Let’s face it, it’s hard keeping up with a regular exercise plan between work, kids, dinner, soccer practices, and so on – who has the time?!

With Summer quickly approaching, here are 6 tips to help you stay on your exercise regime to get the results you want:

1. Monday Funday. Always start your exercise plan on Monday. This sets the “tone” (no pun intended) for the rest of the week.

2. Rise & Shine. Try to exercise first thing in the morning. This will prevent other time pressures to interfere throughout your day that will keep you from working out. Exercising in the morning also “jump starts” your metabolism and keeps it elevated for hours.

3. Two days of rest. Never skip exercise two days in a row. You can skip a day, but always workout the next day no matter how inconvenient.

4. Don’t let great get in the way of good. You don’t have to go outside and run a marathon to get a good workout. Remember the little things – dance to your favorite tune, do squats while you’re watching tv. Every little exercise counts, just do something to get your body moving!

5. Sanity Vs. vanity. Workout because you know it’s going to make you feel better, calmer, and more at ease rather than worrying about the pounds shedding. The short-term goals make it easier to work up to your long-term goals.

6. Keep goals on the frontline. Make a list of goals for yourself and post on your bathroom mirror (or wherever it is you look the most in the mornings). Cut out images of your ideal body and make yourself a vision board. When you keep these ideas in the front of your mind from the beginning of the day, you are more likely to achieve them.

What are some things you do to stay on top of your exercise game?

Did you see one of the recent articles in SELF magazine about weight loss myths?

SELF gave me the task of busting some of the myths their readers had about weight loss. These ideas included the following:

1. Don’t eat after 8PM.
2. You should wait until you’re REALLY hungry to eat.
3. If you don’t sweat, you aren’t working out hard enough.
4. Women who lift weights will get big and bulky.
5. You can out-exercise a bad diet.
6. Carbs make you fat.
7. Your body has a set weight that you cannot move beyond.

DISCLAIMER: If you are just now tuning in, these are all untrue!

As a personal trainer, I hear these false statements all the time. Here are some others you may be familiar with but are also not true:

Fat is bad.
Actually, there are some fats that are good for you, like omega-3 fatty acids, which are found mainly in fish and shellfish, and monounsaturated fat like what’s in olive oil. Everyone needs a little fat in their diet.

Skipping Meals will help me lose weight.
False, again! Skipping meals can actually cause you to gain weight. Your metabolism decreases and you get overly-hungry when you go too long without food in your system. This is why eating the meal people skip most (breakfast) can actually help you lose weight.

Dramatically cutting back on calories will help me lose weight.
Not eating your intended daily calorie intake can send your body into “starvation mode”. Your body thinks it is starving, it wants to maintain your weight, so your metabolism will actually slow down and cause you to lose no weight at all.

All of these statements are ones that I’ve heard and continue to hear at some point in my career. I cannot stress enough how important it is to live a healthy lifestyle that includes proper nutrition and exercise.

What are some questions you have about diet and exercise you think could be myths? What are some questions you want to confirm are not myths?

Perfection through Imperfection

Slim Jim, Scrawny, Bird Chest

See that guy right there? That was me, Jim White. Also known as Slim Jim, Scrawny, Bird Chest and so on by many people during those years. At 5 foot 11 inches, 135 pounds I was clearly not the biggest or strongest kid on the block. In high school, my brother introduced me to weight training. Instantly, I was hooked. I didn’t want to be the “weakling” anymore.

 

I wanted to look like this…

Through persistence and dedication in the weight room I went from 135 to 195 pounds of lean muscle within two years. These dramatic changes were gained solely from healthy eating and training – no drugs or supplements. Not only did I see changes in my body, I began to see changes in other areas of my life: my energy levels skyrocketed, my confidence soared, and my motivation level continued to remain high.

From there I became fascinated with obtaining the “perfect body.” On my quest, I developed some binge eating tendencies. While I was training for my body building competitions I was put on a very strict, clean

diet but immediately after the shows I would binge – eating nearly 2000 calories before bed each night. I learned that this “perfect body” came at a cost. The meticulous diet I followed and excessive exercise I engaged in had derailed my healthy objective.

Here I am, today.

I was the victim of unrealistic expectations. Through my years of personal training, I’d learned that most people think in order to obtain that perfect body you must eat clean all the time, no cheat meals, and extreme exercise – but I think otherwise. In my eyes, the perfect eater is one who can eat a variety of foods in moderation, cheat and not feel guilty about it, and exercise according to how your body feels. After 15 years in the exercise industry, I finally found the recipe for being healthy and staying healthy.

 CHEAT. Yes, you read it correctly – don’t be afraid to cheat! Studies show that a cheat meal can speed up your metabolism, increase your energy, and be great for your psyche. Keep in mind that moderation is key; it doesn’t give you a license to eat whatever you want, whenever you want.

