Workout Wednesday: Circuit Training

Over and over again I have told you about the importance of cardiovascular workouts in the pursuit of losing weight. You know that it is the best way to burn the maximum amount of Calories. You also know that strength training is important for a few reasons. Strength training increases your strength (duh!). This is important for those of you who want to see improvements in your performance in any sport like biking, rock climbing, swimming, really anything. Muscle growth is also important to increase your metabolism. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn on a daily basis. Circuit training brings cardio and strength training together.

So what is circuit training? Basically, it is a bunch of different exercises that you do back to back. Doing them one right after another allows your heart rate to get up for a longer period of time than traditional strength training would. HIGHER HEART RATE = MORE CALORIES BURNED. You can customize the workouts to strengthen the different areas of your body.

Here is a tip, instead of focusing on small muscles like biceps, triceps, or calves by isolating them in an exercise like bicep curls, work on a larger muscle group and work on the smaller muscles simultaneously. For example, instead of just doing a shoulder press (small muscles), do a shoulder press while lunging (large muscles). This will help you get more bang for your buck. Small muscles burn few calories, while larger muscles burn more.

Here is an example of a circuit training workout (do a cardio warm-up first to prevent injury):

• Jump roping (2 minutes) You don't need an actual jump rope to get the benefits of this plyometric workout
• Bicep curls while doing squats (2o repetitions)
• Crunches (3o repetitions minutes)
• standing rows (20 repetitions)
• Calf raises while doing shoulder presses (20 repetitions)
• And then repeat until you've been exercising for 20 minutes. Remember do not rest during the 20 minutes, this keeps your heart rate up and allows you to burn the maximum amount of Calories in the least amount of time WHILE strengthening your muscles.

Yesterday I bought Jillian Michaels workout DVD "30 Day Shred" which is based on this interval concept. I'll let you all know if I'm 'shredded' in 30 days!

Metabolic Rates

How many Calories do you burn in a day? How many Calories should you be consuming to lose, maintain, or gain weight? The first step to answering these questions is to determine your metabolic rate.

Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the amount of calories you burn in a day just by doing autonomic bodily functions like breathing, heart beating, hair growing, and maintaining temperature. This is based largely on your size and age. You can use calculators, like this one, to estimate your BMR. Please note that these are only estimations. Your true BMR is going to be affected largely on muscle mass. The more muscle you have the more Calories you burn to maintain that mass. Also, your hormone levels also affect your BMR.

After determining your BMR, you need to calculate how many calories you burn doing your basic daily activity (this does not include exercise). This is called you active metabolic rate. This considers the type of work you do during the day. Think of it as a scale of 1-4.
1-sedentary (mostly sitting: receptionist, accountant)
2-little active (standing and walking)
3-more active (moving quickly, some lifting)
4-very active (construction worker)
I consider myself at a 2 so I would multiply my BMR by 1.2 to determine the amount of Calories I use in a day minus my workout. A construction worker would multiply his/her BMR by 1.4.

If you are trying to lose weight, you need to create a Calorie deficit meaning you must burn more Calories than you consume. In that case, eat less than the amount of Calories you calculated. If you are very overweight it is safe to create a larger Calorie deficit. If you need to lose 20 lbs or less, you should have a smaller Calorie deficit. That being said, you should never let your Caloric intake be less than 1100 Calories for women or less than 1400 for men. Doing so is going to put your body in starvation mode. This makes your body catabolic (break-down muscle, stores fat) instead of anabolic (build muscle, burn fat). Yes, you will lose weight, but much of that weight will be muscle and when you start eating normal, you will gain all the weight back because of the catabolic state your body is in: yo-yo dieting is established. Starvation can cause serious damage to your metabolism.

Of course, you can also create a Calorie deficit by exercising more. One problem with doing this is that exercise requires energy and the more you exercise the hungrier you become. Plus, working out for 30 minutes a day will only burn about 300 Calories, not enough to create a significant deficit especially if you are not tracking the amount of Calories you consume. That being said, try to eat less than the active metabolic rate that we calculated above if you want to consistently lose weight. If you had a serious workout and are starving, don't be afraid to eat a little. Just don't eat back all your Calories and waste all the hard work you have done.

If you are trying to maintain weight, eat as many Calories as you use in a day and take in consideration how much you exercise. A good way to calculate the number of Calories you burn in an exercise is to assume you are burning 10 Calories per minute which is a pretty standard average.

If you are trying to gain weight, increase your Calories consumed by eating more lean protein and incorporate strength training into your workout.

