Is a Day of Cheating Healthy?

This is a great question that was asked of me by a friend who participates in my kickboxing class. 

The answer is: yes, as long as the cheating day is in moderation.
(This answer, by the way, refers to dieting only.)


What if pizza is one of your favorite foods and you have deprived yourself of it until all you can think of is the gooey cheese and spicy sauce? By all means, indulge a little and give yourself the taste you crave.  A slice or two for dinner will go a long way. It's eating the entire large pie that's not healthy. 

People have a tendency to want things they can't have. Sticking to a diet is hard enough. Depriving yourself of some favorite foods for long periods of time you will make your miserable. 
 Be happy. Life is short. Eat healthy, eat smart and you can enjoy most of your favorite foods in moderation.

Why is Cardio Essential For Your Fitness Program?

Diets, for the most part, do not work.

There. I said it. I feel better now.

Here is why: your V02 max (the amount of oxygen the body can take in during exercise) is directly proportional to the amount of calories you can burn.

What that means is this: along with good daily food choices, we need to increase our oxygen intake.

Amazingly enough, this is one of the body's adaptations of cardiovascular exercise. So, if you are couch-poatoeing and dieting like crazy and you don't see results, there is hope: exercise to increase your oxygen intake.  Simply add 45-60 minutes of cardio exercise four to five times a week and you should see progress.

For those who have time restraints during the day, remember that three 15-minute sessions still add up to 45 accumulated minutes of exercise.

Stop reading this and get moving. Walk, run, bowl, whatever you love to do that accelerates your heart rate — just do it.

You'll feel better and you'll thank me later.

What's A Personal Trainer All About?

Most of the personal training I do takes place at a local college.

Today I was lucky enough to spend some time at the school's annual health and fitness expo. I had a chance to schmooze with students, faculty and staff.

During my 4.5 hours at this expo, I was asked the same question 3 or 4 times:

As a trainer, do you put together a routine first, then spend the rest of the sessions implementing that program?

I was really surprised by the frequency of this question.

Now to be fair, I have no idea how an architect works, so I might ask, "So, do you draw the buildings first, then spend the rest of the time coloring in the walls?"

For anyone who ever wondered, "Is a trainer for me? Should I spend the money on a trainer?"—
here is a rough description of what I actually do. ( I can't speak for all trainers, because our methodologies might be different.)

1. Assessment
I always start with an assessment to determine the client's physical strengths and weaknesses. The assessment includes muscular strength, muscular endurance, blood pressure, resting heart rate, working heart rate, body fat percentage and flexibility.


2. Goals
Once all of the data is in, I review the client's goals, which can include any one or more of the following : weight loss, muscle building, correction of a muscular imbalance, helping to lower blood pressure or cholesterol, toning, improving flexibility or balance.

3. Plan of Attack
Now all this data is in, I can put together a plan of attack based on the client's needs and desires. I then give my clients homework, which consists of general health guidelines and dietary guidelines I want them to follow to assist us on this project. By doing this, that means my time with my client is spent shaping, toning and sculpting as we start to change her/his body.


Clients don't need me to look over their shoulder as they do cardio on the treadmill. Nor do they need me just counting reps for them. Instead of counting reps, I watch every rep to check for proper form and proper breathing. I need to know the exact moment a client loses focus or when the form of the exercise suffers. It's all about safety and isolating the correct muscles.

While doing all of this, I also need to be aware that not every client can perform the same exercise. That means I need to have up my sleeve at all times multiple exercises that can target the muscular response I am looking for, in order to guarantee my client the results that she/he are paying for (and deserve to receive).

Now that you have a better understanding into what a personal trainer actually does for a client, I hope this will help you decide if you want to hire a trainer to assist you in achieving your fitness goals.

Looking For a Great Supplement?

Look no further: the best supplement available you probably are not taking is a multivitamin.

Let's consider why we take supplements:

• Help us break down the nutrients we get from food
  

• Add to our diets the vitamins and minerals we may be lacking

Now let's look at some of the benefits we can yield by taking the right vitamins.  (Keep in mind I don't have room here for everything that is worth mentioning, but at least we can get a jump-start.)

• Vitamin B1 helps release energy from carbohydrates during metabolism: growth and muscle tone
• Vitamin B2 helps the body release energy from protein, fat and carbohydrates during metabolism
• Vitamin B6 helps build body tissue and aids in metabolism of protein
• Vitamin B12 aids cell development, functioning of the nervous system, and the metabolism of fat and protein
• Biotin helps metabolize protein, fats and carbohydrates
• Niacin is involved in carbohydrate protein and fat metabolism
• Pantothenic acid helps release energy from from fats and carbohydrates

These are just a few examples taken from the ACE personal trainer manual.

So — the next time you are shopping, do your body a favor and take a serious look at some multivitamins.

Next: vitamins that aid in blood flow, blood vessel health and bone health.

Exercise: An Important Lifelong Practice

Being a 50-year-old father of three, I can tell you the world now is a much more competitive place than it was when I was in school.  

There are high school students with 4.3 and 4.5 grade point averages not being accepted to their first choices of college. Back when I was in school, there was no such thing as an above 4.0 grade point average.

We need our children to remain focused and stress-free throughout their day in order to keep them on the road to success. As parents, we can help by ensuring our children receive proper nutrition, sufficient rest and daily exercise.

If we can do these things for our children, here are some benefits they receive as a result:

• Nutrition: vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals are essential for proper physiological body function. This aids in cleansing the liver and kidneys and holding proper hydration levels in our cells -- plus, they provide cancer-fighting abilities and build healthy immune systems.
• Rest: repairs the body from the daily grind we call life. This allows the body to manufacture amino acids for muscle repair. Proper rest also aids in keeping us alert and dexterous.
• Exercise: burns more calories to help maintain a healthy body mass index (BMI). Create better lung capacity for better blood and oxygen flow. Exercise also makes the heart strong and healthy.

Aside from these immediate benefits, our children also get healthy life style habits that will carry on to adult hood.

We are responsible for bestowing upon them these practices for a healthy lifestyle, so let's do it right.

Coming Soon: Sports Tips

Coming soon!
Sports Tips

If you have questions on how to improve the mechanics of a sport, or a particular muscle group for a specific sport related movement, feel free to submit your questions or concerns on the blog site — either via e-mail or as comments to existing blogs.

All inquiries are welcome.

The Importance of Cardiovascular Training

Not to long ago, a client of mine had a great epiphany: two hours of cardio per day makes for a healthy person.

When I asked him how he came to that conclusion, he told me how much healthier he was when he was running 10-plus miles a day in the snow wearing shorts.

Now, I am not telling you to go run in the snow, but this client is definitely on to something. Let's take a look at what two hours of cardiovascular exercise can do for you.

• Increased lung capacity for better oxygenation of the blood.
  
• Healthier heart pumps more blood with better efficiency.
• More oxygen rich blood delivered to the cells and organs.
• Healthier cells and organs means better detoxification of the body.
• Metabolism increases when the body is properly rid of toxins.
• Increased metabolism makes weight loss becomes easier, prevents us from getting sick easily and keeps us from becoming easily fatigued during the day.
  
• Feeling less fatigued during the day means we have a positive mood enhancement.
• Mood enhancement gives us better relationships (work and social).
• Better relationships makes us a happier people.

So, the next time you wonder why you are —or are not —working out, remember the importance of cardiovascular training.