Outdated ideas

These unfounded beliefs stemmed from an era when any exercise science research that was done used mostly male subjects. Now, research has shown that women can train just as hard as men. So, the idea that certain exercises are better for female bodies and that women should exercise differently is simply outdated. Tellingly, none of evidence-based position statements, such as those issued by the American College of Sports Medicine or the Department of Health and Human Services offering exercise guidelines, suggest that women should focus on, or avoid, any specific type of training or exercise.

There are some gender differences that can’t be ignored, however. Women produce different levels of sex hormones, including less testosterone, and this affects aspects of physical performance, including the amount of muscle mass and, therefore, strength, they have. Overall, men tend to be stronger because they tend to have more muscle mass. Of course, this is a generalization, and when a man and woman of equal size and body composition are matched, they exhibit nearly the same levels of strength, especially when comparing fit (vs. sedentary) men and women. While men can generally lift heavier weights, that does not mean that women should avoid heavy weights—even though many women do.

Progressive weightlifting

The best weightlifters are new moms. They start off with an 8-pound-ish baby (plus baby accessories). As the weeks and months go on, they participate in a progressive weight-training program—lifting a heavier and heavier baby, along with the baby-related stuff she has to carry, push in a stroller, or load and unload in cars. A mom may be hauling around 20 to 40 pounds daily after a year or so.

Yes, many women in the gym stick to the same five- or eight-pound dumbbells for years. If you are doing weight training daily, it sounds like you may be challenging yourself the way new moms do—which is a good thing.

It is important to not work out the same muscle groups on consecutive days. Muscles that are pushed to fatigue from weightlifting need a day or more of rest between sessions. So make sure that the weight moves you do on Monday target different areas than the moves you do on Tuesday, for example. Cardio, on the other hand, you can—and should—do every day.

Bone benefits

Also keep in mind that women are at higher risk of the loss of bone mass that can lead to osteoporosis. So not only can it be argued that women should lift heavier weights to stay stronger, but they should do so because strenuous resistance training stimulates bone cells. And bone cells respond to high-impact exercise, as well. So women should include some jumping and/or running into their weekly regimens. (Of course, anyone with an injury should design what they do carefully to avoid overstressing a weakness, and all people should gradually work up to harder or heavier workouts.)

As far as frequency of exercise, all humans are meant to move every single day. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that women should work out less frequently than a man.

Right now my toughest battle seems to be nutrition. With all the magical pills on the market that claim to raise metabolism and melt fat away it is difficult as a Fitness Specialist to convince people that calorie balance is the best way and really only scientifically proven way to lose or maintain weight.

The latest battle I have at Fitness Together is our new Nutrition Together program.  It is a fantastic program designed to teach people how to make healthy and sustainable lifestyle choices that will allow them to lose weight without having to be deprived or make drastic caloric changes.

I have several clients that began the Nutrition Together program with desperation, skepticism and fear.  They need the program and information but don’t trust it will work. They have doubts and fears that they will put in the effort and make changes but they still won’t succeed.  Skeptics! What to do, what to do?

What do I do? Offer hope. Offer assistance. Offer my unwavering support. Whether my clients think they can lose weight or not, if they follow Nutrition Together, they will be pleasantly surprised that they can lose 1-2 pounds a week!  And without naming names, I currently have three clients that have lost weight on a healthy, steady basis since beginning the program!

I think I will always have skeptics either with exercise or nutrition, but when the numbers on the scale do not lie, I have hope for changing the minds of all other skeptics out there that think they can never lose weight.  It is why I do what I do and will continue to do so until I have reached all the skeptics!

Convinced you “can’t” run a marathon, or sprint at level 10 on that treadmill? … Are you sure about that?

Even if you have a physical challenge or condition that limits you in some way, most of us also create false boundaries for ourselves — “no-can-do’s” that are only in our heads. And more and more studies are showing that the thing you think you can’t do just might be the one thing you MUST do to light a fire under your workout results.

Breaking through these false limits can also lead you to be more consistent about your workout regimen.

“Intensity is by far the most important factor affecting increases in, and maintenance of, cardio fitness,” notes Jeffrey M. Janot, PhD, technical editor of the IDEA Fitness Journal. “Although we do not know the exact level of intensity that provides optimal health and fitness benefits, we know the optimal range and that it is directly related to exercise program adherence. You may not enjoy an exercise program if you get sore or injured because the intensity is too high. On the other hand, you can grow bored with a program if intensity is below the optimal range and you aren’t improving.”

Why push your limits in your workout regimen?

