My interest as a personal trainer was sparked the day I found out I was the 1st runner up in the Body-For-Life Competition in 2003. I knew that day, God was telling me to go and help many people do exactly what I just did! To be selected in this national body transformation challenge as one of the champions was a real honor. However, it wasn't an easy process, and I am honestly glad that it wasn't.
Competition is a way to really help you become the true best you that God intends for you to become! You understand? :) When there is an event to strive for, instead of just trying to get into shape for the sake of helping your health, many people tend to try much harder and focus on the event and doing their best instead of how they feel at the moment. When you know that your time is limited, and you want to do your best for this event, you may be more apt to overlook the 5 hours of sleep you had the night before and push yourself hard anyway. If you, like many people who tend to fail at their weight loss efforts, find that you get worn out from the thought of having to exercise 5-6 days each week to get in good shape and feel healthy, than an event or competition may be what you are looking for.
There are lots of events and competitions you can consider: running, swimming, biking, or all 3 together (tri-athalons), weight lifting, other sports, bodybuilding competitions and body transformation challenges (like the one I did). Depending on your interest, you can find a niche to help keep your drive up and focus on your overall goal.
A body transformation challenge, like the one I did can offer a lot of incentive to do exactly what most people want to do, change their bodies! I completed the Body-For-Life challenge which is an annual competition that is held by Body-For-Life corp. You can find out more information by going to http://www.bodyforlife.com/ and researching their challenge information. It's a 12 week challenge that focuses on taking your body from out of shape to in-shape. During this time period, it helps to focus as hard as you can on doing what's "right" for your body so that you can get yourself into peak condition. Your results are based on pictures that you take of yourself as "before" and "after" photos. If you are selected as one of the champions, you could win $25,000. It's a nice incentive to do what we all pretty much know we should do anyway.
These events/competitions can really help people stay on track with their goals. Once the event is over, maintaining the results you achieved is not as difficult as getting there. However, this does not mean you have the freedom to go back to your old habits and expect your body to stay where it is! It does take some time to acquaint your body to it's new self and what it is able to tolerate. Usually, if you needed to exercise 5-6 days each week and consume 1200 calories to lose weight, you may only need to exercise 3-4 days each week and consume 1600 calories to maintain where you are. Doing no exercise however is a recipe for rebound!
Competitions can really help you become the best you that you can be! Look for events/competitions that you enjoy and will help you stay focused on your overall goals. If you have any questions about body transformation competitions, please let me know.
"I am the LORD All-Powerful, and I challenge you to put me to the test." Malachi 3:9 (CEV)
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Resistance Training for Women
Since I have been training over the past 5 years, I have often been asked by many women the benefits of resistance training or "weight-lifting". Many women are concerned about not becoming "bulky" and feel that by training with heavy weights, they will become big and manly looking. This honestly could not be further from the truth!
In order for a woman to look like a man by training with weights, they need to eat a hugely excessive amount of calories and take steroids. If you are currently not doing either of these, you do not have anything to worry about!
Women who train with weights will be more apt to create the body they desire. As you continue to train with resistance and eat properly, you will create more muscle. By creating more muscle, you give your body the ability to increase your metabolism. The amount of muscle you have on your body and your metabolism (the rate at which your body is naturally burning off calories) are directly linked. As you become stronger, your body will demand that you eat more to keep the muscle on. Your body will also use stored energy (your body fat) to fuel your new muscle. One of the greatest aspects about muscle on your body is the size of muscle. It only takes up about 1/4 the space that fat does. So, as you continue to build muscle and your body fat decreases, even if the scale weight does not change, your body circumferences will all become smaller. You will begin to have the "toned" look that most women state they want.
In addition to the physical appearance benefits, your body's function and health will dramatically increase. Here are just a few benefits to weight training:
In order for a woman to look like a man by training with weights, they need to eat a hugely excessive amount of calories and take steroids. If you are currently not doing either of these, you do not have anything to worry about!
Women who train with weights will be more apt to create the body they desire. As you continue to train with resistance and eat properly, you will create more muscle. By creating more muscle, you give your body the ability to increase your metabolism. The amount of muscle you have on your body and your metabolism (the rate at which your body is naturally burning off calories) are directly linked. As you become stronger, your body will demand that you eat more to keep the muscle on. Your body will also use stored energy (your body fat) to fuel your new muscle. One of the greatest aspects about muscle on your body is the size of muscle. It only takes up about 1/4 the space that fat does. So, as you continue to build muscle and your body fat decreases, even if the scale weight does not change, your body circumferences will all become smaller. You will begin to have the "toned" look that most women state they want.
In addition to the physical appearance benefits, your body's function and health will dramatically increase. Here are just a few benefits to weight training:
- Incidence of diabetes decreases because your body's muscle will be more prone to make use of your blood sugar.
