Thursday, February 07, 2008

The Real Deal With Personal Trainers

Our long time buddy here Amy from Blu’s Zoo had her first meeting with a personal trainer.  I thought we would ask her to guest post so she can give us the low down on what having a personal trainer is really like.  I know for me, it is has always been an intimidation factor that I have not signed up for a personal trainer.  I keep thinking that I was too fat and that they would laugh at me, or that I couldn’t do even the basic of exercises based on my weight.  Although I’m sure I’d do okay, it is great to have a personal experience from someone who went through it.  So here is Amy’s take on her personal training experience:

So I had my fitness meeting with a personal trainer at the local Y and went over the SMART program and my goals.

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic & Time Oriented Goals ( I guess SMARTOG just didn’t roll off the tongue like Smart does).

I went in with a very clear purpose and set of goals.  I need to strengthen my quad muscles in my right leg to help avoid further knee issues. I was given a list of things I cannot do by the doctor but no real idea of what machine or exercise I could do.  I also wanted help toning my upper body and getting rid of my gut (it’s sad that I have a gut but don’t get the joy of drinking beer to get it).  She asked about what I was doing to drop the extra weight, complimented me on what I have lost and agrees with the Weight Watcher program.

So with this in mind I sat down with Lori and for the next hour went over everything.  We started with her asking about my medical history, she took lots of notes and asked questions about my knee.  Then we went over my exercise and fitness levels.  We went over how often I Would be coming in vs. how often I SAY I would and how often I Should be coming in.  For getting back in the swing of things we are starting out with 3 times a week.  I can work up to 5 but she doesn’t recommend going beyond 5 for the burn out factor.

We went over all the classes the Y offers also and I have a list of what is a Cardio class, what’s a Strength class and what is a combination of the two.  With that list we then whittled it down to the ones that would suit me most for what I want out of my workouts ( The Kick Boxing is one of those.. Imagine that, the black belt having a match to another karate class ).  She recommends doing 1 class a week and the other 2 day in the fitness center working up to 2 classes and 3 days in the gym. 

I was also given a very handy formula I am going to pass on, how to calculate your heart rate target zone for cardio work outs.  Did you know they don’t recommend working out at the high range of your zone for more then 1/2 of your work out? It can cause more harm then good they have found. So to find your heart rate target zone just do the following:

(220-age) x 50% to get your low range
(220- age) x 80% to get your high range

Energy in = Energy out you maintain weight
Energy in< Energy out you lose weight
Energy in>Energy out you gain weight

We are starting me out simple.  2x a week I will be doing 10m warm up, stretching , 30m of cardio and 30m of strength training on the machines (focusing on my quads and arms), stretching and then 20m with a stability ball working on the core followed by a 10m cool down on the bike. For a total of 130 minutes in the gym 2x a week.  Totally do-able. The other day I will be taking a class, the water aerobic has come highly recommended for my knee so I might just give it a try first.  Also recommended was the Core Challenge and Body Pump classes.

I have to go back Friday morning at 9 for the Body Fat and Muscle weight assessment as the lady who does it had to leave early and I am going met up with Lori to go over the new machines and do an actual full workout!

So there was my fun fact filled Wednesday night, and for another laugh… I did this whole thing in a packed ass gym wearing two different sneakers because I am dummy and didn’t check as I was lacing them up.

It sounds pretty informative to me!  We’re all excited for you Amy and hope that this new program really works for you!! We are sure to be getting updates from Amy.  If anyone else has personal trainer experiences that they have had or something that they have learned, we would love to hear them!!

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Let’s Walk!

Ah, the easiest exercise in the world, but the hardest to get up and do.  Walking and I have a love hate relationship.  I love it when I do it, but I hate to do it.  I even have a treadmill in my bedroom, but alas, it is the best clothes hanger I have ever had as well.  I used to walk a couple of miles a day - or at least till I got up to 60 minutes.  At first I could only do about a 22 mile, but I worked my way up to about 18 minutes and then I stopped.  I tried running to see if I liked it better but that hurt my knees too much.  The other day I was doing my yoga DVD and I swear I thought - jeesh, I should be walking, it’s easier!  So, if its easier, why am I not doing it?

Well I figured it out.  I hate my treadmill… it doesn’t have enough bells and whistles to keep me occupied.  It is so loud that I can barely hear the television over it, and the fan is broken so I sweat like a pig.  That is a good thing sometimes I suppose, but for the most part it makes me so hot that I want to get off it.  I certainly can’t afford a new treadmill, at least one that I want so I’m hoping someone on Craigslist will be selling this bad boy sometime soon. 

Meet the treadmill of my dreams - Epic 550 MX Treadmill
- OMG - if this isn’t the best treadmill ever!!  It has a 7 inch television so I can actually look down and not halfway across my room.  It was rated the Best Buy in 2008, you can plug in your iPod right to it, its got the comfort cushioning so it doesn’t hurt your knees, and its got 28 personal training workouts!! All for the *low* price of 1200.00.  Yeah right!  Well it certainly isn’t in my budget, but damn, I want this thing.  I feel like if I spent that much money I would have to walk on it!! LOL.

Do you all walk and if so - how much do you walk each day and/or week?  I’m trying to figure out how long it will be before I get to a 15 minute mile.  I was looking around for some advice, and I found these tips for walking that I thought maybe you would all find interesting or helpful:

1. Check your body frame. Are you tall or short? Are you fat or thin? Are you dark-skinned or fair? These are the things you should consider as you look at yourself in front of a full-length mirror. Answering these questions would make you appreciate your body more. Then you will be on your way to walking with confidence.

