Would You Trust This Trainer?

After moving from Seattle to Vancouver, WA, I contemplated whether or not to continue to work as a personal trainer. I had enjoyed training at Harbor Square Athletic Club, and was in a comfortable place where I knew a lot of the members prior to training there. Being the "New Kid on the Block" in Vancouver didn't really appeal to me, as I had visited that neighborhood before, and after turning 60, I just didn't feel like jumping through those hoops again. (Although I still jump pretty well, considering that I am somewhat vertically challenged...)

But what I found is that I miss working with people. I miss listening to what their goals are, and I miss helping them reach those goals. I miss hearing women tell me, "I don't want to bulk up," and then 6 weeks later saying, "check out these biceps!" I miss the unique experience that unfolds each time one more unique person walks through the door of a gym. I miss turning "problem zones" into "areas of opportunity." So many people. So many stories. So many fitness challenges.

I have an idea that sometimes our Positivity gets out of whack. Especially when it comes to fitness. Fitness helps to reinforce Positivity, because being healthy comes from within, and fitness is (or should be) totally individual. Each person has the opportunity to improve their fitness level, thereby improving their Positivity. This can enhance how we perceive ourselves, and how we perceive the world around us.

  So, here are some gems from my "Phitlosophy"

• No matter where you are, that is your starting point.
• Developing a good plan is not a "one size fits all."  Each person is unique and their fitness plan needs to fit their specific needs.
• Set goals, and keep them realistic.
• Make a plan for success by removing obstacles.
• Use your excuses wisely and sparingly...no one ever excused their way to success.
• Be positive. Stay positive. Pass it along.
• In fitness, it should be quality, not quantity that gets you to your goal.

Be healthy. Be happy. Repeat constantly.

Life is Not Fair, Part 5: You've Been Convicted

Life is Not Fair, Part 5: You’ve Been Convicted

con•vict (from Dictionary.com)
1. to prove or declare guilty of an offense, especially after a legal trial: to convict a prisoner of a felony.
2. to impress with a sense of guilt.
3. a person proved or declared guilty of an offense.
4. a person serving a prison sentence.

Since we have been discussing means, motive and opportunity, it seemed to follow that, having investigated all the clues, we would eventually have a conviction. Further, the etymology of this word goes back to the Latin, convictus from com - with, together + vincer to conquer. I like the last part of this definition, because by conquering objections, we can set out to be victorious in our goals.

“Guilt” has been determined without any shadow of a doubt. The jury has returned a unanimous decision. But instead of being confined to an 8 X 8 cell, you have to go out and explore a whole world of exercise opportunities. Not a bad sentence now, is it?

Recently, I spent the weekend with my sister. She said, “I want to talk about calories.” Ever the attentive younger (smile) sister, I gave a nod, indicating she should continue. “I added the zero to my weight, and I know how many calories I need.” “Well,” I said, “that seems a little low.” “Well, yes,” she replied, “it is, but it’s not what I actually weigh, it’s what I want to weigh.” This is a smart woman, because if you calculate your BMR from your current weight, and continue to consume that amount of calories, it follows that you would maintain your current poundage. What she did was absolutely correct as far as goal-setting.

Here’s another angle: what if you were neither losing nor gaining weight? What if instead of only restricting calorie intake, you increased calorie expenditure? What if you slightly reduced calories and steadily increased your body’s daily calorie expenditure? To me, that sounds like a lot less trauma for the palate, and ultimately a healthier option, because you are not only lowering the amount of harmful adipose tissue in your body, but also strengthening your cardio-vascular system. Consider your body your very own science project and see what happens when you adjust calorie intake and calorie expenditure. In addition, keep a log as to your state of mind as you record your journey.

One thing to keep in mind if you work out in a gym, and regularly use cardio machines that automatically calculate your calorie expenditure. The machines are set to record the calories of a 150-pound individual. If you weigh less, you should adjust the settings accordingly. But if, for example you weigh 145 pounds, and you really want to weigh 130 pounds, set the machine to calculate expenditure based on your goal weight. That way you will have to work a little harder, because a smaller person requires fewer calories to function, and therefore will require a longer (or harder) workout. On the treadmill, this could mean adjusting the speed, but I would recommend adjusting the incline, because you will also get a really good hamstring and glute workout in the process, and trust me, your heart will be working hard, as well!

