Translating the Benefits of Exercise into Everyday Life

Why should we exercise? Okay, deep down we all want to look better, that's one motivation. The world knows that and markets accordingly, enough already. What about for improving performance if we're already athletes? That's a good one, but current athletes aren't the ones that seem to lack motivation. What about for improving health or managing disease? That's hitting closer to home, and a topic for a good post. But what happens when even that doesn't seem to motivate us?

Some days we just need the benefits of exercise to be crystal clear and meaningful in the here-and-now before we're motivated to do it, especially for those trying to get motivated to even start exercising.

Think about how exercise can mirror your activities of daily living. This is referred to as functional training. Not a new topic, but critical and often overlooked. There are several definitions of functional training, but I like one offered by Steven Plisk, MS, CSCS*D in a hot topic series publication from the NSCA. "Functional training involves movements that are specific - in terms of mechanics, coordination and/or energetics - to one's activities of daily living."

Here are some simplified examples:

• Putting groceries on the top shelf of your pantry = overhead press
• Getting in and out of a chair = squat
• Picking up a child = clean (or hang clean, depending on the child's behavior!)
• Getting up off the floor (from getting your dog's ball out from under the couch) = push-up
• Vacuuming = rows
• Carrying a baby in a carrier = suitcase deadlift and farmers walk
• Chasing down a ball before it goes in the street = sprinting
• Sitting up in bed = crunch
• Jumping up to swat a ceiling cobweb with a towel = squat jump (am I the only one who does this?)

You get the picture. Now how applicable does exercise seem? If we want to keep doing these activities of daily living, especially as we age, we must exercise. Functional training can be done by anyone, and it is designed to use multi-joint, multi-plane movements where muscles work in a coordinated fashion, mimicking the things we do (or want to be able to do) every day. I see too many people that are still quite young that can't bend over and pick something up off the floor, get out of a booth at a restaurant without struggling, or unload a bag of dog food, much less sprint in the case of a dangerous situation.

So get functional, exercise and stay independent. Remind me to tell you about my 80 year old Dad...

Less Food or More Work?

It's easy to get stuck in a rut with fitness goals, especially when they revolve around weight loss, fat loss and trying to figure out the nutrition end of it. We know that to get the weight off we must create a calorie deficit. That means either eating less food or doing more work. Which should you choose? A calorie deficit could be created by doing either, but if you've been working at this a while and need a boost my vote is for more work.

Eating less and less food to lose weight is a nasty cycle. I've been on that ride before. Your body is designed to adapt and survive. It will learn to survive on less food (you can only give up so much). And guess what? In case of a famine your body decides it would rather hang on to the fat and give up the muscle. So cutting your calories dangerously low or for an extended period of time eventually backfires. I'm convinced my long ago time period of eating as little food as possible blew my metabolism. Your body needs an adequate amount of good, nutrient dense, clean fuel for general operation, and even more so to power you through your workouts. So as tempting as it is to start slashing calories right and left, it's a wild cycle I would not recommend. Start first with cleaning it up and getting compliant.

Another thing to remember is that just because you lose weight, it doesn't necessarily mean that weight was fat. Hmmm.

So, for me, looks like it's more work.

More work doesn't have to mean longer work. Ramping up intensity may do the trick, such as lifting heavier, adding more sets or reps, or even doing combinations of heavy lifting plus circuits and intervals. Interval training has been shown to be very effective for fat loss (hallelujah!) and when done right it's a lot of work in a little bit of time. The beauty of interval and other metabolic work is the bang you get for your buck in terms of continuing to burn calories after the actual workout. This helps blast fat. Newbies do not need to be intimidated by resistance training or interval training. Even beginners can do it. Some of the most effective exercises are the basic ones you've been hearing about for years, and if you are just starting out you can get results from using your bodyweight for resistance. Squats, deadlifts, lunges, step-ups, rows, presses and chin-ups can do wonders. Same is true of interval training. You don't have to do wind sprints. It's relative to your level of fitness now and can progress over time.

In addition to intensity, it may truly boil down to adding more work over the course of a week to keep your metabolism fired up. I find that while 3 days of resistance training a week is effective for me and necessary for muscle recovery, it's not enough total activity for me. I am my leanest when I keep the burn going by incorporating work on the resistance days that revs my metabolism up and then adding interval training and/or select body weight workouts on the off days to keep that fire going.

Lastly, we've just got to get up and move and spend more time on our feet than on our backsides. Now it's time for me to get off the computer and go do something.

Related Post(s):

Workout Plans and Intensity

Stages of Nutrition

This is a great post today by Mike Roussell on The Naked Nutrition Blog. You should check it out. He gives a simple but humbling graph that allows you to think through and identify where you are on the nutrition journey.

