2 Reasons YOU Should Strength Train To Lose Weight!

2 Reasons YOU Should Strength Train To Lose Weight!

1.  Themore muscle you have, the higher your base metabolism will be and the morecalories you will burn even at rest. 
2.  Second reason is more important. Whenever you loseweight, you will lose some muscle along with the fat. If you don't exercise anddo some strength training, up to 30% of the weight you lose can come frommuscle loss, that isn't likely to be healthy over the long haul. Goodstrength and muscle tone are essential for functional living and health. Youcan hold your muscle loss down to 3-5% total weightloss with moderatestrength training. 

Strength training helps to preserve bone density,balance, and many other important things. 


Strength traineach muscle group at least twice a week--this really only takes about 30-45minutes per workout. Better yet, try circuit training, where you lift weightswithout resting between sets. This method meets both cardio and strengthrequirements because you keep your heart rate elevated throughout your workout,increasing the amount of calories you burn per workout. 

3 things are key to good health and longevity: 

Exercise, Good Nutrition, and Commitment.

Lifting Heavy is the Key to Weight Loss.  We know that losing fat involves increasing your metabolism. What you may not know is that muscle plays a huge role in raising metabolism. A pound of muscle burns about 10-20 calories a day while a pound of fat burns 5 calories. That means any growth in your muscle tissue is going to help you burn more calories all day long. In fact, strength training has all kinds of great effects on your body like:
·       Increasing resting metabolic rate so you burn more calories, even while at rest.

·      Making you lean and slim--muscle takes up less space than fat so, the more you have, the slimmer you are.
·     Strengthening bones and connective tissue, which can protect your body from injuries in daily life
·      Enhancing balance and stability
·      Building confidence and self-esteem

3 Tips to Improve Your Posture

3 Tips to Improve Your Posture

Establishing good posture habits involves more than just standing up straight. It means allowing your bones, ligaments and tendons (not your muscles) to support your body weight. When your muscles must bear your body weight and move it at the same time, they can't relax. Constricted muscles don't move freely or efficiently, causing pain and sometimes injury.

Postural alignment plays an important "support" role whenever your foot hits the ground. If your muscles have to support your body weight with each step, you'll tire more quickly. If you're bent at the waist, your lower back, quadriceps and neck muscles will be carrying your weight, which makes for inefficient running and post-workout soreness.

Focus your attention on the line your spine makes as it runs from the top of your head to the end of your tailbone. Return your attention to your spine as often as possible all day long, no matter what you're doing. Let it become a daily practice.

Don't run bent at the waist. Finishing a run with soreness in your lower back usually indicates you've been running bent at the waist. Instead, Chi Running encourages you to allow gravity to pull you forward by leaning slightly from the ankles, not the waist. Throughout your runs, make sure you're leaning from the ankles and not stressing your lower back muscles.

Engage your core by leveling your pelvis. Start by standing with your feet parallel and hip width apart. Imagine you have a string attached to the top of your head that is pulling you up, making you tall and straight. Drop your chin slightly and look straight ahead. Next, pull up on your pubic bone with your lower abdominal muscles while relaxing your glutes. Hold this position for 30 seconds. Doing this exercise throughout your day will strengthen your abs, allowing you to hold your posture straighter while running, swimming, sitting, standing, or even driving your car.

Practice initiating all movement from your core, the largest muscle group in your body, rather than the smaller muscles of your extremities.

The benefits of good posture are endless, and you can practice it anywhere, anytime. Whether you're running, sitting, or even sleeping, your whole body will thank you.

How You Can Make Fitness and Nutrition a Lifestyle.

How You Can Make Fitness and Nutrition a Lifestyle.

It's hard to admit this but, many years ago my diet consisted of diet coke and licorice or gummy bears.  I was in my 20’s and 30's and didn’t think a thing about it at the time.  Little did I know what my diet was doing do my bones, my major organs and my health.  

If only I could go back in time and start over with the knowledge I have now.

When I turned 40 (many years ago), I decided to make major lifestyle changes.  I've always loved to exercise, but never really thought too much about what I was eating.  I started teaching fitness in my 40's.
I stopped eating sugar, drinking soda pop, energy drinks, basically anything white, accept sea food.  I focus on what fuels my body for energy and nutrition.  Doing this will change your life and your children’s life.  Teach your children young the value of good nutrition.  Today. I make a conscious choice to eat a healthy diet.   I'm still teaching and love it.  

'How do you find the time to work out?' You don't: You make time. If you wait until you find time, you'll never work out.

If you are just starting to exercise, entering the world of fitness machines, exercise, diet and nutrition can be difficult.

