If I only had a dollar for every time I’ve heard, “I just want to “tone” my muscles so I’ll do more reps and less weight”.  Or my favorite, “I don’t want to look like a body builder so I don’t want to lift anything heavy”.  If I had a dollar every time I heard these justifications, I would be sitting on a beach in the Bahama’s counting my money and enjoying the surf. 

Here’s the real question?  What’s your goal?  Weight training principles depend on your goal and the plan will be based on those goals.  Here are four goals to think about:  Increase strength, increase endurance, improved power, and increased bulk. 

Each of these goals address improving the muscular structure of your body in different ways.  For example strength training is built off of the principles of actually increasing muscle fibers, improving bone mass, and offering increased metabolism and improved weight loss.  A goal of improved power is geared toward exerting body strength to perform tasks and activities and specifically athletic related activities.  Increasing endurance has both an aerobic and anaerobic goal that will allow you to improve strength AND improve your stamina.  Finally increasing overall bulk is reserved for those who want to dramatically increase muscle mass. 

Generally speaking a healthy workout routine should include strength training (as described above) to increase muscle, aerobic activities to improve endurance, and stretching routines to stretch the muscles and improve flexibility.  Specific goals related to power, endurance, and building bulk are generally reserved for those who have specific fitness and training goals.  General strength training is something that the general population should be engaging in to ensure a healthy mind and body for life. 

Let’s take a moment to talk about strength training and define how it should be conducted properly to ensure that general strength is being addressed.  “Toning” your muscles is long thought of the way women should strength train.  Not sure what your definition of toning is but in order for you to show muscle tone, have the strength to perform everyday tasks, and look great you have to lift heavy weights.  By lifting a 5 lbs weight over and over you may feel the burn but it isn’t doing anything to actually build the muscle, it is just making it tired.  In order to actually build muscle, burn fat, and have a great “toned” body, you have to lift heavy weights and perform fewer repetitions.   High reps just don’t work because they aren’t encouraging the muscle to get larger and you aren’t doing enough cardio in that movement to make the fat burn off either.  So toned body = heavy weights.  

Here is a chart devised to show the difference in your workout plans to achieve one of the weight training programs to meet your goals and pay particular attention to the Strength column for general fitness goals.  Need more convincing?  Try it.  I guarantee you won’t look like a body building by lifting heavy weights and what do you have to lose other than unwanted fat. 

First let’s define walking and running.  Walking is the act of moving at a pace where one foot is always in contact with the ground.  Running actually puts you in flight and for a brief period neither foot is in contact with the ground.  Either exercise can provide cardio vascular benefits and burn calories but there are subtle differences that might tip the scale in favor of running depending on your desired outcome.

The debate continues but the short answer is if you want to burn more fat, expending more energy during a moderate to vigorous routine will do the trick.  It takes a shorter amount of time to get to that fat store when running than walking.  When exercising the first energy burnt is your store of sugar and once that is depleted the old nasty fat store is used to continue allowing your body to function and expend energy.  If you’re only interested in burning calories and don’t care what is used to do it, then go for a brisk walk but it will take you longer to do it.  If you walk 1 mile vs. run 1 mile, running will increase your calories burnt by 30%, it will take less time, and it will increase muscles as a side benefit.  Cardiovascular benefits increase when vigorous exertion is expended as oxygen is delivered throughout the organs and muscles at an improved rate making your body perform more efficiently, not to mention the improvement in your blood pressure and cholesterol readings. 

It’s a complicated topic but don’t kid yourself, if you’re taking the dog for a walk, unless he is a brute and doesn’t stop at every tree and fire hydrant to sniff where the last dog has been, you aren’t burning the calories you think you might be and forget about any cardiovascular benefits.  For walking OR running to provide the overall health benefits for your heart, a consistent moderate or high intensity workout should be expended for a minimum of 20 – 60 minutes.  The longer your stride during a walk or run will increase the intensity and prove to give you the most benefit and moving your entire body during the walk with increase that blood flow and oxygen delivery opportunities.   So in summary, walking will burn calories and if the walk is brisk enough will provide cardiovascular fitness.  Running will burn calories in a shorter time, provide cardiovascular fitness, improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels, increase muscle mass, and dip into the fat stores faster once the initial sugar is burnt off.

