MyLifeMyBody

Sometimes people look for the easy way out.   They look for the least difficult way to do things.  Maybe they think things can always be done quicker - and with less effort.  Getting things done quickly is one thing.  Expending less effort?  Well, that's normally where the problem comes in.  

Getting or staying in shape is a perfect example.  There are methods galore to be found that scream quick or easy.  And that's just it.  For a workout to be truly effective it can hardly be both of those two things.  Long and easy may be one thing.  Short and hard is a possibility as well.  But quick and easy?  It just doesn't jive.  

So, without further a do here's a simple workout technique that satisfies all of you time savers.  It works the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems simultaneously and it's only going to take you all of, well, 4 minutes.  Now, as I mentioned before quick and easy don't go hand in hand.  While the workout is ridiculously short, it only is that way because it is ridiculously hard.  So get ready to sweat, vomit, and cry you way to the fittest you've ever been - all while having more free time for fishing, knitting, or...whatever.  

"T" is for Tough

The workout technique that I referred to above is called the Tabata Method.  It was named after Izumi Tabata, PhD., a former researcher at Japan's National Institute of Fitness and Sports.  

The Tabata method is basically a simple form of interval training.  Here's how it works:

1. Pick an exercise.  Compound or multi-joint movements work best. 

2. Perform as many repetitions of the exercise as you can in 20 seconds.

3. Rest for 10 seconds.

4. Repeat 7 more times. 

Sounds simple, right?  It is.  Although it is a very tough workout, another benefit (aside from it being so quick) is that it is easy to follow.  As far as exercise selection goes again you want to stick with multi-joint exercises.  No biceps curls here.  Rows, Squats, and Presses are all good. Squats and "Thrusters" happen to be the most common (and probably effective) exercises to use.  If you haven't heard of "thrusters" the exercise is basically a squat with a shoulder press. It can be done with dumbbells or a barbell but the key is that you squat down with the weight resting on your shoulders and then immediately press it up as you reach the top portion of the squat.  

Two other things you want to be aware of are time and weight.  Ideally, you want to have a watch or clock with a second hand that you can watch to time yourself for 20 seconds and then for 10.  As far as weight goes, you want to pick it based on the number of reps you can perform.  You want a weight that isn't so light that you can do more than 15 reps per 20 seconds, but not so heavy that you can't perform at least 8 per 20 seconds.    

And that's it!  Simply to follow, really fast, and really hard.  This is probably not a protocol that you will want to use everyday, but it is a great option when you are pressed for time or want to focus on conditioning.  If you've never done it before, don't expect to be able to do one of your normal workouts directly following it.  If you do it right, you'll find yourself somewhere between pretty tired and totally exhausted.  

Bacon.

That's right, Bacon. 

It's the only food missing from the delicious looking breakfast in the picture above.  Unless you count syrup - or butter - but I assume they'll still coat the pancakes - maybe they're just camera shy at the moment.  Of course, there is always sausage, home fries and a plethora of other options.  It all just depends on what you like.  

Why am I talking about designing your ultimate breakfast?  I can't say that I'm a foodie or that I devote much time to visualizing meals in my head.  Nope.  But what I can say is that there is a point to thinking about what types of foods that you like.  If you're on a diet like the one I'm about to talk about, doing just that will help you stick to it - lose a ton of weight - and still be able to eat anything you want.  

By now you must think I'm crazy.

Eating whatever you want??  That can't work!  Only fat people do that!  That's how I'll end up if don't give myself any dietary restrictions! Overweight and unhappy....

That probably sums up what is going on in your head at the moment.  And that's ok.  It's pretty natural.  After all, most people have led us to believe that there is only one way to lose those extra pounds and get the body of your dreams.  It's pretty run of the mill and it goes something like this:

(Two Steps)

1. Go from doing nothing to working out fanatically.

2. Go from eating whatever you want to eating like a monk.  

Uh, ok....

