Reaching Fitness Goals in 2012!

By: Laura Rogers

I love making lists.  It’s a way for me to feel like I’ve accomplished something big when I can cross off items.  In fact, I’m guilty of adding things to my list I’ve already done just to draw a line through it!  Accomplishments are important.  It is what makes the journey rewarding and it gives us confidence that we can reach our goals, regardless of how small!  Many of us make resolutions at the New Year, but how often do we get to cross those goals off our list?  Follow these tips to make your fitness goals last so that at the end of 2012, you have something to cross off and maybe a few extra things to add for extra credit!

1. Dig deep! Delve into the emotional reasons behind why you want to shape up. Ask yourself, “How will I feel when I am at my goal and what makes me uncomfortable about getting there?”  Communicating with yourself in an honest way will help you focus.
2. Believe in Yourself! Make a list of why you deserve to reach your goal.  Why do you want this so badly?  What qualities are you going to let shine that will help you reach your goals?  Give yourself credit and stay positive.  We all make mistakes.  It’s how you learn and recover from them that are important!
3. Set realistic expectations! Many of us get discouraged when we don’t see results immediately. In the first two weeks, expect mental and emotional changes.  Keep your expectations simple.
4. Prep your home! Clean out your pantry of bad temptations and keep your exercise equipment within reach.
5. Make a commitment! Schedule your workouts in your calendar like a doctor’s appointment.  If possible, hire a trainer and set a schedule to stay accountable.
6. Be selective! Find a program and diet that truly works for you, is effective and something you can stick with!
7. Change it up! Don’t quit out of boredom!  Shock your body during your workouts and participate in classes that you may not have tried before!  Get outside and enjoy this great weather! Invite a friend to workout with you.  By all means, if you continue to do the same thing every day, your progress will come to a stop and stay there.
8. Step up your effort! Each week, set small goals for yourself.  This will help you avoid looking at the big picture and feeling overwhelmed that your goal seems unattainable.
9. Get support! Let friends and your family know what you are doing so you can get support from those that care about you.  You never know how it could affect others.  Your inspiration may be just what they needed to start their own journey!

Now, start planning what you will do the rest of the day to make positive changes and good decisions.  It may start with creating a list!  Keep it fun, stay positive and believe in yourself!  2012 is all yours to define.

The top 5 reasons I hear people can’t work out are:

By: Josh Rogers

1. I have no time.

This one is great. I hear, “I do have a job, kids and a life.” If you spend time surfing the net or watching television, there is the time. Take control of your health and incorporate exercise into your schedule like a doctor’s appointment or a job! Keep your gym clothes handy so you can burn calories when an opportunity opens up!

Many parents feel guilty taking time for themselves, but the benefits of you being in shape (to play with your kids), being a great role model (so they learn how to be healthy) and making time for good health (showing the value of priorities) will teach your children how to take care of themselves when they grow up and “have no time!”

2. I have no energy.

No doubt everyone struggles with the first few weeks and that is why so many people give up.  But, if you can be consistent and dedicated for a few weeks, the exercising will energize you and prevent tiredness.  Make sure you are getting sufficient sleep and taking a quality multivitamin daily paired with a healthy diet.

3. I’m not motivated.

Having enough energy to exercise is a matter of having the right motivation.  You have to care!  Your quality of life may depend on it!  If you don’t factor behavior change into your program, your program is worthless.  You have to be willing to get off the couch and change.  If you hate the idea of exercising in general, try working out with a personal trainer who can help you get past your negative association with working out and keep you motivated.  Soon, you will physically progress and feel your dopamine and energy levels rise.  You’ll soon realize you can do this!

4. It’s too expensive.

Hiring a personal trainer or purchasing expensive home equipment can be big investments but neither is necessary.  You can walk around your neighborhood or climb the stairs at work.  There are many creative things you can do at home and shop around for great promotions from your local gym!

5. I’m sick or injured.

With a physician’s permission, there are numerous exercises you can do around injuries. This excuse really keeps people further away from good habits. However, I’ve had the opportunity to train many clients with “sick” symptoms that when paired with training on a regular basis, they were able to lose weight, get off medications and inspire other. Working out the proper way is effective to helping the sick and injured so that it prevents further harm to the body.

