Posts Tagged ‘Fitness Motivation’

Every day I hear quotes such as the following: “I want to lose fat, so I will start doing cardio for the first six months and then I will start the weights AFTER I lose the fat”, or my all time favorite, “I just do cardio to keep the fat off”.  The problem with these statements is that they disregard basic principles of exercise physiology that state that there exists a balance of these two exercise modes.

There is a term in Exercise Science known as Specificity.  This principle is based on the fact that the human body adapts to various exercise stimuli.  In other words if I were to train you to be a bodybuilder I would want to train you using a resistance of about 75-85% of your I repetition maximum.  On the other hand if I wanted to train you to be a marathon runner I would be training in the 40-50% 1 rep max range because the body will respond entirely different to that kind of exercise.  So you may be asking yourself, “Well how does this have anything to do with finding the correct balance of cardio and weights?”  The answer is a resounding EVERYTHING.

Remember that cardiovascular exercise and resistance training exercise have a completely different affect on how your body adapts physiologically.  Take for example the following key differences:

-Cardiovascular exercise is catabolic (meaning that it promotes the breakdown of tissues, both fatty and muscular)

-Resistance training exercise is anabolic (meaning that it promotes the build-up of muscle tissue…BUT it does not encourage the build-up of fatty tissue)

-Aerobic exercise does NOT favor optimal strength development.  So when you hear somebody say “I lift weights for my upper body, but for my lower body I just run”, you will know that they are fooling themselves.

-Aerobic exercise encourages catabolic hormones (breaking down) such as glucocorticoids (cortisol,cortisone, ect).  These hormones prevent muscle growth and promote the storage of FAT…yes you heard me right…the storage of fat.  This is your bodies attempt at turning you into an efficient fat-burning machine.  The problem is that you don’t want to be an efficient fat burning machine.  Think about this for a minute…what do you want your air conditioner to be? Efficient or non-efficient?  Well, you want it to be efficient because then you are using LESS energy and that is a good thing.  But what about your body?  Remember that your goal is to burn fat NOT be efficient with it.

This is where resistance training comes into the picture.  Where cardiovascular exercise is excellent in burning extra calories and getting your weight down, it also has the tendency to keep you in a state of efficiency. 

-Resistance training promotes the secretion of Testosterone and Growth Hormone which ARE FAT BURNING HORMONES!  So what have we now…? We have the best of both worlds: the immediate fat-burning affects of cardiovascular exercise and the long-term fat-burning effects of resistance training (growth hormone, testosterone, and muscle itself which is highly metabolic in nature).

Summary: Cardiovascular exercise and Resistance Training Exercise have different outcomes on the human body.  A proper balance is needed to ensure fat-loss is maximized.  The following is a general starting guide for you to consider:

Beginners (less than 6 months weight training): 3-6 days cardio and 2-3 days of weight training

Intermediate: 50/50 split between the two modes of exercise.  For example weights on Mon/Wed/Fri and Cardio on Tue/Thur/Sat

Advanced: Favor more resistance training to optimize hormonal balance and maintain metabolism. For example weight training 5 days a week and cardio 2 days a week.  This will ensure you stay on the fat burning fast track.

Well there you have it my friends!  I will dive more aggressively into this topic, but this should keep you thinking squarely for now!  Remember that life is good!

Excuses & Meme’s…The Great American Way! Part II

Please read part I posted last week to shed light on what I am about to suggest in this post.  Last week I told you that all of us have meme’s and that they act to impede our fitness and nutrition goals.  Today I would like to give you some simple steps that you can apply to change your current mindset so that you can obtain the lifestyle that you truly deserve.

Step #1:  Acknowledge that you make excuses:

No, you’re not in AA but this first step CANNOT be overlooked. If you do, you will pay the price of failing.  You make excuses…yes you do.  There is absolutely nobody that is exempt from excuse making and you are no exception.  That is ok.  The good news is that you can change your mind once you identify your excuses and memes. 

Step #2: Write down all of your excuses and memes:

This is more of a process.  For the next 30 days I want you to write down all of the excuses and memes that you make to yourself.  See last weeks post for examples.

Step #3: State the opposite:

Once you have written down all of your most annoying excuses and memes you need to write down the exact opposite.  For example if you say, “I am too tired to exercise after work”, write down “Because I am proactive and take responsibility for my life, I will exercise before work to increase my energy level”. 

