This way no other distractions, meetings, family commitments, late phone-calls, or any other "time-stealer" can pull you away from your daily exercise routine.

When you set your alarm, put out your workout clothes and have your exercise equipment all lined up for that next morning so you'll have no excuse. This is truly the best way to never miss a workout and one of the greatest ways to start your day.

Give it try… there's really no downside!

Memorial Day Workout

Warm weather, backyard barbeques, lounging around…

Those are probably a couple of items on your Memorial Day checklist. But what about adding a quick workout?

You're going to want to do some activity to counter all the extra eating and drinking that you may have planned for your day off.

Here's a list of benefits you'll get by just adding a quick cardio or resistance training workout before your partying begins:

• Increased metabolic rate
• Metabolize sugars better
• Burned calories
• No missed workout days
• Better mindset after workout to focus on making healthier decisions
• More energy to carry you through your day

Here's an even better idea. Why not get a bunch of friends together and head outside for a sprint workout, jog, or some fun body weight exercises? Everyone will feel a whole lot better and it's a great plan to spend more time together on your day off.

Have fun and enjoy your Memorial Day!

Effects of Alcohol on Exercise Results

Many people claim they exercise so that they can "live a little" and enjoy a few drinks after work.

But, did you know that those extra calories have a big effect on how you perform in the gym?

Consuming 3 or 4 drinks for most people is enough to reduce amino acid uptake and muscle protein synthesis. Basically, all that means is that the hard work you're putting in the gym is being washed away by the alcohol. Without your body functioning correctly you can't work to boost your metabolism and increase lean muscle.

The good news is that you can still enjoy certain health benefits associated with alcoholic beverages like red wine. You just have to limit your intake to a glass, or two, a day.

Of course, if weight loss is your goal you may want to cut the "empty calories" out all together until you reach your ideal weight…

Why You Can't Copy Others in the Gym

Have you ever looked over your shoulder in the gym to sneak a peak at what someone else is doing? What about walking around trying to see how others are using certain machines?

I know how confusing some of these pieces of exercise equipment can be. It really can be hard sometimes to figure out how to sit on or get into certain pieces.

However, this is one of the times when it pays to be a little cautious.

How do you even know what the other person's goals are? What if they are trying to bulk up? If you copy them and your goal is weight loss, then you're headed in the wrong direction.

Also, proper form should be of the utmost importance when completing your exercises. If you're confused on how to do an exercise, ask a qualified professional for guidance.

It's better to be safe than sorry.

How to Use Supersets

Interested in getting more out of your workouts in less time?

Although supersets have been used for quite a while now, they are becoming more mainstream. If you're not familiar with this exercise term, it refers to completing 2 exercises back to back without resting in between.

In its strictest form, a superset is combining 2 exercises for the same body part. For example, if you were doing a dumbbell chest press you could superset that with a dumbbell chest fly.

Despite the fact that doing multiple exercises for the same body part may work well for a bodybuilder, it's fairly inefficient for you if you're looking for weight loss. So, instead of combining 2 exercises aim to work opposing muscle groups instead. In the example below I combined chest and back.

Here's how it would look:

Superset #1:
1A. Dumbbell 2 arm ball chest press x 12 reps
1B. Dumbbell 1 arm row x 12 reps on each side

You would complete both of the above exercises without resting in between and then take 30-60 seconds before repeating the superset. You can also get creative and design upper and lower body supersets. The sky's the limit…

This is definitely one of the best ways to cut down on your workout time without decreasing the amount of work you do during your routine.

How Much Rest Do I Need Between Sets?

I have friends who are powerlifters who take 5 minutes between sets and bodybuilder types who rest for 30-90 seconds.

And while those rest periods are appropriate for their form of training, you need to take a slightly different approach when your goal is weight loss. You also probably don't have the luxury of taking an hour and a half for your workout 5 days a week.

A more realistic way to think about your workout program is by completing supersets or trisets. This type of training combines 2 to 3 exercises in a row without resting. After you complete those exercises you can then rest for 30-60 seconds before starting your next super or triset.

This is a really efficient way to workout and you can now complete most workouts in under 30 minutes.

In-Home Exercise: Dumbbell 1 Arm Row

This is one of my all-time favorite exercises. It's a great movement to help pull your shoulders back  from too many hours working over a keyboard.

The dumbbell 1 arm row works the muscles of your upper back and shoulders while engaging your core as well. It's also a really functional exercise that allows you to pick up an object while bracing your body with both legs and one free arm. You'll find that if you practice this exercise consistently your rounded shoulders will begin to realign themselves due to your new found upper back strength.

Here’s how to complete it:
1. Stand with one foot in front of the other in a staggered stance
2. Place one hand on a solid object to help support yourself
3. Bend down with your legs and pick up a single dumbbell
4. Bend forward keeping your core engaged and not rounding your back
5. Row the weight up towards your waist using your upper back muscles
6. Slowly return the weight to the starting position
7. Repeat 8-15x

Tips to remember:
1. Keep your chest up and core muscles engaged
2. Keep your knees and elbows unlocked the whole set
3. Do not curl the weight up with your biceps
4. Feel your upper back and shoulder muscles working to pull up the weight
5. Look straight ahead the whole time and do not let your back round

Execute and Evaluate Your Plan

Truly successful people do this everyday in their work, so why wouldn't you apply it to your weight loss goals?

First Step: Execute Your Plan

Commit yourself to a diet and exercise program and then give it an honest try. Stick with the program and get the most of it by following the nutrition and exercise prescriptions. You'll need to complete weekly progress reports, weigh-ins, and other assessments to keep track of in your journal.

Second Step: Evaluate Your Plan

This is the step that you may be missing. It's crucial to actually look back over your data and see how you've improved over the past 2, 4, or 8 weeks. After you’ve been dieting and exercising for a while, your progress reports will allow you to evaluate how a particular program worked for you. The results will also let you see how well you were able to comply with what was asked of you.

No one is asking you to rearrange your life, but you will need to make some compromises if you truly want to achieve a healthy body weight and lifestyle. Having a plan, executing it, and then evaluating your results is how the pros do it… and so should you.

Instant Results?

I guess the answer depends on your opinion and what you were expecting to happen when you began exercising.

The truth is that you can expect to see instant results when you begin exercising. The right program can help you feel better the very first day after breaking a sweat. It's also not uncommon to lose weight your first week in to a diet and exercise program. After all, you are dedicating yourself to living a healthier lifestyle and with that pledge comes some sacrifice. It means having to cut out some of your favorite treats that you know are holding you back from losing weight. It also means increasing your activity level and expending more calories than you take in.

So, although your long-term results come from the cumulative effect of dieting and training, it's nice to know that you can lose weight and feel great your very first week.

Core-Training: Diffuse Lower Back Pain

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between those with a healthy back and others who are  constantly suffering from back pain?

Core strength and proper alignment!

Since most every daily activity engages the muscles of the core, it is essential that they be in proper working order. This corset of muscles is meant to stabilize, accelerate, and decelerate the body while it is active.