None of this will matter if you are completely unaware of the amount of calories you consume. Weight loss is basic math based on this equation:
Calories consumed-Calories burned
In order to lose weight, you must have a Calorie deficit. It is as simple as that. So make sure you are aware of the amount of Calorie you consume. Most people assume they eat less Calories than they actually do. Take a notebook and for at least a week, track the amount of Calories you eat. It really isn't very hard. Look at nutrition labels and take into consideration the serving size they list. If one bowl of cereal is 140 Calories for 1 cup and you eat 1.5 cup, write that you have consumed 210 Calories and remember to look at the milk. Don't be afraid to use a measuring cup to be completely accurate. There are also many websites, like this one, that list the Calorie content of food, even fast food. I was horrified that my "healthy" choice of a grilled chicken jalapeno sandwich at Carl's Jr was 670 Calories. That in itself is a good reason to stay away from fast food.

You will find it is pretty difficult to stay under your Calorie goal. If you have a bad day, don't give up. Just exercise more that day. You can allow yourself some treats, but that leaves you less Calories for the rest of day.

So here is the challenge: Track you Calories for at least a week and try to stay under you Calorie goal.

Motivation Monday: Setting Yourself Up For Success

It happens to all of us at one point: we start out with good intentions and a workout schedule, but then life catches up to us. Or perhaps you are discouraged by seeing how it is so easy for some, but difficult for yourself. Either way, don't beat yourself up! Everybody makes mistakes. Nobody is perfect and everybody has weaknesses. For many of us, our weakness is food. For others it maybe something less visible. I think it is key to keep everything in perspective.

Here are some great ways to help set yourself up for success:

1) Implement health one step at a time
Don't try to completely undo all of your bad habits in one day. That is a set up for failure. Instead, just focus on one thing at a time. One week, focus on eating smaller portions. The next, make sure you buy healthier food. Then you can start exercising for 20 minutes just 3 days a week doing cardio. Baby steps.

If I had to tell you which steps are most important I would say first, your diet. Make sure you are eating less Calories. One thing that will help you is to eat more vegetables, water, and fiber. You will fill full, but with a lot less Calories. You can lose weight just by changing your diet. I have done it, myself, a few times.

Next important thing to lose weight would be to implement a cardio workout 3 times a week. You might start with just walking. I walk all the time because it is the easiest thing to do with my baby and I am not lying by saying I lose weight when I go walking. It is true! But if you are doing something less intense, like walking, just do it longer.

2) Set small reasonable goals for yourself
Your goal shouldn't just be "lose 50 lbs." That is a good long term-goal, but if that is all you focus on, you will become discouraged because it seems so far away. Instead create short-term goals, like losing one or two pounds a week. That seems much more reasonable. Also review your goals each morning and write your goals for the day (a to do list). You might have a goal to jump rope for 10 minutes or to make a healthy dinner. Your goals might even include NOT going out to eat for any meal. When you see that you can achieve your small, day to day goals it will give you strength to pursue larger goals, like losing 50 lbs or running a half-marathon.

3) Create a support system
It is hard to make such life-altering changes in your life without the complete support of those around you. You want you parents, children, spouse, significant other, and friends to be on your side. Be very upfront with them. Making these goals are nothing to be ashamed of. The people around you will probably be flattered that you are sharing your goals with them and that you are asking for their help. Don't try to do it on your own. If you come across people who are not supportive, don't bring up this part of your life with them. They will just bring you down.

Find someone to workout with, whether it be a walking buddy or someone to head to the gym with. For you mothers out there, take turns with someone to babysit while the other exercises.

4) Begin with the end in mind
I stole this one from "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" by Steven R. Covey. (I recommend the book to anyone) Pictures are great: picture of you "before," pictures of people who have made amazing transformations, and pictures of you along the way. This will help you see the big picture and give you a visual for the end result.

Running is hard. I think the mental aspect is even harder than the physical one. It is hard to stay motivated and keep your mind occupied, especially during the long runs. One thing I like to think about is me. I picture myself finishing the marathon, wearing a swimming suit, rock climbing up a steep cliff, etc. I like to think about the strong, healthy person I am becoming and that motivates me to push just a little harder.

When I started trying to run after I had a baby, I couldn't believe how difficult it was. It literally hurt me to jog 10 minutes, but I just told myself that if I push myself today it will be that much easier tomorrow. And it was. Jump forward 6 months and I am going to run a half-marathon this week. My mile pace has improved from like a 15 minute/mile (I don't even think that is considered a slow-jog. I was slow.) to somewhere around 8 minute/mile.

5) Redefine who you are
Health is not a short-term endeavor. It is a lifelong goal. All the changes that you are making for you and your family should be sustainable forever. Of course, right now I should clarify that there is difference between trying to LOSE weight and MAINTAINING weight. It is much easier to maintain, but it is still necessary to live a healthy lifestyle.

This sometimes means redefining who you are. You are not that person who orders a large soda with every meal. You do not eat donuts for breakfast. You like the way exercising makes you feel. You enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables. You even have a physical activity that you love to do every week, whether that be running, tennis, swimming, biking, karate, kickboxing, walking, gardening, snowboarding, hiking, yoga, dancing, or lifting weights. Most importantly, you are confident. You are not weak, but strong. You can achieve anything you want to do. If you want to do a triathlon, you can do it (with much training, years of training in my case). You will not have those risk factors for cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease (which is the number one killer of women in the United States). Instead, you will live a long healthy life and be there for your children and your grandchildren.

