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8 Tips for Hiring a Personal Trainer
I don’t know about you but a lot of my clients, including my wife have problems with one thing. The more they deny themselves the food they want to eat the more they crave it, finally they give up and just binge it. 
That probably sounds familiar to you as well. It can be the wine, the chocolate, the salty stuff, the pizza, pretty much anything.
The question is, what can you do about it. It might have been ruining your efforts to lose weight, run fast, be fitter, be healthier, whatever your goal is, nutrition is the key.
Here are some tips that can help you be in peace with your food:
- Clean up your diet and eat healthy, tasty minimally processed foods 90% of the time. Learn how to prepare them, so that they taste great. The internet is a great source for recipies. Anyone can cook. Don’t just steam veggies, spice them, experiment, and you will discover all kinds of new flavors that will stimulate your taste buds.
- Allow yourself the occasional exception. If 90% of your nutrition is good, you will make progress, don’t try to be perfect. Perfection is doomed to fail and so are you if you try to attain it.
- If you feel like chocolate [insert food you crave] tell yourself, later, not right now. This later might never come but if it does, have a piece and savor it knowing you follow the 90% rule.
- When was the last time you truly enjoyed your food. I mean, sat down, TV turned off, and eat food savoring it? Learn to do that and when you cheat, do exactly the same thing. If you want to have some chips, instead of mindlessly shoving them into your mouth turn off the TV, listen to some music and enjoy every bite of the serving you put in front of yourself. When you are done with that you can turn the TV back on or get back to whatever you were doing.
I hope you are enjoying your Holidays,
Michael Anders
Head Trainer Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting Inc.
The Wall Street Journal recently (Nov. 28th 2012) wrote an article discussing the impact of running on athletes. Two recent studies about to be published this months in the British journal Heart seem to indicate that running can have a negative impact on you.
You are all aware that I am an avid runner, I don’t run as much as other but depending where I am in my training I run 50-70 miles a week. So obviously this study really interested me.
First I want to recap in short bullet points what the article had to say:
- deaths during races are limited to 1/100 000 in marathons, so not very high it seems.
- runners in general seem to enjoy longevity benefits over nonrunners
- a recent study observing 52,600 people for three decades observed that runners overall had a 19% lower death rate than nonrunners but among runner those who ran more than 20-25 miles/week lost that mortality advantage
- another study found that runners faster than 8 miles/hour had not mortality benefits.
Recommendations made by the contributors to the article
- run slower than 8 miles/hour
- run less than 20 miles/week
- race less/push less hard after the age of 50
Not everyone agrees with the article and both sides seem to point to the other saying that they are biased. I did not have the original studies at hand when writing this blog but at the same time a couple of things should be pointed out:
- the 19% lower lower death rate among the running cohort could be due to a natural selection process, meaning people with cardiac issues not starting to run to begin with or runners being more health conscious and living healthier lifestyles in general
- the diminished benefits in runners who run more than 20-25 miles/week could be caused for several reasons:
- extensive and intensive running can lead to a higher mortality rate. Cardiologists seem to agree with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation (potential cause of stroke).
- other factors like lifestyle and nutrition have a huge impact on heart health. Increased running intensity leads is almost a self administered stress test and could cause pathological heart symptoms
- critics of the newer research point out that it only shows an association to running, that running may not be the cause of death and that the numbers researched on that level were to small to be statistically significant.
My Conclusion
Anything we do in excess bears risks. I definitely have a higher chance of getting run over by car while running than a couch potato because I do it a lot. A body that does not get enough recovery, an athlete that trains through colds and sickness imposes health risks on his body that very well could lead to sudden death. At the same time, excessive sitting in front of the TV, two hours or more per day can also lead to lack of mental stimulation, wide hips and big belly and lack of social life outside of Facebook.
My Recommendation
- Be aware that pushing any sport to an extreme bears risks for your health as well as social life
- If you are sick, take time off and recuperate. No training that you during the time of being sick has significant importance considering the lifetime of being engaged in sports.
- Have recuperation weeks planned into your training and take some time off after races
- Treat your body as much as you use it. Work it hard, treat it with good food, massage, rest, sleep.
- Sleep. Sleep is not wasted time unlike many believe. Quite the opposite it is necessary to learn, get stronger, faster and recover. If you don’t sleep you are wasting your training. At the moment an exact number of hours cannot be pinned down but I would schedule in 8.5 hours because we all know you won’t make it into bed before there is only an 8 hour window.
- Monitor your health. If you are older than 35 years of age make sure you have a regular physical and know what your blood test results are.
- Live a healthy lifestyle: Your life consists of more than just TV or Running, etc. Make sure you spend time with your family & friends. Have a hobby outside of sports. Live a multi-faceted life.
