Posts Tagged ‘training’

5 Diet & Exercise Disasters- 1 Smart Solution!

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

1. STARTING SMART: It can be a bit overwhelming to build all new healthy habits in order to sculpt the body you really want. Where you need to start completely depends on where you are right now and what your habits are on a regular basis. The only way to prioritize which eating and activity habits you need to change first, is to see what your doing on paper. That’s right. The simple act of journaling what you eat and what, if any, activity you did that day, will show you where you really need the most work and pronto! Some big no no’s to watch out for are:

  • Skipping breakfast
  • Eating fried or processed food (they ruin your skin anyway)
  • Not drinking enough water (shoot for 8 glasses to start)
  • Drinking your calories (soda, juice & calorie bomb coffee drinks) and…
  • SUGAR! Yes, even the “fat free” kind. Sugar is sugar period.

What about your activity levels? If you weren’t active today-drop and give me 20! Well…maybe that’s a bit much. If you don’t have much experience in exercising, it would be best to get your first workout by hiking to your local trainer for some professional help. You’ll get a big return on the investment in your figure. If you’re on a very limited budget, bodyweight exercises in your own home is a great place to start.

2. EMOTIONAL EXTREMES: This is a BIG one. Food is not the solution to your problem. A sleeve of cookies won’t fix your relationship, eggplant parmesan won’t help you nail that interview and no- sucking down fancy cocktails doesn’t give you a body like Sarah Jessica Parker on Sex In The City. The real solution? Start journaling. Clear your mind. If you’re not sure what’s wrong or why your self- sabotaging your fitness goals, you need to find out ASAP. The only way to do that is by doing a bit of soul searching. So get out of the danger zone (aka back away from the fridge) and find a quiet spot to vent on paper. Instead of eating everything, you’re much more likely to find out what’s eating you.

3. FAT FAUX PAS: Gasp! The “F bomb”! If Fat is a dirty word in your diet lingo, you’ve got it all wrong. Healthy fats keep your hair shiny, eyes bright, skin smooth and waistline trim. Grandma was right when she said all things in moderation. Either way, too much junk fat like saturated fats in pizza, or too little fats like the blubber blasting omegas in salmon, and you’re slowing your results. How do you know what you’re eating? You got it. A journal. One day you might eat NO fat and another day you might eat way too much of the wrong kind. Start journaling what you put in your mouth and ask a professional. If you’re afraid of eating fat, it’s likely because you’ve been misinformed for some time now. How can you start small? Take 2 omega 3 fish oil caps at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

4. THE STRESS EFFECT: It’s not just hype. Stress can do horrible things to your body. For one, it can cause your body to pump out hormones like cortisol. Cortisol regulates blood sugar, inflammation, your immune system and your energy levels. One of the results of elevated cortisol levels is the storage of extra body fat especially around your midriff. Bummer. How can you combat the onslaught of stored belly fat with fear, worry and stress on the job? Exercise! Breaking a good sweat, whether at home or at the gym can help relieve stress by pumping out feel good chemicals called endorphins. The science of endorphins is controversial because some pros believe the positive feeling you get is from meeting a physical challenge, not the exertion itself- BUT, whatever the direct cause of the endorphin pump, exercise has been proven to enhance mood! So journal down your start mood, get in a quickie workout and head back to your journal to record some new adjectives to describe your post workout mood. You’ll not only be pleasantly surprised by the immediate results but journaling will help remind you that it’s a really beneficial habit to keep.

5. CONSITENCY=SUCCESS: On the wagon, off the wagon, back on the wagon…only to fall off again. Can someone please show me where this dreaded colony- sized wagon is so I can burn the thing! Believe me when I tell you …RUN from the proverbial wagon because apparently everyone falls off this darn thing! Your best bet is not to set unrealistic goals that set you up for failure. If you try to workout 7 days a week, you not only risk injury but you set yourself up for big disappointment in yourself. Plan to begin exercising 3 days a week and go from there. Don’t set a consistent exercise goal of 4 days a week until you’ve accomplished the first goal of 3 days a week for at least a month or two. Similarly, don’t go overboard with a super strict diet. Start by following the guidelines above and don’t make it more complicated until you have those mastered.

If you take nothing else from this blog, please remember the small ,healthy changes you make really do count in the long haul. If you make a mistake, don’t blow the day, week or month. Just get up, dust the donut powder off, and log your journey to fitness success. Staying consistent with your nutrition and exercise is key, and keeping a journal for yourself is your only feedback you have for what’s working and what’s not. So, 5 diet and exercise disasters greatly improved with 1 smart solution- keep a journal and keep at it!

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Your At Home Solution to Muscle Soreness!

