How many of you find yourself not wanting to hit the gym after a long day or to stop and pick up fast food on the way home instead of taking the time to make something healthy for dinner? If this is you, I would say you are in the majority of people out there but being in the majority isn't always the best place to be.
I have problems motivating myself to workout. I know, I know! How can that be! I have been a part of the fitness industry for seventeen years now and have owned my own fitness studio for almost seven of those. Part of my job is to motivate my clients yet sometimes the person I know who is the least motivated is myself.
For some background, a couple of months ago I had decided to train for either a 5k or 10k run coming up in roughly a month. I gave myself 90 days to train for it. Sound familiar? I love the idea of breaking fitness goals into 90 day components. This is, after all, just another fitness goal to conquer. The problem is I don't love it. I don't even like it. I dread going for a run, I dread the day of the event, I dread...... Get the picture! I hate running and I dedicated 90 days to it. I make it to the gym, I make my runs, I check the box. Last week, I would force myself to workout. Not Fun!
My latest "A-HA" moment came just yesterday while hiking in the Magdalena Mountains west of Socorro New Mexico at 10,700ft on South Baldy. I love the outdoors and being active outdoors. I live to hike and explore the back country. Earlier this year I hiked rim to rim in a day at the Grand Canyon. I trained by hiking and going to the gym for supplemental workouts. I was always motivated. For one, I knew all to well what I was getting myself into and I knew I had to be physically prepared. I also loved the idea of it. I couldn't wait for the day to get here and couldn't wait for the next big adventure when it was finished. If I feel this strongly about the outdoors and hiking, why was I wasting my time getting ready for a run that I no affinity of any kind for.
Today I made a decision to refocus on the activity that I love and to just forget about the run. This mornings workout wasn't much different than the ones I have been doing but I attacked it with enthusiasm! I know it will make me a better stronger hiker for the next big adventure.
My point in all of this is to truly stay motivated, find an activity you like and enjoy and focus your workouts around those activities. It is much easier to go to the gym or get out and exercise when you can directly associate it with something you truly enjoy.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Partner Dancing & Fitness
Do you know partner dancing such as Ballroom, Latin, Country Western, & Swing just might be the perfect way to stay fit from our youth through our golden years. Dancing has numerous health benefits and it breaks up the monotony of a regular run of the mill fitness routine.
Each season on television shows such as Dancing with the Stars, contestants go on and on about how much weight they lose or how much better shape they are in from dancing. Granted they are dancing a lot. Hours and hours a day to prepare for each weeks show but on a smaller scale each and every one of us can benefit from partner dancing!
Why is dancing so good for everyone?
1. It gets us up and moving. It raises the heart rate which benefits cardiovascular health.
2. It is weight-bearing so it is good for maintaining or possibly increasing bone density.
3. It utilizes the core muscles which in turn helps to maintain a strong healthy back.
4. It helps to develop balance and coordination. Falls as we get older are often associated with a decrease in balance.
5. It has many cognitive benefits as it a complex mental activity. Did you know that an article in the New England Journal of Medicine found dancing, YES DANCING!, to be "the only physical activity associated with a lower risk of dementia" in a study of the risks of dementia in the elderly.(Of the 11 types of physical activity in the study)
Unlike many other forms of exercise that can actually cause excessive wear and tear on the joints or be too strenuous or demanding to continue into late adulthood, partner dancing can be enjoyed by virtually everybody. If you are looking to make a lifelong commitment to you health and well being, dancing should be an activity that is at the top of your list!
Below is the link to the NEJM article mentioned above.
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa022252#t=articleResults
Each season on television shows such as Dancing with the Stars, contestants go on and on about how much weight they lose or how much better shape they are in from dancing. Granted they are dancing a lot. Hours and hours a day to prepare for each weeks show but on a smaller scale each and every one of us can benefit from partner dancing!
Why is dancing so good for everyone?
1. It gets us up and moving. It raises the heart rate which benefits cardiovascular health.
2. It is weight-bearing so it is good for maintaining or possibly increasing bone density.
3. It utilizes the core muscles which in turn helps to maintain a strong healthy back.
4. It helps to develop balance and coordination. Falls as we get older are often associated with a decrease in balance.
5. It has many cognitive benefits as it a complex mental activity. Did you know that an article in the New England Journal of Medicine found dancing, YES DANCING!, to be "the only physical activity associated with a lower risk of dementia" in a study of the risks of dementia in the elderly.(Of the 11 types of physical activity in the study)
Unlike many other forms of exercise that can actually cause excessive wear and tear on the joints or be too strenuous or demanding to continue into late adulthood, partner dancing can be enjoyed by virtually everybody. If you are looking to make a lifelong commitment to you health and well being, dancing should be an activity that is at the top of your list!
Below is the link to the NEJM article mentioned above.