Losing weight is about so much more than looking good. It is about being the best you can be.

Myth vs. Fact

MYTH: You can lose fat in a specific part of you body by exercising that part.
FACT: There is no such thing as spot reduction. When you lose fat (through cardiovascular exercise) fat is lost from all areas of your body. Doing localized exercises, like squats, will not reduce fat on you legs. Instead it will build muscle.

MYTH: Fats are bad.
FACT: Some fat is not only healthy, but essential to live. The trick is to incorporate the right types of fat into your diet while reducing the bad kind. Good fats are unsaturated, specifically monounsaturated fat. They reduce the bad cholesterol and very healthy for your heart. You can get these types of fats from olive oil, avocado, almonds. Bad fats are saturated and trans fat. These are horrible for your health. These are found in animal meats, butter, margarine, and proceeds foods. Also, I should note that you need to add omega-3 fatty acids into your diet. These are found primarily in fish.

MYTH: Crunches are the way to flat abs.
FACT: First one must lose fat to see their abs. The most efficient way to burn fat is through intense cardio (i.e. running, aerobics, swimming, biking, kickboxing) for at least 20 minutes 3 times a week.

MYTH: You can only lose weight by doing a ton of exercise.
FACT: What you eat is MORE important than HOW MUCH you exercise when it comes to losing weight. Obviously, they are both important to achieving optimal health, but you can exercise all you want and will never see results if you don't change you diet. Conversely, you can just change your diet (lower the calories and increasing nutrients) and you will lose weight.

MYTH: Carbohydrates are fattening.
FACT: This one drives me nuts. Carbs are not fat. Fat is Fat. Carbs are carbs. They are two completely different things. There is nothing wrong with eating carbohydrates. They are a wonderful source of energy. People will claim they lose a ton of weight by eating a low-carb diet. They probably do lose weight but in reality they are losing weight because they are are on a low-calorie diet. You will lose weight if you reduce your Calories whether or not those Calories are from carbs, protein, or fat. That being said there are 'good carbs' and 'bad carbs.' Avoid sugars and refined flour.

MYTH: Fat can turn into muscle or muscle can turn into fat
FACT: This claim is ridiculous. A muscle cell is completely different than a fat cell. They are not the same and they are not interchangeable nor can they morph into each other. You lose fat by doing cardio. You gain muscle by resistance training.

Food Friday: Carbs, protein, & fat! Oh, my!

Trans fat, Calorie, dietary fiber, carb, cholesterol... We hear these words on the radio and read about them in the newspaper, but do we really know what they mean? It can be hard deciphering the language of nutrition.

Carbohydrate: Carbs are the universal energy source. They are the most quickly digested and, therefore, supply energy the fastest. Most authorities recommend that your diet should consist 50-60% of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are not created equal. Here's the low-down on carbs:

Simple Carbohydrates: These are digested the most quickly and are more likely to be converted to fat because so. Types of simple carbohydrates aka sugars are glucose (blood sugar), fructose (fruit sugar), sucrose (table sugar), and lactose (milk sugar). You can find simple sugars in soda, syrup, fruit, candy, and juice. Limit these type of carbohydrates.

Complex Carbohydrates: These are digested less quickly than simple sugars and so are less likely to be converted to fat. They also provide more long-term energy. There are a two different types of complex carbohydrates: Starch and Fiber.

1) Starch is found in bread, potatoes, corn, and many other vegetables. It is fairly easy to digest.

2) Fiber is very important for health. There are two types of fiber, both are essential.

Insoluble Fiber is not digested. Instead it passes straight through your digestive tract. It is important to prevent constipation, hemorrhoids, and diverticulosis and to maintain overall colon health. As my foods teacher once called it, insoluble fiber is nature's broom. It cleans you out. It also does not contribute to overall consumed Calories. When you look at a nutrition label, subtract off the Calories due to Insoluble Fiber because you do not use them. Insoluble fiber is also excellent for weight loss because it is very filling with zero Calories. Sources of Insoluble Fiber are bran (wheat, oat, barley), cauliflower, green beans, potatoes, and celery.

Soluble Fiber is important in lowering blood cholesterol and controlling blood sugar (important for those with diabetes). Some sources of soluble fiber are peas, beans, oats, barley, fruits, and vegetables.

It is important to limit your consumption of refined carbohydrates (white flour) because the process of refining removes the fiber, bran, and most vitamins and minerals that those carbohydrates give you, but it leaves all the Calories.

Protein: These are large organic molecules made up of amino acids. Once digested, the protein is broken down into amino acids which are then assembled to build structures in our body. Amino acids are used to build muscle, hair, fingernails, red blood cells, eye membranes, skin, and many more things. Protein is also important for the proper functioning of antibodies in our immune system, the regulation of enzymes and hormones. Protein rocks!

