DR Fitness

So.  Last month, the news reported some pretty depressing news.  They were referring to a new study that said middle-aged women should workout every day for 1 hour just to maintain their current body weight.

When I saw this report I about spit up milk out of my mouth all over my dad!

The first thing that came to mind when I saw this was, “Why don’t ya just discourage more women from exercising by telling them they should exercise 7 hours a week and all they get to do is to stay the same?  That sounds more like torture to me!”

Who are they kidding?  Who has an extra 7 hours a week lying around the house?  Not me.  And probably not you.

As I re-read the article just to make sure me peepers weren’t deceiving me, I noticed something that I didn’t see the first time I read it.  It said that the participants in the study worked out at a ‘moderate’ intensity.  And for laboratory scientist who’ve probably only been to the gym about 3.14 times in their lives, I’m guessing ‘moderate’ had something to do with pink dumbbells and elliptical machines.

In my years of working with women wanting to lose weight, I’ve found that nothing short of intense is effective.  Now, I know what you’re thinking. And you want to know what?  Get over it!

You’ve already seen what an hour a day of moderate will get you – the same you.  No worse, but certainly no better.  And I think we can all agree that anything less than moderate will yield even less impressive results.  So what does that leave us with?

You guessed it.  High intensity, baby!

The  top 2 benefits of high intensity workouts are:

1. Less time in the gym

No more 1 hour, 7 days a week junk.  How does 45 minutes, 3-4 days a week work for you?  Much better, right?  When you train at a higher intensity, your body’s metabolism can be elevated for up to 36 hours after your workout.  That means that high intensity training will have you burning extra calories and burning more fat, even while you’re sleeping!

2. Build more muscle

The more muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn during and after your workouts.  A moderate intensity workout just won’t stimulate your body to build muscle as well as a high intensity workout will.

As well, the more muscle you have, the better shape your body has.  Fat has, well, no shape.  It just sits there.  And jiggles.  Kind of like Jell-O.  Not exactly the image of sexy.  It’s muscle that gives you that lean, tone appearance.  It’s muscle that makes you look good when you’re showing off your beach body.

And let’s face it.  When most people say that they workout for the ‘health benefits’,  they’re usually lying.  The truth is, they want to look good!  Who doesn’t?  Certainly nothing wrong with wanting to look good.  Put on some muscle and you will too.

What’s that?  What does ‘intense’ mean?  It means that your workout should be uncomfortable on some level.  Physically, mentally, it doesn’t matter.  You just need to pushing yourself past your comfort zone.  That’s when the real change occurs.  Just like any other thing you’ve ever done in your life.  And trying to lose weight is certainly no different.

So there you have it.  It’s pretty simply.  When you workout, give it all you can for 45 intense minutes, 3-4 times a week.  Build muscle, get strong, and while you’re at it, lose a lot of fat.  Sounds good to me.

DR Fitness – “Get Your Fitness On!”

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It’s nice to think about.  I’m sure even you’ve thought about it before.  Being able to simply exercise a certain body part a lot, and lose fat in that area.  How many pieces of late-night T.V. infomercial junk have we been exposed to over the years that have promised us this.  From the Thigh Master to the Ab Dolly to creams that’ll melt the fat off wherever you rub it in, we’ve all been lied to.  I know, I know.  How could Suzanne Somers have lied to me…I thought we were friends?!

Whether it’s your love handles, or flabby arms, or your inner thighs, we’ve had an endless list of D-list celebrities/pseudo-act-like-they-know-what-they’re-talking-about-wanna-be-fitness-experts hock us the cheesiest gadgets.  And who could blame ‘em?  The scam works every time and they end up making 6 or 7 figures in the process.  When will we ever learn?

Someday, you’re gonna have to face the facts – you can’t spot reduce.

So the logical question is, “Why can’t I spot reduce?”

The answer is pretty simple really.  Your body loses weight proportionally.  When you lose 2% body fat from your arms, you’ll lose 2% body fat around your waist.

