Don’t believe everything you see…

I’ve recently been looking for some workout ideas online and have come across a great array of exercises. YouTube has posts containing great ideas from TRX and Kettlebells to Yoga. I definitely encourage you to look for and try new workout ideas.

The thing is… anyone can post just about anything on YouTube. With that in mind I advise you to watch but copy with caution.

One post in particular had three young men running around a back yard doing some seriously intense exercises. I don’t know who the guy commentating was but I really hope he wasn’t a personal trainer. These poor kids had some of the worst form I’ve ever seen. Add to that the commentator yelling at them to go fast and get in as much as they could, no wonder!

I’m definitely a stickler for form. It's somehow been ground into my skull through previous personal training ventures. In my opinion, if you can’t do it right there’s really no point in doing it at all. In fact, it’s probably worse than if you just stood there doing nothing. Poor form leads to injury, point blank.

I’m not saying give up on the exercise, don’t get me wrong, but maybe you need to think about what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. If it’s to improve... chances are you aren’t going to without doing it safely and correctly.

Also, don’t think that because the demonstrators went as fast and as hard as they did, you need to do the same. A common mistake among exercisers, especially when first starting out, is to do too much too soon. If you’re unconditioned or have weaknesses you could risk some serious injury and even a major set back in your fitness goals.

When watching any exercise demonstrations notice that the "professionals" almost always show the moves in a slow and controlled motion the first time. Get the position and form down first, then go for time, reps, speed, etc.

You should know where you stand physically. You can lie to everyone else but you can't lie to yourself.

Challenge yourself but do it safely.

And of course if you need ANY help with your exercise routine you should consult a certified personal or sports trainer.

“Strive on with awareness”

Andi

Director Kevin Smith gets kicked off a southwest airplane for being “too fat”.

As you read this please understand that nothing I say is to be mean or disrespectful. I only say what I do to inform and motivate you. And remember to never take anything anyone says personally.

Over the past weekend Director Smith could not fly on his standby flight because he was asked to leave his seat due to lack of extra room. Normally he would reserve two seats allowing him, as well as other passengers, to have comfortable seat space.

I can understand that feeling as I believe train seats are very tight and uncomfortable when the train is full. Airplane seats aren’t much better but at least they have the little overhead fan and a seatbelt. Oh, and complementary drinks.

Anyway, on a morning talk show a host said that they thought the seats were too small for the average person.

The average person!?

I am split with my opinion on this statement.

On one hand I’m sympathetic to the populous. If it is uncomfortable for a majority of the customers, I agree to the thought that there should be a change. It’s just about good customer service.

On the other hand . . .

What’s up with the majority of our nation being overweight and obese?!

It’s not just the change that’s being demanded for larger seats in airplanes, stadiums, movie theaters.

I bought a pair of pants last week. A size six pair of jeans. As much as I would LOVE to be a size six there is no way that I am the size six that I was over ten years ago.

What this means to me is that this particular store of the fashion and clothing industry has begun to conform to the customers’ needs. In this case, they need larger clothing because they are too fat and want to see a smaller size on the tag.

This is scary to me. As a nation, we are adapting to being overweight by making everything bigger. Even the portions at restaurants have gotten bigger.

If anything I want to make you aware that we are trying to change everything but ourselves. The problem isn’t that things are getting smaller. It’s that people are getting bigger. And it’s not only uncomfortable to be bigger, it’s unhealthy.

Excess body fat creates a number or problems. Risks of heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers are just a few examples. At that point how much does it matter that the seat on the airplane is too small?

I know you want to be healthy and comfortable. Let’s make the change to ourselves. To be a healthy bodyweight with a healthy amount of bodyfat so that we can live healthier and happier lives.

"look at yourself and make a change" -MJ

Challenge Day 5

I challenge you to make a CHANGE.

Recently I've heard a lot of complaining about the new facebook homepage. Some people just don't like change. And that's okay... we all have our own opinions. But when it comes to your health, how can anyone say a change to be more fit isn't a good thing?

Do you know what you want to change about your health and fitness?

Ask yourself these three questions...

1. What do I want to change?
2. Why do I want make this change?
3. How am I going to make this change occur?

If you don't truly know that you want a change, it will not happen on it's own.

"Look at yourself and make a change" - MJ

Ready? Set? GO!

Challenge Day 4

Challenge 4:

I challenge you to know what you are eating.

Can you honestly say that you know what's in what you are eating?
Or better yet, what does it do to your body?
What does it mean when something says it's low fat, no fat, low sugar, sugar free, or any other adjective they print on the package?

Just because something advertises that it's better for you doesn't mean that it's good for you. Foods these days, including almost all processed foods, are filled with chemicals that are messing with your hormones and making you retain or gain body fat. These recently understood and nasty chemicals have been named obesogens.

They are found in plastics (i.e. the bisphenol A, a.k.a. BPA, water bottles that we've been told not to use), as well as pesticides used on produce, steroids and antibiotics that are fed or injected into the animals, and they occur naturally in soy.

Can you see how what you eat, even if you try to pick the healthier option, is affecting your body?

What do we do?!

