I think the term “busy mom” is really an idiotic statement. If you’re a mom isn’t it assumed that you’re busy?
I can’t think of any mom who wasn’t working her hands to the bone taking care of her family. It just kind of comes with the territory.
Unfortunately, this often doesn’t include much time for yourself when it comes to taking care of your body and fat loss.
Many of my training clients are busy moms trying to lose fat and they all want to know how to fit fat loss workouts into their busy days and nights.
The good thing is that it’s not as difficult as you think to fit effective fat loss workouts into your busy days.
You just need to follow these tips.
1) Stop following the fat loss workouts you find in the women’s magazines from the checkout counter. Most of those fat loss workouts are designed by people who don’t actually train people, let alone busy moms who have limited time to lose fat if they can even make it to the gym.
Plus they load those workouts up with goofy exercises that some gymnasts wouldn’t be able to do, or spend the whole time dealing with “isolation” exercises that when done need at least 45-60 minutes of gym time.
You need to start following a fat loss program that is designed to be done quickly and from the comfort of your own home. The program needs to focus on movements that get your whole body moving in order to lose fat. Movements like push-ups, squats, lunges, and full body ab exercises rather than thousands of crunches.
It should have you in and out of the gym in less than 20 minutes or make it so you can do it from home.
Your free time is precious. Do you really want to spend what little you have loading the kids up to head to the gym, driving there, working out, then loading the kids back up to commute home?
2) Stop trying to do cardio for 60-90 minutes per day. I don’t even want you to think about that anymore. It’s just not feasible for a busy mom who wants to lose fat to try to do slow, boring cardio for that long.
Rather you need to start doing interval training for your cardio. You’ll get done a lot quicker, and burn a lot more fat.
As a matter of fact, much of the cardio I have my female clients perform gets them done in less than 20 minutes and they lose a lot more fat than by doing it my way than they had in the years of doing long, boring, monotonous bouts of cardio.
3) Stop eating like you’re a kid. Most moms I know gained weight after their kids were born because they would eat what their kids didn’t. If their child didn’t eat all of his hot dog, she finished it for him. Or, if she was making cookies for the kids, she would eat just as much, if not more than the kids.
You have to stop doing this to yourself if you really want to lose fat.
Instead you need to focus on eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean sources of protein like chicken and turkey breast, soy, almonds, salmon, etc. while cutting out processed carbohydrates, which basically means anything found in a bag or box.
Have a good day!
Ed
P.S. - My Fat Loss To Go program is an excellent source for moms on the go who are looking to lose fat...and lose it quickly. The workouts only take about 15 minutes to complete plus one of the free bonuses is a whole load of 10 minute workouts. Check it out at www.fatlosstogo.com
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Monday, June 16, 2008
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Are Those Stupid Push-Ups Really Necessary and Can They Really Help Me Lose Stomach Fat?
Here's a question/comment I get quite often and how to get past this common workout problem.
Question: "What if I can't do push-ups?" Or. "What if I can only do 5 push-ups but your workout calls for 10?"
A: Surprisingly this is a pretty common problem. Many people are either too heavy or too weak to perform a single push-up. Or if they can do push-ups they can't do very many at one time. (FYI: You can substitute virtually any exercise for push-ups like squats, planks, lunges, etc. that people have trouble doing)
That's not a good problem to have, but it's not the end of the world if you take action.
There are a few reasons you may not be able to do any push-ups (or very few).
The obvious ones are that you're too heavy or too weak. That's easy.
However, there are some people who are relatively strong and not too heavy who still can't do push-ups. They may be able to do a decent amount of weight in exercises like the dumbbell chest press or machine chest press, but push-ups are just too darn hard.
These people may be weak in their core. I say that because if your low back, abs and all the little, deep stabilizer muscles aren't strong enough to hold you up, you can't do push-ups.
Or your shoulder stabilizers may be too weak. This is a very common problem, even in people who regularly exercise but only use the machines found in health clubs or a big home gym. You have lots of little muscles around your shoulder that help stabilize that joint. If they're weak, you won't be able to hold yourself in a push-up position, let alone lower your body and press it back up.
But do you really need to do push-ups? Are they all that valuable outside of gym class from middle school?
Absolutely! Push-ups are, by far, the most valuable upper body exercise around. They work way too much muscle to be excluded and help strengthen virtually every muscle in your upper body, including your abs and low back - muscles that everybody wants worked.
But how do you get to a point where you can do push-ups if you're having trouble doing 1, or if you can only do a few?
Well, if you're someone who's too heavy - lose weight. Easy answer, huh?
Seriously though, you can substitute an exercise that I love to use called a "Standing Resistance Tube Chest Press". You just need some resistance tubing and a place to anchor it, like a door.
Anchor the tube and stand facing away from the tubes with your hands at your sides at chest height. You then press your arms straight out in front of you so you are essentially doing a push-up in the standing position. It's very important to keep your abs braced and tight throughout the movement. If you don't, you'll wobble all over the place like a flower in the wind.
Once you've mastered that movement, and are doing it perfectly, give the push-ups a try again. If at that point you can do at least 5 push-ups, you're good to go.
Now that you can do a few push-ups, but can't do the recommended number a workout calls for, you just need to tweak a few things.
Let's say you can do 5 push-ups and the workout calls for 3 sets of 10.
I want you to perform 3 sets of 4 push-ups. By only doing 4, rather than your maximum of 5, you ensure you won't completely tire yourself out, yet in total you'll do 12 push-ups, which is pretty good progress in my book.
Then each week, try and do more push-ups than the last. Pretty soon you'll be a push-up master and will be able to move on and do more difficult versions.
If you can do regular push-ups and want to step it up a notch and do some more difficult ones, check out these 2 videos I made:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CuvTYGxazc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsF3uyWBZNw
Have a good day!
Ed
P.S. - I love push-ups, and for good reason. They are an excellent upper body exercise and strengthen your chest, shoulders, triceps (back of your arms), upper back, abs, low back and glutes (butt). They are a fantastic fat burning move and they're one exercise that you can perform endless variations of. If you want to learn how to integrate push-ups into your fat burning workout, check out my Fat Loss To Go program now at www.fatlosstogo.com
Question: "What if I can't do push-ups?" Or. "What if I can only do 5 push-ups but your workout calls for 10?"
A: Surprisingly this is a pretty common problem. Many people are either too heavy or too weak to perform a single push-up. Or if they can do push-ups they can't do very many at one time. (FYI: You can substitute virtually any exercise for push-ups like squats, planks, lunges, etc. that people have trouble doing)
That's not a good problem to have, but it's not the end of the world if you take action.
There are a few reasons you may not be able to do any push-ups (or very few).
The obvious ones are that you're too heavy or too weak. That's easy.
However, there are some people who are relatively strong and not too heavy who still can't do push-ups. They may be able to do a decent amount of weight in exercises like the dumbbell chest press or machine chest press, but push-ups are just too darn hard.
These people may be weak in their core. I say that because if your low back, abs and all the little, deep stabilizer muscles aren't strong enough to hold you up, you can't do push-ups.
Or your shoulder stabilizers may be too weak. This is a very common problem, even in people who regularly exercise but only use the machines found in health clubs or a big home gym. You have lots of little muscles around your shoulder that help stabilize that joint. If they're weak, you won't be able to hold yourself in a push-up position, let alone lower your body and press it back up.
But do you really need to do push-ups? Are they all that valuable outside of gym class from middle school?
Absolutely! Push-ups are, by far, the most valuable upper body exercise around. They work way too much muscle to be excluded and help strengthen virtually every muscle in your upper body, including your abs and low back - muscles that everybody wants worked.
But how do you get to a point where you can do push-ups if you're having trouble doing 1, or if you can only do a few?
Well, if you're someone who's too heavy - lose weight. Easy answer, huh?
Seriously though, you can substitute an exercise that I love to use called a "Standing Resistance Tube Chest Press". You just need some resistance tubing and a place to anchor it, like a door.
Anchor the tube and stand facing away from the tubes with your hands at your sides at chest height. You then press your arms straight out in front of you so you are essentially doing a push-up in the standing position. It's very important to keep your abs braced and tight throughout the movement. If you don't, you'll wobble all over the place like a flower in the wind.
Once you've mastered that movement, and are doing it perfectly, give the push-ups a try again. If at that point you can do at least 5 push-ups, you're good to go.
Now that you can do a few push-ups, but can't do the recommended number a workout calls for, you just need to tweak a few things.
Let's say you can do 5 push-ups and the workout calls for 3 sets of 10.
I want you to perform 3 sets of 4 push-ups. By only doing 4, rather than your maximum of 5, you ensure you won't completely tire yourself out, yet in total you'll do 12 push-ups, which is pretty good progress in my book.
Then each week, try and do more push-ups than the last. Pretty soon you'll be a push-up master and will be able to move on and do more difficult versions.
If you can do regular push-ups and want to step it up a notch and do some more difficult ones, check out these 2 videos I made:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CuvTYGxazc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsF3uyWBZNw
Have a good day!
Ed
P.S. - I love push-ups, and for good reason. They are an excellent upper body exercise and strengthen your chest, shoulders, triceps (back of your arms), upper back, abs, low back and glutes (butt). They are a fantastic fat burning move and they're one exercise that you can perform endless variations of. If you want to learn how to integrate push-ups into your fat burning workout, check out my Fat Loss To Go program now at www.fatlosstogo.com
Monday, May 12, 2008
Baby Steps And Fat Loss?
