Count to 5 and Give Thanks!

5 ways to be thankful and enjoy the holiday:

1.  Be thankful that you don't have to wait to eat.  

If you enjoy a supportive breakfast and a supportive lunch, you will not be tempted to overeat during the    "big" meal of the day.  So eat well . . . all day!

2.  Be thankful the main course is turkey.

        What a great main dish!  Turkey is low in fat and high in protein.  Just what you need to make sure your body is not prompted to react with a high insulin response which causes more fat storage.

3.  Be thankful for lots of colorful vegetables.

Fill up with these low calorie, nutrient dense gems!  But make sure they are clean . . . not covered with sauce, or cheese or combined with high glycemic carbs.

4.  Be thankful for cool, clear water.

        And drink lots of it!  Remember that lots of calories lurk in holiday drinks.  But water is clear . . . and provides a fullness with no calories.

5.  Be thankful for the enjoyment of a holiday with a splurge of real sugar.

         The traditional dessert for Thanksgiving actually provides some nutrition along with the sugar . . . pumpkin has lots of fiber and vitamin A.  So enjoy . . . in small bites.

Toning Vs. Building Muscle

This is a woman thing.  Women say to me all the time, “I don’t want to build muscle. I just want to tone my muscles.”  Well, guess what.  It’s all the same thing.  When you work on your muscles by using resistance training, you are toning those muscles and building new muscle tissue.  (Actually, you build as you rest and as you eat.) Now, in order to become really “muscle-bound” like you see on the magazine covers, you have to eat insane amounts of protein and have an insane amount of testosterone at your body’s disposal.  Most people do not have that much testosterone naturally in their body.  And ladies, we naturally have WAY less than men do.  So unless you are “supplementing,” you are not going to become “muscle-bound.”  But if you are consistently doing the right kind of resistance training along with the right kind of aerobic training . . . and eating supportively, you will create and maintain that lean, fit, sexy look that all of us enjoy!

Do Carbohydrates Make Me Fat?

No, but that dress does.  Just kidding!  Your body requires 3 macro-nutrients:  Proteins, Fats and Carbohydrates.  You should not eliminate any one of these categories from your diet.  In fact, ideally, you should eat from each of these categories at every meal!  Now, carbohydrates come in all different shapes and sizes . . . and qualities.  Some carbs are pure fluff and provide little to no nutritional value to your body.  These include refined sugars and overly-processed flours: i.e. candy, cupcakes, white bread, white rice, crackers, and even pretzels and bagels.  When you eat grain carbohydrates, make sure they are made from whole-grains: i.e. oatmeal, whole wheat bagels, quinoa, and brown rice.  But realize, too, that vegetables and legumes are a great source of the carbohydrates that your body needs!  The key here is to eat as naturally as possible and avoid too many processed products.  If you do choose to eat from a package, read the ingredients and look for higher fiber numbers and lower sugar numbers. And combine the carbs that you eat with a protein and a fat.  This will help moderate your body’s uptake of the food and keep your blood sugar more stable.  And this really is the key to avoiding the fat accumulation that occurs in response to “feast” and “famine” blood sugar spikes and dips.  So, eat carbs.  Just try to eat mostly good quality carbs and eat a lean protein and a good fat with those good carbs.  You’ll feel the difference in the energy you have to face each day!

One or 24?

I saw a cartoon the other day . . . it depicted a man in a doctor's office.  The man was sitting on the exam room table in his boxer shorts and no shirt.  The doctor was standing next to him, looking at his file.  The caption is the doctor saying, "Well, what CAN you fit into your busy schedule?  One hour of exercise each day . . . or 24 hours of being dead?"  Pretty clear choice there, don't you think?  And even though the cartoon showed a middle-aged, beer-bellied man as the overly busy culprit, my thoughts went to all the young "soccer moms" who say to me, "oh, I just don't have time to come to class."  They tell me about driving to soccer practice and games and tournaments in other states.  They tell me about all the homework their kids have and how they have to help create the projects that are due each quarter.  They go on to tell me that when soccer is over, football will start and then it's basketball and then it's baseball.  Their blood pressure and their voices literally rise right before me as they justify their reasons for not taking time for themselves.  I want to shake them.  I want to say "one hour . . . or 24 hours?"  Who will be there for your kids if you don't take the one hour?  It's not going to happen tomorrow unless you make it happen today.  How do you think your kids would respond if given the choice of participating in one more sport, or having their mom be there when they graduate? or get married? or have kids of their own? Take your hour TODAY.  Then do it again tomorrow.  And then after a month of taking 30 hours out of the 720 available, take a good look at your kids and tell me that they really are worse off because you took those 30 hours for yourself. And then look in the mirror and realize that taking care of yourself is the best gift you can give your family.

