In almost every class I teach, I get my participants to perform push ups. The push up is probably my favorite upper body exercise and there are so many different variations to choose from.
The standard push up is performed with hands positioned just slightly wider than the shoulders. As you lower, let the elbows flare out to the sides slightly. You can also do a wide push up with your hands quite far apart, or tricep push ups where your hands are directly under your shoulders and elbows stay tight into your side as you lower. You can increase the intensity of a push up by playing around with different hand positions, incorporating an bench or chair to put your feet up onto, or add a stability challenge by performing them with your hands on a bosu or stability ball. The possibilities are endless!!
The main reason I love this exercise, other than the fact that there are so many ways to perform them, would be because it targets more muscles than almost any other upper body exercise, and therefore burns more calories. A push up works your chest, biceps, triceps, shoulders, upper back, and your entire core. You can increase the load on certain areas by performing the push up in different ways.
I know a lot of women perform push ups on their knees, and it's rare for them to even attempt a push up on their toes. In my classes I always, always, tell everyone to go onto their toes unless they have an injury. Even if you can just do one, it's better than none, and it will help you to build enough strength to perform more. Also, if you're doing knee push ups, keep your feet on the floor! Elevating them will eliminate much of the strengthening benefits.
Here is a site where technique is described and there are pictures as well: http://www.acefitness.org/exerciselibrary/exercisedetail.aspx?exerciseid=13
Note that you are to exhale on the up phase and inhale down. Good technique is extremely important with this exercise so be careful, but challenge yourself and get up there on those toes ladies!!!
Sunday, April 19
Saturday, April 18
Gym Buddies
Working out with a partner is such a great way to stay motivated, safe, and committed to your exercise program. I've done partner training and every time I do I leave the session thinking "that was the smartest thing I've done today". The energy is a lot different than when you're working out alone, but you do need to make sure you have the right buddy! Find someone who is positive and encouraging; someone who is ambitious and will hold you accountable. You don't need to pick a partner who has the same fitness level; I can show you many different exercises that are great with or without previous experience.
Getting personal training sessions with a partner is becoming increasingly popular, as it should! There are endless possibilities for exercises and routines and, in these tough economic times, it's fantastic because it costs less.
If you're interested in knowing more, let me know!
Getting personal training sessions with a partner is becoming increasingly popular, as it should! There are endless possibilities for exercises and routines and, in these tough economic times, it's fantastic because it costs less.
If you're interested in knowing more, let me know!
Friday, April 17
Another Note On Burning Fat
I spoke in my last post about fat burning, and it kept me up last night, seriously. I don't think I quite got my point across, lol!
If you are burning carb calories by working the energy system that uses it as fuel, then you will still get rid of the fatty areas you despise. You don't have to work in the "fat burning zone" to burn fat from your body. That zone is burning fat calories, but if you're overweight it's because you accumulated a surplus of calories from all sorts of foods. Think about it, if you ate carbs and nothing else, and you overate, you would get "fat", even though more of the calories come from carbs.
Your body uses fat caloires for energy when you do the least amount of work. Right now, as I'm sitting here moving nothing but my fingers, I'm in a "fat burning zone". You can do exercise in the fat burning zone as well, like walking for an hour slowly, depending on your fitness level. Some experienced athletes can train in a fat burning zone during more intense exercise because their bodies are better conditioned to extract oxygen from the blood to use in the production of energy.
If you are looking to lose weight or don't need to lose weight but want to improve your overall fitness level, you should work hard enough to get your heart beating at about 55-90% of your heart rate max (220-age=HRmax). If you are new to exercise, stay within 55-65% and then you can increase intensity gradually as you become more fit.
Hope this makes sense!
PJ- take the long way home and go slow if you want to train in the fat burning zone (though I don't know why you would want to?).
If you are burning carb calories by working the energy system that uses it as fuel, then you will still get rid of the fatty areas you despise. You don't have to work in the "fat burning zone" to burn fat from your body. That zone is burning fat calories, but if you're overweight it's because you accumulated a surplus of calories from all sorts of foods. Think about it, if you ate carbs and nothing else, and you overate, you would get "fat", even though more of the calories come from carbs.
Your body uses fat caloires for energy when you do the least amount of work. Right now, as I'm sitting here moving nothing but my fingers, I'm in a "fat burning zone". You can do exercise in the fat burning zone as well, like walking for an hour slowly, depending on your fitness level. Some experienced athletes can train in a fat burning zone during more intense exercise because their bodies are better conditioned to extract oxygen from the blood to use in the production of energy.
If you are looking to lose weight or don't need to lose weight but want to improve your overall fitness level, you should work hard enough to get your heart beating at about 55-90% of your heart rate max (220-age=HRmax). If you are new to exercise, stay within 55-65% and then you can increase intensity gradually as you become more fit.
