Don't Be Afraid of the Incredible Bulk

Benefits of Strength Training

Mention the words “strength training” and many people will roll their eyes and poo-poo the entire idea. Images of big burly men lifting Olympic size weights immediately enter their minds. Who wants to have muscles like that?

What they don’t understand is that strength training isn’t about getting bulging muscles. Oh, you can get them, if you are a man; but the average woman won’t build “manly” muscle – no matter how much they lift.

First, let’s define strength training, or resistance training. Resistance training is any exercise that causes muscle to contract against an external resistance with the expectation of increasing strength, tone, mass, and/or endurance. The external resistance can be anything that causes the muscles to contract – such as dumbbells, tubing, or even your own bodyweight. So, do a push-up and you are strength training – no bulging muscles there!

Now, let’s put away our overactive imaginations for a moment, and take a look at why you should be strength training.

I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying, “use it or lose it”. With muscle, this can be taken quite literally. As we grow older, our lean muscle mass diminishes, and if you don’t do anything to replace it, it will be replaced by fat. By strength training, you build lean muscle mass, reversing this aging effect.

Stronger muscle will help you perform daily chores, reducing your risk of injury and increasing the chances of maintaining your independence as you grow older. And you can start at any age; research has shown that whether you are 20 or 60, you can make the same gains (progress) in the gym.

There are many health benefits from strength training. It not only builds muscle mass, but stresses your bones, increasing bone density and reducing your risk of osteoporosis as you get older. Research has shown that it can help reduce the signs and symptoms of many chronic conditions, including arthritis, back pain, depression, diabetes, obesity.

You don’t need to spend hours in the gym – you don’t even need a gym – to reap the benefits of strength training. You can gain an increase in strength with just 2-3, 20-30 minute sessions per week. This meets the American College of Sports Medicine and government health guidelines for strength training.

Now that you know why you should be strength training, do you know how?

To avoid injury, be sure and start slow. If you are a beginner, start with bodyweight exercises. Make sure you learn proper form and technique. You can either hire a trainer, or find some professional videos on the internet to show you a demonstration of each exercise.

If you start with dumbbells, make sure you pick a weight that will allow you to do 12 repetitions. You don’t want to go too light, but you shouldn’t be struggling either. Once you can do 12 repetitions, and the 12^th rep is no longer a challenge, you will need to increase your weight or reps. It is important to progress by increasing your weights or reps; this continuous challenge allows your muscles to grow strong and stay strong.

Make sure you allow for rest days for the muscles to recover. You can do this by performing a full body routine on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; or upper body Monday, lower body Tuesday and resting on Wednesday and starting routine over on Thursday. A 

It's Never Too Late

No matter what your age, you can improve your level of fitness. Having strong muscles help you to maintain good posture, alleviate joint pain and even prevent osteoporosis; but as we get older our bodies begin to lose muscle mass and strength. However, studies show you are never too old to teach your muscles new tricks. According to a study in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, it was determined that women in their twenties and their sixties, made gains in the weight room at the same rate. Here are some tricks you can utilize in your routine to keep your muscles strong.

Firm Up Faster: Add 5 percent more weight to your reps. If you can do leg presses with 100 lbs now, for 2 consecutive sets, add 5-10 lbs. more weight in your next workout. Studies show that people who increase their weights by 5-10 percent can gain strength by 38% in 13 weeks.

Strengthen your ticker: Add interval cardio training in your gym routine. Research shows that this type of training increases your cardio capacity and strengthens your heart muscle. Perform short bursts of intense exercise followed by a period of recovery. Perform 6-8 rounds.

Power Up: To increase your muscles power, try fast lifts. According to Brad Schoenfield, author of Women’s Home Workout Bible, by incorporating this type of training into your workout, you increase how quickly your muscles can generate force. His rule of thumb: Lift your weight in a 1 / 2 tempo – lift the weight in one second, take 2 seconds to lower the weight. Example: In a bicep curl, curl the weight quickly – taking only one second, but lower the weight slowly – taking two seconds.