- Your bone health will significantly increase which decreases the likelyhood of osteoporosis
- Your balance will increase.
- Also, contrary to popular belief, your flexibility will improve if you include proper stretching with the exercises that you do.
- Higher metabolism
- Increased strength
- Better posture
- Sleep better
Keep in mind, strength training does not need to be done every day. In fact, you should let each body part rest up to 72hours before training the same muscle group again. This will give the muscles enough time to recover from the exercise and become stronger.
Here are some exercises to try (you could even try these at home, if you have some resistance bands or free weights):
Click the links to view how the exercises are done (press the back button your browser to return to the blog once you have viewed the exercise. Closing the window will close the blog)
Row
http://www.thetrainingstationinc.com/bbrows.html
Curl
http://www.thetrainingstationinc.com/dbcurls.html
Extensions
http://www.thetrainingstationinc.com/pushdownsuniversal.html
Upright rows
http://www.thetrainingstationinc.com/widebbuprightrows.html
Chest Press
http://www.thetrainingstationinc.com/flatdbpress.html
Squat
http://www.thetrainingstationinc.com/bbsquats.html
Lunge
http://www.thetrainingstationinc.com/dblunges.html
Please let me know if you have any questions about these or any other exercises.
Resistance training can really help your body get into great shape! It's a great way to help speed up the progress you are trying to make with your weight loss goals. Consider adding 2 to 3 days each week of resistance training if you are not currently doing any.
"But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it." 2 Timothy 4:16 (NLT)
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Dietary Components
If your calories are within the right range for you to lose weight, you should start to see some weight loss. However, sometimes if your dietary components are out of balance, you may find that your weight loss may be slower at times and you don't have enough energy to exercise regularly. Ensuring you provide your body with what it demands helps make your weight loss journey far more successful.
Water: 8 cups (8oz each), this is the recommendation for the individual who is sedentary and does not exercise at least 30 minutes 3 times each week. 12 cups is recommended for someone who exercises 3 days or more each week. 16 cups is recommended for the individual who is very active and may also consume a high protein diet.
Protein: 3-6 servings/day. Try to make these sources lean (low in fat). Look for protein sources that are primarily protein. Good examples include: Egg white, chicken or turkey breast, non-fat cottage cheese, low-fat cheese sticks.
Even though foods like peanut butter, beans and other dairy products have protein in them, these are not considered "primary protein" sources. For example, peanut butter has approximately 16g of fat in each serving with only 8g of protein. So, yes peanut butter does have protein, but there is far more fat in it than anything else.
Carbohydrates: 4-6 servings/day. Contrary to popular belief, these are not creations of Satan! Carbohydrates are necessary to give your body energy so that you can exercise and be more active in the day. However, there are some carbohydrates that will leave you with less energy and have a tendency to store on your body as fat.
Try to consume carbohydrates that are high in fiber and low in sugar. Whenever we eat foods that are high in sugar, our body has an immediate surge of energy and then a crash! To avoid these energy crashes, eat foods that contain more fiber. Fiber will help to delay digestion and increase the duration our bodies will make use of the energy from the high fiber food you just consumed.
Examples of quality carbohydrates that are higher in fiber: Brown rice (white rice acts like sugar), 100% whole wheat bread and pasta (enriched bread acts like sugar), potato with the skin (the skin has the fiber), oatmeal that is not instant (many instant oatmeals has the fiber removed), corn (even popcorn as long as it is low-fat).
When reading a label, look to see if the food has at least 3g of fiber/serving. This will indicate a quality carbohydrate.
Vegetables (non-starchy): 3-4 cups/day. Non-starchy means to make sure these vegetables are not high in calories or carbohydrates. This will include foods like: broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, squash, all leafy green vegetables and typically what you would put on a salad (cucumbers, peppers, onions, etc) except the salad dressing.
Having one salad each day is a great way to meet your vegetable requirement.
Fruits: 3-5 servings/day. The key here is to make sure you are not consuming all the same fruit. So, 3 bananas do not work! However, 1 banana, 1 apple, 1 orange, 1 nectarine, 1 plum work.
Also consider berries and dried fruit. A typical serving of berries will be about 1/2 cup and dried fruit would be 1/4 cup.
Dairy: 3 servings/day. Try to make your dairy sources low in fat. Dairy can be another source of a lot of extra calories, however skim milk is very low in calories and provides your body with essential calcium which is very hard to get from other sources of foods. 1 8oz cup of milk, 1 6oz container of yogurt and 1oz of cheese all count as a serving of dairy. Try not to consume more than the 3 servings each day.
By consuming all of these dietary components within your calorie target range, you will give your body the energy it needs to workout more effectively, increase your metabolism and probably feel better than you have in a long time.