That's why even the smallest movement is enough to drop a 250lb man to his knees in excruciating back pain if he is experiencing any type of nerve impingement or misalignment of his spine.

Many back problems can be cured with proper postural alignment and core strengthening. By realigning the spine and activating the deep muscles of the core, you can now move through life pain free and without worry of becoming reinjured.

Mother's Day Express Workout

Today's post is dedicated to all those busy moms out there.

I know you put your children and your family first and that's why I want you to take 20 minutes a day to focus on yourself. So in between picking the kids up from school, sports practice, music lessons, or preparing dinner I want you to sneak in a quick workout.

This workout will boost your energy levels and leave you feeling great about the work you just put into keeping your body the way you want it to look.

Here's a quick and easy body weight workout you can do right at home:

Warm-up: Jumping Jacks
Complete 3 sets of 30 jumping jacks before moving on to your exercises.

Exercise #1: Couch Push-ups
Place both hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart on the edge of the couch. Lower your body down slowly to right before your chest touches, then push back up to the starting push-up position. Repeat as many repetitions as you can with good form.

Exercise #2: Prisoner Squats
This exercise is great because it forces you to work on your posture as you burn calories. Begin this exercise standing in front of a chair. Clasp both hands behind your head. Slowly squat backwards with your hips as you sit down towards the chair. Work to keep your elbows back and your head and chest up as you squat. As you feel your hips touch the chair, push back up to a standing position. Repeat 15-20x.

Try to complete exercises #1 and #2 without any rest in between sets. After you complete both, rest 1 minute and then repeat 1-2 additional rounds.

Happy Mother's Day!

The Feel Good Workout

Everyone has their own definition of what a feel good workout is. For some it's going for a walk and for others it might be completing really strenuous weight lifting exercises.

Luckily, we are all entitled to choose what works best for us and most of us feel like we know what feels right for our bodies. The problem arises though, when you've become accustomed to relaxing a little too much and sitting for the majority of our day. After working in front of a computer or desk for 8 or more hours you can imagine how sluggish your body can become.

At this point your body may feel tired, but not from exerting too much energy. Actually, it's just the opposite. Since you've spent so much time in a stressful, yet stationary position your body starts to become deconditioned and any extra effort than is typically expended becomes a chore.

Keep this in mind when you're completing your workouts. If you're a true beginner you can start by walking, but then gradually ask your body to step it up to the next level. Keep pushing your limits with gradual incremental increases. If you do, you will start to see a transformation take place where you feel more energetic and full of life.

Remember that your "feel good" workout may not feel like so much fun as you're pushing yourself to recreate your ideal body, but after you finish your last set or end your cardio you'll feel great!

Alternating High & Low Repetitions for Best Results

In my last post you got to see which was a more powerful method of toning your muscles - higher or lower repetition sets.

Today we're going to put it all together in one easy-to-use and understand workout program. This routine is going to be simple to follow and it will take you less than 30 minutes to complete 3 days per week. And, you're only going to have to remember 3 exercises for the whole week!

Here's the muscle toning and defining program:

Day 1: Monday
Dumbbell ball chest presses x 2-3 sets x 15 reps
Dumbbell 1 arm row x 2-3 sets x 15 reps each side
Dumbbell Romanian deadlifts (straight legs) x 2-3 sets x 15 reps

Day 2: Wednesday
Dumbbell ball chest presses x 4 sets x 6 reps
Dumbbell 1 arm row x 4 sets x 6 reps each side
Dumbbell Romanian deadlifts (straight legs) x 4 sets x 6 reps

Day 3: Friday
Dumbbell ball chest presses x 3 sets x 10 reps
Dumbbell 1 arm row x 3 sets x 10 reps each side
Dumbbell Romanian deadlifts (straight legs) x 3 sets x 10 reps

Just remember to adjust your weighs according to your rep range. On the lower rep days you will need to increase your resistance to make up for the limited number of repetitions.

Good luck and if you need to see what these exercises look like in action check out their descriptions in previous posts under the exercise part of my blog.

Getting Lean & Tone: More or Less Repetitions?

Some people find that they enjoy lifting heavier weights for fewer repetitions, while others prefer lifting slightly lighter weights for more repetitions.

Let's classify that higher rep sets means performing an exercise for more than 12 repetitions. We'll consider rep ranges between 6-12 to be lower rep sets.

The key to changing your physique and developing lean and defined muscles is to lift challenging weights when going through your workouts.

So what exactly is a "challenging weight?"

It means trading in your dumbbells or other resistance for a weight that you take to momentary muscular failure. Of course, you don't want to look like one of those guys in the gym swinging the weights around like a bucking bronco, so make sure to keep an eye on your form. This will force you to concentrate on the muscles that are working and really develop the mind-muscle connection.

In terms of choosing lower or higher reps for better results, you should plan to incorporate both. This isn't a wishy-washy answer either… you actually get better results when you work in all repetition ranges.

Tomorrow, I'll show you how to design a program using just 3 exercises while working in high, medium, and low rep ranges. 

Better Weight Loss Method: Diet or Exercise?

After meeting with a client today, they told me they had read that one of these methods was superior to the other in terms of weight loss.

They didn't know what to believe and have seen so many contradicting articles supporting one or the other.

Well, I'm here to tell you there is no one superior way to lose weight. While I agree that it may be easier at times to cut out 500 calories by eating less, I don't feel that severe calorie restricting diets lead to long-term weight loss. That's really the key point here… long term results. Pretty much any hardcore diet or exercise program will work for a few weeks, but then what? You can't maintain a super strict program forever.

Keep in mind that it's also very difficult to limit your physical activity and still hope to eat the amount of food that satisfies you. If you use less energy, you simply can't eat as many calories which leads to lower levels of compliance and as a result, less results.

Don't try to decide on what would be a better way for you to lose weight this spring. Instead, start creating a new healthier lifestyle that involves both proper nutrition and exercise. Increase your activity level and begin to eat healthier meals and snacks.

Every little bit counts and it's really the sum of the whole that gets you to your end goal.

If you're new to the NutritionData.com blog make sure to check back daily for cutting edge and useful tips on how to lose weight.

Cardio Secrets

In my last post, I compared the calorie burning ability of outdoor jogging, biking, and swimming. Most people would have guessed that jogging would clearly beat out the other two forms of exercise in terms of total calories expended over a 45-minute time period.

But the truth was each activity burned the same amount of calories!

So what's the reason for this seemingly impossible scenario? The secret is that each form of exercise was done at the same level of intensity throughout the workout. That demonstrates it's not the activity, but the intensity of the activity that burns more calories.

Using this information, you can now see that you can choose resistance training, the elliptical, rollerblading, or another physical activity to burn your specific calorie goal for the day. Another secret is that if you choose an activity that is harder for you to complete, then you'll burn more calories in less time. For example, if you are always using the upright bike and you were to go jogging for the day, you'd burn more calories from your body having not yet acclimated itself to a workout of that kind.

