myfitnesshut

The other day, I met a man in the health club who had lost about 80 pounds through calorie restriction dieting. The 80 lost pounds is great but he had a problem—he had lots of loose skin hanging on his body. Why? He did no resistance training! That left him with high body fat and embarrassing loose skin (skinny-fat)!

Commercialized weight loss programs lead people to focus too much on weight loss and not enough on fat loss! Health should be priority numero uno for you! A healthy body is one that is “lean and toned.” You can achieve the “lean and toned” body with regular weight training (including bodyweight training) and interval cardio. It may take a little longer but you will love the results! And, the results will be permanent if you continue to exercise regularly.

This man has now begun to lift weights and hopefully he can shed the loose skin (body fat). If you’re trying to get in shape, take a three-pronged approach—good nutrition, weight training (3 days a week) and interval cardio (3-4 times a week). This approach will give you the hard body you want. And, you will be healthy!

Be sure and visit my new site, Your Fitness University! Test your fitness IQ, get exercise tips, nutrition tips, articles and much more!

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Enjoy your cookouts and football tailgates this weekend! High school and college football kickoff this weekend! Love it! And, that includes eating good food! The workouts keep everything in check! Here are some tips to help you navigate through the holiday food minefield:

1) Don’t stop or slack off on your exercise program this Labor Day weekend! And, if you aren’t exercising, then this would be a great time to start. I have a goal of at least trying to maintain my pre-holiday weight during the long weekend.

EXERCISE TIP: FLAG FOOTBALL IS GREAT EXERCISE AND FUN!

2) Go easy on the food condiments and other sauces. They are loaded with calories.

3) Stick to your normal nutrition plan as much as possible during the holiday. Go back to your normal nutrition on Tuesday!

4) This rule always applies to any day—if its fried, let it slide!

5) Alcohol has calories too—7 calories per gram to be exact. Don’t tank it too much!

6) You don’t have to eat until you are stuffed! Just eat enough to satisfy yourself.

7) Don’t spend all of your time eating during the holiday. Walk around the mall for a couple of hours, walk the pets everyday, play flag football, cut the lawn, etc.

Drink lots of water and you will eat less.

9) Allow yourself one dessert a day (or a sample of a few) It’s okay since you are going to exercise tomorrow—-right?

10) Here’s something that also works for the Labor Day holiday: start your day with a workout and toward the end of your day take a long walk in the park or at the lake.

Happy holiday weekend!

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“Skinny-fat?” What is it? It is a danger zone for those who don’t weigh much but have high body fat! I have heard this many times: “I’m skinny so I don’t have much body fat. Maybe, maybe not. If you don’t combine good nutrition with consistent weight training and interval cardio exercise, you probably have high body fat (even if you are skinny).

One of the critical measurements is your waist-to-hip ratio (waist measurement divided by hip measurement). This measurement is important because there is a correlation between chronic diseases and abdominal fat. A ratio above .80 for females and above .95 for males could put you at risk for a number of diseases, including cancer. For example, if your waist is 31 inches and your hips are 41 inches, your waist-to-hip ratio would be .76. A “skinny-fat” person could have an unfavorable waist-to-hip ratio.

Someone who is overweight and loses say, 80 pounds, can be at risk of having high body fat. How? If you lose that much weight mainly through calorie restriction (i.e., without much exercise), you will have alot of loose, hanging skin on your body. What you need is a lean, toned body through good nutrition and consistent exercise.

Many people are confused about what Body Mass Index (BMI) means as it relates to body fat. Keep in mind that it is just one tool to use when you are looking at your health. Scientists use BMI as a research tool to make objective comparisons as to how fat a person is. A person with a BMI of 25 or above is considered overweight and a BMI over 30 is considered obese.

BMI uses a person’s height and body weight to measure a person’s fatness. This method has some limitations because it doesn’t consider a person’s body type (slim, muscular, etc.) For example, a fit person with high muscle mass will tend to have a high BMI which suggests that the person is overfat. This person would actually be fit and healthy with low risk for fat-related diseases. So, even though you might use BMI as a starting point, a person’s level of fatness is best measured using a direct method which tells you WHERE YOU ARE FAT. Two methods used are under-water weighing and skinfold measurements. Under-water weighing is not readily available to most people. Having a skinfold body fat test with calipers done by a fitness professional is convenient and reasonably accurate.

