Nothing is more important than your health

When I began my business, my tagline was "Nothing is more important than your health!"  I believed that no matter what you had, money, a successful career, a happy family, none of that could supersede being healthy.  Now, with over ten years of experience in personal training, being in people's lives for numerous years and watching them as they make good and bad choices affecting their health, I am even more convinced that great health should top the list of what we strive for.

This past week, I was faced with a very real possibility that I could lose a client.  Not that they would stop training with me, but that they are very close to death if some medical procedures do not work.  I have known this client for many years.  When I got the news, all I could do was cry.  My heart was broken and I hurt for my client and for his family.  It's been a tough road for them as my client has dealt with many health issues the entire time I've worked with him.  A couple of months ago, we had a conversation about how exercise and a healthy diet weren't in the forefront of his mind growing up.  It just wasn't a focus of his generation.  And as he grew to become an adult, he just continued on the path he was taught, to work hard and provide for his family.  It wasn't until he was dealing with serious health problems that his wife began to change their diet and they searched for someone to help with the physical activity.  He and I talked about how now, it is common knowledge that we need to move our bodies daily and eat a well balanced and healthful diet.  We have so much information now and we know that food and movement can help us live longer with less disease.

I am watching people I love make terrible choices when it comes to their health.  I cannot tell you how hard it is to watch and to know that if they do not make changes, serious disease and possibly early death is in their future.  I see several of my clients struggle with movement, not able to walk normally or get off the floor.  I see how all of the many food and beverage choices we have are creating issues with obesity and high blood pressure and high cholesterol.  I watch parents make decisions that adversely affect their health as well as their children's.        

It is time that we take a stand and make health a priority. We can't go back in time and erase the damage we have already done.  But, we can make our bodies stronger and healthier by starting now.  It is never too late to start!  Yes, you should certainly do it for yourself.  But, I also want you to think about the people who love you and who want you to be here, living a great life with them.  Don't forget that you mean the world to someone and I can guarantee those people want you to do all you can to stay here with them.  Isn't it time we all made better choices?

How Snacking Can Derail Your Weight Loss Progress

Snacks are a wonderful addition to your healthy eating plan.  Snacks in between meals can help you keep hunger at bay and can also help you get the appropriate amount of macronutrients for the day.  Depending upon your caloric intake needs, snacks are usually somewhere between 150 - 200 calories with a combination of both protein and carbohydrates.  When you are choosing foods to snack on, make sure you take these tips into account and fuel your body with the appropriate kind of snack.  Snacks that do not fit into these guidelines can really sabotage your weight loss goals.

I love fruit as the carbohydrate portion of my snack.  Fruit is easy to pack and I add a protein of nuts, nut butter, mozzarella cheese stick, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, hard boiled eggs or Biochem protein mixed with water.  This photo is 159 grams of strawberries which is about 50 calories.  Combine this amount of strawberries with 2 scoops of Biochem vanilla protein powder (110 calories) and you have the perfect snack!

Standing in the line at the grocery store, shoppers are enticed by impulse buys like my favorite, peanut M&Ms.  Chocolate and peanuts, what better combination is there?!  The picture below is half the serving of the share bag.  I can easily put away that bag right by myself!  However, just half the bag (46 gram serving) is 240 calories with 12 grams of fat, 28 grams of carbs and 4 grams of protein.  Just that small amount is more calories than I eat for snack and not nearly enough protein.  If I eat the entire bag, that's 480 calories!!  More calories than what I typically eat in an entire meal!
 

Another popular snack is the potato chip. If you love crunchy and salty, this is most likely your go-to snack.  Depending on the chip, the usual serving size is 1 ounce or between 10 - 12 chips.  The photo below is 1 ounce of corn chips and that small amount is going to cost you 140 calories with most of the calories coming from carbohydrates (19 grams) and fat (6 grams.)  There is a minuscule amount of protein in them.  Personally, I have rarely eaten just one serving of potato chips.  With each additional chip, your calories and macronutrients increase.  Think baked chips are better?  Not much. A 1 ounce serving still gives you 120 calories, 3 grams of fat and 22 grams of carbohydrates.  See what happened there?  Yes, a few less calories and a little less fat but more carbohydrates than fried chips.

