| FT Magazine - APR-MAY 2006 |
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Nutritional Know-How
Winning at Family Weight Loss
All materials courtesy Betty Crocker Cookbooks.
The family that plays together enjoys good health and has fun together.
For their future health, a child's upbringing can be either a blessing or a curse . If parents need any more motivation to lose weight and adopt healthier habits, maybe understanding that their current habits and actions play critical roles in their children avoiding the same weight struggles is the motivation they need.
Like any great corporation or sports team, the leader creates the culture of their organization. The leader of a family can create a healthy lifestyle culture by setting a good example. Preparing healthy meals, filling the house with healthy foods (vs. processed foods) and being an active family will help your children see this "culture" as normal and not too depriving or too much work. Enjoy these food options with your family and demonstrate that healthy eating can be delicious!
Is weight weighing heavily on your mind? If you or someone in your family needs to lose weight, you have lots of company: Nearly two-thirds of American adults and a third of American children need to lighten up.
Since the family is one of the most powerful influences on a child's weight and health, a new book from Betty Crocker rallies family members to team up in tackling their weight concerns. "Win at Weight Loss: A Healthy Guide for the Whole Family" maps out a game plan of simple steps that parents can take for improving their own healthy habits while allowing their kids to become more active and "grow into" a healthier weight. Parents are the role models and coaches of the family team.
The family that plays together enjoys good health and has fun together. In becoming more active and enjoying a wide variety of delicious meals, any family can be winners and gain healthy habits for a lifetime. This new book from Betty Crocker provides realistic steps for a family to take toward better health.
Eating well is an important part of the plan: Always begin with breakfast and leave room for a healthy dessert!
This cookbook can be purchased wherever books are sold.
Easy Corn Flake-Crusted Fish Family Favorites
4 Servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes, Start to Finish: 30 minutes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/4 cup water
3 cups Country Corn Flakes cereal, crushed (about 1-2/3 cups)
4 cod fillets (4 to 6 ounces each)
2 tablespoons canola or soybean oil
1. In shallow dish, mix flour and salt. In another shallow dish, beat egg and water with fork. Place crushed cereal in third shallow dish. Dip fish in flour, coating well; shake off excess. Dip floured fish in egg mixture, then in cereal, coating all sides completely. Place coated fish on ungreased cookie sheet.
2. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Keeping at least 1-inch between fish fillets and cooking in batches if needed, cook fish in oil 3 to 4 minutes on each side, turning once, until well browned and fish flakes easily with fork. If needed, place cooked fish on paper towels on cookie sheet and keep warm in 225°F oven while cooking remaining fish.
1 Serving: Calories 320 (Calories from Fat 90), Total Fat 10g (Saturated Fat 1.5g), Cholesterol 115mg, Sodium 600mg, Total Carbohydrate 31g (Dietary Fiber 0g), Protein 26g
% Daily Value: Vitamin A 10%, Vitamin C 4%, Calcium 20%, Iron 40%
Exchanges: 2 Starch, 3 Very Lean Meat, 1-1/2 Fat
Carbohydrate Choices: 2
Note From the Nutritionist: Using whole-grain cereals as a breading or in baking is an easy way to work in whole grains and boost vitamins and minerals in your favorite recipes because the cereal is fortified. You can pair these crispy fillets with seasoned rice pilaf, coleslaw and baby carrots.
Key Lime-Banana Smoothie
Serves 2
Prep Time: 5 minutes, Start to Finish: 5 minutes
1 container (6 ounces) 99% fat-free Key lime pie yogurt (2/3 cup)
1 ripe banana, sliced
1/2 cup fat-free (skim) milk
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon dry lemon-lime-flavored soft drink mix (from 0.13-ounce package)
