General Health Article Archive

Preventing Holiday Weight Gain: P.K.’s Top Ten Tips

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Dr. P.K. Newby Posted in Active Living, Healthy Eating, Motivation, Nutrition Leave a comment

It was about this time last year that I reluctantly jumped on the “how to prevent holiday weight gain” bandwagon with a few of my science-based strategies.

Speaking of trying to keep our energy scale in balance, the cookie swaps I’ve been attending this season are really putting my own will power to the test. But I couldn’t pass up the opportunity yesterday to bake cookies for a cause to help raise money for pediatric cancer research; each cookie baked was worth $1. The things I do for science! Fortunately, I upped my game in anticipation of the extra calories consumed—one of my tips—and had a great long run that morning as part of my marathon training. That being said, as much as I love Christmas cookies, exercising is definitively the healthier way to go to help fight cancer…

Click here for my top ten tips, which include behavioral strategies as well as thoughts on what to eat and drink. I hope that, together with your own successful methods, you will enjoy festive fare and holiday fun without compromising your waistline.

Here’s to that!

Dr. P. K. Newby is a scientist, educator, food writer, and serious cook at The Nutrition Doctor is In the Kitchen, Become a fan on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, or check out her boards on Pinterest for more fabulous food and recipes. Thanks for reading!

The Art of Goal Setting…and How It Will Change You Forever

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Matt Posted in General Health, Motivation Leave a comment

Learning the art of goal setting could be the best thing you've ever done.

For today’s article, we’re going to piggyback on yesterday’s post which detailed how to turn your exercise and food journals into the most valuable resources you have. You see, fitness enthusiasts are full of ambiguous, and quite often, misguided advice. While most of the time these tidbits of advice come with great intentions (and they may even be awesome advice) it often falls flat because it lacks in-depth direction or real-life practicality. People don’t just want to be told what to do. They want to be told why they should do it, how it benefits them, and what they should come to expect from following the advice in question.

We’re tackling something else you no doubt have heard many times in the past, but always comes across as a bit superficial.

“You’ve got to make goals. Write them down, tape them to your bathroom mirror, and look at them everyday. This is how you will learn to continue pushing yourself.”

Um, excuse me, but can I call BS on this one for a second? If simply writing down yours goals, looking at them everyday, and believing in yourself was all it took to keep that inner fire alive….well, we’d be a much more healthy society, to put it politely. While the idea that setting smart goals that you keep in the forefront of your mind is a great piece of advice, it doesn’t provide much depth. We’re going to use today’s article to discuss the art of goal setting, decide how each individual should set goals, and detail how to keep the momentum rolling once you’ve reached a goal.

The Art of Goal Setting

Goal setting is a double-edged sword. Do it skillfully and you’ll have an unending supply of fuel to keep your motivational fire burning forever. On the other hand, if you don’t do it thoughtfully, you could quite easily sap yourself of motivation and leave yourself feeling more discouraged, de-motivated, and helpless than ever before. With that in mind, I’m here to show you how to master the art of goal setting.

Groundbreaking advice right here....

Setting goals isn’t about naming some lofty expectations you have for yourself and calling them goals. For instance, I’m a pretty fit guy. I even consider myself to be a pretty talented athlete. But I wouldn’t dream about setting a goal like competing in the next summer Olympic games. I’m 28, I have a right knee that occasionally reminds me I’m not getting any younger, and I don’t have 8+ hours a day to train. In theory, achieving goals is simply getting from point A to point B. But when point B is so many light years away, we’re only setting ourselves up for failure. The first tip of goal setting; set yourself up for success, not failure.

No one knows you better than yourself. You know if you have the determination and/or physical ability to accomplish something. Start with smaller goals you know you can achieve. As you progress, gradually bump the goals up. Now, I’m not telling you to never shoot for goals that you won’t attain. I’m simply saying, keep things in perspective, and use goals that match your abilities and personality. Never let other people set your goals for you. Before you sit down and map out your goals, you need to think. Never set goals spontaneously. Think about your goals or goals over a period of several weeks. If after that time you still believe this is something you want and are willing to work towards and is reasonably achievable, make it a goal to work towards.

Genetics and Goal Planning

It’s a fine line between selling yourself short and setting unreasonable goals. If you are a 110-pound, petite female, wanting to put on 40 pounds of muscle and maintain your current body fat percentage, I hate to tell you, but you may be setting yourself up for disappointment. You’ve got to work with what you’ve been given. This doesn’t mean people can’t make drastic changes, but you’re always going to be operating within the framework that you’ve been provided.

Think about it for a second…why are World’s Strongest Men champions almost always white guys, and predominately of European heritage? Why are the world’s fastest runners typically black men from the Americas? Why are the world’s best marathon runners from one or two places in Africa? Genetics.

One caveat; make sure you’re doing everything right before you decide you something is too impossible for you to accomplish. Are you eating correctly? Are your workouts as good as they can be? Are you slacking off somewhere else? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, correct them first, then see how your body responds.

I Hit My Goals…Now What?

This is one aspect that so many fitness bloggers and other advice-givers seem to gloss over. For a lot of people, hitting a lofty goal seems like the end of the road. This is where trouble begins to show up. Just because you’ve run that marathon, lost the weight, or hit a new personal best on deadlift, doesn’t mean it’s time to lay off the gas. Of course, you should recognize and congratulate yourself for achieving your goals, but view it more as a mile marker rather than a finish line.

The act of setting AND achieving goals can easily become the most valuable tool you have in your arsenal. The reason most of us never reach our goals or achieve the body and/or health that we want is because we simply don’t have the determination. It’s not for lack of physical ability, know-how, or even lack of time (yes, I’m looking at all of you out there who still use this excuse). It’s because we simply don’t have the mental strength to persevere. Studies have shown that progressive goal setting and the achievement of said goals sets of a physiological process that increases motivation, determination, and will-power.