Friday, June 5th, 2009

We know how hard all of you dedicated members are working during your training sessions and metabolic condition classes. We also know that when your pushing yourself that hard, occasional muscle soreness will remind you for 1 or 2 days just how hard you worked. Where muscle soreness is natural and nothing to be concerned about, the worst thing you could do that next day or two is to “take it easy” or hit the sofa to rest up. Being sedentary will contribute to, and lengthen the duration of your stiff muscles. The best thing you can do for fast relief is get up and move it! Now I am not giving you permission to over train and do strenuous exercise everyday, but I am reminding you that the best solution for relieving muscle aches is healthy blood flow to the sore spots and throughout your whole body. That blood flow will warm and ease your muscles while supplying them with the nutrients they need to feel relief.

 

Some key reminders for you to feel better fast:

 

Do not HOLD stretches while your body is stiff and you have not warmed yourself up. Holding stretches are known as Static Stretches. These are best left to the end of your training sessions or after engaging in enough movement activity to break a light sweat. You’re muscles will not be as willing to “give” and stretch if they have not received adequate blood flow.

 

Do not bounce (ballistic stretching) or force a movement that your body is not ready to give. A good indicator of this is if a stretch causes you pain, causes you to break the form of the movement or makes you grimace in a face of true discomfort. More importantly, stay within your current range of motion and continue the movements as you steadily increase that range of motion allowing healthy blood flow to the achy area.

 

Keep it moving! Don’t change your movements to cater to your soreness. Move through regular steps and reaches so that you don’t avoid using the areas that need to be loosened up.

 

Follow this at home solution to muscle soreness for a full body treatment after another great Training Studio Session!

 

- Walking Warm Ups 1 to 2 lengths each
- Stiff Kicks 15 reps each side
- Seal Jumping Jacks 15 reps
- Prisoner Goodmornings 15 reps
- Arm Circles small to big 20 forward then 20 backward
- Spiderman Hip Stretches 12 to 16 total reps

 

*Each rep and round increase the range of motion through each movement while taking minimal rest, creating optimal body heat to warm muscles and feel relief fast
*Repeat 2-3 total rounds through and start feeling more flexible!

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Lastly, if an ache or pain persists longer than 3 days, inform your trainer! Open lines of communication are key in achieving the best results for your body. Let us help you feel your best!

 

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The Smart Start Young

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

It’s no secret that our children live in a different world than that of children raised even as short as 5 years ago. Internet, X Box, Game Boys, Wii, texting and super sized-super convenient meals out. Obviously no parent is responsible for the crime rate that keeps our children from riding bikes all over town or being tempted to order out all the time because both parents work crazy hours- But! There are some precautions to take immediately to ensure that your child doesn’t become a statistic in the battle of obesity now or later in life.

 

The secret? The smart start young! Even with all the technological distractions these days it’s imperative that you begin to instill healthy habits in your child or teen’s regular routine. You teach a child that they have to brush their teeth whether they like it or not from a young age, and sure enough, because they know its important to their health, they do it the rest of their life. Now if we only did that with exercise and balanced nutrition! Well, I would like to pose the question Why not? And why not start today?

 

Step One: It’s irrelevant whether your child or teen is currently at a healthy weight or not.  They all need to learn about a balanced diet and the importance of physical activity (besides Guitar Hero).  Most importantly, do not discriminate between your children if one is a different weight or size than the other.  A healthy body image is instilled and doesn’t just magically appear.  Teach health equally and foster only positive emotions towards fitness and proper nutrition.

 

Step Two: Breakfast is a must!  No matter the age or the fuss they kick up about being picky or too busy to eat before catching the bus.  Choose a breakfast with a healthy source of protein, carbohydrate and fat for a well balanced meal that will support your child or teens: brain function, mood, metabolism and focus in school.  Ex. 1 whole omega egg with added whites (veggies are an added bonus) and either a piece of fruit on the go or throw those eggs over some whole grain toast.  In a super rush?  A scoop of dream protein blended for a minute with some frozen fruit and a small handful of almonds is fast and will have your child thinking they earned a smoothie treat.

 

Step Three: Prioritize your child’s busy schedule.  Don’t keep health on that back burner for when social clubs, art class and other after school activities are over.  Enroll your child in a fitness program where they will learn about strength, conditioning, healthy foods, discipline, team work, respect…and the list goes on and on.  Check out our programs here and allow your child or teen to watch and try one for free with no obligation.

 

Step Four: The teeth brushing rule- It is your direct responsibility as a caretaker to help keep your child consistent.  I don’t know any parent that purchases a tooth brush and doesn’t encourage and check that their child uses it regularly.  Do the same with their breakfast, training and positive reinforcement for a healthy body image.  They will thank you in the future with the same pearly smile.

 

Step Five: Start today!  Not after the school year or after camp or…you catch my drift.  Your child is growing NOW and learning NOW.  We can’t put that on hold so let’s not wait.  Take even the smallest step today by getting outside with your child or teen and going for a bike ride, walk ,or invite the neighborhood kids over for a back yard game of badminton.  Learning a healthy lifestyle can be really fun if you let it!

 

Post your experiences of bringing your child to The Training Stud

 

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The Metabolism Myth

Monday, April 6th, 2009

One of the biggest myths and misconceptions in weight loss is telling yourself that your body is what’s holding you back from your fitness goals and your genetics are the blame. I’m sure you’ve all heard someone out of shape say “I just can’t lose weight, I have a slow metabolism!” Well, I have heard this many times and seen it proven wrong many times, so it’s my pleasure to break the good news to you…YOUR METABLOLISM IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT.