Again, the thought process is such that you are automatically repulsed.  You've seen the plus exercise/plus calorie restriction plan before and it doesn't impress you.  It's not that it doesn't work or at least that it can't work.  No, what is really frustrating is that it is too hard.  It's too much all at once.  Going from one extreme to the next on both the exercise AND nutrition fronts is simply too daunting.  While it's possible to accomplish this feat, it's entirely too difficult.  And as we know, if something is difficult it's harder to accomplish.  

Now, I'm not saying don't be open to different strategies.  I'm also not saying to give up when the going gets hard.  On the contrary, that's when the tough get going - right??  All I'm suggesting is that if you can make something easier - and you're not getting a prize for making it hard - then, well, do it.  

But there's more.  The little plan that I'm referring to?  

It doesn't require exercise.

That wasn't a punch line.  No rim shot drum sound.  I'm not joking.  That's right, the plan just got better.  And really, not only do you not need to exercise with this plan but - at least in  the beginning - you're better off not doing so.  So no gym, no treadmill, no sweaty socks.  I know what you must be thinking...where do I start?

Hard (and little known) Facts

Before I start sounding like a game show host (but wait, there's more!!) let's talk science.  The stuff that will make you realize that the strategy I've been alluding to is possible.  The stuff that will make you perceive me as less Bob Barker and more bona fide no-bullshitter.  

It all revolves around an eating strategy referred to as the Cyclical Ketogenic Diet (CKD). While the plan I outline will have some differences, it is in essence based on CKD.  

Think about this: what do you think of when you think "diet."  Most likely you'll think of one of the many fad diets that are out there.  The fad diets are the ones that everyone is following. From secretaries to celebrities fad diets get around.  And a lot of times they don't know when to leave.  The low carb diet is a perfect example of a fad diet.  Most people don't know the difference between this and the Atkins diet, and - depending on who you ask - there isn't any.  However, there is a difference between CKD and Atkins or the plain 'ol low carb diet.  If you have heard of CKD then you might of been aware of that fact.  If not, here's the deal with CKD:

CKD is for those whose main concern is fat loss and muscle preservation.  (So just about everyone)  While it involves manipulating carb intake, there are not true dietary restrictions with this diet. (seems impossible, but I'll explain later) Whether you are just trying to lose weight or you are interested in taking part in sports and high intensity activities, this is for you.  

Understanding how CKD works is pretty easy.  When you eat carbs, your body experiences an insulin spike by the pancreas.  (insulin is a "storage hormone")  Insulin is used to store glycogen, amino acids in muscle tissue, and also store excess calories as fat.  Since this insulin "spike" is often the culprit in weight gain, the logical deduction is that if you take away the huge insulin release, you'll limit weight gain.  So how do you do that?  Again, take away what causes the huge insulin spike - carbohydrates.  So the first step with CKD is to cut carbs. (I know what you're thinking, you said I could eat whatever I wanted) You're right about that. What I didn't say though, was when you could eat what.  Manipulating that is the key to making this diet work.  

More info: After you start to cut carbs your body produces an increase in its number of catecholamines, (these are fat mobilizing hormones) cortisol (a "breakdown" hormone), and growth hormone.  At this point your body realizes that there are no more carbs to burn for every so it looks to another source: fat.  

When does this normally happen?  It's typically during a metabolic condition know as "ketosis."  This is when your liver's glycogen is depleted and it starts to produce ketones (by-products of fatty acids).  

The main idea is that when the body is fed fat and protein, it will use dietary fat along with body fat for energy and protein going towards repair and rebuilding of muscle and other tissues.  

Another piece of info that supports this diet is this.  When you follow a high carb, low fat diet you get to a point when some body fat is burned, but since the body is still taking in carbs, it uses those for energy instead of burning fat.  And of course, since you are taking in carbs - but very little fat - the body has to get energy from things on top of the protein - like muscle tissue.  Hence the muscle loss.  

But with CKD on the other hand, taking in lots of protein and lots of fat (that's right, I said "fat") while minimizing carb intake (most of the time) puts your body into ketosis or pre-ketosis for days at a time.  This means that your body reaches a point where it uses fat for energy (in place of carbs) and protein for rebuilding tissues all while consuming less total calories.  This means more body fat burned and more muscle spared.  

