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Why Assessing Your Baseline Fitness Matters (And How to Do It Right)

Let’s be honest—if you’re reading this, you’re probably not just looking to be a gym bro or a fitness model. Chances are, you’re either getting older or recovering from an injury, which means your goals go beyond aesthetics. You’re here to stay strong, functional, and healthy for the long haul.

Before diving headfirst into training, it’s smart to assess where you stand. Understanding your strengths and weaknesses can help you make progress more efficiently and avoid injuries. But don’t worry—you don’t need to “fix” everything before getting started. Often, these weak points can be improved as you train.

So, what key areas should you assess? Let’s break them down.

1. Sleep: The Foundation of Recovery

Are you getting 7-9 hours of sleep per night (preferably closer to nine)? More importantly, is it quality sleep? Ask yourself:

  • Do you wake up refreshed or groggy?
  • Do you snore? (If you do, a sleep study might be a good idea.)
  • Do you wake up more than once or twice a night?

If your sleep is subpar, your recovery, energy levels, and performance will take a hit. Some supplements can help, but sleep meds should be a last resort since they can negatively impact sleep quality and overall health.

2. Nutrition: You’re Probably Eating More (Or Less) Than You Think

A common complaint: “I don’t know why I’ve gained weight.”
Reality: Most of us are terrible at accurately recalling what (and how much) we eat.

Solution? Track your food.
For two weeks, keep a food diary or weigh your portions. You’ll quickly see:

  • Where you’re overdoing it.
  • What key nutrients you might be missing.
  • Simple ways to improve your diet.

3. Strength: The Key to a High-Quality Life

Strength is crucial—not just for aesthetics but for functional independence as you age. Here are a few simple strength tests to gauge where you stand:

  • Handgrip Strength Test: A quick and reliable way to measure overall strength.
  • Push-Ups: A simple test for upper body endurance.
  • Chair Stand Test: Measures lower body strength—just stand up from a chair repeatedly for 30 seconds.
  • Standing Long Jump: A solid indicator of lower-body power (though maybe skip this if you have knee or hip issues).

You can find strength benchmarks online to compare yourself to others in your age group.

4. Endurance: Can You Keep Going?

You don’t need a fancy lab test to get a decent measure of your cardiovascular fitness. Try one of these:

  • 6-Minute Walk Test: Walk as far as possible in six minutes.
  • YMCA Step Test: Step up and down on an 8-inch step for three minutes, then measure your heart rate.
  • Cooper Test: Run for 12 minutes and measure your distance—this estimates your VO₂ max.

Not everyone needs to sprint like an athlete, but having some level of endurance is essential for overall health.

5. Balance: Don’t Skip This (Especially If You’re Over 40)

Balance declines with age, but you can improve it with training. Try these progressively harder tests:

  1. Stand on two feet, eyes open.
  2. Stand on two feet, eyes closed.
  3. Stand in a heel-to-toe stance, eyes open.
  4. Stand in a heel-to-toe stance, eyes closed.
  5. Stand on one leg, eyes open.
  6. Stand on one leg, eyes closed.

If you struggle with these, balance training should be a priority—it’s a key factor in preventing falls and injuries.

Do You Have to Do These Tests? Nope!

If you’re moving, you’re already doing something great for your health. But these tests can highlight areas you might not have noticed before, helping you train smarter.

Are these assessments perfect? Of course not! But they give you a solid starting point.

What to Do Next

Once you’ve identified any weaknesses, build your training plan accordingly:

  • Struggling with strength? Add resistance training.
  • Poor endurance? Work in more cardio.
  • Balance issues? Focus on stability drills.

And remember: sleep and nutrition are the foundations of your fitness. If those are off, your progress will be limited—so tackle them first.

For more specific guidance, don’t hesitate to consult a specialist. A little expert advice can go a long way in getting you where you want to be.

