inerTRAIN Blog
February 24, 2010
5 Quick & Simple Fat Loss Tips
 Losing body fat requires discipline, motivation, and most of all, patience. Understanding how the process works is half the battle.
Fat cells are all over your body and everyone is prone to gains in different areas. Women usually begin their gains in the hips and thighs, and for men it is usually around the navel area and the sides of the waist (commonly referred to as the “love handles”). The last place to gain fat is usually in the face, chin, and the hands and feet.
You will lose body fat in the reverse order in which you gain it, meaning the first place you gain it is going to be the last place you lose it. Spot reduction is a myth, and no matter what kind of exercises you are doing, you will still lose fat in this order.
Here are 5 simple things you can do at different points throughout your day to help promote and accelerate fat loss and prevent fat gain:
1. Before breakfast, drink 1 cup (8oz.) of warm water with the juice of half a lemon to assist your kidneys and liver. This benefits bile formation, which is essential for optimal fat metabolism.
2. Before lunch, eat a small apple. It is one of the best appetite suppressants and eating one before your meal will really help curb your hunger (and you get the added benefit of a little fiber). Alternatively, you can try eating a handful of baby carrots. The chewing action will help knock out your hunger.
3. Hard-boiled eggs make a convenient afternoon snack. Have one or two eggs a day. Be sure to peel them while they are still warm and put them in a zip lock bag with a little salt if you like. Eggs are the highest dietary source of several amino acids which are needed by the liver to regulate bile production. Be sure to purchase the omega-3-enriched eggs, which taste better and have many antioxidants (lutein and zeaxanthin) for the eyes and brain.
4. Before dinner, go nuts! About twenty minutes before, eat ½ ounce of pecans, walnuts, or almonds with 8oz. of water. It will help fill you up so you will not need to eat as much during your meal to feel satisfied.
5. All day, drink more ICE COLD water. Water is the best fat burner; it helps empty stubborn fat stores because your liver is more efficient at utilizing stored body fat when your body is well hydrated. The reason you want to drink ICE COLD water is its calorie burning benefits. One gallon of ice cold water requires 125 calories to warm it up to body temperature which equals a one pound fat loss per month.
Try these quick fat deterrent tips and you will not only stop fat from accumulating but also shed fat that is already on your body!
In Health,
February 13, 2010
The inerTRAIN Feel Alive Five
As the cold weather continues throughout most of the U.S., it can make it harder to get out and do your training, so I thought I would provide you with 5 simple exercises that require little or no equipment, and you can do them right in your own home.
Getting started is the hardest part, but just go slowly. As your body warms up it will become easier, and once you get going it will actually be hard to stop! Begin with just a few repetitions and one or two sets. Then build up to 25 repetitions for 3 to 5 sets.
1. Supermans – This exercise helps strengthen the whole back side of your body, from the back of your knees to your elbows.
Start on your hands and knees. Alternate extending one arm and opposite leg out until they are straight. Hold for 30 seconds and switch sides. While holding, concentrate on lengthening your body by reaching forward with your arm and extending your leg straight back. Repeat 2 to 3 times per side.
2. Bike Abs – This is one of the most effective exercises for working all of the important core muscles on the front of the body. They will get your attention quickly.
Lay on your back with hands behind your head. Bring right shoulder and elbow up and twist as you simultaneously pull the left knee into chest. Don’t pull on your neck as you alternate twisting back and forth. To make them more demanding, extend your leg out further and further each time. Try to do between 25-50 reps.
3. Body Weight Squats – These will build strength and endurance throughout your entire lower body. You will see a big difference in your legs, and when you do higher repetitions you will also notice they help build lung power.
Start with a shoulder width or slightly wider stance, with the toes pointed out slightly. As you start to squat down keep your weight on your heels, back straight and look up slightly. Push the hips back as if you were going to sit down in a chair. Keep your knees wide and remember to stay back on your heels. Squat down slowly at first, going a little lower each time until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor. Try to do between 25-300 reps. Just build up slowly.
4. “Sun Salutation” Push-Ups – This exercise will strengthen and tone the upper body along with building endurance and increasing the flexibility of the spine, hips, and shoulders. (It is a variation of a push up extracted from the yoga pose known as “sun salutation”.)