Carbohydrates are always used first as an energy source. If not enough Calories are consumed as carbohydrates, then the Calories from protein will be used to give you energy. But if you have consumed more protein than your body needs, it will be broken down and stored as fat.

You can get protein from meat, cheese, milk and eggs. You can also get protein from whole grains, beans, legumes, oatmeal, peanuts, and soy. Most authorities recommend 10-15% of your calories should come from protein. Growing children and those who exercise need more protein. People with kidney disease or a history of kidney disease should be careful not to eat to much protein because the process of converting protein into energy puts a lot of extra strain on you kidneys.

Fat: Lipids (or fat) are large biological molecules that do not dissolve in water and are made up of fatty acids. There are many types of fat, and surprisingly, not all are bad for you. In fact, it is essential that your body gets enough.

• Unsaturated Fat: this type of fat isn't bad for you. It lowers blood cholesterol. Unsaturated fats are generally liquid at room temperature. Polyunsaturated fats include safflower, sunflower, soybean and corn oil. Monounsaturated fats (which are really good for you) include olive oil, canola, peanut, and avocado.


• Saturated Fat: this type of fat is really bad for you. It increased blood cholesterol and is generally solid at room temperature (tropical oils are the exception). This type of fat is found in animal meat, dairy, butter, coconut and palm oil.


• Trans fat: This has been a buzz word in nutrition lately. This type of fat is man made. Unsaturated fat goes through a process called hydrogenation to make it more saturated. The reason they do this is to make it more solid at room temperature. Have you ever opened peanut butter and there is this layer of oil on top? You probably think, "gross!" and then stir it up. Peanut oil is hydrogenated so that it can be solid so you won't have that problem with the stirring of the oil. Of course, you end up with different problems because trans fat raises bad (LDL) cholesterol.

Like I said, some fat is essential to overall health. Fat is used to synthesize hormones, it is important for growth, it is used for brain and eye development, and is an important source of energy. Two type of essential fatty acids are omega-6 and omega-3. Omega-6 fatty acids cannot be synthesized in your body so it is essential that you consume them. Fortunately this isn't a problem since omega-6 fatty acids are found in vegetable oil which is in just about everything. Omega-3 fatty acids are more difficult to find. They are found in many varieties of fish and are important in the reduction of coronary artery disease.

Energy Density: Energy density is the measure of how much energy a certain amount of food will give you. Energy is measured in Calories (or kilocalorie) the same way that length is measured in inches and volume is measured in liters. Very simply, one calorie is the amount of energy it takes to increase the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius. How is that for some useful Jeopardy trivia! When our body breaks down either fat, carbohydrates, or protein a certain amount of energy is released. We use that energy for bodily functions or daily activity. Of course, if we consume more energy than is used, those calories are stored at fat. Our body stores energy as fat because it is the "most efficient" at storing energy. That is because it stores 9 Calories of energy for every gram of fat. Carbohydrates, on the other had, only have 4 Calories per gram. Protein also has 4 Calories per gram. The moral of the story then is to limit your fat consumption because it has more than twice the amount of calories per gram as other food. Talk about dense.

5K for beginners

5Ks are popular races for advanced runners as well as beginners. Advanced runners seek to improve their time and pace while a beginner runner might set out just to complete their first race. A 5K is 3.12 miles and takes approximately 30 minutes to jog. It is a doable goal for most anyone, but just like any goals, steps should be taken to accomplish it. Below is an example training schedule for a beginner runner wanted to complete a 5K. It is an 8 week program and starts with running a distance of 1.5 miles. First off, if you are a beginner runner, do not feel like you have to sprint these distances until your heart explodes. Take it slowly at a comfortable pace. As your confidence improves you can gently increase your pace. The BIGGEST MISTAKE that people make when starting to train for an event like a 5K is to PUSH THEMSELVES TOO HARD. Ease into the sport to prevent injury. If you cannot run 1.5 miles, go as far as you can and then walk the rest of the distance. Work your way up to the 1.5 mile run and then you can start the schedule that is below.

EZ=simple, less strenuous activity (i.e., walking, gardening)
CT=Cross Training (i.e., biking, swimming, elliptical)

Good luck and happy running!

Workout Wednesday: Benefits of Strength Training

Strength training includes weight lifting and calisthenics (like crunches, pull ups, push ups). These exercises do not burn a lot of fat, but they are important to build strength and increase muscle mass.

Many people who are aiming to lose weight may not think that they want to increase muscle mass, but I assure you that this increase in mass with help anyone lose fat. Muscles need energy to function. They can get this energy from two different places: the Calories you consume or fat storage. When you reduce the amount of Calories you consume your muscles will have no place to go but to the fat for their energy. The more muscle you have, the more fat you will burn even if you are just sleeping. That's right, a muscular person will burn more Calories just breathing than a person with less muscle all other factors remaining equal. This increase in energy use is called a faster metabolism. You can increase your metabolism by increasing you muscle mass. Bottom line, the more muscle you have, the faster you will burn fat.

