Archives For Nutrition

MY TAKE: 5 personal tips, in response to WebMD’s article …

September 27, 2011 — Leave a comment

Losing 100 Pounds or More: Diet Tips for Weight Loss from Successful Losers.

The link above is a GREAT article from WebMD that inspired this post.

As someone who has lost close to 100 lbs in fat weight over the last 2 decades, I found this article insightful and thought-provoking. It made me want to share my personal tips for keeping the weight off and living more and more freely from the mental/emotional constraints of being on a “weight-loss program”. And by the way, can we please call it a “self-gain” program instead? :P

This is me with my mumsie; one of my happiest times … What’s the point in losing weight or looking good if you can’t gain the joy of becoming more of who you are, in the process?

With that said, here’s my take on these tips, which you could consider recommendations on their own, or with the list from the article.

* * *

1. YOU have to decide when you’re ready.

that’s right! no one else … YOU have to decide when you’re ready.

I’ve worked with enough people to tell you that the impetus can’t come from someone else’s influence (or pressure). Even in my personal experience, an external event or a deadline based on a photo shoot etc, doesn’t help motivate me. If anything, I just get frustrated at the idea that I have to do it for someone/something else. That said, I think goals are best achieved when the motivation comes from within. Think of this, when you get to tip #5.

2. Be REALISTIC.

the S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting chart quite sums it up. If you aim for goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound, chances are, it’s REALISTIC.

The best intentions are usually packaged in extreme ideas. People will say any or all the following, believing that it’s probable when the likelihood is hardly possible:

  • I’ll work out twice a day
  • I’ll eat clean for a few weeks
  • I’ll train every day with my trainer
  • I’ll show up to boot camp daily for a whole month
  • etcetera, etcetera …

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for those who are so motivated that they’ll literally do all the above to jumpstart their progress. The point I’m making though is one of sustainability. I believe that being realistic about your goals, relative to your schedule, lifestyle constraints, etc will increase your chances for long-term success.

3.  What worked for others may or may not work for you.

I am such a fan of FIGURING OUT what works best for you. I’m a big believer in different programs, it’s all a question of best fit, for one’s unique needs. P90X worked very well for a younger male client that had no joint issues. It didn’t have the same effect on an older female client that had bad knees. Capiche?

 Research of generally effective principles is key here. It’s too easy to latch on to fad successes if not stories of what works for friends/family that may be based on principles other than what they think is responsible for their weight loss.

Here’s a great personal example. For me, eating light after 6pm helps me keep my visible abdominal fat in check. Now, I could share this with someone and they might think that avoiding food after 6pm is the answer. Is it? Would they lose weight if they gorged all day and ate nothing at night? Probably not. But why does it work for me? Because my tendency is to eat the most, and the worst kind of food at night. So if I clean this aspect up, I achieve my physique goals. Only if you’re in the same boat may this work for you, but the greater point is, the principle involved is really about keeping my total food consumption in check, versus the timing of my food intake.

4. Set your boundaries with friends/family.

OK, this is more for the fun of the cartoon, but it’s related. You tell people what’s OK and what isn’t. ’nuff said.

As much as people who know/love you want you to succeed, they also probably want you to just enjoy and be part of what they’re doing. I believe that friends/family always mean well, but enlisting their support is sometimes the hardest thing. So you know what? Free yourself of that burden, and take charge of your own plan. Set boundaries for yourself, and decide when you need to be anti-social for the sake of your own plan’s results. Make it about you, not them. Sorry, they’re not the ones waking up in the morning and hating themselves for having that cheeseburger with a bunch of cocktails last night.

5. Reward vs. punish

LOL … I’m rewarding myself with a workout after I binge eat … NOT!

This one strikes such a nerve with me. I used to punish myself with post-”bag of chips after school” workouts. It sucked. And it took a long time to make me realize that I was better off coming from a place of self-love vs. self-loathe. If there’s anything I can personally share with you, make it that hyphenated term: “SELF-LOVE”.

* * *

FYI, I’ve posted a couple of entries that have similar ideas, although this one is the most evolved/daring of them. Nonetheless, check these out:

1. 6 Steps to Get Swimsuit-Sexy

2. How to KEEP your New Year’s resolutions

I hope this post resonates with you in some way, even if it’s purely to make you see how human I am, regardless of how superhuman most of you probably assume.

In Fitness Information and Tips, Nutrition , , , , , , ,
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The 2011 Fitness Expo: What’s Trending and Why (Part 4)

August 18, 2011 — Leave a comment

So this photo was my “teaser” to Part 4:

Nope, it isn't ME trending, it's ...

… TECHNOLOGY TOOLS that help both fitness professionals and consumers!

Now I wish I got to cover all the booths that showed their fitness gadgets and gizmos, but I was only able to focus on those that easily caught my eye.

Of course, the first of these is the IDEA Fitness Connect website. To me, it’s one of the most-populated databases of fitness pros out in the market, allowing consumers to pick and choose from professionals using desired filters.

Some will choose to find trainers within specific zip codes. Others will look for particular specializations, or experience toward athletics/sports. No matter what the consumer’s preference, they’ll be able to sort through the database and find an ideal match for them, even narrowing the choice down to trainer fees.

Though seemingly a tool for fitness pros, I personally see this as a “training wall” of the fitness world, like what you’d find at your local gym. The site ensures that the professional has the proper credentials. It also has a host of offerings which allow the fitness pro to interact with and manage their client base.

If you’re a true fitness professional who believes that your integrity shows through your education and degree of involvement in the fitness field, this site will give you a means to organize all the information about you and your services.

