Surprising Slimming Truths Part II

Well, it's been a week of fun travels in California visiting family and enjoying the sun, reconnecting with friends, and taking some TRX courses at the Fitness Anywhere corporate offices in downtown San Francisco.

Tons of fun, lots of laughter, several glasses of wine over good meals, and lots of good workouts and runs later, I'm back home, grateful for the trip and a subsequent nutrition course taken over the weekend. Come the end of May, I'll be a certified nutritionist, and I'm excited to offer new tips and services to my clients when that time comes. So, continuing with my ode to April's issue of Runner's World and their great article exposing weight-loss myths, here are some more truths to keep you motivated and encouraged as you stay consistent and keep moving towards your goals:

#4. Lift Less Weight with More Reps to Get Toned
The Truth: The bottom line is, if you're not working hard enough, you won't really see results. Most of us (yes, even those of you who think you're in "bad" shape) could lift 5 lbs from now until tomorrow afternoon without much burn - my clients know how I feel about going too easy on weights! To get toned, you need larger muscles and less fat, and challenging your muscles through heavier lifting is a way to do just that. Many people, women especially, are worried that they will bulk up if they lift too heavy of weight, but we're just talking about going heavy enough to feel it - the weight needs to be challenging in order to see results. You don't need to give up lighter weights - they do a better job at improving muscular endurance. A solid resistance program should include periods of both high and low reps, and you can change up your program every four to six weeks. This continues to challenge your muscles and keeps shocking your body so you don't get too used to the movements you're taking your muscles through. Muscle responds to resistance, so if it's too light, you simply won't see results.

#5. You Can "Make Up" Weekend Splurges
The Truth: When you break it down, Saturday and Sunday represent about 30% of the week, so if your weekends continually consist of "giving in" and using the "it's the weekend" excuse, your lifestyle and habits will catch up with you soon enough. Unfortunately, mindless eating and indulgence can counteract your good eating habits from the weekdays before the weekend. Again, consistency is key. Live in balance and stay consistent across the board.

#6. You Have to Ban "Bad Foods"
The Truth: More often than not, those who stick to restrictive diets usually experience a backfiring effect: they go overboard on their vices. Before making strict changes, ask yourself, "Can I live without peanut butter cheesecake (or licorice or wine or ice cream) for the rest of my life?" The answer is probably no...and not many people can leave the foods they love cold turkey! Try following the 80:20 Rule: eat well, exercise regularly, and make healthy choices 80% of the time. The other 20% of the time live a little - sleep in, miss a workout, enjoy that glass of wine or slice of chocolate cake. Don't let your 20% turn to 30 or 40% and stockpile on the weekends; spread it out and keep those weekends healthy. As long as you're reducing your overall intake, you don't need to nix any one food from your diet.

#7. Eating At Night Causes Weight Gain
The Truth: A calorie is a calorie no matter when you eat it. As long as your total caloric intake for the day is the same, it doesn't matter when you're actually ingesting those calories. Although you may have a slightly higher metabolism during the day (your metabolism literally sleeps while you do!), evening eating and its effect on weight loss is likely quite trivial. Just be sensible of eating mindless calories at night that you don't actually need. If, however, you work out at night, your muscles need refuelling (think: protein! complex carbs!) and you shouldn't be afraid to give it to them. Eating smaller meals throughout the day and pre-planning your evening meals instead of grabbing whatever's on hand in the kitchen while you're thinking of what to make will help ward off night eating and unwanted calories, but sensible snacks in the scope of the whole day are okay.

#8. Low-Fat Foods Are a Healthy Choice
The Truth: Look around your grocery store on your next visit at the labels, the advertising, the phraseology, and the commercials on TV and you'll be bombarded with low-cal, low-fat foods right and left. Then look at our nation's obesity problem. There seems to be a disconnect between these low-fat foods on the market and what they are doing to our bodies when we think we are making healthy choices. Low-fat foods may have the same (and sometimes more!) calories than their "regular fat" food counterparts because of added sugar to make up for the lack of taste without the fat. Moreover, low-fat foods can still contain trans and saturated fats which both increase your risks of heart disease. Ironic, no? You're more likely to indulge in more handfuls of low-fat trail mix or several more low-fat cookies as compared to the full-fat versions, leading you to eat more calories in the long run. And over-consuming calories leads to, unsurprisingly, weight gain. Sometimes the "real deal" in smaller amounts is better than a lesser version of your favourite foods; read your labels, check out the sugar contents, and be wise about what exactly you're putting into your body.

Thanks to Runner's World (and a bit of personal insight from my nutrition course this last weekend), you now have 4 more weight-loss myths exposed. Tune back in later this week for the last instalment of Surprising Slimming Truths. Feel free to post your thoughts, comments, or questions below! Dialogue is a beautiful thing. :) Until then, keep moving, eat thoughtfully, and be well!

