inerTRAIN Blog
November 25, 2010
3 Easy Tips to Avoid Overeating
 Does this scenario sound familiar to you? After dinner today, you roll yourself onto the couch and then feel as if someone will have to put you on a truck and haul you away. You did not realize you were eating that much, and you wish now that you hadn’t gone for that second (or third) helping. You may be uncomfortable for hours and swear you will not eat like that again. But, just when you start to feel better, it’s time for pie!
Yes, it’s time for the annual procession of all things food. Thanksgiving, however, doesn’t need to be a reason to stuff yourself. I look forward to the holiday as much as anyone, including the eating, but I make sure I do 3 things:
1. Control the portion sizes.
This will help with caloric intake. Generally, the smaller your portions, the fewer calories you are consuming. Taste just a little bit of everything instead of piling the food on your plate.
2. Eat slowly and enjoy every bite.
Eating slowly helps with digestion and it will take less food for you to feel full. We have all heard the expression, “You are what you eat”. It should actually read, “You are what you digest”, because if the food is not broken down completely into its simplest form, it will pass unused through your body.
It all starts with the teeth. By chewing thoroughly, you increase the surface area for the digestive enzymes to do their job. Try to chew a minimum of 20 times with each bite until the food is like an applesauce consistency. By using this strategy, your body will digest more of the food, and you will feel more satisfied eating less.
Take your time when you eat by putting your fork or food down between bites. Take at least 15 minutes to eat anything. If you eat too fast, you will most likely eat too much. When you eat more slowly, your stomach has a chance to send a message to the brain that it has had enough before it’s too late.
When you sit down to eat, do it consciously. Focus on eating, chewing, and tasting your food and don’t worry about cleaning your plate.
3. Go for a walk after dinner.
If you ever eat more than necessary, go for a leisurely walk afterward. The reason is simple: when you overeat, your body starts sending you signals that it wants you to go relax so it can digest and store all those calories. Avoid crashing on the sofa and go for a walk to change the signals you are sending your body. Now, instead of storing the calories, you are telling your body to burn them up. Sounds much better than putting on more fat around your waist, doesn’t it? Plus, you will feel much better once you get moving.
It will also help to drink extra water before, during, and after your big meal and walk to help the digestive process.
Enjoy the non-culinary pleasures of the holidays, the atmosphere, relaxation, and socializing with your friends and family, not just the food.
In Health,
November 22, 2010
The triVANTAGE Advantage
One of the features that makes the inerTRAIN training experience unique is the way we instruct clients on proper form and technique for all of the exercises included in each client’s individual, customized workouts. Each of the exercises used in our clients’ individual, customized workouts contain a written/pictorial description of how to do the exercise, an audio file to guide you while you’re working out (simulates your trainer standing over you reminding you what to do), and our revolutionary triVANTAGE™ fitness videos which demonstrate proper form and technique in a highly innovative way.
As we developed the concept for inerTRAIN, I was especially interested in finding a way to revolutionize the exercise video because, as a client myself, I wanted to find a way to learn proper form and technique as simply as possible while avoiding all of the common errors that most people make when working out. I couldn’t find anything that met all of my criteria, so we developed the triVANTAGE video. It is more than just an everyday fitness “how to”… our videos show each movement from 3 angles at the same time and guide you past the most common errors that clients make when first doing the exercise.
Instead of trying to describe how great the videos are to you, I would rather have you see for yourself:
Bicycle Abs:
Supine Pike:
In Health,
September 14, 2010
Stop the seasonal sneezing sweetly
Do you have seasonal allergies?
This is one of the times of the year when allergies seem to be a big problem for a lot of people. In fact, just the other day I was reading about this very problem…and the solution presented, surprising enough, was to take one of the popular medications, or if it is really serious, to go get a shot from your doctor.
This is crazy! Why not look to nutrition instead of pills or shots?
The answer: HONEY! I am not talking about the kind you buy in a regular store. You need to go to a farmers’ market or a local health food store and find RAW LOCAL HONEY. You should look for honey that has never been heat treated, and darker is actually better because it has more antioxidants.
Take 3 tablespoons of honey a day – one in the morning, one at noon, and one before bed.
