So much better now...

 After switching back to low carb I am where I want to be in this next round of competition prep.  I will be honest, if I feel I am not ready to compete in five weeks then I won't.  The Emerald Cup is the biggest competition in the northwest and I want to represent on stage.  If I don't look better then last time then I won't do it.

Here's my current typical day of eating:

8:00am
1 cup of cantaloupe
1 scoop of whey protein

11:00am
1 can of tuna mixed with 2 tablespoons of light mayo
1 red bell pepper

1:30pm
Oh Yeah protein drink (I love these!)

5:30pm
6 ounces of pork or chicken
1 cup stir fried veggies (mostly cabbage)

8:30pm
6 ounces steak
Mixed salad greens with oil and vinegar dressing

1,540/207/30
This is a lower calorie day for me.  I range between 1,500-1,800 on a regular basis.  The protein is high, I know.  I just work better that way.  You may work better with more carbs.  I have been occasionally eating a little brown rice and I stir fry my veggies in oil.  When I crave a little something extra I eat an Adkins bar.  They are calculated by net carbs (total carbs - fiber - sugar alcohols, all which don't impact blood sugar) although it worries me because I never count impact carbs, I count ALL the carbs.

Still lifting heavy.  Some programs want you to change to lighter weights and higher reps for the last four weeks but I don't think I'll do that.  I need the shoulder mass, which isn't very much now and counts for a lot when competing.

Back To Low Carb

So the higher carb diet was not working.  I switched back to low carb and lost 3 lbs.  It's not really about weight loss, it's about fat loss, but weight loss is a good indicator that you are going in the right direction.  The higher carb diet was definitely not a high carb diet.  It was around 70-100 grams of carbs a day but my body just does not work well with even that amount.  I need to diet on 50 grams or less.  Competition prep is tough, especially the first time out.  I made a lot of mistakes my first round of competition prep 20 years ago.  You have to be willing to experiment to see what works.

The traditional weight lifting program is working really well.  Strength has increased every other week so I am staying strong (not losing any muscle mass).  That was one of my mistakes last time toward the end of competition prep.  I didn't eat enough and I doubled my cardio which was not smart.  As I mentioned a few posts back I was afraid that I was not going to be able to lose the weight like I did 20 years ago....because I am now 20 years older and statistically it is harder to lose weight the older you are.  I was wrong.  As long as you stay properly hydrated, get enough rest between workouts and eat enough protein you won't sacrifice hard earned muscle in order to lose weight.  Again, it's about fat loss, not weight loss.  I needed to really track how much weight I was lifting every workout and do the traditional three or four exercises per body part during one workout.  When I shed a couple more pounds then I can make an assessment but I think my shoulders already look better then they did last competition.



Here's a look at the diet I was doing a couple of weeks ago:

1/3 cup oatmeal
1 scoop whey protein

3 ounces chicken breast
1 cup cantaloupe

3 ounces chicken breast
1/2 cup brown rice

3 ounces steak
2 cups lettuce with 2 tablespoon oil and vinegar dressing
1/2 red bell pepper

3 ounces steak
1/2 cup sweet potatoes

3 ounces chicken breast
2 cups sauteed kale

3 ounces steak
2 cups lettuce with 2 tablespoons oil and vinegar dressing
1/2 red bell pepper

Basically eating every two hours, which is very hard to do.


What I am eating now:

1/3 cup oatmeal
1 scoop whey protein

6 ounces steak

5-6 ounces chicken
2 cups lettuce with 2 tablespoons oil and vinegar dressing
1/2 red bell pepper

1 small can albacore tuna
2 tablespoons light mayo
1/2 red bell pepper

6 ounces steak
2 cups chard


I shoot for 175-200 grams of protein a day, 50 or less of carbs and I don't count fat grams.  Again, you have to find out what works for you.  You may be just fine with a higher carb diet but over the years I have found that the majority of women have a hard time losing weight unless they cut the amount of carbs that they eat.

W.O.W. March 14, 2012

Wow (get it, W.O.W.?), this is a long time coming:). I am so hilarious.

This is your Workout Of The Week:

You will need a set of dumbbells (or two if you think you might need to switch for lighter ones)

Warm Up

5 Jacks, 5 Burpees, 5 Tuck Jumps, 5 Single leg squat thrust on each side.

Perform the following drills for 50 seconds each, take 10 seconds to switch drills:


Alt row in plank position

Kneeling get up with one DB overhead on the right leg only

Kneeling get up with one DB overhead on the left leg only

Renegade push ups

Jackknife





Repeat all cardio drills
Repeat all DB drills

Repeat both one more time.