Last Fall my daughter took her first steps. It was October to be exact.
We were playing outside and I set her down in front of me and she took a few steps. I followed her very closely to keep her confidence up, and she took a few more steps.
Some people don't believe me because I was the only one there at the time and my wife was kind of disappointed because she missed Maren's first steps.
It didn't help my case that she didn't take another step on her own for about a month and a half. Then she started to wobble a little bit more on her own and now, 7 months later, she is running everywhere. She loves to run around out side. She loves to carry things around. She loves to hold a phone up to her ear and walk around and "talk". It's the cutest thing you've ever seen.
But she didn't get to this point easily. She fell...a lot. She still falls...a lot. But she's gotten much better at walking/running, but it wasn't the easiest thing in the world for her.
The same can be said when it comes to changing your eating or exercise habits. You know what you want to do and you have a goal you want to reach, but you've got to take "baby steps" in order to achieve that goal.
No one should even let it cross their minds that they're going to eat perfectly and exercise everyday of the week when they don't exercise at all now and have horrible eating habits.
That's just plain dumb. Not only that, but it sets you up for failure and a quick failure at that.
You have to take things one step at a time and build on each little success until you find yourself running rather than wobbling around barely able to walk.
Let's say that you have a soda drinking problem, in addition to a lot of other poor eating habits. You should first conquer the soda drinking and totally cut that out or relegate it to a "reward meal". Once you have that habit down, THEN you can start on another habit. But don't move on until you have successfully kicked the soda drinking habit.
Or, let's say that you like to eat a lot of junk food between supper and bedtime. You should get that under control before you even worry about the snacks available in the breakroom.
The same correlation can be made with exercise. If you are totally new to exercise, you should start small. Start by setting an appointment with yourself when you're going to workout. Once you get that going, then progress from there.
Taking these "baby steps" when it comes to fat loss will greatly increase your chances of success. It does because if you only focus on 1 or 2 things rather than your entire lifestyle, it makes it much easier to conquer each poor habit and replace it with a good habit. You just keep putting one foot in front of the other and pretty soon you'll notice that your clothes are fitting better, people are taking notice of how much different you look and you'll find yourself with more energy than you thought possible.
So what are your baby steps? What can you work on RIGHT NOW to help you lose fat? Do you need to cut out drinking soda or coffee drinks? Do you need to cut out the nightly glasses of wine or beer? Do you need to make appointments with yourself or a personal trainer to make yourself workout? Do you need to get a hold of a good fat loss program to get you started?
What is it? Figure it out and do it. Then after a few weeks when you've got that one habit down, pick the next one and just keep building.
Have a good day!
Ed Scow
P.S. - If you do need a good fat loss program, check out my Fat Loss To Go program at www.fatlosstogo.com It comes with over 29 weeks of fat loss workouts, 10 minute workouts, workouts that can be done while traveling, plus tons of nutrition information.
We were playing outside and I set her down in front of me and she took a few steps. I followed her very closely to keep her confidence up, and she took a few more steps.
Some people don't believe me because I was the only one there at the time and my wife was kind of disappointed because she missed Maren's first steps.
It didn't help my case that she didn't take another step on her own for about a month and a half. Then she started to wobble a little bit more on her own and now, 7 months later, she is running everywhere. She loves to run around out side. She loves to carry things around. She loves to hold a phone up to her ear and walk around and "talk". It's the cutest thing you've ever seen.
But she didn't get to this point easily. She fell...a lot. She still falls...a lot. But she's gotten much better at walking/running, but it wasn't the easiest thing in the world for her.
The same can be said when it comes to changing your eating or exercise habits. You know what you want to do and you have a goal you want to reach, but you've got to take "baby steps" in order to achieve that goal.
No one should even let it cross their minds that they're going to eat perfectly and exercise everyday of the week when they don't exercise at all now and have horrible eating habits.
That's just plain dumb. Not only that, but it sets you up for failure and a quick failure at that.
You have to take things one step at a time and build on each little success until you find yourself running rather than wobbling around barely able to walk.
Let's say that you have a soda drinking problem, in addition to a lot of other poor eating habits. You should first conquer the soda drinking and totally cut that out or relegate it to a "reward meal". Once you have that habit down, THEN you can start on another habit. But don't move on until you have successfully kicked the soda drinking habit.
Or, let's say that you like to eat a lot of junk food between supper and bedtime. You should get that under control before you even worry about the snacks available in the breakroom.
The same correlation can be made with exercise. If you are totally new to exercise, you should start small. Start by setting an appointment with yourself when you're going to workout. Once you get that going, then progress from there.
Taking these "baby steps" when it comes to fat loss will greatly increase your chances of success. It does because if you only focus on 1 or 2 things rather than your entire lifestyle, it makes it much easier to conquer each poor habit and replace it with a good habit. You just keep putting one foot in front of the other and pretty soon you'll notice that your clothes are fitting better, people are taking notice of how much different you look and you'll find yourself with more energy than you thought possible.
So what are your baby steps? What can you work on RIGHT NOW to help you lose fat? Do you need to cut out drinking soda or coffee drinks? Do you need to cut out the nightly glasses of wine or beer? Do you need to make appointments with yourself or a personal trainer to make yourself workout? Do you need to get a hold of a good fat loss program to get you started?
What is it? Figure it out and do it. Then after a few weeks when you've got that one habit down, pick the next one and just keep building.
Have a good day!
Ed Scow
P.S. - If you do need a good fat loss program, check out my Fat Loss To Go program at www.fatlosstogo.com It comes with over 29 weeks of fat loss workouts, 10 minute workouts, workouts that can be done while traveling, plus tons of nutrition information.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Is Fat Loss Really Easy?
Do you remember learning to ride a bike?
Probably not.
OK, bad example. Do you remember teaching your kids how to ride their bike? Or maybe you just remember the gist of learning to ride a bike.
Was it easy? Of course it wasn't. You probably fell off numerous times until you got your balance in check and confidence in line to help keep you upright and going down the block. Until you had to stop and freaked out and then fell in your neighbor's yard.
But it was simple, wasn't it? When it came down to it, all riding a bike entailed was balance, confidence and some coordination and you were on your way.
Simple, but not easy.
There's a big difference between simple and easy.
The same correlation can be made when it comes to losing fat.
Losing fat is very simple, but it's not easy.
When it comes down to it, losing fat entails consuming fewer calories than you expend through your daily activities and metabolism.
Sounds simple, right? But as you know it's not very easy.
It takes willpower.
It takes confidence in yourself.
It takes social support.
It takes having the right exercise program in place, and actually doing it on a consistent basis.
It takes the knowledge of knowing what to eat and when and knowing what foods and drinks to stay away from.
Simple. But not easy.
However, it can be done. All you need to do is understand that it's a simple equation and have the confidence in yourself that you can achieve your goals and will stick to it when the times get tough and move on when you mess up.
Plus you need to do resistance training 3-4 times per week, while training your entire body in each session, for 15 minutes, along with some form of cardio work (preferably interval training because it delivers the most bang for the buck and gets you done quicker).
You also need to eat fruits and vegetables and get quality protein from sources like turkey and chicken breast, lean sources of beef, beans, and nuts. In addition to eating breakfast everyday and limiting your alcohol intake.
Simple right? You should be nodding your head.
Losing fat doesn't take any fancy gizmo you see on television, nor does it take some over-hyped fat loss supplement that's really just loaded with some form of caffeine which jacks up your nervous system and makes you pee (thus losing water weight and not fat).
Simple, but not easy.
That's the theory behind all my training programs, including my e-book Fat Loss To Go, and always will be. The workouts and nutrition information, when used properly, aren't easy, but is very simple.
Have a good day!
Ed
P.S. - If you ever have any questions about anything I write in these newsletters or anything else related to fat loss or exercise, don't hesitate to ask. I'm here for you.
Probably not.
OK, bad example. Do you remember teaching your kids how to ride their bike? Or maybe you just remember the gist of learning to ride a bike.
Was it easy? Of course it wasn't. You probably fell off numerous times until you got your balance in check and confidence in line to help keep you upright and going down the block. Until you had to stop and freaked out and then fell in your neighbor's yard.
But it was simple, wasn't it? When it came down to it, all riding a bike entailed was balance, confidence and some coordination and you were on your way.
Simple, but not easy.
There's a big difference between simple and easy.
The same correlation can be made when it comes to losing fat.
Losing fat is very simple, but it's not easy.
When it comes down to it, losing fat entails consuming fewer calories than you expend through your daily activities and metabolism.
Sounds simple, right? But as you know it's not very easy.
It takes willpower.
It takes confidence in yourself.
It takes social support.
It takes having the right exercise program in place, and actually doing it on a consistent basis.
It takes the knowledge of knowing what to eat and when and knowing what foods and drinks to stay away from.
Simple. But not easy.
However, it can be done. All you need to do is understand that it's a simple equation and have the confidence in yourself that you can achieve your goals and will stick to it when the times get tough and move on when you mess up.
Plus you need to do resistance training 3-4 times per week, while training your entire body in each session, for 15 minutes, along with some form of cardio work (preferably interval training because it delivers the most bang for the buck and gets you done quicker).
You also need to eat fruits and vegetables and get quality protein from sources like turkey and chicken breast, lean sources of beef, beans, and nuts. In addition to eating breakfast everyday and limiting your alcohol intake.
Simple right? You should be nodding your head.