So now you know that although it may be easier to get your heart rate up by doing certain movements, you can still get the caloric burn you want no matter what the activity.

"How Many Calories Do I Burn Doing…?"

A common question you may have is how to figure out how many calories you burn when working out on  a machine or performing an activity that doesn't have a "calories burned" readout display.

To be honest, even the cardio machine displays aren't completely accurate and can only give you an estimation based on your height, weight, age, duration, intensity, and a few other statistics. They do, however, provide a great reference point from one workout to another and a useful way to calculate your calories expended to log into your daily diet and exercise journal.

The problem is what happens if you are outside going for a jog, swim, or bike ride…?

Well, just like the machines at the gym you can calculate your calories burned by using any number of fitness calories counters online.

Here's an example of a 180lb person's calories expended for 3 different 45-minute outdoor activities. Check out the comparison between the types of exercise:

Bicycling: 12-13.9 mph, leisure, moderate effort 490.9
Running: 5 mph (12 min/mile) 490.9
Swimming: crawl, moderate, 50 yds/min 490.9
(Statistics taken from primusweb.com's fitness calculator)

Notice anything peculiar?

You probably recognized that you would burn the same number of calories in your 45-minute workout no matter what method you chose for exercise. Wondering what the reason is?

We'll go over that one in the next post… stay tuned!

Fitness Video: Take This Workout on the Road

Last week I was on vacation and the gym at the hotel I was staying at was scary at best…

I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. They're the ones that you walk in to and then immediately turn right back around. This was a well-known hotel chain in a nice city, but their gym looked like it was last on the list of hotel improvements. It had to have been 20 years old, and that goes for the equipment too. Usually all I look for is a pair of dumbbells, cables, bands, or kettlebells, but this gym only left me with a few mismatched dumbbells that were pretty rusty.

So, I decided to pass and went back to my hotel room to get in a quick and efficient body weight workout. You can find the exact workout I did below. I chose to do the workout from the second video, but the first one is an excellent choice for beginners and intermediates. I also always make sure to add those particular Part 1 exercises into my programs for all levels.

Just click the play buttons below to see which video is the right fit for you.

Part 1 Video: Beginner/Intermediate Body Weight Workout

Part 2 Video: Advanced Body Weight Workout

Testing Your Resting Metabolic Rate

Why should you know your resting metabolic rate?

Your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is a measure of the number of calories your body burns each day to maintain life. Your RMR is equal to approximately 60-70% of daily total caloric expenditure and also relates to how much lean body mass you have. Basically, your resting metabolic rate gives you the number of calories your body would need if you were to lie in bed all day and not expend any other energy or exert effort. The remaining 30% percent of calories burned come from your body's daily physical activity such as digestion, daily living, and exercise.

Why should you measure your RMR?

Your body is unique and your metabolism and caloric needs will differ from the person next to you (even if you both weigh the same amount).

Here are some factors contributing to your body's metabolism:
• Age
• Height
• Gender
• Body composition – lean body mass to fat ratio
• Activity level
• Exercise intensity and duration
• Varying physical and environmental influences

How can you test your RMR?

The whole process takes about 15 minutes and is very easy and painless to complete. A qualified, registered dietician or health professional will have you lie or sit down and then place a soft, form-fitting mask around your mouth. The RMR program they use will then calculate the oxygen and carbon dioxide data collected. It will then analyze the data and provide you with your personal resting metabolic rate.

The testing is also fairly accurate, especially with a qualified technician fitting the mask to your face. I have personally seen discrepancies of up to 5-10% when completing the test within the same week. However, this is still better than estimating your own RMR, which is often off by as much as 20-25%. For example, if you calculate your RMR to be 2,000 calories and it's really 1,500 you can see why you would be gaining weight from consuming an additional 500 calories per day…

Make sure to retest your RMR every 8-12 weeks, as your energy and caloric needs may change depending on the results you have achieved through your weight loss program.

Reader Poll: It's Your Time to be Heard!

My goal is to deliver the most useful health and fitness information available to help you achieve your goals.

To better help me write about the topics you most want to learn about please take a second now to vote for your top choice.

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Make One Change per Week

I was recently speaking with some people who said they failed on their New Year's resolution. They said that they did so because they tried to do too much too soon…

It's understandable that if you stress yourself out about completely changing your routine and your way of life, you will eventually crumble under the pressure. It can be totally overwhelming when you think about how much weight you actually have to lose and how long you've been carrying it for.

The truth is, and I know you've heard it before, you didn't put the weight on overnight and you shouldn't expect to take it off that way either. However, you can lose your excess weight (body fat) by taking a systematic approach to weight loss. That means you should take it one step at a time to ensure that not only will you burn off body fat, but you will keep it off permanently.

You may be asking how this is possible when you have fallen short so many times before…

The difference is asking yourself to implement only one piece each week. That means you will make one dietary or exercise related change every seven days all while journaling every step of the way. You give yourself a grade each week and track your progress as you begin to achieve new personal bests in weight loss. This will prevent you from feeling overwhelmed from having to turn your lifestyle upside down.

Each new healthy lifestyle correction will eventually become a habit and part of your routine. You'll find that this is the real key to living well and looking great!

Burn More Calories Walking

Since we're officially into spring now and the weather is becoming a lot nicer, this is a great opportunity  to get outside. I also wanted to give you some helpful tips to burn more calories while walking and breathing in some fresh air.

Here are 5 ways to lose more weight while walking:

1. Walk with Intensity
Remember to swing your arms and push forward using your glutes

2. Head for the Hills
Make sure to include some uphill battles in your walking route

3. Walk on Dirt, Gravel, or Grass Paths
It takes more work for your body to navigate uneven surfaces

4. Wear a Weighted Vest or Backpack
A little added weight can go a long way in terms of burning more calories.

5. Use Walking Poles
Walking Poles will help you burn more calories and up the intensity of your walk

These 5 tips should help you lose more weight while going for your daily walks. Enjoy the nice weather and keep on moving!

"Will I Bulk Up If I Lift Weights?"

That largely depends on your genetics, lifting program, nutrition, and recovery.

Believe it or not, it takes a fair amount of effort for most people to add any lean muscle. You really have to be disciplined about your exercise program.

Special note for women:

If you are a woman, have no fear of bulking up! Why? The hormone, testosterone, is largely responsible for adding muscle and bulk. Women just don't have the hormone levels to create that type of anabolic environment for massive muscle growth.

Adding lean muscle is something you should continually strive for. At the very least you will preserve your current lean muscle and keep your metabolic rate up. Also, muscle is very dense as opposed to body fat.

So, the moral of the story is not to worry about bulking up from lifting weights. If anything, you'll end up slimming down and toning up from the greater caloric burn.

Slash Your Sick Days

In the news:

People who exercise have on average 40-50% less sick days! That means that they take off half as much time as those who merely sit behind a desk and never get their bodies moving through exercise.