Nuts are another good snack for people who like crunch.  Serving size is important with nuts.  They are a healthy source of fat but if you mindlessly eat out of the bag, you can rack up a ton of calories.  Pictured below is one ounce of plain almonds which account for 164 calories, 14 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbs and 6 grams of protein.  When I incorporate nuts into my snack, I typically eat 1/2 ounce or 1/4 ounce with an additional protein source (like Greek yogurt or Biochem Protein Powder) since the main nutrient I get from nuts is fat.

There are many snacks out there that are marketed as healthy but actually are not.  Take Veggie Sticks for example.  You may think it's made from vegetables and that's healthier than a potato chip, right?  Take a look at the Nutrition Facts on this bag of Veggie Sticks:

What is the first ingredient?  It's a vegetable, but it is a POTATO!  The second ingredient?  It's pressed sunflower oil.  That's right, fried potatoes.  Still going to cost you 140 calories, 6 grams of fat and 20 grams of carbohydrates coming from fried potatoes.  There is some spinach powder and tomato paste in the sticks, but not enough to count for your vegetable intake.  

As you can see, with any snack, knowing the serving size is a must!   Take a look at the Nutrition Facts on the package to find out the serving size.  Measure the serving by using a food scale.  Depending upon your caloric intake and macronutrient breakdown, this will help you figure out what snacks are best for you.  I encourage my clients to incorporate fruit and vegetables into their snacks and then add in a protein dense food like Eggs, Greek yogurt, or Protein Powder.    

Adding Variety To Your Workouts

Are you bored with your workout?  It is time to break out of the rut!  There are many training methods and variations.  So many that you should be able to create a workout plan that keeps you motivated and interested. You may want to add in a few new exercises or maybe revamp your entire plan. Following are several options of how to add spice to your routine.

PYRAMIDS
In a pyramid workout, you will increase and/or decrease your repetitions as you continue through your sets. You can also change your weights as you progress through the sets. An example of a Pyramid:
Set     Weight     Repetitions
1         40            8
2         30           12
3         20           16
4         30           12
5         40            8

INTERVAL TRAINING
Interval Training is incorporating a Work to Rest ratio.  There are so many variations that you can employ when Interval Training.  In a cardio routine, you can walk for 1:00 and jog for 2:00 or walk for 2:00, jog for 1:00 and sprint for :20.

HIIT 
High Intensity Interval Training is a more difficult version of interval training.  In a HIIT workout, you really want to challenge yourself for about :30 - :40 and then recover or do a lower intensity exercise for about :15 - :20.  Think Burpees. Perform :30 of Burpees and then Walk for :15, repeat for desired number of sets.

LADDERS
A Ladder workout is increasing or decreasing repetitions by one each set. For example:  Your exercises are Squats, Push-ups, Overhead Press, and Lunges. You will complete 10 reps of each, then 9 reps of each, then 8 reps of each, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 rep of each.  You can make that into an ascending Ladder by starting at 1 rep and finishing with 10 reps.
One of my favorites is a Double Ladder workout. I have a great one here.

TEMPO
When lifting weights, changing the tempo of your positive and negative movements can increase the effort needed to complete each repetition.  When performing a squat, take four counts to lower and then 2 counts to stand back up.  During a biceps curl, lift the weight up for 4 counts and lower for 4 counts.  You can vary the tempo in numerous ways.

SPEED
Runners utilize speed workouts to get faster and improve running times.  It is easy to add speed work into cardio workouts.  The idea is to push out of your comfort zone and into a faster pace for a time before returning back to your comfortable pace.  You can perform timed speed increases by using a stopwatch or watch.  With distance speed increases, you can choose a set distance or use landmarks as stopping and starting points.  