Some Test Norms:

Below you will find some tables regarding the grip strength test as well as the 6 min walk test

1. Handgrip Strength Norms

Handgrip strength is a reliable indicator of overall muscle function. The following tables present average values (in kilograms) for men and women across different age groups.

sralab.org

Men’s Handgrip Strength:

Age Group (Years)Right Hand (kg)Left Hand (kg)
20–2947.0 ± 9.545.0 ± 8.8
30–3947.0 ± 9.747.0 ± 9.8
40–4947.0 ± 9.545.0 ± 9.3
50–5945.0 ± 8.443.0 ± 8.3
60–6940.0 ± 8.338.0 ± 8.0
70+33.0 ± 7.832.0 ± 7.5

Women’s Handgrip Strength:

Age Group (Years)Right Hand (kg)Left Hand (kg)
20–2930.0 ± 7.028.0 ± 6.1
30–3931.0 ± 6.429.0 ± 6.0
40–4929.0 ± 5.728.0 ± 5.7
50–5928.0 ± 6.326.0 ± 5.7
60–6924.0 ± 5.323.0 ± 5.0
70+20.0 ± 5.819.0 ± 5.5

2. Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) Norms

The 6MWT measures the distance an individual can walk in six minutes, reflecting aerobic capacity and endurance. Below are average distances (in meters) covered by healthy adults, segmented by age and gender.

geriatrictoolkit.missouri.edu

Men’s 6MWT Distances:

Age Group (Years)Distance (meters)
60–69560 ± 49
70–79530 ± 48
80–89446 ± 61

Women’s 6MWT Distances:

Age Group (Years)Distance (meters)
60–69505 ± 45
70–79490 ± 48
80–89382 ± 66

Interpreting the Data:

  • Handgrip Strength: Values are presented as mean ± standard deviation. Your personal measurements can be compared to these averages to determine where you stand relative to your age and gender group.
  • 6MWT Distances: Distances are also shown as mean ± standard deviation. Walking distances below the lower end of the standard deviation range may indicate below-average endurance and could warrant further assessment or training.
Brain working out on treadmill. Education concept

How Training Can Boost Your Brain Power

I don’t fit the niche of fitness professionals very well, I don’t fit into the bikini or bodybuilding sector. I don’t do crossfit. I am not an elite endurance athlete turned fitness guru.

Instead of that I do martial arts, lift, run, rock climb, & archery. I do all of this at least 3 days a week each. Sometimes just for 20 min at a time but I do it regularly. I like to challenge my body in many different ways. I am not an elite at anything, but I am pretty decent at any of those things (well rock climbing is new, so still learning).

What does this all have to do with training and brain power?

Most of us are not aiming to become fitness models (nothing wrong with that), elite endurance athletes or even do crazy things like Spartan Races. It is not necessary.

 

But moving your body vigorously is not optional; not just because you want to be thinner, or stronger, or fitter, or etc. but because if you want to age gracefully, or perform better at your job, have more fun or be more active in your personal life, exercise is a crucial component that will help you to keep your marbles together. We will bring discuss this more later. First though the reasons why people don’t exercise.

The reasons not to exercise

I often get to hear the following statements when I mention that working out is important:

  1. I am fine, I don’t feel anything negative: Actions do not always have an immediate, tangible impact. They might compound over time. Who knows, you not being active now might lead to an earlier onset of dementia, an earlier heart attack, etc., you having high blood pressure.
  2. I don’t have time / I am too busy: The fact of life is, that we are all busy. The mother with kids, the business person, the employee. We all have busy lives. They won’t get any less busy. Something usually takes its place. The “I do it later” never comes. In the meantime: You have 10 min before work, at lunch, in between whatever to do something every day. If you did only 10 min a day you sure won’t become a fitness model but you will be healthier and out of about 119 waking hours in a week that would be only 0.9% of your waking time. I guess being too busy is an excuse after all.
  3. I know it is important but xyz hurts: We all have pain and aches. Yes, yours might be a little bit worse than most of ours because you had: an accident, bad arthritis, were born with it, etc. Regardless, there is something you can do. Adjust your workouts to work around your limitations. If Paraplegics can play basketball, if wounded veterans with only 1 functioning limb can conquer a marathon, you can find a way to work around your limitation.  
  4. There is nothing I can do about it, it is hereditary: This is my most favorite one. Throwing up your hands and surrendering is not an option, not unless you DO want to die early or have a miserable life.  It is a choice after all. Just because you might be predisposed to having an issue, does not mean you have to actively make it worse by sitting on your butt. My family is riddled with cancer, I am not going to say: F*** it, I cannot do anything about it, and not do anything to live healthier, make better choices and at least have a better quality of life should cancer strike me down, which is not for certain anyway. I will make an effort, I will struggle and fail many times, but I will give it a shot.

