Hardly anyone can escape the perils of the holiday season and this year I was accosted. I am a fitness person that eats decently, and yet the two weeks leading up to Christmas I was bombarded with treats. It was round after round of See's Candies, home made Italian cookies, chocolate covered cherries and assorted Christmas cookies. Then there was rum cake (still warm after coming out of the oven), peppermint bark, truffles, biscotti, and of course, home made tamales.
It seems that nearly every person that wanted to show me appreciation or kindness this year did so with food. I tried nearly a little of everything, and can confidently report to you that I made myself completely sick. I happened to spend an hour on the treadmill the other day only to later have two of the above mentioned truffles. I took to reading the truffle's nutrition label and noticed that only two of those truffles completely negated my hour on the treadmill. Just two truffles and Poof! The entire hour on the treadmill was gone! Yes, they were smooth as silk, ridiculously delicious and almost did not seem like real food as they had a texture and taste from out of this world.
The sugar influx this year was so tremendous, that it literally became some sort of an exposure therapy experiment for me. I have heard of harsh exposure therapy treatments where smokers are cured of their desire for smoking when they are forced by a therapist to keep lighting up one after the other until they have been completely emptied of their desire. This is exactly how it was for me this Christmas season. I have completely lost all desire for sweets, chocolate and anything that may fall in the dessert family. I can't see myself eating another such item any earlier than March of 2014. I do not believe in making New Year's Resolutions when it comes to health, eating or exercise, but I can assure you that anything I do moving forward could only be a vast improvement from what I did to myself the past two weeks. Can you relate?
What has also been highlighted to me through this unforeseen experiment is just how easy it all goes in, and how difficult it is to reign one's self in, and to burn off those extra calories. I even found myself turning into a "light switch thinker" when I started believing that my eating had been so bad/off that I might as well just continue to make it all bad. Keep in mind, I am an avid exerciser and at least have that going for me. What about those that don't? I guess for such people this just translates to 10 lbs of seasonal weight gain that may never, ever come off.
At this moment, I feel grateful for having well established eating and exercise habits. I have renewed gratitude for how good healthy habits makes me feel. The two weeks of eating terribly were punishing, and resulted in a garbage like output of weak energy. This has brought me full circle to remember why I make good choices most of the time and embrace a healthy lifestyle. Feeling good is solid motivation for continuing to make the effort.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Saturday, August 31, 2013
The K.I.S.S. Principle
I am sure you have heard of the K.I.S.S. principle. K.I.S.S. stands for (keep it simple, stupid). Recent professional frustrations for myself have circled me back to this entertaining acronym and how when applied, it can make such a difference in all our lives.
The past two weeks I have been asked a series of questions regarding carbohydrates, why carbohydrates are bad, the glycemic index and so forth. I can't quite get my hands around where all of the information and misinformation comes from that is always being perpetuated. Worse, I know most people do not know how many calories they should be consuming a day, and yet they are somehow very willing to delve into a science project on carbohydrates, the glycemic index, etc. Why the science project, and where is all of this going? Enter the K.I.S.S. principle.
Here is the secret to weight loss: Your output (expenditure) must exceed your input (intake). THAT'S IT, no sophisticated science, no complex math necessary. Did you know that carbohydrates are 4 calories per gram, and protein is the exact same? Did you know that too many calories consumed regularly of any sort will ultimately be stored as fat? The source of such calories does not matter, the end result of excess is still the same.
As a health and fitness professional, this is a constant source of frustration for me. I struggle to get people to understand basic concepts regarding food groups and portion control, and am often met with staunch resistance about the "impossibility" of keeping track of such things. Mysteriously, however, these same people ARE WILLING to deviate from basic principles and dive deep into a level of intricacy that is highly impractical, and yet another road to failure.
Weight management must be kept simple. If you are struggling with your weight and are working with a qualified health and fitness professional- such as a dietitian, nutritionist or personal trainer please heed the advice of these professionals. If you are overweight, you must be willing to acknowledge that "your" way of doing things has not yielded successful outcomes. You may have a long history of counting Weight Watcher's points or doing rounds of very low calorie diets and vitamin B series shots at Lindora (or other weight loss clinic of your choice), but you are still struggling with positive outcomes. Maybe you have been on and off of the "Atkins Diet" and have spent a small fortune on urine test strips to see if you are in ketosis or not. Please admit that your many sophisticated approaches are not working for you.
