TRY IT: Get a Personal Trainer

Image: Wikipedia

I know you might be balking at the idea of a personal trainer, but if you go about it properly, it should be affordable and well worth the cost.

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Know Your Objectives

The very first thing you need to do before hiring a personal trainer is to figure out what you want from them*.

The chances of you ending up satisfied with this experience increases dramatically if you can walk in and ask for what you want.

Things you might want:

• Initial instruction in how to perform exercises correctly and safely use equipment.
• Help with exercise programming (that’s like a to-do list for your workouts).
• Encouragement to push past a plateau or to move to a new level of training.
• Advice on working around an injury or getting back into training after recovery time.
• Accountability to help you get into a regular fitness routine.
• Someone to answer your exercise and fitness questions.

Explain exactly what you need to avoid wasting time on sessions directed by the trainer’s idea of what you might be interested in.

Don’t be shy about actually listing your goals and preferences. You are paying this person and he/she needs to provide the service you came for (assuming it is safe for your health and fitness level). If you have measurable goals (want to lose 10 pounds, want to run a marathon), put that out there. Your trainer should have no problem customizing your sessions to your objectives.

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How to Find a Trainer

There are lots of ways to actually locate a personal trainer. Try:

• Asking friends/family for a recommendation. This is the best because you will get a review at the same time.
• Asking at local gyms to see what types of trainers work with them.
• Checking local trainers by certifying organization: American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)

Your trainer should have one of these certifications and preferably some educational background in exercise science. When you ask questions, he/she should be comfortable talking about physiology (muscles and joints) as well as principles of training and conditioning. If the person avoids your questions, or seems uncomfortable with the basic science behind exercise, you might want to keep looking.

Believe it or not, one of the most important criteria is whether you like the person.

While you might be perfectly fine with a doctor who’s dull or a hairstylist who’s distracted, part of your PT’s job is to motivate you which is a lot easier if you actually like them. If you just don’t hit it off with someone, it’s really ok to try a new trainer to see if you can find someone you mesh with a little better. This is about you – not them.

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What a Trainer Should Do

• Pay attention – Your trainer should be 100% focused on you during the whole session.
• Customize your program – It should be obvious that the sessions are geared towards your goals, experience, comfort level and physical capacity.
• Be thrilled to see you – Every single time you show up is an opportunity to make you happy, help you get healthy and share their knowledge of fitness. They should look and act like they won the lottery (ok, maybe just a scratch-off, but still, look for a happy face).
• Teach you stuff – You should be building self-sufficiency with each session, so that you become comfortable with the movements, safety cues, deciding how much resistance and how many repetitions are appropriate, etc.
• Help you work training into your budget – Now, trainers have a range of prices just like actors. You’re not going to get a Brad Pitt at Mark Ruffalo prices, but your trainer should understand how much you want to spend on sessions and help you work out a schedule that fits. This might mean shorter sessions, less frequent meetings, or semi-private training. It’s natural for trainers to try to upsell you – it’s a business – but he/she should also respect your decision to limit spending on services and not hassle you about it.

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…And What a Trainer Should NOT Do

• Be with you forever -The point of personal training is to TEACH YOU how to exercise. You may want to meet up every so often to get new training ideas, ensure technique and get a push, but most people get by with fewer sessions as they gain experience.
• Give you specific nutritional advice – Trainers are not dietitians. Is it ok for them to tell you to eat healthy food or cut out junk? Yes. Is it ok for them to recommend vitamins or supplements? No, it’s really not.
• Train clients with health risks – There are certifications for people with the knowledge to train clients with diabetes, heart disease, cancer and obesity. If you have a major health issue, you need a specialist not just anyone with a PT certificate (I would be looking for a degree at that point, as well).
• Threaten your safety or comfort level – If something hurts or makes you nervous, you shouldn’t be made to do it. This is a huge red flag.
• Put you in traction – You may sore after your sessions, if you are incapacitated, your trainer might not be matching your fitness level to the training program.
• Says things you know aren’t true – No, you can’t work your abs every day. No, heavy weights won’t make you “bulky.” No, you can’t spot reduce fat or “shape” your muscles. If you flip through magazines at the grocery check-out, you’ve read lots of this crap and you know it when you hear it. Run away.

