myfitnesshut

No fitness checkup would be complete without taking a look at how and what you eat! Sixty percent to 70% of your fitness success or failure will depend on nutrition! Be ready to make changes to your eating habits!

Here are some nutrition checkup tips:

1. Research has proven that you will have a better chance of succeeding with your nutrition plan and fat loss if you keep a food journal! By logging your actual food choices, you are holding yourself accountable throughout the day. You will also be forced to plan your meals better. It will also help protect you from binge eating and emotional eating if you write down why you eat what you eat!

2. Find out your basal metabolic rate (amount of calories you would burn if you did nothing all day). You will use this rate to set the amount of calories you need each day to maintain a caloric deficit (burn more calories than you consume).

3. Drink water and unsweetened drinks (like tea) most of the time.

4. Add volume to your diet (eating wet). Eat as many foods as you can with high water content/low calories. Foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables are examples. These types of foods help you to feel fuller (satiety) while eating fewer calories. For instance, grapes with the same caloric amount as raisins will provide more satiety and theoretically help you eat less the rest of the day.
Energy density of food is a key component when trying to add volume to your diet. Energy density (ED) is defined as the amount of calories of a food divided by its weight in grams. Focus on foods with low ED value such as fresh fruits (apples, etc.) and vegetables (such as tomatoes and broccoli) whole grain pastas, rice, whole grain breads and cereals, soups, salads and skinless white chicken/turkey.

5. Don’t starve yourself (severe calorie restriction)! This will only encourage your body to store fat because it thinks you are starving. Eat small meals every 3-4 hours to keep your body energized and to keep your metabolism humming!

6. Forget the quick weight loss gimmicks (they lead to yo-yo dieting and even more weight gain)! There are no quick solutions to permanent fat loss and weight loss. Change your eating habits permanently!

7. Severely limit these foods: fried foods, fast foods, foods in a bag, sugary sodas, candy, cookies, donuts, processed foods, etc. And, watch your alcohol intake! Alcohol has calories too—7 calories per gram to be exact!

I think you get the idea. You have to make changes to your eating habits! If you don’t know what changes to make, then get help!

Be sure and visit my new site, Your Fitness University! It is a one-stop site for your fitness needs!

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!

Need more exercise and nutrition tips? Subscribe to my weekly Fat Blaster eNewsletter!

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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!

Need more exercise and nutrition tips? Subscribe to my weekly Fat Blaster eNewsletter!

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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!

To get more fitness and nutrition tips, subscribe to my weekly Fat Blaster eNewsletter!

Many times, people are trying to “get into shape” and they just start lifting weights and running. There is no set program to achieve fitness results. Well, this often leads to little or no results and a host of injuries. Look at this client question:

Client Q: Some muscle areas on my body are more developed than others. How can I correct this problem?

Mark’s A: We all start with a body type due to heredity. A fitness assessment is important because the personal trainer identifies postural weaknesses and muscle imbalances. The fitness program is then tailored to fit the individual’s needs. Without this assessment, you are “shooting in the dark.”

Achieving optimal muscular fitness requires flexibility, strength, endurance, power, and speed. These components should be included in an integrated training program. Because of lifestyle habits, the dominant side of the body develops more than the non-dominant side. And, if certain patterns or muscular actions are performed repeatedly, muscles develop more in either the front of the body or the back of the body. As a result, some muscles become tight, lengthened or weak.

An integrated training program focuses on 3-dimensional muscular balance. This will help overall strength, prevent injuries and enhance everyday living. Opposing muscle groups should be in balance. For example, the quadriceps group/hamstring group should be in balance (or the quads should not be significantly stronger than the hamstrings). Research has proven that inadequate hamstring strength contributes to knee anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.

To avoid developing muscle imbalances or to correct muscle imbalances, you should do the following:

1) Have a postural assessment performed by a fitness professional. This assessment will indicate where your muscles are tight, weak or lengthened. It will also indicate patterns of postural dysfunction called postural distortion patterns. Distortion patterns occur because the structural integrity of the kinetic chain (human movement system) is compromised due to the misalignment of one or more of its components.

2) Develop a comprehensive flexibility routine.

3) Weight training should focus on the total body to avoid muscle imbalances.

Do you have a fitness question? Just email it in! People want to know the answer to your questions!

Need more nutrition and exercise tips? Subscribe to my weekly “Fat Blaster” eNewsletter!

There is no doubt about it: 60% to 70% of your exercise goal success or failure will depend on a good nutrition plan! I can give you a great menu plan to follow day to day. It is up to YOU to follow the nutrition plan!

Here is another fact: research has proven that you will have a better chance of succeeding with your nutrition plan and fat loss if you keep a food journal! By logging your actual food choices, you are holding yourself accountable throughout the day. You will also be forced to plan your meals better.

