TrainerJames.com

Add a Side of Exercise!

Trainer James — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 22:44:00 +0000

With all the honey-roasted and sugarcoated temptations that come with the holidays, even those with the strongest of wills are bound to nibble a little here and there. That’s okay as long as you keep your calorie balance under control. The easiest way to do that is …..

Add more exercise to your day!

Here are a few tips to help you squeeze in a little extra activity:

Make an appointment with yourself to go to the gym, hiking trail, or to do an exercise video.
If exercise is scheduled into your day, you are more likely to make the time to get moving.

Start Early. Exercising in the morning is not only a great way to get the blood pumping, it’s a great way to set the tone for the day, giving you a little extra strength to resist overindulging.

Park in the farthest parking spot possible. Those extra steps into the shopping mall add up!

Take a lap! Before you pick up your holiday packages, take a lap or two around the shopping mall. Even just 15 minutes of moderate walking can burn off a few of those extra calories.

Make it a family affair.
Try taking your family snowshoeing or ice skating. You can build lasting memories and burn calories at the same time.

Not only will exercise burn off a few unwanted calories, it can also help you manage the stress of the holiday season.

“Exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, has consistently been shown to be effective in helping
individuals manage psychological stress,” said Cedric Bryant, Ph.D., FACSM, and chief exercise physiologist/vice president of educational services for the American Council on Exercise (ACE).

(adapted from an article written by Pat Birkle)

In the beginning…

Trainer James — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:24:00 +0000

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and populated the Earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow and red vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.

Then using God’s great gifts, Satan created Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream and Krispy Creme Donuts. And Satan said, “You want chocolate with that?”

And Man said, “Yes!” and Woman said, “and as long as you’re at it, add some sprinkles.” And they gained 10 pounds. And Satan smiled.

And God created the healthful yogurt that Woman might keep the figure that Man found so fair. And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat, and sugar from the cane and combined them. And Woman went from size 6 to size 14.

So God said, “Try my fresh green salad.” And Satan presented Thousand-Island Dressing, buttery croutons and garlic toast on the side. And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast.

God then said, “I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil in which to cook them.” And Satan brought forth deep fried fish and chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained more weight and his cholesterol went through the roof.

God then created a light, fluffy white cake, named it “Angel Food Cake,” and said, “It is good.” Satan then created chocolate cake and named it “Devil’s Food.”

God then brought forth running shoes so that His children might lose those extra pounds. And Satan gave cable TV with a remote control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels. And Man and Woman laughed and cried before the flickering blue light and gained pounds.

Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition. And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fried them. And Man gained pounds.

God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and still satisfy his appetite. And Satan created McDonald’s and its 99-cent double cheeseburger. Then said, “You want fries with that?” And Man replied, “Yes! And super size them!” And Satan said, “It is good.” And Man went into cardiac arrest.

God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery.

Then Satan created HMOs.

From a Diet Mentality to a Healthy Change

Trainer James — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 14:27:37 +0000

When it comes to getting in shape, I can not think of anything more stressful and more painful than starting a “diet.” “Eat less carbs,” ”watch out for fat,” buy these supplements,” “eat this tree bark.” Whatever the “trick” is, you have to pay for it with hunger pains and in the end the only thing skinny is your wallet.

Let’s try a new approach. This week, instead of chips, have an apple with string cheese (save 200 calories). Instead of bread surrounding your sandwich, use big pieces of lettuce (save 200 calories). Instead of a soda, have some home brewed tea (save 100-300 calories). Doing small changes like this now will add up to large amounts of weight loss later. In fact, let’s say you did those 3 things everyday for the last 7 days. That means 700 calories (a little more than the typical workout will burn) are not going into your body. If they did, in 7 days that would be 4900 calories. Remember how many calories makes up a pound? 3500. Can you see how the weight can add up?

Think “consistency” and invest in the process. You did not gain the weight overnight and you will not lose it that way either. Now let’s go sweat it out!

Carbohydrates: Simple vs. Complex

Trainer James — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 02:58:41 +0000

So, should you eat carbs or abstain from them? Are they the enemy or a friend?

