Rant Of The Moment

I am disappointed when celebrity trainers hock weight loss products. Especially rapid weight loss products and 'cleansing' products. All that stuff is crap. Don't you think that if they really did work we would all be using them? It taps into people,s need for a quick fix and there is no such thing. When it comes to fat loss you need to change your lifestyle. You need to make changes that will stick for the rest of your life. That's one of the reasons I never, ever write out a diet for a client. If I wrote out a diet for someone that included items that my client did not like or enjoy, how likely is it that they will stick to it for any significant length of time?

I ask my clients to keep a food journal for 4-5 days and that log has to include at least one weekend day, preferably both. Then I look at it to see what my client likes to eat. I want to see what they gravitate towards. I have a client who loves to go out with her husband. They have no kids and stressful jobs so at the end of the day they often go out, away from their stresses, talk and drink some wine. She wants to lose fat. I am sure as hell not going to tell her she can't go out with her husband. That is an integral part of her life and she will resent the food plan and eventually reject it completely. What I have done is work with her on the types of places that they go and the types of foods that she eats (of course). As I mentioned in an earlier post, I also encourage her to stop half way through her meal and ask the server to package it up in a to-go container so it's off her plate. She can now enjoy her conversation with her husband with out being tempted by what's left on her plate.

One very famous celebrity trainer - 'Americas Toughest Trainer' - who appears on one of the most popular weight loss shows on television (I'm sure you know who I mean) is currently selling products with her name on them which include Quickstart Rapid Weight Loss System, Maximum Strength Calorie Control, Maximum Strength Fat Burner and some sort of Detox product. And, get this, you have to pay extra to get what really matters - diet and exercise tips - because she wants you to join her online program.

There is no such thing as a 'fat burner' supplement. There has been a lot of research that has proven that the body does not need to be cleansed and/or detoxed. Yes, you may feel less bloated after following some sort of detox regimen, but guess what? As soon as you are back to eating, everything will be the same as it was before the detox.

This celebrity trainer has a TWO PAGE advertising spread in Marie Claire right now, as well as most other major magazine including two popular weekly gossip mags. She also has an ad on my blog (I haven't figured out a way to control the ads that are shown here yet).

Do you realize how much that costs in advertise in major magazines?!? That's how much cash she is producing. She can place large ads in most major magazines! She is making a lot of money offering products that buy into people's hope that there really is an easy way to lose fat.

Guys, there is no easy fix. That's the sober truth. Trust me and don't buy those products. Please don't waist your money. Read the fine print, all those products have disclaimers.

Workout of the Week 9/27/09

Lots of people get stuck or bored with their workout routine. I am going to post a workout a week that will help you break out of your rut. You can continue to do your same workout and just add in the below workout once or twice or you can take a break from your regular routine and just follow what is written here. It is a really (really) good idea to take a complete break from what you normally do because it 'shocks' your body into making changes. Remember, even if fat-loss is not your main goal everyone wants to continue to move forward with their fitness goals, right?


For the following workout you will need a treadmill, either in your home or at the gym.

Hold a 10-20 pound weight at your chest. Take two counts to sit down on a weight bench or a chair and two counts to stand up. Repeat 15 times. Immediately following your 15 reps, continue holding the same weight but this time when you squat down barely touch the bench (chair) with your butt and when you come up, hop up. Repeat 15 times. Repeat the sequence two more times, for a total of three cycles.

Immediately go to a treadmill. Find a running pace that is comfortable (10-12 minute miles). At the 60 second mark increase the incline to 2%, at the 90 second mark increase the incline to 4%, at the 2 minute mark increase the incline to 6%, etc - increasing the incline by 2% every 30 seconds until you reach a 14% grade. Return treadmill to 0% incline for one minute. Spend 1-2 minutes lowering the incline or slowing down before hopping off the treadmill.

Return to your bench/chair. Pick up two dumbbells (use the same 10-20 pounds). Step up and down onto the bench/chair, on the same foot, with the weights in your hands, 15 times on each side. Put the weights down this time and perform 30 split jumps. A split jumps is when you start in a lunge position (one foot forward, the other foot back) and jump into the air, switching the feet so you land with the feet in the reverse position. That is one repetition (so repeat it 29 more times). Repeat both drills two more times, for a total of three cycles.

Immediately return to the treadmill. Find a comfortable running pace. At the 60 second mark increase the incline to 10% and stay there for one minute. Return to 0% incline and continue to run for one minute. Repeat the 10% for 60 seconds/0% for 60 seconds sequence for a total of five cycles. Spend 1-2 minutes lowering incline and/or slowing your pace before hopping off.

Return and pick up your dumbbells. Bring your feet together so the balls of your feet almost touch and both feet face forward, with heels in-line with your toes. Holding the dumbbells by your side perform close-stance squats for 15 repetitions. Immediately following your squats perform 15 squat thrusts, with the dumbbells still in your hands, jumping out of each squat thrust as you come up. A squat thrust: place both hands on the floor, just outside your feet. Kick both legs back into a push-up position. Hop both feet back in to hands. Hop up as you bring your body to a full upright position. Repeat weighted squat thrusts for a total of 15 repetitions. Repeat above drills for a total of (again) three cycles.