1 cup vanilla frozen yogurt
1. In blender, place all ingredients except frozen yogurt. Cover and blend on high speed until smooth.
2. Add frozen yogurt. Cover and blend until smooth.
1 Serving: Calories 320 (Calories From Fat 30), Total Fat 3g (Saturated Fat 2g), Cholesterol 10mg, Sodium 150mg, Total Carbohydrate 62g (Dietary Fiber 2g), Protein 11g
% Daily Value: Vitamin A 6%, Vitamin C 15%, Calcium 40%, Iron 2%
Exchanges: 1 Fruit, 2 Other Carbohydrate, 1-1/2 Skim Milk
Carbohydrate Choices: 4
Sunny Lemon-Raspberry Muffins
10 Muffins
Prep Time: 5 minutes, Start to Finish: 5 minutes
1 egg or 1/4 cup fat-free egg product
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups Whole Grain Total cereal, slightly crushed (1 cup)
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup fat-free (skim) milk
1/4 cup canola or soybean oil
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 container (6 ounces) lemon fat-free yogurt (2/3 cup)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen (partially thawed) raspberries
1. Heat oven to 400°F. Line 10 regular-size muffin cups with paper baking cups.
2. In large bowl, beat egg slightly. Stir in remaining ingredients, except raspberries, just until moistened; gently stir in raspberries. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
3. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pan.
1 Muffin: Calories 190 (Calories From Fat 60), Total Fat 6g (Saturated Fat 0.5g), Cholesterol 20mg, Sodium 340mg, Total Carbohydrate 30g (Dietary Fiber 2g), Protein 4g
% Daily Value: Vitamin A 2%, Vitamin C 10%, Calcium 30%, Iron 25%
Exchanges: 1 Starch, 1 Other Carbohydrate, 1 Fat
Carbohydrate Choices: 2
From the Doctor's Kitchen
James Hill, a nationally-known weight loss authority, is a professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado and an adviser on obesity to the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Hill is co-founder in charge of the National Weight Control Registry and developed the "America on the Move" program. He is the co-author of "The Step Diet Book."
• Positive self-talk is a powerful motivating tool. Rather than putting yourself down, think and talk positively about yourself to your kids. It can go a long way toward building your child's self-esteem (as well as your own).
• Practice eating only until you are satisfied, not full. Over time this will easily become a habit.
• Focusing on what and how much you eat is important, but it's only part of the equation. The other big piece is how much you move. Become more active yourself, and encourage your kids to make moving a habit. You may all come up with a new discovery that it's fun!
• Talk to your kids about the wholesome ingredients you use in baking and cooking. Involve them as much as possible in making dinner or breakfast on the weekend-chances are they'll be eager to help (and to eat what they've prepared).
• There may be many benefits in being active, but one of the most important is that activity strengthens your heart, allowing it to pump more oxygen to your muscles.
• Encourage your kids to share their creativity by helping you in the kitchen. Kids feel proud when they are learning a life skill, understanding the benefits of good nutrition and its relationship to good health.
Recipes reproduced by permission from "Win at Weight Loss: A Healthy Guide for the Whole Family" by Betty Crocker. Copyright (c) 2005 by Betty Crocker. All rights reserved. Family Features Editorial Syndicate, Inc.
The Next Fad Diet
By Cliff Latham MS, NSCA-CSCS, ACSM
Walking to NYC is one way to lose weight.
There are lots of ways to lose weight. But it always comes down to one fundamental fact-burning more calories than you consume.
In the newspaper recently, there was an interesting story about a 400-pound man that decided he'd walk from his home in California to New York to lose weight. He's 13 weeks into his journey and lost 50 pounds in the first month. What he's doing may be a little over the top and not the safest method, but you have to admire someone who can say, "If I'm going to do it, I'm going to put my life on hold and do it big, otherwise I might die before I hit 50."
Walking to NYC is one way to lose weight. But most of us will keep our hopes alive for the next diet-better than Atkins or South Beach-to come along. Atkins and the elimination of essential macronutrients isn't hip anymore, South Beach has its limitations and for way too many "it didn't work."
So what's the next big fad diet to watch for? Chances are it will probably have something to do with the low glycemic index. (Go to http://www.mendosa.com/common_foods.htm and peruse through all sorts of explanations and lists.) The glycemic index was originally developed to establish the type of foods that were best for people suffering from diabetes. Many popular diet books now reference it as a way to make weight loss faster and easier.