Are You Standing In Your Own Way?

Why Can't I Lose Weight?

Everyone is different, but there may be specific reasons you aren’t losing weight – and they are in your control to do something about it!

You're not strength training. Often, people who can't lose weight don't do any strength training. The more lean muscle mass you have, the faster your resting metabolism, because muscle is the body's most metabolically active tissue.

You're not exercising in a way that forces the body to adapt. The adaptive response requires energy; it raises your body's energy needs. The body will then dig into stored fat for this energy.

If you've been strength training and the weight hasn't been coming off, it's because you're not doing much more than merely going through the motions.

There's the story of a heavy-set woman who was doing lat pull-downs with 70 pounds. A trainer waltzed over, knelt beside her, said "Hi" with a smile, then moved the machine's pin to the 100 pound mark.

The woman's mouth fell open, but the trainer said, "You're going to do 100 pounds for your next set, and eight times."

"I can't do 100 pounds!"

"Oh yes you can. Trust me. You're going to complete eight reps."

The woman said her goal was to lose weight, but nothing was happening despite regular workouts. She began pulling down the bar, and it wasn't easy. She had to fight her way to the eighth rep, but she completed eight full repetitions.

The trainer said, "Now that's the way every set should feel. Apply this effort level to all of your sets for every exercise. You won't lose weight if you keep doing something your body is efficient at. You must do something that forces you to struggle. Struggling begets weight loss."

A month later the woman reported having dropped an entire dress size.

Moral of this true story: Exercises that require struggling will burn fat and cause weight loss, especially when coupled with sensible eating.

You eat mindlessly. Every little sample and nugget counts. One tablespoon of gravy is 100 calories. A "little bit here and there" adds up. Avoid eating due to cues not related to sustenance, such as watching TV.

You drink diet sodas. Artificial sweeteners often trigger hunger.

Too many processed foods. These trigger hunger, and too much white sugar and high fructose corn syrup will get stored as fat.

You’ve gone no-carb or fat free. Cutting out a whole food group such as carbs will result in quick weight loss, but not only are you depriving your body of needed nutrients to function; you are more likely to gain the weight back after re-inserting these foods back into your eating pattern. Fat free foods are often higher in sodium and sugars to make up for the lack of fat. Go for reduced fat or alternative products.

You skip breakfast. Breakfast, even if it's only a cup of yogurt, tends to tame later-day appetite. Skipping it can make you feel entitled to overeat later on.

You don't do cardio. It's amazing how many people, who don't do cardio, wonder why they can't lose weight. Taking care of two preschoolers or pulling weeds does not replace structured cardiovascular exercise.

You hold onto the treadmill. This has got to be one of the most weight-loss-sabotaging habits out there. The body has absolutely no reason to burn more fat in response to make-believe walking.

Instead, pump the arms and get winded to force your body to adapt. Remember, the body won't adapt to something that it's very efficient at doing (e.g., walking while holding onto something for support).

You don't do HIIT: high-intensity interval training. This form of cardio blasts fat fast.

You have inconsistent exercise habits. Weight loss won't go hard and deep if your workouts are not consistent. Even if you're doing everything right in the gym, consistency is still very important.

You have poor sleeping habits. Research shows that less than six hours of sleep and over nine are strongly linked to excess body fat.

Tricks to Help You Curb Your Food Cravings

Food cravings. They can attack us all; from the 5-time marathon runner to the newly-recovering couch potato. Food cravings are unavoidable, and to deny their existence will make you more vulnerable when they attack. The best thing to do is to have strategies in place to combat them and to meet them head on. Here are some great tricks to curb those cravings. Post them on your refrigerator and you'll be sure to slay the monster.

Stop Cravings Before They Start.

Prevent cravings by making sure you're eating small, well-balanced meals and snacks throughout the day. As a matter of fact, if you're eating whole foods every 3-4 hours, your belly will stay relatively full and your blood sugar level. Without dangerous dips in your blood sugar, you're less likely to crave quick fixes like simple carbs or bad fats.

Hydrate!