The reason for this amazing statistic is that when your blood pressure increases through vigorous activity, your disease fighting immune cells get pushed through your blood. They are able to detect and fight off cold viruses before it's too late.

That's great news for you, your boss, and your deadlines. Plus, the flip side is you'll feel healthier and more energetic by incorporating exercise into your daily program.

Check out this post on how lunch time breaks can be the perfect time to fit in a 30 minute workout.

Lunch Break Exercise

Why should you spend your mid-day break being active?

There are so many reasons! For starters, you're less likely to order unhealthy food and this alone could save you an extra 500 calories a day (that's almost a one pound weight loss your first week right there!).

Second, you'll have more energy throughout the rest of the day after getting some lunch time activity.

Third, you can do something as simple as going for a 30 minute walk. It's easy and you can add those expended calories from walking to the calories you skipped by not hitting the vending machine or choosing some other unhealthy meal. Instead, you'll be more likely to go for a well-balanced, energizing lunch.

Now you can see how just 30 minutes during your lunch break can really help with your weight loss goals. Be sure to check out my 7 part Spring Shape Up series for more details.

"Will my Muscle Turn to Fat if I Stop Working Out?"

This is another really popular question that has an easy answer, but for some reason this myth just won't die…

Muscle and fat are about as equal to each other as red meat and butter. They aren't the same fiber type and one can't become the other. It's physiologically impossible.

When you stop using your muscles at your current capacity, your body becomes significantly less efficient at burning calories, which allows body fat to start to accumulate. That's why the scale may not be changing in terms of the number, but your body composition certainly will when you start to lose muscle and add fat. What happens is that your ratio of fat to muscle will shift significantly and your body begins to look softer and less toned.

Your goal should be to add lean muscle while burning the fat. If you're a beginner you can just start with 2-3 days a week of body weight exercises. Then you can graduate to other forms of resistance to keep your from plateauing.

Buy the Right Size Jump Rope for You

I get this question a lot and I totally understand…

In my last post I wrote up a concise jump rope conditioning program, but a lot of people asked, "how are you supposed to know what is the right size jump rope for you?" Too long and it will throw off your timing… too short and you'll end up tripping over it.

Here's how to eliminate all the confusion.

Stand with both feet in the center of the jump rope and pull up both ends towards your shoulders. The two handles should equally reach your armpits. If you can raise your hands higher than your shoulders your rope is too long. The reverse is also true; if you can't reach shoulder height then your rope is too short.

Although most jump ropes are adjustable, you're better off buying the right size the first time. If you're buying your jump rope off the internet, then I would recommend grabbing a piece of old rope and using that to find the right length. You can then lay the rope out straight and measure it from tip to tip. This will give you the exact length you should order.

That's it – so get going!

Jump Rope Conditioning Program

Reader Question:

"I am 17 years old and 200 pounds. I'm 5-10". I've been using the jump rope for quite some time but because of my busy schedule I stopped. Now it's our summer break so I'm back to using the jump rope however I was wondering if you could recommend me a jump rope program because I heard the jump rope can seriously help shed off a lot of pounds."
-Douglas

Answer:

Hi Douglas,
Jumping rope can be a great form of exercise. It does take a little getting used to, but once you get down the timing and the coordination, you'll be impressed with how well you catch on.

The first tip I would recommend is starting with 30 seconds of "alternating skip steps." This is a great way for beginners to transition into jumping rope. You'll want to take about double the amount of rest time as what your set takes. This is the ration I recommend for most intervals, which is a 1:2 work to rest ratio.

Once you start to progress, you can increase your work time and decrease your rest. Eventually you'll be doing 2 foot hops for up to 5 minutes without breaking.

However, I recommend that you don't make jumping rope your sole form of exercise. One key to reducing your chance of repetitive motion injuries is to choose different exercise movements and motions on varying days throughout the week. You'll still have plenty of opportunity to practice, but just make sure those practice sessions don't involve too many jumps while you're first starting out.

Check out this really helpful website dedicated to the art of Jump Roping. You will be able to find descriptions, program details, and photos of the techniques described in this post.

Good luck and have fun!

Sharpen Your Mind

You'll be happy to know that exercise is not only a great way to maintain a healthy body weight, but new studies show that it can also sharpen your mind.

Researchers at England's Middlesex University conducted a test on over 60 people where they had them complete an aerobic workout, as well as sit down and watch a video. What the researchers found was that the volunteers scored higher on creativity and feeling more positive after their exercise routine.

These studies demonstrate that there are so many benefits associated with working out that we rarely stop and think about. Whether you're trying to lose weight, maintain weight, or gain weight, you can find the right exercise program for you to reach your goals. As it begins to be a part of your weekly routine, you will feel the healthy benefits start to multiply in your life.

How to Choose a Personal Trainer

In my last post I recommended that if you are feeling low on motivation and are stuck in a rut of doing the same old training program, then now may be a good time to hire a personal trainer to get you back on the right track.

Don't make the mistake of just hiring the first person you come in contact with.

Do some research of your own and find out how long they have been working as a personal trainer and if this is their full-time career. You don't want to put your health and fitness in the hands of someone who is just doing it as a part-time job to make some extra money. They more than likely don't spend the additional time needed on continued research and education to develop the right program for you.

You should also ask around to see what their other clients have to say about their training style. Are they a hardcore boot camp trainer, a soft spoken educator, or somewhere in between?

A good personal trainer will be able to match their training personality to fit yours and ensure that they make you as comfortable as possible during each session. Your trainer should also be an excellent communicator, especially when it comes to demonstrating the exercises you will perform.

Lastly, make sure that your potential trainer is nationally certified. They should have received their certified personal trainer (CPT) or certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) through a NCCA organization.
Here are 3 of those top certifying organizations:

National Academy of Sports Medicine -  http://www.nasm.org
American College of Sports Medicine - http://www.acsm.org
National Strength & Conditioning Association - http://www.nsca-lift.org

My last suggestion would be to ask the person you have selected for a complimentary fitness consultation, so that the two of you can sit down and discuss your goals in more depth. You can also ask them to demonstrate a few exercises they would recommend for your particular needs. After that initial meeting you should have a good idea of whether or not they are a good fit for you.

Walking to Work Day is April 16th

For those still struggling to get exercise as part of your weight loss routine the American Heart Association has designated Walk to Work Day on April 16th to help you get motivated and get moving!  Or you can also bring your sneakers to work and encourage your co-workers to walk at work.

You might say you don’t have 30 minutes in your day. No problem with that. Many health professionals say you can break your 30 minutes up. Try doing 15 minutes during lunch or a break. Not only will it burn some calories and help your heart but it will clear your mind and improve your work focus. Do the other 15 minutes at another break or a time that you can get it in.

You know that old trick parking your car farther to walk more, do that. Park about a mile from work (just make sure you plan it into your day so you are not late for work of course). Then you can get your two 15 minute walks in without having to make a big deal out of it.

Make everyday a walking day for good health and weight loss!

Low on Motivation?

Feel like you're just running in circles?