I’ve recently reflected on the difference in the generations attitudes toward fitness and thought I’d share my thoughts on the matter.  In the 50’s, the men were the providers and worked hard to provide for their families.  Women were held in high regard as the homemaker who provided a healthy meal and ensured the kids were safe.  Kids in the 50’s weren’t distracted by electronic devices which encouraged a sedentary lifestyle and they were active after school.  They ran and played outside, listened to the radio, danced, and they were creative in their playtime activities.  Food supplied in the schools were prepared by loving hands and were home cooked meals prepared in larger quantities. 

In the 60’s a change in the social environment started.  Women started to break through the barriers of the steriotypical homemaker of the 50’s.  The younger generation in the 60’s drove toward a more independent lifestyle, but still food was prepared in the home and children played for entertainment.  Women started to learn about exercise as a way to stay fit and trim.  Processed foods and convenience foods were becoming more mainstream in the 60’s as women exercised their independence and desire to get out of the kitchen. 

The 70’s were a pivotal phase in the evolution of modern day health and fitness.  The exercise craze was at it’s peak but so was the insurgence of convenience foods and restaurants.  We were exercising more, modern conveniences were becoming more prevalent but we were eating more poorly.  The moral dilemma between financial gain and supply of healthy food won in the favor of increasing profit margins. 

The 80’s brought in the phrase “obesity epidemic” into our nations focus.  Women were at work and naturally gravitated toward making an easy dinner after a long day.  Kids fitness programs started diminishing in the schools, and school lunch programs changed for the worse.  Less whole foods were prepared and more pre-packaged convenience foods were purchased and served all for the sake of saving a buck. 

In the 90’s the true onslaught of the definition of a sedentary lifestyle was in full swing.  Modern technology demanded more people to fill jobs which were sedentary in nature.  Children’s fitness programs in the schools were diminishing and pizza became a normal lunch time fair.  Walking to and from school was not permitted for fear of the child’s safety and once home, the child is left to his/her own devices as both parents worked outside the home.  Fast food suppers were normal and the economy was booming while we were getting fatter.

The turn of the century brought in a new awareness to what we were doing to our health.  The health care industry was booming as a result of “patching” up our failing bodies due to lack of proper attention.  It became harder for people to break free from their conveniences of mobile phones, convenience foods, sedintary jobs, and easy entertainment while relaxing at home in the evening.  Tired and stressed out American’s were overindulging and getting more obese.   And what are we teaching our kids?

The damage is done and it’s time to reverse the effects of decades of overindulgance!  The mantra should be to keep it simple.  Don’t know how to cook healthy?  LEARN.  Don’t know how to exercise?  LEARN.  In this age of modern technology the internet is crawling with great advice on things you can do to change your lives around.  Need to lose weight?  EAT LESS and MOVE MORE.  What to get healthy?  EAT RIGHT and MOVE MUCH MORE.  Want to feel great and eliminate poor health issues?  EAT RIGHT, MOVE MORE, and DO IT EVERY DAY!  Don’t get caught up in the next gimic or phase and a 10 week boot camp won’t change your life.  Refer to my recipe for a healthy lifestyle and KEEP IT SIMPLE and it doesn’t have to be hard or cost you more money. 

Remember, you are one day away from a healthy life.  What you do today, impacts tomorrow so don’t put it off…make the necessary changes in your life to feel great and be healthy.

