No Magic Pill

Welcome to afitnewyou!  This week I want to address a common misconception about supplements, particularly with protein shakes and bars.  Many people believe that when they use a supplement such as these that they are going to magically get stronger, bigger, leaner, etc.  There becomes this delusion that just because a supplement is used that the person automatically becomes fitter.  It is as if the supplement is a magic pill that allows the person to achieve their fitness goals without actually having to do any work.  But unfortunately, this just isn’t true and you still have to put in the effort to reach your goals.  Supplements are there to support your fitness, not magically give it to you.

Protein supplements are most commonly misused in this magic pill scenario.  There are many people who irregardless of their fitness goals, start using protein supplements when they first start working out.  Furthermore, many of these people think that by using a protein supplement that they will immediately build muscle.  While it is true that using a protein supplement could help you reach your fitness goals, you still need to understand that not only do you still have to put the work in but you also have to use the supplement appropriately. 

Protein is a nutrient that our bodies need and use for cell repair and production.  Ideally you could get enough of the nutrient from your regular diet.  You can find it in lean meats, beans, nuts and even some vegetables…why do you think spinach gave Popeye his muscles?  But unlike a fictitious character, protein does not make you stronger as soon as you ingest it.  It is a bit more complicated than that.  And, in order to be used effectively for fitness gains, you need to both consume protein in the proper ratio with carbohydrates and fat, as well as properly time when you take it.  It should be easy to understand that someone who is trying to lose body fat will have different dietary needs than someone who is trying to build muscle mass.  If your goal is to lose body fat, you could use a protein supplement as a meal replacement.  If your goal is to gain muscle mass, you would want to add a protein supplement to your regular diet and time taking it with your workout.  But in both cases, the body still needs to process the protein, you don’t immediately see results.

It also needs to be remembered that protein is a supplement, and a supplement is just that; supplementary to what you are already getting.  Any supplement whether it is protein or a multi-vitamin should be used to make up for deficiencies in your regular diet.  They do not make you immediately and/or automatically healthier.  In order to get lean and/or build muscle you still need to exercise and lift weights.  The protein should be used to supplement the work you are putting in at the gym.

In this day and age, people are constantly looking for the “quick fix” and this applies especially to becoming fitter.  It’s an all too common misconception that by using a supplement such as a protein shake that one becomes fitter automatically.  Although the supplement industry is very successful financially, it is so because people are often misinformed, and sometimes just lazy.  We are not cartoon characters like Popeye who can eat a can of spinach and immediately become stronger.  We have to go to the gym, work, sweat, and put in the effort.  Then, to get to the next level supplements can be used.  There is to magic pill that will help you get to a fit new you!

You Get What You Give

Welcome to afitnewyou!  This week I want you to put a little perspective into what you are or are not doing.  Have you ever looked at someone fitter than you with admiration, and maybe some jealousy, and say to yourself “I wish I could look like that”?  Well first I would like to point out if you are asking that question without some self-respect and are referring to more than just their level of fitness that you need to have more confidence and self-love.  Although, in terms of fitness, you can “look like that” and reach the same fitness level.  However, you also have to look at the reality of what got that person there; the time, commitment, energy, dedication, etc.  Working out isn’t easy, and it is even harder to maintain a regular diet and routine.  But to those who put in the energy, they will reap the rewards.  The level of fitness you are in is directly related to what you are doing.  Yes, genetics and other factors come into play, but only slightly.  The truth is, like with many other areas of life, you get out what you put in.

As a fan of the Beatles, I can recite the line “and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”  Furthermore, as a science teacher I can tell you about all of the laws of Conservation, such as the Conservation of Mass and the Conservation of Energy, that state that you cant get something out of nothing.  The same goes for your level of fitness; the more you work on it, the higher it will be.  If you looked into the actual training schedules and diets followed by professional or even semi-pro body builders, fitness competitors and athletes as well, that they follow very demanding routines.  I’m not pointing this out to discourage you; on the other hand I am doing so that you know the journey isn’t easy and will take effort, time, dedication and energy.  It isn’t that you can’t or won’t get there, but that you should know what is required.  I want to dispel the myth that some people are just genetically “gifted” and encourage you if you have been discouraged that you haven’t seen the results you are looking for.

There is a funny saying “The weights aren’t going to push themselves Cupcake!”  In order for you to see a body change, you need to put in the time and effort.  You need to get to the gym, workout, and watch what you are eating.  Your level of health is a result of what you yourself do.  Another cliché, “You are what you eat” is commonly understood that the healthier your food choices are, the healthier you will be.  Eat fatty foods and you will be fat; eat lean and be lean.  And this is true for exercise as well; stated another way, “You are what you push.”  If you “pump iron”, your body will be solid; sit on that soft comfy couch and you will be soft too.

It is important to recognize that in order to achieve a high level of fitness that you need to put in a high level of effort into attaining it.  Maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly are part of this.  Although you don’t have to overwhelm yourself with what you need to do today to get to an optimal level of fitness, it important to recognize that the people who have already attained it had to put the work in to get there…it didn’t just come easy. 

You too can get there, but you have to put the energy in like those who are already there.  Start small and work you way up.  As I have written in the past, it’s a process, a journey that starts with just one step.  Your highest level of fitness will not just be handed to you, it has to be earned.  But earning it makes it that much more appreciated.  It is good to know that the energy you put into reaching a higher state of fitness will not be wasted.  Being generous to yourself by giving maximal effort is the most rewarding path to a fit new you!

The One Minute Workout

Welcome to afitnewyou!  Today I would like to talk to you about the One Minute Workout.  Well, ok, it’s not actually a one minute workout, but it’s all you have to anticipate doing prior to actually completing a workout.  Going in with the mindset that you only have to work for one minute will get you on the machine or in the gym.  But once there, you will complete a longer workout because you are there already.  The hardest part for many people to getting a workout in, is finding the time to get started.  Don’t be overwhelmed by feeling you have to do an hour long workout, or run six miles on a treadmill.  Just tell yourself to get started by doing just one minute.  You’ll quickly see that you are there working for longer!

This workout was inspired by a client I had a few years ago who had a hard time fitting in workouts into his very busy schedule.  Between working a job with a very demanding schedule, and being a dad and husband, he had a hard time finding the time to squeeze workouts in…even though he had a treadmill in his home.  Part of his problem was he had the “all or none” mentality where he wouldn’t workout at all if he couldn’t fit in a full hour or even a half hour workout in.  I kept trying to tell him, he could break up his “cardio” routines into pieces, into shorter intervals.  But, he still couldn’t find the time.  Eventually, I said to him “Look, just go on the treadmill for one minute!”  Its not that I wanted him to workout for only a minute, but I knew once he was on the treadmill, he would stay on it for more than that minute.  And this will be the case for anyone, with any workout.

When I have clients come to train with me at the gym, I often hear them say after the hello is “I wouldn’t have come in on my own except I had my appointment with you.”  Now, while there may be a financial consequence to missing the appointment at the last minute, it was more the idea that they had to get in, that ultimately gets the client in the gym.  And usually after their appointment, they will leave and get back to doing whatever it was they had to attend to in life.  I think a big reason why people like this will come up with an excuse to not get into a workout is because they feel “I don’t have the time” right now.  This is where the One Minute Workout comes into play.

Let’s say you’ve got a lot going on and you’re debating whether or not you should go to the gym, or hop on the treadmill at home, or go for a run, or whatever workout you typically would do, and the biggest hindrance is the idea that you don’t have the time to fit it in.  Just tell yourself, all I have to do is workout for one minute.  That’s it; just anticipate one minute.  Then, go do your workout.  What you will find, is once you start 99.99% of the time, you will wind up working out for longer than that one minute.  It’s pretty safe to say that most people will need more than a minute just to get their sneakers and gear on.  Once you start working out, you will say to yourself “Well, I already started, so I might as well do…one more minute, one more set, one more exercise…”  Like I said before, sometimes the hardest thing to do is to “get in the door” of the gym.  Well, if you made it all the way there, between getting ready and getting there, you probably won’t leave after only a minute’s time.  Even if you stayed at home, and you’re home on your own treadmill, by the time that first minute is up, you may say, “alright, I can do another minute or two.”  Heck, even going outside for a run, if you say I’m just going to go out for a block, by the time you get to the corner, you will think, “Ah, I can do more!”

The One Minute Workout isn’t an actual one minute workout.  But, it’s the push in the right direction you need to start doing something.  And, even if you get all the way to the gym and you decide to leave after that one minute, at least you did that…better than sitting on your bum.  But 99.99% of the time, that one minute workout will turn into a much more fulfilling workout.  Getting started is often the hardest part.  Not feeling overwhelmed and starting small is a great way to achieve a fit new you!

Do I need this?

Welcome to afitnewyou!  This week I want you to ask yourself the question “Do I need this?”  I want you to ask yourself this question when you are faced with food choice.  Following a proper diet is essential to achieving any fitness goal, but we often waver from making a healthy food choice due to pure temptation.  Think about it…could you ever imagine reaching your fitness goals by making poor food choices?  But “falling off” a diet is one of the biggest gridlocks to reaching those goals.  We don’t plan on making poor food choices, but sometimes what is in front of us is too tempting to avoid.  Maybe it isn’t even your fault, for example a coworker brings in pastries to work that day.  But the decision to partake in something that you shouldn’t is your fault.  So before you do, and in order to stay on the right path, ask yourself first “Do I need this?”

Preparation is always essential to reach any goal, especially fitness goals.  And this is particularly true with nutritional goals.  It is much easier to maintain a healthy diet if you plan ahead and shop for and buy only things that will lead you to make healthy food choices.  But this is an ideal, and quite often even in what we purchase ahead of time can be compromised by unhealthy items.  I know with my own shopping experience that there will be distinctly different items in the cart depending on whether I went shopping alone, or had brought my kids with me to the store.  Not only will the bill increase, but the number of snacks will increase as well.  I can’t put all of the blame on them, because even I will be tempted by some things that aren’t on my list.   However, if I ask myself “do I really need this?” BEFORE I place the item in the cart, there is a tremendously better chance that I will not choose that item and stick to my goals.

Even when we have done as great a job as we could in preparing to eat healthy, there are times when poor food choices are put in front of you.  At work the other day, as I went into refrigerator to grab milk and I saw an open tray of cookies.  They looked really good and I was about to grab one (or two); but then I was able to keep myself by taking any by answering the question with a “No, I don’t really need cookies.”  Temptations like this happens quite frequently in the work place, but your needs shouldn’t change, so the answer shouldn’t change.  If you feel obligated to join in a celebration or fundraiser, you can without making a poor food choice.  You can sing Happy Birthday to your coworker without having a piece of cake afterwards.  And you can donate money without actually ordering a box of cookies from your coworker’s daughter.  There are programs where you can send cookies to troops overseas.  

Ask yourself the same question when you go out to eat.  When you are ordering off of a menu you are forced to think about what you are going to eat.  As you’re debating your choice, ask yourself “Do I really need this?”  You still might be limited in your selection, but at least you are thinking about what you are choosing.  And, you can modify the question if you have made a choice that wasn’t the healthiest by then asking yourself “Do I really need to finish this?”  Portion control is another big factor in reaching your nutritional goals.

Asking yourself whether or not you need something when making a food choice force you to be mindful of what you are going to put into your body.  Being mindful is the first step to taking action over your health.  Whether asking what you need when planning out your shopping list, when faced with an unplanned temptation or even portion size will return your focus to your fitness goals and how to meet them.  Understanding and acknowledging what you need to attain your nutritional goals will help you along the path to achieve a fit new you!