You don’t always have to exercise at a gym. Here is a site that will give you approximate calorie expenditures for most activities. http://www.nutribase.com/exercala.htm.
Here are a few other ideas:
• Take a bus, walk to the bus stop. Take a walk during lunch.
• Use the stairs whenever possible.
• Park further from the grocery store (come on, a little rain never hurt anyone!)
• Stand up from your desk every 45 minutes, or get up and walk around.
• Split up your workouts so that that you do 30 minutes in the morning, and 30 minutes in the afternoon or evening.
• Cook more meals at home instead of eating out (you actually burn calories preparing food!)
• Read instead of watching TV. A lot of calories are consumed in front of the TV.
• Drink more water. Dehydrated people tend to experience a drop in their metabolic rate (muscles have a lot of water in them and muscles are better calorie burners than fat).
• Fidget.
• Wear a pedometer and try to increase your steps each week. It’s funny how you will challenge yourself when you have a means to measure your progress.
• Laugh. A study at Vanderbilt University found that people who laughed burned 20 percent more calories when laughing. (No joke!)
• Get enough sleep. (there's a blog coming on this topic)

Life is Not Fair, Part 4: Prime Suspect

I have a confession to make. I am addicted to suspense novels. Whodunits, if you will. I have been addicted to them since I was old enough to check out the Hardy Boys at my local library in Spokane. Now, while my predilection to pulp fiction may offend the finer sensibilities of the pure bibliophiles out there, I make no apologies. They are fun and fast to read and a distraction from some of the true crime that goes on in our society. (I do also read some socially relevant prose, but it is usually only when my oldest daughter shames me into it…)

In addition suspenseful novels, I also appreciate indulging in some of the more salient crime genre on the tube. But my favorite is Prime Suspect; a BBC production from the 90’s which stars Helen Mirren. She is absolutely riveting in her role as Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison. A brilliant actress, needless to say.(Stay with me, I am getting closer to the point).

So what does this have to do with working out, BMR, adaptation, homeostasis and the like? Well, on the surface, nothing at all, but bear with me, and all will be revealed.

The common thread for these thrillers, whether film or print, is catching the bad guy (person). In order to do this, and for him (her) to be convicted, the following three components must be established: means, motive and opportunity. Oddly enough, this started me thinking about how similar this is to establishing a good workout routine. (Finally got there!)

Many of us have good intentions about making positive changes in our lives. The impetus for these changes can be vanity-based, or simply a desire to feel better about ourselves. But as we all know, good intentions can often be derailed.

Now back to our thriller. Consider yourself the Prime Suspect. But the twist here is that instead of proving that you have committed a crime, we want to ensure that you will actually be “charged” with committing to a goal. With that in mind, we have Means, Motive and Opportunity to consider.

In US criminal law (and British, as well), “means” refers to a suspect’s ability to commit the crime. For our purposes, we will assume that since you have decided to make a change in your life, and for all intents and purposes, you have the ability. If, however, you are 75 years old, and your goal is to beat the best time of Usain Bolt, the fastest man alive http://www.usainbolt.com/, you may want to adjust your goal a bit. Say, for instance, you want to work towards running a 12 minute mile, or completing a 5K or 10K run. That might be doable, and within reach.

Most of us possess some type of motive for making a change in our lives. It could be a milestone birthday, an upcoming class reunion, or fitting into a wedding gown or tuxedo for a 25th anniversary. Some motives are stronger than others. For instance, if you are about to become a grandparent, and you are unable to bend over, pick up more than 5 pounds, or stand for longer than 5 minutes at a time, starting an exercise routine might be in your future. So, motives are important, and according to the National Weight Control Registry, most people who started a life-changing program did so as a result of a momentous incident in their life. (Some people call it an “Ah-Ha!” moment)

Opportunity seems to be the biggest hang-up for most people. As a trainer, I have seen people with the least amount of time and opportunity capitalize on the time they have available to fit in a workout. Conversely, I have listened to people who appear to have means, motive and plenty of opportunity to exercise lament the lack of sufficient time to do so. (Note: 5 hours per week works out to about 3% of an entire week devoted to exercise. If you count sleeping 8 hours a night, it comes out to 4.4%). I suggest to the jury that in this case, the motive isn’t strong enough to convict or commit. I submit to you that by possessing a strong motive, means and opportunity become more apparent. I rest my case.

Next up: You've been convicted, now how to serve your time?

Life is Not Fair -Part 3: Adapt or Die

Why is the Vinegar Fly (Drosophila) of Australia dying out, while the Brown Argus butterfly is successfully expanding its distribution northwards in the UK? And what does this have to do with BMR, weight control, and plateaus? Let’s find out.