Putting it into Action: During the Week 

Putting this diet into action from Sunday to Friday does take a little work. (Hey I didn't say it would be effortless) The good thing is that it's not a situation where you are going to starve yourself.  Not to mention, the weekend is a place where you can pig out (literally) if you do feel deprived from the weekday plan as (I'll explain in the next section).  

Again, don't think about this as deprivation.  Yes, it probably will require some change on your part, but we aren't trying to institute a diet that is impossible.  In reality, a lot of the diets out there are too hard to stick to.  Think about it.  How can somebody hop on a diet that is very limited while still trying to train hard and lose fat?  It doesn't work like that.  Now, although this diet plan does not require exercise, it is still designed in a way that makes it easy and doable.  

Ok, so first things first.  In order to set up a CKD diet, you need to find your lean mass weight.  (this is your weight once you subtract the total pounds of fat on your frame)  For instance, if you weigh 200 but have 20% bodyfat, your lean mass weight would be around 160 pounds.  So, multiply this number by one and you will get the number of grams of protein you need per day.  Again, the idea is to be getting at least one gram of protein/pound of lean mass.  So if you overshoot this a little bit, it's ok. (using your total body weight as the figure instead of you lean weight would probably be ok in this case)  Once you get the number of grams of protein you will need, multiply this number by four.  That product will be the amount of calories of protein that you will need to consume each day.  For this individual it is 160.  

Here's where my plan deviates a little bit from the traditional CKD setup.  With CKD, the rest of your calories (everything above and beyond the 640) come from fat.  While consuming fats (the healthy kind and the "unhealthy" kind) and protein is a good strategy for weight loss - yes it's true - it's a little bit hard for most people to adapt to - especially if we're talking about taking carbs out of the picture entirely.  That's why I modified the diet - let's call it the Partial CKD now - for those of you who need something a little easier.  Let me review first the traditional CKD diet and then I'll go into my version.  Both are pretty easy to follow depending on your preference.  

Ok, so more on the traditional CKD plan requires one gram of protein per pound of body weight.  With this plan, everything else that you consume should be in the form of fat.  So we're talking a mix of saturated fats, monounsaturated fats, and polyunsaturated fats.  Even though it seems counterintuitive, you must eat fat to burn fat.  Research proves it.  And there are many advantages to taking in dietary fat while on CKD: you get a feeling of fullness because fat digestion is slow, more taste, and lower blood sugar.

So the question is how much fat?  Assume that you'll be starting with a 500 calorie deficit from your maintenance calories.  If you don't know what this number is then a safe way to go is to multiply your body weight by 15.  So, for instance, if you ended up with 3000 calories as your figure to maintain weight, 2500 would be what you would need to begin fat loss.  

Doing the math you want to take 640 away from 2500.  The result is 1860 which works out to be a little over 200 grams of fat per day.  Keep in mind that as you stick with the diet for a while, you may need to restrict calories more.  The best way to do this is to restrict calories in the form of fat, while maintaining the same protein intake.  

Some of you must be wondering where would you get all of the fat from.  Assuming you are not getting all of your protein from shakes, there a lot of food items out there that contain both fat and protein - and little carbohydrate.  For instance, a lot of fish is low in carbohydrate while being relatively high in protein.  Tuna is a perfect example.  Whole eggs are also high in protein and fat and contain no carbohydrates.  Bacon is comprised of saturated fat and protein.  Zero carbs there.  Peanut butter has a lot of protein and a lot of healthy fats, while keeping the carbs low.  Olive oil, which can be used in almost any recipe is loaded with healthy fats.  The same can be said about almonds.  And, when you add it up, if you are somewhere within the range of the individual used in the example - and are in the 200 gram of fat per day range - it's really not as much as you might think.  

Where the Fun Comes In: The Weekend

So the traditional CKD sounds pretty tough, eh?  Well, we're not done reviewing it.  Really, we just reviewed what you would do from Sunday to Friday.  Friday night to Saturday night is a little bit different.  During that 1 to 1.5 day period, it's no holds barred.  

Here's the deal.  Muscle glycogen is the primary source of energy for weight training, so we can't simply deplete all of the stores while working out and not fill them back up.  If that happens and the body gets to a point where it is tired of using body fat and dietary fat for fuel, then it will start to use protein.  Not with CKD though.  