Losing fat doesn't take any fancy gizmo you see on television, nor does it take some over-hyped fat loss supplement that's really just loaded with some form of caffeine which jacks up your nervous system and makes you pee (thus losing water weight and not fat).
Simple, but not easy.
That's the theory behind all my training programs, including my e-book Fat Loss To Go, and always will be. The workouts and nutrition information, when used properly, aren't easy, but is very simple.
Have a good day!
Ed
P.S. - If you ever have any questions about anything I write in these newsletters or anything else related to fat loss or exercise, don't hesitate to ask. I'm here for you.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
10 Minute Bodyweight Workout
I get a lot of questions about what to do in a 10 minute workout.
Well, below you'll see a video of one of my favorite 10 minute workouts. It's called a "Push-up & Squat Ladder" and, if done right, is an awesome workout.
Make sure your push-ups and squats are done with good form...no half-squats or half-push-ups.
This is my first ever video, and there were a few cuss words said trying to get it done (and yes I know that when I said to do 3 push-ups I only did 2).
Plus I think I'm the only person who actually looks skinnier on camera than in person. Isn't the camera supposed to add 10 pounds?
Be sure to check back here regularly because I am going to try to add a new workout video every week.
Well, below you'll see a video of one of my favorite 10 minute workouts. It's called a "Push-up & Squat Ladder" and, if done right, is an awesome workout.
Make sure your push-ups and squats are done with good form...no half-squats or half-push-ups.
This is my first ever video, and there were a few cuss words said trying to get it done (and yes I know that when I said to do 3 push-ups I only did 2).
Plus I think I'm the only person who actually looks skinnier on camera than in person. Isn't the camera supposed to add 10 pounds?
Be sure to check back here regularly because I am going to try to add a new workout video every week.
Friday, March 21, 2008
How To Lose Fat On The Weekend
The weekends are a killer for most people on any sort of exercise plan, especially if fat loss is the main goal.
I’m willing to bet that you don’t work on weekends, so that throws you out of your routine. You probably have activities, either for your kids or yourself, that you need to run around to and errands to run, or chores to do around the house, and you get out of bed a little later (unless you have kids or a whiny dog, like me).
All this throws you out of the routine you’ve made for yourself during the week.
You’re not getting up at the same time, not preparing the same healthy breakfast, or you’re eating it a little too late in the morning and probably splurging a little bit because, hey, it’s the weekend. You’re entitled to a little relaxing and splurging on the weekends, aren’t you?
That’s true to some degree. I know that I relax my eating habits a little on the weekend. Not too much, though. If you splurge or relax too much you’re going to put your goals at a standstill (at best) or not make any progress at all.
Weekends can actually kill your fat loss goals.
So here’s what I do, and what you should do too, in order to keep yourself on the right track and still relax a little on the weekends.
1. Do your workout first thing in the morning. As soon as you wake up, do your workout. This may require getting up 10 minutes earlier than you’re used to so you can make sure you get some peace and quiet, but this is a must if you really want to stick to your goals. A lot of my workouts only take 10 minutes to complete, so if you get up just 10 minutes earlier, you could have a killer fat fighting workout already done in the time it takes most people to get warmed up. Check out my 10 minute workouts at www.fatlosstogo.com
a. If you tell yourself you’ll do it later in the morning or even in the afternoon, you’re not going to do it. Something will come up. A friend will call and want to go out to dinner. Your family may plan an evening out. Or you’ll just get sidetracked. Not only will you make sure you get your workout out of the way, but you’ll boost your metabolism for the rest of the day, meaning you’ll burn more fat than if you otherwise skipped the workout, and it’ll wake you up.
2. Stick to your same healthy breakfast as during the week. If you have a smoothie for breakfast during the week and you feel great after having it, then do that on the weekends too. You know how much I value breakfast when it comes to fighting fat and just living a healthy lifestyle, so why would the weekend be any reason not to have it? I’m a creature of habit, which means I find something I like and stick to it. So I have the same exact smoothie on the weekends as I do during the week. The smoothie includes blueberries, raspberries, organic skim milk, pomegranate juice, ground flax seed, wheat germ, and vanilla protein powder. Try it sometime, it’s great.
3. Don’t go overboard with the cheat meals. Whenever people tell me they’re having trouble losing fat and I ask how their eating habits are during the week and how that compares with the weekend, the weekend is always the culprit for the failed fat loss. You go out to lunch and/or dinner everyday and drink alcohol. Going out to lunch and dinner is fine, I encourage it, but there are ways to do it and stick to your healthy, fat fighting diet.
a. Don’t order an appetizer. Don’t drink alcohol, and if you do really make sure you’re eating a low-calorie, low-fat meal. Don’t eat fast. You’re not some starving kid in Africa and nobody is going to come snatch your plate from you, so why do you need to eat that fast? Put your fork down in between bites and take a drink of water. This ensures you eat slower and digest your food properly.
4. Make sure you get your rest. Weekends are supposed to be a time for you to rest and recoup, but far too many people go way too hard on the weekends trying to accomplish way too much. Your body needs to rest and recuperate at some point and I’m willing to bet you don’t get enough sleep during the week. Doing too much and stressing yourself out is only going to make it that much harder to lose fat. Plus it’ll make you lose your hair, gain more belly fat and just be a pain in the butt to be around.
There you go. That’s the easiest I can put it for fighting fat on the weekends. If you want to lose fat, and are struggling, do those 4 things this weekend and see how you feel come Monday morning. If you do at least 3 of those 4, I guarantee you that you’ll feel better, you won’t be so bloated from the poor eating and alcohol and will be well on your way to losing all the fat you want.
Have a good weekend!
Ed
I’m willing to bet that you don’t work on weekends, so that throws you out of your routine. You probably have activities, either for your kids or yourself, that you need to run around to and errands to run, or chores to do around the house, and you get out of bed a little later (unless you have kids or a whiny dog, like me).
All this throws you out of the routine you’ve made for yourself during the week.
You’re not getting up at the same time, not preparing the same healthy breakfast, or you’re eating it a little too late in the morning and probably splurging a little bit because, hey, it’s the weekend. You’re entitled to a little relaxing and splurging on the weekends, aren’t you?
That’s true to some degree. I know that I relax my eating habits a little on the weekend. Not too much, though. If you splurge or relax too much you’re going to put your goals at a standstill (at best) or not make any progress at all.
Weekends can actually kill your fat loss goals.
So here’s what I do, and what you should do too, in order to keep yourself on the right track and still relax a little on the weekends.
1. Do your workout first thing in the morning. As soon as you wake up, do your workout. This may require getting up 10 minutes earlier than you’re used to so you can make sure you get some peace and quiet, but this is a must if you really want to stick to your goals. A lot of my workouts only take 10 minutes to complete, so if you get up just 10 minutes earlier, you could have a killer fat fighting workout already done in the time it takes most people to get warmed up. Check out my 10 minute workouts at www.fatlosstogo.com
a. If you tell yourself you’ll do it later in the morning or even in the afternoon, you’re not going to do it. Something will come up. A friend will call and want to go out to dinner. Your family may plan an evening out. Or you’ll just get sidetracked. Not only will you make sure you get your workout out of the way, but you’ll boost your metabolism for the rest of the day, meaning you’ll burn more fat than if you otherwise skipped the workout, and it’ll wake you up.
2. Stick to your same healthy breakfast as during the week. If you have a smoothie for breakfast during the week and you feel great after having it, then do that on the weekends too. You know how much I value breakfast when it comes to fighting fat and just living a healthy lifestyle, so why would the weekend be any reason not to have it? I’m a creature of habit, which means I find something I like and stick to it. So I have the same exact smoothie on the weekends as I do during the week. The smoothie includes blueberries, raspberries, organic skim milk, pomegranate juice, ground flax seed, wheat germ, and vanilla protein powder. Try it sometime, it’s great.
3. Don’t go overboard with the cheat meals. Whenever people tell me they’re having trouble losing fat and I ask how their eating habits are during the week and how that compares with the weekend, the weekend is always the culprit for the failed fat loss. You go out to lunch and/or dinner everyday and drink alcohol. Going out to lunch and dinner is fine, I encourage it, but there are ways to do it and stick to your healthy, fat fighting diet.
a. Don’t order an appetizer. Don’t drink alcohol, and if you do really make sure you’re eating a low-calorie, low-fat meal. Don’t eat fast. You’re not some starving kid in Africa and nobody is going to come snatch your plate from you, so why do you need to eat that fast? Put your fork down in between bites and take a drink of water. This ensures you eat slower and digest your food properly.
4. Make sure you get your rest. Weekends are supposed to be a time for you to rest and recoup, but far too many people go way too hard on the weekends trying to accomplish way too much. Your body needs to rest and recuperate at some point and I’m willing to bet you don’t get enough sleep during the week. Doing too much and stressing yourself out is only going to make it that much harder to lose fat. Plus it’ll make you lose your hair, gain more belly fat and just be a pain in the butt to be around.
There you go. That’s the easiest I can put it for fighting fat on the weekends. If you want to lose fat, and are struggling, do those 4 things this weekend and see how you feel come Monday morning. If you do at least 3 of those 4, I guarantee you that you’ll feel better, you won’t be so bloated from the poor eating and alcohol and will be well on your way to losing all the fat you want.
Have a good weekend!
Ed
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
The Key To The Show "The Biggest Loser"
Have you ever seen the show "The Biggest Loser"?
