Is Your Chair Evil?

Yeah the chair we all are sitting in right now can be thought of as pure evil. However not like a cruel, unjust, and sinister kind of evil, but a much worst form of evil which is called "necessary" evil. In our so called modern society sitting in chairs could be considered a competitive sport. In our daily lives we all sit to relax, learn, enjoy entertainment, travel, work, and various other reasons. Many of us sit for 6 to 10 hrs each day. Does that make you want you stand up, well if not lets look a little deeper.

In the sitting position the human body is relatively immobilized and this is the position most of us are in for a significant portion of our waking hours. Being in this position as much as we are leads to metabolic, muscle weakness, bio mechanical, and orthopedic problems, which basically interferes with your ability to move appropriately and exercise without pain. I have worked with many people who complain about lower and upper back pain related to long hours of sitting.

So what do we do? Well I cannot expect that we will stop sitting all together as it is a big part of our current way of life. However I can ask or suggest that we look for ways to sit less. In addition to sitting less, I suggest starting a fitness program that is designed and geared towards strengthening and restoring the function of the human body. Basically a counter-attack for the many hours of sitting we will endure. Focus on strengthen the glutes (butt), hamstrings, core muscles, and upper back muscles. In addition focus on flexibility by stretching the hip flexors, chest muscles, hamstrings, quadriceps, and calves.

Overall the goal of any fitness program outside of weight-loss, fat-loss, or building muscle which are all important; is to help maintain or restore function to the human body as we progress in age. In our daily lives we desire to be healthy and pain free as we carry out the business of our day. So focus on sitting less, exercising appropriately, and eating nutritiously and you will be on the right path.

EDUCATION and SAFETY always leads to RESULTS.

Be Well.

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Training Tip #4 - Figure 8 Band Push Up

Focus
Progression from standard or modified push up focused on challenging the core stability, control, and overall upper body strength.

Beginning Position
In standard push up position.

Movement

• Keeping body aligned (straight line ears to ankles)
• Lower torso (chest) to floor by bending elbows
• Then return to starting position by pushing against floor using chest, shoulders and triceps.

Safety

• Keep back flat
• Keep abs drawn in or braced to protect spine
• Maintain straight line from ear through hips, knees, and ankles.

Remember EDUCATION and SAFETY always leads to RESULTS

Be Well.

Who is Healthier?

The #1 reason for many people to begin a regular exercise program is for what is termed "weigh-loss". I hear gym members, clients, and friends consistently talking about losing weight. However most don't really stop to clearly define what type of weight they are trying to lose. The weight of your body is not all bad. There are things in your body that make up your weight that are actually good for you and you should want to keep, increase, or make them stronger. Lets chat about it for a while as my goal in life is educate you in order to change your mindset. Change the mind and body will follow.

What is Weight?

Weight is not a synonym for "fat". The weight of your body is broken up in two categories called "Fat Mass" and "Lean Mass". The lean mass is your bones, organs, muscles and various other soft tissues in the body (we want to keep that right?). Your fat mass is the part of you body that is adipose tissue (fat), which is part essential fat and storage fat. The essential fat is the necessary fat you need to live, which lines your organs like the heart, helps regulate body temperature, and is your body's main form of energy storage. The storage fat is where you body stores any calories or energy in excess that was not used for energy or removed from your body. Remember all energy you intake is either used for energy, stored for energy, or removed. Now its the excess storage fat that should be the target. Lowering the excess storage fat will lower your overall fat mass (body fat) to healthier levels which will give you a more lean healthier appearance and lower your risk for preventable diseases. Its all about lowering your risk. This is why consistently evaluating your success by weighing yourself on the scale is not recommended. You are doing yourself a disservice physically and mentally. Let me prove it.

So Who is Healthier?
So hypothetically speaking with all things being equal which woman is healthier or in better shape?

Woman A:
Weight = 200lbs

Woman B:
Weight = 180lbs

You can see from this example that it would be easy to assume that "woman B" is healthier by only considering the weight. Here is another example with more information. Who is healthier?

Woman A:
Weight = 200lbs
Body Fat = 25%

Woman B:
Weight = 180lbs
Body fat = 35%

Don't be fooled by just the weight. You will be surprised to know that "woman A" is healthier and at less risk.

Woman A:
200 lbs. x 0.25 = 50 lbs of fat

Woman B:
180 lbs. x 0.35 = 63 lbs of fat

That is a 13 lbs difference in body fat. So now what do you want to lose? Yeah I know you want to lose weight but its the type of weight you want to lose that should be the focus.