Did you know that sometimes what our brains register as hunger is actually our bodies trying to tell us that we're dehydrated? The next time a craving hits you out of nowhere, make it a point to drink a full glass of water.

Distract Your Taste Buds.

Sometimes cravings hit because you're stressed or bored and your mouth needs something to do. A great trick is to pop a piece of gum or a breath mint. The burst of flavor will refocus your palate and nip that craving in the bud. Usually when your mouth is already full there's no room to want anything more.

Don't Eat. Act.

Sit down and make a list of 10 things that you can do instead of succumbing to your cravings. Keep the list close at hand and refer to it often. It may sound cheesy, but it's a great weapon against those pesky cravings. Your list might include going for a walk, taking a quick shower, playing with a pet, or chatting with a loved one. The point is to focus your attention elsewhere and recondition your mind to crave something more active instead of the food you don't need.

Rule Your Cravings with an Iron Fist.

Sometimes it's less about craving a particular food and more about general impulse control. The next time you are hit with a diet-busting craving, clench your fists as you tell yourself that you will not indulge. Research has shown that the physical activity of clenching your fists can help you assert control and be conscientious in your decision making.

Remember: Sharing Is Caring...For Yourself

If you just can't resist a piece of cheesecake or that bowl of ice cream, try splitting one serving with a friend. There are three reasons why this strategy halts the damage cravings can inflict on your fitness goals. First, you'll get a satisfying taste, preventing you from feeling deprived and possibly opening yourself up to a dangerous binge later on. Second, by splitting the portion you instantly cut down on the calories and bring your treat down to manageable levels of sugar, fat, and sodium. Lastly, you get instant support in your healthy decision from your like-minded friend. Just make sure you and your cravings-buddy split a single portion - not an entire extra-large everything pizza. 

7 DAY POST HOLIDAY BACK ON TRACK CHALLENGE

Feeling the post-Thanksgiving food hangover? Here is a quick way to get you back on track – 7 days is all it takes. For the next 7 days eat “competitor clean”.  No sweets, treats or cheats; no alcohol, sodas, or fruit juices. Drink 8-12 cups of water a day, along with unsweetened tea, and coffee (nonfat creamer only). No fast food while on this program.

This will also reset your willpower for all those holiday parties to come!

Add 30-60 minutes of exercise and watch the bloat disappear!

Each day choose your food sources from this list. If you want to go super clean – eliminate pasta and whole wheat bread, and have no “Starch Carbs” after 3:00p.m.

Protein Sources: 3-4 oz. of Chicken, Turkey, Lean Beef, 99% Lean Ground Turkey, 1 whole egg w/4 Egg Whites, Fish, Tuna, Milk, Cottage Cheese 1%(3/4 c.), Greek Yogurt(3/4 c), legumes (1/2-3/4 cup), Protein Powders (1scoop)

1 serving equals 3 oz. or a piece the size of a deck of cards

Starch Carbs: Oatmeal, Brown Rice, Sweet Potato (small), Whole Wheat Bread (1slice), Whole Wheat English Muffin, Whole Wheat Pasta (1/2c)

Lower Carb Fruits & Vegetables: Apples, Berries, Kiwi, Asparagus, Green Beans, Broccoli, Cucumbers, Romaine Lettuce, Spinach

1 serving equals 1 cup

Higher Carb Fruits & Vegetables: Banana (med), Canteloupe, Honeydew, Grapes, Pineapple, Beans (kidney,white,pinto), Chickpeas, Pumpkin, Squash, Zucchini, Corn, Carrots, Tomatoes, Cauliflower

1 serving equals ½ cup.

Good Fats: Natural Peanut or Almond Butter 1 tab., Olive Oil 1/2 tab., Nuts 1-2tab., Flaxseed 1 tab., Salmon 1 oz.

Freebies: Peppers, Onions, Mushrooms

Each day eat:

5 servings protein

6 servings fruits and veggies (2 fruit, 4 veg)

2-3 servings of Starch Carbs

3 servings of Good Fats per day (5 gram per serving)

Divide servings into 5 meals per day.