Choose foods that are organic. Fruits and vegetables with eatable/thin skin can easily carry obesogens no matter how well you wash them. However, it's okay to consume those with thick skin such as bananas, that are not organically grown.
But even then I often wonder about the water that they use to irrigate the plants with. What was in the water before it got in the watermelon. You see what I'm saying?

Choose meats and poultry that are from grass fed animals . Cheese, milk, and eggs that are organic.

And if you are eating processed foods, avoid hydrogenated oils and syrups made from corn.

It's time to know what you are putting into your bodies, even if you choose to continue filling it with these obesogens, at least know what it's doing to you.

I challenge you.

Obesogen information from the book The New American Diet by Stephen Perrine

Challenge Day 2 & 3

Okay, 2 challenges...one day.

First challenge:
If if is snowing where you live, I challenge you to shovel the snow. Shovel the front walk, the driveway, the sidewalk, the path to the barn... anything you can shovel. Go ahead and give yourself a good workout.

Things to remember...
Lift with your LEGS! I know, it may look silly, but doing this will help save your back.
If you are pitching the snow be careful that you aren't rotating while lifting. Lift, step, pitch.
Keep your core engaged.
And breath.

And if it didn't snow, go outside and pick up any branches or twigs that are laying around. Or rake those leftover leaves. Remember to lift with your legs, squat down to pick things up.

I challenge you to get outside.

Second challenge:
Keep a fitness journal. It's a good practice to keep journals. Whether they are about your dreams, love life, financials, nutrition, etc. keeping a journal on what you are doing and what you want will help you visualize reaching your goals.

I challenge you to realize your fitness goals by keeping some type of journal.

Ready? Set? Go!

Challenge Day 1

My mystery lower back pain has me thinking a lot more about practicing what I preach.

I have to admit that I have caught myself lifting a lot lately with my lower back. And now that I think about it, this is something I have done a lot over my life.

I'm a strong chick. And I have always lifted with my back with the thought that it was okay because I was strong and using "good form". It's like I've been dead lifting everything.

Truth is, it doesn't matter how good my form has been. Lifting like that was stressing my back out so much.

It's likely that, without having a habit of using your legs to lift, you are lifting with your back as well. I have caught many of my clients lifting with their backs in the beginning. Think about it over the next few days.

So what should we do?

Use our legs.

It doesn't matter if you are only picking up an almond you dropped on the ground or putting clothes in the drier... remember to use your legs.

This is my challenge to you... Use your legs!

It's almost amusing to think of how much this would help most people. To use those large muscles in your legs more often would bring many benefits including building core strength and burning extra calories.

To my BALers...
It's very exciting that you will be able to track your calories in and out with the GoWearFit armband and online info. Keep this challenge in mind when you start looking for that extra burn throughout your day.

Ready? Set? Go!

30 Day Challenge!!!

I challenge you...

Okay, here's the deal... at American Family Fitness we are doing a 30 day challenge.

In spirit of competition with Be A Loser, and other programs getting started, I am going to make a 30 day challenge for you.

Everyday I will have a new challenge for you.

Can you meet my challenge??

We shall see...

"Strive on with awareness" - Siddhārtha Gautama

How to... avoid wasting $ on a personal trainer

As personal trainers, we see a lot of the same goals throughout our career. Most clients want to lose body fat or “weight”. Many want to tone or build lean muscle. Some are athletes. Some are body builders or power lifters. But every client has their own “story”.

I think our job, as fitness professionals, is to help the client find that story and make it happen.

When you ask me, “in your professional opinion, how does one get the best value for their personal training [cost]”, this is my opinion…

Do your research.

If you know what your goal is, research how others have met the same or similar goals. You don’t have to study kinesiology to find out how to reach your fitness goal. Research it. Read blogs of fitness professionals. Read fitness magazines such as Men’s/Women’s Health or Men’s/Women’s Fitness. They are full of great information from nutrition to sex. Then, when you know what you want, look for trainers using the practices you have researched.

When looking for a personal trainer, you should take some time to observe their behavior.

Go to the gym as often as you can and watch them work as you work out. Take into consideration how they interact with their clients.

Here are some observations I would make:
Are they paying close attention to the clients? Watch the trainer’s body language. Are they involved in the training or do they sit or stand and give verbal commands?

Do they have variation in the workouts? Are they doing the same workout with each client? Remember, clients are special and should be treated as such.

Are they putting clients through the same workout each day? In my opinion variety is key for an effective exercise program because it keeps the body guessing and the client interested. This is why I believe it’s important to be versatile as a trainer. Maybe one day you use free weights, another you are doing plyometrics, another is a bodyweight day. It will depend on your goals when and how these are done.

When you have chosen a trainer, you should take some time to get to know each other. This may be referred to as a consultation.

This is a time for you and the trainer to decide if and how they will help you reach your goals.

You should discuss your goals and why they are your goals. You should also discuss any medical issues, nutrition and your exercise history. And because you can’t reach your goal without knowing where you are starting you should also do a fitness assessment which includes a body fat analysis, strength test and postural assessment.

With this knowledge, your trainer can cater your workouts to your needs and abilities.

Last but not least remember that just because a trainer is busy or has a lot of clients this does not mean that they are the best trainer for you. Trainers are popular for different reasons. You need to find a personal trainer that is the right fit for you. And now you know how.

Good luck with reaching your fitness goals.
-Strive on with awareness-