To weight your self…or not to weight yourself…that is the question!…

Some people like to know their starting off right.  This is a good idea.  Although it may be disheartening to find out how much weight you have gained, it is on a temporary number! With hard work and dedication that number will steadily decrease over time.  You can purchase your own scale (which may be good to help you keep track of you weight loss over time) or you can use a scale at a gym, doctors office, or any other place that will allow you to do so.

How much weight you should expect to lose over time… 

On average, with the right exercise routine and a good balanced diet, you should be losing about 2 pounds a week.  If you are losing more than 7 pounds a week then you might want to evaluate what you are doing (because its normal to lose between 2-5 pounds a week).  Accurately losing weight is done by balancing how many calories you burn with how many calories you are consuming.  Naturally, if you are burning off more calories that you consume this will lead to weight loss.  These results will not be seen overnight! It takes time and patience and a regular routine of exercise and a good balanced diet.

what is a realistic length of time to set a goal?…

Lets say that your goal is to lose 20 pounds.  To be honest, the length of time it will take you to lose 20 pounds may be different from someone else.   It all depends on how often you exercise and if you decrease your calorie intake to help you burn fat.  Like stated above you should be losing about 2 pounds for week (but some weeks it will be more than that and other weeks it will be less than that. It is completely normal for that to happen!).  So if you calculate 2 pounds per week this will take approximately 20 weeks (or about 5 months).  Like I said before The length of time it will take someone to lose weight will be different from someone else!  If  are losing about 4 pounds a week it will take you about 5 weeks to lose 20 pounds.  It just all depends on how hard you work and how many pounds you lose from week to week. Do not let the length of time discourage you! These things take time, patients, and dedication.  And in the end the hard work will show.

What happens if I do not lose weight one week?…

It is OK if there is a week that you do not lose any weight or you lose one pound.  Try not to worry or stress out too much if this happens! Just try to push yourself a little harder the next week to help you get back on track to reaching your goal!

What to eat during this time… 

Setting a menu is just as important as setting a work out schedule.  What I have personally found to be helpful is that each time I go to the grocery store, I plan my menu’s (at least for the next week to two weeks).  It helps because I can budget the things that I need to get, and I can also cook some items I need during the weekend so that it can be stored to be used later in the week.  Each month I set a monthly budget for how much I can spend at the grocery store and how much money I can spend going out to eat.  A few years ago I stopped eating fast food all together, so my “out to eat” budget is for the weekly dinners I plan at restaurants with my friends (and I always save half of that meal to be eaten the next day for lunch or dinner! so I get two meals out of going out to eat)  It also allows me to look at the local stores newspaper adds so I can try to get the best price for the fruits and veggies I buy and eat on a regular basis.

What happens if I do not reach my goal in the time that I set for myself?…

If you do not reach your goal in the time you set it is OK!! Just extend your goal time.  Allow yourself a few more weeks to work hard and reach the initial goal you have set for yourself.  What I have suggested to some clients is to possible keep a fitness/health journal.  This can help you keep track of your workouts, if you happen to splurge during one meal (which is OK but try not to make it a habit), or any other things that go on during the time you are trying to reach your goal.  It will not only allow you to keep track of these things, but it can also serve as an outlet of positive and negative things that happen.  You can write it down, or blog about it (there are several sites that will allow you to keep your blog private or let you choose who can/cant see it).  This can also help by letting people see thins and encourage you to keep pushing towards your goals. I also love this idea because if I am out and I hear of something I want to try or randomly find a recipe I would like to try, I have my journal near by to jot it down!

I hope that these tools will help you create your goals and start your own fitness and health journeys.

Still need some convincing to get up and get started? Read this article I found at WebMD.com.  This article gives you 10 good reasons to start your fitness routine (other than just working out to get healthy and see the physical benefits).

Here are some quick tips to remember once you have jump started your routine:

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

This is the most important meal of the day! It is suggested that you eat breakfast within 2 hours of waking up.  Your body has depleted all of its food and other nutrients from the day before so it is good to get something to eat in that time frame. It helps to jump-start your day and to give your body the energy needed to get started.  There are tons of HEALTHY options (other than the drive through at your favorite fast food place or coffee place).  Try having 2 eggs (or egg whites) with one piece of toast and a cup of fruit.  You can also have a smoothie, or 1/2 a bagel with low-fat jam or cream cheese (make sure to look at the nutritional packages! Most of the time 1 serving size is a lot smaller than you think!) My personal favorite breakfast is a bowl of oatmeal with pecans with a cup of fruit.  The key is to find something that you can eat that will keep you full for the next few hours until you have your mid morning snack or to make you last until lunch time.

