Why Vitamins? Ubiquinol

Our bodies naturally produce CoQ10 and convert it to Ubiquinol – the nutrient essential for cellular function and antioxidant protection. See following video for a visual on this process.

I love how this video illustrates the importance of Ubiquinol! I am also glad I have an understanding of chemistry to have an understanding of whats going on! Basically you will age quicker, physically, cosmetically, and mentally if your cells become unhealthy.
 
No don't go overdo it on the Ubiquinol! Your body needs an amount of free radicals for healthy function. Problem arise when they get out of control from our toxic environments we live in. If you are very concerned that your free radicals are out of control, talk to a professional and get a recommendation.
If you have already had a professional recommend that you start to manage your free radicals by taking Ubiquinol then talk to me to get 10% off your vitamins at Life Time Fitness.

Stress, Part Two

So I survived my super super stressful week of training, final exams, papers, deadlines, and balancing life. It was STRESSFUL. So before I get to eating right to manage stress Im going to talk to you about what happens more with stress. I am finally experiencing my first day off in about 2 weeks. So as I sit here in my pajamas sipping on my DaVinci Spectra Reds antioxidant drink mix I am pondering the affects of all that stress I went through. Well I went into that week healthy and feeling good. Now here I am with a cold, sore muscles that are not recovering fast enough, a slight headache that doesn't really get to me till the end of the day, and a craving for carbs that wont go away.
Stress was the cause of all of this. I pushed myself past my physical limit and mentally challenged myself  for days without a break. At the same time I was not taking the necessary steps to relax and spend time one me. This past week only reinforced the importance of days off and forgetting to do lists for me. I know for some of us that is really hard to do. But take it from me, you need to put take care of you on your to do list.

Ok onto the stuff I promised you! Eating right to manage stress. I mentioned earlier that I am craving carbohydrates. You crave carbs and or sugar when you are stressed. This is because you stress hormone cortisol is releasing messages to your body's adrenal receptors saying its go time, I NEED ENERGY! So you crave that instant energy from sugar and carbs.
Now that you understand what and why you are up against you can manage it. Proper sleep and exercise will help reduce these cravings because you will be supplying your body with real work so you can burn off the adrenalin.

Now some foods have a naturally soothing effect on you. A lot of teas such as chamomile, jasmine, mint, rosemary, etc will help calm your mind and your nerves. 

Fried eggs helps reduce high blood pressure you get when your stressed by providing amino acids that dilate blood vessels and eggs also increase ACE inhibitory peptides.
Alcohol preferably a glass of red wine recommended to drink one a day by the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) no you can't save them up for the weekend, and no you shouldn't have more than one or two a drinks a day. This is also good for blood pressure, might I remind you that I am still talking about one drink a day only. More than that will produce adverse effects of simulation your body into a high stress situation.

Overall eat more protein and less carbs. Take out greasey suggary garbage and take a good multivitamin. I take a performance multi for women that has an AM and a PM bottle. Twice a day, vitamins in the morning to sustain me, then minerals at night to help me sleep.

Since I only get one half day off a week I am going to cut this short so I can get on with my day. I hope you all enjoy your week and have a merry Holiday weekend!

Free Demo Boot Camp!

BIG NEWS! I am doing free demo TEAM Boot Camp classes at Life Time Fitness 09:00 and 18:00 (9:00 am and 6:00 pm) Monday and Fridays for the rest of this month starting on the 19th. If you have a membership, want a membership, or are just going to take advantage of a free week trial HIT ME UP! If not I still have 4 guest passes for this year that MUST BE USED! Don't miss out on this opportunity! These classes are a $175 a month value! If you want further information please e mail me at hcampo@lifetimefitness.com

Stress, Part One

Ironically this is a very very high stress week for me. So I am going to post a little on stress. According to Dr. Scott Isaacs, stress can cause;

• leptin resistance
• insulin resistance
• lower estrogen (estradiol) in women
• lower testosterone in men
• lower levels of growth hormones
• higher cortisol levels
• and impaired conversion of thyroid hormone

So now that we know what stress can cause we will stress about that right? Joking..... What we will do is learn how to manage our stress before it gives us something to manage. Its just like when you were a toddler throwing a fit over something silly and your mom or dad said to you "You better stop crying or I will give you something to cry about" This was usually followed by you behaving, or some kind of punishment or a toy removed from your little world.