-Bonnie

The Surprising Truth About Slimming Down

Thanks to a much-anticipated package that arrived in the mail today, I am re-inspired to get back on the fitness-bloggin-wagon! Every couple of months my mom mails me my copies of Runner's World (my favourite magazine) that I still receive at my hometown California address, and finally April's issue arrived and I am devouring it like the fitness-hungry trainer that I am. I thought I'd help expose some weight loss myths that this recent issue highlights in several posts. Since spring is nearly upon us (although here in Calgary it feels as if winter's here for round two!) and we are all coming out of hibernation mode, I thought some tips towards slimming down would be useful to start implementing now. Follow along as I take bits and pieces of the article by Matthew Kadey, M.C., R.D. and shed some light on 14 popular diet strategies that just don't work while finding out the ones that will actually help you take the next step towards slimming down and maintaining a healthy weight.

#1: To Lose Weight, Cut Carbs or Fat
The Truth: The bottom line is that to loser weight, you need to take in fewer calories than you burn, regardless of what percentage of carbs, protein, or fat you're eating. Calories in general are the most important factor for weight loss. All those get-thin-fast gimmicky diets put the focus on restricting fat or carbs and too easily distract us from this truth. So how can you learn to reduce your total caloric intake to kick start your own wright loss while sustaining energy to make it through your workouts and days?

• Find Your Calorie Burn: To estimate the number of calories you use during daily living and exercise, click here. Plug in the necessary info to get the result!
• Start Subtracting: Trim just 10 to 15% off of that calorie total - but no more than 500 calories a day. Record what you eat and tally your calorie intake with the huge data base found at http://nutritiondata.com
• Keep Up the Exercise: Although it's true that if you cut calories or cut calories and exercise you'll use the same amount of weight, the diet-and-exercise together helps improve your aerobic capacity, insulin sensitivity, cholesterol, and blood pressure - without going into starvation mode!
• Be Patient: Oh, how we love to skip this step in any weight-loss process! But a healthy weight-loss goal for those overweight is one to two pounds a week. Dropping more than this eats away at your muscle, leaves you fatigued after workouts, and slows your metabolism, actually making weight-loss harder at the end of the day. So wait it out - it will come.

#2: Exercise in the Fat-Burning Zone

The Truth: If you've been in a gym or have your own treadmill at home, you've probably seen the little sticker that shows how many calories someone who weighs 150 lbs. burns during exercise depending on which "zone" they're working out in. That sticker leads the average person to believe that exercise in this zone (or 50 - 70% of your maximum heart rate) leads to fat versus carbs being burned. This means exercising at a lower intensity (which is why the body draws energy from fat). As your heart rate climbs, more energy comes from carbs, so it's no wonder that it makes sense that to loser fat you should keep your heart rate down. However, that's not the case. Working out at higher intensities causes you to burn a lower percentage of fat calories in favour of carbs, but you use more total calories…and that's the key to slimming down! Moreover, since you're burning more total calories, the absolute amount of fat burned increases, too. Remember that long, slow runs and workouts do help build aerobic fitness and endurance. But if your focus is on weight-loss and jumping starting a slow metabolism, you need intensity.

#3: Mini-Meals Are Better Than Three Hearty Ones

The Truth: Frequent eating really only works if you choose nutritious foods and control your portion sizes. I think we all know how easily we can turn six small meals into six hearty ones! But once again, it comes back to calories: you can eat three times or ten times a day as long as you have the same caloric intake that will promote weight loss. A 2009 study in Australia with more than 10,000 subjects reported that  between-meal nibblers were 69% more likely to pack on pounds over five years. But remember - as long as you choose the right foods, snacking is okay, especially if you're running and working out regularly. Something small prerun/workout (think: dried fruit or yogurt) followed by a postrun/workout snack (think: carbs and protein mix like a turkey sandwich) can improve your performance and recovery. And as I've said before, keep in mind the good rule of thumb of eating when you're hungry. Tune into your body, listen, and respond - just with a healthy choice.

I hope this helps shed some light on all the confusing messages out there concerning weight-loss. Check back in soon for more myths about trimming down and stay motivated! Thanks again to Runner's World's April issue for the insight and facts that help put the rumours to rest. 

Eat well, move well, and be well! 

-Bonnie

The (Deeper) Benefits of Consistent Exercise

For phyiscal training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. - I Timothy 4:8

Regardless of your theology or beliefs, I think everyone can agree with or at least take something from the above verse. We understand that being active and fit and healthy is important, but it's not our entire life - simply an aspect of it. This is why I desire to shape my personal training business around quality of life rather than strictly results. While results are important (if you're not seeing or feeling any, we need to find the "missing link" and click things into place!), if each client only focused on that number on the scale or the tightness of their triceps or the shrinking of their belly we would be missing the greater point of training. 