Stretch

Workout Of The Week October 13th, 2011

W.O.W. 10/13/2011

You will need dumbbells and a place to run for this workout.

Warm up for five minutes.


Perform two rounds of the following:
Single leg squat hop Right X20
Burpee X20
Single leg squat hop Left X20
Push up and row X20 (10 a side)
Run a fast 400 meter
Rest





Perform two rounds of the following exercises:
Frog hop X20
Jack squat thrust X20
Frog hop X20
Squat and shoulder press X20
Run sprints 30 secs on/30 secs off - 5X




Perform two rounds of the following exercises
Split jump X20
Tuck squat thrust X20
Split jump X20
Overhead lunge X20/s
Run 800 meters





Finish with 4 sets of 20 sit ups.

W.O.W. June 27, 2011

Work Out Of The Week

This is a complicated pyramid work out. It's complicated to figure out, not to do. You will perform 5 drills in order but the times will vary.

Here's the formula:

Drill #1-50 seconds
Drill #2-50 seconds, Drill #1-40 seconds
Drill #3-50 seconds, Drill #2-40 seconds, Drill #1-30 seconds
Drill #4-50 seconds, Drill #3-40 seconds, Drill #2-30 seconds, Drill #1-20 seconds
Drill #5-50 seconds, Drill #4-40 seconds, Drill #3-30 seconds, Drill #2-20 seconds, Drill#1-10 seconds

You can do the above with any five drills. The sequence is about 9 minutes long. Go through it in order, Drills #1-5, and then rest. Repeat everything but start with Drill #5 and go backwards.

Here are today's drills:



#1 Jacks

#2 Push Ups

#3 Jump squats

#4 Sit ups

#5 Burpees

Go through the above drills, rest, and then repeat in reverse order.




Yes, it's hard to keep your own time but there are ways to do it. There are interval apps for smart phones and there are watches with which you can program any interval length.

New Idea For Tracking Nutrition

Actually it's not a new idea at all. One time, quite a few years back, I went to an Overeaters Anonymous meeting with my sister. In OA they have you write down your food before you eat it. The standard method these days is to write down everything that you eat after you eat it. That does work for a lot of people but some people need more guidance then that. It does take more planning too.

What you need to do is start a notebook, not for tracking but for planning. Planning what your going to eat tackles the impulse eating that people can easily fall into. It's the same theory as shopping. If you want to stay on a budget you stick to your list. You don't buy anything that is not on your list. The cool part is nobody is telling you not to eat (or buy) whatever it is. It just means you can't eat it today. If you really want it later then write it on your menu for the next day. The likelihood is that you won't want it once you step away from the situation.

This is going to sound funny but make sure you plan to eat enough food. When you write it out it can look like an awful lot of food. I also suggest that you start with pretty strict portion control. I know that sounds tedious but one of things that has proven true is that people underestimate what they eat. Once you develop an eye for portion size you may be able to relax a little bit.

People who know me know that I do not write out diets for my clients. It has been proven that people won't stay on a 'diet'. In order to maintain weight loss you have to make a life-style change. If you hate broccoli and I tell you to eat broccoli not only will you be unhappy but eventually you will most likely give up.

Okay. So go find a nice notebook and start planning. It is best to do it the night before. Look through your fridge and write down what you are going to eat the next day. Write down the time of day as well that way you will be reassured that you won't go hungry for any length of time. In general I eat at 7am, 10am, around 1:30pm, 5pm and 8:30pm. Write down as many 'meals' as you want, only you know when you are most likely to get hungry.

W.O.W. March 1st, 2011

Workout Of the Day

Warm up on the treadmill for 5 minutes then increase your speed and run hard for 3 minutes. Drop your speed and increase the incline to 10% and run for 2 minutes.

Hold one dumbbell up in your RIGHT hand, so it's overhead with a straight arm. Lunge forward and back with the RIGHT leg. Repeat 10X on each side for 4 sets.

Run fast for 3 minutes, decrease your speed and increase your incline to 8% and run for 2 minutes.

On the cable machine. Adjust a single-grip pulley about waist height. Step back and lunge forward with your LEFT foot and hold the lunge. Make sure the lunge is deep and static so don't move. Grab the handle with the RIGHT hand and pull it back in a row to your waist. The weight should be heavy enough that you feel off-balance. Repeat 12X on each side for 4 sets. The illustration on the left shows a one arm cable row and the height that I want but her feet are not in the position I want. If she puts her left foot forward and right leg and bends both knees she will be in a static lunge position.