Immediately return to the treadmill. Find a comfortable running pace. At the 60 second mark increase the incline to 14%. At 90 seconds drop the incline to 12%. At the 2 minute mark, lower it to 10%. Repeat lowering the incline by 2% every 30 seconds until the treadmill has returned to 0% incline. Spend one minute running/jogging at 0% incline. Take the next 2-3 minutes to slow your pace to an easy walk before hopping off the treadmill.

Finish the workout with a good stretch for hamstrings, quads and glutes (especially the glutes). Enjoy the benefits of a great workout. This one is tough but entirely worth it!

This workout should take you about 45 minutes. Make sure you move quickly from the weighted work to the treadmill. You can take a breather AFTER the treadmill and before you move on to the next weighted drills.

Goal Setting For Results

Do one thing today to bring you closer to your goal.

Research shows that people tend to give up their goal if they focus on the end result. Let's say that you would like to lose 40 pounds. You set a realistic goal of losing the weight in 6 months. After one month you have lost 5 pounds and you think 'If I only lose 5 pounds a month I will never reach my goal!' You get discouraged and give up. A fat loss of 5 pounds per month is great, but it doesn't seem like enough and your goal seems further and further away.

6 months can seems pretty far off for some people. The end result is a loss of 40 pounds but what can you do everyday to help you reach your goal? Ask yourself that question right now. 'What can I do today to help me reach my goal?' Start with picking one thing. Maybe it's that today you are going to eat a healthy breakfast. Even if you do that one thing you will feel successful, I guarantee it! It is also helpful to set a weekly goal so you can include in your schedule fitness, grocery store runs for fresh produce and some time you can take out of your daily schedule to focus on stress release (a big one that can contribute to weight gain).

Since fat loss is an emotional issue, especially with woman, research also shows that changing your goal from weight loss to fitness, achieves better results. Maybe your goal could be to run a 5K in three months, and then pick a race and train for that event. It could be to anchor the swim-leg of a triathlon - why not split the race up to accommodate every one's strengths? If racing isn't your thing what about setting a goal to ride your bike for 25 miles continuously - it doesn't have to have anything at all to do with racing. Another goal maybe to participate in three dance classes per week - Zumba, hip hop, ballet, cardio striptease -whatever excites you. Maybe schedule a yoga class during your week. Whatever seems doable to you. Forget what other people say and focus on what you want to do that is fitness, not fat loss, related.

Making a goal that is NOT weight related might feel less emotional and empower you to accomplish something other then fat loss. The end result will be what you wanted all along - a feeling of success and an appreciation for your body.

Diet Tip

If fat loss is your goal, this week try eating half of everything you make or order. It is hard when you are really hungry.

All blogs/books/DVDs/Infomercials/trainers will tell you to think about how hungry you are before you eat, right? That's good advice but you have to know what real hunger is first. Until you can identify the difference between 'I want a sandwich' and 'I need to eat' it will be very difficult to figure out that true hunger cue. If you make yourself a whole sandwich, eat half and walk away. Check your e-mail, fold some laundry, walk your dog again....anything. After that, ask yourself how hungry you still are. You would be amazed at how little can make you feel full. Beside what is wrong with eating the second half and hour or two later? Eating every 2-3 hours is a great way to stay satiated all day. The food police are not going to arrest you for eating throughout the day, as a matter of fact they would probably REWARD you. It's a much better way then the three-squares thing.

It's sort of the same thing as the put-your-fork-down-between-bites or eat slowly advice except that you have a very clear goal. Stop at half. Plus if you are eating out with someone you get caught up in the conversation and may not think about putting your fork down. Everyone should enjoy going out!

I remember when I was bodybuilding I avoided going out. I never accepted dinner and party invitations and I refused date-nights with my husband. All I thought about was food. I didn't enjoy any of it! That's an extreme because I absolutely could not waver from my diet, but I was miserable without friends and family to enjoy some time with.

Socializing is part of our nature. So don't stop going out! Look at your plate, decide what's half and then have some fun.

I think it's easier at home. After I eat out I have to carry my doggy-bag with me and it's very enticing. Try putting it in the backseat and think about something else.

Try it this week and see what it does for you!!!

Toning?

What the heck is toning, anyway?

Actually, I'm not sure what people (women) mean when they tell me 'I just want to tone up'. I mean, I know what they mean but they still think lifting light weights is how to 'tone'. Toning is simply shaping the muscle and being able to see definition, right? You can't do that with light weights. I often wonder if those women really see themselves. I see scores of participants in weight conditioning classes that look exactly the same after 6 months of taking classes regularly. Guess what? They never increase their weights and, that's right, they are the ones that use 5 pound weights for their large muscle groups (legs, back and chest) and 3 (!) pound weights for everything else.