What is the Swine Flu?

Currently, many people are concerned and have questions regarding the recent swine flu outbreak. I also had questions and wanted to protect my health and the health of my family so I did a little research and found this informational video put out by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). I'll be honest, it is a little boring, but it is informational. Enjoy!



Much of this video is a reminder of what we should do when infected with the normal flu and how to prevent sicknesses in general.

Motivation Monday: BFL Grand Champion 2008

I love Body-for-Life and would recommend it to anyone. Go ahead and buy the book to see what I mean or check out the website, www.bodyforlife.com.

Every year Body-For-Life has a competition that anyone can enter. It is free to enter and there are amazing prizes to be won. You just have to fill our some paperwork, take before and after pictures and work your butt off for 12 weeks. The prizes for the 2009 competition are:

Two Grand Master Champions 1 Male / 1 Female Each Grand Master Champion will receive: $25,000 cash Body-for-LIFE Champion leather jacket ($1,500 value) Reimbursement of all EAS products purchased during the Challenge Free home gym, courtesy of PowerBlocks™

Six Category Champions will receive: $10,000 cash Body-for-LIFE Champion leather jacket ($1,500 value) Reimbursement of all EAS products purchased during the Challenge Free home gym, courtesy of PowerBlocks™

For more information about the Body-for-Life competition, click here.

One of the grand master champions of 2008 was Emily Alvers:

Here is her essay as found on the Body-for-Life website:
"I was living life as your average middle school teacher the year my life seemed to come crashing down. My mother and step-father both passed away from cancer just 6 short months apart. I was devastated. 5 years prior I had lost my father to cancer as well. I felt too young and unequipped to deal with this sudden reality. I was desperately alone and confused.

As a way to escape and cope with my grief, I turned to food. I was addicted to the feelings of comfort that sugary foods gave me temporarily. I’d binge on ice cream, cookies and anything sweet I could get my hands on. Countless nights I went to sleep feeling guilty for what I’d eaten and work up each morning just as miserable. I felt powerless over my self-destructive behavior and was trapped in this viscous cycle. I was gaining weight steadily, had no energy and was extremely depressed.

While sorting through my mother’s things one day I found the book, Body-for-LIFE. It sparked my interest, and I read it cover to cover. For the first time in a long time I became hopeful that I didn’t have to settle with living this way! I realized that I needed to stop making excuses and feeling sorry for myself. My sadness and self pity quickly turned into motivation and confidence that I could change! I just knew that this was the answer to finally finding a balance in my life. I wrote down my goals and told everyone I knew about them. I was ecstatic to be starting this exciting new chapter in my life!

I committed to follow the program just as it was outlined in the book. After only 1 week on Body-for-LIFE, I was in utter disbelief at how much better I felt. My mood and energy levels skyrocketed. My cravings for sugar and the guilt I had felt for so long disappeared altogether. I was waking up ready to conquer the world each and every day! As the weeks passed, my body grew much stronger and the fat just seemed to melt away at an alarming rate. Before I knew it, 12 weeks passed and I had lost 21 lbs. and 9.4% body fat! I went from wearing a size 8 down to a size 0! My blood pressure and resting heart rate fell into the athlete range!

I am physically stronger now than I’ve ever been in my life, but more importantly I am someone I can be proud of, someone who will be a good role model to my own kids one day, and someone who is already inspiring others who have struggled to change their lives. Since starting Body-for-LIFE, I’ve also earned my personal training certification. I am living proof that big changes can be achieved in a very short time. Not only do I have the tools now to help and inspire others to live a healthy lifestyle, but I also have the free advertising to go along with it! Body-for-LIFE has helped me realize my own potential beyond what I ever could have imagined!"

She lost 21 lbs of scale weight and decreased her body fat percentage 9% in just 12 weeks! What an inspiration.

Food Friday: Calorie Budget

The most important part of weight loss is diet. I'm not talking about the atkins diet or south beach diet. When I say diet I'm talking about the type of food you consume on a regular basis. What you eat and how much you eat is FAR MORE important than exercise when it comes to weight loss. You could run 10 miles everyday, but if you don't watch what you eat, you will never lose weight.

Let me illustrate with an example. Yesterday I bought one of those twix snack packs. It had 8 snack sized twix each with 80 Calories. I ate all of them (for the sake of research, of course) in less than ten minutes. That was a grand total of 640 Calories. To burn off those extra Calories I would have to run about 6.5 miles which would take me over an hour. It took me less than 10 minutes to put on and would take more than an hour to take off.

Diet is key to losing weight. All weight loss is based on this one equation:

Calories consumed - Calories used = Change in Calories

If your change in Calories is negative you have what is called a Calorie Deficit. You're body will make up for this by using fat as an energy source. In other words, you will lose weight. If your change in Calories is positive you have a Calorie Excess. Those Calories will be stored (as fat) for future use. About 3500 Calories equal 1 pound.