You will recall that there was a brief discussion of your body’s need for homeostasis, calories in and calories out, etc. Remember that I mentioned that when you reduce your body’s weight, you also reduce your BMR, or the number of calories your body needs to function. So you might get really frustrated that after denying yourself day in and day out of all your favorite things, you must now survive on fewer calories, in general. (I don’t make the rules, I just report them). Many people have gotten caught in the vicious cycle of caloric restriction, weight loss, elation, weight gain, depression, etc., without understanding how to break the cycle. Let’s do a little researching…

Segue: Not long ago, a not-for-profit organization began gathering data documenting how people lost weight and kept it off. It is called the National Weight Control Registry. It contains data from people who have voluntarily submitted stories of their weight loss and weight maintenance history. (read more at www.nwcr.ws/stories.htm). There are common threads as to how weight was lost, and how the participants avoided the yo-yo effects of dieting. In a nutshell:
• Most participants had a major event that spurred them to action.
• Many used only calorie and portion control to lose weight, but a large percentage used a combination of calorie control and regular daily exercise (often vigorous) to maintain the weight loss (94 %!)
• In addition, here are some habits that were consistent with participants:
o 78% eat breakfast every day.
o 75% weigh themselves at least once a week.
o 62% watch less than 10 hours of TV per week.
o 90% exercise, on average, about 1 hour per day.
Sounds boring, I know, but it seems to work for them.

The point I am trying to make (and yes, I do have a point), is that many of these people had tried and failed many times before finally achieving their goals. They could have chosen to be like the Vinegar Fly, and just die out, without even trying to adjust their metabolic processes. But instead, they chose to take the route of the Brown Argus butterfly, and change their fate. (this is a stretch, I know, but bear with me)

Nature has forced its inhabitants to adapt over and over for eons. So, some species died out, and others survived. If we consider our bodies as self-contained eco-systems, what we are doing is modifying the environmental landscape, if you will, to accommodate the changes that occur when we do things like restrict calories or exercise vigorously. If simply reducing caloric intake results in only temporary metabolic success, then we need to adjust our environmental factors, internally, as well as externally, to adapt to those changes, and by so doing, survive.

That’s it for this segment. When the going gets tough, think of yourself as a Brown Argus Butterfly (and when you do, say things like “Cheerio,” “Pip Pip, Old Chum,” and “Right you are, Guv’na”)

Life Isn't Fair, Pt. 2- Good News and Bad News

The good news (for me, at least) is that you are reading this blog. The bad news is that part of what I have to say may be frustrating to some people. But hopefully you will learn something new, and perhaps this information will hit a nerve, which might cause you to take action.

Let’s review the last (miserable) blog. We talked about BMR, or Basal Metabolic Rate (don’t get this mixed up with BMI, which is kind of a crock, but don’t get me started), which is basically the amount of calories that a body needs to function. There are some quick estimates, and some longer equations to help determine what your body needs. There are also BMR calculators on line that are free and do it all for you. We talked about tall and small, men and women, etc.

If you started keeping a food log in order to determine your caloric consumption, good for you. If you didn’t, you are probably still in the “thinking about it” stage. That’s okay; there are several steps to taking action when changing behavior, so no worries. (We’ll have a blog on Behavior Changing later).

Let’s say, however, that you kept a food diary (hopefully, an honest one!), and you determined that, based on BMR requirements, you may be consuming more “fuel” than your body actually needs. And in addition, you seem to be putting on 1-2 pounds on a regular basis. (This is a little bit like trying to stay within a budget, but every month you find one more pair of shoes or that perfect, must-have outfit that you just can’t wait to have, and so you end up having a few more bills to pay the following month). These things are part of what make us human, and they can seem unmanageable at times, but they shouldn’t present insurmountable roadblocks to your goals.

Let’s take just a moment to talk about homeostasis. It’s kind of like balancing a budget. Money comes in, money goes out. Hopefully, what you spend roughly equals what you make. If you have money left over, perhaps you put it into a special savings account for later use. It’s the same way with balancing the weight in your body, or maintaining homeostasis. If you take in more calories than your body needs, your body stores it, because it might need it later (this is not a new concept and anyone who has read anything about weight control knows this). Many years ago, when we had to go out and hunt and gather food for our subsistence, it was often necessary for a tribe to fill up on whatever they had killed in order to survive until the next kill. But we don’t exactly have that scenario in modern times, do we? If you take in fewer calories than you need, your body will start to “burn fat” in order to supply the body with the energy it needs to function. You lose weight. That might be a good thing.

Okay, now back to the amazing body, food logs, and calorie consumption. I am also going to give you bad news. If you continue to consume fewer calories as you seek to lose weight (and this is not an easy task, as “dieting,” per se is an arduous task), you also lower your BMR. Now, that’s a kick in the teeth, isn’t it? Because now you are becoming one of the “little people!” Ha! I knew I’d have my revenge! Your body now needs fewer calories, because you told it that was all it was going to get. You (said in the voice of Rod Serling) have just entered the “Plateau Zone.” Stay tuned for further revelations.

