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Young woman weight training

Be Honest With Yourself – Succeed in Fitness & Life

  • A lot of people are self critical and mistake that with being honest with themselves.
  • A lot of people are deluding themselves into thinking they are doing better than they really are.

How can that be – is it not contradictory?

Well, like everything life is not simply black or white, one way or another. We have grey areas everywhere. In some areas our inner critic comes out and when she/he comes out she means business. If we would hear anyone talking like that to someone we would be like: “Hold on there for a second, you cannot talk to that person like that!”

On the other hand we have often plenty of areas where we think we do pretty well but really may do only a mediocre job at best.

What does that have to do with fitness?

  • The Inner critic: people who have a strong inner critic have often a tendency to be harsh to themselves when they mess up, cheat, etc. The consequence is often that they say in their mind: F*** it, I suck, I already cheated, might as well go for it. In addition, they are more likely to not try again because they don’t want or need that negative feedback anymore. They give up more easily. Research in the field of “Positive Psychology” in the pasts 15 years has shown that people in this area are often doing better by training “mindfulness” in combination with self-compassion. It seems allow them to be human, to not go all out after cheating but resetting their efforts.
  • The person who thinks they eat or exercise better than they really do has a different problem. They don’t understand why they don’t make any progress despite their perceived effort. If you fall into this category, get an honest assessment by a third party like a trainer. Write down your training and the times you actually went, the effort you put in. Write down your food intake clearly to see for you and your personal trainer. It is eye opening and often fixes the problem.

What does that mean for you?

It is important to find a positive but honest environment that supports your efforts and holds you accountable. Your spouse or partner is often not the right person for that job because we have a tendency to take things to personal. Better would be a life coach, personal trainer, doctor, or dietitian. If for some reason you cannot afford that make sure to write it down for yourself. There are also “mindfulness classes” that help you be more self aware and teach self compassion as well.

If you are looking to get help with your program, we are always there for you.

Michael

Woman grocery shopping

Grocery Shopping For the New You

Grocery shopping is a problem for many of my personal training clients. They often go several times a week which is advantageousfor fresh items . Very few though cook on a daily basis. Going out to eat is quite common because they feel that time is precious or they are simply too tired after coming home from a busy day.

The Pitfall

Avoid diet traps at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting
Which way will you go?

There is a pitfall though when you go shopping several days a week. You are a walking by the food that you crave, that you are trying to stay away from. if you are in any way like me, then you have the problem that as long as you don’t see it, you are doing great but that when you go shopping and walk by your addictions, you sometimes cannot help but buy it and as a consequence eat it. It is even worse if I walk into the store unprepared and/or hungry.

How to avoid the traps of store display

Some stores like Harris Teeter allow online shopping. There is no easier way to avoid the displays and candy / icecream traps then shopping online. You don’t even have to enter the store to pick up your food. You have to pay a small amount per shopping but if you get all your grocery shopping done once a week you might spend $10-20 for online shopping/month but have saved way more than that in junk food.

If you are someone who despises online shopping then going in with a plan is the way to go. A detailed shopping list of everything that you truly need is the best. Honestly most of us don’t do that.

Even if you have not made a detailed shopping list you can still walk in with a plan. If you have been following this blog for a while then you know you want to make sure you have enough protein, veggies, some fruit, fats, and maybe some starchy carbs.

  1. Look for your veggies & fruit (produce section or frozen area)
  2. Next, fill up your protein for the week, best choose two for some variation from the meat/poultry/fish section. Look for things that are about to expire or on sale to save some money. Other great sources of protein are eggs, cottage cheese, greek-, European style yoghurt, cottage cheese (dairy section)
  3. Fats you can get in the produce section (avocado), oils (extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, etc)
  4. Your starchy carbs you can find in the produce/frozen section. You can get some quinoa or brown rice but would stay away from pasta, etc.
  5. If you need some supplementation you can get those at the pharmacy area of your grocery store like whey protein, fish oil, quest bars.
  6. Staples: Toilet paper, etc

For most of your food items you should not have to venture into the middle of the store. Always ask yourself, does the article you are purchasing fall into the categories, protein, veggies, fruit, healthy fats, low glycemic load+index carbs. Shopping for your categories and marking them off mentally might help you stay away from the crap.

Read Labels

Pay attention when reading labels. Foods with long ingredient lists are usually not a good idea.

Learn how to read labels at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting
Do you read your labels or fall for the manufacturer’s claims

Avoid trans fats or products that add in additional sugars like sucrose, glucose, sugar, maltodextrin, corn syrup, etc.) By the way organic sugar is still just that….sugar. 

Companies make all sorts of claims like: gluten free, health, wholesome, added vitamins and minerals, contains real fruit, natural, fat free, low-carb, high-protein.