The amount of Calories you need each day depends on many factors. You can use calulators like this or this to determine your Caloric Budget. I like the term budget because it helps me realize that I can eat a little treat, but that takes up some of my budget for the day so I need to eat less for dinner or I need to exercise more to burn off those extra Calories

Live Strong Website

When you think "live strong" your mind might conjure up pictures of Lance Armstrong road biking all across France. How cool is he? The coolest. It's true. Well, this website is almost (although not quite) as cool as him.

Livestrong.com is a website dedicated to health and fitness. It has a lot of neat things, but I particularly like the "daily plate" feature. First of all, it calculates your calorie budget based on weight, height, age, activity level, and weight loss goal. Then you can track your calories by entering the food you eat for the day. It has basically has every possible type of food in its database. You can also track your activities and the amount of calories you use. It is a great way to track your progress and to meet your weight loss goals.

I used it for a week or so. It definitely helped me become more aware of how many calories I was consuming compared to how many I was using. That is an important realization for EVERYONE to have, especially if you are trying to lose weight. Maybe counting calories is not for you, but I would recommend counting them (whether using this program or by hand) for a week or so just to get an idea of how you are doing.

Workout Wednesday: Awesome Abs

Who doesn't want rock solid, flat, six-pack, sexy abs? Tell me. Seriously. I can't think of anyone who would say, "no thank you, I prefer my flabby fat belly." Unfortunately there are a lot of people who don't understand how to get well-defined abdominal muscles. Many people waste hours of their life doing hundreds of crunches with zero results. Many people also spend hundreds of dollars on fancy contraptions that supposedly flatten and firm your their abs, but those products never deliver. Don't let yourself become one of these people.

First step to great abs is doing some great cardio. Run, bike, or swim. I don't care. Just get doing at least 20 minutes of intense cardio three times a week. Why? Well, because everyone has some pretty good abs, but the problem is that they can't be seen through a thick layer of fat. The best way to burn fat is cardiovascular exercise. There is no such thing as localized fat reduction. Doing crunches WILL NOT burn stomach fat, doing squats WILL NOT burn butt fat, and doing tricep presses WILL NOT burn arm fat. Those are muscle building exercises, not fat burning exercises. I cannot emphasize enough that the best way to burn fat is cardiovascular exercise. When you do cardio you burn fat from all areas of your body (including that stubborn tummy fat).

In addition to cardio, one must have a lower calorie diet in order to burn away those inches of fat. If you consume too many calories, your body will just store them as extra fat. If you consume less calories than you use, your body will turn to it's fat reserve for more energy. So make sure you are eating a lower calorie diet in addition to cardio for effective fat loss.

So now you realize that doing hundreds of crunches a day wasn't helping you get those nice abs. Don't get me wrong, crunches will strengthen your abs, but no one will be able to see those strong abs underneath layers of fat. Crunches do not burn sufficient fat to make a difference. In fact crunches (as well as all strength training workouts) are an anaerobic exercise. That means it burns SUGAR. Aerobic exercises, on the other hand, burn FAT. Aerobic exercises are the same as the cardiovascular exercises listed above: running, biking, swimming, kickboxing, dancing, anything that will get your heart rate up for at least 20 minutes.

OK, so lets say (for arguments sake) that you have a very low body fat percentage. Your abs are visible, flat, and toned. But now you want them to be bigger and stronger. Cue in the crunches! In order to do an effective crunch DO NOT try to do them as fast as you can. That is cheating the exercise. It is also important to note that you DO NOT need any equipment to give your abs a great workout. In fact, most products on the market DO NOT work.

How to do a correct crunch: First, lay down with your knees bent and push your lower back into the ground. You should be flexing those abs the entire time of the workout. Now, crunch slowly up, then hold for 1 count (exhale as you do this part). Then slowly go down as you inhale. Feel the burn? If you don't, remember to focus on flexing those ab muscles. For added resistance you can hold weight on your chest or do your crunches on a decline bench.

There are, of course, many variations of crunches. These are great for adding variety and isolating certain parts of your abs. Check our the Body-for-Life website for more ab workouts:
http://bodyforlife.com/exercise/flash/m16.html
http://bodyforlife.com/exercise/flash/m17.html
http://bodyforlife.com/exercise/flash/w17.html
http://bodyforlife.com/exercise/animations.asp

Grocery Shopping

This is where it all begins: you eat what you buy. So make sure to buy only what you should eat. Got it? Good.

First of all, make sure you go grocery shopping when you are NOT hungry. I'm sure you have all experienced this. I'm walking down the aisle and something catches my eye. Mmm, that sounds good. Next thing I know, the doughnuts are making their way into my cart. Just then I pass something else. Looks delicious. In my moment of weakness, I buy it. Avoid this by not being hungry when you shop.