Its the same thing but in grown up world. We stress about deadlines and traffic, politics, and the economy. But when it all boils down the world will keep doing its thing. Unless you are making a change you don't really have the right or reason to stress and worry about things. Gandi said "Be the change you want to see in the world." So my philosophy on it is unless you care enough to try to change it. You shouldn't care enough to let it affect your health in the form of stress.

What you strive for is to accept the things you can not change, and the courage to change the things you can. Anything else is just fuzz :)

Ok so you still stressed? Ya telling you to not worry about the decreasing value of you home is not going to work. Lets be real, we are faced with stress in our life that we cannot wave a wand and have it go away or us magically not care anymore. So we need to find ways to reduce the unavoidable stress in life.

First and foremost is make sure you are breathing, when you are stressed you tend to hold things in. Holding your breath and shallow breathing lead to tension. Tension headaches, back pain, high blood pressure, stiff joints, and inflexibility can all be linked to you not breathing deeply and methodically. I recommend yoga to everyone who will listen to me. Yoga teaches breathing and meditation at the same time of giving you a strength training and flexibility.

Another strategy is massage, self massage, one from a friend, or if you can afford it a professional massage. In my experience a quality massage will melt away stress. The longer you can get one, the better you feel after. Try taking your index finer and middle finger together and rub your temple 

This, as silly as it may look in public. IS AMAZING. Try it, I was taking an exam a couple weeks ago and I realized I was holding my breath and clenching my jaw. Not good, so I took to the count of 100 to close my eyes and massage my temples. Totally worked, not only was I confident the rest of the exam. But I felt pretty good for several hours after.

Now if just a little rubbing your head can make you feel so good, it makes you wonder how much you abuse your body by not treating it like that all the time. My last stress reliever is exercise, DUH. Before you get mad at me for telling you what every magazine and fitness professional out there already has told you. Get this, exercise will release fat burning growth hormones, reduces cortisol, makes your cells more sensitive to insulin, increases your metabolism boosting thyroid hormone, boosts testosterone,  boosts DHEA, strengthens libido (oh lala), relieves depression by releasing endorphins, enhances mood, increases pituitary release of growth hormone, and can I mention that looking and feeling your best just builds confidence?!?!

Of course you should also eat right to balance stress.. Don't eat your feelings please. But for me to balance my stress, I am going to sign off right here so I can get to bed at a good time. Please stay tuned for Stress, Part Two... how to avoid eating your emotions, improve your mood, and tone up all in the kitchen!

Personal Update

So things got crazy for me since Thanksgiving week. I got hired on as a personal trainer and boot camp instructor at Life Time Fitness. This means that I will now be full time in the fitness industry that I love so much! I am also going to try to make this blog more personable about my own struggles and accomplishments as far as fitness goes. I may be licenced and certified but there is always room to grow, learn, and improve.

As my life becomes more and more involved in the world of fitness I am pretty sure I will be declaring a major soon in Sports Science and Medicine. Until then, I am diving into books and experimenting with recipes. Stay tuned for book reviews and healthy cooking dos and don'ts.

My boot camp class times are still to be official. I will let you all know when and were you can sign up as soon as its all processed and the red carpet is rolled out for you.

Parting comment, I came across this picture and I can't help but make a comment on it!

I knew her success had to do with working out!

How Can I Have a Healthier Thanksgiving?

Thanks to ACE fitness for publishing a fantastic article on Thanksgiving. Click on link below to read
How Can I Have a Healthier Thanksgiving?