The glycemic index list assigns a numerical value to a food. This value indicates how much and how rapidly 50 grams of its carbohydrate content will raise blood sugar levels, compared to 50 grams of a reference food (glucose or white bread). The reference food is given an arbitrary value of 100. One fundamental assumption about foods with a low glycemic index is they release glucose into your blood more slowly, mainly because of a slower rate of digestion. This, in turn, is supposed to minimize the release of insulin.
According to Prevention Magazine, the world's top glycemic-index researchers have always said that simply eating moderate portions, controlling calories, and choosing more fruits, vegetables and whole grains in place of refined carbs is the essence of low GI eating. We've already labeled fat as poison in the 80's without success, we shuddered when we heard "carbs" a couple of years ago, so hopefully we'll be able to move back to moderation in whole real foods, more often and throughout the day. Whole real foods, plenty of fruits and veggies, sounds like healthy balanced eating that'll get a new marketing wrapper.
For starters, switch to whole grain breads that use seeds, nuts (sunflower, flaxseed, etc.). Don't be fooled by the current bread aisle breads. You may have to dig to find them in the bakery or at specialty stores. But with this new fad coming, you'll probably see more and more quality on the grocery store shelves.
Treat yourself to plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, as brightly colored as you can get them. Many of us eat so little of them and then wonder why our energy levels are zapped, we get sick easily and have trouble staying on task during the day. They were put on earth for a very good reason-enjoy them.
Cut all sugar-sweetened soft drinks and decrease your fruit juice consumption (ice tea and Crystal Light are good alternatives). Fruit juice is loaded with good nutrients, but it's devoid of all the fiber and raises your blood sugar up with an inevitable crash soon thereafter.
Powerbars, Gatorade and other "energy-foods" are for during intense workouts, not for watching golf on TV. Those are high glycemic, i.e. they can elevate your blood sugar through the roof. They're good during and immediately after exercise-any other time you should try to avoid them.
There you have it, a sneak peak at some not so new secrets. It'll be interesting to see how this fad is packaged.
Supplement Solutions
The Supplement Maze
By Pete Piranio BS , CSCS
First, look to supply your body with the necessary nutrients through good nutrition.
Many of you know that I am not a big advocate of supplementing your health and fitness with pills and powders. I typically don't recommend supplementation to our clients, not because it's wrong, but because the supplementation industry is a maze of misinformation and misleading research. It can be a maze in which you can easily get lost. Not to mention that pinning your health and fitness goals on pills and powders will only lead to false hopes and more frustration.
So how do you approach supplementation to avoid these pitfalls? The answer is to look at it as an insurance policy with a supportive role. But first, look to supply your body with the necessary nutrients through good nutrition. In other words, work on improving your eating habits before turning to pills.
One of the pitfalls encountered when replacing meals with nutrition bars or shakes is that you become too reliant on these supplements. After a while you get tired of meal replacement supplements and stop utilizing them. Worst of all, you lost time in which you could have been working on breaking habits that don't support your goals and developing habits in alignment with your goals. The next thing you know you are back at square one and the only result is more disbelief in your ability to change your situation.
If we look at the definition of supplementation it means "in addition to." Let me help you make your way through the supplement maze so you'll have a better understanding of the "Foundational Supplements" that can be seen as insurance and playing a supportive role in achieving your health and fitness goals. Keep in mind this has nothing to do with getting "magical" results, but rather optimizing your exercise and nutrition program.
I remember when I was 14-years-old being excited about weight training and seeking more knowledge by reading magazines and looking for anything that would help me see faster improvement. That was 1987, and while the magazine ads where over-hyped, they were amateurs in comparison to the pros that are brainwashing us through print and television today.
Back then, most of the ads in fitness magazines were for protein powders, weight gain formulas, amino acid formulas and claims about amazing benefits of minerals like Boron and chromium. Many of the products being pushed were pretty harmless. The only harm they caused was to your pocketbook-and the empty promises.
Today, if you walk into some health food stores, you'll find that the big containers are moving in and the vitamins and minerals are getting lost. You'll see MEGA-this, MUSCLE-that, SUPER-this, ION EXCHANGE-that- all trying to promise to increase muscle, melt away fat and have your significant other smiling more often. The big question is: What actually works? The fact is, they can all work and they can all not work.