After a few moments of peddling, your lungs gasp for air as the body screams, “What are you trying to do? Do you hate me?” Horror sets in as you realize how far your health has deteriorated. After only 20 minutes, you drive home to collapse on the sofa. Images from the gym haunt your mind: sculpted muscles and tanned, sleek bodies. “I could never look like that. This is me, so I might as well accept it.” Desperation calls for action. Staring wide-eyed at your vacuum cleaner, you consider Liposuction. But that’s just too radical.

Most people connect discipline with pain. It’s no fun forcing yourself to do something you don’t want to do. But if you are achieving an important goal, discipline becomes much easier. An athlete training for the Olympics does not have a grinding battle with willpower every day. Although there are battles, it becomes easier as the routine becomes a lifestyle.

Discipline in changing your eating habits becomes easy when you are doing it and difficult when you are not. But with patience, the right attitude, and keeping your mind on the goal, discipline becomes second nature. You don’t have to force yourself. It just comes naturally. That is the way it should be.

To gain discipline, you have to face pain. The more you face it, the more you gain confidence and determination. It is an exhilarating high to run five miles after you’re conditioned to running. It hurts to start, but as your training progresses, there is a feeling of freedom and joy.

Facing Challenge

Challenge is exhilarating. We love competition for that reason. It challenges us to give our best.

We need challenge to grow. The greater the challenge, the greater the growth. That is why dreams are important; they bring us to the edge of challenge.

Decision Power

When you ate the donuts, you made a decision. They comforted you and led you down the path of sugar-coated, chocolate-dipped, cream-filled pleasures. When the alarm clock rang and you went back to sleep, you made a decision. When you ate another piece of pie, you made a decision. 

When you are laying on the couch watching TV instead of exercising, you made a decision. Each decision was a path, the easy road where you decided to give into your cravings, urges and laziness.

Most people make New Year’s resolutions. They decide to quit smoking, start exercising and lose weight. Four days later, they’re drowning in nicotine, pizza and reruns. Their resolution failed the test.

Where is the point where you have finally had enough and you make those resolute, I’ve-had-enough, never-go-back-again decisions? The ones that endure pain and stand the test of time. Those are the decisions that change our lives. We don’t argue with those decisions because we know the answer is, NO! They are resolute. Gandhi stood resolute and unbending before threats of pain, and freed India. That is the power of an unmovable, unshakable, unbending, uncompromising decision. 

It is the power that shakes empires and inspires millions.

Life-changing decisions don’t pop into our heads while watching TV. They are decisions that are made deep within us. You make hundreds of decisions each day. Most are decided by habit. Don’t do that. Make your decisions, conscious of the path on which they are taking you. Choose decisions that challenge and cause growth. Make the decisions that force change for the better.

How badly do you want to be free from food addiction?  Are you willing to face the ugly giant called hunger? You have the power to form life-changing decisions, but only if you are willing to face the challenges.

3 things to include in your fitness to Slow Down the Aging Process.

3 things to include in your fitness to Slow Down the Aging Process.

You can't stop yourself from growing old,
but you can keep your body in great shape as you get older!

Studies have now proven that the natural aging process can be slowed and even reversed under the right conditions. 

People between the ages of 30 and 70 with many of the symptoms; conditions that were traditionally associated with normal aging are in fact the result of sedentary lifestyles.  

Our life expectancy in this day and age is much longer.  50 is the new 30, and while you may be eligible for some senior citizen discounts, you don't have to think of this stage of your life as the beginning of the end.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School have finally proven that when you are over the age of 50 you can continue to exercise with great benefits to your health.  In fact, many of the effects of aging can be slowed down through a good exercise program and balanced diet taken in combination.   

1.  Cardiovascular exercises:  take a brisk walk in the park, go swimming, dancing, jogging, recumbent bicycles  and even a few jumping jacks.  Try a fun dance class, Zumba is so popular and burns lots of calories.

2.  Strength exercises:   are an effective way to build muscle mass and maintain your body’s weight. Did you know that there are roughly 300,000 cases of broken hip bones due to elderly people losing their balance and falling over? 




Doing a few balance exercises can help to strengthen those muscles responsible for supporting you body and keeping you mobile.  It’s important that you work with a professional that can help you to put together a strength training program designed for you.

3.       Stretching and flexibility exercises are needed to keep your joints working smoothly and stop them from ceasing up. These particular exercises help to increase the amount of movements that your body can perform. Warming up the muscles and joints should be done before any workout to prevent injury and decrease the amount of pain you feel in your muscles.

I

It’s important along with exercise to have a Healthy Diet.  What you are putting into your body has a great effect on your health.   Many people believe that they don’t need to eat healthy or watch their diet because they don’t need to lose weight. This couldn’t be further from the truth! 

