Client: JR, I’ve been eating a lot more lately!! I don’t want to eat more, I’m trying to lose weight!

me: Eating more huh? Have you been working out more lately?

Client: heck yea! I’ve been working out 5 days a week, I’ve been going to Zumba, and I’ve been using the stairs a lot more when I’m at work

me: awesome! i’m glad to hear that! so about the eating, don’t worry about you eating more lately. we’ve been working out really well the past couple of weeks and you’ve been gaining some good muscle. remember, the more lean muscle we have, the more energy it takes to fuel that muscle and keep it healthy. so the extra food that you’ve been eating lately is actually being metabolized and used for muscle growth and maintenance as opposed to just being stored as fat! just make sure we’re consuming nutrient-dense foods and not empty calories like we’ve been talking about.

Client: Thanks JR! that makes a lot of sense

me: cooooool, anymore questions?

Client: yes, why are you drinking a can of Coke and eating Strawberry Hi-Chew?

me: uh, they’re not mine. 100 push-ups, NOW!

*i was just kidding about those last 3 statements.

but anywho, i’m pretty sure some of you have had a similar experience at one point or another along your journey to better health. remember this, a lot of people are overweight and unhealthy not because they eat too much, but because they eat too much bad food (ie. soda, pizza, french fries, chips, etc.). food is our energy, so if you’re eating a lot of good food, that means you’re fueling yourself with good energy. and good energy means a better work day, a better workout, a better sex life, a better attitude, and a better YOU overall. so don’t worry so much about the quantity of food you’re consuming, first take a look at the quality. do this and your “diet” will instantly gain 10 points on the awesome scale!

A great way to strengthen your health and your relationship, Saturday Partners Training is an outdoor group exercise workshop intended for couples/partners/best friends looking for a great workout every Saturday morning. No prior fitness experience is necessary. Check out the Saturday Partners Training page for more info!

A great way to strengthen your health and your relationship, Saturday Partners Training is an outdoor group exercise workshop intended for couples/partners/best friends looking for a great workout every Saturday morning. No prior fitness experience is necessary. Check out the Saturday Partners Training page for more info!

“while walking, ground reaction force can be 1 to 1.5 times one’s body weight, 2 to 5 times one’s body weight during running and 4 to 11 times one’s body weight when jumping… think of a 150-pound person who goes jogging or a person walking up and down stairs. they must withstand approximately 300 to 600 pounds of force on one leg, each and every step, in an unstable, unpredictable environment” – CEx (18)

if you’re just starting to workout again, i recommend using the elliptical to get your “cardio” workout for the first 2 weeks. jogging/running on the treadmill, skipping (jump rope), and even some aerobics classes may be a little too much for your knees. the motion of the elliptical will save your knees from the constant, sometimes unpleasant impact that you would experience on the treadmill.

remember, being healthy and fit is a lifestyle change. if you’re serious about getting started, get started correctly; you’ll save yourself a lot of corrective/rehabilitative/physical therapy type exercises in the future. the main thing is to keep moving (correctly) and get better everyday. go get it!

do you skip breakfast? why? don’t do that anymore! 🙂

studies have shown that people who skip breakfast are more likely to consume MORE calories throughout the day than those people who actually eat breakfast. if you’re trying to lose weight, do not be afraid of eating a big breakfast! you have the rest of the day to walk around, walk up stairs, run for the bus and burn those calories off. when you eat breakfast you kick-start your metabolism and your body will be ready to burn calories throughout the day. starbucks doesn’t have the same effect; coffee will wake up your brain so that you’re more aware and alert. but once that coffee fades, you crash and feel sluggish because your body is looking for those carbs, fats and proteins.

try to stay away from the pastries and coffee and try cereal or oatmeal. but if you haven’t had breakfast in a while, anything will do for the first week. the most important thing is to get your “stomach” digesting something as early as possible.

make time to eat breakfast. sleep 20 minutes earlier and wake up 20 minutes earlier. give your body and mind a chance to work optimally.

“Hormones appear to be the link between sleep deprivation and weight gain. Loss of sleep increases your body’s production of the hormone Ghrelin, which stimulates hunger. Lack of sleep also also decreases the levels of the hormone Leptin, which signals your brain when your body doesn’t require any more food.” – BetterSleepBetterLife.com

Resolve, right now, to get 7-9 hours of sleep every night. When we get the appropriate amount of sleep our muscles repair, our memory improves, our heart gets healthier, our chances of developing type 2 diabetes is reduced and we give our bodies the opportunity to perform optimally the next day.

When we decide to sleep by a certain time every night, we become more productive and more efficient during the day; we know we need to get everything done by that time. Give it a try, you have nothing to lose, only so much to gain.