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa022252#t=articleResults
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
My Own Reality Check!
This past summer I got up one day, got on the scales, and saw 239lbs staring back at me. Now I have been active all of my life. Up until a shoulder injury a couple of years ago(shoulder labrum tear) I had been a regular weight lifter in fact. Like a lot of guys I know, I was always trying to get bigger and stronger. This was all well and good then the injury happened and for quite a while I wasn't able to lift the way I was before. I also wasn't able to participate in some activities that had been a regular part of my life and instead of finding alternatives I just eliminated a large part of my activity. I wasn't as concerned about my nutrition because I had though of nutrition as a means of getting stronger and bigger so without the lifting my habits took a negative turn. One day I got on the scales and saw 247lbs staring back at me. It made me take notice and I made some changes to get back in shape. I got ready and did a rim to river to rim hike in a day in the Grand Canyon(Not as easy at 235lbs I might add). I made changes in my diet and stuck with them for a couple of months each time before sliding back into a Carl's Jr addiction. This past March I was 220lbs. I am actually pretty happy at this weight. At 220lbs I wear a 34" waist pants(if they have baggy legs). Then life got in the way some and Carl's Jr came back into my life. Now back at the beginning of my story, I saw 239lbs staring back up at me...
Near the end of June my wife and I visited some friends in Colorado Springs. They were just about to start a committed 3 months to changing their nutrition and my wife and I decided we would join them in the journey. There is a book by Dr. Joel Fuhrman called Eat to Live that I really like and reading it really made me think about my nutritional habits. We basically followed the guidelines in this book which are, in a nutshell, to eat more fresh fruits & vegetables and try to dramatically reduce animal proteins. I like eating this way so it wasn't hard. At the end of the 3 months I had dropped to 220lbs. I felt good, I was loving the way I was eating. My wife had purchased a Vitamix earlier in the year and we used this daily to mix smoothies and shakes with fresh greens, fruit, almond or coconut milk, and various protein powders(mostly soy). The only problem was the only one I found that tasted good had 19g of sugar. There was still something missing in my nutritional plan and I looked at quite a few meal replacement shake mixes and powders to mix into my daily shake and everything I found either tasted bad, or the quality of the product was bad.
In late September I decided to give a shake mix made by ViSalus (Body by Vi & The 90 Day Challenge) a try and I feel like I finally have found the last piece in my nutritional plan. It checked all the boxes for me and it tastes fantastic. It helps too that a meal replacement shake is as easy as my nemesis Carl's Jr. and much cheaper!
I started my own 90 Day Challenge to walk 1,000,000 steps in 90 days along with adding the Vi shake mix to my daily shake(Yes it is delicious blended with spinach, kale, frozen fruit, and almond or coconut milk). Now that shake is the meal I look forward to the most every day. To reach my challenge goal I have to walk 11,111+ steps every day which is sometimes harder than it sounds. The motivation of setting the 90 day goal helps to keep me on track as well as the fact that I do tend to be a fairly competitive person in this type of challenge.
So where has that left me now? Well, I made a commitment to my health through proper nutrition. I call it proper nutrition because diet is a four letter word and the first three letters in diet spell die. Very negative if you ask me! I am nine days away from my 40th birthday and I am in better shape today than I was on my 30th birthday. Today I got on the scales and saw 212lbs staring back at me. I haven't been 212lbs since I was in college. I am 15 days ahead of pace for my 90 Day Challenge goal. I feel fantastic and the journey I have gone through with the ups and downs in weight have really given me perspective on the trials and tribulations people go through trying to lose it and maintain a healthy lifestyle. I have made daily goal setting a habit and through these daily goals I have been able to make a lifestyle change to keep me fit, active, and healthy. I have already narrowed down the possibilities for my next 90 Day Challenge and look forward to starting it at the completion of this one.
Lastly, I have to thank Ed & Carol in Colorado Springs for being the catalyst in my renewed commitment to nutrition and fitness. Sometimes that little push is all it takes to really get rolling.
Near the end of June my wife and I visited some friends in Colorado Springs. They were just about to start a committed 3 months to changing their nutrition and my wife and I decided we would join them in the journey. There is a book by Dr. Joel Fuhrman called Eat to Live that I really like and reading it really made me think about my nutritional habits. We basically followed the guidelines in this book which are, in a nutshell, to eat more fresh fruits & vegetables and try to dramatically reduce animal proteins. I like eating this way so it wasn't hard. At the end of the 3 months I had dropped to 220lbs. I felt good, I was loving the way I was eating. My wife had purchased a Vitamix earlier in the year and we used this daily to mix smoothies and shakes with fresh greens, fruit, almond or coconut milk, and various protein powders(mostly soy). The only problem was the only one I found that tasted good had 19g of sugar. There was still something missing in my nutritional plan and I looked at quite a few meal replacement shake mixes and powders to mix into my daily shake and everything I found either tasted bad, or the quality of the product was bad.