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How did you know that it was true love with your trainer? What do you say to make sure you get what you want out of your sessions together? Have any pet peeves about trainers? Share them in the comments!

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*Please forgive my repeated, inappropriate use of plural pronouns. The internet made me do it.

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TRY IT: Eat at Home

Image: Wikipedia

Everyone knows that eating out can sabotage your waist line: the portions are huge, everything is fried and there’s no end to the naughty options available.

People resist cooking at home both because of a perceived lack of time to cook but also because restaurant food is yummier.

I think that there is an easy compromise between the two, which is to fancy up your home-cooking. By cutting out the restaurant staples of extra salt, fat and sugar, you have a wide variety of options for meals that will still be a vast improvement over eating out.

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Making Time to Cook

One of your main objections to cooking at home is probably the time it takes.

You have a job, you have a social life, you have a lot of online shopping to do. I understand completely.

But this isn’t 1950. You don’t need to spend two hours in the kitchen to make amazing food.

Some tricks to speed things up:

1. Planning – I’ve said this before, but the best way to put healthy food on the table every day is to plan it out on the weekend. Find a few recipes on Sat/Sun. Buy JUST the stuff you need for the week (no rotting food, no temptation to eat “extra” food). Make a quick recipe every other day, in sufficient quantity to provide 2 dinners – or three if your family will put up with it.
2. Check the preparation time – There is no reason to wing it in the kitchen. The internet is chock full of recipes that reduce kitchen time by a) telling you how long it will take to make and b) giving you instructions so you don’t waste time walking around in circles. Pick recipes that fit your time budget. Is that 10 minutes? Fine. Read on.
3. Pay for shortcuts – If you are seriously have no time to cook – and I mean under 15 minutes – there are plenty of semi-prepared foods that are healthier than restaurant fare. Check out frozen stir-fry options, pre-cooked chicken, steam-in-bag veggies and other half-way made grocery offerings. If you have the cash, “meal assembly” stores let you pre-organize meals to freeze though you’ll have to be selective as some options are healthier than others.
4. Get a crockpot – If you have never crocked, you can’t complain about not having time to cook. Crockpots (slow cookers) are magic little devices that allow you to literally throw a piece of meat, some cut up veg and some beans in a pot and walk away. Come back 6-10 hours later and dinner is done! Try crockpot365 as a start for recipes, but there are just tons online. Crocks start at $20 but if you leave for work, please get one with a safety shut-off feature so you don’t burn the house down.
5. Make a freaking sandwich – OK, we’re supposed to be off the processed meats now, but how good does a grilled lean skirt steak/salmon fillet/big mushroom with spinach, tomato, sprouts, avocado and spicy mustard sound? Good, right? How long is it really going to take you to make a fancy sandwich? You can even pre-plan the quickie meal and buy nice bakery bread. Have some ideas like this for days where time is REALLY short.

You also need to be realistic about how much time you are saving by eating out. Even if you do take out, you have to decide what to get, order, pick it up, spread it out, clean up the trash. Making a quickie meal that you already have in mind can be just as fast and just as tasty.

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Get Over Healthy = Yucky

You probably have no idea just how crappy restaurant food is for you. So you think that when you cook at home, it needs to be some bland brown rice with chicken breast and broccoli. Come on.

If you seriously stop eating fast food and carry out, you can afford to indulge a little on the details when you cook at home.

Make your food worthy of the effort:

1. Eat what you like – you’re not going to suffer from malnutrition if you don’t like a couple of vegetables. Stop forcing them down your throat. Pick foods you like and will be excited to cook and eat for dinner.
2. Pick good ingredients – goat cheese does cost $20 a pound, but you only need a few crumbles to make a dish 84% tastier. Select a key component or two in each meal that will really stand out and go for quality.
3. Crib the restaurant dishes – just because you’re not eating out doesn’t mean you can’t have your favorite take out fare. Google “takeout makeovers” or “healthy takeout recipes” to find tons of recipes that spin your favorite cheaty foods into something you can eat everyday.

And be sure to keep a recipe book or computer bookmark folder with your favorites. Part of making home-cooking a joy is the development of a repertoire of fast favorites that you can work into the rotation and know that success is guaranteed.

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What are your tips for making healthy, tasty dinners in a flash? Please share your favorite recipes, resources and ideas in the comments!

