Archive for January, 2008
Reasons you NEED to be active
By Stacey Nolan Young
Close your eyes. Imagine yourself on your death bed. You are sick. You’ve been sick for a long time. Perhaps you’ve been battling some disease for awhile. Your quality of life hasn’t been particularly great for the last few years. When first diagnosed with this disease, all you’d wanted to do was pack in whatever you could for the remainder of your days. Anything that you’d always wanted to do.
Maybe you wanted to spend more time with your children or grandchildren. But you were too tired. You were too incapacitated to do all of these things. You have many regrets and not much time to dwell on them.
What would you do if I told you that you could have possibly prevented this tragic end?
Would you want to reverse time? Would you have done things differently? Are you now a person consumed with “shouldacouldawoulda’s”?
I SHOULD HAVE done this.
I COULD HAVE done that.
I WOULD HAVE but…
The good news is that I have had you think about this before it has occurred. You have it in your power to prevent this from happening to you. This is within your control. You can increase your quality of life. You can thwart certain diseases and disorders. You can make the decision to make your life better and to do all of the things that you have wanted to do. You can rise above the majority of the population.
STOP EXISTING and START LIVING!
I realize that there are many people who believe that life and its twists and turns is out of our hands and in the hands of a higher power or fate. Okay…I can accept that. BUT there are things that are within our control when it comes to our health. Many deaths today are highly preventable. Don’t believe me?
Consider these facts:
-In 1996 the Office of the Surgeon General released its report on Physical Activity and Health. It stated that it strongly supports the role of physical activity for good health and for the prevention of major health problems.
-The American Heart Association included low fitness levels and inactivity as primary risk factors along with hypertension, smoking and high cholesterol.
-In 2004 Stats Canada reported that an outstanding 23% of the adult population was obese. That’s 5.5 million Canadian adults! This number is growing. This is not just a problem but an epidemic.
-In 2004 Stats Canada reported that more than a quarter of 2-17 year olds were either overweight or obese. Think about this. As parents, it is our job to educate and nurture our children. How does this happen if we are doing our job?
I could bore you to death with statistics that prove my point, however, what does that do for you? We know that some disorders and diseases are preventable but HOW?
The answer is simple:
Exercise + Nutrition = A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
I am going to focus on exercise in this article. Not only will I be providing you with an array of health related conditions that can be prevented with activity but also medical problems that can be controlled or partially treated by exercise.
HEART DISEASE – Exercise lowers the risk of heart disease by decreasing body fat, decreasing LDL (bad cholesterol), blood pressure, lowering your heart rate and increasing the efficiency of your heart and lungs.
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE – Exercise reduces the level of stress-related chemicals in the bloodstream that constrict arteries and veins. It lowers your resting heart rate. It increases the release of endorphins and raises your level of HDL (good cholesterol) in your bloodstream which can help reduce plaque in your arteries caused by build up of LDL (bad cholesterol). Your blood pressure can be reduced with bodyweight management.
HEADACHES – Exercise forces the brain to secrete endorphins and other pain-dampening chemicals.
OSTEOPOROSIS – Exercise promotes bone density which lessens the chances of fractures and breaks.
ARTHRITIS – Exercise promotes the manufacture of synovial fluid when a joint moves which forces it to circulate throughout the joint space. This decreases pain.
LUNG DISEASE – Exercise helps strengthen the lungs and it aids in increasing the oxygen level in your blood.
ALLERGIES – Exercise controls nasal congestion.
CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME – Exercise helps build up muscles in the wrists and forearms which in turn reduces the stress on the arms, elbows and hand.
INSOMNIA – Exercise helps reduce muscular tension and stress which can promote healthy sleep patterns.
DIABETES – Exercise helps to strengthen the heart. It improves circulation, lowers stress and more importantly it helps lower excess blood sugar levels.
DEPRESSION – Exercise speeds up your metabolism and delivers more oxygen to your brain which can enhance your mood. It can also reduce bodyweight which can lead to a better sense of self worth.
BACK PAIN – Exercise helps to strengthen the abdominal muscles as well as the lower back extensor muscles which can result in a decrease of back pain.
CANCER – Exercise can help people keep an ideal body weight and decrease fat storage which is a risk factor for the disease.
KNEE PROBLEMS – Contrary to popular opinion exercise can actually decrease knee pain and sometimes alleviate it by strengthening the structures surrounding the knee joint. This can help the knee withstand stress.
POSTURAL PROBLEMS – Exercise can actually improve postural issues by both strengthening and stretching the muscles and improving mobility in the joints.
