Workout

How Fast Can You Do It??

on August 5th, 2011 by Rob

Can your stop watch predict your demise??

Well, I don’t know ,that… but it can predict how healthy you will be before that demise.

O.K.- here is the deal. A bunch of really smart guys (there are a lot of them- I read about them all the time) at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School- got together and studied 66,000 people (aged 20-90) and determined that:

A. How fast you can run a mile is a good predictor of future heart problems.

B. This speed is just as good of a predictor (for middle age folks) as is high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

The level to which you are in good health is indicated by how far under a 10minute mile you can run.

If for example, you are 50 years old and you can run an 8 minute mile… there is about a 10% chance that you will have future heart problems. (This goes up to a 9 minute mile for women)

If it takes you more than 10 minutes (or 12 for women)… your chances of heart problems go up THREE TIMES!!!

The point here is that when I say that you can lose weight just walking… that is true. But if you want heart health, then you need to RUN!!!! DON’T WALK!!!!

Get Up!!! Get Moving!!!! (FASTER!!) and Have a Better Life!

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6 Ways to Lose Weight

on January 25th, 2011 by Rob

Once again, here we are… two, almost three weeks into the new year. We all have renewed our passion- to lose weight. Or at least I have. I want to lose about 20 pounds. Now, a big part of my plan is the running 1000 miles this year thing. You can see my progress on the GOALS tab above. I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on what might work… to lose weight… and what is not going to work. Let me see if I can fill you in on my thoughts. Let me reiterate, I am NOT a doctor. I am NOT a personal trainer. I am just a guy that has had some success- take these for what they are- MY experience. What works for you may not be the same- but my opinions are pretty strong.

Opinion #1: You can not take weight off of specific body parts by doing exercises that target those areas.

This is just not going to work. It doesn’t burn fat. When you lose weight, you are unable to choose the area in which the reduction will occur. For example, doing sit-ups will strengthen you abs but will not take the fat off of your stomach. Similarly, an activity like running burns fat all over your body, not just your legs. It has been my experience that you will lose weight from the ends- toward the middle. Paul Lacoste gave me a real hard time one day about how much “HEAD FAT” I had lost. And it was true- it was like one day I woke up and my head was smaller- I breifly looked like Beatlejuice.

Opinion #2: Women who lift weights will not bulk up.

I just have not seen it. Take for example, Cammy- she lifts all the time and I am here to tell you that when I met her (in person) she has not “bulked up”. She is perfectly petite and looks like a normal woman. It is importaint for EVERYONE to resistance train. It will increase your metabolisim and will promote weight loss. From what I understand (remember, I am not a doc) women’s testosterone levels are much lower than men’s, so in most cases, they are not capable of building large muscles. In fact, since muscle takes up less room than fat, women tend to lose inches when they strength train.

Opinion #3:  If you can’t exercise hard, do it anyway.

Even moderate activity is shown to reduce your risk for heart disease and stroke. I read some information the other day from the AMA that showed that getting your heart rate up for just 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, decreases your “heart risk” by 30%-50%. If that is not a case to go walking around your neighborhood, I don’t know what is.

If you don’t have 30 minutes in your day to exercise, try splitting it up into 10-minute segments instead. Everyone can find 10 minutes to spare sometime during the day! Remember that any exercise is better than none!

Opinion #4: Performing abdominal exercises will not give you a flat stomach.

This is similar to Opionion #1 above. The fact is, the only way to get a flat stomach is to strip away the fat around the midsection. This is accomplished by doing cardio/aerobic exercise (to burn calories), strength training and following a good diet. Now… this being said, I still go to Lu’s ab class a lot. I like it because it strenthens my core…. and that is going to boost my metabolism.

Opinion #5: You will burn more fat if you exercise at a high intensity.