If you seek to change your body, think of nutrients as a piece of the puzzle. Without all the pieces, you can never complete the puzzle. You have to have the right supplementation; an exercise plan designed to create specific physiological changes and the willingness to eat healthy to achieve your goals. I often hear, "But Pete, I eat healthy and just can't seem to get results." There can be multiple solutions to solving this problem, but the most common is eating healthy foods to lose body fat, preserve muscle or increase lean muscle. It's important to understand that "eating healthy" means different things to different people and "eating healthy" (if it's truly healthy) can be a maintenance strategy, but not a fat loss or toning strategy.
Far too many people are waiting for the new supplement to come along and save them from having to dedicate themselves to an exercise plan and eating correctly. This supplement does not exist and I don't see it arriving in my lifetime. As long as people seek out the magic pill, they will probably continue to waste money on empty promises. Therefore, "they can all not work" if you don't work supplementation into your entire strategy, which is what we call the Fitness Together Essentials: the right nutrition, resistance training and moderate aerobic exercise. Supplementation can optimize the effectiveness of the Fitness Together Essentials, but will not produce the solution itself.
Let's clear up what I mean by "they can all work." The right nutrients can work synergistically. They can act together in magnificent harmony to allow you to call upon energy, to grow muscle, to fight disease and to continually create new healthy cells. If we put water into a category itself as a life-sustaining nutrient, we can categorize the remaining two life-sustaining nutrients as micronutrients and macronutrients. These are the "supplements" you want to concern yourself with. If you understand these two nutrients you will automatically cut through all the other clutter.
The macronutrients are those which contain calories, namely, proteins, carbohydrates and fats. These supply fuel for energy and material for cell repair. You can take all the vitamins, creatine or pyruvate you want, but if you're not adequately consuming the right combinations of the macronutrients, fat loss, muscle gain or an increase in energy will not occur. The micronutrients are vitamin and mineral supplements. These are essential and unfortunately, are often overshadowed by other supplements- not because they aren't important, but because the others offer BIG promises. While micronutrients do not provide energy, grow muscle or decrease fat, they do act upon the caloric nutrients to set these wheels in motion.
It's a common misconception that taking a multivitamin will give you more energy. The fact is, energy can be re-stated as the body's efficiency at producing heat for movement, and the only nutrients that are capable of providing fuel for heat generation are those that are caloric-the MACRO nutrients. Without adequate supplies of specific vitamins and minerals, energy may be compromised, but that doesn't equate to vitamins equal energy. This will not occur unless the macronutrients are there to be acted upon.
Don't expect that any single mineral can work magically, or that any single vitamin can improve results. Remember, they are synergistic. The real results can happen, however, at an almost unbelievable pace when this synergistic approach is accomplished consistently. Put the micronutrients together in the right combinations, eat correctly for your goals, have a goal specific exercise plan-and watch your body transform!
Let's address a few micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) so you'll have a better understanding of the interactive process we are talking about.
Calcium to Build Bones?
For years, women have purchased calcium supplements believing that more calcium equals more bone. Eating more calcium to build bone is an exercise in futility unless other micronutrients are available such as zinc and magnesium. Ingesting calcium doesn't mean it enters the bloodstream and makes bones grow-like adding water to a plant. It must interact with micronutrients, macronutrients and exercise to produce bone growth. Specifically, implementing weight baring exercise can initiate this process, but without the proper nutrients, exercise in itself is not the solution to preventing osteoporosis.
Don't Overlook Magnesium
Calcium is often touted as the "bone" mineral, but did you know half of the body's magnesium is contained in the bone? Magnesium is also involved in energy production and neuromuscular processes that dictate muscular contraction. To add to its importance, if you eat the highest grade proteins and carbohydrates without sufficient magnesium in the body, those carbs can not efficiently be released to be burned as fuel, nor can amino acids be efficiently assembled for protein synthesis.