DROP SETS
Drop sets add a new challenge to your weight training workout.  Start your chosen exercise with a challenging weight and complete your repetitions.  Then, reduce your weight and perform another set of the exercise.  The amount of sets depends upon when you reach muscle exhaustion.  You can drop your weight by approximately 15% each set, or about 30% for a wide drop or about 5% - 15% for a tight drop.

GIANT SETS
Create a giant set by choosing four or more exercises for 1 muscle group (ex: Quadriceps) or for opposing muscle groups (ex: Chest and Back.)  Perform the exercises with little rest (about :10) between them.  After finishing all the exercises in the giant set, take a 1 - 2 minute break before repeating.

SUPERSETS
Supersets are two exercises paired together that you complete without stopping or resting in between.  Supersets are a great way to get more done in less time.  An example of a superset workout would be:

1.  Chest Press  15 repetitions  and  Push-ups  15 repetitions
2.  Burpees  20 repetitions  and  Squats 20 repetitions
3.  Biceps Curls  15 repetitions  and  Triceps Kickbacks  15 repetitions

CIRCUITS
In Circuit training, you will complete one exercise and quickly move to the next until you finish all of the designated exercises for 1 set.  After a short rest, you can repeat the circuit.  Circuits typically contain exercises for the entire body and also some aerobic exercises.  They add variety to a workout and keep the exerciser moving.

SINGLE SIDE
It is a good idea to work each side of the body independently.  The can be done with dumbbells, resistance bands, cable machines and body weight.  Focus on one side by performing a concentration biceps curl or single leg squat.  There tend to be differences on each side and when using a bar or two handled machine, your stronger muscles can take over and help complete a movement.  Making one side work alone can help to make the muscle stronger and create better movement patterns.

NEGATIVES
Negative (or eccentric) training should be done with a workout partner/spotter.  It is recommended that you choose a weight that is 105% of your 1 rep max.  For example, if you squat a max of 200 pounds, your negative training squat amount would be 210 pounds.  You would slowly lower into a squat and when you reach the bottom, your spotter would help you stand back to the starting position.  Another exercise where negatives are helpful is the pull-up.  Have a spotter help you get into pull-up position, with your chin over the bar.  From here, slowly lower yourself down and then the spotter will help you return to the top.

HAND/FOOT PLACEMENT
Changing the placement of your hands and feet in some exercises can change the muscles that are being used.  For instance, on the Leg Press machine, you can start with your feet together and in the center of the platform, then take them wide and a little higher on the platform and change them to parallel.  When performing Calf Raises, complete a set with your feet parallel, then feet turned out, then feet turned in.  In push-up position, if your hands are wider set at chest level, you will work more into the chest.  If you place your hands close to the body and keep the elbows beside the body, you will get more triceps work.

GRIP
Gripping a bar or dumbbell is another way to change how an exercise affects the muscles.  In a Bent Over Row with a barbell, you can grip the bar with your palms down or your palms up.  When using dumbbells for the same exercise, you can face your palms down, toward the center or up.  In some exercises, like a Deadlift, an alternating grip (where one palm faces up and one palm faces down) can allow a stronger grip for the lifter.

AGILITY
Agility is defined as the ability to move quickly and change directions easily.  Agility drills can be added in to any workout.  You can use equipment, such as an agility ladder, agility ball, or cones.  The idea is to move quickly (have fast feet) and to add in directional changes throughout the drill.  You can see some examples of agility exercises here.

BALANCE
Balance worsens as we age and if we don't practice it, it just continues to decline!  It is easy to add balance exercises in to any workout.  Standing on one leg for a set amount of time is something we can do anywhere and every day.  Mayo Clinic has a few easy to do exercises pictured here.  A Stability Ball and a Bosu are great pieces of equipment to utilize for balance training.  Here are a few exercises you can perform on each of them.