Step #4: Change your Sub-Conscience Mind: 

Your sub-conscience mind is the part of the brain that stores all of your habits.  It steers the proverbial ship.  This is where the vast majority of all your behaviors are stored and processed.  To change your sub-conscience mind you have to do the following things.

            a. Convince it that it is wrong:  You do this by stating the exact opposite of your memes.  The very moment that a negative or damming thought enters your head you must replace it with the opposite thought…even if you have to say it out loud.

            b. Construct a list of positive affirmations:  On this list could be something like “I am in control of my eating at all times”, or “Exercising daily is just part of who I am”. 

            c. Repeat your list of affirmations daily, morning and night: Do this when you first awake and before you go to sleep.  The goal is to be in a relaxed state where not much will bother you and where your mind can be at ease. 

            d. Be in a state of believing:  When you are repeating your affirmations, do so in a state of positivity and optimism

Step #5: Disarm your alarm system!

When you begin doing these simple steps your brain will tell you that you are crazy and that you are acting weird or like a moron.  This is normal because your brain is still convinced of the validity of your previous mindset of excuses and memes.  Persistence is the key here.  If you persist and repeat your affirmations day after day you will begin to believe the things that you are telling yourself and BECAUSE YOU BELIEVE YOURSELF YOU WILL ACT ON IT!  Yes your behavior will start to change in a way that you never imagined possible.

Step #6:  Realize that you never “Arrive”.

We live in a world of complacency, feeling entitled and laziness.  If you are not constantly reinforcing your sub-conscience mind, rest assured you will slip back into old ways.  Stay focused and realize that you have to be proactive to win the battle.  Things will not magically work out for the best if you are not constantly bathing your mind with the things that you want to accomplish.

Step #7 Action:

This is where it is time to get off your butt and get into action.  You can have the most wonderful meditation sessions of visualizations and imagery known to mankind, but if you don’t move you will never change your behavior.  It is much easier to shed your old excuses when you see yourself doing the opposite of them.  Soon you will be excuse free!

Step #8 Making it Long-Term:

Realize from the get-go that this is about lifestyle change for the long-term!  Never allow any short-sightedness to enter the picture here.  When you are planning your visualizations and affirmations make them long term.  You want to adopt a mindset of permanency.

 Well there you have it my friends!  Properly applied these principles can and will change your lifestyle for the better.  Start applying them today…there is absolutely no room for procrastination here.  Remember…life is good!

You may be asking yourself…what the heck is a meme?  The word meme is derived from a branch of Psychology called “Memetics”.  Memetics is the study of human behavior BASED on certain psychological beliefs.  In other words it is the study of mental habits.  If I believe that I am a fat, and unattractive slob, even though it may not be true, it becomes a reality in my own mind.  Take for example the victim of Anorexia Nervosa.  Although their body fat level may be fatally low, they think and believe that they are fat.  They live in an alternate reality that is fueled by their own flawed thinking.  Essentially memes are lies and excuses.  They may contain an element of truth BUT they can be altered by you.  They can be changed.

Now you may be asking the question…well what does this have to do with my fitness and nutrition goals?  The answer is a resounding: EVERYTHING!  Do you know that YOU have memes?  Yes, you have memes that are good and bad.  Here are some examples of memes to help you better understand this article.

“I can’t find the time to exercise…I am just too busy”

“My genetics have pre-disposed me to be fat…there is not much I can do about it”

“I am just naturally lazy…it is hard for me to get motivated to do anything!”

“I would like to eat healthier, but I don’t have time and it is too expensive”

“Nobody understands me…that is why I fail”

“I am too old to exercise”

“I am too important of a person at work to allow time to exercise”

“Eating healthy is boring”

“I am entitled to eat unhealthy…I’m an American” (This is more of a sub-conscience meme)”

“I would be healthier but I don’t have the support of my family”

“I am too tired to work out after my job…I just want to crash”

 I guarantee that many of you reading this are saying to yourself, “yes that is me” or, “well, yes they are excuses but they are true!”  Would I offend you if I told you that none of these excuses are rooted in truth?  Memes have a terribly insidious way of convincing you that they are indeed truthful.  Let’s take the time excuse for example.  In a recent study performed by the American College of Sports Medicine they found that the number one excuse for not exercising is time.  People feel like they don’t have enough time to exercise but what the study found is just the opposite.  People HAVE the time but they don’t MAKE the time.  Simply put it is not a priority to them.  This clearly show’s what a meme is…these people firmly believe that they don’t have the time to exercise but REALITY shows that they indeed do.  So to clarify…the meme is: “I don’t have the time”, but the reality says: “I don’t make the time”.  My friends there are a huge difference here!  Memes are nothing more than false mental realities that we create for ourselves…they are not rooted in truth.