The most important factor in exercise and weight control is the total calories burned during the activity. The faster you walk, bike or swim, for example, the more calories you use per minute. Although you will be burning fewer “fat calories”, you will be burning more total calories. This will lead to over-all weight loss. This attacks the “fat burning zone” chart that you see around the gym all the time. This is NOT the way to go at this. Besides, I don’t want to spend hours in the gym… I want to get it done and get on with life.

Opinion #6: Pass the “Talk Test”

And this is very close to #5, durring your workout, you should be sweating and breathing hard. You should not be so out of breath that you cannot answer a question, but should not be so comfortable that you can carry on a full conversation. I swear, I see this time and time again- people on the treadmill talking on their phones. WTH??? What are you doing here? That is not going to do you any good! Get off the phone!!!! If you can carry on a conversation with the person next to you- speed it up!!

Once again, these are my opinions. Keep what works for you and discard the rest. But my over-all opinion is to:

Get up!! Get moving! And have a better life!!!!

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Slip vs. Disaster— Three Ways To Cope

on January 21st, 2011 by Rob

O.K.- we are two weeks into the new year. Have you slipped? Have you gotten off of your diet? Have you had a diet disaster? How about a diet train wreck???

Well, here is the bad news. You are off your diet. Here is the good news. YOU CAN GET RIGHT BACK ON!! Don’t let a little slip derail you. Don’t let one little chicken wing… O.K.- maybe even 25 little chicken wings cause a “Diet Train Wreck”. Well, maybe 25 wings would be a train wreck… but it doesn’t have to go on for days and days- and the next thing you know it’s February 1st and you haven’t made any progress.

My point is that we are not on a diet. We are CHANGING. Changing the way we eat. Changing the way we exercise… or starting to exercise. We are making lifestyle changes. It is common and normal to backslide a little. So, what do we do to not totally go off the deep end?

1. Failure is an event… not a way of life. It is just a one shot deal. Get over it. Get past it. Remember- every single minute is a new minute… a new start. There is a big difference between a little slip and an all out diet disaster. Don’t beat yourself up over it.

2. Remember that it is all about how you react to triggers. Now… for me. A trigger can be just riding down the road in my car and thinking, “I think I want to stop in at that store and buy a Snickers bar”. In other words… my brain can be my trigger. But I have to remember that it was usually prompted by something else. My biggest trigger is not having my snack available. I am in the car and I look down and there are not any peanuts… there are not any granola bars. Make sure that this stuff is available. Make sure to snack… so you won’t get so hungry that you end up off the reservation.

3. Remember to do something else. Sometimes, when a craving hits me. I just pick something else up and do it. Read a book, start on the next project… whatever, the point is that in a couple of minutes I forget about it and can hold out. Also, if it is stress that has me in its grips… I go for a run.

Remember- Get up!! Get moving!! Have a better life!!!!

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NEW CATEGORY!! GOALS!!!

on January 17th, 2011 by Rob

If you look across the top of the site, you will see some tabs. Well, I have recently renamed one of them as GOALS. This is where I will keep up with my GOALS and hopefully stay accountable. Check it out— my goal for this year 2011 is to run 1000 miles. I am already behind the 8-ball, so join me and see if I can catch up.

It will help me to: Get up!! Get moving! And have a better life!!!!!

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Weight Lifting- Really

on November 20th, 2010 by Rob

A couple of days ago, I showed you the Shake Weight scam. Well, today, I want to talk a little bit about what to really do. And then I will tell you what I do.

Most of the fitness research regarding older adults says that it is best if they can maintain muscle mass. A correlation has been established between maintaining general fitness (along with muscle mass) and diminished rates of disability (and death for that matter). In addition, maintaining bone strength is also a concern. Weight training is important for keeping bones strong and decreasing the risk of fractures. Both of these issues can be addressed with weight bearing exercise.

Some really smart guys got together and studied the best way to do this. They took some ladies that wanted to lose weight and put them in a controlled study. Two groups ate the same number of calories and exercised. However, one group ONLY did cardiovascular exercises while the other did their cardio AS WELL as lifting weights. Results: both groups lost fat- which is good- however, only the group that lifted weight was able to avoid losing muscle.