You might not be in the 1% of genetically gifted individuals that can eat whatever they want, but we average Joes’ just need to get over it. There will always be someone out there that genetically breaks the rules. For instance, that 98 year old neighbor that has smoked two packs of cigarettes a day and eaten junk food their whole life but has no health issues. Or that girl friend of yours that eats buttered bagels and cheesy tuna melts for lunch but never gains a pound. Well get off the pity pot because there is absolutely nothing wrong with having a normal or average metabolism.

If you come from an overweight family, or have hereditary thyroid issues, this just means that you may be predisposed to having to work harder at your fitness goals. It is by no means a lifelong sentence to be fat or out of shape. People with a family history of high blood pressure, may have high-ER blood pressure but through training and nutrition can keep it within normal range. This person isn’t destined to have a coronary if they take good care of their body.

On the other hand, I must tell you it is also common to take a normal metabolism and slow it down by yo-yo dieting, crash dieting, fasting methods and/or an unfit sedentary lifestyle. But again, the good news is that you can rebuild and make a better metabolism and well, the bad news is that you don’t have that excuse anymore. So, let’s stop finger pointing at the genetically elite. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I looked at an Olympic Sprinter and complained to my friends that I couldn’t sprint to my mail box in 2.3 seconds. Catch my drift? ;)

Please post comments and thoughts and stay tuned for tips on building a healthy, fat-burning metabolism!

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The ABC’s of making a change

Monday, February 16th, 2009

We are now a month and a half into the new year.  Are you seeing the health and fitness results that you set out to achieve?  Sometimes we can be too drastic with our health and fitness goals which makes it very difficult and even seemingly impossible to keep them.  The following are basic but super effective methods at making progressive changes to keep you on point with your goals.  I call them the ABC’s of making change.

Attainable-Something realistic and achievable.  It makes no sense to set yourself up for failure with drastic and over the top goals, especially when your just getting started.  Short term goals will keep you fresh and inspired by guess who….you!  Seeing yourself succeed is exactly what the doctor ordered to help you feel in control and motivated!

Believable-If you don’t actually think your capable of achieving what you set out to do, then The Mission IS Impossible.  Do you feel as though you’ve failed yourself time and time again?  Do you think you will be fat or out of shape forever?  Well you’re not destined to failure.  It’s much more likely that you just aren’t setting proper goals.  If you want REAL RESULTS for a LIFETIME, you need to start off by conquering simple goals one by one until you build your self esteem.  Along the way you will be moving closer and closer to the lifelong results you’re looking for at a pace that keeps you feeling in control and motivated.

Clear- Now this is important.  Your goals MUST be clear and measurable.  Share them with your personal trainer, family and friends so they can keep you accountable.  A good example of a clear goal would be eating a healthy breakfast consistent with your diet plan every single day.  Another example would be to add 20 minutes of cardio after every strength training session for this upcoming week.  Both goals are basic, simple and measurable.

The ABC’s of Goal Setting are applicable to EVERYONE.  No matter what your fitness level or training/nutrition experience-every journey big or small, begins with a single step.  So stop wishing for change and get started!

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Be Better Than Yourself-Competition Review

Wednesday, November 12th, 2008

So if you haven’t heard the news yet, the Big Day has come and gone and I walked away as the 2nd Place Figure Competitor at the INBF World’s 2008.  There were 30 figure girl’s that came from far and wide- Costa Rica, London, Cayman Islands…the clickety clack of six inch heals could be heard from every direction.  It was a very exciting and nerve wracking experience and I’m proud of myself for hanging in there through the 12 hour competition day.  Though second place is an achievement, my inner competitor could easily find a way to be hard on myself for not being top spot.  In this situation I imagine the kind words I would give a client in the same position…  “Snap out of it already!!!” 

In reality there’s a much bigger picture than the trophy shot in glittery suits.  I worked a quarter-actually almost a third of a year- on trying to be better and different than I was last competition.  Seeminly so simple, all of us can get caught up on what we think works best for us and our bodies when despite our own beliefs, the body needs something different.  a new method, a better strategy and an open mind. 

My last competition I did well, so why change anything?  Because I wasn’t looking to keep doing “well”.  Believe me, it’s not always easy to be open minded and give your all to diet and training strategies that you haven’t used in the past.  But with with the right education, progression and support, change can be more fantastic than scary.

Even though I did not win first place, I was prepared. I was more poised, had a better stage presence and was much leaner and conditioned for the experience.  So can you really count that as a loss?  Placing second at the World’s isn’t the main achievement, it’s in doing whatever it took to be a “better me”.  I’m proud of the changes I dared to make to be a better competitor, athlete and trainer.  If you learn anything from my experience, it’s that being open minded, focused and driven will ultimately allow you to be a better you year after year because in the end your true competition is only yourself :)

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