Please, just because something is gluten free does not make it healthy. Read the label carefully. Avoiding chemical additives is always an additional benefit.

Conclusion:

  • Shop online if you can
  • Have a detailed shopping list or shop by marking off important categories
  • Never shop hungry
  • Shop on the outside of the grocery store as much as you can
  • Shop once a week to avoid being exposed to your cravings

 

Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting Nutrition Fat Loss

Are Low Carbs Diet Dead?

Recently a new posted study gained a lot of attention from the media proclaiming that the Low-Carb Diets are not as effective as Low-Fat diets. I am grateful to the people at Examine.com who looked more closely at the study design to try to figure out what this study really means. This post will just summarize shortly what the article has to say. If you are interested you are welcome to read the article here: Really Low Fat vs. Somewhat Low Carb

Study Make-Up

  • It was a six day study
  • 19 volunteers resided in a metabolic unit
  • Calories were reduced by 30% in both group (352g of carbs w/ 17g of fat vs 140g of carbs w/ 108g fat)
  • steady protein intake
  • exercised 1 hour/day on a treadmill
  • both groups went through both protocols after a 2-4 week break
  • Body fat analysis via indirect calorimetry

Results:

This is where it gets interesting. The “low carb group” had a decreased metabolism of about 98 kcal, while the “low fat group” had a drop of 50 kcal. This difference is not high enough to explain the variation in fat loss.

We need to understand that this study did not compare apples with apples. They used a really low fat diet and a moderately low carb diet, if they wanted to go to an extreme on the low carb diet like they had on the low fat diet and keep it equal their fat intake would have had to be in the negative, which is hardly possible.

The fat metabolism at least in the short run is dependent on glycogen as well. This could be one of the reasons for the difference in outcome compared to a steady state glycogen in the long run.

Really low carb studies have shown to lead to a slightly higher fat loss over a 6 month period but after that seem to even out with a low fat diet. In addition most low carb diets usually make up for a higher protein intake which helps fat loss.

Like the authors of Examine.com mentioned, this study was designed to see the results over a short term period. The research shows that you lose body fat on a low carb diet or a low fat diet. In the end, what matters most is the ability to adhere to it.

Nowhere was the actual food mentioned in the article. A whole foods, minimally processed, diet has many advantageous independently of the macro-nutrient intake. Fat loss is not the only factor to measure success by, like a recent study showed comparing diets heavy in meat or cheese to a high carb diet. The meat and cheese diet improved cardiovascular risk markers significantly compared to the high carb diet.

Conclusion: Don’t buy the media hype

The study was designed to fill in some of the gaps in nutrition it does not prove or disprove the effectiveness of any diet.

If you are in the process of cleaning up your diet, reducing junk food, eating more whole foods you are probably one step ahead. You can lose weight on a low fat diet or on a lower carb diet but you cannot out-train your food intake!

Personal Training at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting

5 Fitness Myths That Keep You From Being Successful

The 5 Myths In Fitness 

  • Really short workouts several times a week will get you a fit, athletic body
  • High Intensity Interval Training is all you need to shred. Steady state cardiovascular training is dead.
  • Crossfit-, yoga-, running-like training will make you a good performer in everything.
  • You are gaining fat because you are getting older it is a race against time
  • A really low carb diet is all you need

Short Workouts will get you a fit athletic body

We all have seen the advertisement on TV or the internet. Work out for 10 min and you will have the body that you always wanted. Well that is a bunch of crock. Fitness and athleticism is dependent on what you put in. If you work out every day for 10 min without having done anything prior, your fitness level will improve. You won’t become a shredded athlete with a six-pack or have those long, lean, toned arms you always wanted. Improvement is relative to effort put in. You will be healthier with your 10 min a day but please don’t expect miracles.  Now, working out 3-6 hours a week can accomplish a lot which would put you at an average of 30-60 min on most days.

Ditch the steady state cardiovascular training and do HIIT only

High intensity interval training has shown to be a very effective tool in weight loss. But if you look at the studies you will quickly find out that those doing it also had some steady state training as well as a steady state 10 min warm up prior to each HIIT. Steady state training is still great for improving your cardiovascular fitness, supplementing your strength training and HIIT on off days. Don’t go for hours because you would reduce the anabolic effect of your strength training but 20-30 min of low-moderate intensity can speed up your results.

Crossfit, yoga, running… is all I need – I will become SUPERHUMAN

Please, let’s understand one fundamental principle in training: training adaptation is highly specific. That means that if you do a lot of crossfit, you will get better at crossfit, if you run a lot you will become better at being a runner, etc. Yes, there is a cross-transfer of strength and endurance to other sports but only up to a certain degree. A powerlifter is really strong but his strength help him little in running and he might be too heavy to be an efficient rock climber. To be really good at something, that something needs to be your primary sport or training tool. The result will be: You are really good at ONE THING! Fitness is relative to your field. 