Are you confused? Yeah, so are many others. Let’s start with the basics. There are three macro-nutrients (four if you count water, and many people do): Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats. All three (or four) are ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY

for your body to function. If you are still scared of carbs, ask a person who follows the Atkins Diet. That is, if they haven’t died of heart disease from eating all that meat. But I digress…

Carbohydrates provide the bulk of the energy needed in our daily lives, both for basic body functions such as your beating heart, using your lungs, and digesting your food. In fact, eating carbs is like throwing gasoline on a fire that is burning fat- it speeds the process along. Additionally, you need carbs for exercise such as swimming, cycling, walking and running.

Here is the difference between Simple and Complex Carbohydrates:

Simple carbohydrates are digested quickly. Many simple carbohydrates contain refined sugars and few essential vitamins and minerals. Some examples of simple carbohydrates include fruits, fruit juice, milk, yogurt, honey, and sugar.
Complex carbohydrates take longer to digest and are usually packed with fiber, vitamins and minerals. Some examples of complex carbohydrates are vegetables, breads, cereals, legumes and pasta.

Most experts recommend that 50 to 60 per cent of the total calories in our diet come from carbohydrates. The bulk of the carbs we consume should be complex and most of the simple ones should come from fruits and milk or yogurt, which also contain vitamins and minerals.

Avoid getting the bulk of your carbs from refined foods high in sugar. I REPEAT: Stay away from refined sugars. Refined sugars are usually low in the nutrients we need to maintain health and energy levels.

Lastly, no carbs before bed. Eating carbs before bed will inhibit REM sleep and release of human growth hormone (HGH). Do yourself and your metabolism a favor and stop eating crap before you go to sleep.

“Trying” to Lose Weight

Trainer James — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 19:45:16 +0000

…means there is a possiblilty of failing. Learn to eat the right foods so that your “diet” is a sustainable, achievable, successful endeavor.

Hey Mom! Its Monday-Are you starting a new diet today? Is this the one diet to end all diets? If not, what is stopping you?

Think about it- why have you failed before? What excuse is keeping you from eating in a way that promotes a healthy lifestyle, not just a few pounds lost? Why is it that you keep failing? Is there something more motivating than having a healthy, vibrant, HOT body? Furthermore, what is more important than living a long, healthy life?

It is very simple: If you eat crappy foods, you will look and feel crappy. Simple, right? Remember, your body is not a rational creature. It doesn’t think “Oh, it’s been a stressful day- let’s work some magic and turn this soda and large bag of M&Ms into nutrient food and long lasting energy.” It just doesn’t work that way.

Try putting water in your gas tank and them tell your car “Its okay, we are going to drive for 30 minutes after work so you’ll feel better about the water I just put in you.”

Sounds silly, right? Then why do you do that to yourself? You cannot change the law of cause and effect. Eat unhealthy foods, live in an unhealthy body.

Don’t start another fad diet. Learn to eat right. Arm yourself with the nutritional knowledge that will not only help you lose weight, but will also give you better health.

One of my favorites is Dr. Joel Furman. He has written a few books on what to eat and I refer to his books often when speaking with clients about nutrition. In fact, Alanis

Morosette recently publicly credited him with losing 20 pounds and keeping it off.

No more “trying.” Time to succeed. Your body deserves it!
Now let’s go and sweat it out!

(What do you think? What diets have you tried? Leave a comment below and tell me about your experiences.)

I’m obese, where do I start?

Trainer James — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:34:32 +0000

Hey Mom,

Have you ever watched the Biggest Loser? People like to discredit this show all the time by saying it doesn’t work, but then an individual gets sent home and they still lose 50, 60, sometimes 100 pounds before the finale.

Why do people try to discredit the show? Because Jillian and Bob are promoting hard work, not surgery or weight loss pills. Of course, people do go back to their old habits, but that is not the show’s fault. All that means is once the show was over they let life get in the way and did not keep moving and eating properly. Their “diet” and exercise plan had ended, and with it their ability to stay thin. (Lesson: create a plan, then stay on it forever, modifying it as necessary.)