In fact, the benefits to working out consistently are incredible far-reaching. Regular exercise:

• Improves your mood
• Combats chronic diseases (high blood pressure, cholesterol, can help prevent type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and even different cancers!)
• Helps you manage your weight
• Boosts your energy levels
• Promotes better sleep
• Sparks up your sex life (it's proven!)
• Acts as a great stress reliever (and remember, when you're stressed you hold onto weight more, so eliminating those stressful days with exercise helps the actual movement affect your body how it's supposed to)
• Can be fun!

Remember to keep these other benefits of consistent exercise in mind when you're beginning a workout program and are frustrated at the slow progress, or when you've been plugging away at a routine for a while and are having problems staying motivated. Keep it up - SO much is happening to your body, your mind, and even your heart (who can deny feeling great after a workout and the snowball effect of wanting to eat well and keep living well that day?)! Physical training has it's value, that's for sure, but remember that we are whole people, and it is only a part of your life. Hold onto a bigger perspective, be encouraged with all your hard work, and remember that consistency is key. The more consistent you are, the better results you'll see - both fitness- and life-wise!

Keep it up friends,

Bonnie

The Transforming Power of Fitness

How would you define fitness? Is it having lean, chiseled muscles that grab the attention of passersby’s? Is it being able to keep up with your two year old toddler as he careens around the house day in and day out? A simple dictionary definition of the word leads us to the conclusion that fitness is the “capability of the body of distributing inhaled oxygen to muscle tissue during increased physical effort.” I want to challenge your view and definition of fitness as we together look at this aspect of life apart from the eyes of the celebrity tabloids, fad diets, and the pressure to look a certain way.

            Fitness is, in my opinion, about increasing your quality of life. While setting goals and reaching them are important steps on the road to wellness, they are not the bottom line; although the number on the scale might mean a lot, it cannot be the driving focus of becoming fit. At the same time, we cannot ignore the importance of living within a healthy weight range and the urge look and feel good about yourself. The beauty of merging these outlooks, however, is that these tangible elements of fitness come as a by-product when your focus is more on making your daily life better. Since most of us in North America do not lead significantly active lives, we need to make sure to incorporate physical movement into our days, but doing so from a more holistic, balanced point of view of fitness gives you not only the desired results but yields bigger life changes as well.

            With this perspective in mind then, it’s easier to approach an exercise program with more grace and patience for yourself. It takes intentional time, focus, strong will, and self-forgiveness to start to see change in your life. But as you keep the physical activity up, you will begin to see changes that affect more than your physical being - changes like increased energy throughout your day, a more stable mood, better cardiovascular health, and a greater desire for other aspects in your life to change for the better. It’s a snowball of positive changes! This is the great thing about setting up and sticking with a physical program: it cannot help but begin to transform the other areas of your life that lead to an overall increased quality of life. And this change can happen no matter your physical fitness level; anything from chairs and stairs to weights and body exercises can serve as ways to burn fat, gain muscle, and get fit. Sometimes all that’s needed is the know-how concerning exercise and some motivation to get on track for a healthy lifestyle!

            So the next time you eat one too many cupcakes or skip out on your run, don’t beat yourself up about it but rather encourage healthier choices from the stance of positive motivation, not negatively urging yourself to do better. The next time you think the familiar thought to yourself, “I really should start exercising,” seek out ways to do so that can be integrated into your lifestyle so that exercise becomes attainable and sustainable, fun and worthwhile. Then you will become fit, for fitness truly starts and ends with increasing your quality of life.

 Fitness is best when it becomes integrated into your lifestyle...

...which makes daily life activities with friends and family better...

.

..so that you can enjoy the "finer" things in life guilt-free and to the fullest!

Tips for Healthy Eating

Today my husband and I went out around Calgary to do some cheap furniture shopping and bounced from one Value Village to the next consignment store, wandering around, smiling at finds but eventually leaving empty-handed. In all the excitement, I didn't realize my creeping hunger that was steadily growing inside of my body (I'm a regular eater and my body is always clear when I'm getting low on fuel!). By the time we got home I was getting to the point of feeling on the verge of "I'm starved!" but dinner wasn't quite ready yet. So what did I do? Had a handful of chocolate-covered coffee beans. Then part of an apple. Then a cup of tea to try to quell the quivering inside. Good choices, or bad ones? Not listening to your body when it's telling you something is one of the worst things we can do to ourselves. We try to "just get through" to the next meal or "just finish up" that assignment or load of laundry before responding to our bodies needs. 