Hope this makes sense!
PJ- take the long way home and go slow if you want to train in the fat burning zone (though I don't know why you would want to?).
Thursday, April 16
It's been TOO long!
Jeeez, April 7th was my last post?! Really?! Man time flies. There is SO much I want to write about and not enough time. Where do I begin? First of all, there will not be this long of a gap between posts again unless under extreme circumstances!
So, hmm....OH! I discovered a great and delicious snack at the SuperStore a couple days ago. They're called VitaMuffins (http://www.vitalicious.com/store-vitamuffins.html) and they are only 100 calories, have 4-7g of fiber (depending on the flavor you get), are very low fat, and have lots of vitamins and minerals. I tried the deep chocolate flavor and think they're a great way to get in a chocolate fix without the guilt. They're not large, but for a snack they shouldn't be. It says on the box to keep them frozen, but I have no idea why because they aren't enjoyable frozen?? Anyway, keep them in your fridge and you'll be set!
I got up for a spin class at 6am yesterday (yes, 6am *barf*) and it was just a bit too early to want my normal breakfast, so, knowing how important it is to eat in the morning before a workout, I grabbed a muffin and half a banana. It was light enough that I didn't feel heavy and gross, yet substantial enough to give me energy for the class. I got home, felt energized for the day, had my normal breakfast, and was off to work!
A lot of people think if you don't eat before a morning workout you'll burn more fat, so they skip it. Please don't make the mistake of thinking if you don't eat you'll burn fat! It's not the way it works. Let me try to explain without getting too technical or wordy.
OK, well, first, when you wake up in the morning, it's likely been at least 8 hours since you're body has had any fuel; to get up and demand it to perform work (especially intense work!) is cruel. You don't have to have a big meal but you need something! Drink a glass of water and grab something to eat preferably 30 minutes (or so) before working out. Sometimes I find just half of a piece of bread with PB (100% natural PB, of course) and a glass of water does the trick! Bananas are great too because the natural sugars get into your system quickly and your body can use it as fuel faster.
Now, regarding how your body burns fat. The amount of times I've heard people say "I'm not going to eat carbs because I want my body to burn the extra fat instead", or "I didn't eat breakfast because I want to lose weight" is saddening. You burn fat by working at a specific intensity (very low intensity) rather than by cutting out carbs or skipping meals, which would render you unable to work hard and burn more calories, and your body will start using protein as fuel. Protein is required to repair muscle damage; without that you're body won't heal itself properly between workouts, you won't get stronger, and you won't see the results you want.
Your body has three different energy systems. When you train in the "fat burning zone" (long, low intensity exercise) you expend a lot less calories than if you were to do harder work for a shorter period of time.
To lose weight, you take in less calories than you use. Note that I said calories, not carbs, or fat, or protein. The body uses calories from food (protein, fat, and carbs) to produce ATP (energy). The the most efficient way is with carbs and oxygen. As long as you're working out at an intensity that is high enough to keep you out of the fat burning zone, and low enough to keep you from the anaerobic zone (without oxygen), you will burn calories at a faster rate, therfore you will lose weight faster.
Was that too wordy? I could seriously keep going and going and going, but I won't. LOL If you got lost somewhere, email me any questions, or just trust that I know what I'm talking about and do what I say *smiles*
Ok, it's late, I'm hungry (all this talk about food!) and need to go home. I'll write again tomorrow!
So, hmm....OH! I discovered a great and delicious snack at the SuperStore a couple days ago. They're called VitaMuffins (http://www.vitalicious.com/store-vitamuffins.html) and they are only 100 calories, have 4-7g of fiber (depending on the flavor you get), are very low fat, and have lots of vitamins and minerals. I tried the deep chocolate flavor and think they're a great way to get in a chocolate fix without the guilt. They're not large, but for a snack they shouldn't be. It says on the box to keep them frozen, but I have no idea why because they aren't enjoyable frozen?? Anyway, keep them in your fridge and you'll be set!
I got up for a spin class at 6am yesterday (yes, 6am *barf*) and it was just a bit too early to want my normal breakfast, so, knowing how important it is to eat in the morning before a workout, I grabbed a muffin and half a banana. It was light enough that I didn't feel heavy and gross, yet substantial enough to give me energy for the class. I got home, felt energized for the day, had my normal breakfast, and was off to work!
A lot of people think if you don't eat before a morning workout you'll burn more fat, so they skip it. Please don't make the mistake of thinking if you don't eat you'll burn fat! It's not the way it works. Let me try to explain without getting too technical or wordy.
