There are a lot of people you see in health clubs that look good. They have defined muscles, six pack abs and look extremely fit but the reality is that many of them are an accident waiting to happen.

Why do you say that? It’s all about about being lean and toned right?

Yes it is good to look the good but let’s not throw out function completely. I know personally a lot of bodybuilders and fitness competitors that look like a million buck but do not move well and are one bad move away from throwing out their back.

On the inside their core is weak and they literally cannot control their body. 

They are basically a like a sports car without brakes.

Let’s look at the National Academy Of Sports Medicine(NASM) Optimum Performance Training Module

Generally speaking most programs start in the middle an skip right by the bottom or foundation of this module which has proven very effective at not only changing bodies to look better but helping people move better and stay injury free.

Notice what is at the bottom of the module?

Stabilization.

If you are going to build a nice home you need a solid foundation.  This means you have to allocate some of your workout time to create stability in the core and hips which are where all movement comes from.

So let’s give you three exercises to create a solid foundation or a good brake system for the sports car. These can easily be incorporated into a warm up or done between sets of regular exercises.

There are several other variations but these are three basic ones I like to use with clients.

#1-Hip bridge Do 2-3 sets of 15-20 repetitions hold  2 sec at the top squeezing your butt and drawing in your abs.  Progress to single leg when you can do 2-3 sets of 20 easily.

#2 Prone Plank Shoulder Blade Push Ups Start either on your knees or your toes in good alignment with a long straight spine. Lower your body 2-3 inches retracting your shoulder blades and drawing in your belly button to fire your abs.  Pause 2 sec at the bottom and push back to the start maintaining the straight spine. Do 2-3 sets of 12-20

#3-Balance with leg reaches Stand in tall stance with belt line level to floor. Reach leg forward, side and back while maintaining good posture and level belt line. Repeat 5 times each leg and do 2-3 sets each leg.

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It’s so simple right eat less calories and you will lose lose weight. “Wow that’s it you’re a genius!”

Sorry Einstein it isn’t that simple. We constantly see people who do not eat enough calories that are 50 pounds or more overweight.

I wish it was that simple but sorry to say it isn’t. Your body is much more complex than that.  What you eat and when is also extrememly important to turn your body into an effcient fat burning machine.

So here are three tips to consider if you really want to get serious about fat loss.

1.)Do not spike your blood sugar. Sugar is public enemy #1. When you eat sugar (I’m not talking about the natural sugars found in fruits but sugar found in processed foods and drinks like in pop, juice, cookies, cereals etc.) it basically sends your blood sugar through the roof. When this happens your body kicks out tons of insulin to counteract the spike in blood sugar. Insulin is essentailly a storage hormone so having high levels of insulin creates a “storage environment”  and high blood sugar levels make it extrememly difficult to burn fat as a fuel source. So if you eat some candy and then try to do some cardio you might as well just beat your head on the wall. This is counterproductive.  You also have to be careful of processed carbs many breads, cereals and snacks are highly processed so when they hit your system it looks just like sugar. The bottom line  is every time you put sugar into your system fat burning stops or becomes very difficult.

2.)Keep the liver clean. The liver is the body’s main organ for fat metabolism. Whenever you drink alcohol, eat processed foods and artificial sweeteners your liver has to shift it’s focus from fat metabolism to processing these things through your system. This is why having that nightly glass of wine won’t necessarily make you fat but it definentely stops fat burning.   Am I saying never ever have these things absolutely not but watch how often you are consuming these things. Put it in your mind that the more often  you put stress on the liver the less time it can focus on fat burning.  Another thing to consider here is hydration. If you allow yourself to get dehydratedonce again your liver has to shift focus and help the kidneys keep functioning because they are depleted of proper water.   So the bottom line is eat whole non-processed foods, minimize or avoid alcohol and sweeteners.  Also keep yourself hydrated and the more you do this the more the liver stays focused on fat metabolism.  One of my regular clients who has never been able to get his weight down to where he wants it decided to give up alcohol for 3 weeks. The result was 8 pound weight loss. Coincidence I think  not.

#3-Move better.  Sounds simple but many of us are walking around with poor posture, old injuries and poor movment patterns we are unaware of.  When we continually move around with these issues it is stressful on the body.  Constant stress produces a hormone called cortisol. When this hormone is present in high levels your body cannot burn fat.  Recently I was at a conference and a strength coach was presenting he had lost a lot of weight since I saw him last. He said this was due to the fact he had finally had hip suregey and his pain was gone. The pain in his hip had raised his cortisol levels and now that it was gone the levels had come back down allowing him to burn fat more efficiently again. So find a practicioner who can do movement screening take a look at how you move and identify what needs to be corrected and develop a plan you can integrate into your workouts so you can keep the stress on your body lower to allow for more fat burning.