I tend to see a correlation between the complex diet strategies and those that do not like to exercise. I have come to believe that this group of individuals feel they can either intellectualize themselves to a thinner place, or are in hot pursuit of a dietary strategy that will fix it all in a week. Is this you? If it is, please employ the K.I.S.S. principle. Understand your daily caloric needs first, based on your age, gender and activity level. Then, pay a visit to the USDA website and check out the good, old fashioned food pyramid. See what you should be eating versus how you are. Additional tools are available for understanding your output/expenditure, but this is a good starting place. Keep things simple for yourself and when you do, it should not feel like an extensive amount of work or research. I also want to encourage the hard core dieters/non-exercisers out there to start doing SOME exercise. Regular exercise allows for more latitude in the diet, doesn't this sound better than counting carbs?
Try getting back to basics and give up the evil of your old ways. After you have carved out some success with simplified approaches, reach out to the health and fitness professional of your choice and tell them how you decided to stop being part of the problem, and part of the solution instead.
The past two weeks I have been asked a series of questions regarding carbohydrates, why carbohydrates are bad, the glycemic index and so forth. I can't quite get my hands around where all of the information and misinformation comes from that is always being perpetuated. Worse, I know most people do not know how many calories they should be consuming a day, and yet they are somehow very willing to delve into a science project on carbohydrates, the glycemic index, etc. Why the science project, and where is all of this going? Enter the K.I.S.S. principle.
Here is the secret to weight loss: Your output (expenditure) must exceed your input (intake). THAT'S IT, no sophisticated science, no complex math necessary. Did you know that carbohydrates are 4 calories per gram, and protein is the exact same? Did you know that too many calories consumed regularly of any sort will ultimately be stored as fat? The source of such calories does not matter, the end result of excess is still the same.
As a health and fitness professional, this is a constant source of frustration for me. I struggle to get people to understand basic concepts regarding food groups and portion control, and am often met with staunch resistance about the "impossibility" of keeping track of such things. Mysteriously, however, these same people ARE WILLING to deviate from basic principles and dive deep into a level of intricacy that is highly impractical, and yet another road to failure.
Weight management must be kept simple. If you are struggling with your weight and are working with a qualified health and fitness professional- such as a dietitian, nutritionist or personal trainer please heed the advice of these professionals. If you are overweight, you must be willing to acknowledge that "your" way of doing things has not yielded successful outcomes. You may have a long history of counting Weight Watcher's points or doing rounds of very low calorie diets and vitamin B series shots at Lindora (or other weight loss clinic of your choice), but you are still struggling with positive outcomes. Maybe you have been on and off of the "Atkins Diet" and have spent a small fortune on urine test strips to see if you are in ketosis or not. Please admit that your many sophisticated approaches are not working for you.
I tend to see a correlation between the complex diet strategies and those that do not like to exercise. I have come to believe that this group of individuals feel they can either intellectualize themselves to a thinner place, or are in hot pursuit of a dietary strategy that will fix it all in a week. Is this you? If it is, please employ the K.I.S.S. principle. Understand your daily caloric needs first, based on your age, gender and activity level. Then, pay a visit to the USDA website and check out the good, old fashioned food pyramid. See what you should be eating versus how you are. Additional tools are available for understanding your output/expenditure, but this is a good starting place. Keep things simple for yourself and when you do, it should not feel like an extensive amount of work or research. I also want to encourage the hard core dieters/non-exercisers out there to start doing SOME exercise. Regular exercise allows for more latitude in the diet, doesn't this sound better than counting carbs?
Try getting back to basics and give up the evil of your old ways. After you have carved out some success with simplified approaches, reach out to the health and fitness professional of your choice and tell them how you decided to stop being part of the problem, and part of the solution instead.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Making it Happen
Are you making exercise one of your top priorities? If you don't, you are setting yourself up to fail. Expecting exercise to get done means making it happen. This may sound a bit harsh, but it is the truth. If you expect to get into a regular habit of exercise, you need to move it way up on your list of priorities.
