Keeping Fit

Whether you’re trying to lose weight, increase cardiovascular health or simply stay fit, a heart rate monitor is one of the best investments you can make. Yes you can take your own pulse during a workout by placing two fingers over the carotid or radial arteries, but it’s definitely more convenient to just look down at your wrist without missing a beat…no pun intended. It’s important to know your heart rate as well as your training zone during a workout if you plan to get the most out of your session.

If you’re counting calories, a heart rate monitor that also calculates calories burned will be a better investment. These monitors include a calories burned feature that can help you understand the calories in - calories out concept a bit better. For example, if your typical 30-minute workout displays a total of 350 calories expended…you might second think ingesting that 350 calorie cream filled donut.

There are all sorts of heart rate monitors; from basic ones that just monitor your heart rate, to ones that can track your speed, distance and more. Prices vary from about $50 per unit to as much as $350. Choose the heart rate monitor that best suites your needs.

Here’s a link to some good heart rate monitors with reviews: Top Heart Rate Monitors

With the majority of our population being unfit and overweight, we need to be burning more calories. Sometimes our busy lifestyles can get in the way leaving less time for our workouts. What if you could spend less time in the gym and burn more calories??? Well…you can! High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). HIIT is a great training protocol that works for any fitness level!

MSNBC article: Work/rest intervals ratchet up workouts!

Do you eat for pleasure or do you eat for health? Are you overweight or are you fit? The answer to the first question will generally determine the answer to the second question. Most overweight people are emotional eaters. They eat according to their feelings and typically make poor food choices; choosing foods that are high in calories and saturated fats. Fit people on the other hand are strategic eaters. These people plan their meals and are more health conscious when making food choices. Fit people tend to look at food as fuel, eating according to what their activity level is or will be over the next three hours. They choose foods that offer the most nutritional value for the amount of calories contained; foods like lean proteins, healthy fats and low-glycemic carbohydrates.

The next time you eat…ask yourself why you’re eating what you’re eating. What you eat will make the difference of how you look, feel and even how long you live!

Here’s another great reason to start an exercise program.
http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/03/does-increased-activity-mean-higher-gpa/

Who doesn’t want to live to see 100? I came across this article by accident and found it interesting. 12 Surprising Signs You’ll Live To 100

Today, Americans are more FAT than ever before. Adults and now their children are becoming more obese due to poor eating habits and inactivity. What it boils down to is…we eat way too much and exercise way too little.

Weight-related health problems in children are becoming more and more frequent these days; Type-II Diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and many more. These are all serious health problems that in most cases can be controlled with diet and exercise. It is our responsibility as parents to take control. We have to get our kids exercising! We have to get them making better food choices! And we have to start being HEALTHIER ROLE MODELS!

Most of us parents have homework rules for our children. Get your homework done first, then you can watch television, talk on the phone, play games, etc. Well…why not have them exercise after their homework is complete? All it takes is just a few minutes. You don’t even have to tell them it’s exercise…just get them moving.

Here are just a few activities you can do with your kids as exercise:

- Swim
- Go for a walk, jog or run
- Throw the football, baseball or Frisbee
- Create a calisthenic exercise routine for you and your child to do together (e.g., push-ups, jumping jacks, sit-ups, squats, lunges, etc.)

It’s hard to understand that many of us work at least eight hours a day, but we can’t find the time to fit in just 30-minutes of exercise a day. Why? Is it because we look at work as a “have to”, so we just accept it and do it? Well, maybe we need to look at exercise the same way. Start scheduling your workouts like you schedule your work. You’ll feel better, you’ll look better, and you’ll live longer. Thirty minutes a day…that’s it!

Summer is just around the corner, why not make this one your best! No more wearing the long baggy shorts and big t-shirts at the pool…BREAK OUT THE BIKINI! With three months left until summer, you still have plenty of time to get in shape.

Here’s what you’ll need for your three-month weatherization kit:

- Resistance training - Exercise with weights at least 3x/week to build muscle and burn fat.
- Cardiovascular exercise - Get that heart rate up for at least 30 minutes a day to help create a calorie deficit and burn stored fat.
- Healthy eating - Eat approx. 5x/day (small meals); a lean protein source with a low-glycemic carb.
- Calendar - Write down every week what you plan to do for activity; then cross it out once you’ve completed it.
- Food log - Enter into your journal every time you eat and drink; what, when, and how much.

So you decided to lose weight, get in shape, and take control of your life, but then…here come the excuses. Why do people make excuses when it comes to losing weight? Is it because they’re not ready to give up the bad habits, not ready to put in the work to lose it, or just not really ready to lose the weight?

As I’m writing this, a particular person comes to mind. This person creates an excuse for just about everything. An excuse for not doing cardio, not eating well, not wanting to exercise with weights…an excuse for everything. I don’t understand it. It seems like it takes more work to constantly create excuses than it does to just do it.

If you are one of these “excuse makers”, I challenge you to STOP with the excuses…NO MORE EXCUSES! The best advice I can give is to start making yourself aware of all the excuses. Hang a calendar on your refrigerator or desk and write on it every single day. Every day you exercise and every day you make an excuse for not exercising. At the end of the week, tally up all the excuses. If you didn’t realize before how often you use excuses…you will when it’s written down in front of you.

Losing weight for many people is one of the most challenging things they’ll ever do in their life. Although I have never been overweight in my life, I have had many overweight people be a part of mine. I’ve seen the pain and struggles they go through because of their weight, but I’ve also seen the happiness and change it brings to their life once they’ve lost it.

It’s not uncommon for me to hear stories of my clients being overweight for most of their life. Some of them spending years, even decades feeling the physical and mental stress their weight has caused them. I think…how does this happen? Why did you wait so long before doing something about it.

I think for most overweight people it seems like a lot of work, a battle that can’t be won. Well guess what…it is going to be work! That battle won’t be won unless you do something about it. It’s not going to be easy, but I can promise you…it will definitely be worth it!