The Monday Fitness Challenge

As the year turns the corner, it’s time to start thinking about getting back into shape. There are a number of reasons why people stop working out through the long winter months, not the least of which are mostly practical. Who wants to exercise when it’s freezing outside? Go for a run? Not a chance. And with sun doing its best bear impersonation and hibernating for long daily naps, we miss the Vitamin D that it provides to help invigorate us. The result, of course, is a downward cycle. We workout and exercise less, and so we have less energy. And as we lose energy, we find it difficult to work out.  Fortunately, the days are getting longer again, and while the weather isn’t exactly welcoming just yet, you can feel the changes coming.


This week, I posted the Monday Challenge on my other site. The idea came from something I've used for years with my clients regarding fitness and getting back into shape. The idea is simple. Pick one thing, one good habit that you want to establish. Or conversely, one bad habit that you want to address. The plan involves only the next seven days. That's it, just one week. Your plan can include anything. Cutting out red meat. Choosing to use the stairs instead of the elevator. No dessert. A walk each night. An extra glass of water each day. Keep it simple to start, and if you have a day where you forget or can't resist that chocolate bar, don't worry about it. NO GUILT IS ALLOWED. Just get up the next morning and try again. Reassess at the end of week. If your new habit is working for you, choose it again. (Up to maximum of four weeks, at which point you can keep doing what you're doing, but you have to pick something new.) Or you can choose something else. The idea is to be conscious of what we put in our bodies and becoming aware of how much we're exercising. The self-awareness alone is usually enough to jump start some great changes in our life.

Feel free to email me or comment and let me know how you're doing. I'd love to hear your story! Good luck, and have fun with it!

-Steve

Authour’s Note: My apologies for not posting in a long time. I’m in the midst of writing a fantasy novel, a process that started over three years ago, and has taken up a great deal of time, along with my regular training programs. As we move along from here, however, I hope to have more for you on a somewhat regular basis. Cheers!

The Key to Better Fitness Habits

"Why isn't it working? I'm not getting any results!"

I won't tell you how many times I've heard that as a trainer, because I'm not sure that you'd believe me. I've seen so many people come and go in the gym that after a while it's easy to get jaded and cynical. Not just about your new clients, but about people in general. Our tendency to play the victim is especially made manifest when it comes to health and fitness. And yet, a number of people, at various times in their life, will believe that changes need to be made, and they will find their way to the gym or start eating healthier. Unfortunately when results don't come after a week or two, they get upset.

Last June I wrote an article about the importance of working out to feel better, as opposed to looking good. It isn't that I don't understand the motivation of looking good, but as a motivator, unless you're one of those rare people who are already in great shape, it's a terrible place to start. No one looks the way they want to look. Not even the celebrities you see in movies and in magazines. Movie and TV insiders will tell you about the transforming effects of hair and makeup specialists, not to mention our ability to digitally, err, enhance photos. And even if we finally get the build we want, what then? Too much hair on our body. We don't like our hips. Our ears are too high. Pretty soon we're lost in an egocentric world that revolves around us turning ourselves into a doll. The human experience should be more than that though, shouldn't it?

One of the first questions I ask my new clients is this: Why do you want to be fit? Why do you want to watch what you eat, spend hours cooking your own food, walk past the chips section in the grocery store, and get up at 5:30am on a cold, fall day to go for a run? If you can't answer the 'why' question, there's no point in starting a new fitness routine. You'll only end up being disappointed and bitter towards people who are in shape. And then you'll end up starting the blaming game. "That person has better genetics." "That person is not as busy as I am." "Of course they look good. They can afford to eat healthy! The rich always look good." And the blame game spills into other areas of our life as well. If we're not careful, pretty soon everything will be everybody else's fault and we'll have ceded control over our life completely. It sounds like I'm exaggerating, but I've seen it many, many times. I'll meet people I haven't talked to in years, who are thirty pounds heavier and truly bitter about it. Hey, there's nothing wrong with putting on weight (It's not healthy, but it's not like a crime or something.) Just don't blame others for it. Accept it. Accept control of your life. If you don't accept responsibility, you won't be able to address it.

The reason this happens so often is that people refuse to ask the "why" question. A healthy perspective goes a long way towards a consistent lifestyle change. One of my clients wants to be stronger so she can be more active with her young children. That's a great reason to get in shape! You see, if your 'why' answer has long term implications, and isn't completely vacuous, you will worry less about the results (what others see) and more about the process (how you feel). And when that happens, you'll be on your way to a very different life.

-Steve

How Can I Afford Personal Training?