Potassium
Potassium is usually brought up in conversation with someone who has muscle cramps while exercising. Potassium plays a role in maintaining electrolyte balance in cells and therefore aids in decreasing cramping. That individual would benefit from adding a banana to their daily intake because the banana provides the potassium benefits. Potassium also assists in metabolic conversion of dietary nutrients and has a regulatory role in hydration. It is instrumental in the conversion and transport of glucose into glycogen stores, thus without sufficient potassium, energy will suffer regardless of your food intake.
Calcium, magnesium and potassium are probably the most commonly known minerals, but a great many combine to stimulate the synergistic effect I have been describing. The minerals iodine, selenium, copper and chromium all play synergistic roles ranging from copper's role in maintaining integrity of connective tissue-to chromium's role in carbohydrate metabolism. If you want to save time and avoid pursuing an advanced degree in nutrient sciences, a multi-mineral formula or pack can give you the mineral insurance you need.
Finally, Vitamins
While minerals are instrumental in building the framework of the body, vitamins are vital in carrying out metabolic activities. For optimal energy production, muscle contraction, metabolism and health, you need a full array of the B-vitamins, micronutrients that assist in glycogen release, energy production, fat metabolism, formation of cells and genetic material, and protection in resisting many of the negative effects of both physical and emotional stress.
The fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E and K, in combination, have antioxidant properties, aid in calcium absorption and play a role in blood clotting. It's important to note, however, that unlike the B-vitamins, vitamins A, D, E and K, while vital to sustaining metabolic function, can be toxic in excessive dosages. Remember, more isn't always better!
So, Do You "Need" Supplements?
No, you do not "need" supplements. If you take a balanced approach with good variety in each meal and ensure that you get lean protein, starchy carbohydrates and fibrous carbohydrates, you can look at supplements as the insurance we spoke of earlier. Can you get the minerals you need from food? Absolutely, dairy products are loaded with calcium as are many dark green vegetables and citrus fruits. Magnesium can be obtained from nuts, whole grains and fish.
If you want to "insure" you do not fall short, the easiest way is to take a multi-vitamin formula that contains adequate minerals as well. The concept of the multi-vitamin, multi-mineral capsule is a good one, in that formulators can refer to nutritional science to combine micronutrients in combinations that have proven healthful and supportive.
"Mega-Pack" formulas can be a good place to start and while quality does vary from brand to brand, generally speaking, "Mega-Pack" products are more beneficial. Why? You can only get a finite amount of any material in any single pill or capsule. There are also challenges in blending some of the vital micronutrients together. The true ideal for supplementing micronutrition is the "multi-packages" that remove all of the guesswork and allow you to concentrate on food preparation and "eating for results." Many of these multi-packs include vitamins and minerals all in one package.
From a marketing standpoint, the Mega-Packs and the vitamin and mineral formulas are not as tempting as "fat burners." As a result, you may have to look for them in the corner of the store.
While vitamins and minerals "work" only as part of the entire process of metabolism, understanding that will empower you to stop being fooled by new trendy products. Don't look for a miracle. Look for all of the nutrients you ingest to optimally combine to make you look and feel better than ever.
Real People - Real Results
Tommy Riewe
By Jeanette Hurt
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Photo by Lee Wickersheimer |
Tommy Riewe doesn't mind being called a loser. In fact, as this month's success story, Riewe is a big loser, but in the best sense possible. Since he began working with Fitness Together last September, he's lost 177 pounds, and by the time this story hits print, he will have lost even more.
This 33-year-old West Allis resident started at Fitness Together as part of The Brew/97.3 fm radio station's Biggest Loser contest, but after the eight-week contest was over--and he lost 74 pounds and his team won--he committed to keeping to his new healthy lifestyle for the rest of his life.
Riewe and one of his trainers, Ryan Schroeder, NSCA-CPT and director of operations for Fitness Together in the Third Ward, took time out from boxing to answer our questions.
How did you get started?
Riewe: "I play in a band, 76 Juliet, and we're friends with the producer of the morning show on The Brew, and he told me about this contest they were having--The Biggest Loser. I had just come out of a six year relationship and a lot of life-changing. At first, I was hesitant, because of my history of diet and fitness, but then one night, I was frustrated and I thought, what better option to kick-start a change than to try this. I've been struggling with weight issues for my entire life."