Fresh intake

This has got to be one of my favorite things of all time. This little juice promises to

GoodBelly products contain Lactobacillus plantarum299v (Lp299v), one of the most well studied probiotic cultures available on the market.

GoodBelly may promote healthy digestion when consumed daily as a part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.

GoodBelly’s probiotic juice drinks are certified organic (with the exception of black currant and coconut water varieties, due to a limited organic supply.)

All of our probiotic juice drinks are dairy-free, soy-free, and entirely vegan.

The Digestive-Immune System Connection

Since 70% of the body’s immune system dwells in the digestive tract, a properly functioning digestive system is essential to maintaining overall health. Learn more about the incredible link between these two systems.

Keeping Your Body’s Bacteria in Balance

They say that life is a balancing act. It’s especially true when we’re talking about the trillions of good and bad bacteria in your body. When they’re out of balance, you might start feeling run-down and out of sorts. Learn more about simple ways you can take charge of your health by reestablishing your microflora balance!

A Probiotic By Any Other Name

Probiotics have proven to be an extremely important factor in human health. They’ve been found to improve core digestive health and support the immune system. But they’re not all the same. Learn more about our patented probiotic, Lp299v, and about how to choose the right probiotic for you.

Suggested Use & Safety

When it comes to probiotics, you can’t get too much of a good thing. We’ve developed a variety of products to meet your specific probiotic needs. Learn more about which GoodBelly product makes the most sense for you and how to best consume it for full effect.

From what I discovered by drinking Good Belly is that it makes you feel better with meals. You feel satisfied without feeling full. I don't know what it is but my guess is that it helps digest your food with all the probiotics so you don't get left with undigested muck in your body! Also, I found that if you drink Good Belly on a daily basis then it actually helps pull in your gut. I credit this again to the fact that there is nothing left undigested and sitting in your body.

So this is one of my favorite healthy drinks. Remember, you can achieve any goals you want. A balanced diet and enough exercise is the key to get you there. You just need to take the leap... today.

Getting started

So I was helping out with a Team Weight Loss class today and I was thinking about how often you walk into a gym and all you see are people who are strong. I understand that so many overweight and obese people stay away from the gym scene because they don't think they can keep up or fit in.
Well my friends I need to remind you that you are welcome. Nobody will judge someone who is overweight and working out. What will be judged is that same person doing anything else. At the gym people will be on you side, cheering you on even if they don't say a word.
I want you to want to be healthier, and getting started is the hardest part. I can't tell you enough how important it is for you to be with a trainer (or doing any program) if you are extremely overweight. Look up a trainer in your area by going to http://www.ideafit.com/
Is today going to be the day you take the first step to take back your life?

True Beauty

So what makes someone beautiful?

Is it the amount of makeup we use and the time we put into our hairstyle? Or how well together our outfit is? Perhaps even how good of a flirt we are? Sadly our answer is yes. We have been brainwashed to see beauty as something unnatural and unachievable. I think this Dove commercial pretty much sums up my point here.


I want everyone to ignore the world and what it tells you to do. Be beautiful in your skin! If we quit this arms race of beauty then we will all win.

I have given up makeup, its been almost a year now and I don't regret it one bit! I even have gotten to the point where I don't even care to try and cover up a pimple. We all get them, its part of being human. We just need to accept that in ourselves and others and we will all be much happier.



Not to mention the time you will save getting ready. After my showers I brush my hair (only if it really needs it) Shake it out and go on with my day.... Style is only what you make it. Some days I will blow dry my hair but it really isn't necessary to make me look better! I want to share this feeling of liberation with everyone because I am still told by friends and family how I am beautiful, without trying too hard.

Take this step with me, if more of us lighten up our makeup load then we will all collectively look better. Its a team effort here. Do we want to end up setting the bar so high that only a photograph can ever look beautiful? Or do we want to change the image of a beautiful woman to one who looks good naturally, bedhead, out of a shower wet hair, or even sweating in a gym with red face and no makeup.