 So how do we change our current thinking (meme) patterns?  In my next blog post I will give you a step-by step program that you can use to dissolve your current memes.  I assure you that you must dissipate your current memes if you ever hope to change your physical and nutritional lifestyle.  I have seen people succeed by changing their memes and I have seen people fail miserably because they don’t take the time to correct the mental before the physical.  In fact it has to be that way…mental before physical.  I think you can sense the truth inherent in these words.  Remember my friends; life is good…stay tuned for next week’s installment.

Ryan Flint, Lifelong Fitness Certified Personal Trainer and Sports Nutritionist

 I know there seems to be an on-going debate out there these days with health professionals, nutritionists, and the media giving different opinions about whether organic food is worth the slightly higher prices.

But there are a few VERY important aspects of organic food that I rarely see anybody out there talking about.

First, as you know, the main aspect that most people talk about in the organic vs conventional food debate is simply whether the food in question was grown with pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers, and whether that food contains pesticide/herbicide residues on the actual food when you eat it.

And that IS important… I mean, I know I don’t want to be ingesting pesticide residues that are potentially carginogenic or even estrogenic and can possibly increase belly fat (due to the xenoestrogens)… and I’m sure you don’t either!

But there’s another another MAJOR aspect of organic vs conventional food that most people are overlooking, and that is:

The impacts of conventional farm chemicals on the SOIL, and how that affects the nutritional composition (quantities of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in the food)

The harsh chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides used in conventional farming can destroy a large part of the microbial activity in the soils (bacteria and fungi) that help to make soil minerals more available to the plants roots.  Conventional farming degrades this aspect of the soil which results in lower micro-nutrient levels in the plants that you eat.

In organic farming, these harsh chemicals are not used, and the soil is healthier and more biologically active (fungi and bacteria aid the plant roots with uptake of minerals and nutrients), and the plants roots can therefore obtain more nutrition which produces foods with higher micro-nutrient levels.

Also, it’s quite possible that the heavy use of chemical fertilizers, which make crops grow much faster than normal, leads to a shallower root system, that inherently absorbs less micro-nutrients from the soil column compared to organically raised plants that are forced to have deeper, more extensive root systems to obtain all of the nutrients the plant needs.

I think it’s quite easy to see why organic foods can have superior nutrition levels and more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants than conventional foods.

But beware of conflicting “reports” out there on this topic.  Although there is much data on the superior nutrition levels of organic foods, you may also find some data that contradicts these findings in particular studies.

The reason that this happens is that science isn’t perfect, and someone may measure the nutrition levels of a certain type of conventional tomato, for example, compared against a different type of organic tomato, grown in a vastly different geographic area in vastly different soils and climate.  There are dozens, or even hundreds of complications with these types of studies, which is why you can’t always make direct comparisons.

 However, I think with the evidence we talked about in terms of soil quality, nutrient uptake, and also just the pure fact that we don’t want carcinogenic and estrogenic chemicals in our food, it makes it worth it to try to buy organic as much as possible.

Sometimes Local may be MORE important than “Organic”

Here’s another vitally important thing to keep in mind… 

If your choices at the grocery store for the organic food come from half way around the globe (such as organic produce from Chile or New Zealand when you live in North America), then you might want to consider favoring local produce even if it’s not labeled “organic”.

For one reason, many local farm stands may actually have organic produce but simply aren’t legally allowed to label their food “organic” if they haven’t acquired whatever necessary licenses they need for that.  If you ask the farmers, many times you may find out that the local farm produce is in fact organic, or at least close to organic (meaning they use very minimal chemicals compared to a large industrial farm).

Also, local produce that is picked at it’s peak of ripeness, and on your plate in a matter of hours or days, will usually have much higher nutrition levels compared to “organic” produce that was picked halfway around the world well before it was ripe and traveled weeks to make it to your grocery store.

The one caveat to this is frozen produce… sometimes fruits and veggies are picked at their peak of ripeness and frozen rather quickly, even if they were picked halfway around the world.  In this case, organic frozen fruits and vegetables can sometimes be just as nutritious as local produce (although they may carry a bigger petroleum burden than local produce)

So, if I were to give my overall recommendations to save yourself from the inherent health dangers of pesticides and herbicides, while also eating food that contains the highest levels of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, it is this:

1. choose organic over conventional most of the time, when it’s available

2. choose local foods over organic if the organic food came from very long distances away (although frozen organic fruits and vegetables can be just as nutritious as local)

3. Don’t forget that choosing organic also helps to protect the environment from chemical fertilizer and pesticide pollution that can harm ecosystems and your own drinking water supply.

