Motivation Monday | Wipe your slate clean

Happy Monday Team!

This will be our first entry for Motivation Mondays!
The beginning of the week has such a bad rep, but it should be celebrated just like the week ends! With a slightly different approach of course.

Let Mondays be the day you start fresh, where you wipe your slate clean of all your naughty shenanigans and cheat meals/drinks from the weekend that just passed.

Begin by waking up at a timely hour. I suggest at least 2 hours prior to your actual departure time.
This will give you ample time to start your day leisurely and focused.

After your usual morning rituals, start with a nice tall glass of refreshing cool water to kick start your metabolism.

While you prepare your breakfast, use this time to go over your weekly schedule in your head and think about the times and days you will be hitting the gym.

As you sit down for your morning meal, grab yourself a piece of paper and pen and start to plan out this week's goals for training.
Don't forget to include your desired weights, reps, sets, and accompanying meals that will keep you fueled during the days.
Once you have your week planned out, stick to it. It should be easier to do that with your goals written out, keep it close and look at it regularly.



Here is a little peak at what I have down for the start of MY week:

Monday *cardio only* - 20 minute run, 5 minute high paced precor, 5 minute high paced row machine. Total 30mins only.
Tuesday *full body* - 35lb 1 legged squats, 60lb narrow squats, 50lb deadlifts, 15lb single arm reverse flys, 15lb alternating chest flys, overhand pullups, 10lb shoulder circles on BOSU, hanging knee ups. Total 1 hour, about 10 mins cardio.
Wednesday *core/kickboxing* - 1 hour Core pilates and stretch, followed by 1 hour cardio kickboxing. Total 2 hours only.
Thursday *upper body only*.....
..etc...etc....

You getting the hang of it? Give it a try yourself and start to see what amazing things you can accomplish!

Until next time Team, make this into a Monday weekly habit, and I guarantee you will always have a fantastic week inside the gym!

Health respect & happiness

Beki

WatchOut Wednesday | Seated Press & Your Spine

I was in the gym early this afternoon for a session with a new client. I’ve noticed the usual influx of bodies within the facility since the 31st of December already. And with this increase of traffic flow, comes the overzealous intentions of pushing too hard, too fast and improper execution techniques by newcomers who have no direction by a professional. This is every personal trainer’s worst nightmare!!

A particular member, who I saw performing what looked like a seated shoulder press, is the inspiration for today’s entry.

I have seen her before so she is not a newbie to exercise but this doesn’t mean that someone who has worked out for years will not do incorrect moves. In fact, many people I know who have claimed to have worked out for many years don’t know how to execute proper alignment in some very basic exercises (the classic one is the squat!).

The above photo shows proper technique. This is NOT the member that I saw in the gym.


The member had her shoulders pressed against the back of the bench, and her back was extremely hyper-extended. So much so, that almost her entire backside would not touch the bench while she was doing the press. This is poor technique and will cause intense spinal and back pain due to the unnecessary pressure on the vertebrae and little to no core contractions to keep the torso stabilized.
This is a very common risky mistake I see amongst new and old fitness participants. Be aware of your mid section at all times Team!

Proper Technique

1. Sit on the bench with your legs 90 degrees, knees above ankles, hip width apart.
2. Press your shoulder blades against the back part of the bench; to get the rest of your backside against the bench properly, contract your core muscles and pull your bellybutton towards your spine until you feel the small of your back pushed against the bench. There shouldn’t be space between your back and the bench. Keep your stomach contracted to stay like this!
3. Lift hands beside your shoulders so they’re about the same height of your jaw line.
4. Press the weight straight up towards the ceiling without locking the elbows, pause, then return to start position.
5. Elbows should start and finish at about shoulder height, and wrists aligned with the elbow.
6. Beginners start with 8-10 reps, 1-2 sets. Work your way up to 12-16 reps, 2-4 sets.