I found this article, and thought it might be relevant to some of you interested in personal training. The only thing I would add to it, as I never recommend another trainer unless I know them (too many hacks in the business), is that you should NEVER be forced to buy large packages. If a trainer is confident in what they do, and know that they're good, they don't need to sell 50 sessions at a time. This is how people get ripped off. I've seen it over and over at various gyms. Whether you have a trainer at a gym, or at your home, don't buy the big package. My clients, as per my direction, pay me AFTER I've trained them. I do not sell sessions in advance. This helps with their financial flexibility, and ensures that I have the right mindset when I'm working.

-Steve

Boot Camps, Fitness and Sex

As you all know, this past week I completed our first boot camp. By any measure, it was an outstanding success (according to the participants) and a great time for everyone, including me. Everyone worked very hard, and I think we all learned some things along the way. (I'll be posting some of the comments on this site in the next couple of weeks) Moreover, it cemented that running these boot camps is something I want to pursue in the future.

I was fortunate this week to meet up with Zack Sandor Kerr, a friend of mine and PR specialist who took time to sit down with me and help me set a vision for this new enterprise. Zack gave me tons to absorb and think about, and so you'll be seeing some changes to this site over the next few weeks, along with a new site specifically reserved for the boot camps. Even for someone who is relatively tuned in to the tech world and social media, when you talk to a professional, it's quite startling to realize how little you actually know.

The same is true of the fitness world. When I first started training a few years ago, I spent the majority of my first six months playing catch-up. At least, that's how it felt. Despite two decades in the gym and years of coaching and working as a strength consultant for various teams, there was a seemingly endless amount of information to process. These days, I feel relatively caught up, and it helps to have married someone who knows more than I do about fitness and nutrition.

The purpose of a boot camp is not only to kickstart your drive towards being fit, but also help you 'catch-up' in a field that is much deeper than it appears. In many ways, it's like taking a course, albeit a fun one. (Gotta be fun!) A number of people at the last boot camp were amazed at what they were able to learn, sometimes simple things that really helped put other things in perspective. I think is especially helpful in a culture where we are overwhelmed with information.

Fitness and Sexuality

For those of you who visit my regular website, you've already seen some of the firestorm my article caused this past week. It was an article aimed at finding Mr./Mrs. Right, in which I admonished singles who refused to put in the hard work to be fit that they shouldn't complain when other people found them unattractive. A great deal of the complaints came from married women with children, who were not the target of the article. Obviously, life demands change when we have kids. Perhaps the real problem is the tie between fitness and sexuality. People were upset, I think, because the article felt like I was rudely suggesting that a women needs to be "hot" to be loved. And when she has children and is no longer hot, perhaps does not need to be loved?! I know how it sounds, but that wasn't the point at all. So let me be blunt.

I'm tired of people, specfically women, being put so low on their own priority list that they can't find time to work out or go for a walk or a bike ride because everyone else comes first. Self-care is a must for everyone. If your wife/girlfriend/partner/mom has no time for herself, make an effort to give her some time. This is especially true with mothers, who are so giving with their time, they tend not to take the time they need. Can we all agree to honour their commitment by helping lift some of their burdens so they can have time for themselves.

I'm tired of people making excuses for our obese society. Obesity is not only a killer, it's a life changer. Especially for children. We're too caught up in being politically correct (so we don't say anything), or we're just too rude (and we make fun of others), to simply be honest, without inflection or condemnation.

Fitness is not about looking like the skinny girls on the cover of magazines. They aren't fit. Fitness is a healthy, whole, balanced lifestyle that requires neither arrogance or wealth. Not everyone can afford to buy organic food (we don't), but we can all slow down a bit, turn the TV off, and do some stairs.

Fitness is about you. Ultimately, it's about taking care of what God's given you. It's learning to have a good time and being honest with ourselves about how we look and some of our habits. It's not about changing overnight, but working towards a healthier journey.

I wrote a follow up to the first article about Finding Mr./Mrs. Right, and imaginatively named it Part II. Mostly it's about fitness and sexuality. If you're interested, you can find it here.

Thanks, everyone. I'll keep you up to date on the boot camp developments.

-Steve

A Couple of Dumbbells

And no, I'm not talking about my kittens. This past week my wife and I purchased a new set of Bowflex SelectTech 1090 dumbbells. Despite working out for the past twenty years and spending the past three in the fitness industry, they're the first expensive piece of fitness equipment I've ever purchased. The closest, in terms of cost, would be my two year old running shoes (which were about 500$ cheaper). Generally, I warn my clients away from expensive equipment. The tendency in fitness, as in other things (like religion), is to consume, consume, consume. And a healthy life is less about consumption and more about expenditure. In this case however, as I don't have a gym membership and prefer to work out at home, the dumbbells are a blessing in that they allow me to push the heavy weight (they adjust up to 90lbs… they're huge) and produce the deep fatigue that can't be replaced (for those who love to lift) by any form of cardio.

