The Fit Truth: Food Accountability
by Pamela | January 23rd, 2012
image by o5comExercise alone won’t give you the body you want. You’ll feel better: have more energy, sleep better and move better. But you can’t out train a bad diet.
3500 calories equals 1 lb. In theory, you would need to eat 500 calories less per day to lose 1 lb. per week. This, however, assumes that people are only consuming the number of calories needed to maintain their weight. If you need 2000 calories to maintain your weight but average 3000 calories per day your 500 calorie reduction isn’t going to help you lose fat. You have to create a calorie deficit. In the example above, that person would need to reduce calorie consumption and increase activity to create a 1500 calorie deficit to see 1 lb. of weight loss per week.
Then there are the people who have bought into the diet industry’s starvation mantra and are actually eating too few calories to sustain a healthy metabolism. Without adequate fuel on a regular basis the body is going to act like a calorie sponge when a normal amount (or excessive amount) of calories are consumed.
The Fit Truth: People have no idea how much food they actually need nor do they have an accurate picture of how much they are really eating.
The 3rd Key to Real Fitness is food accountability with a food journal or meal plan.
After medical and lifestyle questionnaires the next assignment for all of my clients is a food journal. This lets me see which camp they fall into: too many calories or too few. (It also helps me understand the kinds of foods they are eating, but we will talk more about that next week.)
Would it surprise you to hear that most often they are eating too little instead of too much? When I tell people they need to eat more to lose fat they look at me somewhat blankly, like I grew another head or mysteriously started talking in a foreign language.
There are a lot of opinions on the actual importance of calories. But, based on my experience and observation, to lose fat you need to find that “sweet spot” for food intake. You need a caloric deficit to encourage your body to tap into its reserves. You also need enough coming in so that the body feels okay letting go, that it has enough to meet its needs so it can afford to use some of it’s stored resources.
So while I agree that all calories aren’t created equal they do still matter. To lose fat you need to create a plan to stay accountable to your calories.
To create food accountability, here are your action steps:
- Get an estimate of your maintenance level calories. Use the calculator on my Tools (female calorie calculator or male calorie calculator) page to help you determine how many calories you need to maintain your current body weight at your current activity level.
- Reduce that number by 20-25%. This is your target. Remember this is an estimate. You may, depending on results, need to adjust this amount. Also, rule of thumb, don’t let your calorie goal go below 1200 if you’re female or 1800 if you’re male.
- Pick a tool for your food log. It can be a notebook, spreadsheet, web site or app. It doesn’t matter as long as it works for you. This means you may need to experiment to find the right method.
- If you’re more of a planner, then choose a meal plan instead of log. A meal plan is more like a budget. If you have 1600 calories to spend, planning a budget for the day makes sure you get what you need by the end of the day-no more and no less. It also gives you a blueprint for the day so you don’t have to think, just do.
- Accept that no method is perfect. There is always going to be a margin of error and there may be gaps. Do your best and be consistent. It will pay off!
Remember how I said all calories aren’t created equal? Tune in next week for the 4th and final key-Quality Matters.
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The Fit Truth: Walking Isn’t Going to Cut It
by Pamela | January 16th, 2012
image by mikebairdCardio. It’s everyone’s go-to solution for fat loss. Hours are spent walking on treadmills and in parks every day in an effort to lose weight.
I’m going to say something that many may disagree with but here it goes.
The Fit Truth: Walking doesn’t cut it for fat loss.
The 2nd Key to Real Fitness is doing high intensity cardio.
Walking is good for lots of things. It’s good for your cardio respiratory system and it certainly burns some calories. And I absolutely don’t want to discourage anyone from getting up and moving. Moving is always preferable to doing nothing. Moving is good for the body. But it doesn’t cause your metabolism to sizzle the way some serious high intensity cardio does.
I define high intensity cardio as a cardio respiratory workout that increases your heart rate to the vigorous intensity zone, a heart rate above 70% of age adjusted estimated max or you can’t get out more than a couple of words without taking a breath (the talk test), that aren’t sustained for a long period of time. This definition includes a variety of activities, such as:
- Fartlek training or sprints for runners
- Walking with running intervals for beginners
- KB swings with rest periods in between each set
- Running stadium stairs
- Mini circuits of calisthenics
Also please keep in mind that high intensity is relative. If someone is carrying an extra 100 lbs on their frame and hasn’t exercised since high school gym class, walking very briskly may indeed by a high intensity workout. They may only be able to do it for few minutes to start, resting before the next bought. So walking in the beginning may be appropriate for some. But if you keep doing it, it won’t be for long.