- Eat well. This is a hot topic because food is like religion and you cannot touch it without making someone mad. To me eating healthy foods means:
- Eating minimally processed food only
- Eating a ton of veggies (5-10 cups a day)
- Staying away from grains and legumes (different people, different opinion, but it works really well for me)
- Eating as much fruit as I want to but a minimum of (4-6 whole fruits a day)
- Eating nuts as snacks (gotta love my almonds)
- Consuming grass-fed meat, poultry as often as I can afford
- Have fish or fish-oil on a regular basis
- Minimize junk food (I admit I cheat sometimes with high quality chocolate but most of the time I make even that myself)
Basically it is all about balance in your life. Make sure that what you do makes you truly happy. If you feel like you “have to run” because of some weird reason then maybe it is time to take a break. Please remember you don’t “have to do” anything. It is your choice.
Stay healthy and fit and feel free to ask me questions about getting you in shape
Michael Anders
Head Trainer Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting
You might think that I am a little bit early but really, Christmas is in less than one month and that month for many people is one of the most stressful months in the year. This is due to many different reasons. A lot of people complain about the financial pressure to be able to cover their holiday expenses as cnbc reports. Other people complain about family obligations and let’s face it, a lot of families are divorced. Children go visit each of their respective parents and feel like instead of a time of joy and fun with their family they are running from one appointment to another. 
What suffers often is our client’s health and well being. But there are some things that can be done to alleviate the pressure, stress and maintain fitness. You might even lose some weight over the holidays and not just from running from one appointment to another.
Here are some easy tips that can alleviate the financial holiday stress:
- Speak to your family and agree on a Christmas budget per person
- Have all of your family put their name in a hat, the one that each of you pull out is the person they are going to buy a gift for.
- Exclude friends from expensive gifts. People really go too far. I value a friend regardless of a gift and spending some time together and having some fun is worth more than a gift.
- Start getting your gifts earlier in the year
These tips might help you with your running around stress:
- if you have a family and your parents divorced and you feel obligated that you have to visit them all, remember they chose to divorce not you. Tell them that it is not very enjoyable to run around stressed from one appointment to another. You can stay with one family on Christmas and another family on Thanksgiving and rotate it the next year. You could also choose to do the same with New Years.
- Christmas parties: work Christmas party, church Christmas party, friends and before you know it, each weekend is booked. Choose one or two events and politely refuse to go to others because you need the time. If people do not understand then they are not really in the holiday spirit, are they?
How to stay fit in the weeks before the holidays
- If you know you are going to stress later in the day, exercise first thing in the morning, even if it is just for 10-15 min doing some body weight squats, chin ups and push ups. At least you got it done and you don’t stress about it later in the day.
- Plan your week on the weekend. Schedule actual time for exercise
- I love Christmas cookies but that is a sure way to pack on the pounds. Only keep a handful in your house and give the others to friends or to work.
- Lift weights for 2days a week and do cardio for 2 days a week as a minimum. Again, even a little bit helps.
How to stay fit over the actual holidays:
- Plan to exercise first thing in the morning after you get up. If you have a regular routine just keep that. If not, just go for a long vigorous walk, jog, lift some weights, etc. Our personal training clients who exercise in the morning often eat better throughout the day. Your workout serves two purposes: limit the damage caused by overeating and reduce the actual overeating.
- Make sure to eat breakfast and lunch, don’t just wait for Christmas dinner and gorge yourself, I have yet to meet the person that feels good after gorging themselves. If a salad is served at dinner as well, have that first. It will provide you with fiber and vitamins and fill you up a little bit.
- Get up the following day and do a little bit of exercise as well, if you lifted the day before, do a little cardio routine or vice versa. Take your children for a hike or play with them on the play ground. For most adults nowadays that is already a workout.
- Have a nap in the afternoon for recovery
- Do a small core routine in the evening. It is true that targeted weight loss is not possible, nevertheless most of our clients feel better if they have done something for their “gut”.
Maybe you are an obsessive athlete like some of our clients or me but most people are not. I hope these tips give a little bit of breathing room over the holidays and keep you fit.
Michael Anders
Head Trainer Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting
It is time to say thank you, at least for me it is. In Germany Thanksgiving does not really play a role and even here it seems to be controversial with some folks. People mention settlers and Indians and what not.
To me it does not matter. It does not matter what the history of it is but rather what I make of it. To me it is about an opportunity, an opportunity to say thank you to those that are in my life that enrich it with theirs and sometimes seem to make it more difficult. You might think that I am nuts but I am a firm believer in that every person surrounding me has something to teach me. You might think I am wrong and that is okay but it is true for me.
I moved to the US in 2004 with the intention of having my own personal training studio at some point. People back in Germany told me I was crazy and asked me when I would be back. My own dad had asked me when I started studying sports science why I was not studying something that would make me some money eventually and provide me with financial safety. For some time it looked like life proved them right, I had to bring things to the pawn shop to pay for medical bills and it did not look good.