Give it a few days and see how you feel; I think you will be very pleased. The more you read about the benefits of honey, the more impressed you will surely become.
In Health,
September 1, 2010
I AM inerTRAIN: Client Number Zero
Two years ago, I was dreaming of a way that I could take my personal trainer and my customized workout program with me wherever I went so I could keep working toward my fitness goals even when I was on the go. Today, with inerTRAIN, this dream has become a reality. Anyone can now benefit from the expertise and motivation that a personal trainer provides without the limitations of time or place.
But, I don’t want you to take it just from me. Today we have a guest blog post from Rob Armstrong, who jokingly refers to himself as “inerTRAIN Client Number Zero”. (When he heard about inerTRAIN, he made me promise that I would let him know the minute we went live so he could be “Client Number One”. However, we recruited him early to be one of our beta test clients, so he became “Client Number Zero”.)
Rob is a young corporate professional who travels frequently for his job. After working with one of our trainers over a very hectic month, he successfully kept up his fitness program and made progress toward his goals. Now he plans to keep his workouts going with the help of inerTRAIN.
I am looking forward to many more stories like Rob’s in the future.
In Health,
Growing Up is Hard to Do
Remember when we were kids, and all we wanted to do was grow up, with the promises of freedom, autonomy, doing whatever we wanted, going wherever we wanted, eating whatever we wanted, staying up as late as we wanted? And now we find our adult lives full of busy careers with constant travel, limited healthy dining options while entertaining clients at business dinners, the joys of jetlag, and the occasional 18-hour workday. At least back then, we were young and our bodies could absorb as many calories and as much physical punishment as we could dole out. But now that we're older, our bodies can no longer "roll with the punches" as well as they used to, stress takes a toll, and we begin to slow down, wear down, and soften up.
Growing up sure turned out different than I thought it would be…
Don't get me wrong, there are many great things about it – happy marriages, good careers, the opportunity to see the world and experience things you never even imagined you'd have the chance to enjoy when you were younger -- all things that I am so lucky to enjoy today as a (relatively) young, happily married, successful professional. But in all of this growing up and building a family and a career, I really lost sight of what got me here – namely, me.
Over the last 4 years, I've traveled 70% of the time, with a large portion of that time spent internationally in Asia and Europe. I've transformed from what used to be a relatively fit and athletic guy to a much softer and rounder version of myself than I ever thought probable, or even possible. Improper work-life balance, regular 70-hour weeks, nearly 30 pounds of extra weight, and the first warning signs of high cholesterol – is this really who I wanted to be when I "grew up"?
I've done some thinking recently about priorities and about taking better care of myself. I've spoken to my wife multiple times over the last two years about wanting and needing to make a change, and though I would see some limited successes, it was only until the next fire drill at work, or long international business trip, or holiday celebration that I would lose focus, falter, and fall back into my bad habits. If I really was going to be successful, if I really was going to be who I imagined and hoped I would be when I was younger, something was going to have to change.
I needed something to keep me accountable and motivated, something to keep me focused on myself and my health among all of the other demands of adulthood. Luckily enough, through a close business colleague and personal friend, I had the opportunity to be what I jokingly refer to as "Client Number Zero" for inerTRAIN as a pre-launch test user, and I jumped at the opportunity. It's worth a shot, right?
I never could have a personal trainer with all my business travel, and I'm relatively frugal, so I wasn't sure if I could afford one anyway, so I figured this was a good way to try out something new and different. I got setup in the system, answered some questions about my current health, my workout preferences, and my future goals, and I got matched with my trainer, Kevin. Kevin sent me a note that very same day, asked a few questions to clarify what I wanted to accomplish, and I had my first workout within days of signing up. I was ready to give this "healthy lifestyle thing" a shot with renewed energy.
Within the first two weeks of working with Kevin virtually, I was able to shed 4 pounds and start to feel a difference in terms of functional strength and overall energy. He had me using equipment (or not any equipment at all) in ways I had never used it before. If I had questions about a particular exercise or if I found that the suggested weight was too much or too light, I adjusted my routine, documented how things felt, and sent Kevin a note after the routine so he could help coach me and adjust things for the next time.