However, remember sometimes even if you are eating the right foods, your energy level may not be where you want it to be. That may be because your spirit needs to be fed and not necessarily your mouth. Our bodies can't live on bread alone. We need God to fill that hunger!
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.” John 6:26-28 (NLT)
Water: 8 cups (8oz each), this is the recommendation for the individual who is sedentary and does not exercise at least 30 minutes 3 times each week. 12 cups is recommended for someone who exercises 3 days or more each week. 16 cups is recommended for the individual who is very active and may also consume a high protein diet.
Protein: 3-6 servings/day. Try to make these sources lean (low in fat). Look for protein sources that are primarily protein. Good examples include: Egg white, chicken or turkey breast, non-fat cottage cheese, low-fat cheese sticks.
Even though foods like peanut butter, beans and other dairy products have protein in them, these are not considered "primary protein" sources. For example, peanut butter has approximately 16g of fat in each serving with only 8g of protein. So, yes peanut butter does have protein, but there is far more fat in it than anything else.
Carbohydrates: 4-6 servings/day. Contrary to popular belief, these are not creations of Satan! Carbohydrates are necessary to give your body energy so that you can exercise and be more active in the day. However, there are some carbohydrates that will leave you with less energy and have a tendency to store on your body as fat.
Try to consume carbohydrates that are high in fiber and low in sugar. Whenever we eat foods that are high in sugar, our body has an immediate surge of energy and then a crash! To avoid these energy crashes, eat foods that contain more fiber. Fiber will help to delay digestion and increase the duration our bodies will make use of the energy from the high fiber food you just consumed.
Examples of quality carbohydrates that are higher in fiber: Brown rice (white rice acts like sugar), 100% whole wheat bread and pasta (enriched bread acts like sugar), potato with the skin (the skin has the fiber), oatmeal that is not instant (many instant oatmeals has the fiber removed), corn (even popcorn as long as it is low-fat).
When reading a label, look to see if the food has at least 3g of fiber/serving. This will indicate a quality carbohydrate.
Vegetables (non-starchy): 3-4 cups/day. Non-starchy means to make sure these vegetables are not high in calories or carbohydrates. This will include foods like: broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, squash, all leafy green vegetables and typically what you would put on a salad (cucumbers, peppers, onions, etc) except the salad dressing.
Having one salad each day is a great way to meet your vegetable requirement.
Fruits: 3-5 servings/day. The key here is to make sure you are not consuming all the same fruit. So, 3 bananas do not work! However, 1 banana, 1 apple, 1 orange, 1 nectarine, 1 plum work.
Also consider berries and dried fruit. A typical serving of berries will be about 1/2 cup and dried fruit would be 1/4 cup.
Dairy: 3 servings/day. Try to make your dairy sources low in fat. Dairy can be another source of a lot of extra calories, however skim milk is very low in calories and provides your body with essential calcium which is very hard to get from other sources of foods. 1 8oz cup of milk, 1 6oz container of yogurt and 1oz of cheese all count as a serving of dairy. Try not to consume more than the 3 servings each day.
By consuming all of these dietary components within your calorie target range, you will give your body the energy it needs to workout more effectively, increase your metabolism and probably feel better than you have in a long time.
However, remember sometimes even if you are eating the right foods, your energy level may not be where you want it to be. That may be because your spirit needs to be fed and not necessarily your mouth. Our bodies can't live on bread alone. We need God to fill that hunger!
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.” John 6:26-28 (NLT)
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Dieting for Weight Loss
In order to lose weight through your diet, it really comes down to a simple math equation. Are the calories that you are consuming equal less than the calories that your body needs? If the answer is yes, than you will lose weight. If the answer is no, than you will either keep your weight the same or you will gain weight. It is truly that simple.
However, the trick comes to determining "how much do I need?" The answer to this question becomes a little challenging to determine precisely. Some questions need to be answered before we know the answer to this equation, for example: how many days of active exercise am I doing? How old am I? How much do I currently weigh? How tall am I?
There have been many metabolic equations established to help determine the answer to this question. It seems a bit math intensive, but the real bottom line is that as long as you keep your calories below what is recommended for you to consume that day, you will lose weight!
If anyone is interested in determining what your estimated metabolic needs are, please answer the above questions and let me know.
An example: A woman who is 45 years old, who weighs 160lbs and is 5'5" tall and is active with cardiovascular and resistance training exercise 3 days each week will need to consume 1500 calories or less to lose weight (approximately 1lb/week).
Of course if she consumes significantly less than that (1000 calories for example), she will begin to burn off too much muscle and go into "starvation mode" where the body reduces its metabolism to help keep the body alive.
The last and most important piece to this is knowing that you are on track. It's not that helpful to know what your target is and never really aim at it. In order for you to know if you are on track to lose weight, you have to keep track of your diet. People who keep track through some type of a food journal (can be an online tracker) are significantly more successful at losing weight. In fact, this is usually the number one way that I can tell if a client will be successful or not, is by the way that he or she keeps track. Once you are keeping track, it's just a matter or steering your direction. If you don't keep track, you are truly shooting in the dark!