Back on Track

I digressed. This blog post is about the brain and the effect exercise can have on it. These are the effects that exercise has on the brain:

  • Cardiovascular exercise longer than 20-30 min can significantly improve cognitive abilities in people with mental impairments.
  • In healthy, younger adults short high intensity bouts and longer bouts of lower intensity exercise seem to lead to an increased release of BDNF (a factor that stimulates the formation of new brain cells.
  • Regular exercise improves the circulation to the brain and reduces the risk of loss of brain function caused by cerebrovascular atherosclerosis (clogged arteries)
  • Strength training effects on brain health are currently not conclusive enough yet to make a clear statement but it looks positive
  • Positive effects can also be gained from more mundane tasks like driveway basketball, raking leaves, snow shoveling, yard work, etc.
  • Physically fit seniors do significantly better in cognitive tasks than unfit seniors.
  • Regular exercise reduces the loss in gray matter upstairs 🙂 and improves the mental fitness of older adults
  • Stretching and “Toning” exercises by themselves do not have the same positive effect as cardiovascular exercise on the brain
  • Adults who engaged in physical sports, exercise and fitness during their midlife phase suffered significantly less from dementia later on.
  • Exercise might reduce inflammatory processes that interrupt growth stimulation in the brain

The list of research goes on and on and on. It is time to act today. If you want to have an increased chance of aging gracefully, enjoy a full life as a senior it is time to make a decision when you are young or middle aged.

Don’t forget, I am only talking about the effects on the brain at the moment. There is so much more evidence on positive outcomes in other areas.

 

So what can you do?

Well, the best course of action is having a mixture of cardiovascular activity, balance, challenging coordination exercises etc.  When you are done with that, decide to have a social life. Being socially active seems to increase brain power as well 🙂

 

  • 3-4 days a week cardiovascular activities: pick up basketball, tennis, running, walking, hiking, nordic hiking, swimming, elliptical, rowing, martial arts, etc.
  • 2-3 days a week of coordinative challenging activities: tennis, basketball, tai chi, martial arts, etc.
  • 1-3 days of active housework: repairs, yard work, etc.
  • Get a social life

Those lists are by no means complete but they give you an idea of the things you can do. It is clearly not just done by doing one thing one time a week.

Now, if you are not able to do all of these things, don’t despair. Some action is better than no action. I am a person that has a tendency to be all or nothing. That has shown to be detrimental as I was growing my business. I had to learn that sometimes a little is still good. Just do as much as you can. Start with less instead of packing your plate full. Do 10 min every day and work yourself up from there.

 

The message is clear:

 

Conclusion

Be active, do some cardiovascular activity regularly every week and challenge your coordinative system to have a good chance at aging gracefully and have the opportunity to not just perform better when young but have an improved quality of life when older.

Have an awesome day,

 

Michael

 

Resources:

http://jap.physiology.org/content/111/5/1505.short

http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(11)65219-1/fulltext?refuid=S1064-7481(13)00165-6&refissn=1064-7481

http://www.prevention.com/mind-body/brain-power-workout

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nicole_Berchtold/publication/6075740_Exercise_Builds_Brain_Health_Key_Roles_of_Growth_Factor_Cascades_and_Inflammation/links/0fcfd50ef33d16a46f000000.pdf

good athletic form during deadlifts at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting

Knee Pain from a Different Angle

Knee pain is a very general term and can have many causes. One cause would be trauma. For many of us engaged in physical activities and sports that may be the cause. For the majority of people knee issues seem to creep up especially in their late 30s, 40s and 50s. Often it is associated with someone becoming more active again and picking up a sport, or fitness training to improve their body composition. All of the sudden the knee starts hurting.