Isn’t that remarkable? Achieving goals can actually make your mental willpower stronger. It’s kind of like Pac-Man; you’re going through chomping up those little dots. With each successive dot, instead of gaining more points, you’re getting mentally stronger. The more dots (goals) you get through, the stronger you get.

We all know that feeling we get when we don’t want to do something. Our minds start searching for reasons we can’t do it. We then spend our time trying to validate to ourselves, why it’s okay to skip the gym today, or give in to that late night sugar craving. Giving in to those thoughts are the result of weak mental will power. But what if those thoughts not only become fewer and farther between, but saying NO became easier? That transformation occurs when you improve your mental strength…which is directly improved by progressively setting, and hitting, your goals.

To Recap

In summing things up, you need to start looking at goals, not as those feel good events you reach at the end of the finish line, but as a continual source of mental fuel. Remember to start with realistic goals appropriate for your current abilities, with the pretense that you will gradually increase difficulty with each goal you’ve hit. Understand there may be some goals that are simply out of reach based on your genetics; shooting for the impossible will have the opposite effect you are seeking and will take your time away from achieving goals that are more reachable. With each successive goal you set and hit, you’re adding another log to that internal motivation fire. As you progress, hitting goals will become more commonplace and require less effort. Make sure you are progressively increasing the difficulty of your goals to continuing reaping the mental benefits of goal setting.

Looking for a serious challenge that is just as much mental as it is physical? Check out #thegreatpushupchallenge and find out how this workout will improve both your goal setting abilities, while leaving you with a killer bod in the process!

How to Become Your Very Own Personal Trainer

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Matt Posted in General Health, Self Improvement 3 Comments

Learning to become your own personal trainer will take your fitness to another level.

Among fitness communities, blogs, and personal trainers, there seems to be a recurring theme we keep hearing time and again; keep. a. fitness. and. diet. journal. Doesn’t matter who you talk to, odds are they’re going to tell you to start writing down your exercises, the weights you lift, and the food you put into your body. They’ll go on and on about the importance of keeping such detailed notes, and then provide some semi-vague reasoning about how doing this will help.

Unfortunately, most people have a hard time appreciating how something will help them if A) they’ve never seen the benefits firsthand and/or B) already have an aversion to doing the thing in question. Now, I’m going to be honest with you and let you in on a little secret. Despite the hordes of well-meaning fitness professionals recommending the importance of keeping a journal, the overwhelming majority DON’T follow their own advice. I’ll admit it, I often tell readers to write down their exercises/weights and food choices. But do I do this myself? Nope. Personally, I find it tedious, annoying, and if done while at the gym, completely messes with the flow of my workout. But are any of these good reasons not to do it? Nope.

Considering I do understand the benefits, the only reason I don’t personally do this is out of pure laziness. One of my New Year’s resolutions this year is to start keeping an exercise journal (the food journal will have to wait), because I fully understand the important benefits doing so can bring.

So, to better get you on the keeping a journal bandwagon, I’m going to break down the most common question most of you have, and hopefully persuade you to overcome your aversion to keeping a journal. First up…

What are the real, measurable benefits to keeping an exercise and/or food journal?

First and foremost, there is the accountability side of things. I know, I know….being accountable to yourself is a lot easier than being accountable to someone else. Most of us will have no problem whatsoever letting ourselves down or wimping out if no one else knows about it. When you are marking down your workouts completed, exercises performed, and weights used, it’ll be clear when you’re falling behind, not pushing yourself hard enough, or slacking on the committment side of things. Here’s an idea: create a spread sheet in Google Docs and share it with a workout buddy. This way, you guys both have access to each other’s list and will be able to push each other and/or monitor each other’s progress. Finding ways to create competition in your workouts and fitness routine is one of those little known secrets of the very fit, and a way to lessen the inevitable burn out we all face.

Second, you can look forward to improved fitness programming. Everyone falls into ruts with their fitness routine, and often end up getting a little more repetitive than they’d like. Having your workouts in front of your face will make it much easier to call attention to the fact you’ve been doing the same (or a similar variation) plyometric routine. I’ve said many times, hitting your body with a variety of fitness disciplines is the key to unlocking that lean, mean physique and achieving your goals. When you chart your workouts, you’ll notice trends and be better able to buck those trends and introduce some new workouts to the mix…which leads us to our next point…

What I consider to be one of the strongest arguments for keeping a journal; the ability to plan workouts in advance. Studies have shown that planning your workout schedule in advance makes it more likely you’ll both complete those workouts, as well as continue working out over a longer period of time AND make more progress. Think about it..how many times have you walked into the gym, not quite sure what you’re doing on that particular day. Maybe you piece together a workout plan as you go, doing some of this and that, with no real order or direction. When you plan in advance, you know what you’re doing, and you’re serving as your own personal trainer. Learning to do this effectively will become a very powerful tool in your arsenal over the long run.

Now, there is of course another group of you out there who seemingly have much more discipline than even myself. I’ve heard from several of you guys and girls that you are already keeping a food and/or diet journal, but simply don’t know what to do with all the information you collect. First off, congrats on having the willpower to do something most of us don’t. Second, having all of this data unlocks a world of potential for you.

You’re now able to really analyze your progress, see what’s working, what isn’t, and measure have far you’ve come. Measuring progress is so much more than looking to see how much weight you’ve lost. Look at your exercises and weights lifted. Do you see a trend? Did a specific set of workouts lead to greater strength gains? Were you absolutely killing it during March and April, then slipped a bit in May? Again, you are now working towards becoming your own personal trainer to yourself. To do this effectively, make sure you’re marking down the weights lifted, exercises performed, workouts completed, etc. After a decent chunk of time, go back and look to see where and what was leading towards the most progress. Complement things with pictures of yourself so you can see where and when the most development was occurring.