Today I have a personal training studio and 4 awesome employees who bring joy into my life every day. I have friends who support me and believe in me and my vision, who have helped me accomplish what I have achieved so far.
It is easy to say thank you to those that support you and hard to tell thanks to those who don’t but do understand this: You are shaped by those around you, just like you shape others. The person who tells you that you suck or will fail might bolster your willpower and discipline, the person that tells you that what you are doing is not worth it might test you to see how passionate you really are. We cannot change people but we can choose how we react to circumstances and other people.
If you want to lose weight and your spouse keeps bringing bad food into the house, don’t blame her or him, stand firm, be proud of what you want to do because you know your life is your own responsibility. Nobody has to make you happy, support you or do anything for you. They choose to do it just like you choose to take responsibility for your own actions.
- Nobody is forcing your mouth open and force you to eat what is unhealthy.
- Nobody forces you to stay up till late then complain the next day at work that you are tired and stressed.
- Nobody forces you to stay at a job you hate. You can change it, or at least your attitude.
- Nobody owes you anything if you are an adult but you do have the right to change, to transform your life today.
Also know this:
- You shape your environment and yourself!
- Obstacles are made up by your mind. Have you ever seen people accomplish things they should not be able to? Most likely you have and it is because they truly wanted it and believed they could.
- You are great until you diminish yourself.
- If you believe you can or believe you cannot, you will always be right! – Henry Ford
Don’t get me wrong, it is difficult for me as well, sometimes. But today I want to say thank you:
- to you who doubted me,
- to you who harassed me,
- to you who belittled me,
- to you who tried to sabotage me,
- to you who supported me,
- to those that allow me to help them transform their life,
- to you who loved and still love me,
- to you who see potential in me,
- to you who I am allowed to love.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Michael Anders
Head Trainer Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting
Are you having problems getting your nutrition under control? Welcome to the world of losing weight, gaining weight or just being in top shape for your sport.
Nutrition is the key to everything. You will find out quickly that no matter what you want to accomplish, you won’t really be your best without good nutrition.
Now, there are several ways to approach it. Our clients have tried many different things and a lot of them work, at least for a while. They cut calories, they cut out whole food groups like fat and carbs. Over a short period of time they are usually successful. At a later point they usually regain the weight, though. The best recommendation on how to eat is to change your habits. You have to go and eat food that is food.
Does that sound confusing?
Well, it means that you should eat a lot of vegetables and fruit that are unprocessed. Not all of it has to be organic, but a rule is: if you eat all of the fruit or veggie and you don’t peel it, buy it organically.
Although recent studies have shown that the pesticide content is low we could still choose organic because we want to reduce the amount of phosphates in our food.
Meat, poultry and fish are not the devil. If you are financially able, buy grassfed meats & poultry (untreated). Fish is an important source for Omega-3 fatty acids but can also lead to mercury poisoning, so make sure you know where your fish is from and what the contamination level is.
You can use nuts and fruits as healthy snacks. If your food does not look like it has been alive at some point, don’t eat it. It is most likely filled with all kinds of crab and junk calories.
Also, the thing that works the best is identifying your biggest weakness.
- Going out: get half of it in a doggy box before it ever shows up at your table
- Sweets: sugar cravings are tough, best is to lose it altogether, throw it out. If that does not work, eat a piece of chocolate for example and then eat your regular meal.
- Alcohol, social: Tell all of your friends, not to offer you alcohol, if that does not work, you need to avoid the situation
- Alcohol, alone: If you like to drink alone, make sure you don’t have a habit. If that is the case, please seek help with various places like Alcoholics Anonymous if you cannot stop drinking. Alcohol does not add anything to your nutrition.
- Salty: I know french fries and chips can be enticing. Make sure to buy one small pack at a time, not more.
Michael
Head Trainer Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting Inc.
In our personal training studio we find again and again, that people are challenged to squat and deadlift. Today, we are going to talk about the hip hinge.
The squat although a knee dominant movement is still dependent on a proper hip hinge movement. What does that mean for you?
While doing a squat you should bend in your knees and hips at the same time with approximately the same angles. What happens instead is people push their knees way forward and often inwards and the back bends over instead of using the hip as a hinge. If you are loading heavy weight at the same time you are throwing your back under the bus.
So the key for you is to be able to hinge properly out of the hip before attempting to squat. The following exercise was designed to work on the hip hinge. Notice the small bend in the knees and the strong hip movement? This is not a squat but simply an exercise designed to work on your ability to use the gluts and hamstring in a hip hinge movement. As a preparation this exercise is great. The hip is pushing back against the wall, the back is staying straight.