So what do you get to do for the 1.5 days of "freedom" from the all protein/fat diet I described above?  You get to carb up.  That's right, you get to eat as many carbs as you want.  Not to mention the other stuff, protein, fat, and - that's right - even sugars.  The reasoning behind this is two fold: 

1. Psychologically you feel as though you are rewarding yourself with foods that you enjoy.  Depriving yourself all week can make you crave carbs and other simple sugar foods, especially when you are new to the diet.  

2.  Eating these things spikes insulin levels which allows your body to more easily store amino acids and carbs and glycogen into the depleted muscle which helps "bring you back" before you have to work out again with dietary restrictions the following week.  On top of this boost to your energy stores, there is also an increase in your metabolic rate.  Eating more food, forces your metabolism to rev up a bit and keeps the thyroid regulating properly. 

The idea with the "carb-up" is to being Friday night and go until midnight Saturday.  So how much should you be taking in carb wise?  While some lucky people can eat whatever amount they want for the 24 - 30 hour time interval and get back on par from a glycogen standpoint, other people need to use a formula.  Recommended by authors of the CKD is 10-12 grams of carbs per kg of lean mass.  This means that if you have 160 pounds of lean mass, you get roughly 73 kg.  

So the big question is this.  Can you eat whatever you want?  

The answer is yes.  To a point.  While you want to be consuming probably around 10 - 12 grams of carbs per kg of bodyweight, you also want to limit fat intake.  You ate a lot of fat during the week, but now that you are taking in carbs, you want to be aware of this amount.  The idea is that you want to eat enough to boost your metabolism and make you feel good - not enough to wreck your metabolism and cause you to put on weight.  

So if you want to eat pizza, go for it.  Here's the deal.  During the first 24 - 30 hours of carbing up, the body will use all dietary carbs to refill glycogen, protein for rebuilding, and - yes - fat for energy.  See, your body is still in the same mode that it was in for the past five and a half days.  When all of the carbs you are taking in are going into the muscle, what else is there?  At the same time, as I mentioned above, you can't eat all of the fat you want.  You want to keep the grams of fat below your body weight in kg.    

Pseudo CKD: An Easier Way to Do Things

For a lot of people the hardest part about CKD is the limiting carbs.  While being able to carb up like crazy on the weekend is nice, it's still a bit crazy for most people to go from tons of carbs to nil.  Here's an easier way to go about it:

Stick with essentially the same CKD ideas.  Focus on getting one gram of protein per pound of body weight.  Have your carb fest on the Fri - Sat period.  But make it easier on yourself.  Have some carbs during the week.  What do I recommend?  You still want to avoid really starchy, simply sugars.  Lots of vegetables and a moderate amount of fruit are one way to go.  Oatmeal and slow digesting brown rice are good as well.  There are only three restrictions with this approach.  

1. You have to make sure you are consuming lots of protein.  At least 1 g/ pound of body weight is ideal.

2.  Since you still need to consume the same amount of protein, but are now consuming carbs on (on top of fat as well) you need to make an adjustment so that you don't eat more total calories.  A good ratio to use is 50:30:20 of protein to carbs to fat.  This is ideal because it allows you to maintain an emphasis on protein while adding carbs and not reducing fats too much.  

3. Know when to eat carbs.  The only times to eat carbs (especially when you are minimizing intake there) is at breakfast, at lunch, and possibly early evening.  You want to space them evenly and not consume them late at night when you are inactive and they are more likely to be stored.  
But the point is that with this approach you can eat carbs during the week - as long as you control intake - and still go nuts on the weekend!  While this approach may result in a longer weight loss period, it sometimes is more effective than real CKD because people can stick with it more easily!

Oftentimes we don't want to eat "healthy" foods because we don't like the way they taste. Maybe they lack flavor or we think that they don't "fill us up."  Making foods that are good for you taste better isn't always easy, but here's an example of a recipe that solves that problem.

