Body Design

Amazing staff

Yesterday, I hosted our annual staff Christmas Luncheon and once again I was so grateful to be in the company of some truly amazing individuals.  Not only are these people dedicated to their own personal health and fitness but I could see they were so passionate about helping others to improve their health through physical activity.  My staff are an inspiration to me and I am grateful to have them part of my team at Body Design.

What is a workout?

A workout is 25 percent perspiration and 75 percent determination. Stated another way, it is one part physical exertion and three parts self-discipline. Doing it is easy once you get started.

A workout makes you better today than you were yesterday. It strengthens the body, relaxes the mind, and toughens the spirit. When you work out regularly, your problems diminish, and your confidence grows.

A workout is a personal triumph over laziness, and procrastination. It is the badge of a winner, the mark of an organized, goal-orientated person who has taken charge of his, or her, destiny.

A workout is a wise use of time and an investment in excellence. It is a way of preparing for life’s challenges and proving to yourself that you have what it takes to do what is necessary.

A workout is a key that helps unlock the door to opportunity and success. Hidden within each of us is an extraordinary force. Physical and mental fitness are the triggers that can release it.

A workout is a form of rebirth. When you finish a good workout, you don’t simply feel better, YOU FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOURSELF.

By George Allen

Avoid holiday party platter overload. Eat a nutritious meal before the event and fill up on fruits and vegetables once your arrive.

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Mexico and enjoy a fabulous one week vacation in Playa del Carman. Great weather, first class resort, excellent food and I stuck to my exercise habits while I was gone!

I started off each day taking part in either a spinning, pilates reformer or yoga class. The classes were invigorating and a great way recommit to making healthy food choices for the rest of the day.

I enjoyed a noon hour aquafit class in the resort pool and then continued to enjoy the sun and surf either by the pool or ocean.

While basking in the Carribean sunshine rays, I stuck to drinking "agua" or water during the day so I would not get dehydrated and to cut back on unnecessary calorie consumption.

I then went back to the resort gym and did my regular workout late in the day before dinner.

Needless to say, I did not put on any "holiday weight" and I felt great during my entire time away.

Holidays do not need to be times to put your exercise routine "on the shelf" or gain unnecessary pounds. Continue to stick to your exercise plans and goals, eat moderately making healthy food choices and drink plently of water.

You'll return home feeling refreshed and happy you stuck to your healthy living goals.

Ditch the hand/ankle weights!

Now that the great weather is here, I see many people out walking for exercise.  Walking is a great form of activity that gets you outside exploring your community and enjoying nature. 

However, it never fails, but I inevitably see "exercise walkers" who are out speeding along swinging hand weights or dumbbells as they are walking.  I know they think if they carry weights while they walk, they will add resistance to what they are doing and therefore burn more calories and tone their arms. 

However, what they do not realize is that they are dramatically increasing the chances of injuring the delicate muscles in their shoulder joints.  

When we walk, we naturally swing our arms - we create a natural pendulum action.  However, when we add weight to the end of the pendulum (in our hands or on our wrists ), the natural swing of the pendulum is increased.  Because walking is a repetitive activity, the arm swing is also repetitive and the increase in additional weight to the pendulum action puts increased stress on the shoulder joints.  

Next thing you know, the shoulder starts to ache but most people do not connect that the ache is a result of the weights in their hands while they walk so they continue with the activity.  Soon a real shoulder injury has developed that only time can heal.  Sometimes it takes more than time - additional treatment like physiotherapy and accupuncture, etc. are needed to aid in the recovery process.

Recommendation - if you want to add resistance to your walk, wear a weighted vest or invest in some Urban Poles.  The vest will add resistance and make the walk harder on your heart and legs.  The Urban Poles will tone and shape your arms, work your core, improve your posture and burn more fat and calories.  Ditch the hand/ankle weights!

  

It's Spring - Let's Get Walking!

Spring is here - yeah!  What a great time to get outside and get moving. 

I find a large portion of my clients enjoy walking.  Walking is a great form of cardiovascular exercise and requires no special equipment except a good pair of walking/running shoes.  Walking is also a great way to enjoy the outdoors, check out your community and get in some exercise that can assist you with your weight loss goals.

If you are thinking of starting a walking routine, I would suggest the following tips to ensure you are successful at reaching your goals.

1.  Set aside specific time during the week to accomplish your walk.  Determine the number of days you are going to walk and the amount of time each day you will walk.  Having a plan in place gives you a roadmap to success.

2.  Make a check mark on a calendar each day that you go for your walk.  Seeing the number of check marks increase over a period of time will help motivate you to keep going.

3. Be diligent with yourself (and your family) about going out for your walk.  Tell yourself and your family when you are going out and follow through - don't let anything get in the way.  Try not to fall back on making excuses.