So, how has it been working with FT?
Riewe: "The start of it was one of the toughest things I've ever had to do. Weighing in the first time, when I hadn't been weighed since junior high and I already knew I was the heaviest I'd ever been, that was a defining moment. I knew my weight had spiraled out of control, but I didn't know how bad it had really gotten until I weighed in.
"After the first couple of weeks there were days I was dreading having to come in, but then I'd come in and everyone here was so amazing--it made me want to push myself. Even to this day, the experience almost leaves me speechless. When the trainers are working with their other clients-I can see they genuinely care. I came in here five days a week and I did extra cardio work on my own."
Was it a big change for you to work out that much?
Riewe: "My life outside of the band was pretty sedentary. I work as a purchasing specialist for an investment firm, and I play guitar in the band. But it had gotten to the point that when I was playing, just three-quarters through our first set and we play three sets, my back would be killing me and I wasn't moving much on stage. Music's always been my passion, so to not be able to perform the way I wanted to was frustrating."
Besides the exercise, talk about the nutritional component of working with FT?
Riewe: "There's so much information and misinformation out there about diet, exercise and nutrition, but at Fitness Together they're all on the same page and I got the guidance I needed to know what's going to benefit my body. I had no clue about things, and I began keeping a journal of everything I ate and I began to see patterns. I never used to eat breakfast, then at lunch time I'd gorge and then in the afternoon I'd get tired and then gorge again. Now, it's become easier to listen to my body and know when I need food and see when I want to emotionally eat. Food was my comfort for 32-and-one-half years."
Schroeder: "We looked at Tommy's food log, and we took it apart item by item. We then threw everything out, and we went back to square one. The really amazing thing is Tommy's been keeping a food journal since September 26th and he's still doing it."
Besides eating and going to FT, what else have you had to change?
Riewe: "I used to go to sleep at two or three o'clock in the morning, and I always considered myself a night owl. Now, I try to get up at 5:30 a.m. or 6 a.m. I'd be lying if I said I'm jumping out of bed to do my cardio, and I do hit the snooze button a few times. I'm also not eating so late at night, and if I do eat, I know I'm going to make a good choice and have a yogurt."
Schroeder: "He's really changed his snacking habits. He's no longer having chicken wings at midnight. Tommy is very goal-directed, and really, his weight loss is on him. It's not what he does while he's in here (Tommy has been working out at FT three days a week, down from the five days during the contest). Four days a week he's on his own. It's not what he does in here that has made the biggest difference--it's what he does when he walks out of here."
What do you do, or don't do, when you walk out of FT?
Riewe: "I haven't set foot in a fast food restaurant except for Subway and Qdoba, and to be honest, I don't miss it."
How have you been able to do that?
Riewe: "I know that there's no nutritional value in those foods, and it's no wonder that obesity is such an epidemic. If you get a double cheeseburger, that's more than half of your daily caloric intake."
Do you have any advice for people who are trying to lose weight?
Riewe: "Let your family and friends and those close to you know how important this is to you, and that their support is going to mean more than anything to you, especially if you're going to be 110 percent dedicated to losing weight. They really were helpful around the holidays so that I could have an extra helping of vegetables without any butter."
Schroeder: "Tommy took an extra step and called his aunt to ask if there would be anything he could eat at Christmas, if there was going to be anything that didn't have extra butter added, and he asked her to set aside some vegetables without butter for him."
How has your weight loss changed things for you?
Riewe: "It's been a night and day difference with everything. Growing up and being heavy made me feel left out. I'm now more social and I have the energy to get out there and live life. I feel like everything that I've gone through and been a part of with Fitness Together has been such a gift and a blessing. If there's anything I can do to encourage someone else who is struggling, I want to help them...I want others to feel the confidence I have right now. I finally feel there's some control over this area of my life. It's always going to be a struggle, but it's worth it. I have a friend who is working to lose weight, and he calls me sometimes to ask me what are the best choices for him to eat. It blows my mind that I have those answers."