Protein Sludge 

Protein "sludge" is a really simple recipe that involves only a few different ingredients.  Even though it's basic, it's a totally different take on how people normally take in their protein powder. (shakes) The fact that it tastes good helps too.  All you need for sludge is peanut butter (or almond butter), chocolate protein powder, water, and blueberries.

How to Make It 

Grab a bowl.  Throw in 2 - 3 tablespoons of natural peanut butter or almond butter.  Next, add the two scoops of chocolate protein powder.  After this, you want to add some water to the mixture, starting with about one eighth of a cup.  Stir everything together until you get a thick, sticky, but slightly wet mixture.  Add water if necessary to get the desired consistency. The next step is to sprinkle in one to two handfuls of blueberries.  If the blueberries are frozen, then the recipe is done.  If not, after stirring in the blueberries, put the mixture in the freezer for five to ten minutes.  Take it out and enjoy.  The result is a tasty concoction that is high in protein, healthy fats, and antioxidants.  One thing to note is that although the fats it contains are healthy, there are still quite a few of them in one batch.  The solution?  Enjoy it over the course of 2 or 3 meals or split it with someone else.  And just remember, it may look a little gross, but your taste buds won't complain.  

  Everybody does it. That's right.  Everyone. No one is excluded here. 

What am I talking about?  Bad habits.  We all have them.  We all fall victim to them. Whether they are considered a typical vice or not, everyone has partaken in a bad habit or two.  Some people more than others.  Some people are actually addicted to bad habits.  Unhealthy activities can help people simplify their lives and cope better in the short term. Every other thing they do may be considered bad or unhealthy.  At the same time, there are others who are more aware of what is considered "bad."  They avoid these so called "bad" activities or actions for the most part.  But still, even these individuals sometimes break the rules. Sometimes being perfect all the time just doesn't work.  

I know this.  Perfection might be what some of us pursue, but it's not attainable.  

So where does that leave us?  

Well, it depends on what boat you're in.  If you are one of the people who indulge every whim and never think of the negative consequences, then the main idea is to start to get a grasp of what those things are, and how to start limiting them.  By the same token, if you are pretty good at keeping yourself on the straight and narrow then the idea is to stay that way.  The key for both groups is to realize that we all have tough days or stress or things we want to eat or things we want to do that may not be great for us.  Just being more aware of our overall lifestyle is the first step.  Becoming more in tune with what we need to do to change is the second.  Ultimately though, don't beat yourself up if there are things you need to work on.  Change comes better when you coax it - not when you force it.  

A lot of times when we are trying to make changes we look for things that we can start doing that will help us.  In this post I wanted to throw out a few things that a lot of people already do that hurt them.  The key then of course is to try to limit these activities.  Case in point: if you are already smoking cigarettes, well, the key is to quit. ( I know, easier said than done)  Don't think that since you've been wanting to take up drinking Green Tea that you will start that and not bother kicking the nicotine habit.  Cigarettes will kill you faster than Green Tea will save you.  Quit the cancer sticks and than think about increasing your antioxidants - not the other way around.  

Makes sense, right?  

Here are a few big little bad habits:

The After Work Veg Fest

Who hasn't done this?  I know I have.  It's to easy to do - that is the problem.  You get home, throw your stuff on the table and then you see the couch.  It beckons to you.  It calls out your name.  Once you flick on the TV, you're doomed.  If you don't find something you like immediately, well, it's a lot easier to stay on the couch and channel surf than it is to do just about anything else.  And when you're tired, you'll put up with a lot more re runs than when you're bright eyed and bushy tailed.  Chilling in front of the TV every now and then is ok, but the science is there.  Do it too much and you increase your risk of putting on weight, suffering heart disease, etc.  So remember, limit the tube time each day, or risk getting soft in the cage. 

