by IcennaEmach | Feb 20, 2010 | Uncategorized
The other day I was a guest at a club in town, and in the locker room there was a sign posted that said, ” Exercise helps us enjoy the things we love to do even more!”
The entire day that saying kept repeating in my head…. exercise helps us enjoy the things we love to do even more………………exercise helps us enjoy the things we love to do even more.
I know what the author of this statement was suggesting. He was stating that having a healthy body makes everything we love to do more fun, more enjoyable, less tiring, more meanigful. Most of us are fully aware of how exercise improves the life we choose to live.
Hmmmm…..but do we really know the meaning of this simple statement? Here’s my question: “Does knowing and agreeing with the meaning of a viewpoint equate with doing the action? More clearly, let us ask ourselves if we ever tried to exercise, following all the literature quidelines for exercising smartly, and then just failed miserably after a few weeks?
How could this happen we may ask? We read all the literature. It says to exercise daily. Do cardiovascular exercise such as jogging, walking, and biking for heart health. Strength train for bone and muscle health. Increase flexibility for better ease of movement. Do yoga. Reduce stress. Develop strong relationships. And the list goes on and on.
However, the real question we need to ask ourselves is this: “If we know all this, then why can’t we change?”
It’s not that we can’t change. We can change. Think about this. You are off to a good start knowing so much about healthy living. It’s a start though. That’s all. A beginning point for healthier living. Necessary? Absolutely. The secret, if there is a secret, is in understanding fully that healthy living requires effort. In the beginning the effort will be quite demanding, but as behaviors change, life gets easier. It gets more fun. More invigorating. More interesting. And more satisfying by far.
If I may offer one suggestion it would be to cease looking for the magic bullet. There’s work to be done by us all. And, if by chance you need assistance in putting healthy living into action, you are in luck, as that is what I do. I’d be happy to help. [email protected] 904 501 6002
by IcennaEmach | Jan 22, 2010 | Uncategorized
A question generated by a previous article, “How You Train Determines How You Look”, is from a reader who exercises regularly, but still has concerns regarding the approach to training and disappointing visible results.
Question: I am 57 years old and have been exercising regularly for the last 9 years. I do cardio classes at the YMCA two times a week, yoga one day a week, and additionally I am in a weight training class two days a week. I eat healthy, feel good, and am at a good weight, although I’d like to lose about 6 pounds. I have a lot of energy too, but with all this exercise, I still don’t look like I work out. My arms are flabby, I have no waist, and my posture is semi-poor. I don’t understand your last letter on recruiting muscle fibers with weight training for a leaner look! Don’t I do that in my weight training classes?
Your concern is understandable and also very typical for many people who exercise regularly. You are putting much energy into working out, but you just cannot get the look you desire.
Here’s What You Need to Know:
What is Cardiovascular Exercise Good For? What is it Not so Good For?
Cardiovascular exercise is great for burning calories and for making the heart strong. However, it does little for shaping the muscles of the upper body or even the legs. It’s true, sometimes you’ll see runners or other people who only do lots of cardiovascular exercise like biking and the elliptical trainer and they have nice looking legs. However, this is rare and seen mainly in those individuals with very little body fat. You’ll notice they look good, even though their muscle mass is minimum. For the other 99% of us, we must use full range of motion weight training techniques to fully sculpt not only the muscles of the legs and gluteus maximus ( rear) but the muscles of the upper body as well, especially the tricep muscles ( back of upper arms). As an additional note, if you are not exercising with good form and through a full range of motion, you are encouraging bad habits and increasing the likelihood of furthering poor posture.
What Can Yoga and Pilates Do For Us?
Yoga, pilates, and well designed stretching routines are great for increasing flexibility, general strength, and core strength. They aid our appearance by helping us move more fluidly as in our younger days. Some people who are very lithe and slender can attain a lean look solely by faithfully implementing these forms of exercise. This advantage lays in their super low body fat percentage visually magnifying what little muscle mass they may have. For those of us who are not so thin and lissome, or want a more fit look, developing muscle through properly tailored weight training routines are critical to achieving a visually appealing body frame.
Fortunately, many of today’s yoga and pilates instructors are well aware of the benefits of specialized weight training for a more desirably aesthetic look. These savvy instructors smartly refer and encourage their clients to engage in uniquely designed weight programs that are not being implemented in their yoga , pilates, or general weight training classes.
How Specialized Weight Training Can Change the Look of Your Body
Weight training is different than cardiovascular training flexibility. Of all the forms of activity, it is weight training that is crucial to shaping our muscles!