Remember girls, God made you beautiful. Its up to you if you want to love  your beauty or try to change it and be someone else

Why are we so full of excuses?

Its my thyroid, its in my DNA, i retain water, I'm big boned, I DO diet but I'm still fat! This list could virtually go on forever for every human and every variety of excuse we have ever used to justify the fact that we are unhealthy and out of shape.

One of my favorite movie lines of all time is from Rush Hour 3.

*Disclaimer, the scene opens up with the use of a swear word. *

Girl 1-This is **** ****. Do you know who I am? my family owns half of Rodeo Drive!
Chris- Do you know who I am? Detective James Carter LAPD my family owns half of Crunchshop Blvd
Girl 2- I want a lawyer.
Chris- You need a personal trainer. This license says 180 pounds. You weigh more than the damn car girl.
Girl 2- I have a thyroid condition.
Chris- Well stop eatin thyroids!

I know I am making a very harsh post today but did you see anybody with a thyroid condition in Auschwitz? IE, were there any fat people in a concentration camp?

NO, sadly none of them were fed. They were worked to death and It was a terrible time on our planet. But this is a fitness blog, not a political blog. I want to use this as a reminder that being fat is 100% fixable.

We go through life saying how hard we have it. How stressful our days are and how we can't say no to food. Its time for us to make a choice to stop complaining about it and make a change.

Back to Rush Hour 3, this girl is such a perfect picture of the thyroid excuse. Yes the condition does exist. I am in no way denying the fact that millions of us struggle with our weight due to an unfortunate play of cards. But what I am saying is that if you are saying you are fat because of something... you are lying. To me, to your family, your friends, and yourself. If you have a thyroid problem, you have to work HARDER to be better. In other words eat less work out more.

The only excuse we are allowed to use is, "I am lazy, I refuse to make the time for myself. I refuse to seek help. I refuse to understand my body. I refuse to invest in the only body I will possess. I refuse to make a change."

Don't get me wrong. My heart hurts for those of you who have been obese your whole lives. Those of you who cannot afford to eat luxurious foods, or hire a personal trainer. Most of all my heart hurts for those of you who got dealt the bad cards. You have asthma, your body hurts when you work out, you have a thyroid problem, or any other problems by birth. I UNDERSTAND! I grew up with asthma, scoliosis, kyphosis, lordosis, over pronated ankles, and bad knees. It would have been easy for me to give up and be a hopeless weakling. I almost did too, as a child I never really got involved in sports. The playground for me was a challenge just to keep up with the other kids. I was jealous of the boys playing tag, and the girls jumping rope. I was weak small, awkward, and had a mind full of things I couldn't do.

I didn't really start getting active till middle school. Up till then gym class was a terrifying experience of other kids more athletic than myself and dangerous balls flying around. In middle school gym class I decided I was going to work hard. I cannot recall what made me decide this, but this could have been the point of change for me. We would just run to warm up, so I made it my goal to go faster than everyone. It wasn't hard, since nobody else seemed to care much, but what it did was good for my ego. I felt stronger than them, and it gave me hope that I could get even better! What we all need is our moment where we can see the bright light. We all need to feel like we can achieve our goals.

I got lucky in school, as I went onto high school I took an aerobics class and from there I learned not just to like to work out. But to LOVE it! My journey continues and I am learning that the biggest force that knocks us down is ourselves.

I have achieved many goals that my former self would have seen as impossible. Its all in your mind what you can and cannot do. All I want you to do is give up your excuses why you can't or won't do something. Its either give up the excuses or give up the dreams of achievement.

I understand how hard this is. If it hadn't been for some rock stars in my life I would have become victim to the mind of I CANT. Go find your support system, a lot of it is free and easy. For example this blog, full of motivation and help AND ITS FREE!