Life is Not Fair

Remember when you didn’t get your way, and you complained (probably to your mom, cuz your dad would have popped you for being a pain), “That’s not fair!” And your mom would say, “Nobody ever said life was fair.” And then she would go on to explain all the inequities thrust upon her in her lifetime, and how she has never complained. A little dramatic, possibly, but you get my point.

Here’s another thing that’s not fair, at least not in the realm of calorie counting and the shedding of that last 10, 15 or 20 pounds. Tall people burn more calories than short people do. Really. (To someone who has been "vertically challenged" her whole life, this is especially egregious). This is a whole scientific concept of Basal Metabolic Rate (the amount of calories your body needs to perform all its daily functions) that says that tall people just automatically get to use more calories than short people. It could be that the taller you are, the more wind resistance there is, and therefore, you have to work harder to move. (I am being facetious). It has to do with Body Surface area. It simply takes more calories to operate a machine that uses up more space.

You’d think that for leaving a smaller carbon footprint, the short people of the world could get extra points (in the form of calories). We don’t. But don’t despair. There’s a workaround. Bear with me.

In order determine your caloric needs, you could go do some relatively expensive metabolic testing (which is actually kind of fascinating, and if you can afford it, you should go and do it), or you could use this little formula. Take your weight, add a “0” to it, and you’ve got roughly your daily calorie requirements. That’s if you do nothing at all. There is a somewhat long, but easy to do calculation, but I found that it’s basically easier with just the “0” method. Here is the long version anyway (knock yourself out):
Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )
Oh, here’s another thing that’s not fair: See that last set of parentheses? The one that deducts based on age? A little bit of discrimination there, I believe. Oh, yeah, and men get more calories just because. (No, because supposedly they have more muscle mass, yada yada…)
So, we can say that calories don’t count, at least if you are 5’10 and willowy thin, or 6’2 and resemble a Greek God. But for most of us, it is just a matter of scientific necessity to know what your body needs to maintain a healthy metabolism. That’s not a matter of fair or unfair, it’s just body science.

Over the years, when I have had clients come to me to train, they often have wanted to shed excess pounds. The first thing I have had them do is keep a food diary (not because I’m nosy, but because it’s helpful). You have to know where you are before you can figure out how to get where you want to go. In other words, how many calories do you consume now? Are you gaining, losing, or staying the same? If you don’t track it somehow, you can’t know what your next step is. The cool thing is that there are so many aps available for smart phones that will do that very thing. It makes the calculations a lot easier.



So, life is not fair. But if you are reading this, maybe you are learning something you didn’t know before, and, hopefully, you will be inspired in some small way. Stay tuned, and we can discuss some metabolic “workarounds.” Seriously, it will be fun!

Age-Old Wisdom

I want to die young at a ripe old age.
- Ashley Montagu

Yet another birthday looms. And so it begins. That inevitable descent into crankiness, incontinence, irritability and ultimately, dementia. It’s called aging. That word at its worst strikes fear into most baby-boomers, and, at its best, is simply ignored. “50 is the old 30, 60 is the old 40,” blah, blah, blah. We are always trying to sugar-coat the inevitable. But let’s face it, we are getting older.

This is not something that I take lightly. I creak a little more, I nap a little more, I forgive a little more. I check each morning to see if there is still a vestige of the saucy young woman who once looked at the world through rose-tinted lenses (and in the 60’s, they really were rose-tinted!). To my horror, one morning in the shower, I felt something on the backs of my thighs, and realized it was my rear end! In spite of the squats, the lunges, the step-ups, the mostly well- balanced nutrition plan, things have just, well, shifted. Fortunately, so has my attitude.

What I regret most about aging is that I didn’t appreciate my youth enough. But I was too busy being young to worry about being old. So, I guess I really enjoyed my youth, because if I had spent all my time thinking about being old, I wouldn’t have been appreciating being young. And so on. This is what I mean about that dementia thing. It creeps up on you before you can stop it. (Like the derriere on the thighs).

There is actually a website called “Stop Aging Now.” I won’t provide the link, as it will stimulate your brain cells to try and find it. How ludicrous. We can’t “stop aging.” It’s what bodies do. It is all part of the Grand Scheme (emphasis on the word, “scheme”). We have to provide yet another activity for our kids as they get older, namely, taking care of us. So we need to age.

What if we thought of aging as “ripening”? But then, that brings visions of rotten things, so maybe that’s not quite the right picture to depict. I volunteer at a lovely winery in Woodinville, and when they have a new release of one of their succulent red wines (Malbec, Syrah, or blend), they will say, “It’s good now, but wait for about 6 more months, after it’s aged a bit, and it will really come into its own.” So that’s the image I would like to summon. We aren’t really aging, per se, we are coming into our own.

As I Come Into My Own, I won’t always do it well, or quietly, or appropriately, but I will do it intentionally, and try to enjoy myself along the way. And Happy Birthday to me.