One of the key attributes of a great personal trainer is the ability to look at, and interpret this kind of data, and effectively plan future workouts based on this knowledge. Learning to do this isn’t something that will happen over night. But if you have been keeping a journal for a while now, complete with progress notes, take some time to look at trends and spikes in your gains. You see, every body is different. What works wonders for one person, may barely make any noticeable difference in another. Our genetic make up is responsible for how we respond to exercise, so the key is to find what type of exercise works best for YOU and your genetic make up. I once had a client who would run TONS of miles, mixed in a good variety of HIIT training, and STILL couldn’t lose the excess body fat around her midsection. After analyzing her workouts, we introduced some heavy complex workouts along with timed cardio intervals to her training plan. It was as if we found the golden key to her genetic lock. Like that, the weight started to slowly but surely melt away. Within 3 months she had accomplished what she hadn’t been able to do in 4 YEARS! So much of achieving your goals is tied to simply figuring out what will open your genetic lock.

If you’re someone at home, sitting there with tons of fitness data on yourself and your workouts, pat yourself on the back. You’ve already made it through the part where most people fail. Now it’s time to take a hard look at the numbers and start planning future workouts (there’s that planning in advance thing again) based on what you’re interpreting. Fitness is a lot of trial and error, so go out there and give it your best shot. You may not create the perfect work out right off the bat, but with increased experience, you’ll become better suited to building more effective workouts, and will become one step closer to becoming your own personal trainer.

Preventing Holiday Weight Gain: Get Your Head in the Game

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Dr. P.K. Newby Posted in Healthy Eating, Motivation, Nutrition, Recipes Leave a comment

Christmas cookies are everywhere! At least my recipe for dark chocolate biscotti is a bit better for you. (Click on photo for recipe.)

It’s mid-December, and I’m in the throes of holiday madness. Personal and professional deadlines loom ever nearer, making for long days in the office and working weekends. Then there’s the balancing act of managing the pressure of year-end tasks with parties and other social events. It’s the perfect storm of decreased opportunity for working out and increased opportunity to eat, drink, and be merry that often means only one thing: gaining weight. Or trying desperately not to while still enjoying yourself.

No doubt many of you readers here on Share it Fitness are in great shape, or working on it. Congratulations! But even if you aren’t overweight, it’s a struggle to stay in shape around the holidays, isn’t it? Last week alone I had three different holiday gatherings, all of which involved massive platters of homemade Christmas cookies, mulled cider, and festive cocktails. Ugh!

The simple fact is that it’s not easy for anyone to stay fit this time of year. To help you in this quest, I’ll post my personal top ten tips for combating holiday weight gain next Monday. But I wanted to begin with today’s piece, which takes a step back to think about energy balance, that precarious concept that keeps us at a healthy weight. My point? To provide perspective and inspiration for enjoying the holidays while at the same time remaining vigilant so that we don’t undo all the great work we’ve been doing all year long.

For the full article, click here. And let’s all get our head in the game for a healthy, happy holiday season.

Dr. P.K. Newby is a scientist, educator, and food writer at The Nutrition Doctor is In the Kitchen. Become a fan on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, or check out her boards on Pinterest for healthy recipes to bring spectacular food to your plates in delectable ways. Thanks for reading!

This is Your Brain. This Is Your Brain On Exercise.

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Matt Posted in General Health 3 Comments

What’s fun, exhilarating, and proven to make you smarter? Try just about any activity that gets your heart pumping. Contrary to popular belief, and much to the dismay of brain teaser game manufacturers, the value of mental-training games is speculative at best. It’s exercise that enhances cognitive flexibility and builds a brain that resists physical shrinkage. According to the latest findings in the field of neuroscience, exercise is more effective at boosting thinking than thinking is.

Although enriched environments have long been touted for their role in enhancing cognitive prowess, we’ve only recently learned that what really makes a difference in these scenarios is increased heart rate and physical activity. Any other environmental embellishments are just that. Of course, that is not to say that the staples of proper nutrition, positive social interactions, and a safe, healthy environment are not essential for proper brain functioning. What these findings do imply is that given a proper foundation, no number of fancy toys, colorful walls, or educational movies will leave a complex and lasting improvement in brainpower like that spurred by exercise.

Why does exercise do more for our brain than thinking does?

The answer to this question lies in our physiology. Like all muscles and organs, the brain experiences physical atrophy and functional declines with increasing age. Starting in our late twenties, most humans lose about 1% of hippocampal volume per year. As the hippocampus is the brain area implicated in memory and certain types of learning, it’s easy to see how this decline can become increasingly problematic in later life.

The good news is that researchers have recently uncovered a long-standing error in our understanding of the human brain. Until the 1990s scientists believed that humans were born with a certain number of brain cells and could never create more. However, advancements in technology have allowed researches to observe neurogenesis, or the creation of new neurons, in the adult human brain. Studies have found the most prevalent concentrations of new cells in the hippocampus, indicating that the aforementioned 1% annual decline in hippocampal volume can not only be halted, but that it can be reversed.

New cells do not indicate increases in intellect.

The creation of new brain cells is not enough to make you smarter. That is where exercise comes in. The only way that new brain cells can improve intellect is by linking up with the existing neural network by way of synaptic connections. Learning something is one way by which brain cells can join the network. However, brain cells that get looped in through non-physically taxing learning experiences are severely limited in what they can do. In fact, these non-physically acquired new cells only become re-activated when performing the task during which they were created. This means that these cells lacked a versatility that would make them useful in other applications. In contrast, neurons acquired through exercise are capable of re-engaging under highly varying conditions and circumstances. In one study where rats learned to navigate a water maze, a task that is not physically exerting, the newly formed brain cells were only activated during repetitions of the maze and not other cognitive tasks. These neurons were thus only applicable to the specific scenario during which they were gained and unable to be utilized in other endeavors. Therefore, the learning encoded in those cells does not appear to transfer to other types of thinking.