I don't think I've ever watched an entire episode, but I'll tune in for a few minutes every now and again.
It's kind of intriguing. These severely overweight individuals putting themselves through hell to lose weight. I think it's awesome that they put themselves out there like that, in front of millions of people, and get healthy.
But do you know the real reason they lose a ton of weight on that show?
Yes they spend a lot of time working out (hours upon hours per day) and, yes, they have the food spoon fed to them which makes it kind of tough to fail, but there's something else that really makes them succeed.
Something else that many people are missing in their own health and fitness goals, no matter what they may be.
That something else is social support.
The people on "The Biggest Loser" don't just rely on themselves in this fat loss adventure, they have the other people on the show who are in the same boat. Plus they've got personal trainers there walking them through every step of the way.
If they are having trouble with something, they have someone to talk to.
If they don't know how to do an exercise or are using horrible form, their trainer is there to correct and motivate them.
When they're doing really hard workouts, they motivate one another.
Social support is the REAL reason the people on that show succeed.
I'm not saying that you need a big cheerleading section behind you, patting you on the back and telling you "You can do it!", but you need someone.
You need someone to tell you "no" when you want to eat that piece of cheesecake.
Someone to tell you to get your butt out of bed to do your workout when you don't really feel like getting up.
You need someone to remind you why you decided to do what you're doing.
What you don't need is someone telling you that your butt is too big, that you have developed a nice "muffin top", or that your belly has started oozing over your pants. That's not helpful. If you have someone telling you that, you have my permission to smack them upside the head...hard.
The best thing to do is to find someone (friend, spouse, family member, or co-worker), who wants to fulfill the same goal you are looking to accomplish. So, if you want to lose 20 pounds of belly fat, find someone else that you can rely on throughout the journey.
Like I said, it doesn't have to be a cheerleading section, because nobody wants to be a cheerleader and you can't rely on someone to constantly cheer you on, it just has to be someone that you can trust and who is honest and won't back down when you glare at them with those evil eyes when they tell you that you should put down that box of girl scout cookies because you already filled your quota of cheat meals for the week.
So who's going to fill that role with you? Think about it and ask them.
Ed
I don't think I've ever watched an entire episode, but I'll tune in for a few minutes every now and again.
It's kind of intriguing. These severely overweight individuals putting themselves through hell to lose weight. I think it's awesome that they put themselves out there like that, in front of millions of people, and get healthy.
But do you know the real reason they lose a ton of weight on that show?
Yes they spend a lot of time working out (hours upon hours per day) and, yes, they have the food spoon fed to them which makes it kind of tough to fail, but there's something else that really makes them succeed.
Something else that many people are missing in their own health and fitness goals, no matter what they may be.
That something else is social support.
The people on "The Biggest Loser" don't just rely on themselves in this fat loss adventure, they have the other people on the show who are in the same boat. Plus they've got personal trainers there walking them through every step of the way.
If they are having trouble with something, they have someone to talk to.
If they don't know how to do an exercise or are using horrible form, their trainer is there to correct and motivate them.
When they're doing really hard workouts, they motivate one another.
Social support is the REAL reason the people on that show succeed.
I'm not saying that you need a big cheerleading section behind you, patting you on the back and telling you "You can do it!", but you need someone.
You need someone to tell you "no" when you want to eat that piece of cheesecake.
Someone to tell you to get your butt out of bed to do your workout when you don't really feel like getting up.
You need someone to remind you why you decided to do what you're doing.
What you don't need is someone telling you that your butt is too big, that you have developed a nice "muffin top", or that your belly has started oozing over your pants. That's not helpful. If you have someone telling you that, you have my permission to smack them upside the head...hard.
The best thing to do is to find someone (friend, spouse, family member, or co-worker), who wants to fulfill the same goal you are looking to accomplish. So, if you want to lose 20 pounds of belly fat, find someone else that you can rely on throughout the journey.
Like I said, it doesn't have to be a cheerleading section, because nobody wants to be a cheerleader and you can't rely on someone to constantly cheer you on, it just has to be someone that you can trust and who is honest and won't back down when you glare at them with those evil eyes when they tell you that you should put down that box of girl scout cookies because you already filled your quota of cheat meals for the week.
So who's going to fill that role with you? Think about it and ask them.
Ed
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Fast Fat Loss Workout
Today was a crazy day.
I had non-stop appointments for 8 hours straight, including a couple deep tissue massages.
Needless to say that when I finally sat down I was spent. That's OK, because I love what I do for a living.
I get to wear comfortable clothes, I own a private studio, which means nobody is around to bug me or my clients. No weirdos lurking around the gym, no inconsiderate people leaving sweat pools on benches and the music is good.
Anyway, after my day I didn't really want to workout. I could have believed the excuse I was giving myself "I worked hard all day training clients and giving a couple deep tissue massages, I don't need to workout".
It's true, I probably could've gotten by taking a day off. The only problem is that believing that excuse begins a cycle...and a bad cycle.
Where does it stop?
Pretty soon I'll be telling myself that I don't have time to workout.
That's not true. I've been telling you that for months, possibly years. That's not a viable excuse.
So I bucked up and did the following workout. You can do it too if you have the equipment in your home gym.
Warm-up 3 sets:
Hatchets - 15 reps
Push-ups - 15 reps
I had 8 minutes left in my 10 minute workout after the warm-up and did as many sets as possible of the following:
Chin-up - 10 reps
Dips - 10 reps
I only rested 15-20 seconds after the dips before returning to the chin-ups. I don't remember exactly how many sets I got in because I was breathing so hard and was in kind of a daze from all those chin-ups.
Needless to say, this fast 10 minute workout was a killer!
I've included tons of 10 minute workouts just like this one in my Fat Loss To Go program. Go to www.fatlosstogo.com to learn more!
Have a good day!
Ed Scow
I had non-stop appointments for 8 hours straight, including a couple deep tissue massages.
Needless to say that when I finally sat down I was spent. That's OK, because I love what I do for a living.
I get to wear comfortable clothes, I own a private studio, which means nobody is around to bug me or my clients. No weirdos lurking around the gym, no inconsiderate people leaving sweat pools on benches and the music is good.
Anyway, after my day I didn't really want to workout. I could have believed the excuse I was giving myself "I worked hard all day training clients and giving a couple deep tissue massages, I don't need to workout".
It's true, I probably could've gotten by taking a day off. The only problem is that believing that excuse begins a cycle...and a bad cycle.
Where does it stop?
Pretty soon I'll be telling myself that I don't have time to workout.
That's not true. I've been telling you that for months, possibly years. That's not a viable excuse.
So I bucked up and did the following workout. You can do it too if you have the equipment in your home gym.
Warm-up 3 sets:
Hatchets - 15 reps
Push-ups - 15 reps
I had 8 minutes left in my 10 minute workout after the warm-up and did as many sets as possible of the following:
Chin-up - 10 reps
Dips - 10 reps
I only rested 15-20 seconds after the dips before returning to the chin-ups. I don't remember exactly how many sets I got in because I was breathing so hard and was in kind of a daze from all those chin-ups.
Needless to say, this fast 10 minute workout was a killer!
I've included tons of 10 minute workouts just like this one in my Fat Loss To Go program. Go to www.fatlosstogo.com to learn more!
Have a good day!
Ed Scow
Don't Be A Workout Flip-Flopper
There is a phenomenon amongst entrepreneurs called "entrepreneurial disease". What that basically means is that you come up with an idea for a business, put the plan into action, then before you see it through you think of something else and start working on that plan, etc.
That's all well and good, except for the fact that you didn't finish the project you started before moving on to the next. This process continues, with the entrepreneur coming up with idea after idea, but never seeing them through to their fullest extent. Some ideas may yield results, but most flounder along never living up to their full potential.
This same entrepreneur usually ends up quitting business altogether, telling himself that he just doesn't have what it takes to be successful in business.
This phenomenon also happens with people when they decide they are going to get fit, no matter if they want to lose fat, gain muscle, or improve their overall fitness.
They see something new and exciting and decide they want to try that plan. So they go along with that plan for a couple weeks, only to see another new and exciting plan and jump ship from the one they started and go on to the next best thing.
The good thing is that at least you're doing something. Any sort of physical activity is better than nothing, but you really limit yourself on what can be achieved.
Maybe you saw a workout in a magazine on how to get a better butt in 6 moves and decided you were going to do that, while completely abandoning the program you were on that had given you good results.
You had good intentions...you wanted a better butt. And really, who doesn't want a better butt?
But what if I told you the program you were on, that you just abandoned for this magazine workout, was easier to stick with and gave you better results than the one in the magazine?
Or maybe you're after a workout that can strip the fat off your stomach and you see some fancy schmancy new abs gizmo on an infomercial and decide that you're going to quit using the program that your very knowledgeable personal trainer gave you (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), and solely rely on the new abs thing-a-majig because the well-paid infomercial people told you all you had to do was use their thingy and get "flat, toned abs".
This turns into a never ending cycle of flip-flopping, and I think John Kerry can tell you, through his experiences in 2004, you don't want to be called a flip-flopper.
You hop from one program to the next, never seeing one to its end and thus never knowing what one program will do for you.
If this sounds like you, maybe you've told yourself the same thing the entrepreneur tells himself, except you say that you just can't lose that fat, gain the flexibility, build the muscle, or whatever your goal may be.