Get your body fat measured! It might surprise you.

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Are you having trouble finishing your workouts because you run out of energy? There could be several reasons:

1) The timing of your exercise selection is important. High intensity exercise such as speed work, interval training (high intensity to low intensity rotation), one-legged exercises, etc. should be performed at the beginning of your workouts when you are fresh. Your body’s neuromuscular system is highly fatigue-prone at high intensities. Performing these exercises in a fatigued state will compromise what you are trying to accomplish. 2) Perform compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts, lunges, bench press and bentover rows early in your workout. Compound exercises work multiple joints and major muscle areas. You need to be fresh to do them properly. Single joint, less demanding exercises such as bicep curls and calf raises should be done later in your workout.

3) Eat properly during the day and at least 1-2 hours before your workout so you’re not running on fumes.

4) Get enough sleep. If you are sleep-deprived, you won’t be able to adequately complete a demanding workout.

5) Keep your workout time at 1 hour or less. You don’t need marathon training sessions to have effective workouts.

6) If you are diabetic, you may need to bring a snack to eat during and after your workout.

7) Don’t take on an advanced exercise before you are ready for it. For instance, you may have to “work up” to being able to do high intensity interval cardio sessions.

Fitness bootcamps have become popular as a form of group exercise. My question to anyone thinking about participating in a bootcamp is this: What are your fitness goals? Your answer will tell me whether a bootcamp will have long-term benefit for you.

If your bootcamp experience isn’t part of a permanent commitment to a fit and healthy lifestyle, then you are not going to get the permanent fitness results you want (a lean and toned body). Permanent fitness results take longer than any 1 or 2 week bootcamp. The bootcamp will just be a quick fix for you. That sounds harsh but I see the quick fix scenario too much out there.

I don’t do bootcamps because I prefer to work with people 1 on 1. Individualized attention to clients holds them and me accountable for real, lasting results (fat loss and weight loss).
The next time you are thinking about participating in a fitness bootcamp, ask yourself this question: Have I made the commitment to a permanent fit and healthy lifestyle? That is the real question that you need to answer.

Busy moms are awesome! They juggle many tasks at the same time and they still make time to love those around them! After all this, busy moms somehow find time to exercise!

Client Q: Do you have any suggestions for fitting in exercise during my busy week?

Mark’s A: Here is a good tactic that I use all the time: exercise at the location where you are currently. Many days, I fit in 15-20 minutes of exercise while waiting for a client training session. Take advantage of “DEAD TIME” during your day and exercise. Twenty minutes of exercise here and 20 minutes of exercise there works just fine.

Heather (all-world busy mom), a good friend of mine, is one of the busiest people I know. She has also made a commitment to fitness. She shared this personal story with me and here is an exerpt from it:

“Over the past three days or so, I’ve gained a better understanding of why women of my age (the specifics of which is an irrelevant detail) lose track of their gym passes and the will to fight the good fight on personal fitness.

I’m nowhere near quitting. I’ve done this for too long and believe that exercise tones a lot more than my body. It smooths out the rough spots in my emotions; it gives me spiritual muscle for Life’s considerable challenges. It gains me “thinking time,” enhancing my sense of perspective. It makes me smile more and wrinkle less.”

Click here and read the rest of the story. Have a great workout today!

Ever heard this saying? Everything I ever needed to know I learned in kindergarten! In many cases this is true. One favorite kindergarten game (exercise) is woefully underutilized by exercisers: JUMPING ROPE! It is one of the best exercises to use for warming up because it engages the total body. Jumping rope will strengthen and condition your calves, legs, torso and arms.

You can use jump roping to do interval cardio training. Jump for 1 minute as fast as you can and rest or walk for 2 minutes. Do this rotation for 20 minutes. You can burn up to 800 calories per hour with the jump rope! By using intervals when jumping rope, you are increasing your aerobic and anaerobic conditioning and burning fat like crazy!