I have one client that has tons of responsibility surrounding his job, and because of his eagerness and willingness to work with me and to make workouts happen, we meet at 5:30 a.m. on Mondays. For me, this means I am getting up at 4:15 a.m. because I work straight through to the end of the business day. Do I enjoy getting up at such an hour? No, in fact, I hate it. I do it because that is how much I believe in what exercise does for people. You do not find time to exercise, you make time to exercise.
I am relentless in carrying this message to others. This is also why I find myself doing training appointments seven days per week. If a client has to reschedule on me, but is willing to figure out another time to get it in, then I must do the same. In regards to my own workouts, I often find myself pushing myself to the gym on a Friday or Saturday night after having had a night out. This is not easy for me to do because I profoundly love my bed and getting to bed early. Despite my own reluctance to go, I have never regretted going- ever! Honestly, the hardest part is showing up. Once there, I find myself getting into the flow and making the most of being there by getting a great workout.
It is not easy to be intrinsically motivated all the time, but through gained awareness of having great energy, maintaining a healthy weight and feeling strong I have learned to treasure what I have going. The good I have going stems from consistent application. The consistent application comes from making exercise a top priority. Making it happen means working hard to do so. This sometimes means saying no to fun, staying up a little later or putting together a backup plan. Sometimes it means staying longer, or making more frequent, shorter trips to the gym in order to get the time in.
I firmly believe one can get wherever they want to go with enough focus. Graduating into an "exerciser" means getting rid of the old list of excuses for avoiding the commitment and creating a new list of reasons why this should be given top priority. This is the secret to making it happen.
I have one client that has tons of responsibility surrounding his job, and because of his eagerness and willingness to work with me and to make workouts happen, we meet at 5:30 a.m. on Mondays. For me, this means I am getting up at 4:15 a.m. because I work straight through to the end of the business day. Do I enjoy getting up at such an hour? No, in fact, I hate it. I do it because that is how much I believe in what exercise does for people. You do not find time to exercise, you make time to exercise.
I am relentless in carrying this message to others. This is also why I find myself doing training appointments seven days per week. If a client has to reschedule on me, but is willing to figure out another time to get it in, then I must do the same. In regards to my own workouts, I often find myself pushing myself to the gym on a Friday or Saturday night after having had a night out. This is not easy for me to do because I profoundly love my bed and getting to bed early. Despite my own reluctance to go, I have never regretted going- ever! Honestly, the hardest part is showing up. Once there, I find myself getting into the flow and making the most of being there by getting a great workout.
It is not easy to be intrinsically motivated all the time, but through gained awareness of having great energy, maintaining a healthy weight and feeling strong I have learned to treasure what I have going. The good I have going stems from consistent application. The consistent application comes from making exercise a top priority. Making it happen means working hard to do so. This sometimes means saying no to fun, staying up a little later or putting together a backup plan. Sometimes it means staying longer, or making more frequent, shorter trips to the gym in order to get the time in.
I firmly believe one can get wherever they want to go with enough focus. Graduating into an "exerciser" means getting rid of the old list of excuses for avoiding the commitment and creating a new list of reasons why this should be given top priority. This is the secret to making it happen.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Wrong and Strong
Today, at the gym, I saw a young 17 - 20 year old kid attempt to chest press 200 lbs with dumbbells. I watched each dumbbell come within centimeters of his face while he persisted in improperly doing repetitions consisting of quarter range of motion, and horrible arm position. Worse, he really had no control of his movement. I was trying to mind my own workout, and yet when I saw this, I literally froze in my tracks to prepare for the 911 call. Little does this kid know that over the past eight years I have seen the future through men in their sixties and up. Men coping with injuries sustained while doing "something stupid" when in high school or college. Do they regret it? Hell yes!
Ego is a dangerous thing in the weight room, and if not controlled, can lead to some dark places. Acute injuries can become chronic, and other injuries will mean with 100% certainty that a surgical fix is required. It killed me to see this kid putting himself in harm's way, when he could have achieved whatever he intended with a max of 100 lbs. More isn't always better, and it is in the overdoing where trouble awaits. Guys, take note.
The successful health and exercise enthusiasts I know always take reasonable and cautious approaches. No matter the discipline, there should be a safe approach to it. Logically, keeping things safe means one gets to keep participating in such activities. Time off to heal an injury or to recover from surgery does not yield benefits. In fact, it usually leads to a deconditioned state and weight gain.
