Author: Becky

Honey, I’ve shrunk the boot campers!

Aug 23, 2008

Yes! lifeSport bootcampers are shrinking! I’ve done body fat tests on a handful of boot campers and body fat numbers are decreasing! I’ve been measuring some 3% and 4% body fat losses. Yeah! Scale weight hasn’t necessarily changed in everyone. Just goes to show ya that muscle weighs more than fat :-).

Now, I can’t take all the credit, because I do believe that solid nutrition must back up a good workout plan, and since we only meet twice a week, I needle everybody to work out another 2-3 times per week. Apparently some of you are listening. Well done!

Now, for those of you who are still struggling to strip off some body fat, I’ve got homework for you. Not the homework you’re used to, though. This homework involves math. Sorry. If you want to lose body fat, you need to get to boot camp, do your workout homework AND eat fewer calories than you expend. It’s also important to spread your calories out throughout your waking hours (roughly three small meals and 2-3 snacks per day).

So, your homework is to figure out approximately how many calories you should be eating to lose weight, and then log your calories for a few days. There are a lot of fancy calculations to figure out your metabolic rate. I’m going to give you a very simplified one. It’s not exact, but it will be a decent ballpark. Your metabolic rate can be influenced by genetics, gender, hormones, and muscle mass. We’re all a little different.

If you’re trying to lose weight, multiply your current weight by the following numbers based on your activity level:

Sedentary: Body weight x 10-12
Moderaly active: Body weight x 12-14
Extremely active: Body weight x 14-16

For example, a 140 lb. sedentary woman would multiply her weight by 10 and again by 12 and get this calorie range: 1,400-1,680. This is a ballpark calorie range for this person to lose weight.

The next step is to write down everything you eat. I suggest you log on to FitDay.com (see sidebar for link), create a free account, and let the FitDay software do all the calculations for you. You’ll learn how many grams of carbs, protein, and fat you’re eating. Cool stuff. By doing this, you’ll see if you’re close to the range in which you should be for weight loss.

Now, you probably thought I’d stop at the math homework. Nope.

Here’s something to work on over the weekend:

Take a break from interval training this weekend and do a steady state cardio workout (yes, I said it, “steady state”–hey, you have to mix it up once in awhile!). Whether you choose a run, a power walk, or a cardio routine on a machine at the gym, get out there and get to a “7” on our scale of 1-10 and stay there for a solid 45 minutes.

Have a great weekend,

Becky

Train like an athlete to look like an athlete

Aug 08, 2008

The Olympics start today. Time to celebrate and train like an athlete! Those of you in my Campbell evening boot camp did the “Olympic Buns” workout already. Campbell morning folks–it’s coming on Tuesday! Almaden morning folks—you’ll get it on Monday!

For your weekend homework, I’m sticking with short burst cardio work–no strength stuff. Just really hard cardio followed by recovery periods. Think of yourself as one of those lean, muscular short distance sprinters (runners or swimmers) as you power through your intervals. Drive it as hard as you can during your short burst intervals.

Afterwards, treat yourself to a great post-workout meal of whole grain carbs and good quality protein (aim for about a 2:1 ratio of carbs to protein).

You can do your workout on any cardio machine at the gym or at home, running/walking on a track or around the neighborhood, or swimming.

Here is your workout:

Warm up with low level activity for 3-5 minutes (just a slower pace of what you’re doing for your cardio)

Do an all-out sprint for 30 seconds

Recover for 90 seconds

Repeat this short burst interval/recovery cycle for 5-10 times depending on your fitness level and time frame

Cool down with low level activity for 3-5 minutes

Stretch!

Enjoy your weekend.

Post a comment here and let me know what you did for your “Olympic Sprint” workout!

Committed to your success,

Becky

What should you eat before a workout?

Aug 07, 2008

I know some of you morning exercisers don’t like to eat before working out. I hear this a lot from people in my early morning fitness boot camps in Almaden (at the very cool Shamrock Martial Arts facility) and in Campbell (at John D. Morgan Park).