The other day one of my friends, who also happens to be a fitness instructor, ask me a great question. She asked me 'If you feel a burning sensation when you are lifting those light weights, isn't that working the muscle?' Of course she knows that you are working the muscle but she was asking why then do you need to work heavier weights, especially since you feel a burning sensation while lifting those light weights. The muscle will not change if you have been lifting the same amount of weight over a 3+ months. That burning sensation that you feel is your body's inability to process lactic acid (a bi-product of exercise) out of your muscle at the rate your are producing it. In reality you shouldn't feel a burn at all, your muscle should ultimately fatigue so you have to struggle to complete the last repetition. The discomfort you SHOULD feel is soreness within 24-48 hours. I am not saying that you should feel debilitating soreness, but you should feel your workout the next day, or the day after. If that's happening, you will get the results you are want.

To elaborate on when you should increase your weights, research now shows that the body adapts to a particular exercise or drill within 6-8 weeks, give or take a little bit. They used to think it took about 3 months for your body to adapt. That's a huge difference. What that means is that every couple of months you need to change what your doing. If you take a weight conditioning class, and your club has heavier weights then you are currently using, you need to increase the amount of weight you are using so that you can keep moving forward with your fitness goals.

If you aren't getting the results that you want, change up what your doing and see what happens.

Fat Loss and Goals

Eat less, move more. Right? If it really were that simple we wouldn't have an obesity rate approaching 75%. There are a lot more factors involved. Culture, our habits and our genes play a significant role in fat loss. We don't all gain fat or lose fat for the same reasons, or at the same rate. Each person has to think about their own obstacles. Following are a few to consider:

* Not enough exercise (this is the duh one).
#1 excuse? Not enough time. If you have time to sit at the computer and play around on Facebook, you have enough time to exercise. It's all about choices. Start by making a plan and schedule exercise into your week. START SMALL!!! I think that is the one that trips up the most people. They think 'I can't go to the gym for an hour so I might as well not go at all'. Wrong. Jogging 2 miles takes approx 30 minutes. Not long at all and you don't even have to figure in the travel time. I wouldn't expect you to bench press 400 pounds the first time I worked with you. That's ridiculous, right? Then why do you expect to go to the gym and workout for an hour or two when you haven't been going at all. Another great motivator? An iPod loaded with your favorite music.

* Choosing the wrong foods.
You may be rolling your eyes and saying 'I know! I know!' but it isn't as complicated as it seems. If you have a sweet tooth, try fruit first. And two you already know - eat a better breakfast and eat slowly. Seriously. Try it. Good breakfast choices? Half a bagel with light cream cheese and some fruit. Low fat yogurt, fruit and toast. Hard boiled egg and oatmeal. If you find something that you like eat it every day. Studies find that when people stick closely to meals that they like and are healthy they maintain a leaner physique. I'm not saying that you need to eat the same thing every day, but stick close to it. Eating slowly involves putting your fork down. Talk to people if you are dining with anyone, but do it without taking bites between words. Sip some water. You really will be amazed at how little it takes to fill you up.

* Mindless eating.
This is really a mind/body disconnect. You aren't really aware of what your eating or how much. Anytime you eat when your not hungry or don't stop when your full, the food you are eating has no connection to your body. Use yoga breathing to focus. Breathe slowly in through your nose and out through your mouth. I usually use a count of four - inhale-2-3-4, exhale 2-3-4, etc. Remove distractions when you are eating. Turn off the computer, even if you need to eat at your desk. Hang up the phone. Turn off the television. This one also involves portion control. If you are eating mindlessly, you aren't aware of how much your eating. Try smaller bowls and plates. And never, ever eat straight out of the bag, carton or package. Ever.

* Stress and fatigue.
The less you take care of yourself the more likely you are to gain fat. For an example, look at the nursing population. They are notorious for devoting all their love and care to other people and never taking care of themselves. They are wonderful people in a thankless career, but when you don't care of yourself depression follows and with depression there is often fat gain. Get more sleep. Write down what is causing your stress and list ways to help alleviate it. Yoga, deep breathing and meditation are all wonderful for reducing stress but many people aren't comfortable with those methods or feel silly doing them. My suggestion is to find something that you love to do and do it regularly. It could be painting, dancing, reading, getting your nails done, thrifting/garage saling, etc. It's your life so take care of you.

My best advice for tackling a goal, any goal, is to break it down. Way down. Try to do something every single day that helps you reach your goal. Maybe your overall goal is to lose 40 pounds. That will probably seem over whelming and the majority of people will give up before you start. First, I would suggest that you change that goal to something like, running a 5K by the end of October or walking in the Breast Cancer Walk on whatever date. Those goals will get you to the fat loss just by the nature of the goal itself. So everyday you walk, or run, or ride, or whatever it is, brings you closer to your goal. Maybe it's running for 15 minutes.....or even 5 minutes. It doesn't matter because you are still moving forward, not backward. If fat loss is your goal, try changing one thing about your diet everyday as well. Exchange your morning donut for fruit. Trade in your whole milk for 2%. Pretty soon all those things become second nature and now you don't even miss what you were eating before.

That is the recipe for permanent change and that's what you have to do to be healthy. You hear it all the time. Life-style change - that's what works.