The goal is to push your body out of its comfort zone. I want you to do this for 2 reasons:
- Your body is smart and adapts quickly. It will figure out how to achieve any task in the most cost efficient way possible after only a few times.
- The body likes to remain in a state of homeostasis, keeping everything in its same normal steady state. If you create a disturbance, the body works after the disturbance to bring everything back to normal. The more of a disturbance you create the more energy it takes to bring things back to normal. Hence, the afterburn effect.
Your Action Steps:
- Determine if you are going to add your high intensity cardio to your workout on strength days or do it as a standalone workout on alternating days.
- Choose an activity (or activities) and purchase equipment if needed (things like a jump rope
, kettlebell
or interval timer
).
- Commit to at least 2 sessions a week of high intensity cardio. Start with 4-5 minutes. Work your way up slowly. Sessions shouldn’t be longer than 30 minutes and can be as short as 10 minutes depending on the activity.
- Steady state, moderate intensity activity can follow the high intensity period if desired. For example, if you ran stadium stairs for 10 minutes and like running, you can follow up with a regular run.
Now you’ve got the foundation of your exercise plan.
Exercise is important but, when it comes to fat loss, nutrition is what makes or breaks your results. Next week, I’ll share the most important first step for my all-star clients when it comes to their nutrition and their success.
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The Fit Truth: You Must Strength Train
by Pamela | January 9th, 2012
My first observation, in reviewing the habits of my most successful clients, was not a surprise. It was something that had been the cornerstone of my own transformation and still is the foundation of my workouts, both personal and professional. Their results only reinforced what I already knew.
image by ericmcgregorThe Fit Truth: You Must Strength Train
The 1st Key to Real Fitness is committing to a challenging strength training program as the foundation of your fat loss and fitness routine.
I won’t lie; there are lots of ways you can lose weight. But do you want to lose weight or do you want to lose fat? Losing weight isn't the same as reshaping your body so you fill out your jeans and have tank top ready arms. Losing weight just means being a smaller version of your squishy self. What makes the difference between just losing weight or having a fit body is a focused, appropriate and challenging strength training program.
Focused: Your strength program should be efficient and designed to maximize results. If you’re program contains a lot of isolation moves (like concentration curls) or machines (like leg extensions) then you may not be getting the biggest bang for your buck.
Appropriate: No one walks into my studio and starts doing dead lifts and single leg squats on the first day. Your strength program should meet you where you are. If you’ve never lifted a weight in your life, your program should start with learning proper form and how to move your own body. It should also be designed with your goals in mind. A fat loss program looks different than a sports specific or body building program. Any prior injuries or muscle imbalances should be taken into consideration.
Challenging: Please don’t take appropriate to mean easy. If someone has never lifted weights before a body weight squat can be very challenging. At the same time, endless repetitions with 3 lbs dumbbells will not shape the body you want. If you can do 50 crunches on the stability ball then you need to increase the intensity. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone.
My most successful clients embrace their strength programs. When push comes to shove, they will do their strength homework instead of cardio. I want you to do the same. You can raise your heart rate with strength training but it’s harder to build muscle by riding the stationary bike.
Your Action Steps:
- Strength train 3 days a week minimum. No excuses.
- If your goal is fat loss, your movements should be designed to use as many muscles as safely as possible and to keep your heart rate up. Keep the movements big and rest periods small.
- Make sure you can do a basic squat, a basic lunge, a push up (whatever modification makes sense for your fitness level), a bent over row and a plank hold with perfect form. You must master basic foundational moves before progressing to more challenging versions and combinations.
- Keep a training log. Document all strength sessions with reps and weights done. Have a plan for progression that matches your goal.
Don’t worry, we don’t leave cardio completely out. It is important for good health and it can help you burn more calories. But many of you are going about it the wrong way. Next week, I'll tell you how cardio fits into your program.