Research on exercise, and especially cardiovascular workouts like running on a treadmill, suggests that workouts create new brain cells that, unlike the cells created during stagnant activities, are capable of multi-tasking and are readily wired into the neural network. If they are gained by means of treadmill, these brain cells will not only be re-activated while running, but will also be capable of being used towards other cognitive undertakings, such as exploring new environments or solving calculus problems. Studies show that walking briskly for an average of 3 hours, 3 times a week can halt and even reverse the brain atrophy experienced by aging humans. So, whether you’re jogging mountain trails, or grading papers on the elliptical, you can feel satisfied knowing you’re triggering biochemical changes that will leave a lasting impact on your mental prowess.

Dagmara Mach is a traveler, yogi, and freelance writer. Currently based in Big Sky, Montana, she’s exploring the wilderness and looking forward to a snow-filled winter. Combining her education in psychology, statistics, and

marketing, Dagmara strives to promote rationalism, education, and healthy lifestyles. She contributed this post on behalf of exercise equipment retailer Fitness Blowout, to better connect them with the health-conscious community.

The Holiday Season is Here…and It’s Gut Check Time (Literally)

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Matt Posted in General Health, Self Improvement Leave a comment

It's make or break time...don't let the holiday season break your determination!

We’re entering dangerous territory. In fact, we’ve already entered it. There’s no turning back now. You’re about to enter a struggle for survival. The decisions you make now will stay with you for the rest of your life….

Okay, maybe I’m being a bit dramatic, but let’s get real for a second. In case you weren’t aware, we’ve entered the holiday season. With Thanksgiving in the rear view mirror, we’re coming into that in between season, those roughly 6 weeks until New Year’s hits. The next six weeks are chock full of holiday parties, drinking, excessive gorging on foods you’d normally shun the other 46 weeks of the year.

But hold it right there…before you click that little X at the top of your screen in an attempt to avoid more preaching from yet another fitness blog about how you need to not eat this or that during the holiday season, l want to tell you something: go ahead and eat whatever you want.

I’m not here to tell you what you shouldn’t be doing at Christmas dinner or at your holiday pot luck your office holds every year. There’s enough of that going around all of the other blogs, magazines, and fitness sites on the web. You’re all big boys and girls, you don’t need to be told what you can and can’t eat.

Hold That Towel

What I’m trying to do today, is help you from throwing in the towel on 2012. With just weeks remaining in 2012, and a new year on the horizon, we all get that “clean slate” feeling. A new year, a new beginning, a new start at changing bad habits. Am I right?

There’s a reason gyms are emptier now until the new year than at any other point of the year. With that clean slate so close, we allow ourselves to lose a little of that discipline; a little of that drive. We tell ourselves, “Starting January 1st, I’m getting down to business!”. That’s all well and good, but does that really mean you need to give up on yourself now? You’ve still got a month and a half ahead of you…do you really think quitting on your training routine now is the best idea?

Find Your Pride

You’ve got a decision to make. Do you pack it in, take the next six weeks off, and wait for the new year to going hard at the gym again? Or do you do something a little different this year, and keep up with your fitness routine? It’s gut check time (literally), and there’s no pride to be found in spending the next six weeks planning the most awesome, intense, and maniacal fitness routine known to mankind…..that starts on January 1st.

Find some pride in being one of the dozen or so people still banging it out in the gym. Notice all the empty treadmills as you’re doing your HIIT sprinting routine? Those people are quitters; but you are not. YOU are going to be the one people enviously stare at in the gym next year. It’s raining, it’s cold, and you still have to make dinner for three screaming kids….but you’re at the gym. Yeah, it’s okay, go ahead and call yourself a bad ass. Everyone else is quitting, and you’re doing work. Take an opportunity to pat yourself on the back for what you’re doing, and beating that holiday dead zone will become so much easier.

Comes Slow, Leaves Fast

There’s a cold, hard, truth about fitness (and your bodies) that many of you probably already know. It takes a long time of hard work to make any visible progress, but no time at all to watch that progress vanish beneath a pasty, jiggly, and soft, layer of fat. You’ve worked so hard all year. You’ve managed to keep up with your training even when summer ended. Daylight savings hit, and you still managed to keep going to the gym, even when it was cold, dark, and rainy at five in the afternoon. You’ve made serious progress this year…are you ready to throw a good chunk of that progress away?

Remember I said to go ahead and eat whatever you want this holiday season? I meant it. We all need “breaks” from the standard routine. If you’ve been living on brown rice and grilled chicken 90% of the year, go ahead and let loose a little. You really won’t have anything to worry about as long as you keep up with your training. It’s the combination of bad eating and little to no exercise that puts people in a huge hole to start the year. You can easily get away with some extra sweets and foods you wouldn’t normally eat as long as you’re offsetting them with regular exercise.

Kick 2012 Right in the Ass

This year, make a decision to finish things strong. Don’t end 2012 with a dud. The 2012 holiday season is out to get you. It wants to slow you down. It wants to eat away at all of the hard earned progress you’ve made. More times than not, it wins. Don’t let it beat you this year.

Go as hard as you can to finish the year, and set yourself up for even greater successes in 2013. Rather than spending the first few months of 2013 getting yourself back to where you were, keep yourself on the level you’ve set, and work on moving beyond that. When it’s May, bathing suit season is right around the corner, and you’re staring at some insanely fit person and telling yourself you simply don’t have the right kind of genetics to ever look like that, you’re making excuses. The choices you make right now, and over the course of the next six weeks, will determine if you’re actually looking at yourself in the mirror come May, amazed at what is looking back at you.