Here's one very important thing you should know about good fitness programs:
Most worthwhile fitness programs, no matter what your goals are, build upon themselves, making them progressively more effective as time goes on and if you were to stop after a couple of weeks and then start a different program just because it sounds better, you are severely limiting the results you can achieve...making you think that you just don't have what it takes to be successful with your fitness goals.
So whether it's a 12 week program that you found in a bookstore, a 6 week advanced fat loss program that was found in a fitness magazine, or better yet an effective fat loss program written by a knowledgeable personal trainer (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, www.fatlosstogo.com ), just follow it through to the end. The program will work, but you absolutely have to follow through.
Who knows, you may just end up with better results than what you were after.
In case you didn't get that "subtle" self-promotion, I was of course talking about yours truly and my Fat Loss To Go program. A program designed specifically for busy men and women who want to lose fat in as little time possible. Check it out at www.fatlosstogo.com
That's all well and good, except for the fact that you didn't finish the project you started before moving on to the next. This process continues, with the entrepreneur coming up with idea after idea, but never seeing them through to their fullest extent. Some ideas may yield results, but most flounder along never living up to their full potential.
This same entrepreneur usually ends up quitting business altogether, telling himself that he just doesn't have what it takes to be successful in business.
This phenomenon also happens with people when they decide they are going to get fit, no matter if they want to lose fat, gain muscle, or improve their overall fitness.
They see something new and exciting and decide they want to try that plan. So they go along with that plan for a couple weeks, only to see another new and exciting plan and jump ship from the one they started and go on to the next best thing.
The good thing is that at least you're doing something. Any sort of physical activity is better than nothing, but you really limit yourself on what can be achieved.
Maybe you saw a workout in a magazine on how to get a better butt in 6 moves and decided you were going to do that, while completely abandoning the program you were on that had given you good results.
You had good intentions...you wanted a better butt. And really, who doesn't want a better butt?
But what if I told you the program you were on, that you just abandoned for this magazine workout, was easier to stick with and gave you better results than the one in the magazine?
Or maybe you're after a workout that can strip the fat off your stomach and you see some fancy schmancy new abs gizmo on an infomercial and decide that you're going to quit using the program that your very knowledgeable personal trainer gave you (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), and solely rely on the new abs thing-a-majig because the well-paid infomercial people told you all you had to do was use their thingy and get "flat, toned abs".
This turns into a never ending cycle of flip-flopping, and I think John Kerry can tell you, through his experiences in 2004, you don't want to be called a flip-flopper.
You hop from one program to the next, never seeing one to its end and thus never knowing what one program will do for you.
If this sounds like you, maybe you've told yourself the same thing the entrepreneur tells himself, except you say that you just can't lose that fat, gain the flexibility, build the muscle, or whatever your goal may be.
Here's one very important thing you should know about good fitness programs:
Most worthwhile fitness programs, no matter what your goals are, build upon themselves, making them progressively more effective as time goes on and if you were to stop after a couple of weeks and then start a different program just because it sounds better, you are severely limiting the results you can achieve...making you think that you just don't have what it takes to be successful with your fitness goals.
So whether it's a 12 week program that you found in a bookstore, a 6 week advanced fat loss program that was found in a fitness magazine, or better yet an effective fat loss program written by a knowledgeable personal trainer (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, www.fatlosstogo.com ), just follow it through to the end. The program will work, but you absolutely have to follow through.
Who knows, you may just end up with better results than what you were after.
In case you didn't get that "subtle" self-promotion, I was of course talking about yours truly and my Fat Loss To Go program. A program designed specifically for busy men and women who want to lose fat in as little time possible. Check it out at www.fatlosstogo.com
Monday, March 10, 2008
10 Minute Workouts for Fat Loss. Real or a Bunch of Hooey?
One of my preferred ways of working out is by doing 10 minute workuts.
They’re quick, intense and leave me huffing and puffing long after the 10 minutes is complete.
But I’m a personal trainer and already in good shape, so are they effective for the everyday person looking for fat loss? Can you really do a 10 minute workout and expect to lose fat?
My answer to that is a resounding YES!
If you are someone who says they really don’t have that much time to workout and that’s what’s keeping you from losing the weight you’ve put on, then 10 minute workouts are definitely for you.
Or, if you know you have a busy week coming up and are worried that your regular workouts are going to have to be put on hold, then 10 minute workouts are also for you.
The most important thing to remember when doing 10 minute workouts is that you need to throw out the time wasting exercises like bicep curls, triceps kickbacks and crunches and stick to exercises that work your entire body or at least a good portion of it.
I’ll give you an example of what I did earlier today. I had a very busy that was packed full of clients, however I had a 30 minute window where I needed to get a few things accomplished, one of them being my workout.
So here’s what I did after my quick warm-up:
1) 1-Arm Dumbbell Swing supersetted with 1-leg Decline Push-ups
2) Dumbbell Squat w/Shoulder Press supersetted with Dumbbell Bent-Over Rows
I did each of those supersets for 5 minutes completing as many sets of 10 as I could. After I was done with 1 set of the first superset, I would rest for 20 seconds and repeat.
Then, when 5 minutes was up, I went on to the second superset and did it in the same fashion.
By the time that 10 minutes was up I was huffing and puffing, and my heart rate stayed elevated for a while. I still felt pumped up for quite a while into my next training session.
So give that workout a try, or come up with your own. Just make sure that you pick exercises that use a lot of muscle groups like push-ups, squats, lunges, rows, etc. and stay away from crunches and isolation exercises.
Or, if you want a bunch of 10 minute workouts laid out for you, check out my Fat Loss To Go fat loss program by going to www.fatlosstogo.com In it you’ll find an entire eBook dedicated to nothing but 10 minute workouts!
Have a good day!
Ed Scow
They’re quick, intense and leave me huffing and puffing long after the 10 minutes is complete.
But I’m a personal trainer and already in good shape, so are they effective for the everyday person looking for fat loss? Can you really do a 10 minute workout and expect to lose fat?
My answer to that is a resounding YES!
If you are someone who says they really don’t have that much time to workout and that’s what’s keeping you from losing the weight you’ve put on, then 10 minute workouts are definitely for you.
Or, if you know you have a busy week coming up and are worried that your regular workouts are going to have to be put on hold, then 10 minute workouts are also for you.
The most important thing to remember when doing 10 minute workouts is that you need to throw out the time wasting exercises like bicep curls, triceps kickbacks and crunches and stick to exercises that work your entire body or at least a good portion of it.
I’ll give you an example of what I did earlier today. I had a very busy that was packed full of clients, however I had a 30 minute window where I needed to get a few things accomplished, one of them being my workout.
So here’s what I did after my quick warm-up:
1) 1-Arm Dumbbell Swing supersetted with 1-leg Decline Push-ups
2) Dumbbell Squat w/Shoulder Press supersetted with Dumbbell Bent-Over Rows
I did each of those supersets for 5 minutes completing as many sets of 10 as I could. After I was done with 1 set of the first superset, I would rest for 20 seconds and repeat.
Then, when 5 minutes was up, I went on to the second superset and did it in the same fashion.
By the time that 10 minutes was up I was huffing and puffing, and my heart rate stayed elevated for a while. I still felt pumped up for quite a while into my next training session.
So give that workout a try, or come up with your own. Just make sure that you pick exercises that use a lot of muscle groups like push-ups, squats, lunges, rows, etc. and stay away from crunches and isolation exercises.
Or, if you want a bunch of 10 minute workouts laid out for you, check out my Fat Loss To Go fat loss program by going to www.fatlosstogo.com In it you’ll find an entire eBook dedicated to nothing but 10 minute workouts!
Have a good day!
Ed Scow
Sit Up Straight!
I’m wiling to bet that while you’re reading this, you’re slumping. Your back is not back against your ergonomically correct chair (hopefully it’s not a folding chair), your head is jutted forward and not sitting forward, and your shoulders are slumped forward.
Did you just check? Did you sit up straight? I bet you did…I know I just did.
Better posture while sitting at your desk, behind the steering wheel and standing will go very far in improving your health, fitness and overall way of life.
When your shoulders slump forward it causes your chest and anterior deltoids (front of your shoulder) to tighten and causes the muscles on the opposite side – your upper back – to stretch. Over time this will lead to muscle weakness, stiffness and knots/trigger points that can cause a lot of pain.
But having good posture doesn’t just mean the way you sit or stand, it also relates to the way you move. It involves the way you walk, run, reach, push, pull and carry. When you have correct posture while doing these things your spine is in its proper alignment. If your spine is not in its proper alignment your body will not perform at its peak. You will be weaker while moving, working and sitting, plus you will begin to notice back pain, neck pain, hip pain and even pain in your arms/wrists.
This will most likely lead to a trip to the doctor. I don’t remember the exact statistic, but somewhere in the range of 80% of all doctor visits have to do with back pain. That is a huge number that can be drastically reduced if you pay attention to your posture.
Poor posture also makes your muscles work harder than they should. Your body is designed to be in good alignment. When you’re in this proper alignment all your muscles are working as they should, which means they’re working efficiently. When you slouch, round your shoulders, let your stomach hang out or tip your pelvis forward your muscles now have to work harder to keep you upright or doing whatever activity it is you’re doing. This also leads to your heart having to work harder to pump blood to your muscles and in the end this all leads to you being tired or exhausted when you should still have energy left.