If your desire to push beyond reasonable feels like a necessity, you need to consider the future. Stop inviting setbacks and problems to your health! The bodies we have today are going to be the same ones we have in our eighties. Try to remember that today is the very best things will be. In other words, with age and gradual decline in physical ability, our bodies "right now" are the very best case scenario. Challenge your body appropriately, and not through ego.
Ego is a dangerous thing in the weight room, and if not controlled, can lead to some dark places. Acute injuries can become chronic, and other injuries will mean with 100% certainty that a surgical fix is required. It killed me to see this kid putting himself in harm's way, when he could have achieved whatever he intended with a max of 100 lbs. More isn't always better, and it is in the overdoing where trouble awaits. Guys, take note.
The successful health and exercise enthusiasts I know always take reasonable and cautious approaches. No matter the discipline, there should be a safe approach to it. Logically, keeping things safe means one gets to keep participating in such activities. Time off to heal an injury or to recover from surgery does not yield benefits. In fact, it usually leads to a deconditioned state and weight gain.
If your desire to push beyond reasonable feels like a necessity, you need to consider the future. Stop inviting setbacks and problems to your health! The bodies we have today are going to be the same ones we have in our eighties. Try to remember that today is the very best things will be. In other words, with age and gradual decline in physical ability, our bodies "right now" are the very best case scenario. Challenge your body appropriately, and not through ego.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Take Five
Five minutes of exercise that actually gets done is much better than a planned two hour session that does not. Lately, I find myself emphasizing this point to many people. Right now, many have either dramatically scaled back their New Year's efforts, or quit altogether now that we are heading into the third week of February of the new year.
My best professional and personal advice is that manageable chunks of exercise time will get done, while extremely challenging and lengthy sessions will not. Into my twentieth straight year of working out, I understand very well what works, and what does not. I know I sound like a broken record, but it is absolute gospel: This is a lifestyle! Like most other things that we consider part of our lifestyle- a certain balance is required. For instance, if we were required to brush our teeth daily for two hour sessions every time, then in a very short period of time, we would all be falling short on dental care wouldn't we?
Struggling exercisers of the world, please take note. If you just did five minutes of exercise a day, then in thirty days you would have banked over 150 minutes. The benefits of exercise are cumulative, and this is an important fact. Five minutes per day is achievable for EVERYONE, and if you dare to say it isn't, then please contact me so we can discuss where to carve out that well needed five minutes. I assure you that I can find it. Five minutes effort with regular consistency will yield benefits because it is getting done. Getting it accomplished is what really matters, and you can forget about well intentions to do "whatever" that involve either really complicated or lengthy efforts. It is quite easy to talk one's self out of rigorous and time consuming efforts if we get honest with ourselves.
Folks, you gotta make it work. Taking the smallest of baby steps might be the biggest change you need to implement as you try to pave the way to exercise adherence. There may come a time, or several times along your path that you can and will do more, but it is ok to keep efforts broken down to a micro-level if that is the fine line between doing something and nothing. Remember that in this game, doing something is light years ahead of doing nothing.
So, steer your approach to the utmost manageable level and go for it. If your life gets turned upside down due to the unexpected, keep your focus and just take five.
My best professional and personal advice is that manageable chunks of exercise time will get done, while extremely challenging and lengthy sessions will not. Into my twentieth straight year of working out, I understand very well what works, and what does not. I know I sound like a broken record, but it is absolute gospel: This is a lifestyle! Like most other things that we consider part of our lifestyle- a certain balance is required. For instance, if we were required to brush our teeth daily for two hour sessions every time, then in a very short period of time, we would all be falling short on dental care wouldn't we?
Struggling exercisers of the world, please take note. If you just did five minutes of exercise a day, then in thirty days you would have banked over 150 minutes. The benefits of exercise are cumulative, and this is an important fact. Five minutes per day is achievable for EVERYONE, and if you dare to say it isn't, then please contact me so we can discuss where to carve out that well needed five minutes. I assure you that I can find it. Five minutes effort with regular consistency will yield benefits because it is getting done. Getting it accomplished is what really matters, and you can forget about well intentions to do "whatever" that involve either really complicated or lengthy efforts. It is quite easy to talk one's self out of rigorous and time consuming efforts if we get honest with ourselves.