FLEXIBILITY
Flexibility is another skill we lose as we age.  You have to stretch to keep your joints and muscles loose and limber.  Yoga is a wonderful activity to increase flexibility.  I have a short Yoga video available on my YouTube channel here.  Also, just adding in stretching at the end of each of your workouts can help.  When stretching, it is important to remember to stretch to where you feel a gentle pull or pressure and hold for about 15 - 30 seconds.  You should not bounce while stretching or force a muscle past a comfortable pull.  Aggressive stretching can cause injury.

CORE
Core work is not just doing a bunch of crunches!  The Core of the body is defined as your entire torso, or your body minus your arms and legs.  It is important to work all of the muscles in the core by doing a variety of exercises.  Planks, Superman, and Bridges are good exercises to do.  Here are photos of those exercises and a few more.  I also have an abdominal workout video on YouTube.

PLYOMETRICS
Box Jumps are an example of plyometric exercise.  Plyometrics are used to increase speed and power by making the muscles use maximal force in a short time.  You can incorporate a few plyometric exercises into your regular routine.  Try adding in Squat Jumps where you squat down and jump as high as you can or Box Jumps where you squat down, jump up onto a plyometric box and step off the box.

With the amount of variety of exercises and execution of exercises, your workout does not have to be boring!  Creating a workout plan using some of these options can challenge your body and take your training to the next level.

Fat Loss Tips

If your goal is fat loss, there are habits that you need to establish as a part of your healthy lifestyle.  True fat loss takes time, especially if you have a large amount of fat to lose.  One major factor of fat reduction and maintenance of a healthy body fat is consistent practice of the following habits.  

Fruit and Vegetable Intake

Nutrition is the key and the MAIN factor related to fat loss.  Vegetables should be included at every meal!  Not only do fruits and vegetables provide vitamins and minerals, many are also low in calories and fat.  By including them in your diet, you can reduce many health risks and have a larger volume of food to eat.  Strive to eat more real food and less processed food. 

Consuming Enough Protein

The body uses protein as a building block.  Protein is important for muscle repair and regeneration.  Protein amount varies by person and activity level.  A general range is your Body Weight x .8 and Body Weight x 1.5.

Proper Caloric Intake

If you have been previously restricting your calories at too low of an amount, you will need to slowly add calories to your daily intake and allow your body to reset before attempting a calorie deficit.  A range of caloric intake for fat loss is Body Weight x 10 and Body Weight x 12.  If you are obese, you may need to set your calories in the range of Body Weight x 8 and Body Weight x 9.   

Exercise   

Fat loss occurs when you challenge the body and get it moving.  I suggest working out 4 to 6 days of the week.  Workouts should mainly consist of Weight Lifting with some HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) mixed in.

Sleep

Sleeping allows for our bodies to rest and recover.  There are guidelines here as to how many hours you should sleep according to your age.  Not sleeping enough can cause cravings and a change in hormones which can interfere with fat loss.  

Hydration

Drinking enough water to stay hydrated is important for you body to function appropriately.  Water is a necessity.  A good habit to create is drinking a full glass of water in the beginning of your morning. Also be sure to consume water before, during and after exercise. 

Food Tracking

Food tracking allows you to see that you are eating within your calorie range and also check your macronutrients (ex: protein, carbohydrates and fat.)  There are many great apps out there that help with food tracking.  I use the My Fitness Pal app to track my food, Calorieking.com when I need to check nutrition and the Restaurants app for when I am dining out.    

If you want to be successful at losing fat, I suggest you begin with these basic guidelines.  Start small and implement one habit at the time.  Remember that true and lasting fat loss occurs when there is a change in habits and lifestyle.  Be consistent, be positive and stay focused!

Meal Planning: A Guide to Help You Get Started

The key to successfully eating healthy is to plan and prepare.  In this blog post, I am going to take you through how I create meals for an entire week.  

The first step is to choose what meals you want to create for that week.  Keep it simple!  You don't want to try to make a complex and new meal every night.      