Having poor posture can even make you look fat. When you are slouched, either when standing or sitting, your abdominal muscles (which is more than the six-pack muscles) are not actively working because they don’t have to. One of the key functions of your abdominal muscles is to keep your torso upright and when you’re slouched they’re not working. As the saying goes, “if you don’t use ‘em you lose ‘em”. By standing/sitting up straight you will re-teach your abdominal muscles to work and if they’re working properly they are flatter, and if they’re flatter your waist line shrinks.
I’ve had clients who lose a couple inches off their stomachs instantly just by improving their posture and keeping their abdominals tight. I fall victim to this one, too. If I’ve been spending too much time I’m my feet I’ll often catch a reflection of myself and see that I’m slouching and letting my tummy hang. That’s when I tell myself “tighten up tubby” and I stand up straight, re-tighten my tummy and I’m flat again.
This little “trick” is also a what a lot of the fat loss supplement marketers use in their miraculous “before/after” photos. The before picture always features the person slouched over with their shoulders rounded and stomachs protruding. While the after picture features the person standing up straight and tall with their tummies taught. Remember that the next time you come across one of those advertisements.
Here are a few things you can do right now to decide if you need to work on your posture. The first thing you can do is stand with your back against a wall. Your heels should be a few inches away from the wall. Are your shoulders flat against the wall? If not, your chest/shoulders are too tight and your back is over-stretched and weak.
Is there more than a couple of inches between your low back and the wall? If so, your hip flexors (the muscles on the front of your legs) are probably too tight, as are your deep abdominal muscles. Plus your hip extensors (muscles of the butt and back of your thighs) are weak. Not to mention your low back is too tight.
Can you rest your head comfortably against the wall with your chin straight and eyes straight ahead? If not, the muscles on the front of your neck are too tight most likely from looking down at your computer screen for too long.
The next thing you can do is stand in front of a full-length mirror in your tighty whities. Stand relaxed – like you normally stand and don’t pose and flex before you do this test because you’ll just be embarrassed when your spouse walks in the bedroom. Don’t try to fix your posture before you check yourself out. Are your shoulders even or is one higher than the other? If so, I’m willing to bet that the shoulder of your dominant arm is higher than the other. This could be because you are on the phone a lot, or you leave your hand sitting on your mouse too much while sitting at your computer, or you drive with only one hand on the steering wheel.
Are your hips level or is one higher than the other? That could be due to a number of things ranging from tight butt muscles, tight hamstring muscles, tight low back muscles, etc. not to mention all the muscle weaknesses and imbalances.
The good news is that many of these imbalances, tightness and weaknesses can be improved with simple exercises and paying better attention to your posture.
Here are a few things you can do to improve your posture:
1. Get a better desk chair. If you’re using a folding chair, that is not good enough. Go out and spend a little cash and buy a sturdy chair with good back support.
2. Avoid sitting in any one place for longer than 30-45 minutes. Just get up and walk around while you’re at work or driving or at the very least, get up for a couple minutes and then go back to work. Doing this will lengthen the tight muscles and relax the over-stretched muscles.
3. Do planks. Those of you that train with me currently or in the past know what a plank is, but for those of you that don’t here’s how to do it. Get down on the floor, face down like you’re going to do a push-up. Place your forearms on the floor and pick your body up so that only your forearms and toes are on the floor. Your upper arm should be straight down from your shoulder and your stomach, butt, and back should be tight. Don’t let your back sag like an old horse and don’t stick your butt up in the air. Your body should be in a straight line from head to toes. Hold yourself there for anywhere from 30-180 seconds – it all depends on how strong you are. Do a couple sets of these. These are fantastic for strengthening your core muscles and giving them endurance.
4. Get a massage regularly. OK so I’m a little biased since I’m a massage therapist, but trust me it really is beneficial. I’d say that 90% of the clients I’ve seen over the years all have complained about upper back pain and it’s always related to poor posture.
5. Do the superman. Lay flat on the floor on your stomach. Stick your arms straight out in front of you and keep them a few inches off the floor. Now raise your upper chest/shoulders and legs off the floor while keeping your legs straight. Pause, then return to the starting position. Do this 10-15 times for a few sets. It’s kind of like a backward crunch. You won’t be able to bend backward very far, but this is a good one for strengthening the butt, low back and stretching out the chest/shoulders.
6. If you’ve been sitting at your desk or behind the steering wheel for a while do the desk stretch. Sit on the front edge of your chair with your feet flat on the floor. Keep your shoulders down, clasp your hands together and raise your arms straight over your head, palms to the ceiling. Try to “lengthen” your abdomen by sticking your chest out slightly and straightening your back while inhaling deeply. Hold that for a few seconds and release. Repeat that 5-10 times.
7. Adjust your driver’s seat. Before driving off, adjust your driver’s seat so that you are sitting up straight and with good posture. Then adjust all your mirrors so that they will only be perfectly visible when you’re sitting upright. It is very easy to slouch while driving and adjusting your seat and mirrors to fit with good posture will help to ensure you keep your body pain free.
8. Never, ever rest the phone on your shoulder and mash your eat into it. This will kill your shoulder, upper back and neck muscles. If you spend a lot of time on the phone, get a headset or a Bluetooth headset for your cell phone.
9. Roll it Out. While you’re sitting at your desk or in the car you can roll your shoulders and neck in order to help keep those muscles loose so that they are less likely to tighten up and keep you in a rounded shoulder, hunched back position.
10. You should also flex your butt cheeks if you find yourself sitting too long. I know that sounds weird, but most people in our society have weak, underactive butt muscles. It is largely due to the fact that we sit too much. If your butt muscles are weak then most likely your back is weak. So flex your butt cheeks a few times every 20-30 minutes to keep them activated and working. Just don’t let on to your co-workers or family what you’re doing by squinting or grunting. They’ll think you’re weird.
11. Never, ever keep your wallet or anything else that’s bulky in your back pocket. Raising one hip off your chair by a few inches will lead to muscle imbalances, poor posture and very bad back pain maybe even sciatica. You may have had sciatic pain…it’s the shooting pain you get from your low back down your butt sometimes as far as your toes.
If you pay attention to your posture and work on improving it I guarantee you that you will see back pain go away for the most part, you’ll breathe better, be more alert and feel better all around. Having good posture is crucial no matter what your fitness goal is. If you want to lose fat, having good posture will instantly take inches off your waist line plus it’ll help your muscles work better. If you want to be stress free, having good posture will help you breathe better which helps you to relax. If you want to be more flexible, having good posture helps to keep your hips, low back and upper back/neck loose.
So remember, sit up straight, keep your shoulders back, stomach tight, chin up and eyes forward.
Ed Scow
Did you just check? Did you sit up straight? I bet you did…I know I just did.
Better posture while sitting at your desk, behind the steering wheel and standing will go very far in improving your health, fitness and overall way of life.
When your shoulders slump forward it causes your chest and anterior deltoids (front of your shoulder) to tighten and causes the muscles on the opposite side – your upper back – to stretch. Over time this will lead to muscle weakness, stiffness and knots/trigger points that can cause a lot of pain.
But having good posture doesn’t just mean the way you sit or stand, it also relates to the way you move. It involves the way you walk, run, reach, push, pull and carry. When you have correct posture while doing these things your spine is in its proper alignment. If your spine is not in its proper alignment your body will not perform at its peak. You will be weaker while moving, working and sitting, plus you will begin to notice back pain, neck pain, hip pain and even pain in your arms/wrists.
This will most likely lead to a trip to the doctor. I don’t remember the exact statistic, but somewhere in the range of 80% of all doctor visits have to do with back pain. That is a huge number that can be drastically reduced if you pay attention to your posture.
Poor posture also makes your muscles work harder than they should. Your body is designed to be in good alignment. When you’re in this proper alignment all your muscles are working as they should, which means they’re working efficiently. When you slouch, round your shoulders, let your stomach hang out or tip your pelvis forward your muscles now have to work harder to keep you upright or doing whatever activity it is you’re doing. This also leads to your heart having to work harder to pump blood to your muscles and in the end this all leads to you being tired or exhausted when you should still have energy left.
Having poor posture can even make you look fat. When you are slouched, either when standing or sitting, your abdominal muscles (which is more than the six-pack muscles) are not actively working because they don’t have to. One of the key functions of your abdominal muscles is to keep your torso upright and when you’re slouched they’re not working. As the saying goes, “if you don’t use ‘em you lose ‘em”. By standing/sitting up straight you will re-teach your abdominal muscles to work and if they’re working properly they are flatter, and if they’re flatter your waist line shrinks.
I’ve had clients who lose a couple inches off their stomachs instantly just by improving their posture and keeping their abdominals tight. I fall victim to this one, too. If I’ve been spending too much time I’m my feet I’ll often catch a reflection of myself and see that I’m slouching and letting my tummy hang. That’s when I tell myself “tighten up tubby” and I stand up straight, re-tighten my tummy and I’m flat again.
This little “trick” is also a what a lot of the fat loss supplement marketers use in their miraculous “before/after” photos. The before picture always features the person slouched over with their shoulders rounded and stomachs protruding. While the after picture features the person standing up straight and tall with their tummies taught. Remember that the next time you come across one of those advertisements.
Here are a few things you can do right now to decide if you need to work on your posture. The first thing you can do is stand with your back against a wall. Your heels should be a few inches away from the wall. Are your shoulders flat against the wall? If not, your chest/shoulders are too tight and your back is over-stretched and weak.