There you go three out of the box tips to help you see more success.  If you are on a plateau I would bet one or all three of these can help move you off.   They aren’t super easy but doable so if you are serious about making changes you can’t neglect them.

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Here we are a week into 2012 and pretty much everyone I know has a New Year’s resolution or goal for  2012. The problem is a very small percentage of people actually accomplish their goals because many don’t take the time to do the necessary steps to ensure success. So here are 5 simple steps that will dramatically increase your chances for being successful at seeing your goals through in 2012.

1.)    Write down what you want to accomplish and why it is important. With all the other junk in your head like work, appointments, kids’ activities, and house projects it is essential that you get your goals written down so you can refer back to them and check your progress. In today’s society it is all too easy to forget the destination we originally set out for after being sent on the many detours life will throw at us. Secondly we need to define our purpose for each goal.  If the purpose isn’t something that fires you up than forget it.  An example of a great purpose is something like “I want to lose weight so I am not in pain an able to play with my kids.” A poor example would be “I want to look good in my clothes.”  There is no emotion attached there. One that I heard today is from a couple who built their business so they wouldn’t have to live in a trailer anymore. So just make sure your purpose is powerful because it is the fuel behind the goal.

2.)    Create a plan-It’s great to have goals with purposes but the next step is to make to create a plan of action that will get you to the goals. Ask yourself what you need to daily, weekly, and monthly to move you towards that goal. Have someone who is an expert in the area of the goal you want to accomplish review the action plan to make sure it is going to get you there. For example if it is a fitness goal than have a trainer look at it if it’s financial has your financial planner look at it. They will be able to give you vital feedback as to if your plan is in line with your goal so you are set up for success.

3.)    Take action- I’ve seen a lot of people write up great plans and goals but they fail to do anything. I don’t know if it’s fear of failure or just overstretching themselves but many times they don’t even get out of the gate.  Don’t worry about making mistakes or setbacks.  These are all part of the journey. Many of the most successful people in the world failed repeatedly before they had their success.

4.)    Review your progress Make sure you stop occasionally and review how it is going. What is working and what is not. Going after a goal is a lot of trial and error. Think of a goal like cutting down a big tree with a saw. You have to stop sometimes and make sure the saw isn’t dull. You will get the tree down quicker if you stop and make sure the blade is sharp instead of trying to push on with a dull blade.

5.)    Watch who you hang around with. Too often when someone is pursuing a goal other people in their life will try and drag them back down to their level.  Whether it’s starting business or getting in shape you will hear those naysayers that will tell you why you can’t do it instead of encourage and support you. Keep yourself around like minded people and those who have done what you want to accomplish. Negative people can be toxic don’t let them spoil your dreams. You might have to reconsider who you hang out with. Also watch what kind of TV shows you watch and books you read.  All these things will affect your outlook and thought process so guard this carefully.  Keep yourself around people and things that give you energy versus suck it out of you.

There you go these are simple steps but very necessary. Failure to do any of them will diminish your chances for success

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Here is a great poem my old friend and roommate James Chapman wrote. I have it on my desk to review when the going gets tough in life. This poem puts it all in perspective.

The Crossroads

We will reach many crossroads

Throughout our lives

Our destinies are determined

By the direction we choose to go

Do we take the shortcut

Do we go in the direction

Others want us to go

Even though we know it’s wrong..

Or do we listen to our heart

Have faith in God and go in the direction

That we know is right?

The direction God hoped we would take all along.

The crossroads are tests.

Tests of our character

Tests of our strength

And tests of our faith

Life isn’t about taking the easy way out

It’s about living…taking chances…

Giving of yourself

Your talents and abilities

But most of all it’s about touching the lives

Of those whose pathas cross your own

Because when you touch the lives of others

You are touching God and there is no greater gift

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Back in the early days of Saturday Night live there was a skit called the whiners. We all thought it was funny but now as I see it we have a lot of Doug and Wendy Whiners in our society. It starts with everyone in our society blaming someone or something else for there lack of success.