To understand better the complexity of the knee we need to understand more about its anatomy.

Knee Anatomy

The knee joint is one of the most complex joints in our body. It consists of

  1. The patellofemoral joint (knee cap to distal part of the femur)
  2. the tibial-femoral joint (the femur interacting with the tibia (shin bone))
  3. It has meniscii functioning as increasing the joint surface and working as shock absorbers. They are C-shaped.
  4. The ligaments attached to the femur, tibia, & fibula lending it stability and guiding movements.
    1. Patella Tendon attaching on the bottom of the patella and allowing the force of the anterior femoral muscles to lead to knee extension by being attached to the tibia
    2. The cruciate ligaments stabilizing the knee in a sagittal plane
    3. The collateral ligaments stabilizing the knee against folding open sideways (coronal plane)
  5. Bursae are little sacks filled with fluid to protect tendons going over bones, etc.)
  6. There is a multitude of muscles working on the knee: flexing, extending, rotation etc.

What does the hip and the foot have to do with my knee?

Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting form training
Bad form jumping, like demonstrated can lead to injury

In addition of myriad muscles going over the knee, the hip and the muscles pulling on the hip or the foot position play a major role in your knees function. Inactive gluteal muscles can lead to changes on how the quadriceps pulls on the patella and its tendon. This can have a significant impact on patella positioning, cartilage damage, etc.

A similar situation happens when a foot is not properly supported by its arch and ankle. If your ankle collapses inwards you will have an increased risk of knee injuries due to “overuse” or rather “biomechanics”.

Basically in addition to being sensitive to traumatic injuries (i.e. in soccer, football, tennis etc) the knee is the slave to hip mechanics and foot mechanics.

How can I improve the situation if it is caused by weak hip stabilizers?

There are plenty of things you can do for the hip ranging from functional movements like deadlifts, single leg deadlifts, bridges, single leg bridges to small movements like side to side walk w/ mini-bands, bridge walks, hip hikes. 

Trap bar deadlifts are great because they work hamstrings, glutes, adductors, etc. The single leg version really helps with stabilization and is the functional progression.

I would definitely recommend you supplementing these exercises with movements like loaded bridges, clamshells, etc.

Bridges are absolutely fantastic to activate the glutes in a more isolated fashion than squats and deadlifts. With bridges make sure that the back stays straight. Don’t push the weight over the toes but rather keep the weight on the whole foot or slightly more oriented towards the heel. You have various options to set up the bridge. You can either lay down on the floor, the feet even with the floor, elevate the feet or elevate the back. Elevating the back or feet increases the range of motion and is definitely preferred. If you struggle to use a bench for your back, you can set it up on a 10” box a well. Again, I would recommend to progress to single leg bridges down the road. Make sure to use adequate padding for the bar. The bar should be sitting between pubic bone and ASIS (anterior superior iliac spine)

Clamshells on the other hand are a great isolation exercise that can support the work that you are doing with the compound movements. They are just one of many exercises that can be used for this purpose: quadruped donkey kicks, quadruped fire hydrants, cable kickbacks, back extensions, etc. can all be used to supplement the big movements. 

What You can do for your feet

Short foot exercises like the one in the video are a great tool to work on foot position and strengthening up intrinsic foot muscles. In addition to the isolated exercise make sure to integrate the short foot into squats, deadlifts, etc. 

Conclusion

Knee pain at least due to postural issues and weakness don’t have to be necessarily accepted as part of life. Working on fixing muscle activation & technique training can help clean up your form, improve joint positioning and potentially enable you to be a lifelong healthy athlete.

The sooner someone starts to address these issues the better. Depending on your age and activity level, exercises and foam rolling might not be all that is needed. You might need the synergistic efforts from massage therapists, chiropractors, trainers and your own diligence to get back “on your feet”.

Do not expect immediate and permanent results.You might have had the problems for years and progress might be really slow. If you can reduce pain and increase performance, I consider the effort well worth it.