Labels - The Deception and The Truth

I just finished the 4th of 4 presentations at Allstate reviewing food and nutrition.  I covered the science behind how your body responds to food and why we want to eat lean protein, quality carbohydrates and good fats with every meal.  I taught them how they can create gentle waves of blood sugar release instead of tsunami's by eating frequently and eating all three of the macronutrients listed previously.  But the most interesting part of the presentation is the "label reading" portion.  As I lead into this part, I remind my audience that the food companies are not concerned with the health of their families . . . they are concerned with the health of their own bottom line.  They want you to purchase their product.  So it is up to each of us to learn how to read through the deception that the labels often contain.  Serving size is the first thing that companies use to create a picture that may or may not be reality.  When you pick up a bottle of juice or pre-made protein drink, be careful to note if the servings per bottle is 1 or 2 or even 2.5.  The rest of the values listed on that label are all keyed into the serving size.  If sugars are listed at 28 grams and the servings per bottle is 2 -  you will consume 56 grams of sugar if you drink the whole bottle (which it's really designed for you to do)!  My husband picked up what looked like a single size serving of cottage cheese - it was a cup, and it looked very much like a yogurt container.  But the serving size was 1/2 cup, so that little container was really 2 servings.  The sodium in the serving size was 350mg . . . so if my husband would have eaten the whole thing (which he would!), he would have gotten 700mg of sodium in that one little serving of cottage cheese.  Remember that you should try to keep your sodium intake to 1500-2000mg each day . . . so he would have had about half of his total intake in that yogurt-sized portion of cottage cheese!  If you look at a certain popular cracker, the serving size is 4 crackers.  Who eats just 4 crackers????  The first part of the label states that a serving size has 0 grams of trans-fats.  We all know by now that trans-fats are bad for you because your body does not recognize this man-made substance as food.  But then if you read further into the actual ingredient list, you see that these crackers have "vegetable shortening, partially hydrogenated soybean oil" - otherwise known as trans-fats.  Every single cracker you eat actually has trans-fat in it.  The label can say "0 grams" because the company is allowed to "round down" for the amount in the serving size of 4 crackers.  And be aware that the "non-fat" cooking spray you use is actually 100% fat.  The serving size is 1/3 or 1/4 of a second!  It really is important to become a savvy shopper and understand all that you are putting into your body.  Learn to read labels and understand what they are truly telling you.  Not all that is put on sale as food is good for you. And you really are what you eat!

Blood tests and Breakfast

It’s been about 5 years since I’ve had a physical, so my doctor suggested that I get some basic blood tests done just to make sure that my 50 year old body is still functioning the way it should be.  Of course, those tests required me to be in a fasting state when they drew the blood.  Now, that might not sound too difficult to you . . . but to me, the very thought of not eating breakfast makes me cringe.  You see, I ALWAYS eat right when I get up every morning.  So, I got up at 5:45am, showered, dressed and left my house at 6:30am to get to my studio for my 7am client. I worked really hard at being pleasant during that session, but I have to admit, my stomach kept reminding me that it had been a very long time since it had experienced proper food intake.  As soon as I finished with that client, I hopped in the car and drove to the lab. It’s only about 3 miles away, but I felt spacey and found it difficult to concentrate as I was driving.  It only took about 10 minutes to check in, sit down, find my vein (the tech was very happy as my vein presented itself quite easily!), fill up 3 vials and get back into my car, driving as carefully as I could back home.  HOME . . . where breakfast waited . . . a protein shake and a bowl of oatmeal.  Oh my.  As I enjoyed that meal, I started to think.  How do people get up every day and go to work without eating????  How do they concentrate?  How do they function?  Have you ever sat down to dinner with a friend and they’ve commented that they “haven’t eaten a thing all day?” Wow.  I could barely last a few hours.  Then it hit me. Metabolism 101.  You really are the Master of your own Metabolism.  The people who skip breakfast have slowed their metabolism down enough so they can function without that first meal. I’m sure that’s not really what they intended to do, but that is the result of their self-imposed fasting.  You see, my metabolism is cranked, so my body was screaming for nourishment.  If you asked the average person what kind of metabolism they want - fast or slow – I bet 99% would say fast.  But then they would add that they are “burdened” with a slow metabolism. Not so.  They are actually creating their own burden by not eating frequently and not fueling their bodies with functional nutrition. Eat. And enjoy the benefits of creating that fast metabolism that you’ve always desired.

