Category: Fitness and Weight Loss

Lack of time is cited as being one of the biggest reasons people don’t work out. Traditionally it was thought that doing cardio, and the longer the better, was the way to lose fat. Well, that sounds time consuming, doesn’t it? In the past few years, a great deal of research has proven that we’ve been wrong. HIIT or High-Intensity Interval Training has been shown to be far more effective than standard cardio training for fat loss.

Interval training is doing a certain number of bouts of exercise with a set rest period between. HIIT is taking those work intervals and pushing ourselves as hard as we can. HIIT has been getting more and more press as of late, possibly because of the popularity of CrossFit, P90X, Turbulence Training, Spartan Workouts, etc. that base their programs on the principals of HIIT…

Continue reading »

OK, so you got your gym membership. Check. Now it’s time to actually go!

With the winter months approaching, it’s easy to ignore your exercise routine; especially when you no longer have to worry about looking good in your bathing suit. Don’t fret, there are a few tips that will make your gym membership pay off.

1. Prep with tunes

I’m never happy with the overhead music they play at the gym – do they expect it to pump anyone up? No problem. Make sure your iPod is jam packed with the music that you just can’t help but get up and dance too – or run to!

2. Have a plan

Spend your drive to the gym thinking about what you’ll do when you’re there. I’ve found simply having a plan (even something as simple as “running for 30 minutes, followed by an arm workout, and finishing up with abs and stretching) can keep you from getting distracted, or worse – giving up and going home.

3. Get yourself there

I find one of the hardest parts about getting motivated at the gym is simply getting there. Once you step in the door, it’s hard not to get to work!

4. Have goals

You have a plan, but what are you working toward? Do you want to run for a mile longer than you did yesterday? Or maybe for just 5 minutes longer? Do you want to be able to do 5 more reps of a certain exercise? Or lift 5 pounds more? Goals keep us on track and even better: keep us motivated to keep coming back for more!

5. As for the 5th tip?

Well….why don’t one of you suggest one of yours! What keeps you motivated at the gym?

Continue reading »

“How do I get rid of my muffin top (the abdominal fat hanging over the belt) ?”, “…lose the fat on the back of my arms?”, “…get rid of the fat on my butt and thighs?”, “…get rid of my love handles?” These are questions I hear every day.

I’ve been a Personal Trainer for over 30 years and have known the secret to spot reducing for all of those years. Why is it a secret? Beats me. I’ve been preaching it as long as I can remember, but it just doesn’t seem to catch on. I’ll tell you it… are you ready? Wait for it… the secret to spot reducing is…you can’t! That’s it. That simple. There is no spot reducing. There is no triceps exercise that will get rid of the fat on your arms, no abdominal machine or gadget that will hit those love handles.

So here’s how it works:

Continue reading »

We all know that there are many excuses why people don’t exercise or don’t exercise enough. Are they valid? I polled colleagues to come up with a top ten list of excuses. Let’s explore them David Letterman-countdown style:

#10 You’re Too Embarrassed to Start

Really… it’s surprising how often we’ll hear “I’ll go to the gym after I lose some weight.” People can be very worried about what other club members are thinking about them. In fact, whatever shape you are in, by going to the club, you draw admiration because you chose to come in and change it. See Priscilla’s story on Fit at Five.

#9 You Have No Motivation

Change in behavior takes two beliefs: you must believe you can change and you must believe it’s worth it to change. There’s your motivation question: Is it worth it? Specifically, how would you feel differently if you reached your goals? How would your life be different? Your health? Now, is going to the club, working out, watching what you eat, worth it?

#8 You Don’t Know What to Do/How to Start

As with anything new, from ballroom dance, learning to play an instrument, to using a new computer program, get professional instruction. In this case, hire a Personal Trainer or take a group exercise class.

#7 Exercise is Boring/Don’t Like to Exercise

This is usually because people hold a stereotypical view of what exercise is. Yes, it can be the gym/club activities, but it is also all forms of dance, sports, yard work, and more importantly, physical play. If you’re bored or don’t like to exercise, you just haven’t found the right activity yet…

Continue reading »

Contrary to popular belief, diet supplements, the latest diet fad, and even exercise can’t help you lose as much weight as this secret. And I’m going to let you in on it….are you ready?

It’s portion control.

If you can control the size of your food and meal portions, you’re well on your way to looking great – and [bonus] feeling better.

It’s easy to over indulge, especially with those foods that may not be the healthiest for us. But don’t worry. You don’t have to give up your chocolate or lose the carbs.

Here are some tips that will help get your portions down to size [pardon the pun]…

Continue reading »

Brain health is an ever growing concern as people age. Alzheimer’s is the second most feared illness in America. What if we could help ward off the effects of this and other brain diseases? What if we could not only battle disease, but could also help increase everyone’s ability – young and old, to learn, reason, and remember things? Well guess what, we can. The science behind brain fitness provides exciting insights into how to maximize our brain health.

Here are the five pillars of brain fitness:

Pillar 1: Nutritional Guidelines

Proper nutritional habits are associated with better brain health (ratings like Guiding Stars can help you make better food choices)

• Decrease saturated fat (fats solid at room temperature) and sugar in your diet
• Increasing intake of antioxidants (found in beans, berries, apples, nuts, etc) & omega 3 fatty acids (including fatty fish, flaxseed, walnuts. sprouts, kale, etc)

Pillar 2: Stress Management

• Reduce cortisol, increase rest/recovery. Cortisol increases with stress. Elevated levels of cortisol interfere with the brain’s energy supply, the function of neurotransmitters, and helps increase free-radicals that damage brain cells. Reducing stress (through exercise, meditation, etc.) can help keep cortisol in check.

Pillar 3: Physical Exercise

• As little as 3 hours/week of cardiovascular can stimulate increases in Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor (BDNF), described as “Miracle Grow” for the brain

Pillar 4: Mental Stimulation

• Variety, challenge, novelty are essential to brain function. Just like our bodies responding to physical exercise, our brains respond to the challenge of mental exercise. What kinds of new, different things can you try?

Pillar 5: Social Interaction

• Create more opportunities to interact, build friendships. The more friends and daily interactions you have, the better it is for your brain function.

There you have it. The things we can take control of to enhance our brain health and function. Of course, as a Personal Trainer, I like to point out that pillars 2-5 can be found in a fun, friendly health club. So get to it. As the saying goes, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste…

Continue reading »

There’s more to exercise than meets the eye. Sure, you lose calories, weight, and look great. You chisel muscles and get lean; but exercise can do more than that.

Looking good leads to feeling good – both reasons lead to higher self esteem. Regular exercise will help you alleviate stress and feel happier.

Exercise helps your body work more efficiently, thereby giving you more energy. We could all do with a littler more energy, couldn’t we?

Not only will you have more energy, but at night you’ll be more tired. That’s right…put those sleeping pills away if you have trouble falling asleep at night. Exercise more, and you’ll find the secret to catching your z’s.

Walking, running, or going to the gym? Regardless, more exercise combats illness and chronic disease.

Spend some quality time with friends or family and go for a walk or a hike. Play with your kids on the jungle gym. All these seemingly fun activities?…code words for exercise…

Continue reading »