Once again…. I want as much muscle as I can get so that I am burning more calories- even when I am sitting in front of the football game on T.V. hoovering wings and beer.

O.K., now for my advice. What do I do?

I spend about an hour or so working out about 4-5 days a week. Now, it just so happens that I am training for a half marathon in January, so right now I am probabally running more than I normally do. However, I try to split this hour to hour and 15 minutes roughly in half. I will spend 40 minues on the treadmill or running outside… or maybe on the eliptical.. or spin class. Then I will spend the rest of the time doing something with the weights.

Abdominals- every day
Chest and Tricepts- usually on Monday or Tuesday
Legs- Wendesday
Thursday- Back and Bicepts
Friday- Shoulders

Now, there is nothing that says you have to do this in this order or on these days… but this is a generally accepted weight lifting regimen. There is nothing that says you have to do it this way….. Just do it SOMEWAY!

Remember- Get up! Get moving! Have a better Life!

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Exercise Will Improve Your LIFE!

on August 18th, 2010 by Rob

I told Beth never again. And in all fairness, we didn’t really move… we just moved stuff around. But I swear I felt like I had moved by the time I got to the end of the weekend.

Which brings me to my point. I can guarantee that I would be a lot more sore and a lot more worn out after having moved all of this furniture BEFORE I started working out.

It just goes to show you…. this is not ALL about going to the gym and running and swimming and pushing weights around. It is so that we can live a better life.

At the gym this morning, I was having a conversation with a former Mississippi State Trooper. We were discussing the recent shooting and death of a Jackson MS police officer. He was saying that he felt there were instances when people were shot and perhaps they could have been saved had they been in better physical condition (not necessarily this case). I don’t think that there is any question that this is true- (once again, I am not familiar with the physical condition of Glen Agee).

Working out—- wether it is cardiovascular exercise or resistance training can prepare you for a better life!!!!

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5 Things Exercise Can Do For You

on June 24th, 2010 by Rob

Well, by now you all know what a big proponent of exercise I am. Once again, if I have to hear one more person talk about how long they have been going to Weight Watchers “but I am not loosing weight”— I’m gonna hurl.

O.K.- that being said…. if you don’t want to exercise in order to loose weight…. then do it for something else. These are good things that exercise can do for you BESIDES fight fat.

1. Have fun- I know, I can’t believe that I said this… but since I began to exercise a couple of years ago, this is a very big one for me. I have said many times that the key to my success in the weight loss area has been that I found people to work-out WITH… not doing it alone. I have made some very good friends and now it is fun to meet with them and do stupid things…. like run stairs and bike and…. well… run. And besides, when we are done doing all these stupid things… we sit and have coffee.

2. Strong bones- this is especially important for older folks. Makes me feel good to see my Mom walking on her treadmill. Bones become stronger with exercise… particularly weight bearing exercise, i.e. tennis, weight lifting and running.

3. Maximum mobility- exercise increases balance, muscle strength and coordination.

4. Good night’s sleep- I have never, I REPEAT—– NEVER, slept as well as I sleep now. In addition to the weight loss curing my sleep apnea…. I am just tired. I get up every morning at 5am and by the time 10pm rolls around, I am done. However, I must warn you—- don’t work out too close to bedtime…. it will keep you awake.

5. Mood- aside from weight loss and the general cardiovascular improvements that I have made, I think that this has been the most important benefit that I have personally observed. I tell you—- it only takes about three days of NOT working out and I can tell that my mood has taken a nose dive. I really don’t know much about the science of this but I have heard that it is like endorphins that our brains produce—- this is triggered by exercise. It really is remarkable.

I think that these things are at least as important as weight loss.

Are there any other benefits that you can think of?