Don’t allow the holiday season to sap your determination and will power. I’ll admit, it’s hard. There is temptation abound, hectic schedules, and a million things to do….but if you make a committment to yourself and your fitness now, you’ll be in such a better position to meet and exceed your goals in the new year.

Are You Running Yourself FAT?

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Matt Posted in Cardio Training, General Health, Motivation, Training, Weight loss 3 Comments

As far as most of us are concerned, there are a few constants in this world; death, taxes….and the necessity of cardio to lose weight. Sound about right to you?

If you’re like the majority of people in the gym, or working out at home, you’ve got a few pounds you’d like to lose. Following conventional wisdom, you know how important your cardiovascular work is. You may even be aware of the fact that non-steady state cardio, i.e. HIIT or anything that has you changing speeds, is better for you than a simple jog. Congrats, you’ve clearly been reading this blog and picked up on something I harp about often.

Perhaps you follow the old, “eat less, move more” adage, that has you cutting back on calories and doing more cardio in hopes of losing weight. Makes sense, doesn’t it? Take in fewer calories, expend more calories during exercise, and you should lose weight, right? But hold the phone….if it were so simple to lose weight, why are so many people (yes, even those who exercise regularly and eat right) still so out of shape? Hordes of soft, jiggly, and out of shape bodies fill treadmills and ellipticals at gyms across the country. Why are these cardio freaks still so out of shape and soft looking?

You’re Running Yourself Fat with Too Much Cardio?

Ready for a little irony? The reason the majority of the above mentioned soft-bodies are still so out of shape is because they are simply running themselves fat. Let me repeat that….they are running themselves fat.

How is that even possible?

Well you see, when you fall into the standard line of thinking that is so often pushed by mainstream fitness magazines, fad diet plans, and other less than reliable sources, you set yourself up for failure. You’re told to eat less calories, eat less fat, go light whenever possible. It’s pounded into your head that cardio is the key to weight loss, so naturally, you assume the more cardio you do, the better off you’ll be.

But here’s the problem; when you run or perform other forms of cardio excessively, you’re not only burning calories for energy, you’re burning muscle. Couple this with a reduced calorie diet, and your lean muscle mass starts doing a disappearing act. So your body begins eating up muscle, doesn’t have enough calories to rebuild or form new muscle, and gradually enters into a state of slowed metabolism. This slowed metabolism is largely impacted by the loss of muscle mass. The higher percentage of muscle mass you keep on your body, the better off your metabolism will be. Take the muscle away, and your metabolism slows down. Simple as that.

What most people don’t realize is the extra calories they burn during their marathon cardio sessions are often LESS than the calories they are no longer burning at rest because of their sluggish metabolism. Just because you burnt 800 calories during your workout, doesn’t mean you’ve burnt more TOTAL calories throughout the day. Your metabolism needs to remain high in order to have more TOTAL caloric burn over the course of the day.

This explains why some of the biggest cardio junkies are also some of the softest and weakest out there…..they’ve got no muscle! Their bodies adapt to their regular cardio routines, their metabolism slows, they increase their cardio and caloric deficiency to compensate, and enter into a recurring cycle of disappointment.

Be Smart About Exercise

Exercise is a double-edged sword. It is highly effective at helping you reach your goals if you do it smartly and follow a well-designed plan. If you go about it without much knowledge or a plan, you can easily set yourself further back than from where you started. The key is to exercise smart. Exercising smart involves your understanding of what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and how it will bring you closer to your goal. If you’re doing something but not sure why you’re doing it, or how it’s helping….it’s time to re-examine your plan.

It’s no secret that the most lean, fit, and athletic individuals are ones who lift weights, vary their routines, perform explosive cardio, and eat a healthy and balanced diet. In order to lose the weight and get out of that cycle of disappointment, you’ve got to start including some serious lift sessions in your fitness plan. We’ve got hundreds (literally, hundreds) of workout plans for you to choose from. Some great routines to include with your cardio would be our muscle-building superset complex workout plan or the 20-minute cross training circuit routine.

Whatever you decide, the bottom line is this: you’ve got to include weight training into your overall fitness plan to maintain, and build new muscle mass. A muscle-less body, is not hot. It’s soft, weak, and sickly looking. You should forget about the scale, focus on your physique, and make strides to follow a well-rounded fitness plan.

It doesn’t stop there however. You could be doing the best weight training routine in the world, but if you aren’t giving your body the proper fuel (protein) and calories to build muscle, nothing is going to happen. You’ve got to make sure you’re taking in ample protein sources, and enough calories to power through your workouts. The biggest mistake newbie exercisers make is they don’t eat ENOUGH. As long as you’re choosing healthy sources, avoiding sugar and other simple carbs, and eating balanced meals, you shouldn’t have to worry about fat gain. Do yourself a favor and re-read that last sentence. Notice I said FAT gain? This goes back to what I just mentioned….forget the scale. The scale is NOT your friend. A 135-lb female body with 10% body fat is fitness magazine worthy. A 125-lb female body with 25% body fat is nothing to write home about. You’ve got to keep this in mind when you’re working out. Far too many people have their progress stunted by becoming a slave to their scale; avoid using a scale at all costs. Rather, measure your waist line, legs, etc. to really gauge your progress. Examine your physique, your definition lines, your strength, and you’ll see that maintaining a healthy weight and body isn’t about endless hours of cardio or starving yourself.

It’s so much more enjoyable when you realize you don’t have to spend 8 hours a week on the treadmill…or limit the things you enjoy eating. Being healthy and fit is about being well-rounded in the gym and in the kitchen, and understanding the importance of maintaining a speedy and efficient metabolism. Once you are able to beat that in to your head, you’ll be amazed at how fast the weight starts dropping.