When should I do my cardio: Before or After my weight lifting routine?

Once you understand the energy systems in the body, this question is really easy to answer.  You have 3 energy systems:  a quick response system, a long-term regenerating system and an in-between system.  We really only need to look at the first two.  In the quick-response system, you are utilizing the energy stored in your muscles.  That energy is finite.  Once it’s gone, the muscles have to rest to re-create and store more (and they must have the building blocks for that energy readily available).  In the long-term regenerating system, the muscles actually have the capacity to create “on-the-go” energy.  So you can keep moving and the muscles don’t have to rest to regenerate energy. Some of the fuel that is used in that “regeneration” process is fat, so it always has the building blocks available.  Consider your goals with weight lifting and with cardio.  When you’re lifting, you are trying to build/tone muscle.  When you’re doing your cardio, you are trying to increase your endurance/improve your cardiovascular systems/burn body fat.  Here’s the key:  the quick-response energy will be used first – no matter which kind of exercise you are doing.  If you use it up on your cardio, your body will seamlessly switch to the long-term system.  But then, if you try to lift weights afterwards, your lifting session will be less than ideal, because lifting primarily uses the quick-response system and there is no longer any fuel available for that system.   So, to get the most out of both exercise components, you should lift first using the quick-response system, and then get on the cardio equipment and utilize your stored fuel (fat) as you dip into the long-term system.  It’s all about efficiency and effectiveness for your body!

Skinny fat or Skinny attractive?

Which sounds better to you?  I hope the latter!  If you just concentrate on losing weight, or on being thin, the first will result.  If you create a balance between the right nutrition, the right aerobic training and the right resistance training, you will achieve the attractive results that most of us want.  I address these topics in the first few entries to this blog:  The Right Balance.  Ladies, take note:  one of my colleagues said, "there is nothing worse than taking hold of a woman's leg and feeling a squishy sponge."  Skinny fat is NOT the way to go!

5 things each day = health!

You have 5 fingers.  Use them to count as you do 5 healthy things for yourself each day.  Here’s a list to choose from:

1.  Eat breakfast

2.  Do 30 minutes of exercise before or after work.

3.  Breathe deeply for 1 minute each hour during the work day.

4.  Stretch for 20 minutes.

5.  Walk your dog.

6.  Walk your spouse.

7.  Do other nice things with your spouse.

8.  Eat vegetables with each meal.

9.  Choose water instead of soda for lunch.

10.  Go to bed early enough to get 7 or 8 hours of sleep.

11.  Eat dinner together as a family.

12.  Eat 5 or 6 small meals during the day.

13.  Eat a lean protein, a starchy carb and a fibrous carb with each meal.

14.  Avoid sugar all day.

15.  Lift weights.

16.  Take an exercise class.

17.  Golf. Or play tennis. Or run. You get the idea.

18.  Do an exercise video.

19.  Walk to your coworker’s cubicle and talk to him instead of calling or emailing him.

20.  Take a relaxing bath.

21.  Read a few chapters in your favorite book.

22.  Get a massage.

23.  Focus on your spirituality by praying or meditating.

24.  Floss your teeth.

25.  Cook dinner yourself instead of going out to eat at a restaurant.

Do 5 of these things each day for 30 days.  Then send me an email and tell me how you are feeling.  I bet you will be healthier and happier!