If you can handle it, it’s a good idea to have just a small, easily digestible snack before heading out the door (something on the order of 100-150 calories). If you’ve got some readily available fuel in your body, you’ll do much better in your workout. Obviously, if a small amount of food 30-60 minutes before a workout would make you ill–don’t eat!

If you can stomach a little food before an early morning workout, here are some fueling ideas. They’re easily digested sources of carbohydrates. Eat these 30-60 minutes before working out:
-1/2 of an energy bar ( one with more carbs than protein–save the huge protein bar for another day)
-1 piece of whole wheat toast
-1/2 or 1 whole banana
-1/2 cup cooked oatmeal (not the instant kind that’s full of sugar!)
-6 oz. yogurt (this is a combination food–it contains carbs and protein)

If you’re going to work out later in the afternoon, any of the above examples eaten about 30-60 minutes before a workout will do well for you as well.

I’ll address post-exercise nutrition in a future blog.

Fuel yourself well for optimal workouts!

Becky

Homework for Almaden boot camp and Campbell boot camps

Jul 24, 2008

Hey boot campers!

Welcome to my blog. If you haven’t already, please take a moment to scroll down and watch the video in the previous post below. It’ll be your laugh for the day. Then, come back up here and grab your homework.

Your workout is simple (but tough) this weekend. If you have shoulder issues, please substitute crunches or planks for the push ups.

Here it goes:

After a 3-5 minute warm up, do the following exercises for 30 seconds each

-Push ups
-Front lunges in place
-FAST lateral shuffles
-Squats (you can make these “jump squats” if you’re feeling beastly)
-Dips (off a bench, chair, or anything else you can find)

Recover for 30 seconds (walking around, getting a sip of water, etc)

Repeat for 5-10 rounds

Stretch after you’ve finished your last round!

I’d like to give a special shout out to Laura W. from the Almaden boot camp for successfully completing a hike up Half Dome in Yosemite last weekend. No easy feat. Congrats, Laura!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!

Yours in health,

Becky

Can you get fit with Wii????

Jul 23, 2008

A customer in one of my boot camps mentioned being a little sore from playing Wii the day before.  I don’t know much about the Wii (don’t own one), but it got me to thinking—is it a really a workout?  And what do you do with Wii Fit any way? Well, low and behold, lookie what came into my email inbox today from another alert trainer.


http://view.break.com/541145 – Watch more free videos

Now, are you gonna trust a highly educated fitness pro with 20+ years experience in the field, or Nintendo with your health and fitness? I’m not sure “stepping on the little white thing” is a workout—-unless all you do is sit on the couch the rest of the day. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m all for blowing off some steam and having some fun. Recreation is great. Let’s just not get all crazy and call it a workout, okay???

If you live in or near San Jose or Campbell, I guarantee you’ll get into better shape participating in my boot camps or with one-on-one personal training.

Got Wii Fit experience? Let’s hear about it.

Yours in health,

Becky

How many calories ARE you eating, anyway??

Jul 13, 2008

You might be surprised.  Research has shown that most people underestimate their food consumption by about 30%.  I’d have to say I see lots of “portion distortion” and “food amnesia” in some of the logs of my clients when I press them for details.  I don’t think people are deliberately lying. Sometimes it’s just hard to  remember everything, let alone put calorie values to everything.  

Enter FitDay!  It’s a free program that lets you log your food and exercise, set goals, and log body measurements.  I’ve been playing around with it for several weeks and think it’s a great resource.  And, did I mention it’s FREE!? They also offer some very inexpensive PC software if you’d rather have the program at  your disposal on your computer (FitDay Software).

For me, the best part about it was getting a sense of the balance of fats, carbs and proteins I was eating.  I’m pretty aware of my calorie intake most days, but not always sure of the balance of nutrients.  FitDay really helped me out here. For instance, a couple of days my fat intake looked kind of high. The FitDay program breaks  fat intake into different types of fats and I was able to see that the greatest percentage of my fat intake came from monounsaturated fats (good fats) like olive oil and almonds.
I also liked how I could take a few measurements (e.g., weight, waist circumference) and set goals as to what I’d like to achieve with these numbers and by what date.  The software keeps track of where you are as long as you keep entering in your updates.  Nice to have some accountability as well as a place to track progress!  
The only negative I found was that some of the estimations for the calorie cost of exercise were rather low in my opinion.  This will affect your energy balance for the day in that it will underestimate how many calories you expended in a given day. However, having my nutrition profile displayed for me with everything down to how much fiber and potassium I’m getting made the calorie stuff a minor issue for me.
FitDay is a great resource for anyone wishing to put their current eating plan to the test and see how it stacks up nutrition-wise.  Give it a try!
Yours in health,
Becky

About those New Year’s resolutions….

Jul 07, 2008

Remember way back in January when you vowed that this year would be different?  You’d eat better, exercise more, get a better job or a raise, maybe find your soul mate, perhaps start a new business?  How’s it going?  If  you’re finding that your resolutions have yet to materialize, I have great news!  Check out this website:

This is an amazing opportunity to re-ignite those resolutions and really make them happen between now and the end of the year.  Two fitness colleagues of mine, Jeremy and Alissa Nelms, have brought together over 20 experts in the fields of fitness, nutrition, finance and relationships.  Over the next week, Jeremy will be interviewing these experts on how you can successfully lose weight, improve your nutrition, develop deeper and more meaningful relationships and even how to make more money every month!
Jeremy and Alissa really outdid themselves in getting some very top talent in each category. I’ve already signed up to hear the calls, because they’ll be interviewing one of the contributors to the best selling book, “The Secret”,  and two of my favorite Registered Dieticians, Jayson Hunter and Dr. John Berardi. I know those interviews will be jam packed with usable and motivating information.  
The best part is:  all these audio interviews are FREE!  And, you can listen to them at your convenience.  Pick and choose which interviews suit your Mid Year Resolution needs and then watch your email for notification when the experts you want to listen to will be broadcast.
This is an amazing opportunity I hope you won’t pass up!  This could be just what you need to re-focus and re-energize yourself to really get what you want this year, whether it be permanent weight loss, better relationships or more income each and every month.
Log on now to reserve your FREE spot for this one of a kind event!
Yours in health,
Becky

Toss the teeny weights, please

Jun 29, 2008

Okay, it’s time to rant.  I just got back from the gym. I almost told a complete stranger she was wasting her time, but I bit my tongue and moved to a different area of the weight room so I wouldn’t have to watch her work out.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that there is more than one approach to strength training.  But what I saw wasn’t an approach I’d advocate unless you’re in rehab after surgery or an injury.  What I saw was a woman, probably in her early 50’s, doing several different exercises for her upper body with little pink 3 pound weights.  EVERY exercise……….the same little 3 pound weights.  She did her program fluidly, and might I say, effortlessly. Kinda like the weight wasn’t really hard to lift at all.  Hmmmmmmmmm.
First let me state I’m not worried about the color of her weights.  Hey, I like pink. I’m worried about the miniscule resistance she was using, not to mention that she used the same weights for a chest exercise and a triceps exercise.  I’m also bothered that the routine looked effortless for her (which is why I doubt she was rehabbing a joint or muscle group). 
One major tenet in strength training is that we must overload the muscle in order for it to adapt and become stronger.  Simply put:  If your muscle isn’t getting pooped out towards the end of your last set, you need to increase the weight you’re using.   Larger muscle groups (like the chest) will usually require more weight to become fatigued than a smaller muscle group (like the triceps).
This isn’t to say that every workout has to be a “beat me, whip me” workout.  But, if you  don’t progressively overload the muscle, it will cease to adapt.  Although a very light weight might be appropriate for a person working on joint stability or injury rehab, it’s not appropriate for muscle development if it doesn’t fatigue the muscle.  Unless we give a muscle a little more than it can currently  handle, it has no reason to adapt and become stronger.
I have a sneaking suspicion that if I had struck up a conversation with this woman at the gym and asked her why she was using the little pink weights, she might have said something about not wanting to become “too muscular”, or that women in her age bracket shouldn’t lift weights that are heavy.  I say hogwash to both of those reasons.  Women in general don’t have enough testosterone in their body to become muscle bound, and I believe women over 50 should absolutely lift weights to ward off osteoporosis and a slowing metabolism.  I truly believe that strength training for women over 50 is the hidden secret to a more youthful appearance and more graceful aging.
Gosh, I’m so riled up, I almost feel like I should go back to the gym to see if that lady is still there!
In any case, the lesson for today is for all my female readers:
Use your time in the gym well:  Lift weights that fatigue your muscles.  Use heavier weights for larger muscle groups.  Wear pink, but don’t lift it if it’s tiny!
Yours in health,
Becky