The Ultimate 8-Point Fitness Test

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Matt Posted in General Health, Self Improvement 1 Comment

Where do you stack up?

If someone asked you what your fitness level was, what would you tell them? Beginner? Advanced? Somewhere in the middle? Those terms are all well and good, but a bit vague, don’t ya think? Wouldn’t it be better to really know where you stood? For one, you’d be able to find fitness programs that were a much better fit for you. Isn’t annoying when you start a workout and realize 10 minutes in, it was made for someone who considers a mile run a serious workout? On the flip side, it always a bit de-moralizing when you’ve got to quit your workout early because one more burpee will probably have you running to the bathroom to puke everywhere?

Not only will figuring out where you stand help you choose better and more appropriate workouts, but it’ll help you gauge your progress. Too many people fall into the same routine because they can’t tell if they’re making any progress. You’ll have no idea if all the work you’re putting in is getting you anywhere if you don’t have a baseline to compare to. This is why I’m going to give you a baseline fitness abilities test that I use with all of my clients. This test was designed to measure all of your most vital fitness skill sets and show you how you stack up. From there, I can recommend programs that are better suited to you and your abilities, thus making our workouts even more effective for you. So without further adieu, let’s check these quick fitness tests out…

Max Burpees in 1 minute. This one is pretty simple. Perform one full minute of burpees, counting each rep. 1-8 = 1 point. 9-16 = 2 points. 17-24 = 3 points. 25+ = 4 points.
1 Mile run. Oh yes..the mile run. How many are immediately taken back to grade school here? A mile is a perfect gauge of mid-distance endurance and will let you how you’re cardiovascular system is doing. 13+ minutes = 1 point. 10-12:59 = 2 points. 7-9:59 = 3 points. Sub 7 minutes =4 points.
Max Squat. You’ll need to be careful here not to injure yourself; we’re just looking for a ball park. The 1 rep max squat is a great testament to your body strength. As you may know, the squat targets a wide variety of muscles in your lower body, giving you a good overall sense of your lower strength. 50% of your bodyweight = 1 point. 100% of your bodyweight = 2 points. 150% of your bodyweight = 3 points. 150%+ of your bodyweight = 4 points.
Max Bench Press. Definitely grab a spotter for this one. Like the squat, we want to see how much weight you can press in one repetition. The bench press, while no means the best indicator of total fitness ability, despite claims by meatheads everywhere, provides a good gauge of your upper body strength. 0-40% of your bodyweight = 1 point. 41-80% of your bodyweight = 2 points. 81-120% of your bodyweight = 3 points. 121%+ of your bodyweight = 4 points.
Jump Rope skips in 1 minute. This one is going to test not only your endurance, but your speed, agility, and muscular endurance in both your upper body and lower. Go for max skips in minute and be sure to count each jump once. 0-40 skips = 1 point. 41-80 skips = 2 points. 81-120 skips = 3 points. 121+ skips = 4 points.
Max Plank Hold. Time to take things down to the ground and see how that core strength is doing. We’re going to test your ability to hold a plank, so simply get into position, keep good form (hips level and square to the ground), and hold until the burn overtakes you. 0-30 seconds = 1 point. 31-60 seconds = 2 points. 61-90 seconds 3 points.91+seconds = 4 points.
Max Box Jumps in 1 minute on ~18 inch box. Feel free to use a bench or box for this one, just make sure its right about 18 inches. Start the timer and see how many reps you can knock out. This one tests your ability to perform during plyometric exercise which is a good gauge of your explosive power and fast-twitch muscle endurance. 0-12 jumps = 1 point. 13-20 jumps = 2 points. 21-28 jumps = 3 points. 28+ jumps = 4 points.
Max Clean and Press in 1 minute. For the weight on this one, use 50% of your bodyweight. This fitness test is going to determine how well you perform high-intensity muscular endurance exercises with an aerobic element. In other words, how will your muscles perform when you’re gasping for air? Use proper form and go for max number of reps in 1 minute. 0-6 reps = 1 point. 7-12 reps = 2 points. 13-19 reps = 3 points. 20+ reps = 4 points.

Needless to say, you’re going to want to split these fitness tests up and perform them on different days to determine your true potential. Having said that, and now that I think about it, this could probably pretty easily be turned into a killer circuit style workout. Give me a little while and I’ll see what I can do here, but for our purposes today, let’s just focus on using this to test our abilities.

Once you’ve completed them all, it’s time to figure out how you stack up. Make a note on your performance of each exercise, then compare to the guidelines below…

8-15 points – You’re an absolute beginner, or are performing like one. If you’ve been exercising for a while and are still at this level, something isn’t right. It’s time to fix your program and do something that works. You likely have a lot of ground to gain in both the strength and endurance realms, but the good news is, progress comes quickest to those falling in this group. Stick with a program designed for beginners with an emphasis on pushing you carefully, but continuously past your perceived limits.
16-20 points – You can go ahead and call yourself a novice at this level. You have a solid fitness ability, but have not yet mastered an all around high-level of fitness. You likely have holes in either strength or endurance, or possibly both. Focus on your problem areas while continuing to push your strengths with engaging and unique workout routines.
21-27 points – You’re definitely a cut above most people you work out alongside in the gym. People probably look to you for inspiration. That said, you’re probably still checking out the most fit and active people wondering how they got to where they are. If you’re scoring 3′s or above in most categories, you’re hitting the point where most people begin to plateau. Pushing yourself past a plateau is hard for anyone. You likely need to work on sharpening your mental discipline and find a plan that changes exercise formats frequently.
28-32 points – By scoring in this range, you’re likely hitting 4′s on at least half of all the fitness tests above. You’re a beast, but being a beast, you know there is always more work to be done. No one ever reaches “perfection” and pushing yourself isn’t a real obstacle for you. Your biggest challenge is usually finding a plan that is up to your standards and will help keep you working hard enough to avoid hitting that lull and plateau-ing. Finding a plan that seamlessly challenges your fast-twitch muscle fibers, cardiovascular system, and major muscle groups through heavy/light lift sequences is your best bet to keep the progress flowing.