dbailey@theconditioningclassroom.com

Failure

It's not a word we like to connect ourselves with.  How did you feel if you received an "F" on an assignment in school?  Deflated. Frustrated. Demoralized. Not exactly ready to face the world with confidence, that's for sure! One of my clients came in this week and as she reluctantly handed me her food and exercise log, she exclaimed, "I get a big ol' F for the week."  She had taken her son on a college visitation out of town and hadn't completed any of the assignments I had given her.  So, on the one hand, she was right. If we looked only at that week, she did fail.  But wait. Even though my studio is called The Conditioning Classroom, it's not a traditional school and we actually encourage failure!  Well, a certain kind of failure, anyway.  In resistance training, we have a term called "momentary muscle failure."  MMF.  It's what happens when you can't possibly do another bicep curl . . . or shoulder press . . . or squat.  Your muscles "fail" because they have exhausted the energy available to them.  But notice the first word in MMF is "momentary."  It's not actually failure - or at least not what we assign to the word failure.  We tend to think of failure as final.  In MMF, it's momentary, because your body responds and creates the energy necessary to do another set.  But more importantly, MMF sends a very clear signal to your body that it needs to change and create more muscle mass so that "failure" doesn't happen so fast the next time you challenge it. It makes itself better because of failure. We encourage our clients to experience MMF so their bodies respond by increasing lean muscle mass and thereby igniting their metabolism. Ladies, take note:  This is why you will never significantly change your figure for the better using your plastic coated, pink 3# dumbbells! You need to actually challenge your muscles enough to experience failure . . . the MMF kind.
But back to my client and her "F" for the week.  After a very satisfying and exhausting workout, I explained the concept of MMF to her. And I told her that yes, she deserved an "F" for the week, but in The Conditioning Classroom, it's not Final.  It's Momentary. And it will make her stronger. She now has a more focused approach to reach her goal of wearing something "form fitting" for her family Christmas picture. So the next time you experience failure in your job, or in your pursuit of health, remember that if the failure is Momentary, you will actually become stronger. Don't let failure be final. It's really only a stepping stone to your next success!

A day with the family

Why do you work out?  A smaller waist?  Bigger muscles? Those are good reasons . . . but today I heard one of the best reasons.  I'm working with a client who has Multiple Sclerosis.  She is plagued with chronic fatigue.  She gets up, gets the kids ready for school and then goes back to bed.  Over the last few years, she has retreated more and more into a recluse kind of lifestyle . . . reading about life, but not living it. Yesterday, she got up, helped get the family ready, packed lunch and went to the beach . . . a day with the family.  As they were driving to the beach, her husband looked over at her and said, "Oh my God.  You are with us."  You see, before she started working out and doing the ALIVE protocol, her husband would have taken the kids to the beach by himself.  But not yesterday.  The whole family went together.  Including my client. Mom.  On a family holiday to the beach.  You see, working out means so much more than inches and pounds.  It means minutes and memories . . . a day with the family.

Take a Mulligan

My saving grace in golf . . . mulligans.  They are basically a "do-over."  You wipe the slate clean and take another shot as if it were your first.

Today, I had a client come in who was just distraught.  She had a started a new phase in her workout plan with me and three days into it, she had done nothing. Zilch. Not even attempted anything.  I could tell something was wrong as soon as she walked in the door. Her demeanor, her expression, her voice all screamed at me, "I'M A FAILURE!"  Those weren't her words and she didn't really scream, but she did say to me that she felt like she had taken a "giant step backwards" and that she had "reversed all the progress" that she had made thus far.  She confided that she really didn't understand what went wrong.  She just stepped off the bus.

I told her that sometime down the road, it would be beneficial to examine what happened and be able to identify the causes so she can avoid the same pitfalls again.  But today - right now - she needs to take a mulligan.  Look forward, sight the pin, set the ball on the tee and swing again.  We had a great workout and she left with a smile on her sweaty face.

Everyone has moments or days or even weeks that just need to be forgotten.  It doesn't mean abject failure. Luckily, we can "do-over" a lot and move forward again.  Even if you haven't taken care of your body . . . even though it is the only one you will get . . . even if it has gone beyond neglect into downright abuse . . . you still have the option of looking forward, establishing a goal, aligning yourself with a professional and starting down the road to health.  Every step you take and every choice you make moves you closer to health or to disease. Give yourself that chance.  Take a mulligan and start living like you really want to be alive.