You should put only the best foods in your mouth no matter how much you weigh, what size you wear, or how fit you look.

Gaining muscle fast cannot be achieved if you continue to lift the same weights each workout.

91-year-old bodybuilder Charles Eugster is proof we can continue to be healthy and strong into our 90’s and it doesn’t end there.

At 85 Charles had a crisis. He looked at himself in the mirror, and saw an old man who was overweight, his posture was terrible and there was skin hanging off of him.  Charles said “I looked like a wreck’ Read Charles inspirational story here:

You can read Charles entire story by clicking here.

If you are starting an exercise program, I recommend you consult your doctor first to make sure you are of sound body. This is especially true for seniors who may have weaker bodies. When exercising, start out slow and gradually build up to a long and more intense workout as you gain strength. If you have pre-existing medical conditions, you should definitely make your personal physician aware of you decision to start working out.

"It's never too late to begin"  here's another great article about  Charles Eugster 90-year-old bodybuilder  by Hugh Esling a fitness professional he shares more tips on senior fitness  http://he123.solobis.net/yes-sir-charles-eugster-90-year-old-bodybuilder

How to Stay Motivated to be Healthy and Fit.

How to Stay Motivated to be Healthy and Fit.

Nothing is a better motivator than a positive attitude. 
If you feel good about yourself and your ability to accomplish things it will be much easier to make the choice to exercise when you may not feel quite up to it.  

Muscle burns fat…..that’s why starvation diets don’t work.  They depleat your body of escential muscle that will burn the calories we consume.

To be healthy and fit people"really know what to do" but it does take commitment and changinghabits.  It does take a lot hard work and effort.  Great advice from NIKE 3words  " Just DO IT."

If you find your workouts are hit-or-miss and that you give in to temptation a bit too easily, your weight loss may not be happening.   For exercise to work, you have to do it on a regular basis. Once your body adapts to your program, you then need to change it to keep your body challenged.   If you skip too many workouts, it's almost like starting all over every time.


Do you know anyone that has worked out for years and looks exactly the same?  They are pushing themselves day after day and not making any positive changes.  There is a reason for this, they may not be working hard enough, or they may be working too hard. 

One thing many people don't understand about exercise and weight loss is this: you have to work hard if you want to change the shape of your body. That means a balance of medium-high intensity cardio exercise along with challenging strength training workouts.   Our Diets are a key factor in weight loss.

Cardio
For weight loss, you'll need to get about 3-5 cardio workouts each week at a medium-high intensity for at least 30 minutes. If you're a beginner, it's best to start slow and work your way up but, if you're in good condition-challenging yourself with harder workouts is the best way to burn more calories.   Interval training is a good choice because studies show you continue to burn calories even after you've stopped exercising.

Strength Training In addition to your cardio workouts, you'll need to lift weights for all your muscle groups at least 2 non-consecutive days a week. And, by lifting weights, that means using enough weight that you can ONLY complete the desired number of reps.  For example, if you're doing 12 bicep curls, you need to use enough weight that you can only do 12 bicep curls and not one more. Most people don't lift enough weight to really challenge their muscles. If that sounds familiar, check out Weight Training 101 and my Workout Center to learn how to lift weights and get some workout ideas.


Sticking with exercise starts with finding a program you enjoy and that fits in with your lifestyle, goals and needs. That means being realistic about what you'll really accomplish each week rather than going by what you think you should be doing.  If you know you are not going to be consistent going to a fitness club, then learn what you can do out home out for a walk or jog and include strength training outdoors or in your home.

Some common reasons for plateaus include:

·                        Doing the same workouts over and over. Your body needs to be challenged to progress, so make sure you're changing some part of your program every 4-6 weeks.

·                        Not eating enough calories. If your body doesn't have enough fuel to sustain your level of activity, you can actually stop losing weight.

·                        Overtraining. If you exercise too much, the body sometimes responds by decreasing the amount of calories you burn during the rest of your day.

Healthy eating has to  become a lifestyle.  

Why Starvation and Yo Yo Dieting Doesn't Work!

Why Starvation and Yo Yo Dieting Doesn't Work!

STOP STARVATION AND YO YO DIETING

Here's why:
The body reacts to weight loss as if it were starving, in response, slows our metabolism.
When your metabolism slows, you burn fewer calories -- even at rest. So it makes it almost impossible to lose weight.


If you continue to take in fewer calories, you will either stop losing weight as quickly as you have been, or you'll stop losing weight altogether.