Think of a bath tub.  Now take a cup and scoop out some water.  Is there a “hole” where you scooped the water from?  Of course not.  The level of the water drops as a whole, not just from one spot.  And so it is with the body.  When we lose a pound of fat, that pound came from everywhere in your body, not just from one spot.

While this may not be what you want to hear,  this is actually a good thing!  Now you don’t have to waste your time doing 500 crunches in hopes of losing fat in just your abs.  Instead, you can focus your time on exercises that actually build muscle and burn more calories.

But the reality of fat loss is much more than just the exercises you do.  In fact, about 80% of your fat loss success has nothing to do with exercise at all, and has absolutely nothing to do with the gym.  Your success will be determined in the…kitchen!

That’s right.  Your diet is what will either make or break your fat loss success.  Simply put, you can’t out-train a crappy diet!  Damn those laws of thermodynamics!

If you exercise 5 days a week, and burn 3500 calories in that time, while still going out to eat or drink 3-5 times a week, you’re not gonna lose any weight.  And if you do, it’s gonna take forever!

Until you’ve got your diet under control, don’t expect to reach your goals any time soon.

By now you’re probably saying to yourself, “so what do I eat then?”

The diet I recommend for fat loss is so simple, a caveman could do it.

In fact, that’s exactly the type of diet I recommend.  The caveman diet.  Best part is, you don’t need a huge forehead to do it!

For me, the caveman diet is pretty easy.  You only eat what a caveman would be exposed to.  Meats of all kinds, veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds and water.  The closer to Mother Nature, the better.  If it comes in a box, has ingredients you can’t pronounce, or is processed in any way, it’s a no-no.

Now, I know what your thinking.  “I don’t see dairy/chocolate/favorite dessert on this menu!”

Well, first off, cavemen didn’t have access to that kind of food.  And second, we’re talkin’ about fat loss!  If that’s what you want, do it.  No excuses.  No shortcuts.  Simply set your mind on your goal and follow through.

Besides, it’s not for the rest of your life.  Just until you’ve reached your goals.  Then you can have a little more room to add in those “cheat” foods.  But until then, no cheat meals.  They just serve to detract you from what’s important – reaching your goals.

DR Fitness – “Get Your Fitness On!”

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11 Quick Tips to Boost Your Metabolism!

You know, there are a lot people that would give their first born to increase their metabolism. Why, you ask?  They want to be that person that “can eat whatever they want and not gain a pound.” Having a high metabolism enables your body to burn fat and lose weight fast with the least amount of effort.  Simply put, metabolism is the rate by which the body produces and consumes energy and calories to support life.

Now, there are several factors that affect your metabolism, such as the amount of lean muscle tissue you have, the frequency of the meals you consume, good ol’ genetics, stress levels, personal diet and activity levels. On the other side of the coin, your metabolism can slow down due to many reasons, like age, a not-so-good diet, and a loss of muscle tissue because of inactivity.  This tendency of your body’s metabolism to decrease as you get older is just part of life, but there is a lot you can do to keep your metabolism at it’s most optimum level.

Here are 11 tips to fire up your metabolism:

1. Build up more lean muscle. It’s only natural that your metabolism decreases as you age, but it is possible to counter the effects. The amount of muscle you have will determine how your body burns calories and sheds fat.  This means that exercise is essential. Build up your strength and muscle mass by working out at least twice a week, preferably with weights, and stay active on your days off. Simple tasks such as walking the dog and using the stairs in place of the elevator can keep your metabolism elevated. The key is to match the amount you eat to the amount of activity you’re doing. Here are some guidelines to follow when you’re trying to build muscle:

For strength training and weight lifting:

-Make sure that your workout feels like, well, a workout.  If it’s easy, it probably won’t be enough stimulus to build muscle

-Add more weight/resistance as you progress

-Utilize advance exercise techniques if possible (superset/drop sets/compound sets/etc.)