To follow Riewe's weight loss, visit his blog at www.tommyriewe.bravejournal.com, and to see him in concert with his band, check their website, www.76juliet.com.
Get Going
The Exercies Habit
By Michael Krueger NSCA-CSCS
Treat the time you spend on your health and fitness as an investment.
Good habits are formed at the intersection of knowledge, skill and desire. All three of these elements are necessary for a worthwhile habit to take hold. It can take months to truly install a new habit. Even longer if an old one has to be replaced.
Knowledge is what to do and why. We are inundated with media reports of why we need to exercise. We see television programs, newspaper articles, magazines and advertising all explaining in detail why we need to get up and do something. We see and hear so much that we begin to ignore it. It all seems like a good idea but for some reason we just can't seem to figure out what kind of exercise to do or how to do it.
Skill is the how to do it part. Developing skill takes time, effort and good quality instruction. You can spend a lot of time trying to figure out the validity of all the claims made by any number of exercise sources. Most of these are simply trying to sell you a quick fix. Quality programs educate you as to what it actually takes to create the healthy exercise habit one day at a time. This is the tried and true way to success.
Lastly, you need the desire. You've got to want to do it. Many people think they really want to get into good shape, but when they realize what it is going to take, the commitment begins to wane. You need to be honest with yourself in regards to what you are willing to sacrifice to improve you health and fitness. Don't let anyone tell you that it doesn't involve sacrifice either. Some bad but comfortable habits have got to go, and this isn't easy. Surround yourself with supportive people. You want people around you who really care about you and your success.
Don't underestimate the power that habits, good or bad, can have on you. We tend to believe that if we want something enough that it will happen. To take responsibility for instilling a new habit, we must find room for it. That generally means something else must go. You must understand that everything you do is for a reason; it fills some deep seated need. It gives gratification and emotional support. Therefore, a new habit can't take hold until it does a better job of filling a need than the old habits did.
A person who understands what it takes to be successful knows that good habits can take a lot of the guesswork out of their day. These habits help them to maintain control of their time. They are more productive because they have the discipline to control their responses to each crisis that pops up and threatens to take over their day. They know that there is enough time each day to take care of everything that comes up and still maintain time for themselves, and for the things that are truly important to them.
When we look for time to fulfill our new goal of health and fitness, we usually look at the end and the beginning of the day. We sacrifice sleep or we try to add hours to an already cramped schedule. Guess what? It doesn't work. Something must go. You have to make a detailed examination of how you are spending your daily allotment of hours. You must look at the time and obligations in your life and analyze them as you would your budget. Where are my hours and minutes going? Where can I save and where must I spend, but most importantly, where can I invest.
That is the key. You must be willing and able to see the time you spend on your health and fitness as an investment. It is something that will yield benefits far beyond the superficial. Yes, you will look better, and that is important. You will feel better and be healthier, and that is even more important. But you will also have the knowledge that you are doing something that will enable you to function at a higher level in all aspects of your life. You will be able to work harder, play harder and experience life like you haven't in a long time.
If you are mentally and physically exhausted then you have a major problem. Your business will suffer, your family will suffer and all that you have worked toward will be at risk. All because you didn't make the effort to cut out the time wasters in order to institute a new healthy habit. Everything except your health was important. You thought you could cut corners and make it up some other time. Well, eventually time will run out.
How often do you end up sacrificing the time that you've allotted for yourself to someone else? What you've actually done is given away part of the capital that you were planning on investing in yourself. You only have so many hours in a day, and to set aside an hour or so to spend on yourself is not an unreasonable thing to do. It will make you so much more productive in everything else you do that you'll wish you could invest your money into an endeavor with a return rate that high.
Some people may attempt to make you feel guilty for taking time for yourself. Don't let this stop you. One way to deal with this is to schedule your exercise time just as you would any other meeting or obligation during your day. It takes discipline to make this happen. It requires that you maintain your motivation and sense of responsibility. Your time is important, your commitments are important, you are important.
You must understand that you control what happens to you. Your responses are your own. You cannot divest yourself of the responsibility to choose what you are going to do, and how you are going to spend your time. If you truly live your life according to the principles that you believe in, then you will decide your own fate. Make time to take care of yourself, both physically and mentally, and you will find that instead of being time strapped, you will open up a whole new world where the things that are important are treated that way and the minutia and time wasters are not allowed to have any influence at all.