Run fast for 3 minutes, slow down, increase incline to 6% and run for 2 minutes.


Perform decline push ups (feet on a bench or a couple of stacked plates, depends on how easily you do push ups). 4 sets of 20 reps.

Jog easily on the treadmill for 5 minutes.

And yes, stretch. Again I know it is highly unlikely that you will stretch on your own but please, stretch at least your low back, hamstrings and chest (see illustrations below).

Hamstring Stretch

Chest Stretch on the left, low back stretches on the right.

Nutrition For February 25th, 2011

A lot of women ask me how to control bloat. Our weight can fluctuate 5 lbs either way, on a daily basis. It is discouraging to weigh yourself and see that you are up 3 lbs when you have been working out like crazy and eating a healthy diet.

The way to control bloat is to watch your refined carbs. One gram of starchy carbs holds four grams of water, which is one of the reasons I adhere to a lower carb diet. I mainly stay between 50-100 grams of carbs a day and I stay far away from anything starchy (rice, bread of any kind, potatoes, etc. Oh yeah and SUGAR!). I do eat Fiber One every morning but the amount of fiber in that cereal lowers the the amount of carbs that you count toward your daily total. I'm sure you have heard the phrase 'impact carbs'. The amount of impact carbs in any given food is grams of total carbs - grams of fiber. For example a serving on Fiber One is 1/2 cup. It contains 25 grams of carbs and 14 grams of fiber. 25 - 14 = 11 grams of impact carbs.

Here is my nutrition intake for 2/25/11:

On this particular day I took my kids out for lunch so it shows what you can do if you do the same thing.


Breakfast
Muscle Milk Protein Bar
Snack
100 calorie pack of almonds
2 ounces of cheddar cheese

Lunch
Triple stack hamburger
3 pieces of American cheese
1/2 a hamburger bun

Snack
2 chicken thighs (just the meat from a teriyaki place that I had left over from the day before)

Dinner
2 fried chicken wings
1/4 cup rice
1 Bourbon and soda

Total calories: 2,277
Total carbs : 57 grms
Total Protein: 176

I am not suggesting that you eat the way that I do. A couple people commented on the fact that I eat no fruit and almost no vegetables. That's true. I do try to get more leafy greens in my diet on a daily basis. I manage to do that about three times a week in the form of spinach, broccoli and lettuce. Yes, you should eat vegetables but I do suggest that you are careful with how much fruit you eat. Research shows that the body still recognizes fruit as sugar.

Chicken "Bouillabaisse"

Here's a great cold weather meal that's super tasty.

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 medium fennel bulb
2 cans (14-16 ounces) Italian-style stewed tomatoes
3/4 teaspoon crushed saffron threads
2 teaspoons bottled chopped garlic in oil
Salt and pepper

Cut the chicken into 3/4 inch cubes. Trim the fennel, halve lengthwise and cut into thin slices.

In a large nonreactive saucepan, combine the tomatoes with their juices, the fennel and 4 cups of water. Cover the saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 2 minutes.

Add the chicken and saffron threads to the soup, reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, until the chicken is white but still moist in the center, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic in oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.


It freezes really well for an even quicker meal later.

Homemade Beef Jerky

Beef jerky is a great lean, high-protein snack that's easy to pack around. I lived on the stuff when I was bodybuilding. Store bought beef jerky can be down right inedible so here is an easy, tasty recipe so you can make your own.

Heat oven to 150 degrees.

1 flank steak
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon lemon pepper

Cut flank steak lengthwise (with the grain) in long thin strips no more then 1/4-inch thick. Combine remaining ingredients in mixing bowl. Add meat; marinate 1 hour. Baste occasionally if meat is not completely covered with sauce.

Arrange meat strips on rack; place on cookie sheet. Bake 12 hours. The time can vary a little depending on how your oven bakes. Meat should be cooked through and dry, but not brittle. Cool and store in a covered container.

It's also easy to tweak the marinade to something you might like better.

Gain Weight to Lose a Size

There is a great article in the June issue of Health magazine.

The headline states: Lose a dress size by gaining 3-4 pounds!

Do you know how hard it is to convince women that the weight they initially gain by strength training is a good thing. When my clients complain that they haven't lost much weight after working out hard for a few weeks and watching their diet I ask '...but how do your clothes fit?' They almost always say 'Looser'. Okay, then what difference does it make how much your weigh?! You don't walk around all day with your weight attached to your forehead but you do walk around in your better-fighting clothes and leaner physique.