What to do first:
Walk. You don’t need a gym to do this. It is free and you can do it anywhere! Start with your neighborhood or a local park. Don’t rely on someone else meeting you there. If they do, awesome. But do this for you.

Shadow box. At my gym I have my clients shadow box a lot. I give them 3-4 pound dumbbells and we pretend we are boxing. You could do it by yourself looking into a mirror or something like that. It works the upper body and gives you a great cardio workout.

You could also try the rowing machine. You will be working the upper body, but you’ll also be adding some leg movement.

Give the pool a try. You may be embarrassed to be in a bathing suit. But Mom, you are at a gym! Would you be embarrassed to where those gowns at the hospital where your back side has no cover?!?! Just get in the pool. Here are some great ways to exercise when you get in there:

Use a kickboard. Hold on to that board and use your legs to propell you across the pool.
Hold on at the side of the pool and just kick for as long as you can.
Pretend you are running/walking and go across the pool.
Hold a pool block between your legs to make them inactive and, using only your upper body, swim across the pool.
Tread water for 30 seconds, take a break, then do it longer.

As you spend time on yourself, your options in life will greatly increase. You will drop pounds, have to buy new clothes, and be in a better mood. The things I recommend above will really kick-start your weight loss — provided you are also watching your diet.

Do it now, Mom! Don’t wait another second. I love you!

~Trainer James

Exercise vs. Nutrition

Trainer James — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 23:24:00 +0000

Myth-buster: Exercise is the quickest way to lose weight.

Hey Mom!

Really, It’s all about the math… If you are now eating 3,000 calories a day, and you go on a 1,800-calorie diet, you’ll cut 1,200 calories. If you add 30 minutes of exercise (or 45-50 minutes from a camp session) you might burn another 250-600 calories, but you would have to have two or three sessions extra a week to match the weight loss from simple calorie-cutting. “Most people underestimate the calories they are eating and overestimate the calories they burn,” says James Hill, an obesity researcher at the University of Colorado at Denver Health Sciences Center. That’s why exercise remains the single most important thing you can do to maintain weight loss, since it increases your energy burn and allows you to eat normally without gaining weight back.
-Adapted from Men’s Journal, November 2007, page 96. Originally written by Christie Aschwanden,

Quote I love:
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
~Aristotle

Now let’s go and sweat it out!

Make yourself a priority!

Trainer James — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 23:05:01 +0000

Hey Mom!

Are you on your priority list?

If you are not, you are in good company. Many people are so involved in the world of others that finding time for themselves is just not important. Unfortunately, that could lead to problems that will stop you from being there for everyone-things like disease, and death.

How do you make yourself a priority? Well, think for a moment- what do you need to make your life better? Is it Health? Workout and eat better. Is it Wealth? Stop watching tv and find a way to make money with your time. Do it now. There is no time like the present, right? Make YOU a priority. If that means getting up an hour early for a run, or to read the paper or craigslist for a side job-do it! Really, just go!

How much time will you spend on YOU this week?

Portion Control is a must!

Trainer James — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 23:30:36 +0000

Not every food has to be “perfect.” When eating a food high in fat, salt or sugar, eat a small portion of it or select other foods that are low in these ingredients. If you miss out on any food group one day, make up for it the next.

Your food choices over several days should fit together into a healthy pattern. And stop using those huge plates! Studies have shown that bigger plates means you will fill up that plate-so use a smaller one a fill it up!

One more thing: try nuts before you start cooking. Studies have shown that when eating a few nuts about 20 minutes before people felt satiated and ended up eating less at the dinner table. Eat some now to eat less later!

Habits and your weight loss

Trainer James — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 17:41:14 +0000

Hey Mom!

The hard part of losing weight: habits. To lose weight and maintain that weight loss, there are certain habits you want to look in to forming. The National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) tracks successful weight losers–individuals who have lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off for more than 1 year. Common habits that these individuals share include:

monitoring weight and food intake
maintaining a low-calorie and low-fat diet
eating breakfast every day
engaging in 1 hour of physical activity daily
limiting television viewing to 10 hours or less per week.

So there it is. Forget dieting and focus on your daily habits. Which one of these habits can you work on this week?