Start with your hands on the floor, shoulder width apart. Your feet should be on the floor with your legs shoulder-width or wider apart, depending on your flexibility. The starting position is butt in the air, head looking back to your heels, with your body making an inverted “V” shape. Start off doing the straight arm version. Push off the legs, keeping the arms straight, and drop your hips towards the ground and look toward the ceiling. Then push back to the starting position.
Keep practicing the straight-arm version until you can do 25 repetitions; then start working on bending the arms more and more as you come down. If this feels too awkward, move your hands further away from your feet. Your goal is to work up to doing 25 reps while bending the arms on the downward phase.
5. Back Bend Over Ball – This is probably the single best exercise/stretch you can do for your body. When most people first begin to work on doing the back bends they experience a number of problems. Not only are you upside down and going backwards, but you cannot see what you are doing. Everyone who starts doing this exercise will notice how stiff they are in their lower and upper back, along with the shoulder area. This will quickly improve as long as you don’t give up! These benefits are hard to imagine when you are struggling trying to hold for longer times so make sure, at first, you stay within your comfort zone and build up slowly.
Start with your back lying on the top of the ball and reach your hands and feet out in a wider stance on the ground to balance. Let your body relax and completely loosen. Rock back and forth gently stretching, and do this a little more each time. While you are stretching concentrate on your breathing. Practice deep slow breaths. Inhale deeply through the nose, hold the breath for a count, then exhale, and hold for a count.
Focus on stretching the abs and arching your middle and upper back. Think about making yourself longer. Build up to holding the stretch for 3 minutes.
Once you are feeling confident with your back bends you can start letting more and more air out of the ball each time you do this stretch. This will force you to start taking more weight through your hands and feet. Eventually you want to get to the point where you are not using the ball at all – just holding on your forehead and hands and feet. Doing this on a regular basis will really build up a good strong flexible spine – the most important area of your body!
These 5 exercises provide a great, simple winter workout that you can do anytime, anywhere to get you warmed up and moving regardless of the weather, where you are, or time constraints.
In Health,
Doug
February 5, 2010
Finding your “why”
 Imagine that someone has just asked to film you for a movie role… and you would need to be wearing a bathing suit. Would you be ready?
What if you had three months to prepare? Then would you be ready?
Most people would not be ready for the shoot on the day they are asked. However, given some time to prepare, more people would definitely find themselves set to do it.
In order to accomplish something, it helps to have a reason and a deadline. When it comes to fitness, one of the most common reasons for people to get in shape is quickly approaching – Spring Break. Everyone wants to look good on their warm weather trips, and during the winter months, especially over the holidays, it’s so easy to let your fitness routine and good eating habits go.
First off, to get on the right track, project yourself into the future and visualize how you want to look for that Spring Break trip you will be taking. Be reasonable.
For example, if you have six weeks until you step onto the beach, do not visualize yourself losing 100 pounds. Not only is that not likely to happen, it would actually be a very unhealthy change in that short period of time. Something that large takes a lot of time and is a slow process if you are doing it right. If that is your long-term objective, put the bigger goal further down the road and pick an achievable, realistic intermediate goal, like losing a few pounds or toning, for the shorter term.
Once you have decided on your action plan, start working toward it. Do something every day that will bring you closer to your goal, even if it seems small. Some examples might be starting an exercise routine, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, making sure to eat a healthy breakfast every day, cutting back on your desserts, drinking an extra glass of water, or meeting with a personal trainer. Each of the little things will build on one another and will cumulatively result in achieving your short and long term goals.
Visualize yourself in the shape that you want to be in, begin making small changes, and you will be ready for that beach movie role, wedding, spring break, or anything else! Your ideal body will be reflective of your lifestyle and you will notice that the effort you put forth will become easier and easier.
In Health,
January 31, 2010
The facts about aging
 Fact: As we get older, we tend to become less and less active.
The reason this happens varies from person to person, but the effect remains the same: your muscles atrophy. Without stimulation, your muscles will not grow and utilize the food you are taking in for energy. Instead, your body will store the food as fat.
Another cruel fact about getting older is that by the age of 26 your body will start to lose muscle at a rate of about 1% per year. That may not seem like a lot, but by the time you are 50 you will have lost a quarter of your muscle. And since muscle is the foundation of fat loss, you will have lost a quarter of your ability to burn fat and calories.