It’s integration with Twitter and Facebook make it easy to solidify your platform in social media circles, and I can only assume that as the database gets larger, the experience will become more streamlined toward the needs of both the consumer and the fitness pro. (On a side note, allow me to admit that I need to update my profile there).

* * *

A really cool new technology that caught my eye was FitView, an app that’s geared toward fitness coaches that are current in their use of web, iPhone, and iPad tools in managing their client base.

I, for one, am an App lover (lover of apps and anything Apple)

The app bills itself as a “digital logbook” allowing an interface with which a trainer can give clients their workouts directly through the app. As you’ll see in the video below, it offers members multiple benefits, as far as keeping in touch and detailing their workouts with their coach.

My disclaimer here is that I’m planning on testing this product out to see its true usability for me, since I personally log client programs through my iPhone. I’ll update you on that in a later blog. For now, suffice it to say that this was one techie tool that caught my attention at the Expo.

FitView Member Guided Tour from FitView on Vimeo.

And for my fellow coaches, they are offering a complimentary 2-week trial, should you be interested. They also have a video specifically for us. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.

FitView Coach Guided Tour from FitView on Vimeo.

* * *

Probably the most noteworthy of the techie toys at the expo was this highly publicized product called NewYu. It’s a “fitness monitor” that combines what you’d get from a pedometer, a heart rate monitor, and an app that keeps track of your results.

The reason this is a step up from a pedometer is that more than measuring steps, its technology allows the device to distinguish a walking step from one that’s done on an elliptical machine or a bike. The main claim is in its improved accuracy in tracking true calories burned through different days of different activities.

Typical pedometers will count steps done on each of these activities as the same amount of calorie expenditure, which is obviously not the case. A video describing NewYu is below:

All these prove that a trend in fitness will always be toward improving our interface with upcoming technology. The benefits are endless, from making it easy to keep better and more accurate track of our activity levels, to improving our interaction and communication with our fitness pros. 

* * *

For Part 5 of what’s trending, take a guess through the photo below:

So curious as to WHAT YOU'RE THINKING about what's next ...

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>5 EASY ways to AVOID excess weight gain over the holidays

November 26, 2010 — Leave a comment

Hopefully, you haven’t done too much damage from yesterday’s big feasting day.

Let’s face it, as much as I believe that you deserve to enjoy the holidays and celebrate with some sort of abandon, food-wise; most of you want to find ways to avoid the guilt and “work” that comes with too much weight gain between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.

I thought of these 5 tips, based on what I’ve routinely done through the holidays since I’ve been living in the US. Year after year, it seems Americans routinely increase their unwanted weight gain. There’s a way to successfully approach this dilemma.

Most of you reading this are already on regular fitness schedules, so the advice below is geared toward ensuring that you’re not thrown off-track too much. This information is useful for any period where you dread weight-gain “landmines” due to other holidays or special-event weekends.

1. Save your calories for the main event

For example, yesterday, I ate smaller meals from breakfast onward, knowing I’d eat a bit more at dinnertime. This way, my metabolism stayed consistent, but I was allowed some extra “elbow room” for more calorie consumption at dinner time. This allowed for extra servings of stuffing or pumpkin pie, and guilt-free, at that!

     2. During your regularly scheduled workouts, tack on an additional 10-15 minutes of high-intensity work.

At the right intensity level, this can mean at least an extra 100 calories burned, which adds up, depending on how often you work out in the week.

Based on the same concept, some of you can add an extra workout day, if you know your consumption will also be significant.

    3. Be cognizant of the “mindless eating” that comes with being around family or social situations.

Let’s face it, most of us are emotional eaters that turn to chewing on food when faced with the stresses of being around family, or the joy/comfort of being among people we love.

Before you approach the kitchen table for that first nibble, take a moment to reflect on the food before you. Remember your overall fitness regime; particularly if you’ve worked so hard to get to where you are.

You may deserve a reward for all your efforts, but no reward feels greater than knowing that you’ve found effective strategies for keeping yourself on track, despite the challenge of holidays.

4. If consuming alcohol, eating less food makes it easier to feel the effects.

Yes, I went there! I know we all sometimes require slight amounts of inebriation to deal with family or social situations, so I am addressing that fact.

Keeping your portions in check will require less alcohol / and overall less calories to feel the effects.

Now, I am not advocating that you consume alcohol on an empty stomach — that’s never a good idea, even if you may think it’s the “best” way to keep your calories in check. Having some food will help reduce the ill effects of the alcohol hitting your bloodstream too quickly.

*please, take this advice with the good intent under which it was written :)

5. Believe in the power of tasting versus DEVOURING the flavors of food.

I personally love the subtle nuances of food flavor and texture, particularly when prepared lovingly by masterful chefs/cooks. This is why I enjoy fine dining, and even in instances where the food is specially prepared with love from friends or family, tasting and savoring food in morsels, while enjoying great company and conversation, makes for a better experience than “scarfing down” huge portions while barely appreciating the food itself.

This tip typically goes with Tip #3; it’s easy to disregard the actual enjoyment of food when there are emotions involved that make the appreciation of the food a 2nd priority, over getting through the event.

Perhaps this year, try learning the strategies that can keep your emotional demons in check when dealing with social/family gatherings, so you can properly enjoy holidays and appreciate the food/libations that come with.

I hope these tips work for you; and should all else fail, there’s always New Year’s resolutions to look forward to!

Have a healthful holiday!

In Fitness Information and Tips, How To (Get Fit, Stay Fit, Perform an Exercise ...), Nutrition , , , , , , ,
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