In our fast-paced lives, many of us find ourselves running out of time to eat right (or sometimes even at all!) and don't always make the best decisions because we're on the go. Whether it's for reasons of inconvenience, laziness, or not knowing, there are many reasons why we neglect to take care of our bodies as it pertains to eating. Here are a few ways for us to incorporate healthy eating into our lifestyles and tips on how to avoid situations like I found myself in today!


#1. Remember the Magic 3: aim to eat 3 meals, have 3 snacks, and drink 3 L of water a day.


#2. Avoid all white foods: Be wary of foods like white rice, instant oatmeal, white sugar, and white flour. There are so many whole wheat and whole grain options now that finding substitutes is easy. Also, next time you want to cut calories, don't eat just the egg whites - contrary to popular thought, the yolk is packed with proteins, vitamin A, and fats necessary to absorb that vitamin A.

#3. Avoid artificial sweeteners. Go natural! Honey (the less processed, more local the better!) or molasses are much better options than fake sweeteners with aspartame and other harsh sugar substitutes.


#4. When grocery shopping, try to buy food that has less than 3 ingredients. This is hard to do, but the more real your food, the better!  The less processed means the more original nutrients you'll get.

#5. Pre-plan meals for the week (and/or day). These choices aren't hard to make, they just take time and will become habit. The better you plan ahead, the better your results to stick with eating well!


#6. Keep a food journal. You'll be surprised at what you're really eating when you take the time to write down every handful of candy or extra bite of your kid's leftover macaroni! Writing down what you eat keeps you accountable for yourself and helps cut out extra empty calories.

And remember: your results will be slower if you're not eating healthy 80% of the time. You can do sit-ups until you're blue in the face and run on the treadmill until you can't run anymore, but if you're eating whatever you like before and after those workouts, it almost won't matter. Don't sabotage yourself! If you want to see real results and want to have more energy and be more positive throughout your days, what you eat will make all the difference.


It's a lifestyle change, so take small steps towards your goal of eating well to make it sustainable and not a 4-week-diet-mentality. Eat well, workout well, and live well. Here's to increasing your quality of life!

-bonnie

(thanks to Cliff Harvey and Anne Matthews & 

their respective articles in Can-Fit-Pro's Jan/Feb 2010 issue)

My Fitness Recommendation for Mixing It Up...

Ever feel bored of routine? Whether it's the daily grind that's got you feeling stale or the lack of new experiences in your weekends, I think it's easy for many of us to get stuck in a rut and we find ourselves growing stale. My husband and I always want to be people who live "uncomfortable lives" - who choose to embrace fear and uncertainty and try to keep edging our comfort zones further and further away from where we were last year. From big life changes to saying hi to the person who always eats lunch alone at work, it's important for us to take steps to change the ordinary and mix things up - even in our health and fitness routines!

This is where I want to highlight a piece of equipment that will change the way you view (and experience!) fitness called the TRX Suspension Trainer (www.fitnessanywhere.com).  The TRX is a unique fitness tool that is small, portable, and challenges your core strength and balance through functional, compound muscle movements. It is an excellent tool to have because you can take it and use it anywhere with you, it's great for everyone regardless of fitness level and experience, and because you can use the TRX for literally hundreds of different exercise combinations; you will not get bored using this piece of equipment!

After taking a certification course in Calgary last year, I have not been able to get away from using the TRX and am enjoying using the diverse opportunities it has to offer with my clients. Performing different movements (especially ones that throw off your balance) than your body is used to creates "muscle confusion" which means you're forcing your muscles to be used in ways they haven't. In other words, simply doing biceps curls and leg presses condition your body to do the same movements, and over time your muscles get used to the routine - and you probably get bored of it! So trying something new and changing up your routine challenges your body in fresh ways which delivers real results. The TRX is great because you're using just your body weight as resistance, which is not only safe but also helps to sculpt lean muscle. Moreover, the ability to incorporate cardio bursts into your workouts through jumps, squats, and lifts while engaging your core means real change!

...it's change that I can get behind, and after using and loving this product so much, I want to encourage others to check it out too! Book a free initial consultation with me if you're in the Calgary area and I will show you how the TRX can help change the way you approach fitness! If you're interested in learning  more,  CLICK HERE

Explore this new fitness option, change up your routine, and start seeing real results! Whether this is the first you've heard of the TRX or you've tried it before, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. Stay consistent, push hard, and let's get strong together!

Find a Friend, Get a Break!

As part of my January incentive, I'm doing a push to get people working out together - greater accountability, more fun! So, if you find a friend, the two of you can work out for 1 session for only $30! Jump on this great deal to get fit with a spouse, family member, or friend and save money while doing it.