Or maybe you're a little low on motivation and could really use a new workout program?

This may be the perfect time to hire a certified personal trainer for a session or two. That fitness professional will be able to listen to your previous workout and health history, as well as your goals and then design a customized workout for you.

It's a great way to get back on track and rededicate yourself to improving your health and fitness.

Tomorrow, I'll show you what to look for when hiring a personal trainer.

Buddy System

Let's face it, there are days when you just aren't up for going jogging, lifting weights, or heading over to your favorite fitness class.

Those are the times when a workout partner really comes in handy. When you're feeling a bit down, you can count on them to get you motivated and make sure you get in your workout.

As long as you set up a schedule with that person and the two of you agree from the beginning to make sure that the other doesn't skip out on the workout, then you have formed a solid partnership. The two of you should also share your goals and what you hope to achieve out of a fitness program. That way you can check in on one another and make sure you are inching closer toward your goals each week.

You'll also find that 30 minutes flies by when you are sharing stories, making each other laugh, and motivating one another every step of the way. I've seen some great friendships formed in workout partners, as well as deepening existing relationships. The camaraderie of spending time together doing something healthy really brings out the best in people.

Involve your whole family, or find a friend who you can partner with on your way to losing weight and feeling great.

Workout Music Selection

Have your workouts been feeling a little sluggish lately?

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse found that people who listen to up-tempo music got more out of their cardio workouts.

The research team found that people pedaled faster on their bikes and got their heart rate pumping harder than those who listened to slow-tempo music. Their workouts were 5 – 15% more intense while listening to music with more beats per minute.

This may just be the kick you need to re-energize your workouts and burn those extra calories. Also, with the widespread adoption of MP3 players downloading music is easy. You can even create your own personal mix. Feel free to check out WorkoutMusic if you need help on designing your playlist.

ABS: New Techniques

Did you know the growing trend in the fitness community is switching over to stabilizing and isometric abdominal exercises instead of doing all those crunches?

So instead of crunching and flexing forward with your abs, you may want to try a few exercises in which you're resisting movement. You'll soon find out these moves can be safer on your back and work incredibly well for tightening your tummy.

I'll show you an example that is used in resistant training, yoga, and pilates. It goes by many names, but it's mainly referred to as the boat or v-pose.

Here's how to complete it:
1. Sit on your hips with both arms wrapped around your legs
2. Slowly lean back raising your feet off the floor a couple of inches
3. Once you feel balanced being to release your arms
4. Hold your arms up by your shoulders with your palms facing up
5. Straighten your legs as much as you can with good form
6. Hold for up to 60 seconds

Tips to remember:
1. Ease into the movement
2. Find your balance before releasing your arms
3. Breathe normally throughout the pose – Do not hold your breath
4. Discontinue exercise if you feel any pain in your lower back
5. Gradually increase your time with practice

Tai Chi for Exercise

If you are looking for an exercise routine that promotes healing, balance, and stability then Tai Chi may be right for you.

Tai Chi incorporates slow sequences of movements that are a part of a comprehensive Chinese martial arts system. The goal of Tai Chi practice is to incorporate a healthy mind and body program that tunes you into your internal energy and reconnects you with the universe.

You might think Tai Chi looks like a choreographed dance, but each movement is slow and deliberate intended to provide increased internal energy. Consistent Tai Chi practice has been shown to improve high blood pressure, lessen arthritic symptoms, reduce stress, and improve balance and posture.

Maybe you aren't ready to jump into a full blown Tai Chi program next week, but I would think about exploring some of the Eastern practices of exercise. To find out more about the background and practice of Tai Chi click here.

To watch a Tai Chi demonstration click the play button below:

Stay Hydrated While Exercising

Too many people wait until they are dehydrated to grab for their water bottle. By this time your energy levels have taken a hit and your exercise coordination could also be feeling a little shaky.

The best way to combat this is by drinking 8-16oz of water an hour before your workout. You can also help improve your performance by sipping on water throughout your workout or making sure to replenish every 10 -15 minutes.

Try to steer clear of coffee, tea, or sodas as substitutes for water, since they can contain caffeine. These types of drinks can act as a diuretic and cause your body to become even more dehydrated.

Finally, after your workout is complete aim to drink another 8-16oz of water to replace all that water you lost through sweating. If you find that your workouts run longer than an hour or your clothes are particularly stained with salty sweat, you might want to look into a sports drink that contains electrolytes.

Try incorporating some of these tips into your exercise routine and you may just find you have more energy to push out that extra 10 minutes!

Are You Dehydrated?

I know that sometimes your days become really hectic and you get sidetracked. I've been there and one of the things that seems to get forgotten is grabbing for your bottle of water throughout the day.

You may even find yourself going hours without taking a sip of water and instead reaching for coffee, tea, and other beverages that only lead to greater levels of dehydration.

Here's what the Mayo Clinic has to say about the seriousness of dehydration:

Dehydration occurs when you lose more fluid than you take in and your body doesn't have enough water and other fluids to carry out its normal functions. If lost fluid remains unreplenished, you may suffer serious consequences."

Here are some signs and symptoms of inadequate hydration may include:

• Thirst
• Fatigue
• Loss of coordination
• Mental confusion
• Irritability
• Dry skin
• Elevated body temperature
• Diminished urine output

Exercisers need to be even more conscious of staying hydrated. Tomorrow, I'll be back with a follow up post on when, why, and how much water you should consume to maintain optimal levels for health and fitness.

Beginner Push-Up

You probably already know that push-ups are a great exercise for building upper body strength, but sometimes an exercise like this is too hard to just jump right into.

Luckily, there are usually a few different levels of each movement that will allow you to still get the benefits of the original exercise.

If you'd like to include push-ups into your fitness program, you may want to start with an incline push- up. It's not quite as difficult as the original, but it still engages your core. After you master the form and can complete at least 10 repetitions you can then lower the incline or give regular push-ups a shot.

Here's how to complete an incline push-up:
1. Place both hands palm down on a bench or grab the sides of a chair
2. Prop yourself up in a diagonal line with the balls of your feet touching the floor
3. Slowly lower your chest and body down without dropping your hips
4. Stop before touching the bench or chair with your chest
5. Push back up using your chest, arms, and upper body strength
6. Repeat for 10+ total repetitions

Tips to remember:
1. Always keep your core muscles tight
2. Do not arch your lower back or let your hips drop when lowering yourself down
3. Try to keep your legs straight throughout the exercise
4. Lower yourself slowly and then push back up powerfully
5. If your form starts to fail discontinue the exercise for that set

Product Alert: Electronic Abdominal Stimulators

How far are you willing to go?

Would you electrocute yourself for a washboard stomach?

By now I'm sure you've seen the infomercials promoting machines that actually send electrical currents into your muscles in hopes of toning and defining them.

They show models with great 6-pack abs and lean physiques happily applying the abdominal stimulators to their stomachs. What they don't tell you and what the FDA and FTC have been receiving complaints about, is that the product isn't living up to the hype.