Folks, you gotta make it work. Taking the smallest of baby steps might be the biggest change you need to implement as you try to pave the way to exercise adherence. There may come a time, or several times along your path that you can and will do more, but it is ok to keep efforts broken down to a micro-level if that is the fine line between doing something and nothing. Remember that in this game, doing something is light years ahead of doing nothing.
So, steer your approach to the utmost manageable level and go for it. If your life gets turned upside down due to the unexpected, keep your focus and just take five.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Biggest Winner
Another television season of "Biggest Loser" is about to begin and this time it will involve children. I refuse to watch the show because I do not think it speaks to realistic, sustainable lifestyle changes. It may make for compelling television, but I also believe there is a large population in the viewership that sees people exercising vigorously many hours per day (while being flogged by a personal trainer) and suffering through a very low calorie diet. Through witnessing the extreme time and effort spent, these viewers quietly think to themselves "I could never do that". I happen to agree with them because our lives are not a TV show.
I am not a fan of extreme approaches. Just because we "supersized" ourselves to become a seriously overweight nation almost overnight, does not mean we should be implementing a "supersized" diet/exercise program overnight either. I have found over the years that less is so much more. People that strive for sustainable and manageable lifestyle changes are the ones that are the long-term winners. Our addiction for quick-fixes and immediate results have created manic like approaches to weight loss. No one is setting themselves up to win with these approaches. Consider the P90x workout. Yes, after 90 days of "hard core" workouts you will see results. The problem is, however, after 90 days are you going to be willing to continue with the program? Overly challenging programs create feelings of dread which do not translate into long-term exercise adherence. I know many people that did P90x workouts, and on day 91 and beyond, never did another. So, how far are we really progressing if we always ratchet back to zero after every over-the-top effort? Guess what folks, I am entering into my twentieth consecutive year of exercise with moderation and I still love it.
The CrossFit craze is also on my radar screen. Yes, I completely appreciate the athleticism and creativity involved with CrossFit, but I think it also falls short on the sustainable scale. I know many twenty somethings that have hurt their knees and backs doing CrossFit workouts. If we constantly push ourselves towards muscle failure and over-training, then we are also pushing ourselves quickly towards burnout. If you experience injury and must take six to eight weeks off, then again you have just ratcheted yourself back to zero. End up developing a chronic condition and you may just end up in a living hell.
Are you pursuing sustainable workouts for yourself, or is your ego pushing you to extreme measures for right now? Are you trying to keep up with what your neighbor is doing, or are you putting real thought into what might be the right approach and balance for you? Stop being overly compulsive about this stuff and start thinking about ten, twenty, thirty years down the road. Look beyond all trends and extremism knowing that your "one" body needs to last you for a lifetime. Treating it with a loving respect that honors it over the long course of time will ultimately make you the biggest winner. Sustainable efforts are adhered to, extreme efforts die.
I am not a fan of extreme approaches. Just because we "supersized" ourselves to become a seriously overweight nation almost overnight, does not mean we should be implementing a "supersized" diet/exercise program overnight either. I have found over the years that less is so much more. People that strive for sustainable and manageable lifestyle changes are the ones that are the long-term winners. Our addiction for quick-fixes and immediate results have created manic like approaches to weight loss. No one is setting themselves up to win with these approaches. Consider the P90x workout. Yes, after 90 days of "hard core" workouts you will see results. The problem is, however, after 90 days are you going to be willing to continue with the program? Overly challenging programs create feelings of dread which do not translate into long-term exercise adherence. I know many people that did P90x workouts, and on day 91 and beyond, never did another. So, how far are we really progressing if we always ratchet back to zero after every over-the-top effort? Guess what folks, I am entering into my twentieth consecutive year of exercise with moderation and I still love it.
The CrossFit craze is also on my radar screen. Yes, I completely appreciate the athleticism and creativity involved with CrossFit, but I think it also falls short on the sustainable scale. I know many twenty somethings that have hurt their knees and backs doing CrossFit workouts. If we constantly push ourselves towards muscle failure and over-training, then we are also pushing ourselves quickly towards burnout. If you experience injury and must take six to eight weeks off, then again you have just ratcheted yourself back to zero. End up developing a chronic condition and you may just end up in a living hell.
