Are you just spinning your wheels and going no where?

I’ve seen it for years. When I worked at a big corporate gym (rhymes with 24 Hour Fitness) I would see members day in and day out that were absolutetly committed to spending time getting NO RESULTS. They would come in religiously, sweat and toil away (well…maybe thats a bit too much credit) and never make any progress. I don’t say this to be mean but rather to shed some light on what 90% of the gym going population has accepted as OK. “Doing something is better than nothing” they say. I say thats a load of crap.

Sorry to put it so simply but if I’m going to do a lot of work and convince myself of the “no pain, no gain” idea…I had better be making some change. Somewhere!

So here are a few questions to ask yourself to make sure you aren’t wasting your time and energy in the gym:

Are you improving?

This is the most basic question. Are you making any improvements? You see, many people follow this formula. Find a workout (either from a magazine or what they learned over the years) and then they do said workout. Over and over and over. They might change it up a bit by adding in an exercise here or there but by and large  it mainly goes unchanged. This was the case that I saw with the  bulk of the people at the big corporate gym. Like clockwork I would see the Cardio Queens hop on their treadmill or elliptical trainers, or the old gym rats that would do the workout they remember from high school. Never changing, never improving.

How do you know?

How do you know if you are improving? Quite simple, you measure it! Improvements and results are measurable, plain and simple. Just like food tracking/meal planning you can’t know how you are doing unless you know WHAT you are doing. If you can’t measurably see change, you are plateauing and thus not changing.

Here are some ways to check if you are improving…

Are you better, faster, stronger?

Can you run faster or farther? Jump rope longer? Have you improved on a particular skill? Are you lifting more weight? Doing more reps? If you are following along a workout from a magazine or what you have “always done” and you know you always lift 10 lbs or always do 12 reps…well you have plateaued LONG AGO!

You have to be able to observe or measure SOME sort of progress, otherwise you will stay comfortable and spend weeks, months, or even years…getting NO RESULTS.

Is your body changing?

Now it doesn’t always have to be about lifting more weight. If you have a goal of losing weight or toning up, a great way to see change is weight, body fat testing or even better…your clothes are getting too big! This is a RESULT! It means you are doing something right. Kudos to you.

Is “something better than nothing?”

No. Sorry…maybe its the trainer in me but I don’t think that just doing SOMETHING is a positive way of looking at things.   As a trainer you had better expect me to to have this attitude or I’d be wasting my client’s time by babysitting them rather than expecting more and more out of them. I expect measurable changes. That’s how I know I’m doing my job. So if you’re in the gym you have to remember…

Doing something with the goal of setting a new record for yourself is better than nothing.

This should be your new mantra. I would hate to see you waste years of working out and not see ANY results with all the effort you put in…or should I say the time you spent. I want you to have something to show for it. Something you can be proud of. A measurable change! We all want a return on our investment (of time) so you should expect MORE of yourself each and every time you break a sweat.

So here is what you should take away from all this…

Work out with a purpose. Push towards a goal. Strive for a few more reps, finishing your workout a little faster. Those are small changes you can make initially. Find exercises to better, stronger, faster at. I have certain benchmarks and “games” I play with my clients to give them some idea of their level of fitness. I call it our Long Beach Workout of the Week. We do this to measure improvement and push to new limits.

If you just start paying attention to how much you are staying in the “comfort zone” you will see when you start to stagnate and more importantly you’ll know WHY. Keep track of certain exercises, workouts etc and see if you are making changes in them.  It can be your own personal motivation tool and also an indicator that you are getting RESULTS from all this hard work.

So now you know what to look for and how to make some changes to your “routine.” (Your fitness should be anything BUT routine, by the way) Armed with this knowledge and renewed sense of purpose…go out there and make some measurable change and EXPECT RESULTS!

If ready to make some big progress and break through some plateaus, let me show you what One on One Personal Training in Long Beach can do for you! Feel free to email me today or call 562.225.2244 for a FREE Consultation.

Are you Asleep at the Wheel?

I just heard an interesting analogy from a friend of mine on Facebook. She had just started using the Weight Watchers food tracking app and said that it was eye opening and she felt like she had been “sleep eating” for the past number of years. This was a powerful statement, enough to make me want to write a post about it.