Post Marathon pizza eating challenge. The remains of mine and Jake's 2 ft pizza! Finished in 40 minutes... the pizza not the marathon!

PERFECTION. There is no such thing as perfection. Don’t get discouraged by television ads and magazines articles. Ninety percent of the bodies on magazine covers are airbrushed or photo shopped. Do your best with the body you have. Put your health as your first priority and let vanity take a back seat.

 LOVE EXERCISE. You have to love exercise. Some type of exercise. Not everyone loves running on a treadmill or pumping iron in a hot, sweaty weight room. But there are hundreds of ways to get the body moving! Try hot yoga, run with the dog, take a hip-hop dance class, whatever it takes to burn the calories.

REALISTIC GOALS. Take it from me, I’ve tried almost every diet out there and studied just about every nutrition secret and technique known to man. I’ve trained hundreds of people to lose thousands of pounds, but the bottom line is to be realistic with what you can do with your body. Set     reasonable goals, large and small, and work to make them happen.
Remember that it’s about the journey not the destination. It’s a lifestyle change, not a quick fix.

What’s the biggest obstacle that gets in your way of obtaining the body you desire?

“Being mindful of what’s on your plate and what you are eating.”

March is National Nutrition month, and this year’s theme is “Get Your Plate in Shape.”  What that means to me is looking at the big picture….where do I look first to and make some improvements?  Maybe it would be the extra cup or 2 of popcorn I’ve been adding to my evening snack, or adding  some variety to my meals instead of eating the same meals over and over.  Am I the only one who feels like I’m in a food rut?  And, can’t forget the exercise…it might be time to try some of those cardio classes I’ve been watching and thinking about!

What are some of the changes you can make to get your plate in shape?

Rev It Up!

Double Kettlebell Front Squat

STEP ONE

Bring two kettlebells to your shoulders and take a stance that you find comfortable for your body type. As you squat down, push your buttocks out. Looking straight ahead at all times, squat as low as you can and pause at the bottom.

STEP TWO

Rise back up and repeat. Pull yourself down with your hamstrings and breathe in as you lower yourself back down to the bottom. Breathe out and stand up.

A Heartfelt Reason to Use Kettlebells
In their study, researchers at Truman State University found that kettlebell exercises improved maximum oxygen uptake, providing a greater aerobic challenge than traditional circuit weight training. So mix it up. And do something great for your heart.

In a study, Brazilian researchers found that people who received more attention from exercise professionals and probably experienced more psychological reinforcement could lift significantly more weight than those who had less supervision. The lesson? A coach’s guidance and motivation can help you train harder and increase your overall strength.

America is 60% overweight. Why? Well, studies gathered by the Journal of Public Health Policy show that our consumption of food has increased over the last decade. For example, today, we as a society pour 20% more cereal and 30% more milk into our breakfast bowls.

In fact, let’s take a look at that bowl, because it’s not just food portions that have increased—our plates, bowls, and cup sizes have as well. In the early 1990s, the standard size of a dinner plate increased from 10 to 12 inches; cup and bowl sizes followed. This is significant because larger eating containers can influence how much people eat. The bottom line is, our portions are distorted! You may have heard that a proper meat serving is the size of your palm, or a cup of veggies is the size of a baseball. That’s good, but try these hip new references to eye up your portions:

Just the other day a client asked me, “How long do I have to keep up this healthy eating and exercise thing in order to maintain my figure and my health?” I answered, “Forever!” It’s true! This exercise and healthy eating game must be continued to maintain your desired body type and to achieve wellness. I have seen people lose a hundred pounds just to gain it all back. Let’s face it. Life can throw us a curve ball: an injury, loss of a job, death in the family, divorce, a health condition… And even the happiest events such as getting married or having kids can lead to weight gain. This is caused by stress eating or not exercising. It’s okay to get knocked off your track from time to time, but you have to be resilient so you can come back from those times when you lose your health for any reason. My rule of thumb is to never gain more than ten pounds. When you start going over the ten-pound mark, you dig yourself deeper in the hole and it’s harder to get out of it.

I think we as a society need to switch our mindset about exercise and nutrition. We have to look at it as a gift we help give ourselves. What else can make us feel young, give us energy, confidence, better health, better sleep, a better sex life, and just a natural high? Of course, too many Big Macs and bowls of ice cream can give us a high as well, but it’s short lived, addicting, unhealthy and in the long run, we end up feeling sluggish and depressed. Not that it’s horrible to indulge from time to time, but anything out of moderation in life can lead to imbalance and loss of control. So next time you ask yourself, why do I have to eat healthy and exercise, or how long do I have to keep it up, think of your options: being overweight with potential health conditions, fatigue and lowered confidence, or healthy, fit and in control of your weight. The answer is forever!