4. Don’t fall for “organic junk foods” — I’ve been seeing this trend lately — Just because crackers, cookies, cakes, and corn chips may be labeled “organic”, doesn’t mean they are healthy… junk food is still junk food!  And these are still overly processed foods that can make you fat!

Remember that forcing change for responsible agriculture starts with your choices as a consumer.  The more we demand responsibly grown and raised foods by choosing those foods in our shopping carts, the more that producers and suppliers will respond to that demand.

Wow!  It is already Summer 2010 and man are we feeling it!  I don’t think too many of us object to the warmer weather!  Summer is a time that reminds us that life is to be lived ACTIVELY!  During the winter it is much easier to get into an “office” or “house” routine that limits our physical activity.  Unfortunately some of us get into “vacation” mode during the summer with is great…but it sometimes transcends into our fitness and nutritional way of life as well.  “I will start back on my routine when school starts” is a common theme I have heard countless times.  I must be honest, when I say this is frustrating to say the least.  In keeping with our mission to help change your lifestyle I want to devote this blog to that purpose.

 Step #1:  Re-Focus your Lens

 Most of us view fitness and nutrition as a vehicle to deliver us to a short term destination.  What I mean by this is, “I have a Lake Powell trip coming up in two months”, or my personal favorite, “I have a class reunion coming up in three months and I need to drop 40 lbs.”  It’s as though we are only concerned about our health for a specific period of time and for superficial reasons.  The perspective that is essential to have is that of a long term lifestyle change.  You have to start to think in terms of permanency.  Try this today.  Think of what you want to achieve and then imagine maintaining that for the rest of your life…that is exactly what you are going to do.  No more diets, no more funky workout programs that only last for a predetermined amount of time, just a lifestyle where working out is the norms and healthy eating

 Step #2: Adjust your attitude

 There are many activities in our lives that we do not initially enjoy but learn to love later.  Entering into a healthy lifestyle is very similar.  At first you will find the changes hard and challenging but eventually your daily activities will become habit and you will find yourself enjoying your newfound lifestyle.  It helps to look upon your new life as rewarding and enjoyable rather than daunting and repressing.  Attitude goes further than most people realize and this step should not be overlooked.

 Step #3:  Give your new lifestyle a chance (Be consistent and persistent)

 I have seen countless people get very excited and motivated to start an exercise program but then fizzle out later when the going gets tough.  “I get too sore”, “I don’t have the time”, “I don’t know what I am doing” are some of the common excuses employed preceeding the drop-out of that persons exercise and nutritional routine.  The problem stems from the fact that we need a little will power to change our lifestyle but our current “convienant based lifestyle” mentality kicks in to sabatoge our efforts.  Do not ever give up!  Yes it will be a little hard but worth it!  The only way to change your lifestyle is to give it an adequate chance to change…something very few of us ever achieve.

 Step#4:  Schedule your workouts and meals

 This is where you design your battle plan.  Take a few moments at the start of every week and schedule your meals and your workouts.  This is where you are making your lifestyle a priority.  This is a very important step because it forces you to make time for yourself a priority.  The #1 reason that people fail at fitness is because of “lack of time”.  In my opionion this is an absolute load of nonsense because we ALL have the time it is the act of making the time.  This step is worth the 15-20 minutes invested into it.

 Step #5: Stop being LAZY!

 Yes you heard me right!  Laziness has become an American Pastime as it relates to healthy nutrition and fitness.  If you don’t believe me checkout the latest statistics concerning obesity in America.  This means getting our butts off the couch on a consistent basis and following through with your plans.  If you find yourself offended by this suggestion then please refer to step #2 again and apply it again.

 Step #6: Form a new habit!

 Your habits are a sub-conscience function.  Think about it…do you think of your daily routines?  Do you think about whether to take a shower or brush your teeth?  I hope you are answering no at this point J.  My point here is that you need to be so habitual about exercise and nutrition that it becomes second nature to you on a sub-conscience level.  It is at this point that you will not have to worry about regression or relapse.  The only way to get there is to continue on your healthy lifestyle path day after day, month after month, year after year.

 Step #7:  Maintain your lifestyle and ENJOY it!