I fight a tendency to bounce around on this graph, as many of you probably do too. If I have too much freedom with my nutrition I find myself freestyling, which does not work for me. I might just freestyle my way through an entire package of Double-Stuf Oreos.

Seriously, I've not done that kind of thing in years. But the truth is, I may have a commitment problem. When I get down on the graph far enough to be counting calories and cycling carbs, my inner free spirit starts kicking in again, especially when I don't see results fast. Then somehow I find myself climbing backwards, uphill, thinking maybe there's a different plan that's better or some detail I missed or something. Then I soon rein myself back in and focus.

This is a timely blog entry for me, thanks Mike Roussell! Counting calories and trying to hone in on a diet that is non-compliant seems fruitless. If you've slacked off tracking your compliance with your current nutrition plan, kick it back into gear so you know where you are and where you're headed next.

Where are you on the nutrition journey? Check it out here: Stages of Nutrition

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Why Black Dumbbells Are Better For You Than Pink Dumbbells

I am a true believer that you can get an excellent workout without any equipment at all. In fact, people that can go in the gym and do multiple sets of exercises with free weights week after week can still have their butt kicked with basic bodyweight exercises, using no external load of weight at all. I say this as a preface because I am not at all knocking the value of bodyweight exercises; I need them and do them. But for today I really want to talk about dumbbells, and in particular, dumbbells and women. That said, there are some men who may benefit from this, or be able to share with the women in their lives.

Most women I know and read about have a fear of using a significant amount of weight while working out because they don't want to get big or look too muscular. I understand this. First you must define what you think is "big" or "too muscular". But keep in mind that it's just not likely to happen, IF you're following a sound nutrition plan, not to mention our lower natural levels of testosterone to support it. My quads tend to get too big if I am not watching what I eat. So it's a balance, because if you're working to pack on muscle you'll be eating more calories. If you're working toward fat loss your calories must be balanced and as clean as possible. So, in fact, lifting weight remains critical strategy in fat loss, and coupled with the right eating, it works for you and you will like the way you look and feel.

The yellow model is fat and the red model is muscle, each weighing 5 lbs. Which do you think is going to look bigger on your body? Some people think that you can turn fat to muscle or muscle to fat. This is not true, they are two different types of tissue. But the goal is to decrease the amount of fat on your body, which makes it smaller and shows your muscle definition more, and to build muscle, creating the look of fitness, and better yet, actual fitness. I truly think this is the look that many women are going for, but they are afraid to do it with weight, and unfortunately so because moving weight is a very important component if this is what you want to achieve.

I used to read any kind of "fitness" magazine I could buy. You know the typical ones on the newstands, ladies. Well, I can tell you that there is no way on earth my body was going to transform into one of those cover models doing the workouts they suggest. I realized I was going to have to do a lot harder work than that and I can also say I don't want the skinny-fat look either. It wasn't until I started tapping into more of the resources geared to men that I really began challenging myself, increasing my weight during workouts and seeing changes in my body. Jason Ferruggia, of Renegade Strength and Conditioning, LLC in New Jersey, says it well: "You need to challenge yourself and give your body a reason to actually change. Kickbacks with a couple soup cans ain't gonna cut it."

Just say no.

In order to do this, you first need to step away from the pink dumbbells. I'm not saying go pick up something heavy off the rack when you are learning a new exercise and take a chance on an injury. But the sooner you work away from the pink and into the black the better in terms of fat loss and muscle growth. Ferruggia suggests the following in his newsletter today: lift heavier weights, (moderate heavy weight training burns far more calories than high reps with light weights), use compound free weight and bodyweight exercises, and follow the rule of progressive overload. What he means by progressive overload is to continually challenge your body out of what it's adapted to, meaning increase your weight, increase your sets, change your rest periods, etc.

If you've never challenged yourself with weight (any at all or heavier weight) before, you will see your fat decrease, your muscles look more defined and your inches go down; yes, even in your butt and thighs. And for those of you who want some nice looking shoulders and arms, the same tactic is true. So bottom line is to work with some real weight. Many times people forego weight training until they get their scale weight down with cardio. I'm an advocate of personal trainers who can safely get you started and monitor you, and of formal programs that are designed well, but there is no need to wait. Weight training can and I think should be a part of the strategy from the very beginning.

Related Post(s):

Bodyweight Workouts

Which Workout?

Workout Plans and Intensity

Lean Protein

I used to have very haphazard eating habits. Rarely ate breakfast, went until lunch sustained by a little coffee with my cream and sugar, ate lunch on the run, snacked to ward off the late afternoon crash, then was starving by dinner and ate a big meal for the day. I rarely thought about protein and daydreamed of starchy carbs. Looking back I'm not sure how I even functioned that way, but it's pretty obvious how I wrecked my body composition.