Along with this list, I often hear clients and friends discussing what their regrets are, which include not spending enough quality time with their loved ones and not taking care of themselves.  If you take good care of yourself, you will be able to spend more time with your loved ones!!! Turn your excuses around so you have less regret in your life!

by Registered Dietitian

Successful Losers Keep the Weight Off

At any given time, nearly 60 percent of Americans are actively trying to lose weight. It is no surprise that a myriad of weight loss products, diet books and gadgets flood the marketplace. Although many people succeed at losing weight, few manage to keep the weight off for the long haul. Those who have are referred to as “successful losers” and research studies on these individuals reveal the keys to permanent weight loss.

The National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) is the largest ongoing study on long-term weight loss. To be included in the study, you must have lost at least 30 pounds and kept the weight off for at least one year. On average, the 5,000 participants have lost 60 pounds and maintained the weight loss for nearly six years. The range of weight loss is 30 to 300 pounds, which means any weight loss goal is possible. Interestingly, the odds appear stacked against these individuals as nearly half were overweight or obese as kids and three-quarters have at least one obese parent. So, if you think you’re doomed because of your genetics, here is clear evidence to the contrary. You are NOT destined to be overweight for life and you CAN overcome it by changing certain behaviors. Here are the habits successful losers adopted to drop those unwanted pounds:
•Eat breakfast daily
•Exercise approximately 60 minutes a day
•Check weight at least once a week
•Watch less than 10 hours of television per week
•Maintain a consistent diet on weekends and weekdays
•Track food intake

Eating breakfast every day helps manage hunger and may prevent over-eating and poor food choices later in the day. When we get extremely hungry, the tendency is to select foods we wouldn’t normally eat. Daily exercise boosts your calorie burn which helps balance out the calories you take in. Remember, the definition of a stable weight is when the calories you consume equals the calories you expend. This doesn’t mean you have to do exercise you don’t enjoy. Most successful losers walk as their primary exercise. Checking your weight regularly helps you stay in tune with your body and allows you to adjust your intake or activity if your weight creeps up. In fact, 44 percent of successful losers weigh themselves every day, and most check at least once a week. Limiting TV time has a twofold effect – you’re less likely to snack mindlessly and you’re probably up burning more calories than you would be sitting in front of the tube. Eating consistently each day of the week, including weekends, helps prevent you from eating more than you need, which over time leads to weight gain. Participants who had a consistent diet were one and a half times time more likely to maintain their weight within five pounds compared to those who didn’t.2 This is probably because a weekend of over-indulging can wipe out an entire week of progress. Finally, tracking what you eat keeps you aware of what and how much you eat. This is especially important in weight control since most of us underestimate by at least 20-30 percent. (Read “How You May be Sabotaging Your Weight” for a detailed discussion).

Other research has confirmed the findings of the NWCR and identified additional behaviors of sustained weight loss:
•Plan meals on most days of the week
•Track fat and calories
•Measure food
•Add physical activity into daily routine
•Set goals

It’s important to note that all of these behaviors are not required to achieve success, but they are habits that have been shown to be effective. It is certainly possible to reach and maintain your goal by simply eating less, moving more and adjusting based on whether the scale goes up or down.

Another essential component of long-term weight loss is social support.5, Whether it’s a friend, coach, health professional or online community, it’s important to have someone who will listen and give feedback. Online weight control programs have become popular because of convenience and the community support they offer. However, the most effective online programs provide structure, ongoing personalized feedback and support.

Why do most people gain the weight back?

In a nutshell, people return to their original weight (and more) when they stop doing what made them successful in the first place. Participants of the NWCR who regained more than five pounds reported exercising less, eating more fatty foods and allowing themselves to overeat more frequently. It makes perfect sense why the majority of those who go on “fad” diets and other programs lose weight quickly and eventually gain it back. They simply cannot maintain the drastic changes most fad diets require. It’s not that fad diets don’t work; the problem is they only work on a short term basis. Keeping the weight off is the real challenge.

Do what works for YOU

Weight loss can be achieved in many different ways as long as you consistently burn more calories than you consume. (See “Weight Control 101″) However, to achieve and sustain results, follow the example of successful losers who selected behaviors they could maintain for life. Keep in mind that you can start by making small changes such as taking 10 minute walks, skipping your afternoon soda or increasing your daily steps. You may not drop the pounds as fast as you’d like, but when it comes to weight loss– it’s not how you start that counts, it’s how you finish. Do what works for you for the long haul and YOU will ultimately become a successful loser.