After starvation diets, eating under 1400 calorie per day diets, when you increase your calorie consumption, you may actually gain weight more quickly than you have in the past.  The most devastating effect of a very low calorie diet is the loss of muscle tissue. Once the starvation alarm is triggered, your body begins looking for ways to conserve energy. Muscle is metabolically active tissue. Getting rid of it is the body's way of decreasing energy expenditure.

The solution is to increase your physical activity and eat 5 small nutritious meals a day. (Skip sugar, white flour and empty calories that don't fuel your body)


Doing so will counteract the metabolic slow down caused by reducing calories. A regular schedule of exercise raises not only your energy expenditure while you are exercising but also your resting energy expenditure -- the rate at which you burn calories even when the workout is over and you are resting.


With each repeated bout of dieting, your metabolism becomes less and less efficient and you can actually become progressively fatter while eating less food.

Why it's important to Strength train and exercise as we age.

Why it's important to Strength train and exercise as we age.

During a fitness class I talked about the Importance of Resistance Training as we are aging and how important it is to continue to exercise, eat right, take time for meditation and stretching.

Strength training is the only type of exercise that can maintain muscle and metabolism as we age, and should be an essential component of every senior fitness program.

Men and women who do not perform regular resistance exercise experience a decrease in muscle mass throughout the aging process. Research indicates that inactive adults lose about one-half pound of muscle per year during their 30's and 40's.  The rate of muscle loss may double to one-pound per year in people past 50 years of age. Unfortunately, the higher rate of fat gain masks the muscle loss. Adults typically lose about 5 pounds of muscle and add about 15 pounds of fat each decade during the midlife years.

Based on bodyweight the average adult changes approximately 10 pounds per decade, but based on body composition the average adult changes approximately 20 pounds per decade (5 pounds less muscle and 15 pounds more fat).  A woman in her 50's may have 15 pounds less muscle and 45 pounds more fat than she had in her 20's.  This represents an unhealthy 60-pound change in her body composition, which increases her risk for a variety of devastating degenerative problems such as cardiovascular disease, many types of cancer, type II diabetes, and low back pain.

While the focus is typically on fat loss, more emphasis should be placed on muscle gain.  On average, previously sedentary seniors can replace approximately 3 pounds of muscle after about 3 months of regular resistance exercise.  So I’m going to encourage you to start now to strength train 3 days per week!  Not sure where to start?  Check a fitness facility near your home to see if they offer senior classes. If you can,  Hire a personal trainer who is over 30.  Youtube.com has some great strength training videos for seniors  http://youtu.be/JenGpTjS1lI  watch this 4 minute video to learn more.

Our life expectancy is longer in this day and age.  50 is the new 30, and while you may be eligible for some senior citizen discounts, you don't have to think of this stage of your life as the beginning of the end.  At 58, I feel better than I did in my 30’s.  I eat healthier and work out harder.

There are still more adventures to be had and obstacles to overcome as well as events to attend in your grandchildren's lives. Your age may get older, but you need to keep your body young, so you can live longer and be there for your family.

5 Reasons to Run Trail's Verses the Road, improve your fitness level!

5 Reasons to Run Trail's Verses the Road, improve your fitness level!

I took this picture this weekend when I hit the hiking trails right out my front door.  It was a great run on the trails this weekend and so beautiful.  At times I get bored with my regular run, after a few miles I'm done.  Today I could have kept going and it definitely wasn't boring.  If you are bored with the same old routine, change it up and try a trail run.
If you are bored with the same old routine, change it up and try a trail run.




Here are 5 reasons to Trail Running Verses the Road:


1- Fewer Injuries   Trail running surfaces are much softer than the asphalt or concrete you'll find when running around town. Softer surfaces mean fewer injuries, not only due to lower impact forces, but also because you'll build more strength in the muscles that help stabilize your lower leg. These muscles help absorb impact forces and provide more support—no matter what surface you're running on—and that can add up to fewer injuries.


2-  Improved Technique  Studies show that running on uneven terrain causes you to take shorter, quicker strides and land more on the forefoot than the heel. These adjustments are helpful when you're running on any surface. Shorter strides, a faster stride rate and mid-foot landing requires less energy and allows for faster acceleration than heel-toe running with longer strides.


3-  Mental Break   Just as important as the physical benefits, trail running is mentally relaxing.


4-  Breathe Easier  Trails are usually off-limits to motor vehicles, so you don`t have to worry about taking a deep breath of carbon monoxide every time a car goes by. 


5-  Get Faster   For those of you most concerned with improving your times, rest assured, trail running can make you faster. Most trail running involves hills and lots of them. Running uphill makes you stronger, it’s actually the most efficient form of strength training for runners since it uses all the muscles you activate when running on flat surfaces, but builds greater strength due to the increased resistance.