Monthly Archives: June 2011
Adam & Eve’s Diet and Exercise Plan
When I consider all the diets on the market, I can’t help but wonder how Adam and Eve ate. I mean, there was no paparazzi to capture them eating at the trendy “Garden of Eden Café” nor were there tabloids exploiting Eve’s hot body and her latest “In the Garden Workout”. Diet and exercise as we know it didn’t even exist.
Deep fryers weren’t even invented and the closest thing to fast food was picking an apple off a tree. High calorie foods simply were not as easy to come by and exercise was a just way of life.
No one had to tell Adam and Eve to workout, they got plenty of exercise with their standard daily duties. I bet we’d burn a lot more calories and eat a lot less if we had to live like they did.
With that in mind, I really doubt obesity was much of an issue. Eve couldn’t have just gone to Publix to pick up a few groceries. Collecting food took time and energy. Since there was no refrigeration, it was essential the food was fresh for each meal so the chores were never-ending. Read the rest of this entry
Bodylastics Exercise Bands: Product Review & Comparison
People waste WAY too much money on fitness gadgets that don’t work.
There is a TON of junky fitness equipment and I feel it’s my duty to share good equipment when I find it. As a fitness professional, trainer, gym owner and fitness columnist, this is my personal experience with Bodylastics bands and how I feel they compare to other competitors. In a nutshell: They don’t compare – they dominate.
Cheesy Bands vs. Bodylastics
Exercise bands have been around for many years. If you’ve ever taken an aerobics class, you’ve likely used them yourself. However, I cannot even compare Bodylastics to the cheesy bands (pictured left) you typically see at most health clubs – as that would be like comparing a Cadillac to a bicycle just because they both have wheels. YES, they both have a rubber band tube with handles BUT if you were to hold one of the traditional bands in one hand and Bodylastics in the other, you’d immediately notice a difference. Read the rest of this entry
10 Tips to Kick the Never-Ending Diet
“I tried every diet in the book. I tried some that weren’t in the book. I tried eating the book. It tasted better than most of the diets.” Dolly Parton
When I think of Dolly’s quote I think of how my mother also tried every diet in the book before she finally lost her weight. I know she must have felt like she spent her entire life dieting. The truth is she just made a few common mistakes that just continued to prolong her results – and it happens to so many people. That’s why so many American live their all their life dieting.
10 Tips to Break the ‘Never-ending Diet’ Cycle:
- Avoid diet hopping. Some people never stick to a diet long enough to get results before they hop on the next diet that comes their way. If you chose a diet plan, stick to it.
- Never attempt an unrealistic diet. I can’t help but think of the Cabbage Soup Diet, which I was on for all of four very long days. A successful diet is one you can stick with for the long haul.
- Don’t rely on the quick fix. We all know better, but our patience often gets the best of us. Don’t give in to weight loss gimmicks. A quick fix is just a temporary fix and only postpones the inevitable.
- Be realistic. If you are on a mild diet and exercise plan, expect mild results. The more intense the program, the faster the results. Be realistic when setting and working toward your goal.
- Be honest with yourself. People seem quick to recall all the healthy low-calorie foods they eat but get amnesia when it comes to unhealthy choices. The scale will tell on you so, in all actuality, you aren’t fooling anyone but your self. Read the rest of this entry
My Top 20 Diet Tips
Everyone is looking for a short cut to lose weight. Although I prefer people not live on diet tips alone, diet tips can definitely help jump-start weight loss.
A few years ago Steve and I were teaching a fitness and nutrition class to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office. In this class I gave a few applicable diet tips that could be used in the workplace and at home. A few months later I ran into one of the employees in Publix and the man introduced himself and said, “remember the tip you gave about using salad plates instead of dinner plates? I’ve lost 40lbs so far” he boasted. I was simply blown away. I couldn’t believe that simple tip helped him to lose so much weight.
A random diet tip is not always a perfect match to every dieter. The very same tip that helped that man may not help someone else, but it is can sure help someone who overeats. Other people may have a bigger issue with what they eat or how often they eat. Whatever your struggle is, here are my top 20 diet tips for losing weight. Maybe a few of them can help you!