For those of you who are weighing yourself regularly, in the morning before you eat breakfast is the best time to do so.  Usually at the end of the day you are full with the nutritional food and water you should have been consuming throughout the day.

Start and Finish your work out routine

Make sure you have a plan before you start your work out.  It is always good to know ahead of time what you want to do before you start.  It is also important to not forget to stretch! It is suggested that you do a quick warm up (before stretching) and a cool down after the work out.   A quick brisk walk (or any other activity) is suggested for about 90 seconds.  Then after that 90 seconds gradually build up your speed (you can keep it at a slight jog) for about 5 minutes.  After that time is over you stop and do your stretching and then go into your fitness routine.  After your workout you should also do your cool down.  This can be done by doing a slight jog for approximately 90 seconds, and then again doing a quick stretch of all of your major muscles.   This should help to keep you lose and stretched out.  Doing these can also help prevent injury and also help reduce muscle pain after your workout.

Don’t forget to eat right (by not consuming too many “empty” calories)

When I speak of “empty” calories I am talking about foods/drinks with little nutritional value.  These can be found in carbonated beverages, unhealthy snack choices, and unhealthy meal options.  Try to plan a balance meal that will suite your nutritional needs and taste buds.  Also, try to increase your activity by doing your fitness activities.  The key to losing weight is to burn more calories than you are consuming.

Can I afford to workout?

YES you can!

In order to workout you do not have to buy a membership to a fitness facility.  You can work out at home, in the park, or anywhere! You just have to find the space and things needed to help you complete your desired workout.  But if you do go to a facility do not feel self-conscious about the people who are there.  I have had plenty of my friends tell me that they were afraid to go to the gym because of the “guys with muscles walking around” or the “Barbie sized girls that will be skipping around”.  Yes they may be there but I promise they will not be focusing on you.  Like you, everyone is there to get a workout! So do not even worry about them! They will be focused on their fitness goals and what they want to get done in the gym just like you.

People ask me ALL the time:

“What are the best machines to use at the gym?”

The answer to that question: ALL OF THEM!!!

Being able to go to a gym is a great asset to your health and fitness training. I have personally used commercial gym equipment and I will continue to do so! Having access to these machines allows you the opportunity to create a very diverse workout.  You want to be able to target different muscle groups on different days of your workout.   You also want to be able to do different types of cardio exercise (such as use the treadmill, use the stair master, the bike, or even a row machine).  Alternating between different cardio machines is a great way to get your cardio done.  It also allows you the option to split up your cardio over several different machines as opposed to staying on one machine for 30+ minutes.  Try staying on one machine for 15-20 minutes and move to another one!

As you can see in the picture above, being able to have access to different machines allows you to get creative with your workouts!  That is the BEST part!  You can use something as ordinary as a treadmill for one whole workout to get a  full body workout!

They key is to KNOW what you want to do when you get into the gym!

You should ALWAYS have a plan of the exercises you want to do for that day.  You should go ahead and plan out a whole weeks worth of workouts so you can be prepared when you get to the gym!  If you have a weeks worth of workouts planner it will also allow you the chance to switch your workout days if needed.

Example:  You go into your gym and there are a lot of people waiting to use certain machines you wanted to use that day….if you already know what you wanted to do for another workout just use that other workout instead!  It will allow you to not have to sit around and wait for people to get done with the machines you want to use.

Am I saying that you HAVE to have a gym membership to achieve your goals?

 NO NOT AT ALL!

But, I am saying that having access to a gym will allow you to do more diverse workouts.

Not to mention, the gym is a GREAT place to get health and fitness advice from fellow fitness junkies as well as try to meet people who are dedicated to a healthy lifestyle.

Want an example workout to do?  Here is a great workout ANYONE can try:

You can try this move to add something extra to your work out routine!

What to do:

Get the treadmill started first! Start off with a LOW SPEED (like around 1.0 or 1.5)

As you do it more and get better at it you can increase the speed or even the incline of the treadmill

I did this exercise for a total of 20 minutes!

60 seconds on the treadmill and 30 seconds rest.

I alternated between the  60 seconds and 30 seconds until 20 minutes had passed

It increased my heart rate as well as worked my shoulders, back, and arms.