Sample Week Menu:

Day	Breakfast	Snack	Lunch	Snack	Dinner
M	Greek Yogurt Almonds Blueberries Cinnamon	Apple  Peanut Butter	Chicken, Vegetable and Rice Bowl	Protein and Water	Chicken Salad on Greens
T	Greek Yogurt Almonds Strawberries Cinnamon	Apple  Peanut Butter	Chicken, Vegetable and Rice Bowl	Protein Peanut Butter Balls	Mahi with dill sauce Steamfresh vegetables
W	Greek Yogurt Almonds Blueberries Cinnamon	Banana  Peanut Butter	Chicken, Vegetable and Rice Bowl	Orange Juice and Protein	Shredded Chicken with Barbecue sauce  Side Salad
Th	Greek Yogurt Almonds Strawberries Cinnamon	Banana  Peanut Butter	Mahi Sweet Potato Green Beans	Protein and Water	Chicken and Strawberry Spinach Salad with Walnuts
F	Greek Yogurt Almonds Blueberries Cinnamon	Apple Cheese Stick	Salmon Sweet Potato Green Beans	Protein and Water	Salmon on wilted spinach
S	Scrambled Eggs on a wrap with cheese and asparagus	Pear Cheese Stick	Mixed Salad Mahi Brown Rice	Edamame	Chicken and Steamfresh vegetables
S	Scrambled Eggs on a wrap with cheese and asparagus	Apple  Peanut Butter	Fish Tacos Mixed Salad	Protein Peanut Butter Balls	Taco Salad

Now that the menu is planned, get out the recipes and create a Grocery List.  After your trip to the grocery store, choose what day(s) you will prepare and cook your foods.  I typically cook everything on Sunday.  This is how I would prepare the above menu:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
• Wash all fruits and vegetables
• Put Chicken in the crockpot with some broth and seasonings
• Chop, slice, peel all fruits and vegetables that are being cooked that day
• Roast vegetables and sweet potatoes
• Cook brown rice
• Make Protein Peanut Butter Balls 
• Cook Mahi in a pan
• Cook Ground Beef in a pan 
• Once vegetables are roasted, lower the oven to 350 degrees and then cook Salmon
• Steam Asparagus and Green Beans
• Make a big container of mixed salad

Once everything is cooked, then you will package everything up in separate containers and refrigerate or freeze.  

• Make Chicken, Vegetable and Rice bowls by mixing all together (these also freeze well)
• Make Chicken Salad and put in a container
• Place Mahi, Salmon, Chicken and Beef in separate containers, each being a single serving
• Place Asparagus and Green Beans in separate containers, each being a single serving
• Freeze Protein Peanut Butter Balls
• Place Roasted Vegetables in separate, single serving containers
• Put single servings of Peanut Butter in containers

Now your week of food is ready and can be easily served with a small amount of prepping.  I put my breakfast together when I get up in the morning and then pack my cooler for the day with both snacks and my lunch.  I make sure to pack a large water bottle, too.  For dinner, I just heat up the meat and vegetables and dinner is ready in about five minutes.  

It does take a little time to cook the food all in one day but it makes for an easy week and I never have to worry about what I am going to eat.  Any time I end up with extra food, it goes in the freezer and is ready for those times when I am not able to cook on Sunday.

Meal planning and preparation is the way to stay focused on eating well.  The more you practice, the better you get at it.  Start simply and keep it easy!  For more ideas and recipes, go to my Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/TheTrainingToole and click on the Food! Album.

Exercising While Pregnant

I train woman both during and after pregnancy.  There are basic guidelines to follow when you are pregnant and exercising.  It is safe and can help make labor and delivery a little easier.  

The very first thing you need to do is talk with your doctor about staying active during pregnancy.  As long as you are healthy most doctors will give you permission.

Once the doctor has cleared you, find something you enjoy doing and that feels comfortable.  Most of my clients just continued with the plan they were already on.  We make adjustments as their body changes or when a certain exercise does not feel comfortable.  

