6 Ways to Beat the Winter Blues

Does the change in seasons bring you down? Does lack of sunshine make you blue? Ready to hibernate ‘til spring? Here’s a few tips to help you beat those winter blues.


Let the sun in. The seasonal increase in darkness can have a negative effect on your mood. To fight this, open the blinds and window shades when you get up in the morning. Also, try to spend a little more time outdoors on sunny days, soaking up some sunshine rays can improve your mood.

Enjoy a winter sport. Find a winter sport you enjoy, and before you know it, you’ll be looking forward to the cold weather. Whether it’s skiing, skating, or snowshoeing, aerobic exercise boosts your endorphins to lift your mood.

Exercise. Aim for at least 3-4 times a week for 30 to 45 minutes. This can be an easy walk on the treadmill, extra laps around the mall, or even just up-and-down the stairs at work. Exercise helps your mind by releasing those ‘feel good chemicals’ that improve your mood.

Eat a Healthy Diet. What and when you eat has a great affect on your mood and energy. Avoid refined and processed foods (like white breads, white rice, and sugar). These foods are not only devoid of the nutrients your body craves, but they can zap your energy levels and can affect your mood. Try to incorporate more complex carbohydrates (whole wheat breads, brown rice, veggies, fruit) and drink plenty of water.

Treat yourself. Having something to look forward to can keep anyone motivated, even when winter seems endless. Plan something that’s exciting to you—a weekend trip, a day at the spa, a party, or special event. If you plan something exciting, your mood improves when you’re anticipating it and when the event actually comes.

Relax! You’re busy. Work, family, friends, appointments, meetings—even if you enjoy being busy, everyone needs some time off. Don’t be afraid to say ‘no’ to extra opportunities. Try to spend a few minutes each day doing nothing. Read a book or magazine, sleep in on the weekend, go to bed early, try some meditations, or take a yoga class. Relaxation can alleviate stress and leave you with calm energy. Mental exercises and positive thinking can help keep depression at bay.

Supplementation - Filling the Voids

According to USDA studies, less than 3% of Americans eat a balanced diet everyday. Fewer than 1 in 50,000 achieve recommended daily allowance (RDA) of ten essential vitamins and minerals. As a result, top medical associations and health organization now recommend supplements as “prudent” for complete nutrition.




The Challenge

Modern life presents many potential obstacles to long-term health:

Poor food choices: Almost 90% of us have a diet that is poor or needs improvement.

Excess weight: Increased risk of many long-term health problems.


Age-related changes: The process of aging slows down the body’s ability to utilize nutrients in the diet.


Confusion about the right supplementation: With the wide variety of supplements on the market, it’s no wonder that people aren’t sure which nutrients to take and in what quantity.


Environmental challenges: Poor air and water quality, as well as exposure to free radicals from pollution and the sun’s powerful UV radiation, all have an impact on health.



Why should you supplement?

Besides the obvious fact that you aren’t reaching the RDA of essentials vitamins and minerals every day, research suggests that increasing the intake of specific nutrients may be helpful in the following ways:



Prevents deficiency diseases
Promotes optimal health

Promotes the health of key body systems: heart and cardiovascular system, breast, lung, prostate, bones, muscles, blood vessels, eyes, teeth, and gums.

Promotes healthy immune function

Prevents free radical damage

Reduces the risk of birth defects

Choosing the right supplements


Food supplements are not regulated or standardized by the Food and Drug Administration. This means virtually any product can be sold. As a result, assuming two brands of product are the same is a big mistake. Choosing the wrong product can have strong negative effects on health.



So what should the conscientious consumer do? It’s just like shopping for healthy food options in the supermarket—you need to become a good label reader.


Ignore flamboyant product names. Extravagant terms like ‘extra strength’ or ‘meganutrition power’ are used to just to sell the product and are usually empty catchwords.

Look for nutrient amounts. Some companies will list a source, such as blue green algae or juice powder concentrate, but neglect to provide the amounts of many of the nutrients they claim to supply.

Make sure the amounts are listed by percent of the Daily Value or DV, not just in mg or ug amounts. This allows you to compare amounts supplied by competing products and to determine whether the supplement provides nutrients in proper proportion to one another.

Exercise caution with ‘one-a-day’ type tablets. Once a day supplement tablets rarely supply adequate amounts of all 24 DV nutrients. Some minerals such as calcium require quite a bit of bulk, one tablet containing all the nutrients in proper amounts would be very large.