Your mind is the weapon on the front lines of the battle to a better you. Its time to mind over matter and toughen up. We all face hardship and we all get knocked out sometimes. Get up, dust yourself off, and move on.

Namastae my friends.

Two Angry Moms

I am still concerned about childhood obesity. I think these ladies really are onto something. Watch and support!

Soda Pop the beginning of a rant

I just was looking up information on soda pop for a client and found this on Coca Colas website.

Active Healthy Living

As a Company, we care about people's health and well-being and want to make a positive difference in people's lives, both physically and emotionally. We aspire to help people lead active, healthy lifestyles through the beverages we produce and how we market them, the nutritional information we provide and our support of programs that encourage active living.
There is increasing concern about obesity. While there are many factors involved in obesity, the fundamental cause is an imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended. We are playing a leading role together with our partners and other stakeholders in identifying and implementing solutions to address issues of obesity as they affect consumers and our industry.
We promote active, healthy living through three guiding principles:

Think -- Education is essential to achieve sustainable, active, healthy lifestyles. Drink -- Providing product and package variety is our commitment to consumers. Move -- Physical activity is vital for health and well-being.   Now here is what I want you to know about Soda Pop. Its evil, please don't drink it! If you would like to read my paper I created for my client please continue on,   Coca Cola Ingredients: ·         Carbonated water ·         Sugar (sucrose or high-fructose corn syrup depending on country of origin) ·         Caffeine ·         Phosphoric acid ·         Caramel color (E150d) ·         Natural flavorings Carbonated water, like I mentioned during our assessment, expands your stomach. Causing you to be more hungry, and bloated from the direct effects of the bubbles. Carbonation can also cause heartburn, esophagus irritation and burning. Now with your husband being a diabetic you are probably an expert on sugar. Sugar is converted into glucose in your body and used for energy. Our body does need glucose, but you should be getting it from a source that is better for your body such as fruit. Without getting too technical the table sugar is a different chemical makeup than the sugar in fruit. Chemically table sugar should be treated more like a poison than something you sprinkle in your drinks. The reason diabetics need to worry about going blind or losing a leg, is due to the sugar eating away at healthy tissue. This is the same sugar in soda pop. High fructose corn syrup, just read HFCF as poison. It’s the cheapest sweetener companies can buy. It is so much worse than regular sugar because it does not suppress your hormone ghrelin (it tells your body to eat more) regular sugar will slow this hormone down. So you actually end up feeling hungrier (think about it, your belly is expanded and you mind is sending out hormones that are saying you are hungry, it leaves you defenseless) I know the corn companies have been trying to promote it as a healthy natural sweetener, but do you homework on HFCF. It’s really horrible stuff. Caffeine, such a common word in our pantry that you will be surprised at what it really is, a stimulant drug. Caffeine acts as a stimulant on the central nervous system, classified as a phycoactive drug along with other stimulants like tobacco, amphetamine, cacao, guarana, ephedra, and khat. If you are trying to calm your mind and develop better sleep habits, caffeine is not what you want in your diet. Phosphoric acid, along with being used in our food it is also common in duel energy X ray technology, rust removers, and chemical lab work. Phosphoric acid is the thing that cleans off pennies, and destroys your bones. This should not be consumed. Caramel color E150d, I learned this new scary information that right now the FDA is trying to pass with legislation to ban this in our country as a toxic substance. YIKES (do I really need to say more?) Natural flavoring, whatever that means. As you learned from reading the above ingredients that “natural” is not so natural when you are breaking down these strands of cells and mixing them together. So that is our number one drink in America! Coca Cola, cheers. Fact: Consumption of soft drinks has increased 500% in 50 years. Every corn syrup or sugar sweetened drink a child consumes each day increases his or her obesity risk 60%

Hallow eatin

Just remember my friends, don't eat your childrens candy this halloween.. or it will go straight to your butt!

Have a safe weekend and remember DONT drink and drive!