Is there more than a couple of inches between your low back and the wall? If so, your hip flexors (the muscles on the front of your legs) are probably too tight, as are your deep abdominal muscles. Plus your hip extensors (muscles of the butt and back of your thighs) are weak. Not to mention your low back is too tight.
Can you rest your head comfortably against the wall with your chin straight and eyes straight ahead? If not, the muscles on the front of your neck are too tight most likely from looking down at your computer screen for too long.
The next thing you can do is stand in front of a full-length mirror in your tighty whities. Stand relaxed – like you normally stand and don’t pose and flex before you do this test because you’ll just be embarrassed when your spouse walks in the bedroom. Don’t try to fix your posture before you check yourself out. Are your shoulders even or is one higher than the other? If so, I’m willing to bet that the shoulder of your dominant arm is higher than the other. This could be because you are on the phone a lot, or you leave your hand sitting on your mouse too much while sitting at your computer, or you drive with only one hand on the steering wheel.
Are your hips level or is one higher than the other? That could be due to a number of things ranging from tight butt muscles, tight hamstring muscles, tight low back muscles, etc. not to mention all the muscle weaknesses and imbalances.
The good news is that many of these imbalances, tightness and weaknesses can be improved with simple exercises and paying better attention to your posture.
Here are a few things you can do to improve your posture:
1. Get a better desk chair. If you’re using a folding chair, that is not good enough. Go out and spend a little cash and buy a sturdy chair with good back support.
2. Avoid sitting in any one place for longer than 30-45 minutes. Just get up and walk around while you’re at work or driving or at the very least, get up for a couple minutes and then go back to work. Doing this will lengthen the tight muscles and relax the over-stretched muscles.
3. Do planks. Those of you that train with me currently or in the past know what a plank is, but for those of you that don’t here’s how to do it. Get down on the floor, face down like you’re going to do a push-up. Place your forearms on the floor and pick your body up so that only your forearms and toes are on the floor. Your upper arm should be straight down from your shoulder and your stomach, butt, and back should be tight. Don’t let your back sag like an old horse and don’t stick your butt up in the air. Your body should be in a straight line from head to toes. Hold yourself there for anywhere from 30-180 seconds – it all depends on how strong you are. Do a couple sets of these. These are fantastic for strengthening your core muscles and giving them endurance.
4. Get a massage regularly. OK so I’m a little biased since I’m a massage therapist, but trust me it really is beneficial. I’d say that 90% of the clients I’ve seen over the years all have complained about upper back pain and it’s always related to poor posture.
5. Do the superman. Lay flat on the floor on your stomach. Stick your arms straight out in front of you and keep them a few inches off the floor. Now raise your upper chest/shoulders and legs off the floor while keeping your legs straight. Pause, then return to the starting position. Do this 10-15 times for a few sets. It’s kind of like a backward crunch. You won’t be able to bend backward very far, but this is a good one for strengthening the butt, low back and stretching out the chest/shoulders.
6. If you’ve been sitting at your desk or behind the steering wheel for a while do the desk stretch. Sit on the front edge of your chair with your feet flat on the floor. Keep your shoulders down, clasp your hands together and raise your arms straight over your head, palms to the ceiling. Try to “lengthen” your abdomen by sticking your chest out slightly and straightening your back while inhaling deeply. Hold that for a few seconds and release. Repeat that 5-10 times.
7. Adjust your driver’s seat. Before driving off, adjust your driver’s seat so that you are sitting up straight and with good posture. Then adjust all your mirrors so that they will only be perfectly visible when you’re sitting upright. It is very easy to slouch while driving and adjusting your seat and mirrors to fit with good posture will help to ensure you keep your body pain free.
8. Never, ever rest the phone on your shoulder and mash your eat into it. This will kill your shoulder, upper back and neck muscles. If you spend a lot of time on the phone, get a headset or a Bluetooth headset for your cell phone.
9. Roll it Out. While you’re sitting at your desk or in the car you can roll your shoulders and neck in order to help keep those muscles loose so that they are less likely to tighten up and keep you in a rounded shoulder, hunched back position.
10. You should also flex your butt cheeks if you find yourself sitting too long. I know that sounds weird, but most people in our society have weak, underactive butt muscles. It is largely due to the fact that we sit too much. If your butt muscles are weak then most likely your back is weak. So flex your butt cheeks a few times every 20-30 minutes to keep them activated and working. Just don’t let on to your co-workers or family what you’re doing by squinting or grunting. They’ll think you’re weird.
11. Never, ever keep your wallet or anything else that’s bulky in your back pocket. Raising one hip off your chair by a few inches will lead to muscle imbalances, poor posture and very bad back pain maybe even sciatica. You may have had sciatic pain…it’s the shooting pain you get from your low back down your butt sometimes as far as your toes.
If you pay attention to your posture and work on improving it I guarantee you that you will see back pain go away for the most part, you’ll breathe better, be more alert and feel better all around. Having good posture is crucial no matter what your fitness goal is. If you want to lose fat, having good posture will instantly take inches off your waist line plus it’ll help your muscles work better. If you want to be stress free, having good posture will help you breathe better which helps you to relax. If you want to be more flexible, having good posture helps to keep your hips, low back and upper back/neck loose.
So remember, sit up straight, keep your shoulders back, stomach tight, chin up and eyes forward.
Ed Scow
As President I Will Fix Healthcare By Doing...
Given the presidential race and all the hullabaloo revolving around whose healthcare plan is better, I thought I'd dip my toe into the dirty water and give you my fix.
You may not like my plan, but it makes the most sense. It doesn't raise taxes and it will save you money and lead to a much happier lifestyle.
Are you ready for it?
It's called "Take Care Of Yourself, America!!"
Pretty easy, huh?
Think about it, though. There was a report that just came out that said that by the year 2017 for every $5 spent, $1 will be spent on healthcare. Take that number out farther, for every $500 spent, at least $100 will be spent on healthcare. That is insane! Think of the repercussions this will have on our entire economy.
And much of this spending is due to preventable health issues. Not genetic issues or things that are out of our control or routine physicals which we all should do. There will always be things you can't control, but a good chunk of healthcare spending (or sick care as I like to call it) is spent on things that need not occur.
I'm going to give you 2 areas of statistics to prove my point.
The first area is obvious...being overweight.
The last time a survey was taken over 60% of our population was either overweight or obese.
This can lead to a whole host of preventable health issues and diseases including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, joint pain, muscle pain, asthma, etc. The last time I checked all of those health issues require a medication or medical intervention of some sort, and a lot of it.
So, if as a population we were to take care of ourselves a little more and actually eat better and exercise this would greatly decrease the amount of spending on health care.
Many people think they exercise enough because they go for a walk occasionally or play some golf when the weather is nice, but it takes a lot more than leisure activity to lose fat.
Also, I have statistics on my side that says that the majority of people in this country do not exercise.
The CDC reported in their National Health Review that 53% of men NEVER engage in any vigorous physical activity. Never!
It gets worse for women. A whopping 65% of women NEVER engage in any vigorous physical activity.
Now you may be thinking that they used the word "vigorous", but vigorous is a relative term and when the government uses that term it usually refers to anything more than a leisurely stroll around the block. Plus what I didn't mention was that 65% of women and 53% of men never engage in vigorous physical activity lasting longer than 10 minutes. 10 minutes!
The second area I want to give you some statistics on are related to back pain.
Back pain is huge in this country and it's mostly because we're too sedentary.
We sit at desks all day, drive too much and sit on the couch too much.
This leads to muscle imbalances, muscle weakness and a whole lot of muscle pain.
As many as 50% of Americans report some type of back pain every year. Some of these may be minor, but as many as 30% of adults have thought their back pain needed a trip to the doctor to help alleviate. That's a lot of people considering our population is around 300 million.
There are some experts that say that as many as 4 out of every 5 people will experience back pain in their lifetime...and not just a little twinge here or there, either.
These next two statistics are staggering. In 2001, close to 14 million people visited their doctor to deal with their back pain, and I think it's safe to say that many of them went more than once.
A Canadian study reported that 40% of all work absences were due to back pain. I don't even want to know how much that equated to in lost revenue.
So do yourself and your country a favor, take care of yourself.
I guarantee that if we got more people exercising, eating better and paying better attention to their bodies that the cost of healthcare will go down.
The only problem is I can't force anyone to do anything, unless that is that you come to my boot camps or train with me...then I can get you moving.
But you know what? Neither can a politician.
You have to take the initiative for yourself and tell yourself that you're going to start exercising more, so get up and start an exercise regimen that includes resistance training and cardio.
Start eating healthier meals that includes lots of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains and packed with fiber.
Start moving around more if you're desk bound or spend a lot of time behind the wheel. For every hour you spend sitting, spend at least 10 minutes up and moving around to keep your muscles limber and the blood flowing. This will do a lot to help curtail back pain. And if you already have back pain, get a massage from a good massage therapist. It will do wonders for your pain.
Think of the children. Sorry, that was too good to pass up. I had to get some politician speak in there when dealing with healthcare.
Ed Scow
You may not like my plan, but it makes the most sense. It doesn't raise taxes and it will save you money and lead to a much happier lifestyle.
Are you ready for it?
It's called "Take Care Of Yourself, America!!"
Pretty easy, huh?
Think about it, though. There was a report that just came out that said that by the year 2017 for every $5 spent, $1 will be spent on healthcare. Take that number out farther, for every $500 spent, at least $100 will be spent on healthcare. That is insane! Think of the repercussions this will have on our entire economy.