Watch out for supplements that contain artificial colors, sweeteners or chemical preservatives. We get enough of these in our everyday diets without ‘supplementing’ for more. Some of the most common are FD & C Red #40, FD & C Yellow #96, Shellac, BHT, BHA, and sucralose.



Keys to a good product

The keys to choosing a good vitamin supplement can be referred to the as the 3 p’s:

Purity refers to the quality of the ingredients in a product. Choose organic/unaltered sources for their strong enzymatic action, balance, and phytonutrients.

Potency refers to levels of nutrients that are strong enough to be effective. A good product should have at least 100% of the RDA for all essential vitamins and minerals. Check especially for 100% of Biotin, which is often left out of inferior products.

Performance refers to the proof that the product actually gets into the blood-stream and delivers nutrients to the cells. Good products will have published ‘peer reviewed’ clinical studies proving their efficacy and ‘bioavailability’ or absorption.

Choosing the right supplements


Food supplements are not regulated or standardized by the Food and Drug Administration. This means virtually any product can be sold. As a result, assuming two brands of product are the same is a big mistake. Choosing the wrong product can have strong negative effects on health.



So what should the conscientious consumer do? It’s just like shopping for healthy food options in the supermarket—you need to become a good label reader.



Ignore flamboyant product names. Extravagant terms like ‘extra strength’ or ‘meganutrition power’ are used to just to sell the product and are usually empty catchwords.

Look for nutrient amounts. Some companies will list a source, such as blue green algae or juice powder concentrate, but neglect to provide the amounts of many of the nutrients they claim to supply.

Make sure the amounts are listed by percent of the Daily Value or DV, not just in mg or ug amounts. This allows you to compare amounts supplied by competing products and to determine whether the supplement provides nutrients in proper proportion to one another.

Exercise caution with ‘one-a-day’ type tablets. Once a day supplement tablets rarely supply adequate amounts of all 24 DV nutrients. Some minerals such as calcium require quite a bit of bulk, one tablet containing all the nutrients in proper amounts would be very large.

Watch out for supplements that contain artificial colors, sweeteners or chemical preservatives. We get enough of these in our everyday diets without ‘supplementing’ for more. Some of the most common are FD & C Red #40, FD & C Yellow #96, Shellac, BHT, BHA, and sucralose.

Death in a cup!!

Caribou Med Milk Mocha With Whip





Every week I pour through food journals and see a common type of foo or should I say beverage that has more calories than most food. 

That beverage is usually from Starbucks ore Caribou.  Many people that are consuming this drinks have the goal of losing weight and bodyfat.

I'm here to say that if you are serious about attaining the goal of getting leaner than you need to ditch these drinks and I'll tell you why as a I present my case against them.

Once in awhile wouldn't be bad but daily will kill any efforts to burn fat.

Here are the reasons why these drinks are bad for those that who wish to get leaner.

1. Tons of sugar which spikes blood sugar causing your body to release tons of insulin to counteract the spike which basically puts your body into a fat storing mode.

2.  Many of them have high fat contents which sends the calories through the roof. Science says you need to burn 3500 extra calories to lose a pound of fat. If you are getting an extra 500-600 calories per day from these drinks which is very possible to do than you are actually undoing your exercise calories burned and can actually swing the pendulum in the other direction that direction is weight gain

3.  Because these drinks are so loaded with sugar and caffeine you are setting yourself up for a peak with a crash behind it. Those of us who know what that crash feels like understand that when that occurs your workout is basically done and energy is nil making it hard to get motivated to exercise. 

Here are a couple of the worst ones I found..

Caribou Medium Medium  Milk  Chocolate Mocha  With  Whip
35 grams of fat that's 315 calories of fat!!
51 grams of sugar. Wow what a shot of insulin that will bring on.
550 Calories. That's almost half of someone's daily  caloric intake!

Caribou Hot Cocoa
58 Grams of sugar-huge blood sugar spike/insulin release=fat storing
38 grams of fat!!
620 calories-WOW!

Peppermint White Mocha From Starbucks
100 grams of sugar-seriously triple digits??
22 grams of fat-still quite punch
660 calories-Need I say more how about happy holidays

So are you one of these people who is attached to these rinks or can you quit? If you are telling me that you want to lose weight but do not want to give up these drinks than you aren't serious you are just doing lip service.   You might have known all along they were not good choices but here the proof right in front of you,

So what do you do if you like hot drinks with caffeine?

My advice is to switch to black coffee and a little, notice i say a little Truvia sweetener (no aspartame)and some lite creamer.  I personally like a good cup of coffee in the morning just without the sugar and fat which not only will add fat to by physique but also mess with my energy levels. Another option is to switch to flavored teas. 