The body is wired to adapt to routine. Once your body gets used to a routine of walking 2 miles a day, for example, you’ll likely see less or slower weight loss than when you first began that routine. Extensive research has shown that to keep seeing results from an exercise routine, it’s essential to continually include intervals of higher stress and demand on the muscles and cardiovascular system.

Many people work out only hard enough to maintain their existing weight and physique. Going outside your comfort zone includes adding some intense workout challenges to build muscle and get stronger, faster, leaner. That doesn’t mean you have to run a marathon or work out 6 hours a day to lose weight or reach your goals. The point is to keep adding new challenges and different ways of pushing past your limits for speed, distance, weight you can heft, etc.

Why don’t more people go “outside the lines” with their workouts?

Challenging yourself is uncomfortable by nature. It’s normal to feel a sense of fear or angst when you think about pushing beyond the places where you usually stop, ease up, or take a break. Common fears include whether you can handle an intense “burn” in your muscles and not get injured; or feeling embarrassed about getting out of breath, or even sweating more than you’re used to.

Can a trainer help you break through that fear — without yelling at you?

Yes! A great personal trainer should confidently instill in you the belief that you can do this.

“We know they can, even though you might not know it yet,” says Russ Yeager, owner of three Fitness Together studios north of Atlanta. “The empowerment our clients gain once they actually do it is awesome. We recently helped a client who at first could barely get through a workout and was very self-conscious. She’s now lost 50 pounds and did a 3.5 mile hike with a straight-up climb at the end!”  You or your personal trainer can determine your optimal cardio exercise intensity range via a number of methods including percent of maximum heart rate, the “talk test,” or rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Whether you’re training for a triathlon, hitting a weight loss plateau or ready to give up on ever having toned upper arms, one-on-one training can help you go where your mind has never let you go before.

Major health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommend that for good health and to reduce risk of chronic disease, adult Americans should participate in moderate-intensity aerobic (or cardio) exercise (such as brisk walking) for at least 30 minutes on 5 or more days of the week or vigorous-intensity cardio at least 3 days of the week. So the frequency really depends on the intensity that you choose to gauge your exercise bout. What’s more, research has shown that the 30 minutes can be cumulative, meaning it will be just as effective if you choose to divide the 30 minutes up into 10-minute bouts.

Aerobic exercise is not the only type of exercise that you need to try and fit in. The ACSM also recommends weight training exercise (8 to 10 different exercises and 9 to 12 repetitions of each exercise) 2 days a week. Weight training exercise is essential for enhancing muscular strength and endurance, helping to prevent the decline of muscle mass (and metabolic rate) that accompanies aging, and promoting bone health.

Our body is constantly replacing old bone with new  much like any other tissue. However, as we get older, the body loses more bone tissue than it is able to replace which leads to weaker bones that are more prone to fractures. It is more common in women to lose bone density, however both men and women need to be equally aware of how to take care of aging bones to enjoy a healthier life.

Another reason why aging is often associated with weaker bones is the fact that our body’s ability to absorb calcium from our diet decreases as we age. The body responds by producing a hormone that makes our bones release calcium into the blood stream, leaving them thinner and weaker. In addition to aging, other factors that contribute to bone loss are:

• Excessive Smoking
• Low Calcium Intake
• Vitamin D Deficiency
• Excessive Alcohol Consumption
• Early Onset of Menopause
• Family History
• Physical Inactivity
• Prolonged Usage of Certain Medication

Caring for Bones Now & Forever

Needless to say, we need to start taking care of our bones early on in our adult lives if we want to live our senior years without having to worry about weak bones.

Eat Calcium-Rich Food: The earlier we start eating foods rich in calcium, the better it is for the health of our bones. Consuming three cups of milk everyday is recommended for adults. Besides, foods such as cheese, yogurt, salmon, tofu, sardines, beans, peas, broccoli, and green leafy vegetables like spinach are an excellent source of calcium.

Get Plenty of Vitamin D: Vitamin D helps out bodies in absorbing calcium properly. So, get at least 15-20 minutes of sunlight everyday besides eating foods rich in Vitamin D such as fortified milk & cereals, eggs, cod liver oil, salmon, tuna, mackerel, and cheese.

Stay Fit & Exercise: Among the many other benefits of exercise is that it keeps the bones healthy. Weight bearing exercises like walking, jogging, aerobics, cycling help add bone density and reduce bone loss.

Limit Smoking & Drinking: Excessive use of alcohol can hinder the balance of calcium in the body, which is vital to bone health. Smoking, on the other hand, has long been associated with weaker bone density as it can affect the absorption of calcium and Vitamin D. So, it’s best to quit smoking altogether and limit the consumption of alcohol.