The problem with the culture today is we all eat for convenience and there is little consideration for what we are putting into our bodies.  Sugar is a basic additive that provides NO NUTRITIONAL VALUE so why do we eat it?  Because it tastes good.  Even a diabetic has a hard time giving up the sweet stuff and the reason we all craves sweets is because eating sweets creates cravings for more sweets.  Here is a nice article I found somewhere that kind of outlines the glycemic index for sugar intake and the foods we should gravitate to so we can stay healthy and reduce the fat stores in our bodies.

Imagine a categorizing system in which numbers are assigned to foods, allowing you to choose the foods that curb appetite, help shed excess pounds, lower your risk for diabetes, and improve heart health. These in fact are the claims of popular diets that use the Glycemic Index—GI diet, for short. 

 The Glycemic Index ranks carbohydrate-containing foods (on a scale from 0 to 100) based on their effects on blood sugar levels in the body. Eating highly processed foods, such as bread made from refined white flour, raises blood sugar higher and faster than does eating whole foods, such as whole-wheat bread or an apple. Foods—like white bread—that cause the most rapid rise in blood sugar are given a higher number, while whole-wheat breads and apples have lower ratings. A rating of 55 or below is considered low, and 70 or above is considered high. 

 Additional information and values for the GI diet can be found at: www.GlycemicIndex.com, and www.Mendosa.com. The Glycemic Indexes of a few foods are listed here:  

 The Premise

Proponents of the GI diet believe that the lower the GI number of a carbohydrate food, the better.   High GI foods are digested and metabolized more quickly, causing a rapid rise in blood glucose levels. This creates a dramatic spike in levels of the hormone insulin, which works to remove sugar from the blood. These responses can lead to an overproduction of insulin, contributing to weight gain. Therefore, carbohydrate foods with low Glycemic Indexes cause less insulin secretion and slow the clearing of glucose from the blood stream—resulting in greater satiety, and fewer calories consumed throughout the day. 

 The Response

Using the Glycemic Index for meal planning is a very complicated process. Here are some of the limitations:
 

• Only about 5% foods in the national food database have been tested.
• There is usually a wide variation in the GI measurement. A potato can be as low as 56 or as high as 100. In fact, a food’s GI score can change based on the food’s ripeness level. 
• A food’s GI score can also change based on preparation techniques. Grinding and cooking can elevate the GI score of some foods, because they become quicker and easier to digest.
• GI testing is done on individual foods, but we consume most foods in combinations. Fiber, protein, and fat will usually reduce the Glycemic Index of a meal.
• The rate at which different people digest carbohydrates varies. And each person’s glycemic response may vary throughout the day.
• When certain high glycemic foods are eliminated from the diet, so are vital vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals. Watermelon has a GI of 72 but it is high in potassium, vitamin A, and lycopene, for example.
• Relying on the Glycemic Index can still lead to overeating and weight gain. Peanuts look like the perfect choice with a GI of 14, but with about 400 calories in ½ cup, they won’t help shed pounds when eaten in excess.

The Glycemic Index is a marvelous tool for ranking carbohydrates. However, it is currently only in its infancy regarding health benefits. More research is necessary to make it a truly valid, reliable, and applicable teaching tool. The simple facts still remain:

• 20% of Americans’ calories come from high carbohydrate foods, such as cakes, cookies, pies, pastries, ice cream, sugar, candy, soda pop, and chips. 
• Fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grain products (whole-wheat breads and pastas, brown rice, and wheat germ) are nutritionally superior to highly processed, refined products.
• Simply limiting the total number of carbohydrates you consume at a meal can more easily control your blood sugar levels.
• You probably don’t need a complicated rating system to confuse you about which carbohydrates to include in your diet.

Every woman has had the thought, “if I could only get rid of my belly fat”. It’s a common antidote for women to do Pilates and additional crunches thinking that it will reduce the extra fat they’re carrying around their mid section. Unfortunately, there is no amount of crunches or core training that will eliminate that belly fat. The secret to losing unwanted fat around your mid section is reducing your sugar intake. Period.