In your food journal you should note:

1) List food, calories and serving sizes for every snack or meal. List details such as meats, drinks, vegetables, fruits, etc. For each meal, list why you ate–such as you were angry, sad, happy, hungry, etc. This is very important because moods can affect food choices! You need to know your motivations for eating!

2) Did you eat at home, at a fast food joint, restaurant, etc. Eating on the go can wreck your nutrition plan! Include this information with every meal.

3) Compare your food journal with your nutrition plan every day! This is the ultimate check on yourself and your eating habits.

A food journal will also help protect you from binge eating.

If you need more exercise and nutrition tips, subscribe to my “Weekly Fat Blaster” eNewsletter!

Enjoy your cookouts, barbeques and tailgates tomorrow and this weekend! I know I will! And, that includes eating good food! But, I won’t skip my workouts! 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 July 4th 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 (1 week vacation for some).

2) Go easy on BBQ sauce 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 Monday!

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 pick-up games, 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 July 4th 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 4th! Be careful out there!

Need more fitness tips? Subscribe to My Fitness Hut’s Weekly “Fat Blaster” eNewsletter!

Have you looked at your beginning-of-year fitness goals to see how you are progressing? Did you fall “off track” months ago? Have you given up? The good news is this: you can get started again on your exercise program today! If you are “on track” to meet your fitness goals, that is great! Keep up the hard work! Reassess your fitness goals. You may have underestimated what you are capable of achieving with health and fitness.

If you need help, download my “Fat Blaster eBooks”

Starting today and every Friday thereafter, I will answer the client fitness question of the week! I just thought that if one person is asking a question, then there must be many others with the same question. And, real questions lead to real answers and real results. Call me or email with your fitness question! People want to know the answer!

So, here we go! Question numero uno!

Client Q: “I am working out 5-6 days a week for 1-2 hours every workout. I’m not losing any weight and I’m starting to get frustrated and skip some workouts!”

Mark’s A: There could be many factors including:

1) Your body might have reached a plateau. Weight often comes off easily at the beginning of a workout program. But then your body adapts to your workouts. When this happens, you need to vary your workout routines and intensity. Do different lifts for the different body parts, such as substituting bench presses with stability ball dumbbell presses or doing step-ups and lunges instead of leg presses and squats. A shorter, more intense 30 minute full-body circuit weight workout will work better than a 1 hour weight workout when you are trying to lose body fat and weight. A circuit workout is one in which you do one exercise after the other with little or no rest between exercises. Also, change up your cardio routines such as rotating treadmill, bike, elliptical, stair-stepper and swimming or do sprint cardio intervals.

2) It is more important to lose body fat and lose inches than it is to lose weight. Have your body fat percentage checked and your circumference measurements done by a trainer to see how much fat and inches you have lost. Muscle weighs more than fat, so your body could be shrinking. Don’t worry, the weight loss will take care of itself.

3) Longer workouts are not always better. You could be over-training. Shorter, more intense workouts burn more fat. An intense 20 minute interval cardio session at 75%-85% maximum heartrate will give you more health and cardio benefits than a 1 hour cardio session at 65% maximum heartrate.

4) You need to know your basal metabolic rate-BMR (how many calories your body would burn each day if you did nothing). Base your daily caloric intake on your BMR and activity level. If you don’t eat enough (severe calorie restriction), your body will store fat because it thinks you are starving. You will gain weight even on the days you work out really hard if you take in more calories than you burn.

Continue to eat right and exercise. When you do that, you will win the fitness war even if you lose a few battles along the way. You probably need to exercise smarter! Keep exercising and eating healthy and your heart, mind and body will thank you!

Call me or email with your fitness question! People want to know the answer!

There is a flood of products that supposedly help you burn fat and lose weight. At best, these products are temporary solutions to your fat and weight problem! A general rule for you to follow with regards to fat loss/weight loss is this: Don’t waste your money if the program offers a quick solution to your weight problem! Why? You need a permanent solution to your weight problem. A permanent solution takes hard, smart work and sacrifice on your part. Human nature always seeks the path of least resistance.

Some of these products are: Hoodia, green tea, numerous fat burn products, fat loss pills, patches, creams……you fill in the blank! If you are significantly depending on these products to fix your problem, you will be disappointed with a lighter wallet to boot! And, some of these products are potentially harmful (remember ephedra)! If you’re wondering about the safety of any supplement, check out the “Generally Regarded As Safe” (GRAS) list published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Doctors, dieticians, and fitness experts agree that the best way to lose fat and weight is to eat higher quality calories and increase your physical activity. Weight training (including body weight training) and interval cardio exercise will tone your body and provide the heart health you need. Just make the commitment and work hard! Your body will thank you!