MENSTRUAL PROBLEMS AND PMS – Ladies- you should love this one! Exercise helps to control the hormonal imbalances associated with PMS by increasing the release of beta-endorphins.
AND FINALLY…
OBESITY AND WEIGHT PROBLEMS – Exercise increases metabolic rate to facilitate fat loss. It increases lean mass and burns fat. It is an appetite suppressant and it improves self-esteem.
I’ve provided you with plenty of reasons to get off your butt and get moving. Don’t be one of those people who accept things the way they are. Do something that is going to make you healthier. Do something that is going to allow you to live out the remainder of your days in good health.
Don’t become one of those people singing their “shouldacouldawoulda’s” to anyone who will listen. Do something about this now and LIVE to tell and inspire those people in your life to do the same thing.
For more information on HOW to go about this check out Fit in “The Hammer” and How to Find a Good Personal Trainer.
January 29th, 2008
I can’t say enough about what value Mark has brought into my life. He has shared his enthusiasm & knowledge with me, cheering my accomplishments, and empathizing with my difficulties. Never one to accept excuses, Mark keeps me honest & motivated.
I have lost 6 dress sizes over a two year period & have maintained my weight loss. I went from being lethargic, depressed, and obese with the beginnings of hypertension, to being energized, happy with life, confident, very healthy, strong, and proud.
I get excited when asked about my weight loss journey. I tell those who ask “how much does it cost?” the honest answer, “my life…” as I didn’t’ have much of one before restoring my health. Even though last year I was diagnosed with a serious illness, Mark and I focused on keeping me as healthy as possible. I was lucky to not have had too many regressions due to my illness.
When I first came to Mark, I could not believe that such an enormous transformation was possible. He is my Guru. I have the utmost confidence in Mark. He truly loves what he does with people. This journey is not made alone; we are a team!
THANKS MARK!!!
Sue D’Angelo
To read Sue’s previous interview on our website check out the link HERE.
January 22nd, 2008
Making your Weight Loss Goal Work For You
By Stacey Nolan Young
January, in the fitness industry is HUGE. It is busy. If you go to a gym it is likely you will have to wait a while for the equipment you want. You may need to elbow your way to a treadmill. It is the month where fat burners are ripped off the shelves, diet books need to be restocked and gyms are raking in the cash from memberships being purchased. It is a fantastic month for anyone in the fitness industry.
Why?
Because you made the decision to lose weight and improve your health this year. This is your New Year’s resolution.
In March the fitness industry dives. Things even out. If you still go to a gym you will likely be able to use the machines you want. You should have access to an available treadmill if needed. Supplement sales are good but not necessarily rocking. Diet books may gather a little more dust than last month and the gyms are still getting the membership dues because of contracts, but the number of people they see diminishes.
Why?
Because your motivation has waned. You were gung-ho at the start but you have fallen off your plan. Your New Year’s resolution has bitten the dust.
HOW MANY TIMES HAS THIS HAPPENED TO YOU?
A new year begins. Everyone wants a fresh start. They believe that they will make it happen this year. THIS IS THE YEAR FOR CHANGE. The motivation is there. You have a plan in place. You go for it like you haven’t ever gone for anything before. Some people make it. Most don’t.
Why?
Because you have not established the habits or lifestyle necessary to sustain your change.
I have met many people who have made the resolution to lose weight. They clear out their fridges and replace what they were previously eating with “healthy foods”. They give up things that they have been eating or doing for most of their lives. They plan to go to the gym 6 days per week. They have every intention of following through. And it works for a little while. They lose some weight. They feel better.
Then something in their lives happens. They start to skip appointments at the gym thinking that they will make it up later in the week. They miss meals. They begin to reason away eating that one cookie because one cookie can’t hurt, can it? And this continues until the worst thing arrives; the “screw it” mentality. This is where these people figure that they’ve already blown their plan so they just binge and eat everything is sight that they have deprived themselves of while they sit on their couch watching TV.
In the meantime, they continue paying for a gym membership that they are not using. They tell themselves that they will get back on their plan on Monday. All of the weight they lost comes back just as rapidly, if not more rapidly, than when it came off. All of the hard work that they put in is gone. It’s hard to rationalize getting back on the plan when they know that this will have to be a lifestyle change. So…as is true with human nature… they put it off.
The truth?
Motivation wavers at times for anyone striving to reach their goal and maintain it. Ask anyone who has lost a lot of weight and maintained that loss if it has been an easy road for them. Ask that person if they were 100% motivated each step of the way. In most cases the answer would be no. But what separates those people who achieve their goals from the rest of the population that struggles with their plans?
The answer:
They want it bad enough. They are willing to go the distance. They are truly motivated and they realize that it will require a complete overhaul of their lifestyle forever.