Now after being able to use the hip start integrating it into the squat. After going down with bending in your hip and knees (thighs to parallel, imagine spreading your feet as you push up. That will activate your butt muscles better.
There has been a lot of controversy regarding the back squat due to its heavy stress on the back. For that reason and due to its functionality we have increasingly used the single leg squat at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting.
Here you see a female Olympian performing a single leg squat:
I hope I was able to make you aware of the importance of a proper hip movement during the squat.
Hey guys, this is an awesome smoothie recipe and gives you about 2 litres of green smoothie.
You need a high powered blender.
- 2 Mangos, peeled and de kerneled or 3to 4 peaches
- 1 Orange
- 1 Apple or seasonal fruit
- 16 oz of water
- Kale + Salad Spring Mix + Wheatgrass and / or other green leaves (start with less and add to taste)
- blend until smooth
- to add sweetness use dates
- to add fruitiness use lemons
- The ration should be 60% fruit to 40% green leaves.
- Make sure the green leaves are not too spicy like for example mustard greens
- to get the smoothie smooth it is necessary to use mangos, peaches or bananas, otherwise the consistency is watery
This drink is full of vitamins and minerals. Enjoy!
If you have any more questions feel free to contact us
Michael Anders
Head Trainer Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting
www.charlottepersonaltrainer.org
Alright everyone, We have a huge announcement to make. We at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting are now offering compression garment for our clients. The compression gear comes with some huge benefits.
- It improves your blood circulation by directing blood flow from capillaries to blood vessels, enhancing oxygen exchange
- Reduces your lactic acid build-up by 29% and therefore can lead to less fatigue and cramping.
- The oxygen delivery to your muscles is improved by strategic compression placement and prevents blood pooling.
- Muscle alignment is improved
- Your balance and your posture is improved by having better proprioceptive feedback from the clothing
- Muscle oscillation is reduced which in return can reduce micro-tears in muscles
- Your recovery time can be reduced if you wear the recovery gear for 3 hours or more right after your exercise.
Compression clothing needs to be fitted. If you are interested, please make an appointment with us and we will take measures and order the compression gear.
It does not matter what your passion is. If you run, do martial arts, lift weights, it really does not matter. Some things will get you better and some things, well they will get you first hurt, then X (insert slow, weak, whatever is that you don’t want), consequently you will gain weight and be unhappy on the couch eating chips!
You might think I am kidding, hardly! Look at your history, that of your partner or friends. Now you can avoid that trap quite easily by training smarter not harder. Here is what you have to do!
- Vary the volume of your training. Don’t increase your training volume by more than 10% per week and use every 4th week as a week with lesser volume (not necessarily lesser intensity).
- Vary the intensity of your training. Your body appreciates a change in pace. If you are a runner change the goals for your runs, don’t always do the same distance, pace, etc. If you lift weights train in blocks. Train 4-6 weeks at a certain intensity (i.e. 5 reps w/ 2 min RI) then change it to something else, always depending on your goal.
- Change modalities by cross-training, changing exercises, etc.
- Don’t do trash training. You know what I mean, training to compensate for bad eating, “easy running days”, etc. Train with a purpose. Each workout should have your main goal in mind whatever that is. Ask yourself, how will this training bring me closer to my goal.
- Be consistent, train when you said you would train and don’t double up when you missed a training. You are not stacking! It will lead into overtraining on the back-end.
- Injury – If you are injured don’t stop training unless it is medically required. You can keep training but you ALWAYS have to follow the paradigm: If it hurts don’t do it. Most of the time, ignoring pain and working through it does not make you harder, it just shows that you are not being smart. Your body gives you pain signals for a reason.
- Being smart and missing a training session because of injury or over-training does not give you the permission to eat crap. Sorry, because that is the time you really should eat well because your body needs it. You are what you eat, so if you eat junk….
- Have a plan in place. How do you know you are getting where you want to be, if you don’t even know what it is and what you need to do to get there? Yeah, I know you know what you need to do, blah, blah, blah. Stop making excuses, sit down and make a plan, lay out a strategy. Would you lend anyone money who cannot show you a good business plan? So why do you think you are going to achieve anything without planning for it?
- People don’t matter. If the dude next to you lifts more weight, good for him. If the gal runs 30s faster per min/mile good for her. Stick with your plan.
- Rest, rest, rest! Your body does not get stronger, faster, bigger, skilled without rest. Training is a catabolic process, rest is the anabolic process.
- 8 hours of sleep….I know you don’t have time for that. Then make time. What is important to you? Get off the couch, walk away from the TV and go to bed. Your family, you and your co-workers will thank you if you have more sleep.
- Be relentless, be relentlessly smart. Rework your training plan, review it. Have a professional help you. Most of the time it is the people who are persistent that succeed in our personal training and not the ones with the most talent.
Michael Anders
Head Trainer Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting
