inerTRAIN Blog
June 15, 2011
Being Active 101
How can you make that very first minute out of bed just a little more active than before?
As you go through your day, try to find little ways to incorporate more movement into your daily routine. Need some ideas? Read this list of tips for quick and easy ways to become more active in your everyday life:
- Park your car toward the last available parking spot. Walk a little more than you're used to (in safe areas only). When you go to the mall, park at the opposite end in which you intend to shop.
- Take the stairs as often as possible.
- When talking on the phone, stand up and pace.
- Do housework or yard work at a faster pace than usual.
- Do not sit on the couch or bed when you watch television. Stand up. Stretch out or pace while you watch. (Stand in the back of the room when you're with a group so that you don't disturb them.)
- If you are stuck when studying or working at the computer, you'd be amazed at the insight and inspiration you get if you stand up and pace for just one minute.
- If you have a desk job, you can do different stretches at your desk.
These ideas are just a jumping off point—you don't have to do each one. You do have to determine how ideas like the ones on our list fit into your lifestyle. Figure out what works best for you. Be creative and get moving!
In Health,
May 18, 2011
Man in the Mirror
As I was getting out of the shower and contemplating the day’s long list of urgent things I had to do, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and I thought, “The next time I look in the mirror, will I look better or worse?” This intrigued me because, of course, I see myself every day in the mirror. . . and certainly one day will not show any noticeable difference either way.
But, what about after 10, 30, or 100 days?
Will I be looking at the same physique three months from now?
The answer to this question will be based on what I do every single day between now and then. Sure, I would love to look better in three months, but this isn’t the sixties, when there was free time for sitting on the porch and chatting with neighbors. I cram something into every waking minute of my day. My time allotment is frequently pinched by urgent things, instead of the ones I consider most important.
Consequently, exercise usually gets bumped by something like work, meetings, kids, lawn care, etc., and I have lost control of my physique to the urgent items in my life. There is a distinction between what is urgent and what is important, and that distinction can make a big difference to my overall happiness.
However, if I bumped one of those urgent items down the list each day and replaced it with my workout, then three months from now, as I am exiting the shower, I will look in the mirror and notice that I look much better and, subsequently, will feel better both physically and mentally.
I don’t always have control over my ever-changing daily schedule of impromptu meetings and crises, but with inerTRAIN, I still have a real person pushing and motivating me—someone to whom I am held accountable—yet, I have full control over the scheduling and can access my personalized workout online 24-7.
As a result, each day as I look in the mirror, I will be able to confidently tell myself that the next time I see my reflection, it will look better.
In Health,
May 6, 2011
Smaller Meals More Often = RESULTS
If your goal was to become the super fat person in a freak show in the fastest possible manner, I would tell you to starve yourself all day, then gorge yourself in the evening before going to bed.
Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? However, this is exactly what a lot of us are doing already, thinking, “If I am eating only one meal a day, how can I get fat?”
The trouble with this approach is that you are not eating when you need the calories the most and you are eating way too many when you are doing nothing more than sitting, and doing things like watching TV. You see, large meals stimulate excessive insulin production, and insulin is your body’s most powerful pro-fat hormone. Therefore, you are basically telling your body to store fat by starving it all day. You put the body in a panic mode by making it think it is starving and that it needs to save fat. Then later, when you stuff it, you are telling your body to store as much fat as possible because it will be starving again soon. These are the wrong messages to be sending!
The best approach involves four to six smaller meals spaced throughout the day. Eating more often keeps your body's “Food Alarm” in check. In addition, eating more often helps accelerate the metabolism. You actually burn calories digesting food.
When you eat every few hours you will have more energy, experience fewer cravings, and will just plain feel better.
If you begin eating several times throughout the day instead of gorging on one big meal, yourbody has no need to store body fat because it does not think it is starving. Your stomach does not know that there is food available on every corner, it just knows the signals you are sending it and, if the signal is “no food,” your body will go into a fat storing mode!
So remember, do not let yourself get too hungry or too full. By eating smaller meals more often you will keep your blood sugar stabilized and your body will not go into a fat storing mode. Keep your meals small, and your fat loss will be large.
In Health,
April 26, 2011
Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Sleep
Getting enough sleep is probably the most important component of your training routine. During sleep your body facilitates both fat loss and muscle recovery, two important aspects of your fitness program. Sleep is right up there with nutrition in terms of importance; it’s a time for your body to reset, retune, and repair.
In fact, I find that sleep, exercise, and nutrition are intertwined. The more/better I sleep, the easier I find it to eat well. The harder I exercise, the better I sleep and the better I sleep, the harder I can exercise. Healthy habits reinforce each other.
How much sleep do you need?
For most people, it’s 7.5 to 9 hours per night… and that’s just to keep from going further into sleep debt. Most of us actually need more hours than that if we want to overcome the sleep debt that we’ve racked up by years of burning the candle at both ends. Since most of us have a set endpoint for waking up—courtesy of the alarm clock that screams “Get up and get to work!”—that means you have to go to bed earlier.
Task for the Day: Create a Bedtime Routine
Today, create a bedtime routine that you will try to follow most of the time. A bedtime routine signals to your brain that it’s time to start winding down and get ready for sleep.
Helpful Tips:
- Every hour sleep you get before midnight is worth two hours after.
- Try to make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet, and comfortably cool.
- Place your alarm clock so you cannot hear it ticking or see the time.
- Try to avoid alcohol and caffeine for several hours before bedtime.
One thing to note: the computer and TV need to be off at least 30 minutes before you intend to fall asleep and preferably about an hour before. The blue spectrum light put off by the screens interferes with the production of melatonin and keeps you awake. Alarm clocks with blue displays are also bad news. I usually tuck any alarm clocks out of sight just to make the room darker and to make sure I am not looking at it in the middle of the night to see how much time I have left to sleep.
In Health,
February 3, 2011
24 Reasons to Exercise
 At the beginning of the year, many people set goals to get fit and lose weight. However, by the time February rolls around, the demands of home, work, school, and life in general may start to get in the way of becoming a healthier you. The best thing you can do when it comes to reaching your fitness goals is to focus on starting small and work on being consistent in your program. Then, and only then, should you start adding more to your workouts.
Remember all of the great things that exercising can do for you, too! To get you started, we have assembled a list of 24 reasons to exercise. There are certainly more than what we have listed, but we are sure that you will find at least a few on this list that will inspire you to get moving.
1. Feel better
2. Look great in a bathing suit
3. Keep up with your kids and grandkids
4. Prevent disease
5. Reduce aches and pains
6. Have fun
7. Lose fat
8. Build muscle
9. Prepare for an adventure vacation
10. Improve your complexion
11. Sleep better
12. Improve your sex life
13. Look great on your wedding day
14. Find a mate
15. Live longer
16. Build confidence and a better self image
17. Improve your disposition and attitude
18. Remain independent (for the older folks)
19. Be more productive at work
20. Avoid injury
21. Have a better quality of life
22. Improve balance
23. Reduce stress
24. Make friends
In Health,
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