What if it is not working

Exercises are great but training can only bring you so far. As mentioned above it might take a village to get you back on track. Massages, manual therapy, chiropractic, as well as physical therapists might be necessary to get you started.

 

References:

http://teachmeanatomy.info/lower-limb/joints/the-knee-joint/
http://www.physio-pedia.com/’Q’_Angle
Schuenke et al.  (2006). Atlas of Anatomy – General Anatomy and Musculoskeletal System. Thieme.

 

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

 

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.

 

A man and woman doing a heavy weight lifting routine at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting

How to Get Back Into Exercise After A Long Break

We all have had longer breaks from exercise. Sometimes we just got too busy at work, with our family, other times it might have been an injury. If you have been out of training for longer than 3 weeks you should follow a couple of simple rules to get back into it.

The Short about what you need to know about getting back into working out

  •  Slow down after a longer break
  • Work with your body, don’t see it as the enemy
  • Frustration is a normal part of the process
  • Shorter, more frequent workouts might be better for you
  • Listen to the cues your body is giving you!
  • Listen to a professional at the beginning

Slow is the new fast

If you are like me then you might want to jump right back into where you stopped at. Same weights lifted, same mileage run, same hours put in. This is a sure way of setting yourself up for failure, injury and frustration.

  • If your break was shorter than 1 month but longer than 2 weeks reduce your volume by 25%.
  • If your break was longer than 1 month but shorter than 3 month reduce your volume by 50% and increase it by 10-15% per week.
  • Anything longer than 3 months of no exercise start at around 35% of what you have been doing and increase your load by 5-10%/week.

 

Your body is not the enemy

Sometimes we treat our body like the enemy when it does not perform on the level that we are looking for. We push through pain, force workouts and keep setting ourselves back. We also diminish our joy of working out. Listen to your body and work out accordingly. You will have more fun and success in the long run!

Frustration is normal

If you have a history of working out regularly and you were sidelined because of injury, frustration can be one of the biggest problems you can have. You will get impatient, you might feel like it will never get better.

It will get better, just not necessarily on the timeline that you were looking for. Our bodies have an amazing capacity to heal. Supporting it with soft tissue work like foam rolling & massages, stretching and corrective exercise can do wonders. Advancing too fast will get you injured quickly!

Go for less more often instead of going big one time

You might feel that working out for 10 min is not nearly enough, that it is not worth the effort. But research shows that it is better to do something for 10 min six times a week than exercising for 60 mins one time in a week. Most likely you are hitting it too hard during your one big workout in the week anyway.

Trust your body

Nobody else feels what you feels. If you work with a healthcare professional or a personal trainer make sure to explain to them what you are feeling as acurately as you can. They are better at interpreting where it might come from but they will need your feedback to make the best decision in regards to your training and health. If you have the feeling that your advisors are not listening, get new ones!

 Get help

I get it, we all think we can do it ourselves, and you can. With a lot of reading up, thorough research and commitment you will be able to put something together for you that might work. On the other hand you can always ask a professional in your field (cycling coach, personal trainer, running coach, etc), to help you with the basic setup. This person will be able to put a training routine together based on your current fitness level, observe your movements and make adjustments.

If you are interested in finding out more about our program,

visit our main page

 

Sleep deprivation can lead to loss of fitness - Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting

Fitness & Weight Loss Through Sleep

Things You need to Know

  • Sleep deprivation can affect your body’s insulin sensitivity
  • You will feel an increase in appetite
  • You will feel a decrease in satiation after taking in food
  • Cortisol levels don’t change in total numbers but you have more exposure throughout the day.
  • Testosterone production can be reduced by 10-30% after just a couple of days with sleep deprivation.
  • Sleep cannot be ignored if you want to be successful

Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Insulin

Even one night of partial sleep deprivation can have a negative impact on your body’s insulin sensitivity. What does that mean for you? If your body does not respond well to insulin it is more likely to store energy in form of fat. Secondly your body will increase the insulin output which could lead to an early exhaustion of the pancreatic beta cells, the ones producing insulin and bring you one step closer to being a diabetic.