Mystery People

Did you know I have a monthly poll? Its on the right sidebar, go vote on the topic you want to read more about. Last month my feedback was that you mystery readers wanted to read more on weight loss. Ask and you shall recieve! Also, my above tabs have links to other sites you can find me on like facebook, twitter, IDEA Fit, and more. I have a page on facebook that is having a contest for $100 worth in prizes right now, if you join me on twitter you can win swag and get uplifting updates.
 Then just one more reminder to "follow" this blog for an update of things good for fitness. Im a real person who loves health and sharing what I know with people who are looking for an answer. Feel free to leave a comment, e mail or just stay around as a mystery lurker.
Have a great weekend!

Tasty Tuesday

I bring to you on this day of October the 25th in the year 2011 my recipe for HEALTYish Pumpkin Bread!

3 1/2 c whole wheat flour
2 c honey
2 t baking powder
1 t sea salt
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1 t allspice
1/2 c cloves
(If you don't have cloves or allspice u can use 1 t of ginger. Its still yummy and gives the bread a subtle gingerbread flavor)
1 15oz can of pumpkin
1 c soy or rice milk
3/4 c applesauce
walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 loaf pans. Mix flour, honey, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and spices together. In a separate bowl, mix pumpkin, milk, and applesauce together. Combine and mix both together. Fold in walnuts. Pour in loaf pans. Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let cool for 10 min. Remove from pans and cool completely.

Bon Appetite!

 

Workout Week 6

This is our final week of my workout series that follows along with my post on physical wellness and the 12 components of exercise. In our final week we will be talking about agility, coordination, reaction, speed and power.
Im going to start off with giving you the dictionary definition for each word used above.

a·gil·i·ty 

noun The power of moving quickly and easily; nimbleness: exercises demanding agility.

co·or·di·na·tion

noun

harmonious combination or interaction, as of functions or parts.

re·ac·tion

 

noun

Physiology. action in response to a stimulus, as of the system or of a nerve, muscle, etc.

Medicine/Medical.

a. the action caused by the resistance to another action.

b. a return to the opposite physical condition, as after shock, exhaustion, or chill.

speed

 

noun

rapidity in moving, going, traveling, proceeding, or performing; swiftness; celerity: the speed of light; the speed of sound.

pow·er

  noun

ability to do or act; capability of doing or accomplishing something.

great or marked ability to do or act; strength; might; force.

So now we should be a little more familiar with what Is expected out of athletic training. It composes of all these things. At the point of athletic training you are no longer working out to stay thin, healthy, or able to perform daily tasks. You can already do that, at this point you are trying to become better. Like Daft Punk says Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. Athletic training is about beating personal records, opponents, and other teams.

So for this week instead of giving you specific workouts, I will focus more on training strategies, and mind tecniques.


Now athletes work very hard to get into a healthy shape, but its not all hard work and no fun. Maybe you have heard of Michael Phelps, Olympic gold medeal swimmer. He works out very very hard in the pool swimming miles and miles every day. He is rewarded with a 12000 calorie intake a day. If I could eat that much a day I would be a happy person. Lets face it food is yummy, eating food makes us feel good.
So using Michael Phelps, this brings me to my first example. Time, spending long hours training and pushing yourfelf longer will make your body stronger. Training for endurance sports such as a Marathon, Ironman, and other sports requires you to log some hours. Even sports where you are only using your strengh for a short ammount of time can benefit from endurance training. Sports such as wrestling, sprinting, and rowing all use a fast burst of strength that you need to go all out for several minutes, not hours. Having a well condtioned heart will improve your bodies ability to deliver oxygen and energy to the muscles during these bursts.