Take Bone Supplements: As there are only a few dietary sources of Vitamin D, our bodies may need to be supplied with the additional Vitamin D it requires through bone supplements. Bone supplements are also a good source of calcium, so consult your physician to see if you need additional calcium.

Clearly, it is never too early to start taking care of your bones.  If you have any questions about whether your workouts at Fitness Together are benefiting your bones, be sure to talk to your trainer!

Medium vanilla chocolate dipped cone:  470 calories, 22 grams fat

• Run (10 minute mile) = 1.7 hours 1.2 hours
• Bike (13 mph) = 2 hours, 1.5 hours
• Elliptical = 2.5 hours, 1.75 hours

Medium Mint Oreo Blizzard: 740 calories, 25 grams fat

• Run = 2.75 hours, 2 hours
• Bike = 3 hours, 2.2 hours
• Elliptical = 3.85 hours, 2.75 hours

Peanut Buster Parfait: 700 calories, 30 grams fat,

• Run = 2.5 hours, 1.8 hours
• Bike = 3 hours, 2 hours
• Elliptical = 3.6 hours, 2.5 hours 

With the motto “Eat healthy. Eat light. Eat often,” Nutrition Together is designed to offer sensible solutions and a common-sense approach to nutrition. The program is administered by the Fitness Together personal trainers in a series of one-on-one sessions that go hand-in-hand with the client’s personal training regimen.

The science-based program was developed by Janet Brill, Ph.D., R.D., LDN [“Dr. Janet”], director of nutrition for Fitness Together, a certified nutritionist and wellness coach and a nationally-known author and speaker.

Fitness Together is so excited to offer Nutrition Together to its clients as well as prospective clients we wanted to tell you about it now.  Get ready to jump on the NT bandwagon as soon as it launches in May!

It doesn’t have to be that way.  Use this spring time to really bump up the amount of cardiovascular exercise you are doing, and be sure you are getting in your strength training.  Schedule an extra session at FT for a few weeks to keep you on track and to ensure that when the May/June heat sets it and the swim suits come out you will be ready.

Fitness Together’s summer kick off means putting together brand new personalized, periodized workouts for all of its clients that will be most effective at helping to shape and sculpt muscles and to get the extra  inches off  in time for everyone to head for the beach and go boating.

Summer is right around the corner. Workout, eat light and healthy, schedule an extra session at FT and you will ready for shorts and swim suits in no time!

I started thinking about the boxes upon boxes of cookies that will be sold this year and all the different kinds of cookies that will be in those boxes and wondered what exactly is on each of the food labels. Yikes!  It is mind blowing! How do I identify which cookies are going to be full of sugar and fat and which ones will be less full of sugar and fat. (I understand they all are unfortunately made with both, but figure some have got to be better than others.)

I went searching for that information and found that Elaine Magee, MPH, RD had dissected the information for me. Thoughtful, right? That’s what I thought. Check out this WebMD.com link for food facts on your favorite Girl Scout cookies.

As always, the best recommendation I can make when you run into times like these (when you are tempted to eat every cookie in sight) is to remember moderation is the key and to definitely not skip your workout.  If you over indulge, forgive yourself and move on but don’t let it set you up for failure.  You don’t have to eat another box and you can still do your workout.  If you only have a couple cookies and stay on track you must give yourself a pat on the back and you can feel great for sticking to your guns.

It’s great to know you can support the cute little Girl Scouts and support your healthy lifestyle at the same time!

I am hearing a lot of the same things from my clients this week…how much they ate and drank while they watched the game. There is definitely nothing wrong with enjoying a little something tasty while watching the biggest football game of the season! But moderation really can be practiced even during the Super Bowl.

So you ate too many nachos, too many wings, and drank too much beer…now what? Get back on the wagon, that’s what. Toss the leftovers, get some fresh fruit and veggies in your fridge and pick up some lean protein like a chicken breast for dinner tonight. It is very easy to let a small thing like a celebratory gathering get you off track. You may think your slip up on Sunday is indicative of how you will do next week so there is no reason to get back into the healthy habits. Don’t let that negative thinking creep into your brain. You were doing great up until the big game! You will do even better now that the big game is over! Follow these suggestions for putting getting back in the game:

1. Restock the fridge with healthy treats like fruits and veggies.
2. If you don’t have time to wash and cut veggies, get the ready made so there is no excuse.
3. Make a menu for the week with healthy, low calorie, highly nutrient meals and stick to it.
4. Forgive yourself and move on.
5. Most importantly, stick to your workout routine!