Fat is eliminated by diet and exercise as a general rule of thumb. Aerobic activity burns fat, strength training builds muscle and increases metabolism that aides in burning extra calories, but diet controls the increase/decrease of fat stores. Specifically SUGAR is a woman’s worst enemy. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 25 grams or 100 calories of added sugar per day. That’s it! Start reading labels and just see how much sugar you’re consuming in a day. The average person consumes around 100 grams of added sugar a day. That’s around 23 teaspoons of sugar. The extra sugar we consume goes directly to fat stores and all the wonderful exercise you do will never burn the stores of fat you already have if you’ve over indulged the sugar intake. It becomes an endless cycle of exercise with no results if the sugar is not put into check.

Bottom line, exercise will improve your health, physical condition, and appearance but unless the diet and specifically the sugar consumption are checked, visible progress toward losing the spare tire will be limited. Read labels, control your sugar intake, exercise and see results in short order. It’s that simple!

Introducing the TRX Functional Suspension training system at Rockbrook Women’s Gym!  It’s not just for the marines, it’s for those of you who are serious about your fitness program.  The suspension training program helps build strength, balance, flexibility and burns fat. 

Here at Rockbrook Women’s Gym, we believe in the fundamentals of exercise and the TRX fits nicely into our philosophy.  It’s not necessary for big fancy equipment with all the bells and whistles, a good workout comes from ingenuity and hard work.  Each human body has the same muscles, fibers and tissue as the next person so the trick to a great fitness routine is dedication and variety.  Variety comes in the form of not doing the same thing every time you work out or lifting the same weight level each time.  The TRX uses your body weight as the resistance and the variety of exercises you can do with a TRX can achieve a full body workout unlike any other.  Don’t take my word for it, try it out yourself anytime at RWG!  Need help?  Contact us for personal training options for you and a friend if you’d like some individual instruction.  Visit the TRX website for more information.

Please replace the TRX straps on the hooks when done using them at the gym.  Be sure and read the safety guidelines and instruction manual on the TV in the workout area before starting.

Want to learn more? Let us know if you’d like a personal instruction on the TRX and we can offer 3-4 person sessions for $10 a person. Gain confidence on the TRX and learn how to work your body a whole new way!

All the talk on health care reform makes my stomach ache.  The medical industry is all wrapped up in the “what-if’s” and repairing whats already broken…your health.  It isn’t about health care…It’s about PREVENTION!  Think of your health and fitness prevension program and an investment in your future.  Reducing health care costs start at home and how you take care of yourself.  Stop kidding yourself that you are doing enough to prevent disease, illness, and general aches and pains.  Get off your butt and stop saying you can’t afford a gym or a wellness program. 

Prevention is the key to wellness and a happy, healthy life.  The dollars you spend on a fitness program, equipment, gym, personal trainer, and health counseling is money saved in the long run.  Health care insurance by nature is built to take care of the “just in case this happens to me”.    Just like any insurance, it is built to step in when all else fails or the unexpected happens.  You wouldn’t consider not performing maintenace on your car would you?  Just drive it until the wheels fall off.  Well, why does the general population believe we must care for our cars and not our own human bodies?  It’s a tragedy and the insanity must stop!  Take charge of your life and do a little preventative maintenance today.  Invest in your future and health care reform won’t be necessary if we reverse the poor state of health of the american population one person at a time!

Check out my article in the local magazine “Her” out for February and March. It gives you a nice quick guide on how to burn that unwanted fat. Just click on the link below and enjoy the tips for efficient workouts on page 29!

Her magazine article

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Putting off your goals for a healthy lifestyle will never be achieved if a line is not drawn in the sand and a mental commitment is made. Readjusting your mind is the first step to a healthy lifestyle and NOBODY can make you take that first step. It is in YOU to make the commitment and nobody ever said it was going to be easy to change all your bad habits into good ones. Make the commitment today and let us be your partner in making the necessary adjustments to meet your goals.