Growing Older or Getting Old?

Growing older does not have to mean getting old.  Do you give in and start complaining about all the aches and pains?  Or do you keep active to blow right past those same aches and pains?

Last week, I was sitting in the Sprint store buying a new phone.  The woman next to me was talking to the Sprint customer service person on the 1-800 line . . . yes, while she was sitting in the store.  Apparently, the store manager was not giving her what she wanted, so she called the customer service line to see what she could get from them.  As she talked to this customer service representative, she told them, "I'm pushing 50, so I am elderly."  Wow.  I could not believe that someone younger than me would consider themselves "elderly."  She said it several times, so she must really believe it.  I really wanted to lean over and let her know that I am over 50 and I am DEFINITELY NOT elderly.

On the other hand, a client of mine was at a family reunion and they were cranking the tunes like Sister Sledge, "We are Family" . . . and her 89 year old aunt was dancing and suddenly dropped down into the splits!  Wow, again.  I love it!!!

They say that age is a mindset.  I think they are right.  But I would add that your activity level can adjust your mindset and help you look, feel and move as a person who is far younger than your actual calendar age. Is your activity level moving you backwards on the lifeline . . . or forwards?

The E-Myth: Energy, Exercising and Eating Right

Personal trainers and physicians are always talking about “eating right and exercising.”  But what is “eating right” and why should we make the effort?

Benefit #1 -  Become a “hottie” and rev up your metabolism

Believe it or not, you control your metabolism.  By eating frequently, you are literally adding fuel to the fire and keeping it burning hot!  Metabolism is simply the process by which your body converts fuel (food) into useful energy. If you eat once a day, your “fire” struggles to stay lit, much less hot.  Choosing to eat 5 or 6 smaller meals each day keeps your systems working and allows that “fire” to burn through each meal because your body is confident that another meal is coming in a few hours.  No need to store any fuel (i.e. body fat!) because fuel is being added regularly.

Benefit #2 – Unwrap that 6-pack and show it off

When each of the 5 or 6 meals that you consume are made up of quality ingredients, not only does your metabolism stay hot, but subtle shifts occur in your hormonal balance that encourages fat loss.  High quality food is real food . . . not the pre-packaged, overly processed, fast food that is calorie dense but nutritionally void.  Each meal should consist of 3 components:  a lean protein, a fibrous carbohydrate (vegetable!) and a starchy carbohydrate (whole grains, potatoes, and beans). Your body also needs good fat . . . but don’t clog it up with too much of the stuff!  Remember, all those crunches and core exercises you’re doing are certainly creating a wonderful 6-pack . . . but you need to shed that layer of fat to show it off!

Benefit #3 -  Unlimited battery power

Alright, maybe not “unlimited”  . . . but your energy will not only increase, it will stay consistent throughout the day.  No more roller coaster highs and lows.  No more dependence on chemical stimulants.  And then no more need for chemical depressants to sleep at night.  With your quality food, consistently applied, your blood sugar will gently undulate instead of spike and crash and your pancreas will be able to able to handle each day with ease.  BONUS:  STAYING ALIVE AND HEALTHY!  Insulin resistance, Type 2 Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and other lifestyle diseases can easily be traced to overloading the pancreas by making it respond to excesses in blood sugar caused by overly processed, fiber-free and sugar-laden diets.

           

Want some ideas on how to fit these frequent meals into your day? What to fix?  How to avoid the drive-thru?  Go to www.theconditioningclassroom and visit the Focus on Food page.  We’ll give you some quick ideas to get you started.  We also provide an educational seminar discussing food labeling, nutritional best practices and the option for a personalized grocery trip or pantry raid.

Technology or Real Human Interaction?

I can do anything better than you!  If you are not familiar with the musical, “Annie Get Your Gun” this is the title of one of the most enjoyable songs ever if you enjoy the tension between male and female.

Technology is good . . .

But I say:  I can do anything better than Wii . . . or DVD . . . or any phone or iPad app!

1.  Knowledge

The technology available has drawn from the current knowledge of exercise physiology.  But it is stagnant to the time and place it is created.