Cross training, supplemental training to enhance your performance in your chosen sport is important to prevent injury and improve your longevity in your discipline. Well rounded athletes will never be as good in each discipline as specialists but they might have less overuse injuries –> General Fitness

I am gaining fat because I am getting older

One of the most famous excuses in history. Are you sure it has nothing to do with

  • you not sleeping anymore,
  • because you have a busy schedule,
  • because you are not exercising anymore,
  • because of work, that your kids take all the energy that you have left,
  • that you are sitting on your butt at work all day long?

The first thing to change is accepting responsibility. Accept that you have made life choices that have led you to this point. Now you can make changes. Turn off the TV an hour earlier and read 30 min before going to bed. Talk to your wife/husband to figure out a schedule with the kids, or see what gym offers daycare. Check if you can work out during your lunch break at a gym close to your work.

Most of the reduction in metabolism as we age is due to loss in muscle mass. That loss of muscle mass for most of us is caused not by aging (unless you are a top athlete) but due to being sedentary.

I am going low carb and I will make it.

What does low carb diet mean? A true low carb diet contains 20-50g of carbs per day. That is less than one banana on the low end. Guess what? Your performance in and outside of the gym is going to suck! Some ultra-endurance athletes swear by it but for most of us it does not work or is not sustainable. Having your carb intake around 30% of your total intake is perfectly sufficient. It is much more important to eat whole foods, minimally processed foods. Sometimes people ask me why. The reason: You are eating a higher volume of food which has a tendency to satisfy you sooner. Nice side benefits: more fiber, less additives.

Now go out and rock it.

 

Personal training with common sense at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting

Fitness Results – Own The Basics

3Very few people are not enticed by the promises of the fitness industry and celebrity news and media guaranteeing quick results by virtually almost doing nothing.

We live hectic, busy lives and thinking about adding something to this does not really sound too great, regardless of the fact that still millions of us spend ours watching TV, surfing the web or social media every day.

We look for gadgets and supplements to replace the foot work we might have to put in to be successful. In our never-ending endeavor for instant gratification the glamorous promises in fitness magazines, on TV, and the net are just too easy to buy into.

I might have gone a little overboard here but I think it holds some truth. Losing weight & or being fitter does not happen overnight, just like we did not become sedentary or put that spare tire around our waist in one day.

Being healthy is also not just eating healthily and working out. A lot of emotional & physical issues are connected to food and working out. If we do not address our problems like stress eating, boredom eating, food addictions, injuries, drives and urges we might become slave to the old yo-yo principal: having temporary results just to be replaced by bigger, or longer setbacks.

So please, I don’t want to hear about the latest fitness gadget, pill, supplements, pre-workout drink, etc. until you own & practice the basics.

What are the basics of fitness

Interestingly they are in essence the same for most goal. Obviously adjustments need to be made for different goals like muscle gain, weight loss, etc.

  1. Nutrition is key. If you eat junk food every day, fried stuff, fast food, you name it; don’t expect to be healthy and lose weight. If you don’t meet your energy needs and protein requirements and want to gain muscle mass…don’t worry, it won’t happen. You need the necessary nutrients to accomplish your goals, to build lean, healthy tissue. Very basic advice: Have vegetables and some sort of protein with every meal.
  2. Training: I know you live a busy life. Guess what most people live a busy life. You don’t need to work out like in college 6 days a week for 1-2 hours/day to accomplish your goals but if you cannot commit to 3-4 days a week of 30-45 min of physical activity [2.25 hours/wk]  while sitting down the other 109.75 hours in a week [assuming you sleep 8 hours a day] your success is going to be minimal. Now don’t go and be all mad at me. It is what it is.
  3. Sleep: If you pride yourself as someone who does not need a lot of sleep…you are dead wrong, period! Sleep is important for our hormone household, and recovery. It helps regulate hunger and satiation. If you sleep 6.5 hours or less per week you are more likely to binge eat and stuff your face with above mentioned crap food. Reduce the blue light impact from cell phones and tablets or TVs…and that work manual or boring text that puts you to sleep every time….read it, since it seems to help with your sleep problems.
  4. Emotional issues: I am not sure about you but I would say that about 80% of our clients have a dysfunctional connection to food in some regard. This includes me. I am a stress eater and have a food addiction that throws me every time I feel like I am “in control”. Maybe you don’t have emotional issues that connect to your food. If that is you, I am happy for you. Almost everybody has something that they are dealing with that leads to detrimental habits. Find a therapist, a friend, a support group and seek the help that can elevate you. We all mess up. Forgive yourself and move on [easier said than done –> therefore find help]

I prefer to get to the point. It is time to cut to the chase. Stop making excuses, looking for short cuts. It is time to act now.

If you look for compassionate support and help in your journey to fitness & health, we are there for you.

 

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