I know this is a hard concept to get a handle on at first, but this is really what you should be focusing on. In the long run it will allow you to focus more on what the goal is and eliminate any frustration with slow changes in weight, no changes in weight, and possibly a increase in some cases. Accept your body for what it is and then do the things you can do to change what have control over. One of those things is your approach and mindset. Use the scale properly and not to judge or gauge you progress.

As I said before if you change your mind you can change your body.

EDUCATION and SAFETY always leads to RESULTS.

Be Well.

Top 5 Mistakes I See in the Gym Daily...

If you are in the gym as much as I am, I can guarantee you will witness some of the common mistakes and misconceptions about exercise. I can't necessarily blame the individuals as they are just doing what they learned in high school on a basic level and from some magazine or other non-credible information source. Check out some of these mistakes to see if you are in that category. If you are seek some professional advice and guidance from qualified professional. It will allow you to learn from your mistakes and improve your ability to reach your goals - it should be about education - right? I think there are many people who think that exercise is one of those things your are just born to know how to do, but don't realize there is a science and art to changing the body, making it strong, and maintaining it, as the human body is a simple and complex system. It not as simple as just lifting up heavy things.

This list is not in any particular order of importance or value, just a few things I noticed daily in the gym. My goal is to educate you so you can be more aware and avoid them. Check it out.

1. Over training - What in world is over training? Well it is exactly what it states - don't over complicate it as it is really simple. It is the result of training too frequently, for too long, and with poor recovery. I think people feel like they have to really over work themselves in the gym in order to achieve the results they desire. However the exercise part of training is the smallest part of the whole puzzle. Focus more on making the changes you need to make outside of the gym for best results like eating and sleeping (resting). If you are putting in 2 hour killer training sessions day after day after day with poor nutrition habits and don't allow for your body to recovery - is basically the equivalent to spinning your wheels - as in your going nowhere. Check out my previous post "Muscles Don't Grow in the Gym...". The goal should be to spend less time in the gym not more time. Focus on working harder not longer and giving your body ample time to recovery from the workout.
   
   
2. Isolating - Unless you are trying to compete as a body builder you should not be focusing on improving the size of one muscle at a time. In your daily life how many of muscles do you use to perform the many daily activities of life? Well why not train for how you live. Let me say that again - "...train how YOU live". To achieve the best results you should be doing exercises and movements that train or involve the must muscles and movements as possible. They say we have 600+ muscles in our body but in my eyes I see it as just one, as it is a system. Your muscles in your body don't' just start and stop, as it is really a continuation from one area of body or bone segment to the next. Bottom line is you burn more calories when you incorporate as many muscles as possible. When you watch athletes performing during their sport - what muscles are they using? Focus on training movements not just muscles. Exercise is more about helping you maintain your ability to move better and strength as you age. In addition the added benefits is that you will be more likely to not be overweight and affected by preventable diseases.
   
   
3. No Intensity - You noticed I didn't say low intensity as some of the activity I witness may not qualify as such. I see a lot of sitting around going on and TV watching. If you are not elevating your heart rate or challenging your respiratory system then what are you doing? By raising the intensity you could actually save yourself some time. You wouldn't have to spend an hour on the treadmill doing long distance training. If you changed it to interval training then you could accomplish more in a shorter period of time. Overall if you put more effort into your training intensity this is a all-around win win for you. Training at a higher intensity requires more energy output which means more caloric expenditure. Put a little more gusto into your workout - you will notice the difference. Please keep in mind that high-intensity exercise requires a longer recovery period and isn't for beginners.
   
   
4. Abs, Abs, and more Abs - Well what can I say. People have a extreme fascination with abdominal muscles. I have seen countless people crunching like their life depended on it on the ab machine. Crunching from the front and side ways in a attempt to develop a six-pack. Do this for me - next time your watching a sporting event watch to see if anyone of the athletes does a crunch or sit up. I doubt you will see even one. Check out my previous post "Everyone has a Six-Pack". The muscles that make up the six-pack are just 1 of the 29 muscles that make up the core. The muscles of the core are responsible for movement and stabilization of the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex (LPHC) or the core. So your abs are just as responsible for movement as they are for stopping movement in various directions. So why do most people train their core in one direction or with one goal in mind. You can't build a house on a unstable foundation. You must be able to control your body before you can set it in motion. Bottom line is a six-pack just means your body fat is low enough to see the muscles underneath. If you want to see these muscles, the best thing to do is to eat a lean and clean diet that is low in fat and calories. To see the side walk you have to shovel the snow. Its more about what your crunching in your mouth daily than crunching in the gym.
   
   
5. All Push, No Pull. All Front, No Back - Well the example scenario goes like this - Joe the gym guy is sitting at his desk (for most of the day) at work leaves to head to the gym. He sits in his car for a 45-60 min commute to gym. The first thing Joe does is head straight to the bench press machine and lie down on his back or some other sitting machine based exercise. Don't see the problem with this, well neither does Joe? The problem is that he is training himself to be good at sitting and lying down. The larger muscles in legs, glutes, and core are very under trained and under developed due to being ignored during the workout. The other part of that is that bench press is a exercise that involves pushing the resistance away from the body. Most workouts I witness are dominated by pushing movements which leaves the posterior chain (back) of the body under trained and under developed. This is typical as most gym goers only work on the muscles they can see. I call this working on the "mirror" muscles. The problem with only working on the mirror muscles is its does not help you reach your goals, move better, decrease pain/injury, prevent pain/injury, or help in long term weight management. So make sure your exercise is well rounded and balanced. The back of your body is just as important as the front if not more.
   

So I hope this enlightened you a bit and made you aware of some common mistakes and how to address them. Always remember that EDUCATION and SAFETY always leads to RESULTS.

Stay tuned for the Top 5 Mistakes Outside the Gym which may be more important to help you reach your fitness goals.

Be Well.

Think Fit, Act Fit, Be Fit...

When it comes to health and fitness, 95% of dieters fail and less than 15% of Americans exercise on a daily basis. Why is this? You can scour the entire Earth, Internet, all the magazines, DVDs, diet/exercise books for the best information and so-called fitness or weight management secrets. However, with all this information and resources available why does it seem that people just don't get it and haven't achieved all their goals. We really don't need any more diet and exercise information. Everything you need to know you already know. The hard part I think is in the application - that is applying what you have learned and know.

The key to achieving your goals is really "mental". Success is created in the mind first. All the fancy exercises, workout plans, pills, 30 min DVDs, or diets will not overpower a poor misguided mindset. All the best exercises we know already. All the best foods we know already. You have to change your belief system, attitude, and expectation's about healthy living. There are no quick fixes or special exercises that will magically give you the body you desire. You didn't just wake up overweight or obese one day. Your current body and current fitness level is the result of the choices you have made in the past, which are directly related to your thoughts, beliefs, and most importantly "practice" of healthy living. Now there are of some us who are fighting genetic, hormonal, and other limitations that make things more difficult, but lifestyle trumps all.

The process of changing your mindset begins by creating new thoughts, attitudes, and habits that point you in the right direction of the results you desire. Success is a direction - not a destination. Stop focusing so much on the results and focus on the actual steps and the process that lead to the results. Your workout in the gym is just the beginning of the process. Once you leave the gym you must continue to perform and do the things that are necessary to achieve the results. The work isn't over after the cool down and stretch. You will not be able to out exercise the bad habits and behaviors. This simply does not work. It only leads to frustration and slow results.

So as I stated above focus more on the daily process. Its about winning the daily battles that lead to winning the war. Your not going to be able to go through this process without changing something. Mostly likely it will be something you are resistance to change, but this is part of the process. Becoming more aware of your food choices and where you can squeeze in more physical activity is the key.

Bottom line is you have to think, eat, live, and walk like the healthy and fit person you are and want to be. Do this and watch the magic take place.

Knowing is not enough; We must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do. ~ Bruce Lee.

EDUCATION and SAFETY always leads to RESULTS.

Be Well.

Muscle Mayhem Chest I

Are you interested in a simple and quick exercise routine to get you going in morning or evening, challenge you, or just break up the monotony? You may have come to the right place. Give the Muscle Mayhem Chest a try. Its just four variations of push ups involving power, strength, endurance, and stability. Yeah I know some of you out there don't like push ups, but its a very simple and effective exercise that actually strengthens more than just the chest muscles.



I know in most places around this country school is out but in fitness we go to summer school. So here is some weekend homework for you. The program assumes a certain level of fitness (intermediate/advanced) but by all means modify the repetitions or variation of the exercise as necessary to best fit your level, but keep it challenging.

Download your printable copy here.

Remember that EDUCATION and SAFETY always leads to RESULTS.

Leave some feedback once you give it try.

Be Well.