Increased Appetite, Increased Hunger

Sleep deprivation can lead to a decrease in leptin. Leptin is a master hormone in charge of hunger feelings and satiety. It being reduced can lead to an increased appetite while at the same time just not being able to get satisfied. The next time you are burning the midnight oil and are ravenous the following day, remember that the lack of sleep is what did it to you.

In comes another player, Ghrelin. Ghrelin is responsible for hunger. If you have foregone sleep for a while your ghrelin levels are elevated. Higher levels of ghrelin are associated with higher levels of hunger. In combination with lower levels of Leptin you are in for a day of uncontrolled feasting.

Cortisol

A hormone that is connected to increased visceral body fat distribution (belly fat and organs) is an important stress hormone. We are usually exposed to higher levels in the morning and it tapers off throughout the day. Sleep deprivation will not increase the cortisol levels necessarily but reduces the peak in the morning and increases the exposure during the day, changing the normal hormone rhythm. This could lead to

  • decreased cognitive functions
  • decreased muscle tissues
  • decreased bone density
  • blood sugar disbalance
  • compromised immune system.

 Testosterone

If you are trying to get stronger or gain some lean muscle mass, you need all the testosterone levels you can get [naturally]. Losing sleep can really reduce testosterone levels. There is no conclusive data on how much exactly but at the moment it is about 10-30%. This reduction happened within 24 hours of sleep reduction.

Conclusion

If you really want to be successful you cannot ignore sleep like it is something for pantsies. Quite the opposite, sleep is something for people who want to be successful. The effects described here are just a few. There are many more. If you want to kick some butt in any aspects of life, you cannot disregard sleep as an important factor.

Check us out at www.charlottepersonaltrainer.org if you want us to help you accomplish your goals!

 

Michael

5 Myths about your Weight Loss Goals in 2015

News Resolutions are on their way, hopefully, successful. Sadly the statistics tell us otherwise.

Fat Loss at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting
Planning to have flat abs?

60% of people give up by March. More than 80% of people are not successful.

I want you to succeed. I want you to make this year the year that you are going all the way in your fitness goals. Today’s blog is about fat loss.

Myths that can cost you your weight/fat loss success:

  • Myth 1: Unprocessed food will lead to fat loss, guaranteed: While I am a big proponent of eating minimally processed food, it does not mean you have an “All You Can Eat Permission”. It is simply not true. In order to be healthy, lose fat and look the way you want, you need to make changes. Eating a clean diet consisting of minimally or unprocessed foods is a big step towards it. It is rich in vitamins, minerals, fibers, protein, phytonutrients, etc. That does not mean you can eat as much as you want though. Check out my “Fall Fat Flush” for more information on how your food intake can look like. The amounts of food are just as important. Eating too little or too much can sabotage your goals.
  • Myth 2: Steady State Cardio is Bad, High Intensity Training (HIIT) is good: You need to get away from absolutes. If you decide to go on a long walk or a 3 mile run without throwing intervals into it, you still rev up your metabolism for that time period. Given, HIIT has shown to be highly effective in increasing your metabolism for up to hours after you are done, and it is shorter, but, it is also a higher stress on your system and should not be done more than 2-3 times a week. You might have to build a good base before doing it, or your health situation might not  permit you to do HIIT training currently. Different cardiovascular training methods fulfill different needs.
  • Myth 3: Strength Training is all you need to lose weight: While it is true that strength training is an integral part of a well designed weight/fat loss program because it increases lean fat burning muscle, it won’t be successful without a sound approach to nutrition. In addition our sedentary lifestyles have lead to an increased need for cardiovascular activity in order to maintain health and a relatively high metabolic output. Simply put: We don’t physically work anymore to do our jobs therefore our energy needs are low. I consider even my job as a trainer fairly sedentary. Any physical activity will help.
  • Myth 4: Supplements are necessary to lose weight: That is total nonsense. Most supplements are a complete waste of time and money. Just because something has a 5 star rating on a seller’s page does not mean it works. There are a few supplements that can assist in your fat loss program, but almost all can have interactions with medications that you might be taking.
  • Myth 5: I need to do a complete kitchen makeover in order to be successful: It all depends on what you want to accomplish.  If you are overweight and you want to lose a couple of pounds, the changes necessary are not nearly as big as someone who wants to go from 10% body fat to 5%. It is true, the bigger the effort the bigger the results. That does not mean that by implementing a couple of small changes every 1-2 weeks you won’t have reached your goals by the end of the year.