One of the biggest mistakes that we make is to commit to lose weight and to go for it without having the necessary support system in place. We go for it without establishing those habits that will make this new, healthy lifestyle sustainable. Take that person who is now going to the gym 6 days a week, for example. What happens when, for whatever reason, they miss a workout one week and are unable to make it up? They hit 5 of their 6 sessions and they should feel good about that but instead they have let themselves down by missing that one day. They feel like they have failed. This is step one into that “screw it mentality” that I talked about earlier.
Another common mistake we make is to want it NOW. It is not in our nature to wait for things to come. I suppose that this is why fad diets and fat burners are so popular. But think about this. How long did it take you to get in the condition you are in now? For the majority it is years of bad eating and poor lifestyle habits that has gotten them to the point they are at now. Why would you expect to lose all of that “conditioning” in a matter of weeks? This is just not realistic.
A good and healthy weight loss plan will allow you to lose anywhere from 1-2 pounds per week so that initial motivation is going to have be spread out for a little longer than you expected. But the results will make it worth the wait. This is the key to maintaining your weight loss. Otherwise you become what is fondly referred to as a “yo-yo dieter”.
HOW DO I BEGIN MY WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY?
Step One: Set Your Goals
Actually write this down. Post it on your wall or better yet, your fridge. Write what your goals are. How much weight do you wish to lose? What size do you wish to be? Do you want to gain strength, endurance, improve posture and flexibility or be able to walk up stairs without huffing and puffing? Write it down. Even something that may seem small and insignificant to you.
Set a fitness goal. Is there an event you would like to participate in? Perhaps a race for a charity in the summertime? Would you like to be able to participate in a sport or activity? Or do you just wish to be able to bike with your children? Whatever your goals are you need to write them down.
Step Two: Announce Your Goals
You have set your personal and fitness goals. Now you need to announce them to your friends and family. Tell people about your goals. While it is great to be accountable only to yourself, it is easier to put yourself on the backburner and let yourself down. In sharing your goals with people you now become accountable to them as well and you have a support system in place. You are less likely to slip back into old habits and more likely to succeed.
In my experience, people that do not tell others that they are trying to lose weight do not succeed. They have a much harder time with it because they don’t have their friends, family or co-workers telling them that they should “put the cookie down!”
Step Three: Assess
You have your goals set and you have told people of your intention to lose the weight. You are almost ready to begin. Purchase a small notebook. In the first page you will re-write your goals. Next you will record your current weight and size. There are different measures of assessment so it is up to you to choose which you would like to use. Here are a few examples: scale, clothing size, bodyfat percentage, BMI, tape measures (chest, waist, hips, thighs, arms), Energy assessment between 1-10 morning and night, Blood pressure, flexibility, endurance and an array of medical tests. Some people like to take pictures. Now you have a start point. What’s next?
Step Four: Plan
Decide how you are going to go about achieving your goals. Are you going to need a gym membership? Do you need to look for a personal trainer? Are you going to join a sport or a walking club? Look into your options. It is best to get the advice of a fitness professional before embarking on your journey.
Once you have chosen your route you must plan times and dates to go. Mark the times in your planner and treat each visit to the gym as an appointment. You are less likely to skip it if it is planned. Your initial workouts should make you break a sweat but, start yourself off with a few whole body exercises each day. The intensity of your workouts should progress as time goes on. You don’t want to scare yourself off from the gym by completely killing yourself when you first start. Remember- if you haven’t done anything like this before you will be feeling those few exercises the next day. Record what you are doing at the gym. Record the exercises and weights that you are using. Also be sure to incorporate both resistance and cardiovascular activity into your routine.
Step Five: Baby Steps
If you decide to go the gym route (highly recommended) then make sure that you don’t overdo it. Instead of 6 times, why not shoot for 2-3 times per week? As a fitness professional that is all I would recommend to someone starting out. It is more realistic to fit these times into your schedule and you will be happier and more likely to succeed if you make it to all of your “appointments”.
As for nutrition, this is an integral part of your weight loss journey. We’ve said it time and time again. Exercise and nutrition go hand in hand. To achieve great results, you need to do both. Take the same approach with your eating. Don’t completely overhaul everything when you begin and give up all of things you have been eating. Simply begin replacing some of what you were eating with healthier options. Meal frequency is of the utmost importance when trying to lose weight. You want to make sure that you are eating every 2-3 hours. This is a habit that you’ll want to form. So begin with that. Maybe replace white refined bread with whole grains. Eat more vegetables. Eat protein containing foods. And keep to that schedule. It’s not rocket science.