Think about this, but don’t get the wrong idea. Body builders sculpt and shape their muscles through the lifting of weights. It is not through hours on the treadmill, hours in the yoga studio, or hours spent on the pilates machine that muscles are densely defined. Now, before your image of the body builder is taken to the extreme form, know that their training is highly rigorous, highly intensive and highly systematic. That’s ok for them, but for those of us that want just a small amount of defined muscle that looks good and gives us that chiseled smooth look, we need not follow their program intensity or duration, but only their highly specialized weight room system for building muscle.
The progressive overload technique as well as various forms of what is called pyramid training done properly and implemented correctly are two of the quickest ways to achieve muscle tone that has been lacking for years. And yes, even in the hard to define areas of our bodies such as back of the arms, abdominals, rear end, hips and shoulders. What you need to know is that regardless of age, you are capable of gaining muscle, gaining strength, and gaining the confidence that you can not only feel better, but look better. For this to occur, specialized weight training is crucial, but the results are remarkable! You can do it! I will help. Bodysmart gives you the flexibilty to train online, on the telephone, or in person. For questions or inquiries on training with kim go to [email protected].
by IcennaEmach | Jan 3, 2010 | Uncategorized
”The main reason diets fail, and health, fitness, and wellness goals are not achieved, is that our mental discipline weakens in an attempt to lose weight and become fit in a small span of time. Ironically, we consider ourselves weak willed and undisciplined when our dieting and exercise goals fail.” K. Miller
As a Health/Fitness coach and trainer in the St. Augustine, Florida area for over 10 years, I’ve seen many health trends come and go. Until a year or two ago, I received many exercise and health related questions from people seeking to obtain the “single” best approach to health. For example, “What is the best exercise?” “What is the best food?” “What is the best abdominal exercise?” And Etc. To most of us today, even novice exercisers, these questions appear narrow in scope and too basic for real health change to occur.
With the New Year here, this is a good time to summarize health observations. Specifically, I’ve noticed an ever increasing number of people gaining a better sense of what it means to be healthy and fit. They, it appears, are taking a broader and less superficial view than in previous years of what it means to be healthy and well.
There are many health observations that I could write about, but the three featured below were chosen because they represent an awareness that transcends superficial fitness practices and provide a hopefulness that I believe is necessary for real health change to occur.
Observations
1. We Use a Multi Tiered Approach to Health. People are savvy in what they require from a competent trainer. Years ago, a trainer needed only to be competent in putting a client through a vigorous routine without getting him or her injured. Today, this approach is fast disappearing. Trainers today must have an awareness and appreciation for engaging their clients in a more holistic approach to health, wellness, and fitness in order to keep up with the increased needs of their client base.
2. We Understand Exercise Cannot be Used to Mitigate Poor Eating Habits. The new attitude today is, ” I worked out hard today, let’s not mess things up by eating poorly.” People have adapted this new attitude because they are looking at food not merely as calories to be burned through exercise, but nutrition to be gained through proper eating habits.
3. We Realize The Best Exercises Are The Ones We Actually Do. There are certainly best approaches to take as it relates to a well balanced fitness program. It should include various aspects of fitness from cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and endurance, to flexibility, balance, and body composition. And, they should include the more wellness oriented aspects of health, such as stress reduction, nutritional needs, and relationships with friends and family. However, if we are not ready to tackle the full demands of what it means to be healthy and well, then pick one exercise and do it well.
It’s amazing how focusing on one activity can change the heart and mind of an individual. In my earlier days of training clients, I used this singular approach successfully by putting one through an intense, but manageable workout with the hope that their minds would become open to engaging in other aspects of health and wellness. It’s still a great approach, and can be used as the basis of jump starting any lifestyle change! Try it yourself and drop me an e-mail at [email protected] letting me know how you are doing.
by IcennaEmach | Nov 22, 2009 | Uncategorized
Staying active and eating moderately during the holidays is a challenge for most of us.
Enjoying family, friends, and great food while maintaining fitness goals is most effectively achieved through proper planning. Take these action steps before your holiday outings by getting back to the basics of thoughtful planning.
Because the holiday season, with its emphasis on beautiful caloric rich foods and drinks places us in high risk situations for continuing healthful living, we need to recognize, identify, and practice a new set of skills. But before these skills are practiced, a little perspective helps in accomplishing our holiday goals of fitness and weight maintenance. The key is in not being too hard on ourselves, while asking ourselves to take responsibility and execute a plan.
Keys to Feeling Good During The Holidays
Stay Organized and Thoughtful. We tend to think that others are more disciplined in integrating healthy behaviors, but in reality, they are just more organized and thoughtful. Have a plan and tell yourself that you are in training for a new skill. As you improve at organizing yourself and projecting possible barriers, the newly learned skills will come naturally. Keeping healthy and maintaining your weight during the holidays will get easier with each passing festive season.