2. Project yourself. After feeling good about yourself, you have to make sure that you look that way. Relax. Be physically beautiful, clean, and healthy from within to the outside. Dress appropriately. Wear clothes that feel most comfortable to you. Here, your confidence will be boosted more.

3. Give your body a rhythm. Walking is a repeating activity. Since that kind of activity is rather boring and common, something has to be added to it to spice it up. And that will be nothing else but a harmonious rhythm of your body.

4. Involve your feet, legs, and your whole body when walking. Walking does not involve the feet alone. The rest of your body should pace with each other. That means as your feet are moving, your arms, shoulders, hips, and waist are all moving in harmony as well.

5. Straighten your body. Do this by standing up and keeping your chin pointed. Follow the military stance of putting your stomach in and taking your chest out. This is the proper walking posture. Now that your body is prepared, you are ready to take a few steps.

6. Imagine a straight line on the ground then walk within it. Walking in a crisscross pattern is never attractive. Do it the ramp model way. Walk as if you are in a catwalk and not on pavement. And do it with so much confidence emanating from within.

7. Keep your toes straight. Walking in a straight line is not going to be enough. Your toes and heels should both be parallel to that line too. If your toes are falling outside, either in the extreme left or the extreme right, you still are not doing it the right way. Or, if you have your toes coming to the center and the heels outside the extremities, that’s wrong too. Walk with your toes and heels facing each other at all times.

8. Make sure that your legs are not crossing as you walk. When one of your feet is coming in front of the other as you walk, you are not walking right. Still using your imaginary line, try to walk with your feet on each side of the line. The line serves as the boundaries of the foot. That means you are not to cross over it.

I think I’ll give it a try tomorrow - even with my crappy old treadmill I’ll let you know how it goes!!

Friday, January 25, 2008

It’s Weigh-In Day!

I know, you are sitting there thinking… darn, isn’t there something I need to do today?  Well there sure is!  You need to weigh-in of course

It’s Friday and today we are going to all think positive, hop on that scale, and see the pounds just fall off.  Well some of us anyhow For me, I saw an addition of 2 pounds even.  BUT… on my behalf it is the day before “that time of the month” so I think I’m holding a little water, and I ate WAY too late last night which I am sure isn’t good for my weight loss.  Speaking of which, I wanted to discuss the truth about eating late at night, and what it does for your diet.

As you probably know if you ever watch Oprah, she and Bob Greene firmly agree that you need to have a cut off period at night in order to allow your food to digest which can lead to weight loss.  For the most part I agree with this.  I mean, the fact is, whether you eat at 7pm for the last time, or 11pm for the last time, you are still taking in the same amount of calories, but it is the time that you have left before laying down that you can actually burn off these calories.  If you eat right before bed, and then you lay down, you are not burning as many calories as you could if you are sitting up, walking around, folding laundry, or taking a walk after dinner.  That is why you should make a cut off point for eating. 

It is recommended that 3 hours before your bedtime is the last time you should have a snack, so that your body has time to work off some of the calories, and so you literally won’t be sleeping as your body is trying to digest and break down the food.  When you lie down after eating you are just asking for those calories to change over to fat which can stay with you for a very long time.  Instead, you need to find a way to eat a healthy dinner, have one healthy snack, and then avoid food for 3 hours before you go to sleep.  Sure, it sounds easy, but what about those late night snack binging episodes that you are so used to?  Well, as Nancy Regan so famously said - JUST SAY NO! Say no to empty calories that you eat as you watch TV.  Say no to eating large amounts of food as a snack just because you are bored.  Say no to the leftover dinner that is sitting in the refrigerator because you have nothing else to eat. 

By planning out your dinners, as well as your snacks, you will learn to avoid mindless eating and you will start to see the pounds come off quicker.  Here are some great tips on how to avoid late night eating:

* When you feel the urge to eat late at night, try drinking 2 or more cups of water. You can also make a cup of herbal tea sweeten with honey or artificial sugar. Hot liquids have a soothing effect on emotions and appetite.

* Remind yourself that it’s normal to feel hungry late at night due to habitually eating late. Breaking this habit is like learning to quit smoking. Remind yourself of your goal to lose 20 or 30 pounds and the key to losing this weight is to STOP late night eating.

* Much of late night eating after dinner can be avoided by hiding the junk food. Put foods that you’re prone to eat late at night out of sight. Better yet, don’t buy junk food at all, though this may not be possible if you have kids.

* Suck on hard candy. Most hard candy have only a few calories and they give you the satisfaction of snacking.

* Keep a written copy of your diet plan in view, which will keep your goal of losing weight firmly fixed in your mind. The temptation to snack late at night will not be as great if you don’t give into the urge for several weeks.

* Some people have great success by simply brushing their teeth late at night. This method has been known to curb late night eating for many people.

* The most vulnerable time for eating late is 1 hour after dinner right up to bedtime. Keep your life interesting by working on a favorite hobby and NOT watching TV. The ads on TV can subconsciously trigger the impulse to eat. Boredom is your biggest danger to late night eating.

* Psyche yourself for the battle. You know that you will feel tempted to snack late at night. It’s an artificial feeling that will go away when you go to bed. The next morning, you probably won’t be hungry .... eat breakfast anyway .... it’s the most important meal of the day.