In late September I decided to give a shake mix made by ViSalus (Body by Vi & The 90 Day Challenge) a try and I feel like I finally have found the last piece in my nutritional plan. It checked all the boxes for me and it tastes fantastic. It helps too that a meal replacement shake is as easy as my nemesis Carl's Jr. and much cheaper!
I started my own 90 Day Challenge to walk 1,000,000 steps in 90 days along with adding the Vi shake mix to my daily shake(Yes it is delicious blended with spinach, kale, frozen fruit, and almond or coconut milk). Now that shake is the meal I look forward to the most every day. To reach my challenge goal I have to walk 11,111+ steps every day which is sometimes harder than it sounds. The motivation of setting the 90 day goal helps to keep me on track as well as the fact that I do tend to be a fairly competitive person in this type of challenge.
So where has that left me now? Well, I made a commitment to my health through proper nutrition. I call it proper nutrition because diet is a four letter word and the first three letters in diet spell die. Very negative if you ask me! I am nine days away from my 40th birthday and I am in better shape today than I was on my 30th birthday. Today I got on the scales and saw 212lbs staring back at me. I haven't been 212lbs since I was in college. I am 15 days ahead of pace for my 90 Day Challenge goal. I feel fantastic and the journey I have gone through with the ups and downs in weight have really given me perspective on the trials and tribulations people go through trying to lose it and maintain a healthy lifestyle. I have made daily goal setting a habit and through these daily goals I have been able to make a lifestyle change to keep me fit, active, and healthy. I have already narrowed down the possibilities for my next 90 Day Challenge and look forward to starting it at the completion of this one.
Lastly, I have to thank Ed & Carol in Colorado Springs for being the catalyst in my renewed commitment to nutrition and fitness. Sometimes that little push is all it takes to really get rolling.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Why Wait Until the New Year to Resolve to Get Fit?
New Years rresolutions are all the rage, yet most resolutions are destined for failure. I see it year after year in the fitness industry. People wait for that date and go wild with their diets and lack of exercise before the holidays. Then January is here. Many join a gym, start going to a class, go on a diet, etc, etc, etc. What happens in February, March, April? Often by then something has happened to derail the resolution and it goes away to try again next year. Sound familiar?
Lets be realistic. If you want to set a New Years resolution to get in better shape and lose weight, why wait for January 1st? Could you do something today to help you achieve that goal? Of course you can! Can you skip McDonalds today or at least make a better choice when you go there? Of course you can!
Can you substitute just one glass of water for that soda? Of course you can!
Can you park just a little farther away from the front door of the grocery store and walk a few extra steps to get inside and back out to your car? Of course you can!
What I am really talking about is setting small achievable goals. Lets look at just one that I mentioned above, replacing one 12oz can of soda for a bottle of water.
12oz Pepsi = 150 Calories with 41 Grams of Sugar
Water = 0 Calories and 0 Grams of Sugar
There are 47 days left until new years.
Multiply 150 times 47 to get 7,050 Calories
Approximately 3,500 Calories = 1 Pound
Result from replacing one 12oz Pepsi with water? 2 lbs by New Year's Day!
That is one small change. So you dont drink soda? Replace something else!
Next week add one small goal to this one. Each week add one small goal to your previous goals. All of those small goals will add up until 6 weeks from now, when your goals have created or are creating 6 healthier habits, you might just find that New Year's resolution is well on its way to being resolved itself!
Here is the key. Today is November 15th. Start Today!
Another interesting read is this artilce on why resolutions fail.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wired-success/201012/why-new-years-resolutions-fail
Lets be realistic. If you want to set a New Years resolution to get in better shape and lose weight, why wait for January 1st? Could you do something today to help you achieve that goal? Of course you can! Can you skip McDonalds today or at least make a better choice when you go there? Of course you can!
Can you substitute just one glass of water for that soda? Of course you can!
Can you park just a little farther away from the front door of the grocery store and walk a few extra steps to get inside and back out to your car? Of course you can!
What I am really talking about is setting small achievable goals. Lets look at just one that I mentioned above, replacing one 12oz can of soda for a bottle of water.
12oz Pepsi = 150 Calories with 41 Grams of Sugar
Water = 0 Calories and 0 Grams of Sugar
There are 47 days left until new years.
Multiply 150 times 47 to get 7,050 Calories
Approximately 3,500 Calories = 1 Pound
Result from replacing one 12oz Pepsi with water? 2 lbs by New Year's Day!
That is one small change. So you dont drink soda? Replace something else!