And much of this spending is due to preventable health issues. Not genetic issues or things that are out of our control or routine physicals which we all should do. There will always be things you can't control, but a good chunk of healthcare spending (or sick care as I like to call it) is spent on things that need not occur.
I'm going to give you 2 areas of statistics to prove my point.
The first area is obvious...being overweight.
The last time a survey was taken over 60% of our population was either overweight or obese.
This can lead to a whole host of preventable health issues and diseases including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, joint pain, muscle pain, asthma, etc. The last time I checked all of those health issues require a medication or medical intervention of some sort, and a lot of it.
So, if as a population we were to take care of ourselves a little more and actually eat better and exercise this would greatly decrease the amount of spending on health care.
Many people think they exercise enough because they go for a walk occasionally or play some golf when the weather is nice, but it takes a lot more than leisure activity to lose fat.
Also, I have statistics on my side that says that the majority of people in this country do not exercise.
The CDC reported in their National Health Review that 53% of men NEVER engage in any vigorous physical activity. Never!
It gets worse for women. A whopping 65% of women NEVER engage in any vigorous physical activity.
Now you may be thinking that they used the word "vigorous", but vigorous is a relative term and when the government uses that term it usually refers to anything more than a leisurely stroll around the block. Plus what I didn't mention was that 65% of women and 53% of men never engage in vigorous physical activity lasting longer than 10 minutes. 10 minutes!
The second area I want to give you some statistics on are related to back pain.
Back pain is huge in this country and it's mostly because we're too sedentary.
We sit at desks all day, drive too much and sit on the couch too much.
This leads to muscle imbalances, muscle weakness and a whole lot of muscle pain.
As many as 50% of Americans report some type of back pain every year. Some of these may be minor, but as many as 30% of adults have thought their back pain needed a trip to the doctor to help alleviate. That's a lot of people considering our population is around 300 million.
There are some experts that say that as many as 4 out of every 5 people will experience back pain in their lifetime...and not just a little twinge here or there, either.
These next two statistics are staggering. In 2001, close to 14 million people visited their doctor to deal with their back pain, and I think it's safe to say that many of them went more than once.
A Canadian study reported that 40% of all work absences were due to back pain. I don't even want to know how much that equated to in lost revenue.
So do yourself and your country a favor, take care of yourself.
I guarantee that if we got more people exercising, eating better and paying better attention to their bodies that the cost of healthcare will go down.
The only problem is I can't force anyone to do anything, unless that is that you come to my boot camps or train with me...then I can get you moving.
But you know what? Neither can a politician.
You have to take the initiative for yourself and tell yourself that you're going to start exercising more, so get up and start an exercise regimen that includes resistance training and cardio.
Start eating healthier meals that includes lots of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains and packed with fiber.
Start moving around more if you're desk bound or spend a lot of time behind the wheel. For every hour you spend sitting, spend at least 10 minutes up and moving around to keep your muscles limber and the blood flowing. This will do a lot to help curtail back pain. And if you already have back pain, get a massage from a good massage therapist. It will do wonders for your pain.
Think of the children. Sorry, that was too good to pass up. I had to get some politician speak in there when dealing with healthcare.
Ed Scow
Friday, March 7, 2008
The Most Important Word in Your Fitness Vocabulary Is...
…CONSISTENCY!
Consistency is by far the most important word in your fitness vocabulary. Not diet. Not cardio. Not strength training, or resistance training, or weight training. Not even your friendly personal trainer’s name should be top on the list (he should be a close second, though). Consistency should always be at the top of your list of importance. It doesn’t matter what your goals are, whether they be to lose fat, more flexibility or to just stay healthy.
It also doesn’t matter what program you adhere to. I know I just worked my butt off creating a fat loss program (which I think is fantastic, by the way, and you can check out at http://www.fatlosstogo.com/ ) but to be totally honest, it doesn’t really matter what program you do to as long as you stick to it.
Do you want to go to Yoga or Pilates class in order to get fit or lose some fat? That’s great, but you have to do it and you have to do it consistently.
Or maybe you’re a someone who reads fitness magazines and wants to give one of their workouts a try. That’s great, too. Just do it and follow the program until it’s done.
If you hate exercise and want to start eating better in order to lose that extra flab, that’s fantastic. Just stick to your healthy eating habits most of the time and you’re good to go.
However, the one thing that is not OK for anyone to do is follow a fad diet. Those may work for the short-term, but don’t work in the long run because they don’t teach you how to eat properly once the diet is supposed to be done. They don’t teach you healthy habits and most don’t give any attention to exercise and if they do, their plan is worthless. (However, if your only plan is to eat better and not exercise, I think you’re severely limiting your results because exercise is critical. It makes your results come much, much quicker and won’t turn you into a “skinny fat person”.)
You can’t decide you’re going to exercise and then only follow your new plan once or twice per week for a few weeks, and then quit because you’re not seeing results or because you’re too busy. Nor can you decide you want to eat better, only to succumb to temptation at the first sight of a Snickers bar and then give up saying that it’s just too hard.
We live in a society that wants everything NOW. We want everything in a pill or in a drive-thru or delivered.
Well, fitness and fat loss just don’t work that way. You have to work and you have to be consistent with whatever you have decided to do.
If you want to exercise more to lose some fat, then you have to do it 3-4 days per week …consistently. You can’t just walk into a gym, or your basement, and pick things up willy-nilly and start your own program, either. You have to have a plan…you need some guidance. (I’ll get into this in a future newsletter).
If you want to eat healthier and lose your fat that way, that’s great but you have to do it right and you have to stick to your new habits. It may be difficult, but that’s just the way it is.
Now, that’s not to say that things aren’t going to pop up that make it very difficult to follow your new goals. Things always pop up and there are always reasons to stumble and miss a workout or two and eat poorly. That’s no excuse, however. That’s just life.
You just have to pick yourself up and move on and keep on with what you set out to achieve.
If you want to succeed, you must be consistent.
Commit to yourself that you are going to be consistent with your fitness goals in 2008 and make this year different than in year’s past.
If you need help setting up a good program, whether your goals are for fat loss, muscle gain, make your golf game better or just to stay healthy, let me know and I will help you. Or, if you’re busy like most people and want an awesome fat loss program that can be done in your own home, then click on http://www.fatlosstogo.com/ and check out my new downloadable fat loss program.
That’s it for this week.
Consistency is by far the most important word in your fitness vocabulary. Not diet. Not cardio. Not strength training, or resistance training, or weight training. Not even your friendly personal trainer’s name should be top on the list (he should be a close second, though). Consistency should always be at the top of your list of importance. It doesn’t matter what your goals are, whether they be to lose fat, more flexibility or to just stay healthy.
It also doesn’t matter what program you adhere to. I know I just worked my butt off creating a fat loss program (which I think is fantastic, by the way, and you can check out at http://www.fatlosstogo.com/ ) but to be totally honest, it doesn’t really matter what program you do to as long as you stick to it.
Do you want to go to Yoga or Pilates class in order to get fit or lose some fat? That’s great, but you have to do it and you have to do it consistently.
Or maybe you’re a someone who reads fitness magazines and wants to give one of their workouts a try. That’s great, too. Just do it and follow the program until it’s done.
If you hate exercise and want to start eating better in order to lose that extra flab, that’s fantastic. Just stick to your healthy eating habits most of the time and you’re good to go.
However, the one thing that is not OK for anyone to do is follow a fad diet. Those may work for the short-term, but don’t work in the long run because they don’t teach you how to eat properly once the diet is supposed to be done. They don’t teach you healthy habits and most don’t give any attention to exercise and if they do, their plan is worthless. (However, if your only plan is to eat better and not exercise, I think you’re severely limiting your results because exercise is critical. It makes your results come much, much quicker and won’t turn you into a “skinny fat person”.)
You can’t decide you’re going to exercise and then only follow your new plan once or twice per week for a few weeks, and then quit because you’re not seeing results or because you’re too busy. Nor can you decide you want to eat better, only to succumb to temptation at the first sight of a Snickers bar and then give up saying that it’s just too hard.
We live in a society that wants everything NOW. We want everything in a pill or in a drive-thru or delivered.
Well, fitness and fat loss just don’t work that way. You have to work and you have to be consistent with whatever you have decided to do.
If you want to exercise more to lose some fat, then you have to do it 3-4 days per week …consistently. You can’t just walk into a gym, or your basement, and pick things up willy-nilly and start your own program, either. You have to have a plan…you need some guidance. (I’ll get into this in a future newsletter).
If you want to eat healthier and lose your fat that way, that’s great but you have to do it right and you have to stick to your new habits. It may be difficult, but that’s just the way it is.
Now, that’s not to say that things aren’t going to pop up that make it very difficult to follow your new goals. Things always pop up and there are always reasons to stumble and miss a workout or two and eat poorly. That’s no excuse, however. That’s just life.
You just have to pick yourself up and move on and keep on with what you set out to achieve.
If you want to succeed, you must be consistent.
Commit to yourself that you are going to be consistent with your fitness goals in 2008 and make this year different than in year’s past.
If you need help setting up a good program, whether your goals are for fat loss, muscle gain, make your golf game better or just to stay healthy, let me know and I will help you. Or, if you’re busy like most people and want an awesome fat loss program that can be done in your own home, then click on http://www.fatlosstogo.com/ and check out my new downloadable fat loss program.
That’s it for this week.
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