Now that you have a better idea of where you’re at, it’s time to look at some sample workout plans that will help take you to the next level and beyond.

Beginner Plan - Progressive Beginner Plan. This beginner level plan is made to take someone with a very basic level of fitness and carefully push them past their comfort zone. By sticking with this plan for a period of time, the beginner will develop the confidence, endurance, and strength necessary to move on to more challenging workout plans.
Intermediate Plan – The Total Body Blitz Series. This three-part plan is made for people with a solid base of fitness ability who want to take things to the next level. Following all parts of this plan will have you completing the above fitness tests with 3′s and 4′s by the end of part III.
Advanced Plan – The Total Body Superset Complex Workout Plan or The HIIT Workout Series. At this stage, you have a pretty good idea of what your strengths and weaknesses are. You should find a plan that works for you, with both of the above great options for the advanced exerciser. If you’re looking for more all around conditioning, combining plans is a great idea. This will help keep things interesting and push you past any plateaus you may be encountering.
BEAST Plan – The Baddest Workout Routine on the Planet or The “Level Up” Workout. You’re a beast. You know you’re a beast. Everyone at the gym knows you’re a beast. As a beast, I’m only suggesting some workouts that have personally pushed me to the brink. You know what tests you by now, so use the above plans as you see fit. The “Level Up” workout is an exercise plan that makes use of some of our hardest workouts we’ve posted on the blog. They’ve been carefully combined to ensure progress is made for even the most fit individuals. If you’re a beast and not liking what you’re seeing here, feel free to comment or send a message and I’d be happy to work with you to find things even more tailored to your abilities.

The Great Push Up Challenge

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Matt Posted in Health in the News, Motivation, Self Improvement, Strength Training, Training 2 Comments

Ready for a challenge that will transform your body and mind?

We’re always looking for new and interesting ways to push our readers, and this is yet another method to challenge yourself both physically and mentally. Unlike other challenges, this isn’t really a work out, per se. The Great Push Up Challenge is something we put together as a means to help increase everyone’s ability across all facets of exercise. Whether you start small and end up big or start big and go bigger, it doesn’t matter. Mastering the push up and using this challenge to push yourself is something everyone stands to benefit from.

Why a Challenge?

A bit cliche, but true statement nonetheless; your mind will quit a thousand times before your body will. Doesn’t matter if you’re brand new to fitness or a seasoned vet; overcoming mental fatigue is the greatest obstacle you’ll face when working to reach your goals. It’s way too easy to skip a workout, quit before your last rep, or cut that HIIT cardio session just a little short because you convinced yourself you’ve already done enough. Speaking from experience, the internal battle that wages during a workout can be quite intense, and winning that struggle is often what separates the extremely successful from the semi-successful.

Challenges, in a variety of forms, will help you build the mental strength necessary. It’s a misconception that becoming one of those extremely fit and healthy people is all about physical strength, or what you see on the outside. The outside is simply a byproduct of what’s going on upstairs. Exercising your mind and training it to be disciplined and persistent is MORE important than all the squats, bench presses, and hours of cardio in the world. Until you develop that mental toughness and determination, you’ll perpetually live on the roller coaster of motivation; always taking one step forward and one step back.

This is why well-crafted challenges are so beneficial. You may not think they are much, but accepting them for what they are, striving to meet the goals laid out, and pushing until you do is the perfect mental component to your physical exercise training. That being said, this push up challenge is the perfect complement to any fitness plan you’re currently on. Like I said above, don’t look at this like it’s a work out plan. It’s a mental AND strength CHALLENGE. Once you really get into this, you’ll see how mental this becomes, and how much you start benefitting from it when accept it head on. The days where you don’t want to go to the gym, when you want to quit early, and when that Big Mac clouds your judgement will become fewer and fewer, until they cease to exist. That is the power that continued mental training can have on you, should you choose to accept it.

Why the Push Up?

Before we get into the challenge, let’s discuss WHY we’re using push ups. First off, push ups are a tremendous gauge and test of your total body conditioning. Push ups are a great way to tax the muscles in your…

Delts
Pectorals
Triceps
Core
Back
Lower Body

You’ll have a hard time finding an exercise that will hit so many muscle groups as effectively as a perfect form push up. Along that line, push ups demand strict form to unleash all of their benefits. Check out the image below to get a good idea of what the start and stop positions should look like for a perfect push up. Keep in mind, you’ll want a straight back, hips up, elbows in.

Want to perform better on military press? Push ups will help. Want to bench more? Push ups will help. Tighter abs? Push ups have you covered. Have a weak lower back? Push ups will help improve it. The physical benefits you’ll receive by accepting this challenge are too many to be denied.

I Can’t Do a Push Up

Can’t even do one push up? Don’t worry, I’ve worked with MANY people over the years who’ve struggled to complete just one push up with proper form. I’ve found a pretty awesome solution which has helped virtually every single person develop the strength to go from being able to complete zilch to ten perfect push ups in less than a month. Here’s how it works…

Alternate between a push up from your knees and holding a plank for 10 seconds. Go back and forth until you complete 20 of each. Continue this format, increasing the reps by 10-20% each week. When you’re ready, start doing your push ups without the knees. When you feel weak, go back to the knees. Shoot for 3-4 times a week, and by the end of the month, you should find you’ve developed the strength necessary to complete the perfect push up, no knees required.