How many of us are just eating portions that “look” about the right size. Worse yet, how many are eating portions that DON’T look the right size. We as American’s have a very distorted view of what is a correct portion size. With every restaurant trying to outdo each other with a bigger burger, plate, dessert or even salad, how can we expect to really know what is right? No one is telling us what a proper sized meal looks like. So we go on for years and perhaps a lifetime eating what is put in front of us gaining pound after pound and thinking that one plate equals one meal. I will now call this “Sleep Eating” because it seems appropriate. We are doing the equivalent of sleeping at the steering wheel and going wherever it takes us. For most of us that’s a few extra pounds every year. For even more its down the road to diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and a slew of other health issues.

So Why am I so Crazy about Calorie Counting?

I am adamant about calorie counting for three reasons. First, calorie counting gives you perspective. Figuring out an approximate calorie range that you need to be in for your goal (maintaining a weight, losing weight etc) will give you the parameters or boundaries in which you can eat. This sets the “rules” by which you live each day. If you can eat 2000 calories per day as a maintenance program that’s where you start. The next part of it is the BIG lesson.

Fitting those calories in to a day is the next reason counting calories is important. I recommend eating for what you are about to do. Let me show you what that DOESN’T mean because this comes up frequently. Most people eat a minimal breakfast, a light lunch and then come home and eat a large dinner. Most of the time its because breakfast is on the go, lunch is out (because of work) and dinner is the only time they have to sit down and unwind or actually cook so they make it a “solid meal.” The problem lies in the fact that at the end of the day that person has about 3 hours or so before they go to sleep. Sleep is our period of burning the LEAST amount of calories. So large meal plus long period of inactivity is a formula for storing all those unused calories aka getting fat. You may have heard someone say they are “not eating after 7pm” though a bit misguided it is still following the premise that towards the end of the day you don’t need the extra calories. You are about to power down for the night, so why fuel up excessively?

So back to calorie counting. You have your calorie boundaries so now its up to you to fit those in to the day to fuel you where you need it most. Are you most active early in the day? Chances are that is when you need to be eating. Fit the bulk of your calories in to the earlier parts of your day to fuel the activity that comes after. This gives you a chance to burn what you eat. My example for this is pay bills after you get paid.

The third reason that calorie counting is important is accountability. At work you are accountable to your boss, team, coworkers etc. At home no one is accountable for their actions. If you over eat, you don’t know it because there are no systems, policies etc like at the workplace. Calorie counting provides that organization so that you are running as smoothly as a business runs. You have very little surplus or deficit, so to speak. If you were to walk in to the accounting department of a major business and saw no books or calculators, you would probably think its time to get a job somewhere else because this company is going down. Why is your body any different?

How to get started?

1. Start by calculating your maintenance calories. This will get you started and get your mind on being aware of food. You’ll see calorie counts on menus more and more and start to realize “wow, I really am over eating!”
2. The next step is to start tracking those calories. You can do this by hand in a notebook by reading food labels and being mindful of portion sizes. Measuring and weighing is the best way to get a good “eye” on portion sizes. Most of us are way off base as to what 3 ounces of chicken looks like etc. If you have an iPhone I recommend Tap and Track. Its a very powerful free app that has a huge database of food and is very easy to add in foods on the fly. *Plus if you skipped step 1, it will calculate your calories according to your goals for you.
3. Now start to manipulate your food and calories around to give you the right amount of calories for your active day. If you go to the gym at lunch, try to fuel up at breakfast. If you work out after work, then breakfast and lunch should be your heavier meals with dinner being fairly light.

Now you have a good start to getting control of your food intake. Using just those simple steps above will open your eyes to how you are currently eating and perhaps give you the motivation you have been looking for. Being able to chance your body at will is very empowering. Remember “Abs are made in the kitchen” so if you are not in control of how you are eating, you can’t expect to see any changes in your body. Exercise alone won’t cut it so get your food life back on the road and don’t be “asleep at the wheel!”

If you need to get your diet under control and start getting in shape with One on One Personal Training in Long Beach attention feel free to email me today or call 562.225.2244 for a FREE Consultation.

I find that most people looking to lose weight tend to avoid these types of food and eat “healthy.” Oatmeal for breakfast, a turkey sandwich for lunch, brown rice and chicken for dinner and then they are surprised when they step on the scale and nothing changes.