Step Six: Cheat!
Do I have you confused? Yes. I did say cheat. I firmly believe that for most people to maintain their sanity while trying to lose weight that they need to be able to have times where they can satisfy their bad food cravings. Just as with your visits to the gym, take out your planner. Pencil in 2 days per week when you can have a meal where you can eat what you want to. I did say meal. This means that you sit down and eat and when you get up from the table that “cheat” is over. These meals restore sanity as well as preventing metabolic slowdown.
The best thing is that when you are craving something on a non-cheat day you know that you may not be able to have it now, but you will soon. This has a huge impact on you psychologically when you are “dieting”. So enjoy your cravings on your planned “cheat meal”.
Step Seven: Check In
Remember your initial assessment? You will be repeating that. It’s good to check in and see how you are doing every couple of weeks. See if what you are doing is working for you. Take all of the measurements that you initially took and record them in your handy little notebook. Compare them to the last ones. At some point you may hit what we like to call a plateau in your weight loss journey and this may require you to change a few things.
Step Eight: Refine
Once you have established the above steps and they have become part of your daily routine you are ready to move on. You do not do yourself a service to skip ahead to this point if you are not 100% successful with the last steps. This is the point where you refine what you are currently doing. Make the necessary changes to continue to get results. Usually this entails cleaning up your diet and eating much healthier. As for your training, the intensity should increase as well. If you are going 2 times to the gym perhaps you’ll consider 3 times?
Step Nine: Progress
As with a lot of things in life, your body has this amazing capacity to adapt to what you are doing to it. This was mentioned in the previous step. You always need to progress. What you were doing 2 months ago is no longer going to have the same effect on your body. It has adapted.
For example, a particular workout you were doing then that kicked your butt and left you panting and sweating may be easy for you now. Progress. Change. Lift more weight. Run instead of walk. Push yourself.
Step Ten: Join
Get your loved ones involved in your journey. Do activities together that are fun but that are also good exercise. Share your new found health with those around you. Join a club or sport that you had always wanted to. Purchase a bike or rollerblades. Spend time with your family hiking or swimming. What you will quickly come to realize is that if you succeed in your goal of weight loss you will garner the respect of others around you and, in essence, become an inspiration. This is quite the gift. Pass it on to people.
Conclusion
Losing weight is hard. I won’t deny it. At times it sucks. At times it feels great. But when you reach your goal it is the most rewarding feeling. It is entirely possible to attain your New Year’s resolution this year. Follow the steps above and you are more than equipped to go about it. Resolve to do this. You will not regret it. Remember that there is no try. Just do.
January 15th, 2008
This article was originally posted on October 15th, 2007. Since it is now January and many people are now in search of a personal trainer we figured this was a great time to repost this article.
A while ago Hamilton Spectator writer Carmelina Prete wrote an article about how to go about Finding a Personal Trainer in an industry that is completely unregulated, but I didn’t feel it was complete without my personal spin on it.
There’s no doubt about it. Personal training certifications are confusing.
There’s ISSA, CPTN, IDEA, Can-Fit Pro, NSCA, and CSCS just to name a few. Then, of course, there are many others in the weight loss industry tossing around big letters like MSc, PhD, and MD. With all the people walking around with half of the alphabet after their name it’s hard to know who is and who isn’t worth your time and hard earned money when it comes to personal training and weight loss.
To sort through some of this confusion I’ll relate some of the most important things I think are important to consider when looking for a personal trainer. All of these hold true whether your goal is to lose weight, gain muscle, improve health, or just look better naked.
1. Results
Results, above all, are THE most important factor when choosing a personal trainer. If a trainer is not getting results with their clients then they aren’t going to get results with you either. Regardless of the number of letters after someone’s name, if they can’t produce verifiable evidence that the clients in their facility are getting results you can put your wallet back in your pocket and walk straight out the door.
The truth is that some of the most academically “qualified” people I know are also the last people I’d ask for fitness advice. There are people with PhD’s that couldn’t produce results with even the most dedicated of clients. There are also people with 2 or 3 personal training certifications that couldn’t train their way out of a paper bag.
By the same token, some of the best trainers I’ve ever met have very little formal training at all. They’ve basically taken it upon themselves to learn above and beyond what is traditionally required by most academic courses or personal training certification programs. For the record, this type of learning is called autodidacticism. Go ahead. Google it. I know you want to.
Before I start getting calls from every personal trainer and university professor on the planet, I should note that you shouldn’t necessarily penalize someone for having a strong academic background or a personal training certification. Both are excellent ways to attain more knowledge and knowledge IS important. Without dat der book learnin’ we’d all rite like dis. However, you can’t hang your hat on education alone.