This is a great variation of the seated press with an incline:

Make sure you pay attention to these two shots! Does YOUR execution match what you see? You don't want to start the 2013 working hard towards back pain!

Until next time Team, why not revisit basic techniques and execution with all your exercises to make sure you are starting off strong and correct!?

Health respect & happiness,
Beki

Foody Friday | Salad vs. Salad

I try to avoid eating out as much as I can but when I do, I like to treat myself with slightly not-so-good things (like fries with excessive amounts of cheese curds and gravy, or a big juicy burger with all the fixin's, or a crispy chicken wing...yum). I know that this is something I should not be promoting, but when you work as hard as I do or as often as I do in the gym, I think I have given myself a few free passes each week for something naughty.

It is all about balance my friends, for the 3 not so good treats I give myself, I sweat a good 8-10 hours in the gym, and feed myself nutritious meals in between. Lucky for me, I happen to LOVE the taste of healthy food. Unfortunately, I also have the taste for savory foods and the odd bag of chips (I am a whole bag in one sitting kinda girl).

So what to do when you notice you are too busy to prepare yourself a healthy meal and finding yourself repeatedly eating out? Try to replace a meal/day (if you eat out all day) or 3-4 meals/week (if you eat out once every day for the whole week) with a salad. Before you cringe in horror at giving up a hot, tasty meal for cold, boring rabbit food, I have two delicious options for you. And both are found at 2 very popular restaurant chains in Canada (and maybe some parts of the US).

I've tried many different salads at various restaurants..and these take top two spots for sure. Affordable, very filling, light, nutritious, and TASTY!
You'll see all the nutrition facts and ingredients for each of the salads:

1. Raincoast Greens from Cactus Club.

Ingredients: grilled chicken, avocado, tomatoes, feta, egg, pecans, seasonal berries, lemon-thyme vinaigrette.
Nutritional facts:
Calories 600 Sodium 500 mg
Total Fat 20 g Potassium 0 mg
Saturated 0 g Total Carbs 20 g
Polyunsaturated 0 g Dietary Fiber 5 g
Monounsaturated 0 g Sugars 5 g
Trans 0 g Protein 18 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Vitamin A 0% Calcium 0%
Vitamin C 0% Iron 0%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

2. Pecan Chicken Spinach Salad from Earls

Ingredients: warm bacon, brie, dried cherries, baby spinach, julienne apples and carrots, candied pecans, maple pecan vinaigrette, pecan and porcini mushroom crusted chicken.
Nutritional facts:
Calories 869 Sodium 1624 mg
Total Fat 58 g Potassium 0 mg
Saturated 14 g Total Carbs 35 g
Polyunsaturated 0 g Dietary Fiber 6 g
Monounsaturated 0 g Sugars 23 g
Trans 1 g Protein 45 g
Cholesterol 193 mg
Vitamin A 0% Calcium 0%
Vitamin C 0% Iron 0%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Until next time Team, try them both--tell me which one is your favorite...I still can't decide myself..
Health respect & happiness
Beki

Theme-less Thursday | New Year, New Body, New aches

Have you ever lost track of time, Team? I sure have. So much so, that my next blog post is nearing the end of 2012!? When I tend to get occupied with more activity from home, life, and business, my attention usually hones in on what is in front of me—my clients. But, it’s never too late to pick up right from where we left off, the beauty behind social media blogging.

You’ll see some updated theme day topics (Theme-less Thursdays & Motivate Monday) as well as the classic favorites (Training Tuesdays, Watch-Out Wednesdays, & Foody Fridays). For all my Mommys who enjoyed my “Mommy Mondays”, don’t fret—the theme is not highlighted, but you will see articles geared towards you on different themed days now.