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All it takes is 10 minutes

on June 12th, 2010 by Rob

Great article by the Associated Press this past week:

Associated Press:  Study- 10-minute exercise has hour-long effect

Bottom line here- work out and the effects to your cardiovascular system last long after you quit. However, I would say, based on my last video- that the effects might last much longer than an hour. If you will remember— and if you don’t, you can watch it here—- working out prevents vasoconstriction for, according to the study I read, up to 17 hours!!!! 17 HOURS!!!!!

Anyway- got to get moving!!!!

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Strechy stretchy!! Do you stretch??

on April 30th, 2010 by Rob

Great article in the C-L a couple of days ago… well, it was an AP article- don’t want to give them TOO much credit. The article was about the virtues of stretching before working out.

Apparently there is some discussion among the experts… which by the way I am not one of… about stretching. It seems that some experts say that it might promote injury if done just prior to working out or running- if you run like I do, then that is working out—-.

A bunch of really smart guys at the University of London compaired stretching just prior to working out to stretching out a rubber band to its maximum. These guys say that your body might “think” that it is at risk of being overstretched and ultimately contract.

The rub of the whole matter is this: they say that not only may all this stretching before working out be more likely to injure you, but it does not really help you preform any better. Many studies show that stretching before playing a sport make athletes slower and weaker. They also say that warming up with a light jog or sport specific exercise works better. It will get the blood flowing and get the body temperature to rise. According to the article, the experts advise stretching, but NOT before working out.

Paul Lacoste started me with stretching every morning before our workout. I am not sure that I could do it without stretching. I know that it would be hard to run without stretching beforehand. How do you feel about this? Can you start your workouts cold?

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Weight Loss Motivation

on February 24th, 2010 by Rob

I have copied and pasted a post from Heather @fitinto.ca  —–because I think that it is so spot on.  Read and enjoy- visit her blog too at:  http://fitinto.ca/

To reach your fitness or weight loss goals, you need two types of motivation.

“Away from” motivation and “towards” motivation…

…as Renee Stephens calls them. (And I couldn’t agree more.)

Renee does an incredible job of explaining the two types of motivation in Episode 1 of her Inside Out Weight Loss podcast series, but I will try and do her justice by summarizing for you here.

“Away from” motivation is often what gets you started. It’s what you have too much of in your life, and want to avoid in the future. For example, maybe you want to move away from requiring prescription medication daily. Or maybe you want to move away from having to purchase larger sizes each season when you go shopping. Or maybe you simply want to move away from feeling bad about yourself.

We need “away from” motivation. It helps us to realize that it’s time for change. And that’s a really good thing.

The problem with “away from” motivation is that it is relatively easy to satisfy (though, it can still be a huge deal). The point is that you can do better. If it is your goal to stop requiring prescription meds, and you make the changes in your life necessary to do that, your goal has been met. You might be healthier, but I’m almost positive that you could do more at that point to further improve your life. The same goes for the other examples. If, when you go shopping next season, you need the same size as the previous season, you’ve met your goal. But could you do more? Of course. And if your “away from” motivation is to stop feeling bad about yourself, you’re likely to stop trying to make change in your life as soon as you feel a little better. Will you be at your best? Probably not. But you’ve met your goal – and that might make you think that it’s time to settle.

That’s where “towards” motivation comes in. It takes over when “away from” motivation stops working. For example, when you stop needing to purchase larger sizes, your “towards” motivation kicks in to keep you moving forward on the path towards bigger goals. Maybe you want to have a certain look, or be a specific dress size, or have a specific-sized waist. Feel free to dream. It’s okay if it seems like a big goal – that’s what “towards” motivation is all about.

The two motivations work best when they’re used together. And they work even better when you’re clear about what they are.

So take a moment to think about it. What’s your “away from” motivation? What’s your “towards” motivation? How do they interact? How will you know when you’ve made the shift from “away from” to “towards”? Do you have any other thoughts on motivation?

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