Next up ill talk to you about resistance. We all know about the benefits of bands, weights, and kettelballs. Have you ever tried using alternative forms of weight? Parachut running is a great way to add resistance to your run, bands can be added in the water (or to any workout) to keep you in place and add resistance,   ... And my personal favorite is water. Just training in the water changes everything. Watter running, cycling, weight training, circut training. It can all be done! Water training is becoming more popular at time goes on. People are discovering that it isn't just beneficial to senior citezens with artheritis. Instead there are being classes created with athletes in mine. I teach one such class at Lifetime Fitness called Hydro training.


Another major component of athletic training is your mindset. I really could go on and on about different sport training strategies and tecniques... but this post has already taken me two days to write. So I will leave you with a little motivation and a promise to continue on with a post on conditioning your mind another time when I do not have writers block.

Wake up People

Fit to Fat???

Normally, I share weight loss success stories - WooHoos!, as they’re known at FatFighterTV. But today, I want to tell you about the opposite – a fit guy who is deliberately making himself fat.

Since May, Drew Manning has gained about 70 pounds on purpose. And he’s not done yet.

Drew is a personal trainer and has always been the “fit guy.” He’s now on a journey he calls Fit 2 Fat 2 Fit where he spends six months (he has about 4 weeks left) eating unhealthy food and not exercising, then he will take six more months to get fit again. Why? To experience for himself what it’s like to be overweight, how tough it is to lose weight, and ultimately show others how to get fit. But this is sooo extreme! And I hate that Drew is deliberately making himself unhealthy. I asked him all about it…

FatFighterTV: As someone who has always been fit, how can you stand doing this to yourself?

Drew Manning: It’s been very tough physically, mentally and emotionally to let myself go like this. The first couple of months were the hardest. I felt like I was going through withdrawals, just like any other addiction. I was jealous seeing people running, going to the gym, and being in shape.


FFTV: Are you concerned about your health?

DM: Yes, definitely. With a BP reading of 161/113 you can’t NOT be concerned. I haven’t felt in danger yet, but I still have 4 weeks left to go. People tell me all the time to stop now, but I look at it like this…..if others can live years with these unhealthy risk factors, like high BP, glucose levels, cholesterol levels, triglycerides, etc. then I can last another 4 weeks. Plus I want to show people how living a healthy lifestyle can change all of those risk factors.

FFTV: Are you enjoying eating all those unhealthy foods?

DM: Yes and no. To some extent, all of these foods that I’m eating (sugary cereals, granola bars, juices, white breads, white pastas, sodas, crackers, chips, frozen dinners, mac n cheese, etc.) taste delicious. But then I feel like crap later on and I get hungry again and crave those same foods.


FFTV: You’ve gained about 70 pounds now since May – how do you feel?

DM: I’m to the point where I feel lethargic and uncomfortable. I definitely feel “addicted” to these foods. In the beginning, I did not like soda, but now I can’t go a day without, otherwise I’ll get the headaches, bad mood, etc. Emotionally, it’s taken a toll on my confidence level, even in my marriage. I don’t like the way I look in public; nothing fits right; bending over to tie my shoes or clip my toe nails has become so difficult. I’ve definitely taken those things for granted.

FFTV: You mentioned that you want to gain an understanding of how hard it is to be overweight – what have you learned so far?

DM: I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is how intense and how real these food cravings are. I think a lot of people associate the word “addiction” with drugs and alcohol, but I do believe this addiction (to America’s processed foods) is real and very similar. I know I’ll never know exactly what it’s like for every person that’s overweight and I don’t claim to, but at least I understand better than I did before when I never had to struggle with this. I hope to learn a lot more in the second half of my journey, from fat 2 fit.

What do you think of What Drew is doing? Is it going to make a difference? Or is he just damaging his body?

For all my real humans out there

Don't ever forget that its not about the vanity, because you are rarely going to look like a rockstar while your really putting in some sweat. Its all about how your feel, how healthy you are and are becoming. Today is the day to forget about looks, mirrors, hours getting dolled up, and expensive cloths. Go out and enjoy life!!! 