OK, well, first, when you wake up in the morning, it's likely been at least 8 hours since you're body has had any fuel; to get up and demand it to perform work (especially intense work!) is cruel. You don't have to have a big meal but you need something! Drink a glass of water and grab something to eat preferably 30 minutes (or so) before working out. Sometimes I find just half of a piece of bread with PB (100% natural PB, of course) and a glass of water does the trick! Bananas are great too because the natural sugars get into your system quickly and your body can use it as fuel faster.
Now, regarding how your body burns fat. The amount of times I've heard people say "I'm not going to eat carbs because I want my body to burn the extra fat instead", or "I didn't eat breakfast because I want to lose weight" is saddening. You burn fat by working at a specific intensity (very low intensity) rather than by cutting out carbs or skipping meals, which would render you unable to work hard and burn more calories, and your body will start using protein as fuel. Protein is required to repair muscle damage; without that you're body won't heal itself properly between workouts, you won't get stronger, and you won't see the results you want.
Your body has three different energy systems. When you train in the "fat burning zone" (long, low intensity exercise) you expend a lot less calories than if you were to do harder work for a shorter period of time.
To lose weight, you take in less calories than you use. Note that I said calories, not carbs, or fat, or protein. The body uses calories from food (protein, fat, and carbs) to produce ATP (energy). The the most efficient way is with carbs and oxygen. As long as you're working out at an intensity that is high enough to keep you out of the fat burning zone, and low enough to keep you from the anaerobic zone (without oxygen), you will burn calories at a faster rate, therfore you will lose weight faster.
Was that too wordy? I could seriously keep going and going and going, but I won't. LOL If you got lost somewhere, email me any questions, or just trust that I know what I'm talking about and do what I say *smiles*
Ok, it's late, I'm hungry (all this talk about food!) and need to go home. I'll write again tomorrow!
Tuesday, April 7
I'm NOT a Morning Person but....
So as my life gets busier I'm starting to find that I have less and less time for myself and my own fitness goals. I use to say "there are 24 useable hours in every day", which is taken from the movie Empire Records (AMAZING movie!!), but with how disorganized one can be, at times it feels like 24 hours just isn't enough.
I've just recently moved into an apartment on my own and it's right by the boardwalk, so, I've decided this is my chance to reorganize my life and commit to a new schedule. I hate waking up early in the morning, but the way I figure it, I'm going to have to start getting my exercise out of the way first thing so I can tackle the rest of my day without feeling like I'm neglecting my health. The boardwalk is a fantastic way to get in an early morning jog.
I've exercised in the morning before, and you know what, it makes the day so much better. You just feel so energized and stress free! I encourage you to try it. I know it's hard, getting out of your warm and comfy bed and thinking about trying to get the will to workout, it's not easy! But, once you're out of bed, the hardest part's over and it gets easier from there.
"But how do I make myself get out of bed!" you ask? Well, first I think being prepared is key. Have your gym clothes set out the night before and know what workout you're going to do. Have a quick light breakfast ready too because, yes, you need to eat something first! Have things set up to make the experience less dreadful to think about when the buzzer starts going off.
Another trick is setting your alarm clock far enough away from your bed that you HAVE to get up to shut it off. That one works for me! Again, it's the getting out of bed part that's the hardest sometimes. If you find yourself getting up to turn off the alarm and then head straight back to bed, maybe set some type of positive reinforcement by the alarm so you reconsider. Leaving a little note to yourself, "You can do it!", or "You will feel SO good when it's over!" maybe all you need to get your butt in gear! You could even set out a picture of the beach if you're working on getting into bathing-suit-ready shape, or a picture of that special someone who needs you to be healthier (your kids, significant other, grandson *wink wink, nudge nudge* to a certain someone), or, heck, put a mirror close to the alarm so you can look at yourself when you get up. Then decide if you're going to accept what you see and head back to bed, or accept what you have the potential to be and head in the other direction. Find what works for you and stick with it!!
So, tomorrow I have to practice what I preach. As long as it's not raining I'll be getting up at 6:30 and going for a jog/walk! I'll let you know how I make out.
I've just recently moved into an apartment on my own and it's right by the boardwalk, so, I've decided this is my chance to reorganize my life and commit to a new schedule. I hate waking up early in the morning, but the way I figure it, I'm going to have to start getting my exercise out of the way first thing so I can tackle the rest of my day without feeling like I'm neglecting my health. The boardwalk is a fantastic way to get in an early morning jog.
I've exercised in the morning before, and you know what, it makes the day so much better. You just feel so energized and stress free! I encourage you to try it. I know it's hard, getting out of your warm and comfy bed and thinking about trying to get the will to workout, it's not easy! But, once you're out of bed, the hardest part's over and it gets easier from there.
"But how do I make myself get out of bed!" you ask? Well, first I think being prepared is key. Have your gym clothes set out the night before and know what workout you're going to do. Have a quick light breakfast ready too because, yes, you need to eat something first! Have things set up to make the experience less dreadful to think about when the buzzer starts going off.