- Limit meals to 350-450 calories
- Limit snacks between 150-200 calories
- Serve meals on small salad plates instead of large dinner plates.
- Share a meal, or put the other half of your meal in a to-go box, when eating out.
- Limit processed foods like pasta, breads, cereals and instant rice.
- Drink one large glass of water before each meal. Read the rest of this entry
You DON’T have to be RICH to get FIT!
Many people blame a lack of cash for not being fit, but getting fit doesn’t necessarily require a lot of money. Sure, it’s much nicer to workout inside an air-conditioned gym, more comfortable to use nice gym quality equipment, and more fun to burn calories in a class with friends – but you don’t have to join a gym to get fit.
This past fall, my husband and I were in Wellington, Florida leading a boot camp at Ultima Fitness. Steve, known for using creative fitness tools, shared his fall spirit by leading participants through a workout with pumpkins instead of medicine balls. At first, everyone giggled at the idea of doing squat trusts with pumpkins but, once their muscles started burning, Steve was the one who got the last laugh.
Fitness tools can be very expensive when setting up a home gym. One Kettlebell or a Medicine Ball alone can be $70 each and free weights typically run a dollar a pound, which adds up fast. Even used equipment can be insanely over-priced in my opinion. Read the rest of this entry
Fitness: 4 Tips to Reap the Reward
In a recent Bible Study, Calvary Chapel Pastor Jim Gallagher was talking about the process of reaping what you sow, referencing Galatians 6:7. “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap”. This scripture encompasses everything we do – including fitness.
I was reminded we are a product of how we live each day. What really hit home for me was when Jim reminded us of the actual process of producing a harvest. This process would be very long and grueling.
Most of us are not farmers and haven’t even thought of the work that’s involved in producing a harvest, but I think if we reflect on what it takes to produce a crop we may look at fitness differently.
1. Prepare
Let’s start with preparing the soil. In the world of fitness, we could look at this step as preparing the mind. Before you can begin to tackle diet and fitness goals, you need to be mentally ready. It took my mom 3 months of journaling and soul-searching before she could fully commit to the changes she wanted to make in her life.
2. Plan
Once the soil is ready it’s time to sew the seed. Before you sew the seed, you must decide what you want to produce. Do you live in a climate to produce the crop of choice? All these things matter before you can even put one seed in the ground. Read the rest of this entry
NO! I Won’t Tell You What to Eat!
“Can you just tell me what to eat?”
This is a question I get ALL the time. Although it’s my personal desire to help as many people as possible, my answer will always be “NO”. Here is why…
Why not just give out meal plans for people to follow?
There are many reasons whey we don’t tell people what to eat but my #1 reason for not just writing down a list of foods is because it would be a very temporary fix for a problem that needs a permanent solution.
I won’t tell you what to eat for your own good
People don’t know what to eat because they are not knowledgeable enough to make healthy decisions. There is more to managing your weight than just eating a certain list of foods. How many calories you eat, how you combine foods, and how many nutrients you are getting are all important factors when it comes to reaching your goals.
Telling someone what to eat is limiting but helping someone understand why they need to eat a certain way is totally freeing. It’s not much different than telling someone the answer to a mathematical equation. It’s fine and dandy long as you come across the exact same equation with the same factors, but if the factors change and you don’t have an understanding how the equation works, you will be completely lost. Read the rest of this entry
Get Over It!
It was the first day of Boot Camp for Ellen Minotty and I can remember it like it was yesterday. As soon as the orientation was over she made a beeline straight for Steve. Although I couldn’t hear what she told Steve, I remember his answer, “get over it”.
We laugh about that day because those three words were part of a turning point for Ellen. How often do we hold on to excuses and let them paralyze us. If we could just “get over it” like Steve said, we could actually move on and make some progress – and progress she’s made. Three boot camps and thirty-five pounds later, Ellen learned to quit making excuses.
Unfortunately, people tiptoe around the truth and candy coat fitness to the point it hurts more than it helps. Think about it. How many times have you heard someone say “oh honey, maybe you’re not losing weight because you aren’t eating enough”. Talk about sabotage!