The electronic abdominal stimulators also don't inform you of the potential risks that are associated with its use. The FDA has received reports of burns, bruising, shocks, skin irritations, and pain from the use of some of these electronic muscle stimulators. There have also been a few reports of interference with implanted devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators.

So, although EMS products can help to temporarily strengthen and firm up your abdominal muscles, there isn't any data showing that they work for weight loss or reducing inches.

The bottom line is that to slim your waist line you're still far better off with good ol' fashioned diet and exercise.

The Best Time to Workout

In one of my last posts, I wrote about a trick that many people are doing to make sure they never miss a workout.

Today, I'd like to follow up to be sure you are clear on what time of the day is actually best for you to workout.

You'll find all sorts of data claiming that the morning is the best time to workout since your glucose levels are lowest and you'll end up burning more fat, leading to an increased metabolism throughout the day. You'll also see others claiming that you should wait at least 2 hours after waking to allow your spine and spinal fluid to be at peak performance before you begin any dynamic movements.

The truth is that we're all different and sometimes life and our busy schedules have a way of getting in the way. If you get too focused on what is the exact time for you to workout, it may have the opposite effect and you'll be too paralyzed to actually begin.

The best time to workout is the time that you mark off in your daily planner. Keep it consistent and make it apart of your routine. It doesn't have to be an hour, either. Just pencil yourself in 20-30 minutes to start and work your way up from there…

Be BOLD, begin tomorrow!

How to Lose Weight - 3

I'll be honest. I'm not going to lure you in with some special mystic formula that insures weight loss. The third core basic of weight loss should not be a big surprise. It's exercise. You can lose weight without it but it's more challenging to do so and studies frequently suggest that those  who keep their weight off for the long term are those that have consistent exercise as part of their lifestyle.  (And as Monica has mentioned in a previous blog exercise goes well beyond weight loss benefits!) The following suggestions are just a few of the solutions to common exercise challenges.

• First explore your own general attitudes around exercise. If you have a lifetime built around "hating" exercise try calling it "activity." Then work on finding an activity that you truly enjoy and that's actually fun for you to participate in. You will not enjoy working out in a gym if you would rather be outside.

• No time to exercise?  We all have 24 hours in a day. It's how we prioritize our time. Set up an "appointment" with yourself and keep it. Schedule other events around the exercise. Remember it doesn’t have to be an hour long to reap benefits.

• Do you make excuses for not exercising?  Focus on the positives you are getting out of it. If you constantly complain about it taking time and being sweaty you won't do it. But if you focus on how good it's making you feel, all the health benefits you are getting from it and how toned, fit and confident you are becoming, the more inclined you will be to do it.

• Set up some accountability to exercise with another person, whether it be a walking partner or a trainer. It's sad but true most of us need this to stay committed.

• Reward yourself (non-food) even if it's a few small kind words to yourself regardless of how much you do.

Please check out Steve's blog section for lots more on the specifics of exercise. He's our ND expert on the subject and his blogs are terrific!

9 Least Effective Exercises

I just read an excellent article on “The 9 Least Effective Exercises.” 

Although I agree with the exercise selections for the most part, I think a better name for the article would have been, “The 9 Most Potentially Dangerous Exercises.” I believe that is the real point the author was trying to get across when they wrote the article.

Many of the exercises on the list are actually quite effective, but they do put you at risk for injury, and therefore, should be avoided.

You be the judge and see what you think of these 9 “exercises:”

1. Lat pull-down behind the head
2. Military press behind the head
3. Upright row
4. Lying leg press with knees bent too deeply
5. Squats on the Smith machine
6. Any exercise done wearing the wrong shoes
7. Exercises done with the goal of spot reduction
8. Using bad form on cardio machines
9. Always wearing a weight belt

For the full article, click here.

Here's a Trick that is Helping People Lose Weight at Home

One of the biggest tricks I am getting feedback on in terms of people being able to lose weight in the comfort of their own home is by sneaking in a 20-minute workout first thing in the morning.

Here's the trick though…

When they roll out of bed first thing in the morning, they are immediately greeted by a bottle of water and their workout clothes strategically placed right in front of them. This simple trick alerts their brain to get in the habit of drinking the bottle of water and changing into their workout clothes.

From there they have 20 minutes to get in a warm-up and a quick interval based exercise program that awakens their body and gets their metabolism jumpstarted for the day.

This is just one weight loss tip for anyone who has ever said, "I just don't have the time to exercise."

So, set your alarm 20-minutes earlier, put out your workout gear, and get started tomorrow!

Starbucks Health Clubs?

As Starbucks' stock continues to fall, the company is now looking for ways to expand its reach and attract new consumers.

The latest rumor is that Starbucks is preparing to enter the health and fitness arena. No one has the full scope yet, but they do plan to be a major player in terms of energy drink offerings.

Do we really need another overloaded caffeinated energy drink full of sugar? And is a company that specializes in luxury coffee really going to do the research required to offer anything beneficial when it comes to consumers' health and fitness?

While I appreciate most companies' attempts to introduce "lite" options for weight conscious consumers, I hope that we don't start looking to our favorite coffee shops for advice on health.

What Are the METs and Watts Readouts on my Cardio Equipment?

When you are riding your exercise bike or pushing along on your favorite piece of cardiovascular equipment, you will see a few different readouts pop up on your machine's display. Sometimes these readings rotate, but often times they remained fixed for you to measure as you increase your intensity.

The heart rate display is an easy one to figure out, but what about the number beside the word "METs?"

A MET stands for "multiple of the resting metabolic rate" and basically equates to the amount of oxygen your body consumes when you're not moving. That number is then compared to the level of exertion you create when moving at a particular intensity. For example if are biking at 5 METs you are consuming 5 times the amount of oxygen than when resting.

As for watts, they measure power (equal to force multiplied by distance divided by time). The readout will tell you how much power you are generating. This feature is mainly reserved for competitive athletes, but can serve as another measure of progress when tracking your statistics.

For the most part I recommend that you just concentrate more on your heart rate display and level of perceived exertion. This will help you to see how hard you are pushing yourself and whether or not you are making progress at a certain level. Once you feel comfortable with the fundamental features of your cardio machine's readouts you can always choose to get more technical with METs and watts.

Variety is the Spice of Life

Why is it that some people seem to get bored and end up quitting the gym after just weeks of signing up? Or if you're working out at home, why do you decide to no longer pull out the weights or exercise mat to get in your weekly workouts?

One key reason is just plain old boredom. You may eventually dread the thought of having to change into your exercise clothes, lace up your sneakers, and find the motivation to workout when you know exactly what awaits you.

I know how you feel and that's why I very rarely do any one exercise or workout program for more than 4 weeks straight. I also never do the same workout more than once per week, so at the very most I am only completing any one exercise program 4 times before switching it up.

Not only does this help my clients, as well as myself, to never let boredom set in, but it also cranks up the results! If our bodies are forced to adapt to new exercises, we burn more calories and can continue to make new achievements in strength. This leads to renewed motivation from tracking our improvements in our weights, as well as our body composition.