4. Find a walking partner who is committed to walking with you and developing a routine.  It is much easier to stay committed when someone else is depending on you to walk with them.

5. Dress appropriately.  Spring can still be cool so it is best to dress in layers.  Summer can be extremely hot.  Wear clothing with Cool Max technology to keep you cool and wick the sweat.  Wear a hat and bring water for hydrating.

6. Make sure you have good, comfortable shoes that offer lots of support.  Shoes should be replaced about every 500 to 600 km.  Get your shoes properly fitted at a store with knowledgeable staff.  You will be deterred from walking if you end up with sore, achy feet.

5. Get a pedometer and keep a "steps log".  Health Canada recommends 10,000 steps per day to maintain your health and fitness.  A pedometer will motivate you to get out for your walk to get your steps in. (If you are looking for an accurate, easy to use pedometer, contact Body Design.  We have an excellent pedometer to assist you!)

6. If you have not been walking regularly during the winter, start off your walking routine slowly.  I find many people start off too ambitiously and end up with shin splints and sore muscles. They end up discouraged and stop walking.  You may want to just start with 3 walks per week that are about 15 - 20 minutes in length at a moderate pace and build from there.

7.  However, once you get into a regular walking routine, you should increase the intensity of your walk to continue seeing benefits.  Our bodies adapt to exercise and if you do not "change it up", you will plateau.  You can increase the intensity of your walk but walking for a longer period of time, change your route to incorporate more hills or increase the speed of your walk.

8.  Another way to increase the intensity of your walk is to incorporate Urban Walking Poles.  Urban Walking Poles engage your upper body and core muscles while you walk so you end up burning more calories and fat without having to walk longer or faster.  If you are interested in finding out more about Urban Pole Walking, contact Body Design for class details and pole sales.

Walking is easy, walking is fun and walking is a great way of reducing stress and getting in touch with your body.  Walking is also a great form of exercise that allows you to get outside and enjoy nature.  Enjoy!!

Buyer Beware

I recently attended a networking meeting and found myself with a group of ladies talking about body wraps.  They were excitedly telling me about another personal trainer who was promoting body wraps and one of the ladies said she had lost several inches in her first body wrap session. 

Body wraps have been around for years.  However, have you ever heard of a doctor recommending them or any credible health organizations promoting wraps?  No - but what surprised me in this conversation was that another personal trainer was promoting them.  For me, if you are a certified personal trainer, you should have the education and knowledge to know that body wraps are just another one of the "quick fix" gimics that appeals to individuals wanting to lose weight.  

There is no credible scientific research by government organizations that verifies that body wraps produce long term results.  The truth is body wraps do not shrink fat cells or burn body fat - no matter what type of wrap that is used or what you are wrapped in.  Fat can only be lost with a caloric deficit from the reduction of food intake and an increase in activity or a combination of both.

Body wrap companies will promote that you will lose inches after each session.  Yes, you can lose inches but it is not fat.  It's water weight and fluid and the results are very temporary.  The inches will come back in days or even hours as soon as you rehydrate yourself.

Other claims made for body wraps include detoxification, improved circulation, tighter and firmer skin.  Most health and fitness researchers as well as government agencies will tell you these claims are debatable.

Wraps might take off some inches and water weight but the results are not permanent.  The only way to take off fat and inches is to cut back on your calories - by making healthy food choices and/or burning calories through increased activity and exercise.

Lesson learned here - if something seems too good to be true, it probably is!

Emotional Eating

My youngest son is in BC working at a ski resort for the winter season.  I called him on Sunday night to see how he was and hear his voice.  I miss him - I have not seen him since November. 

During our conversation, I learned that he had been offered another contract to work at the resort starting in May to October.  He had decided to accept the offer as work opportunities are not exactly plentiful right now here in Ontario.  I was happy for him as he has obviously impressed his employer however I was also overcome with sadness as I was looking forward to him coming home in mid April.

I cried when I got off the phone but I could not shake my feelings of disappointment, loss and sadness.  Then came the cravings for something to eat.  I knew I was not hungry as we had ate dinner earlier.  I just wanted something - the urge was powerful and persistent.  I asked my husband if he would go get some chips and he declined (thank God!).  I then started to think about what we had in the house that might "do the trick".

Next think I knew, I had devoured 4 chocolate chip cookies and a Mr. Big chocolate bar.  I do not even really like chocolate bars.  These Mr. Big's had been in our closet since before Christmas and I have never been tempted.  But right now, they were my target.

After eating the cookies and chocolate bar, I felt terrible.  I was overwhelmed with guilt and frustration for having given in to "emotional" eating and my stomach did not feel well. I had fallen victim to the "emotional" eating trap that so many of my clients experience.  