Are you pursuing sustainable workouts for yourself, or is your ego pushing you to extreme measures for right now? Are you trying to keep up with what your neighbor is doing, or are you putting real thought into what might be the right approach and balance for you? Stop being overly compulsive about this stuff and start thinking about ten, twenty, thirty years down the road. Look beyond all trends and extremism knowing that your "one" body needs to last you for a lifetime. Treating it with a loving respect that honors it over the long course of time will ultimately make you the biggest winner. Sustainable efforts are adhered to, extreme efforts die.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
New Year, New You, Not Now
Besides having a Christmas gift of a 30, 60 or 90 day trial gym membership burning a hole in your pocket, are there other good reasons to begin a fitness program January 1st? I hope you are giving this careful consideration. Your long term success is dependent upon being truly ready to start a program, understanding the lifestyle commitment involved, and that there is no better time...than the right time FOR YOU.
I have seen many fresh faces in gyms between January 1st through March over the course of many years. Then come April, it is back to business with all the old faces. It really bothers me that so many people annually embark on a fitness journey, only to abandon it inside of three months. How can we know so much, have access to so much information, and yet be so misguided? I have given this a lot of thought over the years, and I have come to believe that most people are very unconsciously led to do things they think they should be doing. Everyone knows they should be eating better, eating less and exercising more. The problem is that should be isn't enough, and it falls short every time.
The solution then lies somewhere within a way to make this about why I am going to do this (as specifically as possible), and also when is the right time for me to start. Lose the should be dialogue, and decide why starting this is important and why I am worth it. If you are being guilted into a fitness program thanks to a spouse or relative, or simply because it is the start of a new year, then you are not in it to win it. Don't do this to yourself another year.
Restrategize and forget about what everyone else is doing, and begin to formulate a plan. The plan should include some long term thinking around how you are going to build a fitness program into the rest of your life. This means daily choices and exercising every week, of every year. No more exercising for vacations and high school reunions. Do this because it is the most responsible thing you can do for your health. I read a quote some time ago that said "I don't find time to exercise, I make time to exercise." I love this, because it so eloquently states a winning strategy.
Beyond this, also consider that only one major lifestyle change at a time works best. In other words, if you just got married, changed jobs and moved, then maybe this isn't the best time for you to journey into a fitness program. Be smart, honest and true to yourself and put your own plan in place. Then, kick it off at the best time for you with a real sense of readiness. Set yourself up to be successful, because this is truly the best way to make many months over many years great, not just the first three months of the year.
I have seen many fresh faces in gyms between January 1st through March over the course of many years. Then come April, it is back to business with all the old faces. It really bothers me that so many people annually embark on a fitness journey, only to abandon it inside of three months. How can we know so much, have access to so much information, and yet be so misguided? I have given this a lot of thought over the years, and I have come to believe that most people are very unconsciously led to do things they think they should be doing. Everyone knows they should be eating better, eating less and exercising more. The problem is that should be isn't enough, and it falls short every time.
The solution then lies somewhere within a way to make this about why I am going to do this (as specifically as possible), and also when is the right time for me to start. Lose the should be dialogue, and decide why starting this is important and why I am worth it. If you are being guilted into a fitness program thanks to a spouse or relative, or simply because it is the start of a new year, then you are not in it to win it. Don't do this to yourself another year.
Restrategize and forget about what everyone else is doing, and begin to formulate a plan. The plan should include some long term thinking around how you are going to build a fitness program into the rest of your life. This means daily choices and exercising every week, of every year. No more exercising for vacations and high school reunions. Do this because it is the most responsible thing you can do for your health. I read a quote some time ago that said "I don't find time to exercise, I make time to exercise." I love this, because it so eloquently states a winning strategy.
Beyond this, also consider that only one major lifestyle change at a time works best. In other words, if you just got married, changed jobs and moved, then maybe this isn't the best time for you to journey into a fitness program. Be smart, honest and true to yourself and put your own plan in place. Then, kick it off at the best time for you with a real sense of readiness. Set yourself up to be successful, because this is truly the best way to make many months over many years great, not just the first three months of the year.
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