The weight that you have gained is muscle, not fat, and that's why you lose inches. Everybody knows that muscle weighs more then fat but do you really know it. You have got to embrace it in order to truly understand the concept. Muscle is denser so it takes up less space thereby creating the loss of inches. You will also burn more calories on a minute to minute basis because muscle is active tissue. It doesn't just sit there, doing nothing, like fat.

So lift weights or do some sort of challenging resistance training at least twice a week. Oh, and ignore the scale. Don't forget, you can drop a dress size by gaining 3-4 pounds.

W.O.W. June 2nd, 2010

Once again, the following work out can be done in your home or at a gym using minimal equipment.


Warm up with light jogging or calisthenics.

Perform 50 jacks
Pick up two 25-35lb dumbbells and perform 20 close stance squats lowering until thighs are parallel to floor.
Repeat both two more times.

Perform 50 crouch squat hops - crouch down touching elbows to your thighs and then jump up forcefully reaching for the ceiling.
Pick up 10-15lb dumbbells and alternate lunge while performing a shoulder press with both arms. Keep palms facing each other during the shoulder press. Repeat for 20.
Repeat both two more times.

Perform ten 8-count bodybuilders - this is an embellished squat thrust: hands down on the floor, kick your legs back, push up, hold a plank and do two jacks with the legs, hop in and hop up reaching for the ceiling.
Lying on floor or bench pick up your heavier dumbbells again. With knees and hips at a 90 degree angle perform 20 dumbbell bench presses. Make sure your knees and hips are in the correct position. You should feel your abdominals fully firing throughout the drill. If you don't, push your feet further away from your body.
Repeat both two more times.

Perform 20 tuck jumps, trying to hug your knees to your chest on every tuck.
Grab one of your heavier dumbbells. Hold a plank position (top of a push up) and perform a one arm dumbbell row, 15 per side.
Repeat both two more times.

For abs perform 3 sets of 20 military sit ups. Hook your feet under a couch or bar, place your hands across your chest (making an 'X') and bring your elbows all the way up to your knees.

Stretch. I know your won't but please, at least stretch your hamstrings. For me.

More Evidence on the Benefits of Interval Training

Interval training rocks. If you haven't been totally convinced yet read the following information as written in a Men's Health publication.

No matter what exercise you choose, there's only so much fat you can burn during, say, a 30-minute workout. And research shows that the better trained you become, the more your body's 'exercise efficiency' improves, meaning the same amount of activity burns fewer calories as time goes by. For instance, University of California, Berkeley, scientists have determined that to avoid age-related weight gain, avid runners need to boost their weekly mileage by 1.7 miles a year.

Sure, aerobic exercise burns calories. However, if you're already dieting studies show that distance running does little to further enhance fat loss. Most likely, this is because aerobic exercise doesn't boost your metabolism after your workout. But that doesn't mean cardio can't help: high intensity intervals-such as short sprints of 30 seconds or more, interspersed with a slow jog-are great for accelerating fat loss. Why? Because they're similar to weight training. After all, a 200-meter sprint challenges your lower-body muscles hard for 30 seconds or more, just like a set of 8 reps of squats. So by doing a few intervals on the days you don't lift weights, you can spike your metabolism even higher.

In other words, if fat loss is your goal, do intervals. If your just doing steady-state aerobic activity re-read the information study above. If your a runner you would have to run an extra 1.7 miles A WEEK, every single year just to stave off age related weight gain. So there's no fat loss involved. Think about how many more minutes you'd have to add to your elliptical workout every week. The elliptical is really a waste of your time to begin with, but pretty soon you would have to be on that thing for hours.

When I design workouts for clients, and the workouts of the week I post here, they include both weight training and cardio interval training mixed together in the same workout. If's efficient and very effective.

You have to get uncomfortable in order to move forward in your fat loss goals.

Know it. Embrace it. Now go out and do it.

W.O.W. May 10th, 2010

The following work out is designed to accommodate people without equipment.

Perform 30 body-weight squats lowering thighs parallel to the floor and making sure to push your butt back.
Perform 30 body-weight lunges, alternating legs - back knee should touch the ground on every repetition.
Perform 30 switch lunge jumps hopping as high as you can to switch legs front to back.
Perform 30 crouch squat hops - feet are wider then shoulders, crouch down and touch both hands to the floor between feet then hop up as high as you can reaching hands toward the ceiling.
Hold a plank for 2 minutes.