References
1. International Food Information Council Foundation. 2008 Food & Health Survey, Consumer Attitudes toward Food, Nutrition & Health. Available at www.ific.org/research/foodand healthysurvey.dfm. Accessed July 27, 2008.
2. Wing R, Phelan S. Long-term weight loss maintenance. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005. 82(suppl):222S-5S
3. Wing R and Hill J. Successful weight loss maintenance. Ann Rev Nutr. 2001. 21:232-41.
4. Kruger K, Blanck HM, Gillespie C. Dietary and physical activity behaviors among adults successful at weight loss maintenance. Into J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2006. 3:17.
5. Elfhag K, Rossner S. Who succeeds in maintaining weight loss? A conceptual review of factors associated with weight loss maintenance and regain. Obes Rev. 2005. 6:67-85.
6. Saperstein SL, Atkinson NL, Gold RS. The impact of internet use for weight loss. Obes Rev. 2007. 8:459-65.

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I’ve heard that when you eat fewer calories than you burn, the body perceives a threat (potential starvation?) and responds by slowing the metabolism. True?

Answer: There is no such thing as “starvation mode” or a significant slowing of metabolism for someone pursuing weight loss, even when they’re on a very low calorie diet. As long as you exercise while maintaining a calorie deficit and follow a healthy diet, you will always burn fat, allowing you to lose weight with maximum efficiency. When you come to a plateau you simply must move more, eat less or a combination of the two – period.

The myth
“Diet–induced slowing metabolism” is more of a myth than a problem. The myth was born from 1) reduced daily activities, resulting in fewer calories burned, meaning most people can’t eat much without gaining weight; 2) underreporting calorie intake — people think they eat far less than they really do; and 3) sheer coincidence. By this we mean someone starts a new diet/exercise program thinking they increased their calorie intake, but in reality they are simply NOW following a plan that allows them to burn more calories than they consume. And this last point allows the myth to stay alive. If you are not losing fat/weight, it’s because you are not consuming fewer calories than you burn on average. Lastly, starving people do not stop losing weight or die fat.

More details
When you severely cut calories and lose weight, your metabolism may make a slight adjustment, allowing it to temporarily run on fewer calories. But it’s an insignificant (if it happens at all) for the typical dieter. A significant decrease in metabolic activity only happens in true starvation. In other words, when someone IS starving, emaciated, AND still losing weight – NOT when you are overweight and at a plateau.

The main reason the body comes to plateaus during dieting or exercise (besides consciously or unconsciously not following the plan) is that you become more fit when weight is lost. Your body uses fewer calories to perform the same work, which forces you to have to perform more work or eat less in order to continue to progress. That’s not a slowing metabolism – that’s simply moving more efficiently with less weight throughout the day.

Another reason people think they are victims of a slowing of metabolism is that drastic diets may make them feel less energetic. This causes them to unconsciously move less throughout the day. Remember, we burn the vast majority of calories while performing daily activities, not during a one-hour workout. Also, a person may, through change in employment or other lifestyle alterations, simply start to move less throughout the day and now exercise cannot offset the decrease in daily calorie burn. And finally this: during very low calorie diets or at any time following significant weight loss, one often binges as the body attempts to recover lost pounds. And it only takes one “binge” to wipe out a week’s worth of accurate dieting. Most people can’t believe this because they worked hard to consume the proper amounts for seven or 10 straight days, so the one binge is either underestimated, forgotten, or they never grasped the fact that every calorie counts.

If you eat well, exercise regularly, and are experiencing a plateau, our general recommendation is to increase your daily movements at home or at the office. Never sit when you can stand or pace, such as when you’re using the phone. Standing burns two times and pacing uses almost three times as many calories as sitting! So get up and break your plateau. Additionally, changing your workout (including intensity and type of cardio you perform) can help burn a few more calories.

Hi Folks! Josh and I are going to post things on our blog that we feel you all would benefit from! If you have a question or situation you would like us to address, just email it to us at Info@SweatChallenge.com and we will post a reply on the blog! We look forward to interacting with you all! Have a healthy day!!!