To demonstrate, think of your body as a car. The tires on the car are its muscles – they help it move and function. If the car lost one of its tires (a quarter of its muscle) it could still go on for a bit more, but not very effectively. It would cause a lot of strain on the remaining 3 tires and make them wear down faster and eventually the car would become immobile. Our bodies are the exact same way. Once we start losing that muscle the rest of the body has to work harder to keep us moving and eventually, we, too, get worn down and become less and less mobile.
So, what can be done?
No matter how old you are, you need to start now. By making your muscles stronger, you can slow the aging process. The majority of people will not feel as agile and boisterous at 50 as they did at 25. It is not about getting back to that point in your life. It is about making a change for the future. Every little bit helps and you have complete control.
If you are already 50 or even 75 years old, it’s not too late. Strength training can be done at any age, but you have to consult a very knowledgeable trainer that can specify the correct methods for you. Here at inerTRAIN we will have trainers that work with every age group, so you are in luck!
Focus on keeping active and maintaining your muscle tone. The more effort you put in to it, the longer your body will be around to thank you.
In Health,
January 22, 2010
The Other Side of Fitness
Last week we addressed weight loss vs. fat loss. Indeed, the goal of shedding pounds is the most common health and fitness goal.
However, it is important to realize that everyone is different and may have a different fitness goal… that is to say, not everyone is trying to lose weight or fat. Many people do not realize that there is an entire community and industry that is built on the opposite: gaining mass and muscle… and some people (like us) actually struggle to GAIN, believe it or not.
After reading last week’s post, we got an email from one of our readers, Joe, asking for some tips on how to PUT ON a few pounds. He writes:
I go to the gym 5 days a week for about an hour and I switch up my regimen and I think I have a pretty good workout routine. But, I'm stuck at my constant weight of 150 (being 5' 9", it's not too bad) but I'd like to gain more mass. I drink protein shakes after my workout so I'm guessing that helps, and I eat pretty healthy. I'm not big on junk food. So, I guess my question is, do I just have to eat a lot more to gain some weight? Or, what would your advice be?
We laughed when we read this because we both have similar stories and decided to share them this week in order to answer Joe’s questions.
Christopher has been able to gain the weight and keep it on. Here is what he did:
Growing up, I was a twig. Looking back at pictures sometimes I wonder how my legs (as thin as my pinky) were able to hold me up. At the age of 16, I decided to change that and got in to the world of bodybuilding. I spent countless hours researching and working out to figure out what exercises and food would work for me to help me gain some muscle. By the age of 24, I had gone from a scrawny 140lbs to a defined and ripped 160lbs. From there I kept going up, all the while keeping my body fat to a minimum.
Today, at 30 years old, I am 212lbs with 8% body fat. I never thought it would be possible, but it all came from dedication, knowledge, and nutrition. Many people ask how to do it, but what I tell them is that there is no secret method. You just have to eat big to get big. To maintain my 212lbs, I take in at least 4,200 calories a day and sometimes when I was bulking, I would get as high as 6,000 calories.
It is a slow process with a lot of trial and error. You have to find out what works for you, but the overall goal is to get way more calories than you can burn when you are trying to gain, and at least 20 calories per pound of goal weight when you are trying to maintain. Keep eating at least every two hours to spread the calories throughout the day, even if you don’t feel hungry.
Jeff’s story: I have always been the skinny kid that my mom and grandma are trying to feed seconds (and thirds) to fatten me up… and I’m also the one that my friends called the “cry for hunger poster child” when they saw a picture of me at the beach when I was in high school. For a long time, no matter what I did, I was not able to gain a single pound.
My goal was NOT to become a bodybuilder, but to gain enough mass to look good in a bathing suit to keep my friends from making fun of me for being too scrawny. I have been doing the same things as Joe, and continue to exercise several days a week, drink protein shakes, and eat healthy, but, as with Christopher, the key to gaining for me has been eating a lot more… eating more, keeping up the workout routine, and getting a personal trainer.
One of the benefits of having a personal trainer is that he or she can coach you and provide you with an individualized workout plan and nutrition tips to help you achieve your goals, whether they are to lose fat, gain mass, or maintain where you already are. Later this year, your inerTRAIN trainer will be able to provide you with these benefits whenever and wherever you are.
In Health,
Jeff & Christopher
|
|
 
|