Next, have a plan. Make a tentative plan of the meals you are going to eat for the week. This way you can plan for health. This will help you make a list of healthy foods you need for those meals and eliminates buying processed, fattening food or going out to eat last minute because there is nothing to make. Keep a pad of paper in your kitchen and write down food items you need for the next week as you think of them. Having a list of healthy food will prevent you from buying not-so-healthy things that you see.

You should also go grocery shopping often. I recommend setting aside one day a week for that task. I always go Monday afternoon. It is too hard to plan meals for an entire month, but a week is manageable. Also, going shopping once a week allows you to buy fresh fruits and vegetables.

To give you an idea of what type of food to buy, here are some staples on my grocery list:

• Whole wheat bread
• Whole wheat tortillas
• Low-fat yogurt
• Low-fat cottage cheese
• Skim milk
• eggs
• part-skim mozzarella cheese
• string cheese
• lunch meat
• Frozen skinless chicken breasts
• Frozen veggies

And here come the fruits and veggies.

• mushrooms
• tomatoes
• red onion
• bananas
  
• green bell pepper
• spinach
• carrots
• celery
  
• lettuce
• oranges

Hopefully this can give you an idea for your grocery list. Follow these tips for easier, healthier eating.

At Home Workouts

So what's the excuse this time? No gym membership? No time? No problem!

There are plenty of workouts that can be done at home. My favorite equipment is just a set of adjustable dumbbells that I bought at Sports Authority similar to these ones. With them I can work out all my major muscle groups (you might want ones with more weight if you are a very muscular person). For cardiovascular workouts I run outside, but you could walk or bike as well.

You can also use calisthenics. These are workouts that use your own body as resistance to strengthen your muscles and increase flexibility. Some examples of these are crunches, push ups, pull ups, lunges, and calf raises.

Bob Harper, trainer on the Biggest Loser, gives a few more examples of calisthenics that you can add to the list:



Can I just say that I LOVE The Biggest Loser.

What is a Calorie?

From the way people talk about calories, you would think that they are most horrid, awful, frightening thing out there. "I can't eat that...it has CALORIES!!" Scary, I know. But the truth is that a Calorie isn't a bad thing at all. You don't believe me, do you? Well, Let me explain:

What is a Calorie?
Scientifically, a calorie is just a unit of energy. One calorie is the amount of energy it takes to increase one gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. To make this confusing, a calorie (with a lower-case c) is different than a Calorie (with a capital c). One Calorie is equal to one-thousand calories. That means that one Calorie is the amount of energy it takes to increase 1,000 grams (one liter) of water by 1 degree Celsius...but what does that mean for you and your yogurt snack?

Filling up your tank
I'm sure you've heard the analogy that eating food is like filling your car with gas. It gives you energy to go. Food is composed of molecules (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) and your body will break down these molecules during digestion. When it does, it releases energy. The amount of energy a certain foods will give you is measured with Calories. A person running a marathon is like a car going on a road trip. It needs more energy to accomplish its task. That means a full tank for the car and a calorie rich diet for the runner. A person who sits on the couch needs a lot less energy to perform his/her tasks for the day, sort of like the car that is just driving across the street.

How many calories do I need?
The nutrition label on food bases the Daily Value percentages on a 2,000 Calorie diet. This is just an average. Your actual caloric need is based on muscle mass and activity level. A person with more muscle burns more calories just breathing than a person with less muscle. Obviously, a person who is more active will use more calories as well. Use this calculator to determine how many calories you need.

Where do these calories go?
So what happens to all these Calories we consume? As an average, about 70% of energy you use is put toward basic bodily functions like breathing, heart beating, etc. So if you need 2,000 Calories, 1400 Calories are being burned by you just laying in bed all day. Another 20% of your energy use goes toward digestion. That would be 400 Calories based on a 2,000 Calorie need. That leaves only 10% of Calories that are being used to support our daily activity. That is a mere 200 Calories based on a 2,000 Calorie need. Just one of those yogurts I eat every day goes toward physical activity! The rest are burned without a second thought.

Of course these are just averages. If you are a very active person, a larger percentage of your energy is being used on daily activity. Conversely, if you live a very sedentary lifestyle (sitting on a couch) then your daily activity requires less energy.

Notice that these percentages are based on the amount of energy you USE not the amount of energy you CONSUME. So what happens when you consume more food energy than you are actually going to use? Well, it goes into energy storage. That is a nice way of saying: IT TURNS INTO FAT. That fat serves as emergency food storage for when food is less plentiful and it stays there until you don't consume enough calories to sustain your energy use.

Oops, I ate too many calories and now have energy storage. What do I do?
How do you get rid of that fat then? Well, you already know the answer to that one. DECREASE your Caloric intake and INCREASE your Caloric use. In other words, eat less and exercise more.

What type of foods have calories?
Well, any food that contains protein, fat, or carbohydrates do (practically everything!). One gram of carbohydrates contains 4 Calories. One gram of protein contains 4 Calories. But just one gram of fat contains 9 Calories. Moral of the story: limit your fat consumption.