People don’t need to hear they are doing all the right things when they’re clearly not getting all the right results. The problem is no one wants to be the bearer of bad news – especially when someone has tried to the best of their ability to do the right thing. Read the rest of this entry
What’s It Worth?
Steve Pfiester asks: “Is it worth it?”
I don’t know that anyone is inherently just drawn to enjoy dragging their “out of shape lazy butt” into a gym, or basement for that matter, and really enjoy the euphoria of that “warm and nauseous feeling”. What makes someone finally sell out to a fit lifestyle and not “restart” every Monday, or have 365 “do-overs” for their new years resolution to lose that 20-50 pounds that they have had since their 3rd child (yes, you guys too), but really, really do it.
After 25 years of trudging through the emotional and psychological trenches of this beautifully simple question, I have narrowed it down to 3 sobering and motivating life-changing reasons some people make permanent changes to our physique and physiology:
- We, or someone we care for, has been told they will die if we don’t make some very real dietary changes and increase our all over fitness.
- The realization that entropy (degrading energy) is a very real result of life. Every day we have less and less energy, yet we are eating more and more, finally becoming sick of being sick
- Aesthetics… there I said it. Many of us are tired of buying clothes that we don’t even like just because they are the best choice to hide 5 or more of our 2000 parts.
Many of us fall into a little of all three of these reasons, but others of us can definitely say, “I want to live longer, healthier or just look better.”
IT’S WORTH THE REWARD
I am the latter. I definitely want to live longer. Not only that, but I want to live longer AND healthier. I don’t care to live even another year if I was completely dependent on others and had a poor quality of life. Even knowing exercise can produce that type of amazing benefit, I am so vain that I still wouldn’t be completely sold out for a fit lifestyle if it did nothing for the way I look. I probably would still eat ‘ok’ and have an ‘ok’ workout.., but no freak’n way would I ever train this hard, or eat this clean, if it wasn’t gonna see abs or tone up my bottom.
SIDE NOTE –> YES, us 40 year old men still want our wives to think we have firm derrières’ also. Not an obsession but a definite concern. We just don’t sit around the office with each other and compare, “Hey Bob, what have you been doin, your ass looks really amazing lately”. Bob says, “Welp’ Stevo, I’ve been doing some lunges and eating steamers”. Nope, not a conversation we’re gonna have – but still concerned all the same.
IS IT WORTH IT to go to bed a little hungry?
What is it worth to not only work in your training 5 or 6 days a week but also, do that extra 5 or 6 reps? I’m here to tell you I’ve seen it happen to the most unexpected of people. You know, the ones who come back in the office after the summer, or the ones you haven’t seen in a while, drop lots of weight and toned up? You want SO bad to believe they got sick or had Lipo, but then the nasty truth is they just set their mind to what they wanted to do… (and listen).. AND DID IT!!!!! Read the rest of this entry
Wise or Foolish
Think of all the good decisions we would make if we could honestly answer this question: “Would this be wise or foolish?”
THINK ABOUT THIS:
“Would it be WISE or FOOLISH to: Skip my workout?”
“Would it be WISE or FOOLISH to: Forgive my friend?”
“Would it be WISE or FOOLISH to: Eat that?”
“Would it be WISE or FOOLISH to: Buy that car?”
“Would it be WISE or FOOLISH to: Go to bed angry?”
and the list goes on…
This one statement could change everything if you can make the time to stop and answer the question. Unfortunately many of us stay so busy and rushed we don’t STOP and actually THINK about what we are about to do. Once you are faced with the question that must be answered honestly, then you KNOW you are even more foolish if you still choose the foolish route.
TIPS TO MAKING BETTER, HEALTHIER DECISIONS:
1.) Take the time to weigh the facts
2.) Think about the possible repercussions
3.) Make MORE decisions based on WISDOM and less on feelings, temptations and spontaneous reactions.
4.) If you honestly can’t answer the question. Ask yourself this: “Will I be satisfied with this decision later or will I have regret?”
5.) Forgive yourself for prior poor choices and don’t look back. Keep your eyes on the prize!
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