Instead of warming up on the treadmill, warm up using the jump rope. It will improve your balance, coordination, power, speed and strength. Jump with two feet, one-foot-at-a-time, alternating feet, skier’s slalom jumps and straddle jumps. If nothing else, your exercise will never become boring by using these jump rope moves!

You can also use the jump rope to play games with friends and family. Fun exercise is the best exercise!

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I hope you can see a pattern forming with these articles! Yeah, that’s right! Personal trainers are just like you when it comes to fitness struggles. The major difference is this: personal trainers should maintain a high level of fitness and have solutions to your fitness questions.

So, let’s talk about accountability partners (social support) today. Personal trainers need accountability partners too! An accountability partner is very important to help you succeed with your fitness goals! Don’t try to reach your fitness goals alone!

My accountability partners include:

1) My clients. They expect and deserve a trainer who will “walk the talk.” I often give clients a “freebie” (we workout together).

2) Friends. Chris, Brooke, Jonas, Rachel and Jackie know if I have been working out and vice-versa. We know what “where have you been?” means.

3) Admittedly, some personal trainers are “out of shape.” Those of us who are serious about fitness keep each other in check.

Who are your accountability partners? Don’t have one yet? Get one or more ASAP! You need some accountability partners to help you reach your fitness goals!

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There is a myth about personal trainers: since we love to work out (well, most of us do), we never have to “make ourselves” workout! Trust me, that is not true. There are some days that I just don’t feel like working out. Actually, when you are around something all the time, you have to be creative sometimes to keep it interesting. After I have designed tons of workouts for clients, what will be MY workout routine? For instance, this summer I started a routine that I will workout in the heat as much as possible. This sounds crazy but I love to be drenched in sweat and 100 degree heat accomodates me!

Life happens. Sometimes the events of life make it tough to do your job or anything else. Personal trainers are motivators. There are some days that I don’t feel like motivating people. But guess what? I find a way to do it and I ALWAYS feel better.

So, what’s the point? The point is this: we all have days when we have to make ourselves workout. Depending on your situation in life, you might have alot of days that you have to “will yourself” through. The commitment to fitness will get you through it. You will feel much better after that tough workout. I know I ALWAYS do!

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This question was asked by a BuddySlim fitness buddy!  She can tell you who she is if she wants!

Client Q: Mark, I have a question? What do you struggle with? I think of you as this fitness god, but let’s know you better…. ya know.

Mark’s Q: Great question! I’m definitely not a fitness god! But I made a commitment to fitness years ago and that’s the key! But, I had alot of help! Let me explain:

1) I grew up in sunny New Mexico so I played outside almost everyday. That leads to an active lifestyle of games, walking, running, etc. Fun exercise is the best exercise. Even today, I do exercises that I like (there are tons to choose from)!

2) I participated in organized sports from age 5 to age 21. Along with genetics, that’s how I shaped a lean, athletic body. From there, all I basically had to do was maintain what was built.

3) I didn’t own a car until I was 23 years old so I walked and biked alot. Again, this helps lead to an active lifestyle (OK, I bummed alot of car rides too)!

4) I grew up in a time when kids came home from school, did their homework (well some of the time anyway) and then went outside and played games til dark (now kids are on MySpace and FaceBook til dark).

So, I kinda indirectly fell into the “fitness lifestyle.” Stated another way, I had alot of “social support” to help me stay fit. Social support is a leading indicator that you will stay on the fitness track!

The commitment to a fit lifestyle will lead to the body changes you want and give you lifetime health. I always tell people to commit to this lifestyle first and the health and “hot body” will follow!

Anyway, one of my weaknesses is sweets. I love sweets! I try to find replacements for them. So, instead of soda, I will drink water or unsweetened tea. And candy! Instead of eating a whole bag of M&Ms, I try to eat a few! And, some days I just flat out cheat. If you make the commitment to fitness and hold to good nutrition about 90% of the time, you will be just fine.

Unlike some trainers, I stress health and commitment first because that’s really where the problem issues are! The commitment to a fit lifestyle trumps all other fitness commitments and will help you to overcome the obstacles and failures along the way.

A fitness god I am not—I am committed to fitness! Stay tuned for parts 2 through 5 of this series and I’ll let you know about other weakness that “this trainer” has!

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