 Unfortunately those who have truly obtained a Phase IV lifestyle (a good healthy lifestyle) are the minority in America now.  More than half of the American population is either overweight or obese.  I congratulate all of you that have successfully changed your lifestyle and urge you to enjoy it!  Hold your head high and be of good cheer because now all you have to do is maintain it.  I would also encourage you to spread the word!  Fitness is infectious and you will find yourself influencing many people to change their lives for the better.

 Well there you have it my friends.  I realize that many of you are at different steps in your lives and I would encourage you to apply these principles as appropriate. I would encourage you to always remember one thing…life is good!

In my nearly nine years of service in the health and fitness industry I have noticed a common thread among those starting a fitness program for the first time or the first time in a long time.    I have seen many people start gleaming with hope, enthusiasm, anxiousness, and even fanaticism.  I have also seen some of those same people crash and burn in as little as 3 weeks into their program.  As a point of clarification this is not always the rule.  There are many people that start with that kind of zeal and they continue to maintain it for a very long time.  But for those of you that have not found this kind of success, the common self-defeating thread that I am referring to is a negative state of mind.  It is your mental readiness for exercise. It is the excuses that you make. It is your self-perceptions and confidence to name a few.  In short it is all the mental barriers that you create and manifest as your reality. 

Today I want to speak to those of you who have started an exercise program enthusiastically (or heck…maybe even hesitantly) only to crash and burn later.   We are going to talk about making excuses in particular. I want to speak to you as if you were here in my office right now getting ready to undertake a new lifestyle.  You are hiring me as a Lifestyle coach and Personal Trainer to help you along the way. The rest of this article will reflect that point of view.  For the sake of simplicity I want you to pretend that your name is John and that I am having a conversation with you about your desires to start a new exercise/nutrition program.  We will also see how it pans out in the first 3 weeks.

John:  I am so excited to get started on this program!

Trainer: I am excited for you as well.  John tells me what your main goal is in starting this fitness program?

John:  I just want to change my lifestyle.  I am a white-collar worker who is behind a desk all day and I eat too much junk food.  I have a family and I find myself taking them out to eat too often.  I find myself making bad food decisions because I am so busy.  Heck, my life is so busy sometimes I find myself eating just as a means of dealing with stress.

Trainer:  Ok, so you have a busy and stressful lifestyle and you want to change that right?

John:  Yes.

Trainer: Why?

John: Because I want to get back into shape and have more energy for the things that I enjoy doing!

Trainer:  That’s awesome…so what are you willing to do for that kind of lifestyle?  Are you willing to set aside one hour  of time per day to exercise, track your food and bring it to me, and hold yourself accountable to not only yourself but to me as well?

John: Of course that is why I am here!

Trainer: OK, then let’s get started

The trainer then proceeds to write down John’s goals and commits him by contract to follow the prescribed exercise and nutrition program.  The following conversation is held 3 weeks later in the same office as a follow-up visit concerning Johns exercise program.

Trainer:  Looking at my records it looks like you have only exercised about 25% of what I prescribed for you John?  It also looks like you have turned in 4 days of the last 3 weeks in nutrition food logs?  What seems to be the problem John?

John: I am so sorry about that.  I have had the best of intentions in getting this program started properly but I have found myself in a whirlwind at work and my family has been involved in a community service project for my son’s Eagle Scout. When I get a spare moment I just can’t seem to muster up the motivation to exercise!

The sad part about this scenario is that I see this pattern being repeated over and over again.  When John comes to meet with his trainer in 3 more weeks, if he actively hasn’t tried to change his priorities  the chances for a successful report are dismal.  People like John are always convinced that they are too busy to exercise and that too many important things keep popping up. 

The truth of the matter is that exercise has not become a priority to John YET…that is the ROOT of the problem.  As excited as John initially was, it was not enough to carry him out of his habitual daily routine.  As each day passes the motivation grew dimmer and dimmer and his hopes started to go down the drain. John sunk right back into his comfortable unhealthy and physically unproductive lifestyle.

Today I wanted to paint a picture of what your life may currently be like.  You may share some things in common with John and don’t know how to deal with those barriers.  In the next few weeks I want to share some strategies that you can use to overcome the excuses and barriers that stand between you and your fitness goals.  Next week I will begin to talk about shifting paradigms.  The way you see yourself (in shape/ out of shape/ capable non-capable) and the confidence that you have to succeed in a fitness endeavor almost completely DETERMINES WHETHER YOU WILL SUCCEED OR FAIL!  It is that important.  Stay tuned.