Remember two for the keys to losing bodyfat are not spiking blood sugar and keeping calories in a deficit. These beverages do just the opposite. That is the plain and simple truth.

Four tips for back pain relief



One of the biggest complaints I get from many of my personal training
clients is back pain.

 Practically everyone has experienced it at one point or another.

That's why in today's article I'll show you a few quick and easy
 exercises that'll help ease the pain ... so you can enjoy the rest of
 the holiday season!.

 Back Pain? Find Relief With These 4 Simple Exercises


Did you know 8 out of 10 Americans experience back pain at one point
or another?

 Chances are you've experienced some type of back pain too.

 One of the keys to avoiding back pain -- and even reversing it -- is
 to stay healthy and exercise.

This strengthens the surrounding muscles that protect your back from
injury.

However, if you're already experiencing back pain, here are four quick
exercises you can do right now that will help ease it:


 Wall Squats -- Start by placing your back flat against a wall. Make
sure your heels are touching the wall. Now walk your feet about 12
 inches out in front of you. Keeping your abs tight, squat until your
 knees are at a 45-degree angle. Hold this position for 5 - 10 seconds.
Now straighten your knees and repeat for 10 more reps.



 Hip circles -- Place your feet shoulder width apart. Now place your
 hands on your hips. Rotate your hips clock wise 10 times (pretend
 you've got a hula hoop). Now go counter-clockwise 10 times.
 Repeat each side 2 more times.

.Torso twists -- Start with your feet shoulder- width apart. Keep  your arms hanging by your sides.

 Now swing your arms and torso to one side. As your arms swing around,

 let them pat your lower back gently. Now swing your torso and arms to

 the other side. Again, let the arms swing around until they pat your

 lower back. Repeat this 10 times for each side.

Single knee to chest -- Lie on your back.

Straighten your legs. Now while keeping your left leg straight, bring

your right knee towards your chest. Use your arms to help bring it as  close as you can. Hold for 5 seconds. Release and straighten out the right leg. Now keeping the right leg straight on the floor, bring the  left knee towards your chest, again using your arms to help out. Hold  for 5 seconds and release. Repeat this 10 times each side.

Follow these four simple exercises and back pain will soon be a thing  of the past.


 By the way -- did you know back pain can be avoided completely by
 staying fit and healthy?

Step It Up Part III-X Factors

We have been talking about fat loss over the last few weeks.  Cardio and strength are the obvious but there are other factors I feel are very relevant to your success in dropping bodyfat. 

Here they are...


1. Mental Focus
You need to have a clear vision of where you want to go. Something that drives you to get your butt out of bed in the morning.  Put that vision or long term goals up where you can see it each day. Also make it more tangible by adding some visual effect to it. Here's an example. I have some serious business goals that I want to accomplish by the May of next year and I need to focus daily moving towards accomplishing these goals.  I set them at  conference put on by my coaching organization called NPE. I have this great NPE coffee mug that I fill every morning on the way to work. That visual aid reminds me of why I get up and do what I do each day. Bottom line it has to be more about just losing weight maybe it's being there for your kids or gaining more self confidence in your business by being more fit whatever it is write it down and post it up with something visual that reminds you of where you want to go.

2. Hydration When the body is well hydrated your fat burning organ the liver works better. You also flush out excess water retention which can appear like fat.  If you are dehydrated your liver has to redirect it's efforts to help the kidneys function better thus putting a monkey  wrench in the fat burning machinery. A good rule of thumb is to drink 1/2 your bodyweight in ounces. So if you weigh 200 pounds drink 100 ounces which equates to 12.5 8 oz glasses.

3.)Sleep- Studies show people who are sleep deprived tend to gain more weight. This is attribute to higher levels of the hormone ghrelin which tells your boy your hungry driving you to eat more calories. So get 7-8 hours a night to nip this problem in the butt.

4.)Stress- When you are under a lot of stress or aren't managing it well you tend to release more of the hormone cortisol which leads to high blood sugar and more storage of abdominal fat. If you are feeling stressed make sure you find outlets such as exercise, meditation/relaxation techniques and give yourself downtime.  If this hormone is high it tends to drive more stress eating as well.

5.)Set the environment- You need a create an environment that motivates you. Back in the 80s when I started working out we had this little gym with heavy metal music cranking and that did it for me. I'm a hairband fan so I now use my I-Pod with my favorite music and work out at gyms and my studio which have windows and the layouts I like.  Many times a home gym just doesn't cut it because of all the distractions or even the big industrial gym either.  Find a place that energizes you instead of sucks energy from you.