For cardiovascular training:

-Perform intervals between exercises

-Cross-training (doing different types of cardio activities) will challenge your body and require you to expend more energy (calories)

-Add resistance and speed as you progress

2. Eat breakfast.  It may sound cliche, but breakfast really is the most important meal of the day and many people ignore this fact. Surprisingly, those that eat breakfast are leaner than those that don’t. Your metabolism can slow down considerably if breakfast is taken during the mid-morning or if you wait until the lunchtime to eat your first meal of the day.

3. Avoid sugar as much as you can. Sugar puts your body in a fat storage mode due to the effects of insulin. It’s recommended that you consume food that will help sustain an even blood-sugar level, ideally foods that have a low number on the Glycemic Index.  Also, if you’re following the advice of #1, that will naturally  stabilize your blood sugar.

4. Eat spicy foods. Hot cuisine with peppers and spices can increase your metabolism.  They make you sweat, right?  If you like spicy food, have at it. But don’t confuse that with exercise!!

5. Sleep more. According to research, people who don’t get enough sleep are more prone to gaining weight. You should be aiming to get between 7 and 8 hours of shut-eye each night.  You’ll be amazed at how powerful sleep is once you start getting your z’s every night.

6. Increase your water intake. Water flushes out toxins that are produced when your body burns fat. Most of your body’s functions involve or require water, and a lack of water can cause your metabolism to slow down significantly.  How much water a day?  Use the color of your urine as a gauge.  It should be a clear, light yellow color.  If you’re taking your vitamins, this will be waaay harder to gauge, so shoot for at least your weight in ounces of water.  So if you weigh 150 lbs., try and get 150 ounces of high quality H2O each day.

7. Eat smaller meals more frequently. Try and eat between 4 to 6 small meals that are timed 2 to 3 hours apart.  This will keep your metabolism from slowing down too much during the day and will give you more energy (read – less coffee needed during the day.)

8. Never skip meals. Ok, I know, never is a harsh word.  But try and avoid missing meals as much as possible.  People tend to skip meals thinking this a good way to lose weight, but it’s a big mistake since this actually slows down metabolism.  Let’s say you’re eating 4 meals a day, 7 days a week, for a total of 28 meals a week.  I recommend that no more than 10%, or 3 meals, be cheat meals for that time frame.  And here’s the kicker with a missed meal…it counts as a cheat meal!  So if you miss 3 meals that week, you better make sure you’re other 25 meals are spot on (and you don’t get to splurge on any real cheat meals!)

9. Plan your meals in advance. Always prepare the right amount of food to be consumed at your designated intervals. Don’t commit the mistake of eating meals in random, sporadic patterns.  This will also keep you from eating out as much, and that alone will save you 100’s of calories each week.

The easiest way to be prepared is to make your own meals for yourself and your family.  Buy some plastic containers and a little cooler and always have that with you.  This will keep your impulse buying of unhealthy food way down and will be sure to keep you on track to your goals.

10. Ditch the stress!  Stress, be it physical or emotional, triggers the release of a hormone called cortisol, which decreases your metabolism. Also, people tend to eat poorly when stressed.  Do things that relax your mind and body.  Meditate, get a massage, do some yoga or sing in the shower or whatever.  As long as you’re having fun or relaxing, it’s just what you need to de-stress!

11. Chug some green tea. It’s the perfect substitute for coffee and has the ability to stimulate your metabolism, and unlike coffee, it has less undesirable side effects when too much is consumed.

Along with increasing your metabolism, green tea has been shown to decrease the amount of mercury you absorb when eating fish.  So when you’re eating sushi, don’t forget the green tea!

Oh, I almost forgot, but be sure to include more energy foods in the diet, such as fruits and vegetables, beans and whole grains.  You already knew this, but I thought I’d throw it in as a reminder.

Achieving your desired body weight is not impossible if you have the determination and patience to follow these 11 tips that will help raise your metabolism, have you dropping pounds of fat, and looking and feeling great in no time.  You just need to realize that eating right, working out and being as healthy as you can be is not just a passing trend, but a way of life.

Cheers to your new life!

DR Fitness – “Get Your Fitness On!”

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