I also draw from the current knowledge of exercise physiology . . . and I am able to constantly update myself with the continuing education that I demand of myself and that my certification demands of me. 

2.  Accountability

The technology has tools for you to record your progress.  But does that mysterious entity really care about you?  

I keep up with my clients and their changing lives.  You must actually face me each appointment and tell me about your progress.  I have the opportunity and the ability to applaud your successes and suggest changes to help you improve.

3.  Individual Attention

The technology may have broad “categories” for you to identify yourself with: a golfer, a tennis player, someone who wants to lose weight, etc.  But does it know YOU?

I consider YOU in each exercise prescription . . . your personal goals as well as your personal limitations.  YOU are not a broad category.  YOU are an individual that needs to be assessed individually. And your workout changes as YOU need.

4.  Proper form

The technology can show you how to do an exercise properly.  It may even give you “feedback” about your form via an electronic plate.

But I can look at your execution of each technique “real time” and adjust as your body needs.  You may have really tight hamstrings – the technology does not know how to adjust for that limitation, or how to help guide you to correct that issue for all movement patterns.

5.  Motivation

The technology can give you a goal.  It can be that external motivation to get you started on a path to change your life.

I can help you internalize that motivation so that it becomes part of who you are, not just an external “pusher.” This is for LIFE, not for just a few weeks.

Apps and DVD's are good tools.  Appreciate them for the value they provide.  But don't forego human interaction.  Its value is not just calculated in simple integers, but in the Powers that can result from multiplying value upon itself.  It's not just "better" . . . it's light years ahead.

Colorado is Last

We’re number 51 . . . we’re number 51!  It doesn’t sound as impressive as “we’re number 1”, but it basically means the same thing.  In a recent report from the Trust for America’s Health, Colorado ranked number 51 in obesity rankings for all states and the District of Columbia.  I know that looks really good if you stop right there.  And I’m usually the kind of person who looks at things from a positive point of view.  But if you look at the whole report, Colorado has almost doubled its number of obese population in just 15 years!  In 1995, the percentage of obese people in our state was just a little over 10%.  The report that was just released combined data from 2007 – 2009, and the percentage has grown to 19.8%!  Yes, we are the only state in the nation that is still under 20%, and we have almost the slowest rate of growth (DC is number 51 in that category), but it disturbs me that we are growing in that category at all. I would like to challenge Colorado to become the first state to decrease the percentage of obese population.  The report details some suggestions to government and the food industry how to help reduce this epidemic . . . things like protecting the Prevention and Public Health Fund, and implementing the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act and the National Physical Activity Plan. Wow.  Those sound great  . . .  and none of us have any responsibility.  Let’s let the President and Congress restore us to health!  No, I don’t think that’s the answer.  Those programs may very well be worthwhile, but they will not reverse the growth of obesity.  We have to be willing to step up as individuals and take responsibility for ourselves and our families.  How much do you move each day?  What are you feeding yourself and your kids?  Are you investing in your health or are you too busy with other things?  We are each responsible for taking the steps necessary to reduce our own body fat.  And there are plenty of fitness professionals to help us figure out how to do just that.  

Fitting Fitness In

You’ve been told to exercise.  You understand that it is good for you.  But you are TOO BUSY!

How do you fit fitness into your life?  Here are 5 quick ways to get 30 minutes of movement into each day:

1.      Do 30 minutes of yoga before going to bed.  You’ll sleep better and experience less joint pain in the morning.  Never done yoga?  You can take a beginning class at a gym like The Conditioning Classroom.  Or you can pick up one of the many DVD’s available online.

2.      Do 100 squats each day.  Not all at once . . . break it up. Do 25 while you’re brushing your teeth; do 10 squats each time you take a phone call; finish out the day with enough squats to reach 100 while you are watching American Idol or whatever reality show floats your boat.

3.      Take a 30-minute walk in the evening with your spouse.  Actually talk to each other.  Additional activity may result.

4.      If you do 10 minutes before breakfast, 10 minutes before lunch, and then 10 minutes before dinner . . . you have 30 minutes total.  Think of it like this:  Do jumping jacks before eating your Flap Jacks in the morning.  Lunge at lunch.  Sit Ups before sitting down for supper. Those 30 minutes flew by and you didn’t miss a thing!