TRY IT: Snack Before Bed

Image via Wikipedia

Are you rushing down to the comments section to tell me that eating in the evening makes you fat? Hold your horses.

A lot of people get cravings later in the evening, especially if you eat dinner early due to family schedules. The conventional wisdom that eating late leads to weight gain is most likely based on the fact that your willpower to stick to healthy eats wavers as the day goes on… especially if you feel that you already ate healthy throughout the day.

But trying to lock down your food consumption at a certain hour is a bad plan if it leads to binging or trouble sleeping due to hunger.

So what is the alternative? Well, I think there’s no reason to deprive yourself of food when you need it.

If you know that you often feel hungry later in the evening, try:

1. Eating more at dinner. Filling up on normal, healthy foods might stop you from getting cravings just a few hours later. Try to have some protein which has been shown to reduce appetite. Side note: there is no scientific evidence that fat reduces cravings, it just happens to be more calorie dense, so you can get by eating a smaller quantity of it. Protein actually increases satiety. For real.
2. Split your dinner. Have to sit down with the kidlets? Put half your dinner aside to eat once you tuck them in. Eating on your adult schedule will make it so you don’t have to go 6 hours in the evening without a nibble.
3. Snack before bed. I know, right? This is so forbidden. But you will be fine as long as you take these calories into consideration when deciding what to eat during the day. It can’t be a last-minute add on to your normal diet. So budget 300 calories or whatever you need.
4. Keep it healthy. Duh. You can’t get away with eating trash no matter what time it is. If you want to have late dessert, that’s fine. Try some fruit and yogurt, chocolate milk (cocoa, sweetener, skim milk – not that questionable packet of powder), or even a half cup of light ice cream (dairy = protein, people!). Just make sure to pre-plan what – and HOW MUCH! – you will have.

Keeping control of your evening food consumption will help ensure that you don’t break down and raid the pantry at 10pm.

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Do you plan for meals or snacks later in the evening? How do you avoid throwing away your eating rules when you’re still hungry after dinner? Let me know your tips in the comments!!!

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Shut Up and Try It

Image: Wikipedia

I know you’re asking yourself, “self, where is that bleeping technology post that she keeps promising us?”

Well, I assure you that I have some excellent excuses.

1. I am writing my master’s thesis in the biomechanics of human movement. You want me to be a master of human movement, don’t you?
2. I got a vicious computer virus and am now forced to work on a mac. They are easier to use, you say? Phooey! I spend half the time trying to figure out where my little program window ran off to.
3. I was cutting up some chayote yesterday and my hand went totally numb then started to peel. I thought I was going to die. OK, this didn’t really interfere with blogging but it did totally freaked me out for at least 3 minutes.

So today I have, for your enjoyment, not the technology post.

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The Entire Point

I was thinking about why I started this website and I realized that we haven’t really addressed the real point of it.

Over my life, I have tried a LOT of diets and fitness programs. I know that most people (especially women) do try and fail with a lot of programs to either lose weight or improve their fitness level.

As an exercise physiologist, I’ve learned a lot about what is effective on the human body and, more importantly, on the human mind.

The real crux of the issue is that it’s a LOT easier to find ways to lose weight and get in shape than it is to find a routine that you can stick with in the long-term.

Hence, the Shut Up and Try It approach.

It really matters very little whether you reduce your calories, take up kickboxing, cut back on carbs, work in a community garden, go on a yoga retreat or become a vegetarian.

All of these things have the potential to get a person to his/her health goals.

The only question is which of those things will get YOU to YOUR health goals.

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And the Answer Is… I Don’t Know.

I really don’t know and you probably don’t either, which means it does require a little bit of experimentation to find your fitness groove.

I believe that by knowing this ahead of time, you will feel less frustrated when a program doesn’t really click for you.

Do you get bent out of shape when your sister wears purple shoes that you find hideous? Are you offended that your husband hates mushrooms even though you think they are divine?

Of course not! You know that everyone has different tastes and preferences in life. And that goes for what to eat and how to exercise. Just because a certain diet or fitness class worked for your BFF doesn’t mean you’re going to fall in love with it.