Run 5 sets of 60 second on/15 second off sprints - run as hard as you can for 60 seconds and recover for 20 seconds. Don't forget, you don't have to use a treadmill for your sprints. You could do this entire workout at a track.

Repeat sequence a total of 3 times.

Good luck.

Workout Of the Week April 1st

I haven't posted a workout for awhile so I think it's time. You all know I am all about intervals. I don't think any of us has time to waste so don't do it by getting on a piece of cardio equipment and slogging along for 45 minutes while you zone out to whatever is playing on the club's televisions. Walking outside has tons of benefits - nothing can beat fresh air, especially now that Spring has arrived - but don't forget, fat loss is not one of them.

Here's the workout:

First start out with Dillon lunges. I call them that because the owner of the studio where I train my clients does them with her clients all the time and they are awesome.

Take a GIANT step forward, lean down and touch the ground with BOTH hands just to the inside of the front foot. Continue that same movement as you walk forward (find a long hallway or place in your gym that you can cover some space). Perform a set of about 20 total steps. Immediately follow the Dillon lunges with squat and drop. Perform a wide squat then pivot to the right and drop into a lunge. Repeat left and continue R then L for a count of 10 - R/L counts as one. The lunge in this pattern is slightly diagonal, not completely to the side. It should feel fairly natural to perform. Take a short break and then complete two more cycles of both exercises.

Now find a treadmill or a 3 mile route outside with a steep hill somewhere around the middle of the route. I prefer outside just because of all the other benefits associated with being outside (fresh air, sense of well-being, anxiety/stress release because of the wide-open space, etc). Jog to warm up, about 5-10 minutes. If you are outside the route will dictate how much you will warm up. Once you get to the hill run up it as fast as you can and jog slowly back down, taking small steps. Repeat the hill runs 10 times. Jog home. If you are on a treadmill take the incline up to the highest setting which is usually 15%. You will also need to increase the pace to something that is super hard. Run that hill for 15-20 secs then decrease both speed and incline. Repeat 10 times. As you can see running this routine on a treadmill is somewhat more cumbersome so I suggest you go outside.

You should be gasping for air at the top of the hill. Have fun.

Portions

Here we are in the midst of New Year's resolution time which usually includes fat loss goals and I want to write a little bit about food intake.

Don't let other people dictate how much you eat. You wouldn't let someone in a clothing store tell you how much to buy, right? Sales people love to try though because it increases their sales and sometimes it is very hard to say no. The same thing applies when you go out to eat or buy food. Just because a restaurant sells an amount of food to you doesn't mean you have to eat that amount. They chose that specific amount, you didn't. A manufacturer makes a product that's '20% larger' because it increases their sales. You do not need to eat all of it just because it is served (or sold) to you that particular way. You don't need to eat a whole candy bar or muffin or even an apple because that's the way it comes. There is no law against eating whatever is left over at a later time. It's your body. You decide how much, and what, goes into it.

I really believe that you can eat what you want as long as you eat only the amount that will satisfy you. That takes practice, focus and awareness - things we aren't used to when it comes to eating. We usually eat without thinking about it at all. We snack on what's around, eat what's served to us and grab whatever is handy. When something tastes really good it's hard to stop eating it. I understand that. But who says you can't have it again later in the day or tomorrow? I can almost guarantee that it is not the last chance you will ever have to eat chocolate. Or french fries. Or a donut.

Think before you eat. Think WHILE you eat. Don't let someone else think for you.

Drink your water!

I know. You've heard it a million times. Drink more water. Drink 8 glasses a day. Replace other fluids with water. Blah, blah, blah.

I don't really care if you are sick of hearing it, you need to drink more water. Period. Essentially, water is about as much of a cure-all as is exercise. Dehydration is the NUMBER ONE cause of fatigue. So if your energy is low, drink more water. Don't drink more energy drinks. Your body does not need more sugar and caffeine, trust me.

Here are other symptoms of MINOR dehydration or, simply not drinking enough water:

Extra body weight. People tend to confuse thirst for hunger and eat instead of drink.

Constipation. Without enough fluid you can't get the toxic stuff out of your body.

Low and high blood pressure. Without water blood volume is insufficient to fill all your arteries, veins and capillaries.

Problems with respiratory system. Without enough moisture your mucous membranes cannot filter out the bad stuff from the air you inhale.

High cholesterol. When you cells lose too much moisture your body tries to stop the loss by producing cholesterol.

Headaches and dizziness. Lack of water constricts the blood vessels impeding blood flow to the brain. This also makes blood more likely to pool in your lower extremities and that can cause dizziness and fainting.