The (not so) Happy Hour

I've always wondered why people love happy hour so much.  It's pretty simple though.  For them, it's a stress reliever, a way to relax.  Other people prefer a more natural antidote for stress: working out.  Everyone has their own preferred form of stress relief.  And that's ok. What's not ok is when the drinking gets to be too much.  Anything beyond 1 - 2 drinks per day is considered unhealthy.  Not only will consuming copious amounts of booze increase your total calories consumed for the day, but it will also contribute to a host of other mortality risks such as heart disease and cancer.  Definitely not two fellas that you want to have around.  Another thing to keep in mind: if you are literally only drinking for a one hour period but are consuming more than 2 drinks you are getting drunk.  Plain and simple.  Doesn't matter if you were the Beer Bong champ in college, the alcohol will hit you hard.  To top it off, if you aren't hitting the bar, but instead slamming beers on the couch in front of the tube after work, not only will the drinking increase the amount of time you stay zonked out in front of the tube, but the act of watching TV itself while drinking will make you drink more.  Ouch. 

Pop and Smokes

I don't actually call soda "pop."  I don't call cigarettes "smokes."  And really it doesn't matter because I don't talk about either very much because I avoid both like the plague.  But for some people it's not so easy.  If you've been making these two items part of your daily ritual for any extended period then it's very tough to quit.  While cigarettes won't exactly make you fat themselves, they will affect your metabolism.  While most people think this is a good thing ( and that it will zap their appetite so they will eat less) it's just not the case.  While not eating will cause you to lose weight, it won't help with body composition.  Losing fat and muscle is what happens when you don't eat.  And the result is that you are thin, but have little muscle definition - also called being "skinny fat."  Not a good thing.  And if that doesn't sell you, think about this.  Out of the people that smoke who supposedly do take in enough calories, how many of them take in good calories?  The number is small.  If you're not concerned about the cancer risk (and other risks) from smoking, then you probably aren't very concerned about what else you put into your body.  

Which brings us to soda.  I can't think of a more common combination then diet coke and cigarettes.  At least among women, this seems to be practically cliche.  I'm sure they make a nice pair.  Honestly.  The boost you get from a little caffeine and sugar, combined with the stimulation from nicotine is nothing to scoff at.  (another example is coffee and cigarettes)  It's a powerful one-two-punch.  Again, part of the reason it's a hard habit to kick.  So what's the solution?  Well, if you can kick cigarettes, than you can kick soda.  And although diet coke might be low in calories, it's still probably flooding your system with undue amounts of sugar.  Consuming anything that is high in sugar tends to spike insulin levels.  After insulin levels spike, they tend to come crashing down below where they were before.  What does this do?  It puts you in a vicious cycle where you are constantly trying to spike your low blood sugar all day.  It makes you consume one soda after the next and it never really does your body any benefit.  Basically it wreaks havoc on your metabolism.  Not ideal for weight loss.  Not ideal for maintaining muscle.  And not ideal for your overall health.  

Carbs Before Bed

 Oh man. Cue the Jaws theme music.  Here comes the hurricane.  We're talking about carbs here.  What could be worse, right?

Well, really, I'm exaggerating - they're not that bad.  In fact, we need them.  Even though the media demonizes carbs one month and then relents shortly after, they do have a place in our diet.  And, while people disagree on how much we need or what type we may need, I'm not going to talk about that right now.  What I want to focus on is why you shouldn't eat them before bedtime.  And why that can habit can make you fat.  

The key to kicking carbs at night is in realizing just how bad it is to consume them at that time.  And understanding why they're bad isn't the tough part.  What's hard is reminding yourself how much damage that cornbread will do to if you eat it late at night.  When faced with a delicious bundle of bread or pasta, it takes a lot of will power to turn and walk away.  

But here's what you need to know.  Carbs are energy.  Plain and simple.  When you consume them, they are either utilized for energy right then and there, or they are stored as fat.  While carbs do get shuttled into some other areas of your body, they are a huge contributor to body fat.  So, let's imagine this scenario.  You shuffle through the fridge late at night after feeling a few hunger pangs.  Now, although you may say that you are starving, you really aren't.  Not even close.  In fact, maybe your body fat levels are about average.  Maybe they're higher.  The point though, is that you aren't a skeleton and you do have some meat on your bones.  Could you go to sleep and wait until the morning to eat?  Sure.  Do you want to?  No.  Now, if you aren't trying to lose weight, then it isn't as crucial to avoid carbs at night.  While they won't have the best effect on your metabolism at that point in the day, it matters more if you are trying to lose weight.  From personal experience I've know tons of people who do everything right in order to lose weight.  They workout.  They eat relatively well during the day.  But then at night, they load up on carbs.  While sometimes it can become a compulsion or a way for some people to cope emotionally, it's not the way to go.  