Once you get rid of the old habits, and the new exercise and time management habits are in place, and new priorities are set along with the discipline to stick with them, then the real living begins. You will find that you now have so much more time and energy you will see just how well this investment in yourself has paid off. The effort will have been worth it and you were worth the effort.
Varying Your Workouts for Better Results
By Julie Ravet BS, MS, NSCA-CSCS
You have been exercising for months, pushing yourself in workouts day after day. Initially, you experienced great results and were well on your way to achieving your goals. Eventually, however, those improvements slowed down and may have even stopped altogether.You have hit the dreaded fitness plateau, a common problem among exercisers. While this can be a very discouraging problem, there is a solution. That solution is periodization.
Periodization dates as far back as the ancient Olympics, but really came into prominence in the 1960s. This system involves dividing your training into different phases and varying your training routine over time. Doing so allows for a more organized and systematic approach towards reaching your goals, while also preventing you from becoming over-trained or bored with one routine.
The scientific reasoning behind periodization comes largely from Hans Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) in which he describes how the human body responds and adapts to stress. Selye divided this response into three phases: Alarm, Resistance and Exhaustion.
The Alarm Phase involves an initial shock to the body. In an exercise situation, the Alarm Phase occurs when a new training stimulus is introduced, such as starting an exercise program or doing a new exercise. This typically leads to soreness, stiffness and possibly a decrease in performance. After this initial shock, the body begins to adapt to the demands that are placed on it. This is known as the Resistance Phase. During this stage, performance will start to increase, and you will see results such as increased strength and lean body mass. However, if this new training stimulus is too much or lasts for too long, you will enter the Exhaustion Phase. At this point fatigue will set in, performance will decrease, and any further gains will become negligible. Therefore, the goal of any training program should be to avoid this Exhaustion Phase. Altering various aspects of your workouts will allow you to keep shocking your body, thereby continually building up your resistance and ultimately avoiding that fitness plateau.
In order to better understand how periodization works, it is easiest to first look at how it applies to competitive sports, as this was its original purpose. Coaches have been using periodization for years in order to get their athletes to reach their top performance at a specific time.
With competitive sports there are typically three main phases: Prepatory (pre-season), Competitive (in-season) and Transition (recovery/off-season). The type and intensity of training will vary depending on what phase the athlete is in. For example, training in the Prepatory Phase primarily consists of general fitness, training all the major muscle groups and progressively increasing volume and intensity to prepare for competition.
More sports specific exercises and technical abilities are incorporated during the Competitive Phase. Also, during this stage the volume of training will start to decrease in order to provide recovery for important competitions. Finally, during the Transition Phase, the most important aspect is to allow the body to rest and recover from the stress of hard training and competition.
Although an average exerciser may not have a specific competition or event to train for, they can still benefit from a periodized training program similar to those used for athletes. The first step in this process is to set both long-term and short-term goals. This will give you something specific to work towards and help to define the variables of your workouts. Then, depending on your goals, your training plan can be divided into phases of various lengths. In each of these phases your workouts will change to keep your body adapting and your fitness improving.
While there are numerous ways to vary your workouts, the most common aspects to alter are volume (total amount of work done in a training session, sets x reps) and intensity (the amount of weight lifted). For example, the first phase of a periodized program may involve working on muscular endurance, using a high number of sets and reps with lower weights. The second phase could then be focused on gaining muscle size, therefore slightly decreasing the number of reps,
but increasing the intensity.
Finally, a third phase working on muscular strength would further lower the amount of reps, but use a much higher intensity. After a short recovery phase a new cycle could begin.
It is important to realize that there is no periodization program that works best for everyone. Individual factors such as your fitness level and goals will play a major role in your training program. However, by making planned, systematic changes to your workouts, whether they be changing the volume or intensity, or simply changing the exercises you do, the order you do them in, or even the location of your workouts, you will be more likely to keep improving and reaching your goals, while also enjoying your workouts along the way.
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