Did my eating solve anything?  Absolutely not.  In fact, it made things worse.  I was now mad at myself for giving in to something I try to help others avoid.  I had not practiced some of the strategies that I offer others - journaling, reading, make yourself a cup of tea, go for a walk, work on the computer, call someone on the telephone, etc. etc.   

However, what I also realized was that my feelings are powerful, legitimate and must be acknowledged in a healthy way.  My initial crying was not enough, I needed to do more.  Probably cry more, talk and write. 

Emotional eating is all about not fully acknowledging, accepting and allowing ourselves to actually feel our emotions.  My emotions were deep sadness, loss and disappointment.  I did not allow myself to fully feel those emotions - I chose to try to push them away with the temporary pleasure of food.  The satisfaction the food brought was very brief and then came the anger at myself for having given in.

My emotions are real and I have to acknowledge that it is okay to allow myself to feel them.  It's scary as I really don't think we allow ourselves to go there - to be raw, to be vulnerable, to be real.  I guess that is what it means to live in the present and "let it be".

I have more work to do in this area.  The next time I find myself craving food, I have to try to stop and allow myself to feel the emotions that I am trying to push away with the food.  This is where the real work on finding out more about who I am begins. 

The Weight Loss Plan

Losing weight - almost every client who walks through our doors wants to achieve this.  Body Design offers assistance to help people who want to lose weight but we are not a quick fix option.  We promote the benefits of exercise and healthy eating choices as the best way to lose weight and keep that weight off. 

But everyone wants a "quick fix".  That is why Americans spend over $40 billion each year on weight loss programs and products.  However, over 90% of the people who take the pills, eat the prepackaged meals, take the injections, read the books, or buy the fitness gadgets on the Shopping Channel fail.  If they do lose weight, most will regain the weight within a year and then some!

The other scary thing about the diet industry is that it is an unregulated industry.  All the promising weight loss, fat burning pills and potions that are on the market are not tested by government health organizations and no one really knows the long term effects of many of these products on the human body.

So, how do we solve the weight loss problem? Well, the bottom line is this - food tastes good, so we eat lots of it.  However, we gain weight because we take in more calories than we burn off.  The only way to lose weight and maintain your weight loss is to eat less and exercise more.

One lb. = 1500 calories.  If you want to lose 1 lb. in one week, then you have to either eat 1500 less calories per week or burn 1500 more calories in a week.  Eating 1500 less calories per week is a lofty goal for most people and burning an extra 1500 calories is also difficult especially if you have not been active on a regular basis.  I recommend that you combine both options - eat less calories and get more active. 

It's as simple as that - eat less and exercise more.  This is the only proven weight loss "plan" that works - it just takes time.  The time involves making lifestyle changes - fitting exercise into your life on a regular basis and making healthy eating choices on a consistent basis. 

I "work" this plan every day and I see clients on a daily basis who are "working" the same plan.  The results do not happen quickly but they do happen.  Permanent weight loss is possible, you just have to "work" the plan.

No, I'm not selfish!

The other day, a friend of mine emailed me and suggested we set up a date to go to the movies together.  She asked me to email her some dates that would work for me. 

I went through my schedule for the next several weeks and replied to her that I had 3 dates in the next 3 weeks available.  My friend replied back that I must be very busy to be only available 3 evenings.

I thought about that comment - yes, I am busy but when I had replied to her with my available evenings, I had only suggested evenings that I was not exercising or would be with my family. 

My exercise routine is set - I run on Sunday mornings and Tuesday and Thursday evenings.  I attend a Boot Camp class on Monday nights.  I work out with my trainer on Wednesday and Friday afternoons.  So that leaves Wednesday and Friday nights to do my "social" stuff with friends.

I have maintained this routine for a long time - years in fact, and I only change it if there is an event or activity that I feel is necessary to attend or I am sick. 

When I used to work outside of my home (over 8 years ago), I used to come home on Tuesdays and Thursdays and immediately get out of my work clothes and go for my run.  My family learned that this was my routine and they adapted.  The kids could still tell me what happened at school that day when I came home from my run and my husband cooked dinner while I as out running.  It took awhile to get the routine set but we made it work.

This routine may sound very regimented and strict but it has to be if I want to make sure that I get in my regular exercise.  I deliberately plan my free time around my exercise time. 

Some people may feel this is selfish but I do not.  I want and need to set time aside for myself during the week - I feel better when I do - physically and mentally.  I have maintained a 50lb. weight loss for over 8 years now and I "plan" to keep it that way. Notice the word "plan" - my exercise routine is a "plan" that I stick to because it works.

I encourage all of you to plan your exercise time during your week and stick to it!  You're not being selfish, you're taking care of yourself.