Not Bringing a Healthy Snack while Shopping

This is a tough one.  What I really mean is that once you get yourself into the situation, it's hard to find your way out.  But if you plan ahead, the solution is simple.  But some of you must be wondering what exactly I'm referring to.  I mean not bringing a snack while shopping couldn't be that bad, right?  I mean, what is wrong with that?  

Here's the problem.  Well, there are two problems actually.  

Number one: You go out and do your normal shopping on the weekend.  You almost always stay out for three or four hours at a time.  And it's the weekend, so you might think that you can slack off a little bit with your eating habits.  But if you're trying to lose weight, or stay lean, managing your bad habits all the time is crucial.  So what is problem one?  Not eating.  That's right.  If you are trying to lose weight and keep blood sugar levels relatively stable throughout the day to allow you to do so, than you can't go for hours without eating.  This is actually bad for your weight loss goals.  Reducing the overall number of calories you consume is one thing.  Starving yourself and not giving yourself a chance to consume the calories you do need is totally different.  What's worse is that it can lead to problem number two...

Number two: You haven't brought a snack with you and now you are hungry.  You can either:

a. Decide to continue to "starve" yourself, thus slowing down your metabolism and making you more prone to make bad food choices when you do get a chance to eat or:

b. Look around for a place that serves healthy faire.  Only problem with this option is that there aren't a lot of places that are healthy.  Most places that would allow you to make healthier selections tend to either take longer to dine at or cost more.  Two things that a lot of Americans like to avoid - especially while shopping.  Out of the dozen or so "fast food" places that I can think of, only one that could be viewed as at all healthy comes to mind.  Subway. So, if you can't depend on finding one of those and sticking with one of their low fat choices, pack a snack when you head out for the day.  Or, at least do some research and find the scant few healthy options at other places.  

Grocery Shopping while Hungry

This is a crime that I will admit to having committed.  And that's why I know it's bad.  Going grocery shopping while hungry has two major drawbacks.  For one, you end up spending more money buying foods you don't need.  Secondly, the foods that you don't need tend to be just that - foods you don't need in your diet.  I'm not talking about extra bananas here.  A monkey might grab a couple extra of the yellow fruit when hungry, but us humans, well, we have a more complex palette.  We tend to buy things that we typically wouldn't buy and thus eat foods we typically wouldn't eat when we go grocery shopping while hungry.  If you're trying to lose weight or avoid putting it on, don't go grocery shopping while hungry.  

So there you have it, a few bad habits that can hurt your weight loss goals.  Don't be afraid to make some changes if it's what you need!

A lot of women out there are motivated to lose weight or get in shape but simply don't know where to start.  Being in the fitness industry, I understand the frustration clients often experience from having all the motivation in the world but zero no-how.  As a trainer this is often one of the toughest things for me to see.  Whenever I get a chance to help someone in this situation I take it.

  I also understand that even though becoming a true expert in health and fitness takes time, there is a lot people can learn in a short amount of time that can do wonders in helping them reach their goals.  This is one of the most significant bits of advice I can give.  Letting them realize that getting more fit doesn't have to be rocket science is huge.  Sometimes it even makes the difference between keeping the motivated people on target and having them give up out of frustration from not finding success in their efforts. 

When I say getting in shape doesn't have to be rocket science I mean it.  It's true.  

In essence there are only three main things that you need be concerned with whether you are trying to lose weight, build muscle, "tone up", or just become healthier through fitness.  

They are: (drum roll please)

- Resistance Training

- Cardiovascular Training

- Nutrition

That's it.  Count 'em.  Three things.  

Learn the basics regarding those three fitness/health elements and you'll be set to go.  While this post covers the resistance training aspects, I will give you a little summary of some things to be aware of regarding nutrition and cardiovascular training as well.  I won't go into too much detail though but instead elaborate in a later post.  