In Conclusion
So Calories can be your foe or your friend. It depends on whether you need energy to sustain your activities like running or backpacking or if you already have tons of energy stored up (fat) that you would like to use. Everybody needs energy, just be careful only to consume the amount you need.

Fat vs. Thin

Some people seem to gain weight so easily while others remain thin without effort. Who are those people anyway?

I found two lists that contrast the lifestyles of the severely obese to the effortlessly thin. The key word here is lifestyle. An obese person can go on a diet or have surgery and lose a lot of weight, but if they do not change their lifestyle, all the weight will, without a doubt, come back. Compare your lifestyle to these lists and determine what you are doing right, what you are doing wrong, and what you are going to change.


Lifestyle of the Obese

First, I found a list compiled by the registered dietitian and physician of the television show "The Biggest Loser". The contestants on this show are perfect models of what-not-to-do. Here are 11 characteristics these unhealthy individuals have in common who compete on the show as found on http://rebeccascritchfield.wordpress.com/2007/10/15/science-behind-the-biggest-loser-diet/

"1. no idea of the number of calories they need or what they actually consume
2. most skip breakfast and snacks and let a long time go between meals
3. most consume very little fruits and vegetables
4. most are not getting enough protein, and what they do get is high in saturated fat
5. most get very little whole grains
6. most have too much “white stuff” (sugar, refined flour)
7. little planning of meals, mostly on-the-go eating and dining out
8. most are meeting their daily caloric needs through beverages alone (e.g. caloric sodas, juices and fruit punch)
9. many consume very little water
10. nearly all reported limited to no exercise
11. nearly all prioritize everything and everyone else in their life ahead of their own health"

Lifestyle of the Thin
In contrast, I found "the ten secrets of the effortlessly thin" on MSN at this website: http://health.msn.com/weight-loss/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=100218116&imageindex=1

"1. They don't diet
2. They keep track of their weight
3. They exercise regularly
4. They don't solve problems with food
5.They stop eating when they're full
6.They don't surround themselves with temptation
7. They allow themselves treats
8. They eat breakfast
9. They move, stand and fidget more
10. They don't skip meals"

Why is breakfast so important?
Some of these factors may seem counter intuitive. For example, people who struggle with weight skip breakfast while those who are thin always eat breakfast. At first glance, it may seem that the thin are then consuming more calories. Not so! Those who skip breakfast are hurting themselves in two ways:

1) Eating breakfast "jumpstarts" your metabolism so your body will start burning calories early on during the day. As a result you have more energy. Bonus! Those who do not eat breakfast put their body into starvation mode which puts priority on storing energy...that's the nice way of saying "getting fat."

2) Those who don't eat breakfast are famished by lunchtime which creates a tendency to overeat. In the long run, they will consume more calories to overcompensate.

I like to snack
These two facts also explain why it is healthy to snack (depending, of course, on the snack). How often one eats and when they eat are important factors to health, but not nearly as important as what one eats. When you snack think something like apple, yogurt, string cheese, or a few wheat thins.

Which lifestyle are you choosing?
Again, they key word here is LIFESTYLE!!! Diets, pills, and even surgeries rarely work because they don't address the underlying problem. Overweight people can and do become healthy, but it is usually through education and hard work which ultimately leads to a change in lifestyle!

Overweight people eat out often. The thin usually make their meals and rarely even have unhealthy snacks around. They don't eat twinkies because they don't buy them. Many overweight people drink a soda a day (sometimes more), but thin people will carry around a water bottle for when they get thirsty. Overweight people are not active, but thin people usually have hobbies that keep them active.

I reiterate my challenge: compare your lifestyle to these lists and determine what you are doing right, what you are doing wrong, and what you are going to change.

The First Step

So what is the first step to a healthier life? Waking up at 6:00 AM for your morning workout? Going to the grocery store and stocking up on healthier food items? Nope. The first step to a healthier life is deciding you want a healthier life. Seems pretty obvious, but then you have to ask yourself a question: If you have truly decided that you want a healthier life, why don't you have one?

Before you even start those exercise classes you need to start having the right attitude. You need to DECIDE that being healthier is more important than that extra serving of dinner your wife is going to offer you. DECIDE now that having a healthier life is more important that eating that community candy in your office. Have you decided that starting that exercise routine is more important than watching your favorite TV show?

If you haven't made the decision to live a healthier life then that healthy food you bought at the grocery store is going to end up in the garbage and waking up at 6:00 AM to workout will turn into a marathon of hitting snooze on your alarm.

Decide today! You want to be healthy? Be healthy now. Don't wait until after the weekend or for the new year to begin. Make healthier decisions today. Walk instead of taking the elevator. Get a water instead of a soda. Make time for a healthy breakfast. These are simple things...very simple, but they help transform your dream of living healthier into a reality.