So let me ask you this: Do you deserve to lose weight?

You see the sad truth is that at least 70% of any body changes you make is the direct result of what you are putting in to your body. Your food choices.  The old saying “Abs are made in the kitchen” is not just a funny quip. Its practically gospel.Everyone would like to think that a morning walk every day, an aerobics class here and there and some random weights are all it takes to get the body burning those extra pounds. I’m here to tell you that you can do far more damage in a few minutes of eating that no amount of exercise that day will be able to offset. Even the most disciplined “healthy” eater gets frustrated after a couple weeks of eating “good” when the scale doesn’t move.

Are you storing fat and don’t know it?

Chances are that’s a big YES.

Most of us grew up with the almighty Food Pyramid which says we need to eat a huge amount of grains, pasta, rice, bread, potatoes etc as the staple of our diet. Let’s just look at why this is going to completely sabotage your weight loss efforts.

First of all, these foods trigger your body to release insulin. Just like candy. Its a neccessary hormone to help you deal with carbohydrates that break down into sugars for energy. The problem with a diet that is high in starches is that your body can take more and more insulin to do the same amount of work. This is called insulin resistance.

Why is this bad? Insulin is a storage hormone. It is used to help us store nutrients so we have a reserve. When insulin is released another hormone, glucagon, is shut down. Glucagon is the hormone your body has to help us run on fats. Insulin ON, Glucagon OFF. So basically you shut down any chance you have of burning fat when you spike your insulin levels. When you are insulin resistant you dump huge amounts of insulin into your system. How could you possibly ever turn that off and start burning fat again?!

So how do you fix it?

Cut out starches. They react almost exactly like sugars when they hit your system so best bet is to cut them out. Stick with low sugar, fibrous veggies like broccoli, spinach, peppers, mushrooms, etc. Eat foods as close to their natural state as possible. Avoid processed foods. An easy rule of thumb is to shop on the outside edge of the grocery store. Thats where you will find meats, produce, etc. Everything in the aisles are boxed or canned and highly processed.

Some people choose to follow what is called a Paleo type of diet. This means they basically eat how our ancient ancestors ate before they could bake bread or fry french fries. Foods that are as close to natural as you can get.

The emphasis is on proteins and vegetable which not only have a lighter impact on insulin levels but also take more calories just to digest! Lean meats can take up to 30% of the calories they yield just to be absorbed.

A good place to start to learn more about the Paleo Lifestyle is Mark’s Daily Apple. He has some great tips and guides to making it a very easy lifestyle change that sets you up to be a fat burning furnace around the clock.

One more added benefit to cutting out starches: No more afternoon dip in energy! Which is actually a result of your body going hypoglycemic from that sandwich (bread) you ate. Want to stay alert? Have some veggies and protein at lunch.

Your homework is to take a look at your current diet and see where you are spiking insulin and shutting down fat loss. Strive to cut sugars as much as you can in your daily life (this includes artificial sweeteners….they trick the body into releasing insulin as well!) Try to minimize starches as much as you can. I believe Crossfit says it best

Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar.

In Part Two we are going to look at your workout and see if its effective in helping you change your body the way you want and more importantly if you are getting any FITTER!

For more info on Paleo Diets visit Mark’s Daily Apple

Its time to start thinking about what you WILL accomplish this year. The best way to get started is to write down what you want to achieve. Its one thing to have it in your head, but when you write it down…you make it real! Start making a list of all the things you want to get to work on in January 2009.

Do you have some Fitness Resolutions?

• Do you want to:
• Lose weight?
• Gain Muscle?
• Build endurance and stamina?
• Increase your flexibility, balance, coordination

I want to hear them! Start with the end result and we’ll map out a plan to get there!

Also get ready for a few surprises in 2009 from your favorite Long Beach Personal Trainer! I have some great specials coming as well as some added bonuses to help you reach your goals quickly and have a ton of fun along the way!

If you’d like to talk about your fitness resolutions and map out how to reach them, feel free to set up a FREE consultation anytime! Click here to get started!

Americans are burning nearly 1 billion more gallons of gasoline each year than they did in 1960 because of their expanding waistlines. (Yahoo)

The obesity rate among U.S. adults doubled from 1987 to 2003, from about 15 percent to more than 30 percent.