5.      Take 5 minutes and schedule an appointment into each day for exercise.  Actually write it into your calendar.  Tell your assistant this appointment is sacred.  Start to believe that the sky will indeed fall if you miss this appointment.  Then use that time to go for a bike ride or a swim.  Or take a class.  Or go to the gym and meet with a personal trainer.

These 5 simple ideas will help you begin to fit fitness into your life and you will begin to experience all of its stress-reducing benefits.  Your heart will thank you. Your family will thank you. And that spring in your step will absolutely increase your effectiveness at work.  If you need help putting a plan into action, let me know.  

The Right Aerobic Exercise

Remember that word, “balance?”  Oftentimes, those who enter (or re-enter) the fitness world will add some kind of aerobic activity and nothing else . . . thinking that all they have to do is “burn more calories.”  As we have learned in the previous articles, we need to include the right nutrition, the right resistance training and the right aerobic exercise in order to keep our fitness world in balance.

No, there is not one “perfect” form of aerobic exercise.  The best activity is the one that you will enjoy and continue to do on a regular basis.  A simple definition of aerobic exercise is any activity that improves your cardiovascular and respiratory functioning.  Outdoor examples are running, biking, skating, and walking.  Classes are available such as kickboxing, Jazzercise, ballroom dancing and step aerobics.  You also have the option of utilizing machines in a gym setting such as a treadmill, stationary bike, Arc Trainer or elliptical trainer.  Or you can play a game of basketball or soccer or tennis.  The key is to keep moving.  Aerobic exercise is an important part of your well-being balance equation because it does improve your cardiovascular and respiratory fitness.  It also helps to burn calories as you perform the activity and keeps your furnaces burning for a short time after you stop.  Aerobic exercise, however, does not increase your metabolism long term.  Only by increasing and maintaining your lean muscle mass will you keep your fires hot for the long haul.  The mistake that some people make in the fitness balance is to include too much aerobic exercise, thinking that they need to burn as many calories as possible.  Unfortunately, if you upset the balance in this way, your body (which wants to survive, remember!) will begin to utilize an energy source which is counterproductive to your goals.  Your body will begin to convert its own muscle mass to energy . . . in other words, it begins to eat itself.   This is especially true if you combine a calorie restrictive diet with excessive aerobic exercise.  Remember that maintaining your muscle mass is critical to keeping your metabolism as high as possible.  The last thing you want your body to do is work against you and begin to reduce your gains in the weight room.  So, we are back to the word balance.  Moderate aerobic exercise is absolutely essential to your overall fitness . . . but keep “moderation” uppermost in your mind.

Balance is the key.  Incorporating all three elements of nutrition, weight training, and aerobic exercise will enable you to relax and enjoy the ride to the best shape of your life!

The Right Resistance Training

So far, we have discussed nutrition and the right way to fuel our bodies.  Now we will come to understand the importance of resistance training (or weight lifting) for everyone.  You don’t have to be a professional or varsity level athlete to benefit from this activity!  In fact, it is essential to include some kind of resistance training to your fitness world in order to keep things in balance.

The weight on the scale has validity, but the number you should really be concerned with is your body composition value:  lean muscle mass versus body fat.  Muscle mass is active tissue.  It helps support and move our body.  Fat is also necessary in our body.  It helps protect our organs, transports hormones and nutrients to the right places, and provides stored energy.  Here again we come back to balance.  Excess fat in our bodies is unhealthy.  As we age, we begin to lose muscle mass.  In order to fight that loss, we must provide the muscles with resistance training, i.e. weight lifting.  As active tissue, the muscle mass in our bodies is key to our metabolism.  Because it is active and needs to be fed nutrients, muscle mass demands that our furnaces stay hot.  Fat is not active tissue and does not demand any energy.  So the key to keeping our metabolism high is keeping the right body composition.