Example:             Breakfast  ½ c. oatmeal (1 starch), w/cinnamon, 1tab. wheat germ

                                ½ c. berries (1/2 fruit serving)

                                1 tab. Ground flaxseed (1 good fat)

                                1 scoop protein powder in 4 oz. water (1 protein)

You have 1 starch, 2 fats, 1.5 fruits & 4 veggies, and 4 protein servings to go for the day. Write the servings on a notepad and mark them off as you eat them, this will help you keep track of how much you are actually eating.

                               

Note: The fruits and vegetables listed are just a sample, no vegetable or fruit is off limits.

Feed Your Muscles

In the gym, you are likely to hear a lot of discussion about protein consumption. Protein plays an important role in the muscle building process. However, adequate protein consumption isn’t just for bodybuilders or athletes.

As the body ages, it begins to lose muscle mass, which can increase the risk of injury and disability. Nonetheless, the older muscle is still able to respond to amino acids, mainly the essential and BCAAs, which have been shown to acutely stimulate muscle protein synthesis.

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and there are about 20, divided between essential amino acids and non-essential ones. Essential means the body cannot make them and must obtain them from a food source. Your body can break down essential amino acids into non-essential ones.

There are two types of protein: animal and plant. Animal proteins are considered to be complete proteins; they contain all of the essential amino acids our bodies need. Apart from some exceptions such as quinoa or soybeans, vegetable sources of protein are more often lower in one or more essential amino acids than animal sources. Vegetarians must use “complementary” vegetable proteins together to make a single complete protein source. For example, they need to eat beans with rice, a rice cake with peanut butter, or hummus, which is made with chick peas and sesame paste.

Now, what does all that mean to you? You need to get an adequate amount of protein not only to build new muscle during you exercise program, but to preserve muscle mass as you get older.

Here are 10 terrific sources of lean protein:

·         Whey Concentrate

·         Eggs

·         Milk

·         Fish

·         Lean beef (including tenderloin, sirloin, eye of round)

·         Poultry

·         Greek Yogurt

·         Soy, Quinoa

·         Legumes, chickpeas

·         Nuts, Pumpkin seeds

How much protein do I need?

Maybe you've wondered how much protein you need each day. In general, it's recommended that 10–35% of your daily calories come from protein. Below is the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for different age groups.

Grams of protein needed each day

Children ages 1 – 3             13gm

Children ages 4 – 8             19gm

Children ages 9 – 13           34gm

Girls ages 14 – 18               46gm

Boys ages 14 – 18              52gm

Women ages 19 – 70+        46gm

Men ages 19 – 70+             56gm

Here are examples of amounts of protein in food:

•1 cup of milk has 8 grams of protein

•A 3-ounce piece of meat has about 21 grams of protein

•1 cup of dry beans has about 16 grams of protein

•An 8-ounce container of yogurt has about 11 grams of protein

Added together, just these four sources would meet the protein needs of an adult male (56 grams). This doesn't count all the other foods that add smaller amounts of protein to his diet.

Rather than just focusing on your protein needs, choose an overall healthy eating plan that provides the protein you need as well as other nutrients.

   

What is Clean Eating?

Clean eating is a buzzword you hear often, but what exactly is “clean eating”? Basically, it’s eating food in its most natural state, or as close to it as possible. It isn’t a diet that you rely on to lose a few pounds; it’s a lifestyle that as a bonus, contributes to a healthy weight.

Think about how your grandparents ate. If they were anything like mine, most likely, they cooked 3 meals a day and snacked on fruit. There were very few boxed items in the pantry. Most boxed and/or packaged foods are highly processed and contain extra sugars, sodium and fat that our bodies do not need.

A healthier approach, “clean eating”, provides us with the nutrients our body can readily absorb for optimum health.

Everyone’s opinion on how “strict” they want to be is different. Most of the time I live by the 90/10 rule; 90% clean most of the time with 10% for indulgences. After all, life has a way of sometimes re-arranging our meal schedules. However, if I have a particular goal in mind, such as dropping body fat, then I will tighten up my eating and drop indulgences down to 5% or less.