So these are a few other things to keep in mind to help you be successful in your fat loss quest. Please post any other tips you might have so others can benefit as well. The bottom line is draw up a good plan and execute it. If you don't know how to do than than hire someone who does so you can quit wasting time and start making progress.

Step It Up Part II-Metabolic Strength Training



Last week we talked about stepping out cardio activity to stimulate your metabolism using intervals. This week we are covering strength training.  The same concept can be applied here.

Typically strength training is one using free weights or machines targeting specific muscle groups while taking rest periods between sets. This might work for a bodybuilder but most people do not want to bodybuild.

What works is moving in circuits or groups of exercise with little or no rest trying to get the heart rate up and adding in intermittent rest periods. Also focus on exercises that involve the whole body and are compound exercises. These will burn more calories, move your body in a functional manner to improve functional strength, and you can hit more muscles in less time.

Here are some examples:

Squats vs. leg Extension
Lunge to bicep curl vs. seated machine bicep curl
Step up to overhead press vs. seated overhead press


Basically total body or compound movements that use multiple joints are better than exercises that use only 1 joint.  Here is a circuit I use with myself and clients. Do 2-3 circuits of each resting one minute between circuits.

Abs/Core

Leg lift and crunch pike combo  15 reps
Alternating  turning sit ups on stability ball  10-15 reps each way
Side bend over stability ball or on edge of bench  15 reps each side

Legs
Squats any version 15 reps
Single leg squat  15 reps each leg
Stiff leg deadlift with dumbells  15 reps
Plyometric squat jumps 15 reps

Pull
Squat to row cable 15 reps
Kettlebell swing 15 reps
Reverse flyes with dumbells over stability balls 15 reps
Lateral walking with alternating dumbell curls 15 reps (go 7-8 reps and change directions)

Push
Push ups  any version   15 reps
Standing cable or rubber tubing punch step forward and press with both arms(alternate legs)  8 reps each side

Step up to overhead dumbell press alternating legs  15 reps
Tricep Dips on bench  15 reps


This gives you an idea of what a n intense metabolic fat burning workout looks like. You can substitute exercises if you like based on injuries you may have and ability.  The take home point is work hard minimize rest and get that heart rate up. You should sweat more and feel more gassed after wards.  You might even fail on some sets that's okay push to the max because you will love the results.








Abs

Step it up to burn fat part 1

 



Back in the day we were told you had to stay in the fabled fat burning zone with your cardio to burn more fat and less sugar. This was commonly taught all around the fitness realm.  Many people would drone out like zombies on some piece of cardio equipment staring vacantly ahead or even sometimes throwing towels over the time so they wouldn't have to look at how long they had to go.

 

Some kooky myths popped up like "you need to do 1 hour minimum of cardio to really burn fat and "cardio needs to be one everyday.  These are truly fairy tales.

Here's the deal. A 1996 study by Treuth, Hunter and wWilliams studied two groups of cyclists one group did intervals at 100% of their VO2 Max and the other continuous cycling at 60% of their VO2 max(The fat burning zone)The interval group not only burned more calories during the workout but significantly more calories 24 hours post work.  Likewise another  study done by Laforgia in 1997 did a similar comparison using running and subjects who did the intervals had a much more significant amount of fat loss.

The bottom line is if you are serious about burning more fat you need to incorporate some interval training into your cardio regimen.  This will elevate your metabolism post workout for up to 38 hours. Basically burning more fat even when you might be sitting at your desk at work. 

There are several ways to do this. Here are some examples:
1.)Spinning class or hill programs on the stationary bike
2.)Run/Jog or walk/jog depending on your fitness level
3.)Boxing/Martial Arts
4.)Mountain Biking
5.)Agility Drills/Plyometrics mixed with recovery jogging
6.)Basketball-hustling not standing around
7.)Snowshoeing/Cross country skiing on a hilly course


Here are some interval formats to use

Always do a 5-10 min warm up and cool down with each of these

• 5-6x 3 minutes of hard work at 95-100% max HR with 2-3 min recovery periods
• 4 x4 minutes at 95-100% man hr with 3-4 min recovery periods
• 8-12 x 30 sec  cranking it out with 1-2 min recovery periods

So if you are stuck on a boring cardio routine crank it up with some new intensity and creativity. Also this is very time efficient. I believe 25-30 min of intense cardio is better than 1 hour of light "fat burning" cardio. Jack up the intensity 2-3 times per week and you should start seeing that fat melt off.

Stay tuned next week as I address strength training for max fat loss part 2 of this blog series.