Another trick is setting your alarm clock far enough away from your bed that you HAVE to get up to shut it off. That one works for me! Again, it's the getting out of bed part that's the hardest sometimes. If you find yourself getting up to turn off the alarm and then head straight back to bed, maybe set some type of positive reinforcement by the alarm so you reconsider. Leaving a little note to yourself, "You can do it!", or "You will feel SO good when it's over!" maybe all you need to get your butt in gear! You could even set out a picture of the beach if you're working on getting into bathing-suit-ready shape, or a picture of that special someone who needs you to be healthier (your kids, significant other, grandson *wink wink, nudge nudge* to a certain someone), or, heck, put a mirror close to the alarm so you can look at yourself when you get up. Then decide if you're going to accept what you see and head back to bed, or accept what you have the potential to be and head in the other direction. Find what works for you and stick with it!!
So, tomorrow I have to practice what I preach. As long as it's not raining I'll be getting up at 6:30 and going for a jog/walk! I'll let you know how I make out.
Monday, April 6
Bathing Suit Ready!?
Summer is almost upon us, and that means days at the beach will be here before we know it! If that idea scares you, don't let it. If you're someone who wears a t-shirt over a bathing suit at the beach and refuses to take it off, or, even worse, if you're someone who just refuses to go to the beach or a pool party because you don't want to be seen, then you need to make some changes in your life.
It is a horrible feeling to get into a bathing suit and feel uncomfortable and/or unattractive because of your weight. It breaks my heart when I see people I know in that situation because I know how upsetting it is, I've been there. I'm happy to tell you that it doesn't take much to start feeling good enough about yourself to make the beach, or pool party, an enjoyable experience.
When you being an exercise program and start to eat healthy, you will feel proud of yourself and build confidence almost immediately. Well, that is if you're going about it the right way. When you don't know what you're doing or whether or not you're doing it right, it can just add to your insecurity and frustration. Hiring a trainer can help you feel like you're really making a difference, because you know the program works!
You may not feel comfortable enough to strut your stuff in a bikini by this summer even if you start a workout regime right away (or speedo- for you studs out there), but I'm confident your success and positivity will enable you to go and enjoy yourself minus the baggie t-shirt, at least!
Don't let your weight hold you back from participating in the best parts of our too-short-as-it-is summer anymore. There is no reason why you can't wear what you want and be comfortable. Just take steps to educate yourself on the changes you need to make to get there, and how to take those steps in the safest and most efficient way possible.
It is a horrible feeling to get into a bathing suit and feel uncomfortable and/or unattractive because of your weight. It breaks my heart when I see people I know in that situation because I know how upsetting it is, I've been there. I'm happy to tell you that it doesn't take much to start feeling good enough about yourself to make the beach, or pool party, an enjoyable experience.
When you being an exercise program and start to eat healthy, you will feel proud of yourself and build confidence almost immediately. Well, that is if you're going about it the right way. When you don't know what you're doing or whether or not you're doing it right, it can just add to your insecurity and frustration. Hiring a trainer can help you feel like you're really making a difference, because you know the program works!
You may not feel comfortable enough to strut your stuff in a bikini by this summer even if you start a workout regime right away (or speedo- for you studs out there), but I'm confident your success and positivity will enable you to go and enjoy yourself minus the baggie t-shirt, at least!
Don't let your weight hold you back from participating in the best parts of our too-short-as-it-is summer anymore. There is no reason why you can't wear what you want and be comfortable. Just take steps to educate yourself on the changes you need to make to get there, and how to take those steps in the safest and most efficient way possible.
Sunday, April 5
Eat Some Fat!
Healthy fat, of course. Eating healthy fats, like walnuts, peanuts and almonds, about 20 minutes before your next meal may actually help you eat less overall! This is because eating good fats will stimulate the production of cholecystokinin, a hormone that tells your brain that you've had enough to eat.
It only takes about 70 calories of the good fat to do the trick. This small amount can keep you feeling full because the brain believes it's had enough and the stomach will empty slower. When it's time for your next meal, you won't be nearly as hungry and therefore less likely to inhale a ton of calories in the blink of an eye.
If you're wondering what 70 calories would equal out to, you're looking at about 6 walnuts, 12 almonds, or around 20 peanuts.
Try it out next time you're starving and see how it works for you!
It only takes about 70 calories of the good fat to do the trick. This small amount can keep you feeling full because the brain believes it's had enough and the stomach will empty slower. When it's time for your next meal, you won't be nearly as hungry and therefore less likely to inhale a ton of calories in the blink of an eye.
If you're wondering what 70 calories would equal out to, you're looking at about 6 walnuts, 12 almonds, or around 20 peanuts.
Try it out next time you're starving and see how it works for you!
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