Weight lifting and functional resistance training not only helps to shape our bodies, but helps the muscles learn to coordinate in the best way possible so we can enjoy the recreation of our choice.  Runners can work on their upper body and core strength so their torsos remain upright and strong even at the point of fatigue.  Golfers can learn how to transfer lower body force to the upper body for longer drives. Tennis players can build strength in the muscles surrounding their knees and shoulders to protect those joints as they go through extreme ranges of motion.  And who doesn’t like to feel a little less “wobbly” when putting on a swimming suit!

And finally, keeping our muscles strong helps keep our bones strong.  Bone density is another concern in the aging process and proper weight bearing activities will encourage the bones to constantly remodel themselves. 

So what is the "right" resistance training?  There are many ways to design a weight lifting program and the "right" one depends on who you are, where you're coming from and what you want to accomplish. A personal trainer can make sure you are doing the right kind of lifting to move you towards health and help your body be the best it can be.  (We'll talk later about what to look for in a personal trainer.)

The Right Nutrition

The body is built to survive.  It will respond appropriately to whatever circumstances it finds itself in.  If it is not receiving enough “fuel” (in other words, food!), it will make the necessary changes to make sure that the fuel it does receive will help the body survive.  It will cool down its furnaces so the fuel is not burned as quickly and it will store as much of the fuel as it can so that it has reserves to tap into when the right amount of fuel is not available.  In other words, if you are not eating enough, your metabolism actually slows down and your body packs away as much energy as it can . . . in the form of fat.  Fat is really stored fuel for your body.  We all need some stored fuel, but the unnecessary hoarding of excessive amounts is what we want to avoid!

A regular injection of fuel is also important. If we allow the fire to burn down too far, the body cools the furnace again to conserve energy.  When we only eat 1 or 2 times each day, the body is confused and doesn’t know that it will be getting enough fuel to survive, so it slows the metabolism again and stores as much energy as it can (fat) because it doesn’t know when the next meal is coming!

The right fuel at the right time is critical.  In order to have your body believe that it will have the fuel it needs to survive, you need to eat 5 or 6 times each day.  And those meals need to contain the right balance of nutrients each time.  The macro nutrients that we need are protein, carbohydrates and fats.  Each time you eat, try to include something from each category.  Obviously, if we overfill the tank 5 or 6 times a day (eat too much at every meal), the body will be forced to store what it doesn’t need.  The right amount each meal depends on who you are and your activity level.  Listen to your body and eat just enough to be satisfied until you eat again 3 to 3 ½ hours later. 

Don’t forget that the fuel you put into your body needs to be good quality fuel.  Your car engine knows when it has inferior fuel and it doesn’t run as smoothly as possible.  Your body is smarter than your car!  The protein that you eat needs to be lean protein:  turkey, chicken, fish, lean beef, eggs, etc.  The carbohydrates need to be from vegetables and complex sources such as whole grains.  The fats need to be quality as well:  olive oil, avocados, flax seed oil, nuts, etc.  Try to avoid saturated fats which typically come from animal sources and definitely avoid trans-fats which are the man-made hydrogenated oils.

Sugar is a subject all to itself.  Sugar provides quick energy.  It tastes great!  It also inhibits the use of our stored fat as an energy source.  Why should the body convert fat to energy when it has the easy source of sugar?  So, if one of your goals is to get leaner, you really need to reduce sugar consumption.  The important thing to remember here is that sugar is in a lot of things (not just candy bars!):  ready-made cereals, bread, soda pop, energy drinks, fruit and fruit juice, and alcohol.  Try to limit your intake of these things if you are serious about losing excess fat.  And yes, that means limiting fruit.  Think of fruit as a dessert, because that is its true identity.

The Right Balance

Remember when you were first learning how to ride a bike?  You had to concentrate really hard to stay balanced and keep going.  Then it got easier.  You could hop onto your bicycle and cruise down to your friend’s house and not have to think about staying upright.  It became second nature.  Balance in your life is just as important.  We are keenly aware of that balance when it is “out of whack.”  Things just don’t go as smoothly as they ought to and we have to turn our attention to keeping our balance.

Balance in your physical well-being is what we will focus on here.  In order for your body to function as a well-tuned machine, you need a three-pronged approach:

The Right Nutrition

The Right Resistance Training

The Right Aerobic Exercise

When you get these three things in balance, you give your body the opportunity to function optimally and you can approach your goals with confidence!