So you have to know that you’re going to try a few things before you find something that works…

…And that it might not work forever. Remember blue eyeshadow? How you used to feather you hair? Wouldn’t be caught dead in those looks now, but you LOVED them back then (don’t deny it, I’ve seen the photos). So it is with your health habits. Over time, you will find yourself dreading Tae-bo and preferring a fork to the eye over another bite of tofu. That’s totally fine. You just need to be willing to be flexible and move on to the next healthy idea that sounds like it might have a place in your life.

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Give Peas a Chance

The only little catch is that change isn’t particularly easy for humans. We like routine and we like less work instead of more (that sounds like you? me too!).

So many health habits that could ultimately change your life are laid by the wayside after a week or two of discomfort.

Before you abandon a diet or fitness program, do try to give it at least 6 weeks. This will help you get over the initial effort and perhaps settle into a comfortable routine with your new program.

I will say that there are exceptions. If a change is threatening your well-being, it has to go. This includes:

• Overtraining – some exercise is good, more is not necessarily better.
• Undertraining – if your fitness program has you dreading the gym enough to stop going, it’s time to try something else.
• Malnutrition – I’m all for achieving a healthy weight but not at the expense of the nutrients your body needs for general health.
• Insomnia/Lack of sleep – whether it’s skipping out on sleep you need to hit the gym or a diet that has you up all night, 7-8 hours of sleep per night is a must.

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Choose Wisely

As with marriage, the success of health habits is assured in the selection, as much as in the implementation. Pick diets and exercise programs that sound good to you – that sound exciting, easy, fun, reasonable, achievable, whatever it is you are looking for.

Keep in mind your own very personal preferences. You are way better off finding a way to work with your personality and interests than overhauling your whole being.

Social butterfly? Take group classes, start a neighborhood fitness group, get a workout buddy. Lone ranger? Build a home gym, use the track off-hours, make a collection of home workout videos.

You are much more likely to succeed if you are excited about the changes you are making, rather than feeling overwhelmed or limited by your program.

So, spend some time thinking about what might work for you. Look through the ideas that I am collecting on the site. Google some stuff. Make a goal list. Then quit your excuses/complaining/procrastinating and just try it.

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Did you find a way to mesh your personality and interests with your health habits? How do you know when it’s time to give up on a program that you’ve committed to? Did you know that Mexican squash could be so dangerous? Share your thoughts in the comments!!!

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TRY IT: Get Better Friends

Image: sugaroni

I still haven’t finished the fitness tech post that I started last week… so I’ve decided to pick on your personal life instead.

Have you ever really hated a fashion trend, but then felt yourself coming around after seeing those fuzzy boots or poofy skirts splashed across the pages of every magazine? Have you showed up to a new job where everyone goes out to lunch instead of brown-bagging it? How long did it take you to change?

There are a lot of reasons we end up going with the crowd. Humans are a social bunch and it’s just more comfortable to fit in and avoid conflict. Unfortunately, that can lead to big problems when it comes to your health.

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Whose standards?

As with questionable fashion choices, we get used to things we see all of the time. Like fat people.

Seriously, how much would you eat for lunch if you stopped for a bite with Gisele? And how would you feel about your body if your buddies looked more like Mike & Molly?

The people we spend time with give us our sense of what is normal. So if your pals are wearing leg warmers like its 1983, you are far more likely to go Flashdance as well (don’t do it!!!). If your BFF becomes obese, your odds increase by 57%. That is true whether your friend lives next door or on the other side of the country.

Of course, not only do we get our ideals from our social group, we also share the same habits.

If all of your friends are vegetarian, you’re less likely to tear into a steak. Likewise, you’re probably not at a spinning class if all of your pals are planted on the couch with movies and margaritas.

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Make a Change

So, what I’m saying is that you should ditch your fat friends.

Kidding.

Being aware of their influence on you makes you more likely to consciously consider the health choices that they make – and of course, pay more attention to your own.

And if they can be a model for your health, there’s no reason why you can’t set the tone for your social group.

Why not organize active meet-ups on the weekends? Host a pot luck where everyone brings a healthy dish.

If you’re more likely to get chubby when your buds do, they are also apt to pick up your positive habits.

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Do you feel tempted to cheat on your healthy lifestyle when your friends do? How do maintain friendships when they don’t share your fitness goals? What ways have you found to encourage good habits in your social group? Please share your story in the comments!

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