Cleaning the junk out of my diet and bringing order to the chaos helped push me in the right direction, but it wasn't until I realized how critical balanced nutrition is to the bigger picture (or maybe smaller, more muscular picture) that I really got serious about the protein in my diet. Now I actually wake up hungry, never skip breakfast and can feel a big difference in my hunger and energy levels if I don't keep the protein up. For instance, I'm attending a conference this week and all they had for breakfast this morning was muffins or bagels with butter/jelly and fruit. Not a real gram of protein in sight. Ugh.

Here are some of my favorite sources of lean protein:

• grilled, baked or boiled chicken breast (skinless)
• egg whites
• 99% fat free ground turkey (burger without the bun)
• 97% fat free turkey cutlets
• extra lean turkey bacon (Jennie-O)
• tilapia (cooked in a pan with olive oil)
• albacore tuna
• salmon (packaged like tuna or grilled)
• 95% lean ground beef
• bison (ground or steaks)
• shrimp (hot with a little parmesan cheese)

My other favorite protein sources are:

• Fage Zero fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1% cottage cheese
• non-fat milk
• black beans
• chocolate whey
• edamame
• quinoa
• nuts (almonds and walnuts)
• peanut butter

EDIT: string cheese! How could I forget that? Thanks Fred!

I will use protein bars in a crunch (such as this morning) and on the run. Now if I could just wean myself to fresh ground peanut butter instead of the stuff off the shelf I've eaten since I was a kid!

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Focus on Nutrition

Which Workout?

There are so many workout programs and plans available right now that it's hard to know which one to choose. For a beginner or someone just getting started, I'm sure it is downright frustrating.

If you have access to a reputable trainer known for getting results, I would almost always say that's a smart move. But if you want to take a shot at it on your own, there are several basic things to consider when choosing a program or plan. Here are some that help me.

1. Who designed it?

This is important. There are tons of people out there developing programs and putting them on the market in various formats. Do your homework on the designer of the program. Look at credentials and experience. Dig around and see if they have respect from others in the industry (not just marketing partnerships). Does this person have a solid reputation? Is this person known for getting results? Does this person train or teach others? It is possible to be a good trainer and not necessarily be the best at program design. Also, what assistance is available from the program designer(s)?

2. Does the purpose of it fit my goals and time frame?

What are your goals? That's an important thing to establish first. Then look at each program and determine if the targeted results match up to your goals. This is true whether you're starting out or taking yourself to the next level. Are you looking to: increase strength? build or increase endurance? build muscle? lose fat? increase speed? Are you training for a particular event? Do you have a certain date you need to meet your goals? Do you play a particular sport or are you involved in martial arts? It doesn't make sense to choose a program that is contrary to your goals.

3. Is it feasible for me?

Do you have the time/space/money/equipment/knowledge/foundation/mental strength, etc. to do the program? If you are super busy, a program that calls for gym time every day or hours on end of training time may not be feasible. Will you work out at home or in the gym? Do you have access to the required equipment? Does the program clearly explain through descriptive words, pictures and videos how to perform each component? Is the program the right level for you? Too basic feels like backtracking and too advanced can be overwhelming. Is it something you've never done before or do you have foundational knowledge and experience?

In addition to considering these three basic things, I have learned (the hard way) some basic things about using any type of program.

1. Choose one that makes sense for you and stick with it.

If you don't stick with it, you'll never know if it works. Program hopping is not the answer. Work through it. If you don't know if the one you chose works for you now, how can you choose the next one?

2. Don't jack around with it.

If you have gone through the basic steps of choosing a program, do it the way it's designed. Otherwise, it's not the same program and you can't clearly evaluate it or even understand what the changes you made did to the program. This means you won't have any solid data or facts on which to base your conclusions.

3. Understand the difference in short term and long term.

Don't go into a short-term program thinking you'll use it for the long run. Sure there will be things that you will learn and take with you, but if the program is truly designed well for the short term it will be impossible for you to keep it up. This is especially true of programs that really zero in on maximum fat loss or peaking for an event.

4. Don't have time lapses in your plan.

Once you are into a program, stay focused on it but be thinking about what you will do when it's over. This will keep you from having too much lag time between plans which can be detrimental, especially if you're building on a skill or working maintaining fat loss. Absolutely plan for rest between programs, but keep it deliberate and planned so that you don't overtrain but you also don't lose momentum.

More to come on some of my favorite programs or trainers/designers I think are great.

I'd love to see comments on favorite programs and trainers/designers.

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Burn, Baby, Burn