I hope this was helpful to you. If you are looking for help with your success this coming year then give us a call at 704 777 3743 or email us at michael@charlottepersonaltrainer.org, or check our New Client Special out by clicking here. Mention 5 Myths about your weight loss goal to get an additional 5% off!

Have an awesome day,

 

Michael

Can I have a Nice Toned Butt?

What is a nice toned butt and can I have it?

The quest for the perfect behind
The quest for the perfect behind

We hear this more and more often. The body part that people focus on changes over time. Lately it has been all about the butt. Some men & women claim they cannot have a toned, shapely butt. I have one client & friend who even jokes around saying that she lost her butt working out with me, when in truth she has a very trained, athletic behind that is rounded but certainly anything but big!

We have to differentiate between butts that look shapely because the

Real, photoshopped or worked on?
Real, photoshopped or worked on?

person is highly lordotic (arching the lower back), or because it is really a butt comprised of some well trained muscles combined with good nutrition.

Jen Selter, a social media celebrity has a strong lordosis which accentuates her posterior. What I am saying is: she is sticking it out.

I personally think that even if she did not it may either be overdeveloped, photoshopped, worked on, or all of the above.

What is realistic to accomplish?

Butts, like the rest of the body come in all different shapes and forms. Everybody can train their glutes to get a shapely butt, lift it up a little bit. A trained butt is not necessarily a big butt. Big butts are primarily due to fatty tissue deposits.

Go and work out at the gym. Do squats, lunges, deadlifts, bridges, you name it. You can make a difference in the shape of your tush!

One thing: If you are not changing your nutrition, most likely you won’t see the changes you want to see.

One of the best exercises to really train your behind is the barbell bridge as seen below.

Have a great start into the week,

Michael

Running Short on Time?

We sometimes struggle with getting everything in. Like this past Monday. My alarm clock had

Things you can do at home
Things you can do at home

gone off at 4.45 am, my martial arts training started at 5.30 am and the first client trained at 6 am. I still got the rest of my training later that day but it almost did not happen and I sure did not get my lunch break.

Sometimes no matter how much we try, we just don’t make it. We have to cut our workout short, or, just skip it altogether.

It seems though, that even short bouts of exercise are highly beneficial for our mental and physical well being for that reason I want to provide you with something you can do on those days when it just simply does not happen.

Here are a couple of workouts that you can do when you have 30 min or less. You can do them as a circuit training or in order.

30 min Workout gear required TRX or Jungle Gym

  • Inverted Row w/ TRX: 3 sets of 12
  • Jumping Jacks 3 sets of 40
  • Push ups 3×20
  • Single leg squat holding on to TRX 3 sets of 8
  • Mountain Climbers 3 sets of 40
  • TRX reverse flys followed by arm raises 3 sets of 10ea

20 min Workout gear required same as above

  • Alternating Lunges 3 sets of 20
  • Burpees 3 sets of 20
  • TRX Squat to Row (single or two legged) 3 sets of 15
  • Atomic Push Ups 3 sets 10-15

10 min Workout

  • Speed Squats 3×20
  • Jab/Cross Combo 3×30 punches
  • Burpee + Push Up 3×15
  • TRX Chin Ups 3×12

5 min Power Break

  • Push Up max
  • Squats 1×40
  • Plank w/ alternating leg lift for 5s 1x60s
  • Jumping Jacks 80

This gives you several different workouts that you can do whenever you are short on time.  I hope this will help you maintain your fitness during the coming busy holiday season.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving,

Michael

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