Next week add one small goal to this one. Each week add one small goal to your previous goals. All of those small goals will add up until 6 weeks from now, when your goals have created or are creating 6 healthier habits, you might just find that New Year's resolution is well on its way to being resolved itself!
Here is the key. Today is November 15th. Start Today!
Another interesting read is this artilce on why resolutions fail.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wired-success/201012/why-new-years-resolutions-fail
Thursday, November 8, 2012
What does obesity really cost us?
I ran across an article in Forbes magazine this week that I found shocking. Obesity is a growing problem in this country and has a huge impact both on our health care system and our economy. It effects more than just our health care expenses. Here are some statistics to think about.
2/3 of Americans are considered overweight(Have a BMI over 25)
35.7 % of Americans are considered obese(Have BMI over 30)
The estimated indirect cost of obesity in the US is $450,000,000,000 per Year
YES THAT IS $450 BILLION DOLLARS per YEAR!
Obesity Related Medical Care: $160,000,000,000 per Year
Obesity Related Energy Expenses of $20,000,000 per Year
(We use almost 1-Billion extra gallons of gasoline per year in America because of our increase in weight)
Obesity Related Absenteeism, Decreased Productivity, Short Term Disability: $130,000,000,000 per Year
Incremental Food Cost, Clothing Costs, Weight Loss Costs another $140,000,000,000 per Year
Yearly Added Average Expense Obese Male: $2,646
Yearly Added Average Expense Obese Female: $4,879
To me these expenses are staggering!
Bottom line is each and everyone of us has an opportunity to positively impact our own health and our own economic situation by just committing to lose weight and become healthier.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/bethhoffman/2012/08/16/what-the-obesity-epidemic-costs-us-infographic/
2/3 of Americans are considered overweight(Have a BMI over 25)
35.7 % of Americans are considered obese(Have BMI over 30)
The estimated indirect cost of obesity in the US is $450,000,000,000 per Year
YES THAT IS $450 BILLION DOLLARS per YEAR!
Obesity Related Medical Care: $160,000,000,000 per Year
Obesity Related Energy Expenses of $20,000,000 per Year
(We use almost 1-Billion extra gallons of gasoline per year in America because of our increase in weight)
Obesity Related Absenteeism, Decreased Productivity, Short Term Disability: $130,000,000,000 per Year
Incremental Food Cost, Clothing Costs, Weight Loss Costs another $140,000,000,000 per Year
Yearly Added Average Expense Obese Male: $2,646
Yearly Added Average Expense Obese Female: $4,879
To me these expenses are staggering!
Bottom line is each and everyone of us has an opportunity to positively impact our own health and our own economic situation by just committing to lose weight and become healthier.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/bethhoffman/2012/08/16/what-the-obesity-epidemic-costs-us-infographic/
Monday, October 29, 2012
Today is the first day of the rest of your life!
I have been in the fitness industry since 1996. One of the most frustrating things for me as a fitness professional is watching people put their health and fitness goals off. There is always a better time to begin a workout program or a perfect day in the future to make those changes in nutrition. There is never a better time in the future to make positive changes in health and fitness. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Today is the day to make those changes because the future is always a day away and it NEVER gets here. Making the choice to improve your own health and fitness does not have to be complicated or hard. It starts with a simple question one of my close friends reminded me of a few weeks ago. What are you going to do today?
Here is an easy tip to get started today.
Set a small achievable goal for today & the next week. Getting healthy is about choices and behaviors and ANY positive change is a step in the right direction. Some examples: substitute water for a soda(Diet or Regular), cut down on a portion size at meal time, take an extra 10 minutes for a short brisk walk on a break. There are any number of goals that can be set as long as they are achievable for you.
Now here is the key. Keep doing it! Each day take the time and make the effort to achieve your daily goal. A week from now set another small goal and add it to the goal you already have in place. Before you know it you will be achieving multiple small goals on a daily bases because these health goals have became healthy habits and you are on your way to a more fit and healthy life. The only catch is it has to stat today.
Chris Brewington - B.S.Kinesiology, CSCS, Owner of Brewington Fitness & Performance
Here is an easy tip to get started today.
Set a small achievable goal for today & the next week. Getting healthy is about choices and behaviors and ANY positive change is a step in the right direction. Some examples: substitute water for a soda(Diet or Regular), cut down on a portion size at meal time, take an extra 10 minutes for a short brisk walk on a break. There are any number of goals that can be set as long as they are achievable for you.
Now here is the key. Keep doing it! Each day take the time and make the effort to achieve your daily goal. A week from now set another small goal and add it to the goal you already have in place. Before you know it you will be achieving multiple small goals on a daily bases because these health goals have became healthy habits and you are on your way to a more fit and healthy life. The only catch is it has to stat today.
Chris Brewington - B.S.Kinesiology, CSCS, Owner of Brewington Fitness & Performance
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