The weights are sturdy, and take up very little space in our apartment. We did our reading before we purchased them, and the only caveat was that you had to be careful setting them down. Unlike the set, octagonal weights, which are almost indestructible, the 1090's can be broken if they're thrown around. And if you've spent any time in the gym, you've seen the heavy lifters throw the weights around before arching the super sexy eyebrow to warn you how tough they are. Fortunately, I can't seem to raise one eyebrow, though I've certainly tried, so I've always settled for rolling my neck and grimacing after setting the weights down carefully. In that sense, the 1090's suit me perfectly. Bowflex also has a smaller set of dumbbells, the 552's, which adjust up to 52.5lbs. I've used the smaller ones with a number of my clients, and absolutely recommend them for home use, though the same caveat about throwing them around applies here.

As I've said before on this site, the importance of resistance work can not be understated. And yes, for women too. Especially when it comes to doing back work, which is, along with core work, the most important and neglected area for most women. Ultimately, it leads to bad posture and back pain as they get older. Learning to do a proper back workout is VERY important.

For those of you who don't know, I do a lot of work as an unpaid writer, and supplement it with my training. We are not rich. Paying for those dumbbells wasn't easy, but moderated by my simplicity in other areas. For example, I've pretty much worn two pairs of shorts all summer. My 24$ sandals are my number one chose of footwear, and my idea of a good time (aside from the wild parties in Manhattan)is sitting on our balcony and reading a good book from the library. In that sense, it pays to be a geek, if a two hundred pound slab of geekiness.

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LAST DAY for Harriston Boot Camp

It's the last day for my Harriston Boot Camp. What a blast it has been! They've been an unbelievable, hardworking bunch and I feel as though I've made ten new friends. (Although, that's a bit mitigated by the cheers I hear every time I tell them we're done.) Honestly, it's been a terrific experience, and I'm looking forward to the last workout in a few hours. Thank you all for your hard work, for your questions, and for your desire to change your lifestyle. You guys were awesome!

-Steve

Losing Perspective: Portion Control

One of the first things I do with my clients in my initial fitness assessment is to ask them to describe a typical meal. What I'm looking for, before I even get to what they're eating, is a clear indication of their portion control. That is, how much food do they eat in one sitting. When it comes to the actual volume of food we put down our throats, let me say this politely: North Americans eat FAR too much at meal time. Seriously, we're pigs. We load up huge dinner plates with massive helpings, and can't figure out why we suddenly have a belly. We eat massive amounts and wonder why the food doesn't just mysteriously vanish, but actually gets lodged on our hips and thighs and stomach. Why is this such a mystery?

At least, that's how my fellow trainer put it when he was ranting last week.

The truth of it is a bit murkier. We live in a society where we are pushed to always be consuming. Whether its food or toys or religion or sex, everything is a commodity. And when it comes to food, we are pushed towards volume eating by our so-called dinner plates and the portions we're served when we go out to eat. Have you ever wondered why our plates are so big? If they don't seem big to you, know that you have been sufficiently tricked by those pushing you to consume. Our portions are significantly higher than those in most countries, and as a result (along with a few other issues), we're a significantly obese populace.

Neurologically, our brain doesn't "do" size. It sees a plate and counts it as "1 plate." It sees a cup, and counts it as "1 cup", regardless of size. My parents used to tell me that my eyes were bigger than my stomach. Thanks to the advances in neurological studies, I can tell you that she's absolutely correct. You cannot trust your eyes to measure portion control. (For more information, check out Malcom Gladwell's article on it in his book) The other issue with portion control is speed. We eat too quickly. Since we're always rushing, gulping down our food instead of savouring it, we literally eat too fast for our brain to receive proper signals from our stomach that we are "full." Food is meant to be savoured and enjoyed, not consumed, and it's the first step towards a better diet.

The assignment this week for my boot camp is to eat only off dessert plates. No dinner plates or large bowls! And, only one helping every two hours. Instead of three meals, however, they are allowed to eat five. Why? Smaller meals shrink the stomach. We want to promise our body we will feed it small amounts on a regular basis. What that does, in turn, is increase our metabolism. You'll feel lighter as you shed this idea that "more is better." That's a flat out lie used to get you to consume more products. Don't believe it. Instead, challenge yourself by shrinking your portions and observing how much better you feel. It's unfortunate that we have to wade through so many lies to be healthy. In this case however, it's pretty simple. Stay away from buffets, and make your dessert plates your dinner plates. I guarantee you'll see and feel the difference.

-Steve

Boot Camp... Fun?

Here are some pictures from our boot camp. We're having a great time, okay, well, I'm having a great time. They're working their tails off! lol

-Steve