I see a couple of commonalities between my pregnant clients.  The first noticeable change (within the first trimester) is they become winded fairly quickly.  The modification for this is to take a little extra time to rest in between exercises.  Once they are breathing better, we move on. 

Another common discomfort is a pulling feeling through the abdominals with overhead exercises.  There are a few modifications for this. First, you can try to do the exercise while seated.  If that does not help, try one arm at a time.  If there is still discomfort, then a new exercise needs to be performed.  For example, instead of overhead shoulder press, do lateral raises or front raises.  Instead of overhead triceps extensions, do triceps dips or triceps kickbacks.  

It is safe to perform abdominal crunches, however there are a few guidelines to follow.  You should not lie on your back for long periods of time.  I usually have my clients only perform 1 or 2 sets of crunches and then return to a standing or seated position.  You can also do planks and side planks as long as you do not feel pain in the back.  We do not do a whole lot of abdominal work, just a few sets to focus on core engagement.  

Most women will agree that there is a great deal of fatigue associated with being pregnant.  Even on those days when my clients have felt drained and exhausted, I have seen them leave the session feeling much better and a little more energized.  It is not always easy to make yourself workout when you are feeling so tired, but it will definitely make a difference.  

Most of my clients continued to run (one even completed a half marathon!), take Spin classes, and weight train up until they gave birth.  Exercise is important for you and for the baby!  It will keep you strong, energized, and less stressed.  A healthy Mom is good for everyone. 

References:
http://www.acefitness.org/blog/2639/what-you-need-to-know-about-pregnancy-and-exercise 

http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/healthy-living-article/59/3511/pregnancy-and-your-workout-what-really-needs/



   

Principle of Progression

One of the general principles of exercise is the principle of progression.  I would like to address why this principle is important, especially to those of you who are exercising without guidance from a professional.  

ACE explains the principle of progression: "as the body adapts to the exercise program you must gradually increase the overload to continue to adapt. It is critical that all progressions are gradual and small in nature to prevent over loading the body’s ability to recover."

Let me address beginners.  Start small!  If it is five minutes of walking and 10 crunches, that is great.  It is important to begin exercising at a slow pace and with just a few exercises to start.  Jumping in and trying to do more activity than your body is prepared for is going to set you up for injury.  It can also be very discouraging when you think you should be able to complete a certain task and your body says otherwise.  Do a little bit every day and allow your body to adjust to the new movement.  It will do so quickly and you will be able to safely do more and harder exercises before you know it.   

Next are people who have exercised in the past and are just starting again after some time off.  If you have taken more than about two weeks off, you need to adjust your training plan.  Give yourself time to get back into the groove.  Now, if your time off has been months or even years, just go ahead and consider yourself a beginner!  Yes, you have muscle memory.  Yes, your body will most likely respond a bit faster than a true beginner.  However, you cannot expect to jump back into your routine from the past.  You body is not ready and you are setting yourself up to suffer an injury. 

Notice the two key words from ACE's definition:  GRADUAL and SMALL.  No matter what your fitness level, your progressions need to safely and slowly become more challenging.  There are many ways to create progressions within a plan.  It could be more weight (even just 1 - 2 pounds), more repetitions, more sets, less rest between exercises, a longer duration or a higher intensity. 

Since I mentioned injuries, let me give you a little motivation to follow the principle of progression and not start out like a crazed, exercise maniac.  If you do suffer some sort of injury, even if it is as small as a pulled muscle, you will be out of commission for at least a week or two.  If you do something a little more serious, like tear a muscle or tendon or sprain an ankle, or develop tendonitis, you are looking at being out for a range of 4 - 12 weeks!  Not to mention possible surgery and/or physical or occupational therapy.  Who has time for that?  It is much easier to start slowly and gradually build your routine into something more challenging that you can safely enjoy doing.  

Remember, start small and start slow.  You want to be safe and be able to exercise for a lifetime.  

References:
http://www.acefitness.org/pdfs/PFTManualUpdates.pdf