Have your checked your waist/hip ratio lately?

Jun 21, 2008

You should. It can tell you a lot about your risk for cardiovascular disease. Many of us are slaves to the scale. Be a slave to your measuring tape instead. It holds more valuable information for you. Now, full disclosure: I own a scale, and yes, I hop on it from time to time. So I get why you weight yourself, I really do. Instant feedback. Problem is, sometimes that feedback doesn’t tell you the whole story. Waist/hip ratio (WHR) adds another dimension to the story.

I’m challenging you to pull out your measuring tape and check your waist and hips. I ask all my Bay Area personal training clients and bootcampers to do this when they start with me. Here’s why:

There is a direct correlation between your waist/hip ratio and your risk for Type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease and hypertension. It’s been shown in many research studies that “gut” fat is much more dangerous to our health and longevity than stored fat in the thighs or butt. If you’re an “apple” with narrow hips and a bigger belly, you’re at much greater risk for cardiovascular disease than a person who is a “pear” with heavier hips and thighs.
Where our stored fat goes on our body is largely genetic. How much fat is there is largely up to YOU.

So, here’s what you do: Grab a flexible measuring tape and measure your waist at it’s smallest part (or about 1/2 inch above your navel if you can’t find a smallest part!), and your hips at their widest part. Divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement.

Women’s WHR should be .75 or below (some references will say .80). Men’s should be .90 or below.

You can’t change your genetic predisposition as to where your body deposits excess calories (read: body fat), but you CAN change your girth measurements. If you’re an “apple”, you’ll always be an apple, but if your WHR is too high for your gender, do something about it to become a smaller apple. You’ll decrease your risk for a heart attack–at you’re gonna look better, too.

Research shows that exercise (especially strength training) can help mobilize fat from the abdominal region. So get out there and start lifting some weights and compliment it with high intensity interval training.

Yours in fitness,

Becky

A killer cardio-interval workout!

Jun 19, 2008

Whew!  Just got finished with a great cardio interval workout.  For those of you who think you don’t have time, please read on.  I’m crunched for time today, but I really wanted to get in some kind of cardio. Here’s what I did:

Five minute warm up at an easy pace on my stationary bike
2 minutes jump rope at a moderate intensity
40 seconds of burpees**, followed by 20 seconds of recovery
2 minutes jump rope at a moderate intensity
40 seconds of a FAST lateral shuffle, followed by 20 seconds of recovery
2 minutes of jump rope at a moderate intensity
40 seconds of “quick feet” ***, followed by 20 seconds of recovery
1 minute of HARD jump rope (I basically do a high knee run while jumping)
That’s it!  I was having SO much fun (okay, so I’m a little weird), that I actually repeated the cycle twice through for a total workout time of 20 minutes (not including warm up and cool down).
Try this for a quick, intense work out this weekend!  Please remember to cool down and stretch after your workout, and pay special attention to your Achille’s tendons and calves, as the jumping and shuffling works them pretty hard.
P.S.  My bootcampers know what all these exercises are, but I’ll describe a couple below.  
**Burpees:  Squat down with hands touching the ground outside of your feet, thrust your legs out behind you (into a push up position), jump your feet back to the squatting position, and then stand up.  For added fun :-), add a jump as you come up from the squat.
***Quick Feet:  Think of a kid doing a foot work drill with a soccer ball: Tap one foot, then the other on the ball, going as fast as you can.  I use my back porch step instead of a ball.
Have a great day!
Becky