So now that you know that not only will your motivation be higher, but your results will also skyrocket this is the perfect time to try something different to benefit your health and fitness!

Can you lose weight without exercising?

Q. My frustration is that I have no time to exercise, yet I eat very carefully. Is it at all possible for an aging 45-y.o. man to diet himself to better health without any substantive exercise?

A. Depends on what you mean by "better health!"

It's absolutely possible to lose weight without exercising. If you take in fewer calories than you burn, over time you will lose weight. For that matter, it's possible to lose weight eating nothing but junk food. The same math applies: As long as you take in fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight--even if all you take in are empty calories. 

Of course, it's a WHOLE lot easier to create a calorie deficit (and lose weight) when you do both: eat less and move more. (See this related post.)  I would also argue that you will feel a lot better on a low--calorie diet if the calories you DO eat are nutritious.  When quantity is restricted, quality becomes more important.

But, here's the thing (and deep down in your heart, you already know this): Weight loss is not the only reason to exercise. Regular exercise reduces your risk of heart disease, helps prevent against bone loss, increases insulin sensitivity (which reduces your risk of diabetes), lowers the risk of getting cancer, and increases the chances of beating it. And that's the short list.

The same points could be made about eating a healthy diet.

Benefits of Using an Elliptical Trainer

In my last post I compared the calorie burning potential of using a treadmill vs. an elliptical. Although this is a touchy subject for elliptical users out there, I want you to know that there is no reason to give up your favorite machine just yet.

Here is a list of reasons why the elliptical can be a great choice for exercisers:

* Low impact (feet never leave the pedals)
* Provides an excellent cardiovascular workout
* Can vary intensity through changing resistance, speed and ramp
* Safe to use (when you stop, the machine stops)
* Full body workout when using the machine arms

The top benefit that most people associate with elliptical trainer s is their ability to provide a solid cardiovascular workout without all of the impact. If you have a history of knee or lower back issues, this may be the right piece of equipment for you to get back in stride.

Treadmill vs. Elliptical: What Burns More Calories?

I'm often asked, "if I want to make the best use of my time and burn the most amount of calories which machine should I choose?"

If you're strictly looking at which cardiovascular piece requires more energy expenditure, the elliptical or treadmill, then you will find that the answer lies in the amount of work that is asked of your body when using each piece. All other things being equal, the act of running requires more mechanical work of your body, and thus, burns more calories when compared to using an elliptical machine.

Although ellipticals can provide a great workout, their smooth, comfortable motion actually works against them when it comes to forcing the body to absorb impact, resist rotation, and other factors that all add up to increased caloric expenditure.

Here are some comparative statistics on a treadmill vs. elliptical:
Ex: 180lb person completing 45 minutes of work
Elliptical – 441.8 calories burned
Treadmill – 675 calories burned (9 minute mile pace)
* Statistics taken from primusweb.com

Although your exact results will vary depending on your weight, intensity, and other factors, I hope these stats give you a better idea of how treadmills outperform ellipticals in terms of calories burned in a given time period. However, don't rule out ellipticals as a useful piece of cardiovascular equipment… in my next post I'll show you why.

AB Workout Video: "The Best AB Exercises You've Never Heard of"

Here's the #1 "how-to" video on YouTube viewed by over 151,167 people in less than a week!

This unique core workout will take you through non-traditional AB exercises to help you burn body fat and create a smaller and tighter waistline faster than traditional crunches.

Now on to the workout!

Superset #1: Complete both exercises back-to-back
Barbell Overhead Squats x 15 reps
Low to High Band Chops x 15 reps each side
*Rest 30-60 seconds after the 2nd exercise and then repeat both exercises 1-2 more times

Superset #2: Complete both exercises back-to-back
Dumbbell Front Squats x 15 reps
Kettlebell Turkish Half Get-Ups x 10-15 reps each side
*Rest 30-60 seconds after the 2nd exercise and then repeat both exercises 1-2 more times

Click this link to view the AB Exercise demonstrations on YouTube.

Members Save Health Club

When HealthFit in Needham, Massachusetts got into financial trouble and faced the possibility of having to close, its members came to the rescue.

Over 50 members invested in their local health club in hopes of keeping the doors open. Although it's still early, it looks as though HealthFit is going to pull through and the gym goers won't be forced to find a new facility and healthy community to join.

Why would gym members choose to bail their health club out of trouble?

Well, the crazy thing is they didn't see it as just a "gym." The members looked at it as their own close-knit community where they went for support. They formed a commorodary based on mutual goals of weight loss and healthy living. Facing the possibility that this could slip away is like losing a good friend.

So how can you be apart of something this powerful?

For starters you need to get active and get out into your community. Whether you join a health facility, weight loss studio/group, or get a group of like-minded friends together, you can really start to make a change. As long as everyone is united to achieve one common goal, there will always be someone beside you to keep you motivated and on task to moving one step closer to your goals.

Your Children are at Risk

“Children are more harmed by poor diet than by exposure to alcohol, drugs and tobacco combined. This  is the first generation of children expected to have a shorter lifespan than their parents.”
-Dr. David Katz, head of preventative medicine at Yale University

If you skimmed over that second line, I would recommend rereading it again. How can something as simple in nature as eating healthy and being active be so hard for us to adopt? It has come to the point that our bad habits are rubbing off on the next generation.

This is especially disturbing since we are their role models and the people they look to as examples of how they should live their lives. If we don't set the right example now then every future generation to come will be destined to repeat this cycle of leading a less active, higher stress, and nutritionally depleted lifestyle.

Make sure to take time to educate yourself on healthy living and then encourage your whole family to participate in exercising and eating well-balanced meals.

Walgreens Does the Unthinkable

Walgreen Co. released its plans to acquire two worksite-health-center operators as it looks to expand  its portfolio and begin managing the on-site health centers and pharmacies of major companies. This will act as a compliment to Walgreens plan to add drugstore clinics as well.

Walgreens seems to be taking charge and ultimately putting people's health back in their own hands. People now have the option of pushing the pills aside for a natural form of preventative medicine through exercise and healthy living.

As long as employees and customers of Walgreens understand the benefits of losing weight and incorporating aerobic and strength training into their lives, the tide may begin to turn on America's problem with obesity and preventable health diseases.

It's nice to see that big businesses like Walgreens can win either way now… hopefully we can be the ones to help them make a push for all-natural alternatives.

Build Your Confidence

After reading over an article on how teenagers often feel embarrassed to exercise in front of their peers for fear of ridicule, I couldn't help but wonder how that has carried over into adulthood.

Too often I hear people say that they need to "get in shape" before they buy a gym membership or meet with a personal trainer. I understand that some people may believe that everyone working out at a gym is already in shape and looks fit.

I can tell you this is simply not the case. Surrounding yourself with other like-minded fitness enthusiasts just may be what you need to give yourself a kick start. No matter what your fitness level, making the choice to exercise is already the first step toward building self-confidence. You are taking a stand and telling yourself that you are no longer willing to live inside the shell of an overweight person and you are ready to reclaim your body.