The Great Push Up Challenge

So, you’re ready for the challenge? Before you get started, make sure you’re fully committed to sticking with this. Again, this is not going to take the place of your workouts nor should it interfere with anything you’re doing. This is simply an add-on that will benefit you mentally and physically, in ways you never thought possible.

This challenge isn’t complex, but don’t mistake it’s simplicity for ease.

For women: Your goal is to complete 50 perfect push ups, without stopping.
For men: Your goal is to complete 100 perfect push ups, without stopping.

That’s it. Nothing else involved. In theory, seems pretty easy doesn’t it?

How You’re Going to Accomplish This Goal

Some pointers and guidelines that should help keep you on track.

You need to attempt the challenge 2 times per week.
Increase the number of perfect push ups performed by at least ONE each time, even if you have to stop and rest.
Chart your progress and hold yourself accountable.

End Result

I’ve been attempting The Great Push Up Challenge myself for the past three months. I started at a high fitness level and am currently at 92 push ups continuous. Success is close. That said, I’ve seen people starting far less in shape than myself conquer this goal in less time. Whether it takes you two months or two years, the important thing is sticking with your self-imposed challenge. The transformation your body is going to undergo as you compete against yourself will be nothing less than amazing. Almost ALL of your exercises will increase in strength, your form will begin to improve, you’ll look and feel fit and healthy. Your mental toughness, determination, and motivation will all soar by leaps and bounds.

Despite the simplistic nature of this challenge, there are few things I have encountered in my many years in fitness that have made such a tremendous impact on my own health and mental discipline. I challenge all of your to accept this challenge and incorporate it into whatever you’re currently doing.

Feel free to update us on how you’re doing and/or ask for help if needed. Feel free to reach out to us on the blog or Twitter – be sure to use #thegreatpushupchallenge in your posts!

Why We Fail To Achieve Our Goals

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Matt Posted in General Health, Motivation, Uncategorized 1 Comment

There are two kinds of issues most of us face. On one hand, there are issues which we cannot change, like our height or genetic makeup, or who our parents are. On the other side, there are issues that we absolutely can change with enough effort, time, and committment. Becoming a doctor, losing 60 pounds, and overcoming a disability are all examples of obstacles that are possible for us to overcome.

The great thing for the vast majority of you reading this is most of your goals are 100% attainable. I don’t know about you, but personally, I rest much easier when I know I control my own destiny. When overcoming an obstacle is directly correlated to how much time and effort I put in, I feel much more at ease. It’s the things I cannot change no matter how much effort I put in that bother me. So, let’s first recognize that your goals are attainable, and your success or failure is completely determined by you and only you.

Despite the fact we control our own success or failure, the overwhelming majority of fitness goals are never met; a sad but true fact. Have you ever wondered why this is? Millions of people are desperately trying to lose weight. Millions are trying to eat healthier. Every day there are literally hundreds of thousands of people exactly like you attempting to achieve very similar goals. Close to 90% will never get there. Why?

Before we get into that, let’s look at the other side of the spectrum. I’m sure you’ve noticed those people whom everything seems to come easy to. The ones with the booming businesses, rock hard abs, and Maserati in the driveway. What do these people have that everyone else doesn’t? Why are they so successful and able to seemingly breeze through life? Well, this is where there is one thing that is outside our control. As you know, each of us has a different genetic make up. Some people are genetically wired to be excessively driven, motivated, and committed. Every heard of type-A personalities? These are those type of people. Of course there are varying degrees of drive inside each of us, but those who achieve things so easily are highly likely to have been wired this way.

Now, that’s not to say a less driven wiring system in your brain will prevent you from achieving your goals. You simply have to work harder to achieve than the people mentioned above. Nine times out of then, when a person doesn’t achieve their goals it’s because they didn’t take the extra steps necessary to succeed. Remember, unless you’re one of those type-A, extremely driven, and innately full of motivation, these steps are key. When these steps are ignored or only partially taken, we fail to achieve our goals.

No accountability. You’ve absolutely got to find a way to hold yourself accountable. Whether it’s a friend, support group, or another creative way to stay accountable, you have to find a way. When you aren’t held accountable, not pushing the ball forward every day doesn’t really matter.
No patience. Most of us humans are impatient by nature. We want things done yesterday. By developing a long-term vision, you will understand reaching some goals won’t be accomplished in a few days, weeks, or even years in some cases. By not stressing about not making fast enough progress you’ll allow yourself to continually inch closer to achieving your goal.
No committment. This one goes without saying; if you lack committment you’re going to fall off the wagon and never reach your goal. So how do you find committment when it’s lacking? Try to build emotional bonds to your goal. Put your heart into your actions, and decide WHY achieving this goal is important to you. Is achieving this goal more important than being a quitter? If so, you’ll slowly develop a level of committment required to make progress.
Excuses. There are a million excuses not to do things. Stop making them. When you don’t want to take an action that will inch you closer to your goal, accept it for what it is. You’re lazy, uncommitted, fill in the blank. When you start owning up to your lack of effort instead of hiding it behind an excuse, you’ll notice your efforts gradually improve.
Bad habits. We all have them, but those of us who can consciously recognize them are the ones who are able to change them. Be honest with yourself; recognize bad habits for what they are and work to change them. Bad habits have ruined many a goal. Whether it’s not studying enough or late night snacking, bad habits are a sure-fire way to make sure you never get to where you want. Call them out, shine light on them, and they’ll slowly start fading into your past.

There are of course hundreds of reasons we don’t achieve our goals, but these are what I consider to be the core five obstacles to making long-term success. Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to change everything at once. Slowly work on these five common issues and you’ll find your abilities to reach goals will improve.

Goal setting is an important part of making great fitness successes. Learn to set smart goals, persevere, and over time you’ll be simply amazed at what you are able to do.