The general rule is that you need to drink enough water that your pee should be almost clear or a very pale yellow.

I know it's a pain in the ass but buy a couple cool stainless steel or aluminum water bottles. Fill them up in the morning and vow to finish BOTH of them by the time you leave work. Fill one up again and drink it before you go to bed. If they are 24 oz bottles then that will get you just about enough of what you need. Any other water you happen to drink will just be a bonus. Pop, juice, coffee, tea, wine, beer, etc. Those do not count. If you choose to flavor your water with any lo-cal drink mix that's fine for one of your daily bottles. Your kidneys process flavored water differently then they do regular water. You need to drink plain water. Learn to love it. Don't complain to me that it's boring or that you hate the taste. Water has no taste. Deal with it. You know the benefits of exercise and the reasons you have to get uncomfortable in order to meet your goals. Apply those principles here and just like exercise, drinking water will be a habit.

When I leave the house it's keys, phone and water bottle. If I don't have one of those things with me I don't go anywhere.

PS - Here is a good trick to get yourself to drink more water, if you use it wisely. Take small bites off of a nutrition bar throughout the day. Those bars always make you want to drink water so if you snack on ONE bar throughout the day and drink water after every little bite you will probably drink your daily allotment without even realizing it. Uh, just don't eat bar after bar. One will suffice.

Happy New Year!

I'm back from the holidays, well almost. As you all know this is the time everyone floods the gym with their New Year's fitness goals fresh in their minds. Sad truth is that in about 90 days most of those resolute individuals will have dropped out of their fitness programs.

There are a couple of reasons why this happens but the main reason is lack of results. If they hired a trainer, even if it's just for a couple of sessions, they would be more likely to stick with their program.

My suggestion is to spend the money to meet with a trainer once a week for a couple of months and you will have given yourself accountability, motivation and a clear program to follow. Get that trainer to take your measurements, body fat and weight. You have to know where you are to know where you are going. 'I just want to lose some weight' is an ambiguous goal. Be clear. 'I want to lost 10 pounds of body fat' is a much clearer goal. Set a time to reach that goal. Be specific. If you read my blog regularly you know that I prefer non-aesthetic goals. Instead of setting a goal to lose 10 pounds how about setting a goal to run 3 miles, 3 times a week in 2 months? Your aesthetic goals will be a fantastic benefit of your fitness goal. Break down your larger goal into smaller goals. Using the goal to run 3 miles, 3 times a week decide that during the first week you will run three times a week. Jog for 10-15 minutes. Jog/walk a familiar route. Slowly build the length of time you spend jogging until you are jogging 3 times a week for about 30 minutes. There you go....but be specific with your weekly goals so you feel successful each time you meet one.

Success breeds success and no one was ever successful at reaching a goal by giving up.

Read the November 2009 GLAMOUR Mag

Hey guys! You should really pick up a copy of the November 2009 issue of Glamour magazine (the one with Scarlett Johannson on the front).

On page 121 there is an article on how effective interval training is for burning fat. You know that's what I have been preaching forever. The article states '.....recent research found that woman who cycled for just 20 minutes three times a week but included intervals lost six pounds of fat after 15 weeks, while those who did a consistent pace for 40 minutes lost, get this, NONE.' Whoah.

The intervals have to be intense. On the perceived exertion scale, a scale of 1-10, 1 being easy and 10 being very hard, the interval should be an 8 or 9. The recovery can be very comfortable (3-4). There are many different ways you can train using the interval method. If you haven't ever done any kind of interval training I suggest you start with a bursts of 20-30 seconds, followed by 60-75 seconds of recovery. Within a couple of weeks increase your rotation to 30 seconds on/ 60 seconds off. Then work your way up to 60 on/60 off.

Interval training is the only type of cardio I do. I train three times a week for about 30 minutes per session. One day I use the incline on the treadmill, going up for 60 seconds and then returning to the flat for 60 seconds (just like the workout of the week 1o/4/09). Sometimes I will do speed work - running 6 minute miles for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of recovery. Sometimes I run outside and sprint between two landmarks, for example; two telephone poles, and then I'll jog to the next pole and repeat (this method is called fartlek, a swedish term). Don't forget to warm up, cool down and stretch. The body of my workout is 20 minutes, with warm up and cool down it's about 30 minutes total. There is also a great workout at the end of the article and it's super tough.

Losing six pounds of fat, or zero pounds of fat. Hm. Now that's a tough question..........

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.