Here we go:

Cardiovascular training is important.  There are a few reasons.  Heart and lung health are improved through this type of training.  That's number one.  Number two is that this type of training burns extra calories.  While it is very difficult (if not impossible) to build muscle with cardio, if you do it right then you can normally at least avoiding burning muscle.  Remember: burn fat, spare muscle.  That is always the goal.  

Nutrition is crucial as well.  Since nutrition affects not only weight loss and body composition but also other parts of our physiology it plays a huge role in our daily lives.  If you eat poorly not only will your fitness goals be affected, but your health in general can be compromised.

Assuming (at least until a later post) that you've got your nutrition down pat and you're doing some sort of cardiovascular training, that only leaves resistance training.  Refer back to the post about why women should lift weights here: Hit the Weights Ladies!  Even though people have a lot of trouble sometimes understanding what to eat (nutrition) and what to do on the treadmill (cardio) there is normally at least as much if not more confusion when it comes to resistance training.  From the number of reps to that one should do, or the amount of rest one should take, to the exercises themselves, people often need a little bit of education. 

And that's ok.  That's what I'm here for.  

The goal for this post is to provide a very simple weight lifting program that women can follow.  While it is rather generic and won't fit everyone's needs, it is very easy to follow and will be effective for most of you.  If you are extremely advanced in your training (high level athletes or females who have been lifting for more than two years) or if you are very deconditioned (trying to lose a significant amount of weight or have never worked out before) this program may not be at your level.  On the other hand if you are trying to add weight lifting to your routine for the first time (and have worked out before) or are looking for a simple change in what you are already doing then you should find it helpful.  The program is centered around building basic strength and hypertrophy (which will result in "toned" muscles - not bulk for the ladies) while also providing an extra calorie burning form of activity three times per week. Point being, it should help not only with sculpting lean sexy muscle, but also burning fat.  The idea is not to change what you are doing now, but to simply supplement it with this program.  Hopefully you are already eating right and doing cardio a few times per week currently.  If not, I'll help with that too in another post.  

Here's the plan:

This workout is based on the idea of muscle confusion which uses the undulating periodization model. (don't worry about all of the funky science speak, but if you want to understand a little more you can check out this post on Muscle Confusion for Fat Burning)

Basically the idea is that you simply change something about the workout each week.  In this case it will be the number of reps you do with each exercise.  It will look like this:

Week 1: 6-8 reps

Week 2: 10-12 reps

Week 3: 12-15 reps

So, following those guidelines, you will perform each exercise with a weight that you will fail with somewhere in the given rep range.  For instance, during Week 1 you pick a weight that you cannot lift for more than 6 to 8 reps.  This means that somewhere between number six and eight you will reach momentary muscular failure.  Simply put, you won't physically be able to perform any more repetitions without resting.  The same goes for Week 2 and Week 3.  Keep in mind that (especially in the beginning) you will have to use lighter weight on Weeks 2 and 3 than you did on Week 1. (because you have to complete more reps) The idea is to complete this workout three times per week (ideally) with a day of rest in between.  Also, for all exercises you will do three sets, while taking one minute of rest between sets. Keep in mind that this is a routine that you can use for an extended period of time, (up to several months) so when you get done with Week 3, you simply start over again the next week on Week 1.  

Hopefully everyone is with me so far.  

Here are the exercises:

1. Leg Press Machine

2. Lat Pulldown 

3. Low Row

4. Chest Press Machine

5. Incline Chest Press Machine

6. Shoulder Press Machine

7. Rear Deltoid Dumbbell Fly

8. Double Arm Bicep Curl 

9. Tricep Extensions (skullcrushers)

10. Abdominal Crunch Machine

11. Supine or Hanging Leg Lifts

I purposely included a lot of machine exercises since those are easier for beginners but can also be used to your advantage if you are more advanced.  They are also a lot easier to figure out than most free weight exercises, especially if you're on your own.  As for the free weight exercises (anything that doesn't say "machine" after it) I am adding a link to an exercise database that has hundreds of various exercises with pictures and videos that you can refer to for proper form.  An easy way to find pictures of these exercises is to click on the link for the body part and then search within the exercises that come up.  Here is the link: 

EXERCISE DATABASE