Something to think about to increase at least some gas mileage. Granted this is fitness related but there are other ways to save gas. Other ideas are to clean out the trunk of the car, go easy on the pedal and keep your car in the highest gear possible. Also getting your tires filled with Nitrogen has been shown to increase gas mileage and also minimize air leakage. Many tire stores now with the purchase of tires will offer free lifetime Nitrogen fill ups for your tires. More information on that here.

Oh and the very best way to save gas….Human Movement!! Walk, run, bike, skateboard, wheelbarrow race, skip, hop, rollerblade, etc! Combining exercise with having to get somewhere forces you to get it done, keeps your pace brisk and saves you time…and gas.

January is here! Lets get moving!

Well the New Year is here and I’m waiting for the Diet Pill onslaught, the late night infomercial for .025 second Ab Machines, and the latest “Eat only______ and lose 10lbs the first day” Diets to hit the market. Its bound to happen and as a Personal Trainer, its just a part of life that we have to counter every false claim, misconception and wrong statement that these so called products purport.

So I’m doing a little pre-emptive strike! I’m going to explain, in a nutshell, the basics of fitness for a specific goal. If I can save just one person from falling prey to these snake oil salesman, then I’ll have done some good.

Mantra: “Abs are made in the kitchen.”

Remember this statement.

I’m going to explain the concept of weightloss in terms all of us can understand. MONEY!

Your body has a bank account. It has money (calories) coming in and money (calories) going out.  Our paychecks/deposits are calories that we eat. Our spending is activities we do. Movement causes us to spend more “money” aka calories.

So lets say we have daily bills of $2000. Each day our “boss”(you) pays us $2000 and through the day with work, moving around and body functions we pay our bills of $2000, exactly. This is called a balanced system. No surplus no deficit. We’ll call this “Maintenance” for simplicity. We maintain without over or under spending.

Next example, lets say we are now making a little bit more per day. We got a raise…aka…we eat more. We are still spending our $2000. So now we have the ability to SAVE some of our hard earned intake. So we put our intake away in “savings.” Can you guess what “savings” is? We’ll just say that we have what is called a “surplus” and continue on…it will all make sense soon.

Final example. Times are tough. We aren’t taking home as much as we used to, but our “bills” or expenses remain the same. Remember our take home “pay” is the food we eat, our “bills” are our activities. So we are only taking home $1500 a day and still spending $2000. Now we have what is called a “deficit” and what do we do when in a deficit? Borrow!!! So we tap into “savings” to pay our remaining $500 we owe.

Your body is very much like your bank account. If you take home too much you save it…in the form of body fat. If you spend the same amount as you take in you stay the same. No loss, no gain. If you take a pay cut (eat less) and spend the same (maintain activity) then you spend savings aka lose body fat. This is why calorie counting is like balancing your body’s budget without a budget you can’t run a successful business…right?

So we’ve covered why correct food intake is critical right? What about exercise?

Here is the beauty of getting your ducks in a row with food first: everything else you do only enhances your results!

Exercise is the “spending” your body does. If your food intake is only $1500 a day and you spend $2200 a day, you now have to borrow $700 from “savings!” Exercise maintains or increases the muscle you have and can actually cause you to “spend more” daily. By spending more I am referring to raising your metabolism! Muscle has a way of doing that.

Consistency=RESULTS!

Imagine having to tap into savings every day drawing out $500 a day. Over the course of the week you would have withdrawn $3500, right? Here is where it comes together.

1lb of fat=3500 calories. 7 days of being at a daily calorie deficit of 500 calories=3500 calories. That’s 1lb of body fat lost for reducing your food intake 500 calories. That’s before “spending” more has occurred. Lets say you exercise 5 days a week and burn an average of 300 calories…that’s another 1500 calories on top of the 3500. So that’s a body fat loss of over1.5lbs a week!

So now we understand and see the relationship between proper food intake and proper exercise and how they work hand in hand to help you achieve fat loss safely and correctly. I hope that helps. Remember the Bank Account Example when someone tells you “lose weight and change nothing” and you’ll see right through the hype.

They say you should learn something new each day. (you know…”they”) Hopefully this will save you from falling for the hype, marketing bull and overinflated claims and put you in a realistic mindset about weight loss. It really is a math game.

Happy New Year!