The first two weeks went by very quickly and smoothly… but I wasn't worried about the first two weeks, I was worried about the two-week long marathon business trip to Asia for which I was preparing. Sure, inerTRAIN could work at home at my regular gym during my regular hectic schedule, but could it work as I traveled across 8 cities in 5 countries halfway around the world to attend 38 meetings in the course of 12 days? This was the ultimate test – for me and for inerTRAIN.
I am not easily impressed, but when I touched down in Australia and had my first workout waiting for me designed specifically for the fitness equipment available at my hotel in Brisbane, I was. And then when I had similar experiences in Melbourne, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou – all different and unique based on where I was staying and what progress and gains I showed in my last workout – I was sold.
I was exhausted and tired, I had hundreds of unread emails in my inbox piling up every night , but just having Kevin there with my next workout in the queue, asking how things were going really helped me make my fitness a priority when my regular travel routine (and general inertia) would have had me prioritize work instead. That level of customization, paired with the level of accountability that I felt, was what made the difference for me. It wasn't me deciding whether I had the energy or the willpower to go down to the gym for a single workout – it was more than that. This was part of an overall customized fitness plan that I needed to stick to and was being held accountable to by someone else.
It was a pretty cool experience (and needless to say much more enjoyable) to be able to travel halfway around the world and have a very successful business trip without sacrificing my health. How many people can say they took their personal trainer with them on a business trip? Now I can. It is not something I would have ever imagined as a kid, but now as an adult with a busy career, and someone who appreciates what technology can do to improve lives, it really is something awesome and unique that hasn't even been an option in the market… until now.
I didn't know that I was a potential user for this type of service – and was skeptical of the likelihood of my success pursuing it. But I put myself up to the test – and put inerTRAIN to the test – and both came out the other side for the better. Because of that, I can say…
… and I'm not done yet! Next up is Belgium in October and Brazil in November. I'll guess I'll need to brush up on my German and Portuguese…
(I had hoped and planned to do a video recording in each of my international destinations during my trip, but technical difficulties prevented me from successfully recording any – except for my first attempt in the airplane while here in the States. Check it out here.)
August 24, 2010
I AM inerTRAIN: Becoming a better trainer
Being in the fitness business for the last 28 years, I have come to realize my practice is more than just a job; it’s my passion. My clients are my top priority and their successes are my life’s work.
On the surface, my job is to train clients, but I like to view my training as a physical metaphor for habits and attitudes that will foster success in all areas of life. The lessons learned through physical training are universally applicable to all endeavors. Perseverance, sacrifice, self-control, discipline, integrity, honesty, and commitment are all learned in the gym. Mastering these things will improve not only training but also all aspects of life.
Motivating clients to reach their goals requires that I become involved in their lives, sharing good conversation, ideas, and knowledge. I like to think that I am a personal friend of nearly every one of my clients. But ultimately, I, like many personal trainers, have always wanted to reach more clients to be able to share this knowledge as broadly as possible. With inerTRAIN, we can do just that.
When I was first approached with the idea of virtual training I thought, how can this work? Personal training is about being personally there, so how can you do that online?
I thought about the idea a lot, and then one evening while drifting off to sleep, it hit me! Not only is it possible to do it, but I now think it is possible to do it far better than traditional personal training. Think about it this way: if a person loses his or her sight, the other senses will become far more acute. Blind people can hear things most people cannot, they can pick up scents that others are not even aware of, and they can even read with their fingers!
So now imagine that a trainer is training a client online. The trainer is forced to find other ways to communicate his or her thoughts, ideas, and instructions. The trainer will actually become more in-tune to the client’s wants and needs because—without the ability to be in the same room with the client—the trainer must now really listen.
Trainers and clients can connect on a much deeper level because of the inerTRAIN system. Trainers will have the opportunity to answer clients’ questions with great confidence because now they have the time to prepare a complete and thorough response and utilize the resources that the inerTRAIN system provides, rather than being caught off guard during a face-to-face training session.
The more you think about this, the more you will understand what I am talking about. All of the important details will be remembered and considered in the online training environment; each and every client will get the same great personalized training experience. Most importantly, all clients will feel like they are their trainer’s only client, while accomplishing their fitness goals at a fraction of the cost of traditional face-to-face training.
In Health,
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