Take the first step and get moving.

Exercises Improves Mood

Battling depression and anxiety is serious problem facing many Americans.

If you experience occasional or chronic depression, there may be hope outside of pharmacologic treatments which often take one to two months to take effect.

Recent research has shown that just 30 minutes of physical exercise between 60 - 70 % of your max heart rate increased positive feelings of well-being and vigor. What's even better news is that this type of treatment can begin working in as little as two weeks.

That means the sooner you start the faster you could be feeling better again.

December issue of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise

Reader Comment: "I Can't Take Off the Weight!"

Comment:

"Here is my issue. I work out almost every day and I keep putting on weight. I have put on 10 pounds every year and I can't take it off. I know I eat too much but the scale does not move and I get frustrated so I binge eat. During the day I eat very well, i.e. breakfast, skim milk, salad with olive oil at lunch, lots of fruits and vegetables but my head is getting got and stay motivated. When I look at the blogs people have at least lost weight and then put it back on I have never managed even managed to loose a pound. Today I started documenting what I am eating and counting calories. Any suggestions…thanks"

-Nonna, ND Blog Reader

Answer:

Recent Study: Strength Training Burns the Fat Fast!

Do you have 30 minutes 3x/week?

Three more recent studies conducted in Massachusetts and Maryland over a 10 – 16 weeks period demonstrated a significant increase in metabolic rate with just three days of strength training. The subject's exercise program lasted between 30 and 40 minutes and worked all major muscle groups.

What makes this study even more impressive is that it was conducted with participants over 50 years old. That proves that it is never too late to start!

Here's a quick excerpt from the Tufts University Study:

"A classic study conducted at Tufts University examined the effects of strength training on both resting metabolic rate and daily energy expenditure in men and women over 50 years of age. The study subjects performed about 30 minutes of strength exercise, three days a week, for a period of 12 weeks. By the end of the training program they added three pounds of muscle, elevated their resting metabolic rate by seven percent and increased their daily energy expenditure by 15 percent."

You can either start building up your metabolism or you can have it slowly dwindle away as each year passes. The choice is yours… but I suggest you take the first step towards improving your health by starting a sensible resistance, aerobic, and nutritional weight loss plan.

Fat Burner of the Week: Squat with Vertical Chop

Not only is the squat with a vertical chop a great fat burning exercise, but it also makes a perfect dynamic warm-up movement.

You can complete this exercise with a dumbbell, weighted plate, or medicine ball. It looks similar to a kettlebell swing, but this movement uses less momentum and more range of motion. That's the reason it makes such a great warm-up exercise!

Here's how to complete it:

Should I Use Dumbbells or Barbells?

Why choose one over the other?

There's really no reason to eliminate either one from your program.

You can get great results from using each and keeping both of them in your exercise routine will stimulate your muscles in different ways.

Dumbbells require greater activation from your stabilizer muscles, whereas using a barbell does not. Therefore, choosing a barbell over dumbbells will allow you to lift more weight by focusing mainly on larger muscle groups.

For example if you were to complete a dumbbell chest press you would stimulate coordination from your triceps and shoulder muscles to a greater degree than a barbell bench press. Consequently, a barbell bench press would cut back on the use of other synergistic muscles while placing more emphasis on the pectoral (chest) muscles.

Rather than getting caught up in which method is better for you, just remember that a well rounded program is your best way to lose weight and keep your motivation high week after week.

You Have to Read This to Believe It…

Just when you thought they couldn't put one more function into a cell phone they go and do this…

Samsung and Adidas just announced their partnership and release of the miCoach.

The miCoach is a combination cell phone, heart rate monitor, and pedometer. You can use this device to make calls like you would on any other phone, but only this time it tracks your heart's beats per minute and the steps you take each day. The Samsung phone even comes with a voice coach to push you during your workouts!

This is certainly a groundbreaking gadget and only the beginning of what is to come in terms of monitoring your body. And if you think that is going to be just a cheap cell phone with a built-in heart rate sensor think again… here are the specs:

"The miCoach is a slider cell phone with a 2 inch display, 2 megapixel camera and 1GB of internal flash memory. It measures 101.5mm x 45mm x 14.5mm (3.9" x 1.8" x .6") and offers quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900MHz) as well as Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support for stereo headsets and an MP3 player."

If you'd like more information on this cell phone and the future of cellular technology, check out Gizmag.

Question: Should I Exercise If I Am Still Sore From A Previous Workout?

Answer: This answer is completely dependant on your degree of soreness and how many days in a row you have been training. If you have already been working out for 2-3 days straight, I would take the day off. However, if you are just mildly sore and have only exercised the day before than you can work any body parts that aren't too sore.

You can also do some light movements for the tight areas to drive some blood and nutrients into those muscles to help them speed up the recovery process. A proper warm-up is also essential to safely preparing the body to begin the new day's workout. If you are particularly tight, you may need to double your ordinary warm-up time.

Remember, if you are constantly sore from you workouts you are doing something wrong and should re-evaluate your program. Check out this article to see if you fall into that category.

Question: Should I Be Sore The Next Day After My Workouts?

Answer: Soreness the next day, or DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) is not a good indicator of completing a great workout the day before.

All soreness means is that you did some activity that your body wasn't used to doing. Typically, most people are sore the next day (sometimes up to 72 hours) after finishing a new workout routine. As you progress through your 4-6 week program you should be less sore each week, or not all.

You do not have to be sore after every workout to get results. On the contrary, if you are sore from every workout it means that you are doing too much. It's also a signal from your body letting you know that you are pushing the envelope of burning out and causing more harm than good to your body…

If you find yourself constantly tight and sore, try cutting back some of the volume from your workouts. Start by taking out 1 set of each exercise (or just from the body part movements where you feel pain). You can also just cut back on the amount of weight you are using. Then, you can always go back and add in a set of additional weight once the soreness has subsided.

Train smart and your body will reward you!

Full Body Fat Burner

Last weekend we filmed one of the most challenging ab and full body exercises you could ever tackle!

The good news is that anyone regardless of fitness level can complete this movement by just varying the weight you use. In the video, Jon Feinman, CSCS is using a kettlebell, but you can substitute a dumbbell and get close to the same the benefit.

Here's a short clip on how to complete the Turkish Get Up:

Myth: If I Stop Working out My Muscle Will Turn to Fat

This myth just won't die…

Here's the straight forward explanation: Muscle and fat are two completely different types of tissue and as a result it is impossible to turn one into the other.

However, if you were to stop working out you would most likely lose muscle and gain fat. The reason for this is that your metabolism would begin to slow down from the loss of lean muscle tissue and reduction in calories burned from exercise.

The same can also be said for anyone trying to turn fat into muscle. It just can't happen. The good news is that you can burn off your excess body fat and at the same time begin to sculpt your physique through resistance and cardiovascular exercises.