Workout Week 5

This week we really will jam, flexibility and metabolic markers (ventilatory thresholds). Have you ever been in a group fitness class such as cycling and heard the instructor yelling "Pump it up! Get to AT!" In instructor lingo they are trying to get you energized to work as hard as you can to get your heart rate up to Anaerobic Threshhold. To break this down more we will go into what Aerobic vs Anaerobic means. Aerobic, not talking about the class "aerobics" means 'with oxygen'. So when you are working out and running for example your body is using oxygen to refule the muscles for an extended period of time. So if aerobic is with oxygen then you should guess that anaerobic is without oxygen. Weightlifting is a good example. Yes you are supposed to breah in on the coeccentric and exhale on the eccentric contraction (More on that vocab to come) but when you are weightlifting you could hold your breath and still make it through a set. Try to hold your breath while running, not going to happen. Back to my little heart rate chart

See the blue stripe? This is your anaerobic threshhold. The point where you are working at such an incredible power status that you will be huffing and puffing, not able to talk, with your mouth open. You can only hold AT for a few seconds or minutes. You also hear it called Ventillary Threshhold, Anaerobic Threshold, or Lactctate Threshhold.
This is the point where you are working your muscles to such a point where you cannot get oxygen in fast enought to supply or maintain the pace. If your training at AT you are increasing hte speed at which acidosis occurs, this will eventually help you to run at a higher speed for longer.

Wow, and I could keep going on with that. But lets go over flexibility, since this is pretty basic stuff Im just going to illistrate the importance of flexibility training with a fact photo.


Monday
VT day
Warm up 5 min slow jog
This will help make running at AT easier while getting the same benefit of continuous runs.
Run 2 to 4 x 10 to 15 minutes at AT pace with 3 to 5 minutes rest. If you have a heart rate monitor run at 85-90 percent of maximum heart rate.


Tuesday
Flexibility
Warm up Sun Salutations
Hips & Legs

Pidgon Pose each leg get into it, wait 15 seconds then sink deeper for another 30 sec


Frog Pose get into it, wait 15 seconds then sink deeper for another 30 sec

Half twist each leg get into it, wait 15 seconds then sink deeper for another 30 sec


Seated forward fold, get into it, wait 15 seconds then sink deeper for another 30 sec

Wednesday
VT Day
Warm up 5 min jog
Increase the distance you can run at AT pace.
Run 3 to 6 x 1 mile at AT pace with a one minute rest or 6 to 8 x 1,000 meters at AT pace with a one minute rest.


Thursday
Flexibility
Back, Spine, & Arms
Warm up sun salutations

Spinal twist, each leg get into it, wait 15 seconds then sink deeper for another 30 sec


Plow Pose get into it, wait 15 seconds then sink deeper for another 30 sec


Half lord of the fish pose each side get into it, wait 15 seconds then sink deeper for another 30 sec


Extended puppy pose, get into it, wait 15 seconds then sink deeper for another 30 sec


 Friday
VT Day
Warm up 5 min jog
add slightly more stress to the AT intervals to further stimulate changes in AT pace to reach a faster speed.
Run 2 sets of 4 x 800 meters at 5 to 10 seconds per mile faster than AT pace with 45 seconds rest and 2 minutes rest between sets/


Saturday
Flexibility Day
warm up sun salutations

Cobra pose, get in, hold 15 seconds then go deeper and hold for 30 sec


TEC DIFFICULTES, POST INCOMPLETE

Facebook Contest

I am having a contest on my page http://www.facebook.com/#!/Trainwithheidi the contest is to upload your favorite flexing photo, action shot, or healthy living picture of yourself PG ONLY, to the wall or into the "best bodies" album. Contest ends 11/30/11 and there will be three winners.
First Place gets the grand prize, free consultation, free assessment, and one free training session along with a gift card to http://www.completenutrition.com  a total value of $87.00
Second Place gets a free consultation, assessment and training session
Third Place gets a free consultation and assessment