To eat “clean”, just follow some basic guidelines:

·         Eat 3 meals and 2 snacks daily. Each meal should contain lean protein, fresh/frozen fruits and vegetables, and a complex carb.

·         If you do not depend on a large amount of energy in the evening, then eat your last grain carbohydrate at dinner.

·         Drink at least 8 glasses of water daily, I include green tea in this category.

·         Avoid processed and refined foods, such as white flour, sugar, white breads and pasta.

·         Consume healthy fats (essential fatty acids, or EFAs) every day. Included are salmon and other fatty fish, nuts, olive oil, and flaxseed.

Meals do not have to be boring or tasteless. Experiment with different herbs and spices to liven up your recipes. It may feel tedious at first, but if you hang in there, I promise you will feel lighter and have more energy.

Bon Appetite!

Is Your Child At Risk?

September is Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. Childhood obesity is on the rise. According to the CDC, 17 percent of children and adolescents, ages 2-17, are obese; triple the rate from just one generation ago. A child is considered obese when their weight is 10 percent higher than what is recommended body type and height.

Childhood obesity puts America’s children at early risk for Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and even stroke – conditions usually associated with adulthood. Statistics show that if a child is obese between the ages of 10 and 13 have an 80 percent chance of being obese in adulthood.

Here are a few things that can cause obesity, medical illness and medications not included:

·         Poor eating habits

·         Overeating or binging

·         Limited activity

·         Low Self Esteem

·         Depression

What can we do to help prevent this rising problem from becoming an epidemic?

·         Limit time on video games and computers

·         Change eating habits

·         Teach them how to make better food selections

·         Keep treats and junk food for special occasions

·         Teach portion sizes

·         Do not use food as a reward

·         Increase physical activity

Choose healthier snack options such as a sliced apple with natural peanut butter, homemade pizza snacks: whole wheat English muffin with marinara sauce and a sprinkle of cheese, sliced vegetables dipped in yogurt mixed with some dill, or Kashi waffles topped with yogurt and strawberries or natural peanut butter and bananas.

On weekends go to the park and bike, walk, do a boot camp on the playground equipment, pass a Frisbee, play kickball or other sport, or go swimming; anything to get the whole family involved in physical activity.

Here are some family oriented websites that may help you with ideas: Healthyfitfamilies, Everybodywalk, and Weelicious

5 Tips to Fight Fatigue

Do you find yourself saying “I’m tired” more frequently these days? Sometimes life becomes hectic and without noticing it, we are missing meals, losing sleep, and running around like a crazy person. If you are feeling frazzled and fatigued these days, use the checklist below to get yourself back on track.

1. Sleep. Our bodies recover and heal while we are sleeping. Studies show that most people need 7-9 hours of sleep for quality rest. Lack of sleep stresses our bodies and causes us to crave carbs and sugar for energy. Research has proven that people who get less than 6 hours of sleep per night eat an average of 300 extra calories a day.

2. Be a picky eater.  Fast food and processed foods are packed with added sugars, sodium, saturated fats and preservatives. Garbage in = garbage out. Feed your body with lean protein, complex carbs and good fats, every 3-4 hours, for long lasting, sustained energy.

3. Move.  Our bodies are made to move. Regular exercise increases energy, preserves muscle mass, and improves blood flow to the brain. If you feel an energy slump mid-day, do a few jumping jacks or walk the stairs in your building toyou’re your blood flowing and increase your focus.

4. Hydrate. Dehydration can lead to fatigue. Fill a pitcher each morning, add some lemon or lime slices, and sip on it regularly. If you feel thirsty, you are already slightly dehydrated. Aim for at least 6 glasses a day.

5. Avoid sugar and alcohol.  Sugar may give you a quick energy boost at first, but it will drop you like a hot potato later. Choose snacks with a mix of protein, complex carbs and healthy fats to give you sustaining energy without spiking your insulin.

Alcohol will disrupt your sleep, so do not drink cocktails 3 hours prior to bedtime.