BE CAREFUL when doing this exercise!

Your hands are close to the rollers and you do not want to get them (or your clothing) caught in the machine.

Like I said before, start out slow and then you can increase the speed.

For your first time try to have someone near by just in case you need assistance!

Here are a few exercises you can add to your routine to help tone and sculpt your body!

Rise and Shine! It is GYM TIME!

If you do not now what some of these exercises are please do not hesitate to contact me!

These are all some great quick workouts that anyone can add to their current or new workout routine

GO!!

Looking back on my own personal childhood, there was not a time where I would beg to stay inside and play.  Yes, I was lucky enough to be one of those kids who was athletic.  But, at the same time, I also remember running around OUTSIDE with the other children I knew and grew up with.  Seeing today’s society and dangers does not allow children of today to roam their neighborhoods freely like I did back in the 80′s and 90′s.  But there are things that parents can do to get their kids away from the TV’s and game consoles!

One great thing is to impalement physical activity time during your family daily routine.  I know when I was a kid, we had a routine when we got home from school.  Get home, do our homework, read for an hour, dinner time, some nights were family fame night, then off to bed.  Granted we did not get home until 6 or 7 (or later some nights) but each family can plan their own family post school/work day routines.  Why not work out as a family? Yes, some gyms do offer discounted rates for family memberships but some people can not afford that expense each month.  Here are some suggestions that you can do as a family:

Walking:

The family can plan a special route that they walk a few nights a week (or even jog! If there are more children in the family you can offer a competition and have them race at certain points in your route).   You can walk around the neighborhood or if there is a nearby park.  You can maybe even do it right after school when you pick the children up (seeing as most schools have fitness tracks or fitness areas at their school).

Family Boot Camp:

A few nights a week you can create a Family Boot Camp workout.  This can include moves that ALL members of the family can complete.  This is a great idea because each member of the family will also work as a support system when someone needs a little encouragement to finish the selected workout move.  You can choose to do certain moves for a selected period of time (for 30 – 60 seconds) or you can say you have to do that move so many times before you move on to the next move.  Here are some suggested moves that you can incorporate in your family boot camp:

• Jumping Jacks (It is good to have this exercise be timed. Set a clock or watch for approximately 1 minute to 2 minutes) This is also a great exercise to do to help get the family warmed up! Don’t forget that it is important to warm up and stretch before your fitness routines!
• Push Ups (this is also a great move to do but to also time it.  To start off it is a good idea to start at 30 seconds and as you do these more and get better at doing them you can add time to this exercise).
• Crunches (also called “sit ups”)
• Jog in place or run for a certain distance (If you are having to move your workout inside due to the upcoming cold weather running in place is a great idea. Make sure to lift your knees and to actually go through the motions of running.  You can also set up cones or any other things you have available to have family members run that distance and back for a selected amount of time.)
• Jumping Rope
• Running up/down stairs (This is good to do if you have the space to do it.  Please BE CAREFUL if attempting to do this.  Make sure that no one is rushing to go up or down the stairs to help eliminate a mistake which will allow someone to fall and hurt themselves).
• Chair Dips (Thanks to this article look at the following picture to see how to correctly do a chair dip.  Make sure to find a good sturdy chair and a chair that is also big enough to use).

• Straight Arm Plank (Thanks to this article for describing this move.  You will want to time this move for about 30 – 60 seconds.  It is wise to start off at 30 seconds and raise the time once you have done this a few times)

• Squats (thanks to this website they have listed TONS of variations of squats that you can do at home.  They have also listed as well as show you many different exercises you can do at home with a partner or by yourself)

You can also try these simple Yoga moves that the whole family can try!

It is suggested that you work through the above listed exercises 3 times (go through all of them once and complete them again in 2 different sets).  After you have done that you can alter the workout to better fit your family and your time schedule.

Hope that these tips helped you out.  The best way to help your kids is to teach them healthy habits starting now! This will allow them to continue to practice these healthy habits as they grow up and become adults.  I promise they will thank you later for it!

” The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy…It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed.”

– Jacqueline Gareau, 1980 Boston Marathon champ

Today is Monday. Today is YOUR day.

Stop making excuses and just do it!

Start eating right, start working out….You CAN do it!!!

Here is a motivational story for those of you who still need a little motivation…

So now you should try to be Determine, Discipline, and Dedicated!

If this 70-something year old lady can do it so can you!

Happy Monday!