I know it’s on everybody’s mind right now; it’s the end of the year, the new year is about to start…and it’s time to start taking the bodyfat gain more seriously. (After this last slice of pie…and 2nd helping of turkey dinner of course…) Why is it that more than half of the population fall into this rut every year? It’s not like the end of the year is a new thing that falls upon us without warning. Why can’t we all just be more prepared? Or better yet, why can’t all of us continue to workout and eat the way we want without worrying about the extra fat gain?

There are ways around it, yes there is! Would you like to know? I bet you do…but first..

Many of you will be taking the start of the new year as a momentum push to start up (or Restart..) a workout program at your local gym, in your home, or with a personal trainer. If it has been well over 3 months of being sedentary (or making up excuses to start ‘tomorrow’..), expect a few aches and pains. If you are brand spanking new to exercise, be prepared to feel pains that you never knew could exist. You should be able to do most of your daily activities with painful reminders of what you worked the prior day, but it shouldn’t be so bad that you cannot move at all. Be wary of the difference!
Never push yourself to 100% if you are new to exercise, the first few times you train. It’s a common mistake for over-zealous participants, which usually leaves them with overworked joints/muscles and bad pain that comes down to a negative outlook on exercise and then WHAM—they stop their program after a month or less.
[note: this is relative to each individual. Remember, this is the majority, there will be individuals who will experience the opposite]

Now, what you have been waiting for. How can you avoid the holiday bulge without giving up all the dinner invites and delectable desserts?
Are you ready? Do one…or the other:
(1) Start early. (2) Never stop.
Yup, that’s it.

A mistake most people fall into is starting to train too late. If you begin a training regime in Dec, you are already too late! The holidays have already begun; do you think it’s going to be easier to start a new habit during the busiest time of the year? Nope. Add stress into the mix and you’ll end up with more weight gain! And don’t make the silly mistake of thinking that you will do it in January—if you cannot find the time for it in December, you definitely will not keep it up through January and after. Proven fact. So #1, don’t wait til December or worse, January, to begin your fitness program!

The other mistake is stopping your training for the holidays. Yes, you are busy with shopping and planning and cooking..etc. But that is life, and life will always be like that regardless of the time of year. The excuses have now just been more ‘validated’ due to the holidays---really, are the holidays more important than keeping your health in check? I will NEVER let the holidays get in my way of fitness—even if I can’t get to the gym for whatever reason, I will find 20 minutes, 10 minutes even!…whatever I can handle, out of my day to do something at home. If you are constant with your activity, your body does not have the time to relax and gain body fat—so don’t let it!

Lastly, don’t let this be your reason why you are going to overeat for the remaining of the month. Moderation and balance is still key to a holistic-healthy-lifestyle.
On the days you train very hard, reward yourself with a treat.
On the days you are resting, maybe hold off on the 2nd helping.
Got it?

Until next time Team, don’t let the holidays make a Santa belly outta you!
Health respect & happiness
Beki

Warning Wednesday - Is your scale lying to you?

You know that saying, "Age is just a number."? Well, the same almost applies to the number on your scale. "Weight is just a number", unless you understand the difference between just seeing the number and knowing how that number relates to your lean muscle tissue and body fat mass.

Take a look at this picture below:

Can you guess how much they each "weigh" from just looking?

Believe it or not, they both weigh 130lbs. Are the scales lying?

Unfortunately, they are not. The number is just a number.

The public needs to educate themselves to understand that the scale does NOT know the difference between body fat weight and lean muscle mass. They also need to know that 1 lb of muscle is only a fraction in size to 1 lb of fat, which makes muscle weigh more than fat. So having more muscle on your body may appear on your scale like you are heavy but you will look smaller. Is your head running in circles yet? Forget the regular scales..and get measured properly by a digital bodyfat% scale with a fitness professional.

A picture speaks a thousand words...so maybe this will help clear up that headache:

So to conclude and answer this article, YES! Your scale IS lying to you!! 130 lbs is not just 130 lbs....get your smart on and get measured properly.

Until next time Team, have you measured your body fat% lately?

Health respect & happiness,
Beki