Look for results first! Don’t be shy. Ask for photos, testimonials, and references. A good trainer should have no problem producing them.
2. Walk the Talk
A great trainer doesn’t necessary have to look like an Adonis, but they should live the lifestyle they ask you to live. If they require you to make healthy food selections they should be making them for themselves as well.
If they ask you to make time to train and prepare food despite your busy schedule they should be the first to do the same. When a trainer lives the lifestyle they expect you to live they can sympathize with your experiences and provide guidance since they’ve likely encountered the same roadblocks.
Nutrex Solutions President Mark Young
That said, don’t hire someone just because they’re in fantastic physical shape. It could be that the person is a genetic freak who can eat whatever they want and exercise however they want to get results. They could also be exceptionally dedicated and live a lifestyle that isn’t necessarily going to fit into your frantic schedule. Bodybuilders are a prime example of those who dedicate much of their lives to fitness and are usually some of the worst people to ask for fitness advice.
As mentioned before, look for the results they’ve produced with OTHERS and then make sure they’re living the lifestyle they expect you to lead. A good leader leads from the front, not the back.
3. Nutrition
Regardless of what anyone is trying to sell you, you can’t out-train a bad diet. You might make progress for a while, but nutrition is critical when it comes to optimal health and weight loss. Without nutrition you’ll eventually plateau. You don’t really expect to be healthy and at your physical best when you’re eating cheese burgers do you? Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
A good trainer should not only include nutrition as part of their package, but make it mandatory. That’s right. I’m talking about turning away business if people aren’t ready to take on the nutritional component.
AM I NUTS?!?
Turning away business?!?
I must be crazy, right?
It’s quite possible, but here’s what I think. I believe that when someone walks through the door planning to lose weight through exercise alone it is the duty of an honest trainer to set them straight. The person needs to know that nutrition IS a critical part of permanent weight loss. It is completely unfair to lead someone to believe differently and take their money. A good trainer isn’t afraid to tell it like it is whether you like it or not.
If you don’t like this rule…tough. You aren’t ready for weight loss anyway. If you’re serious about changing your body you’re going to need to accept the reality that only half of the battle is fought in the gym. The other half is fought in the kitchen.
Your trainer MUST include nutrition or they’re not going to be very good at producing results, which should be your number one priority.
4. Continuing Education
As I mentioned earlier, knowledge is good. In fact, knowledge is GREAT! The more you have the better you’ll be able to deal with any situation that presents itself. It’s just that knowledge isn’t synonymous with the number of letters after your name. It’s more about what you actually know that counts.
A trainer should absorb knowledge like a sponge and always be seeking more. It doesn’t stop with the completion of course or a degree on the wall. Your trainer should read books and articles, watch training DVDs, and attend conferences and seminars until their head is ready to explode with knowledge. A visit with a knowledgeable trainer can sometimes leave your head spinning.
Look for evidence that your trainer has read or is reading new information all the time. The more they know the better they’ll be able to help you.
5. Realistic Goals
If a trainer is good they don’t need a slick sales pitch and throw out all sorts of unrealistic goals to hook you as a client. A good trainer realizes how to get results and knows how to make them permanent. These, for the record, are going to be the people who can produce the verifiable results mentioned above.
If you meet with someone and they tell you that you’re going to lose 45 pounds in 8 weeks you have to wonder how long that weight is going to stay off. I’ll be honest and tell you that losing 45 pounds in 2 months sounds fantastic, but a good trainer’s job is to give it to you straight.
Those we’ve worked with who have kept off the most amount of weight have lost no more than the average 1 to 2 pounds per week. That means 16 pounds in two months. Admittedly, this isn’t nearly as exciting as losing 45 pounds in the same amount of time, but I don’t have to lie to you to get you on board either. Those results are not representative of most people and they probably don’t apply to you either.
A trainer who sets and achieves realistic goals with their clients is more likely to help you lose the weight…and KEEP IT OFF.
6. Personality
As important as it is to be able to do everything above, if your personality doesn’t jive with that of your trainer then your experience isn’t going to be a pleasant one. I’m not saying that you have to like everything your trainer says. It is their job to know things you don’t and make sure they let you know…even when you don’t want to hear it.
Just make sure your trainer doesn’t have a personality like a rock. You should be able to get along. You’ll be spending a lot of time together.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that finding a personal trainer isn’t as simple as looking for a bunch of letters after someone’s name. Above and beyond everything else, your trainer must be able to get and maintain results using whatever system they’ve created.
Don’t let the letters confuse you.
RESULTS COME FIRST!
January 11th, 2008
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