Stay Focused. It’s easy to rationalize unhealthful behaviors while shopping, cooking and enjoying festivities with friends and family. Recognize this type of thought process as destructive, and replace those thoughts with visualizing the people you admire who have mastered healthy skills. Know that it is within your reach to enjoy the camaraderie of the holiday season while maintaining your health. Take an attitude that others are doing it and so can you!
Stay Honest. Certain events during the holidays will inevitably occur, that you as an individual cannot control. Recognize and identify these events. This is no time to indulge in self-berating behaviors. Conversely, many events will be within your control, and will directly correlate to decisions that empower you to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Visualize how you want to feel after the holiday season has ended. It’s true, gyms are crowded with new members after the 1st of the year and we assume it is because of well thought out New Year’s resolution planning. The truth is, many people go to the gym in January simply because they have under-exercised and over-indulged in food and drink during the holidays. They are feeling out of control. Tell yourself that it does not have to be this way. We can enjoy the holidays, make workouts and or walking/jogging programs a priority, and try various foods that our friends, families and favorite restaurants have to offer in a moderate manner.
Take control this holiday season! And get back to the basics of what an increasingly growing number of savvy people consider the cornerstone of living well – a healthy life!
Action Steps
– Six days prior to the holiday festive season, put your goals of weight maintenance and adhering to an exercise routine throughout the holiday season in writing. Keep in a visible area. Read daily to reinforce mentally.
– Four days prior, visualize what your days will look like during the holiday season. Imagine the shopping and time schedule you will have, the food preparation you may do, and what parties you may have, or will be attending. Envision accomplishing written health goals during each activity, and keeping your exercise schedule consistent.
– Three days prior, mentally strategize any barriers that may occur in preventing you from accomplishing your goals.
– Two days prior, write down possible goal barriers, as well as alternative strategies you will implement if barriers arise.
– One day prior, mentally rehearse accomplishing health goals and overcoming all barriers that may arise. See yourself adjusting to new strategies in various holiday settings. Use positive self – talk as a tool to gain self control of negative defeatist attitudes. Go to www.selfhelpmagazine.com/articles/sports/selftalk.htmlfor an overview of how positive self- talk can enhance your success.
Daily, remind yourself you are practicing skills that may be easy to implement during the year when your routine is dependable, but more challenging during the holidays when activities are more hectic. Remind yourself to slow down, and think about health priorities, while rewarding yourself for making good choices.
Daily, take solace in the fact that implementation of good healthful habits becomes easier through the holiday seasons, and changing old neurological pathways now, positions you for a more vital and vigorous quality of life as you progress through the years.
by IcennaEmach | Oct 31, 2009 | Uncategorized
High intensity interval training, also called HITT, is a specific type of interval training that in the past was practiced mainly by athletes at the highest level of sports. Today, it is implemented commonly by athletes and non athletes alike who desire obtaining the most, lean, athletic, and sinewy physiques that are “possible for them.”
Emphasis on, “possible for them”, is placed because it’s important to understand that we have innate body shapes that make becoming lean more easy, or more difficult,depending on genetic factors. There are three body types:
Ectomorph
Body types are naturally lean and thin skinned. They will see quicker looking body fat results than the two other body types, mesomorphs and endomorphs.
Mesomorph
Body types are characterized by dense musculature. They will see results less quickly than ectomorphs, but have greatest lean muscle looking potential.
Endomorph
Body types are characterized by softness and fatty areas throughout body. These individuals respond to high intensity interval training less quickly than ectomorphs and mesomorphs, but results of fat loss percentages are more pronounced than the former two groups.
The Truth of the Matter
Think you are an Endomorph? Think again! Go back to your childhood, and recall what body type you were at age 10. This is what you are today, even if you feel a little soft.
EPOC to Super Charge Metabolism
When you exercise using the high intensity interval system, your body consumes considerably more oxygen. And the more oxygen you expend, the more calories you burn. However this increased oxygen during exercise is not really what fuels what we all desire- a higher metabolic rate, it’s the after-burn, or what is called EPOC, and more descriptively, excess post exercise oxygen consumption that fuels our metabolism. It works like this. The more energy your body uses during training, the higher EPOC. EPOC works in increasing metabolism by telling our body to get back to balance or what is referred to as homeostasis.
Getting back to homeostasis takes energy though, and this energy burns calories for several hours if not days afterward. That’s why hard working athletes who consume thousands of calories still find it difficult to sustain their weights. Their bodies are calorie burning machines even when they are at rest. How would you like to have even a fraction of their speedy metabolisms? You can. Next week we’ll go over specific high intensity interval training techniques to get you started on EPOC. In the meantime, think about this:
1. Training without good nutrition is nothing.
2. Over eating is not good.
3. You can do what you want to do.
4. Now is the time.
5. Control your destiny by managing your health.