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The Fit Truth: 4 Keys to Real Fitness
by Pamela | December 29th, 2011
image by Pink SerbertIn September, Thrive Personal Fitness celebrated 2 years in business. After a little pat on the back for making it this far, I took some time to reflect on what I’ve managed to accomplish in that relatively short amount of time. While I’ve surpassed many of the goals I set for myself when we started in 2009, what really amazed me was the stories and accomplishments of the people I’ve helped.
When I started the business I had what I had learned from my own transformation and from lots of reading and studying. Now I had 2 years worth of real life hands on data. I had more success stories, other than my own, to learn what really helps people get fit in real life.
I reviewed the files of my most successful clients. While everyone does have their own individual program, I wanted to see what they had in common. What did they do differently that helped them achieve their goals, fat loss or otherwise? My goal was to take this information, what I’ve named the Keys to Real Fitness, and continue to improve my process and programs. I wanted learn how I could continue to make more people successful, fit and happy.
Let me start with the biggest surprise-what they didn’t have in common.
There wasn’t a personality type or specific demographic that outperformed all the others.
- My clients are mostly women, but the Keys work on men too.
- All ages were represented. I have a grandma who got her energy back for her grandkids and a young woman who get her body in shape to start a family.
- Different careers. People with active jobs, desk jobs or stay at home moms had success.
- Some had more to lose than others. Some only had 10-15 lbs to lose, others have lost 60, 70 or 80 lbs.
- All fitness levels found success with the Keys. Beginners and former athletes all made progress.
All they had in common to start was patience and a desire to live a better life. They knew that they needed something different. They knew it was time to get off the diet roller coaster. They were ready to commit-not to a diet but a new way of living.
So for 4 weeks, I am going to share what made them successful. There are 4 Keys they all had in common that helped them achieve their goals. Each week I want to break it down for you and give you action steps to take to make it happen in your own life.
Ready to get serious and start an amazing journey? We’ll talk about the 1st Key on January 9th. I’ll give you a hint-it’s my passion and has been the cornerstone of my journey from the very beginning. Learn what it is and how my most successful clients do it.
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Weight Training for Fat Loss
by Pamela | September 22nd, 2011
If your fitness goal is fat loss you should already know that weight training is just as important (if not perhaps more) as cardio in your workout plan. But did you know how you lift, your workout split, can be a crucial factor in your success as well?
image by ericmcgregorI’ll never forget meeting Goldie for the first time. She was doing a 4 day split, hitting each muscle group one time a week. Nothing wrong with that particular method – if she was a 20 something guy looking to gain mass. But she wasn’t. She was a woman in her late 40s looking to burn fat and get healthy. The trainer who had given her the program either didn’t take the time to understand that her goals were different than his (he was a body builder) or didn’t know how to design a program for a woman who wanted to maximize fat loss while adding a bit of lean muscle.
When it come to losing fat, and having curves in all the right places, your workout split should have two elements: it hits each muscle group an average of 2 times per week and it keeps your heart rate elevated. There are few different ways you can achieve both of these goals.
Hitting each muscle group an average of 2 times per week:
- Full body workout
Hit all muscle groups at each workout. Keep the exercises big and multi joint, like squats and pushups. It’s efficient and great for beginners lifting weights only 2 days a week. - Push/Pull
Think about the force the muscle group generates. We push with our chest and pull with our biceps. Legs can be added on one day or the other. If you lift 3 days a week, alternate so that in a 2 week period you hit all the muscle groups 3 times. - Upper/Lower
Just like it sounds, legs one day and chest, back, arms, shoulders the other. You can do 3 days a week, like Push/Pull, or do weights 4 days per week to cover each muscle group twice in a 7 day period.
Increasing your heart rate:
- Circuit training
Just like the old school health club circuits, you move from one exercise to the next with no rest. Make it more fun by doing a cardio exercise, like jumping ropeor jumping jacks, in between each weight exercise.
- Super setting with short rest periods
A super set is 2 exercises back to back with no rest till after the second exercise. Keep that rest period to about 30 seconds. Use a watch, kitchen timer or Gymboss Interval Timerto keep you honest on rest time.
Combining these elements you make sure your workout split will meet your fat loss goals.
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