I would recommend using some of the free online resources available to you for helping you keep track of your intake and know if your calorie targets are where they should be. Some of the best websites are: www.myfitnesspal.com and http://mypyramid.gov/. These websites will calculate all of your calories, macronutrients and even micronutrients from the food and beverages that you enter. It's a great resource and it allows you to not have to know everything that you put into your mouth.
Doing this consistently will dramatically increase your chances for success in weight loss. Stay consistent and focused on your goals and you will achieve them!
"No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14
However, the trick comes to determining "how much do I need?" The answer to this question becomes a little challenging to determine precisely. Some questions need to be answered before we know the answer to this equation, for example: how many days of active exercise am I doing? How old am I? How much do I currently weigh? How tall am I?
There have been many metabolic equations established to help determine the answer to this question. It seems a bit math intensive, but the real bottom line is that as long as you keep your calories below what is recommended for you to consume that day, you will lose weight!
If anyone is interested in determining what your estimated metabolic needs are, please answer the above questions and let me know.
An example: A woman who is 45 years old, who weighs 160lbs and is 5'5" tall and is active with cardiovascular and resistance training exercise 3 days each week will need to consume 1500 calories or less to lose weight (approximately 1lb/week).
Of course if she consumes significantly less than that (1000 calories for example), she will begin to burn off too much muscle and go into "starvation mode" where the body reduces its metabolism to help keep the body alive.
The last and most important piece to this is knowing that you are on track. It's not that helpful to know what your target is and never really aim at it. In order for you to know if you are on track to lose weight, you have to keep track of your diet. People who keep track through some type of a food journal (can be an online tracker) are significantly more successful at losing weight. In fact, this is usually the number one way that I can tell if a client will be successful or not, is by the way that he or she keeps track. Once you are keeping track, it's just a matter or steering your direction. If you don't keep track, you are truly shooting in the dark!
I would recommend using some of the free online resources available to you for helping you keep track of your intake and know if your calorie targets are where they should be. Some of the best websites are: www.myfitnesspal.com and http://mypyramid.gov/. These websites will calculate all of your calories, macronutrients and even micronutrients from the food and beverages that you enter. It's a great resource and it allows you to not have to know everything that you put into your mouth.
Doing this consistently will dramatically increase your chances for success in weight loss. Stay consistent and focused on your goals and you will achieve them!
"No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Losing weight
Most people who try to get in shape for the first time, their main goal tends to be to lose weight and "tone-up". Unfortunately, many people don't realize how consistent they need to be to really start to create a change through exercise. Many think that 2-3 days each week will be enough to start the weight loss process. Unfortunately, for many people, unless if they already have a very fast metabolism, 2-3 days of exercise is usually just enough to keep people where they are; frustrated. It usually requires 5-6 days/week of exercise to start to create consistent weight loss and strength development.
Unfortunately, most people let their lives get in the way of their health and make excuses for why they can 't be active 5-6 days out of the week. It actually isn't as hard as it might appear. Just 20-30 minutes each day, where you are seriously increasing your level of intensity can really burn a lot of calories and help revv up your metabolism. This is where setting your alarm 20 minutes earlier can really make a big difference, especially if you have some kind of cardiovascular equipment at home to use when you wake up in the morning. Even if you don't have any exercise equipment, going outside for a fast walk, jog or bike ride or getting a jump rope or even following along to a fast paced exercise video can really help burn those calories.
Don't short-change yourself, you can lose weight, but you need to be aware of what it really takes to get the ball rolling. It's about creating new habits that can keep you healthy for the rest of your life. Remember, if you feel that you are not capable of doing this regularly, God can guide you and give you the strength you need. Just ask Him!
"He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will fall and give up. But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:29-31 (NLT)
Unfortunately, most people let their lives get in the way of their health and make excuses for why they can 't be active 5-6 days out of the week. It actually isn't as hard as it might appear. Just 20-30 minutes each day, where you are seriously increasing your level of intensity can really burn a lot of calories and help revv up your metabolism. This is where setting your alarm 20 minutes earlier can really make a big difference, especially if you have some kind of cardiovascular equipment at home to use when you wake up in the morning. Even if you don't have any exercise equipment, going outside for a fast walk, jog or bike ride or getting a jump rope or even following along to a fast paced exercise video can really help burn those calories.
Don't short-change yourself, you can lose weight, but you need to be aware of what it really takes to get the ball rolling. It's about creating new habits that can keep you healthy for the rest of your life. Remember, if you feel that you are not capable of doing this regularly, God can guide you and give you the strength you need. Just ask Him!
"He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will fall and give up. But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:29-31 (NLT)
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