If you don’t know who they are or don’t remember check out this video below:

http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/68786/The_Whiners/

Right now people are blaming Wall Street for all their financial woes. I would bet a lot of those protestors take advantage of the same system they protest.  There is this sense of entitlement that has infected us as a country that anooys me. We live in what is still the lan of opportunity and far surpasses any other country when it comes to having the freedoms to be successful.  Instead we whine just like Doug and Wendy Whiner.   The late Kirby Puckett once said “who says you are entitled to anything.” 

It’s true but many Americans think otherwise.

From a fitness perspective you see this all the time with people saying they want to lose weight but when it comes to taking action the whining starts “I’m too busy.”  “It’s too hard.”  “My back hurts.” on and on it goes like nails on a chalkboard.

So I ask you are you a whiner or a winner! If you look on our facebook page you see a story of Susan Peters who overcame being in a wheelchair to not only walk but walk 5ks. She never whined. Watch her story and then check yourself. 

Quit focusing on why you can’t and focus on how you can.

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So many time people come into our facility and they have knee or hip pain and they write it off as that joint being bad or weak.  The reality is many of us are walking around with muscles that are shut down. Important muscles like the glute medius(lateral hip) which acts as a stabilizer and shock absorber as well as the rectus femoris and hamstrings which help to decelerate force in the body like an anti-lock brake system. 

Imagine driving in a car without a suspension or anti lock brake system. Pretty scary every time you hit a bump or a curb or had to react to soemthing you would feel it as the driver. Now imagine that the driver is your joint. 

That’s basically what happens to joints when those muscles around them aren;t doing their job.

So what’s the big deal!

Well each time that you walk your produce 3x your bodyweight in force. So if you take 5,000 steps per day a conservative estimate that’s 3 million pounds of force driving through your joints in one and 21 million in one week. If you run each foot contact produces 6-9x your bodyweight in force. So if you are producing all that force with out shock absorption from surrounding musculature then the force will hit your joints instead of your muscles leading to eventual breakdown.

So what do you do to ensure your muscles are working properly. Well a great step is doing some simple mobility exercises designed by a company called z-health which focuses on creating a better nervous system to enhance performance.  There are certain joints in your feet that are wired to these specific muscles. By mobilizing them you stimulate joint mechanoreceptors which keeps the wire connection strong between the joints and muscles thus the muscles are turned on and able to do what they are supposed to.

Here are three drills you can do.  Do them prior to exercise whether it’s cardio or strength.  Make a mental note of two things does your overall joint stiffness or pain decrease?  Do you feel stronger or more fluid with your movement?

Give them a try. I’ve notice a huge difference in my own workouts from them.

Z-health foot drills

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Those of who grew up in the 80s remember the cheesy 80s classic the Karate Kid. Therewas this part where Ralph Macchio’s character was learning the fundamentals of karate and he became impatient with Mr. Miyagi and asked exasperated “when I’m going to learnreal karate”  and Miyagi ever so calm responded “patience Daniel-son, patience.”

Many of us are like Daniel-son we want to see results yesterday.  Here is the reality when it comes to health and fitness if you are out of shape. You didn’t get out of shape overnight and you won’t get in shape overnight either. Years of bad habits take some time to undo.

Healthy let me repeat that HEALTHY weight loss that lasts shoulde be slow and consistent 1-2 pounds/week or 10 pounds/month is a good pace which doesn’t sacrafice muscle tissue that is essential for maintaining a healthy metabolism.
So as we roll back into fall and start thinking of getting back on track set goals based more on body composition rather than pure weight.  You can easily get this tested by a certified personal trainer using calipers on 5-7 sites.   Retest every 4 weeks to check progress. If you weigh 200 pounds and drop ten pounds but only improve body composition by 1% you have really only lost 2 lbs of fat the rest is water and muscle. So it gives you a clearer picture of what is really going on. 

You might actually add muscle and lose fat so scale weight can stay the same or  go up as inches and fat disappear. 

Set your goals to be “reach” goals meaning if you did everything perfect you could lose 10 pounds and 4% body fat in one month but allow for life to get in the way because most of us have other things going on besides working out and eating right. There will be those days where Mr. Murphy will come knocking. So back it off a little to maybe losing 5 pounds and 2% boyfat instead. Hey it won’t be easy and if you blow it away great!  That is more motivating than setting yourself up for constant failure.

Set yourself up for success but don’t make it too easy or there will be no satisfaction.  No goal that is truly worth it is easy.

The bottom line is in order to accomplish any goal it required one simple thing.

Consistent daily action that moves you towards that goal. Some days will be more movement than others but over time those little daily things add up to mind blowing transformation.

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Are you interested or committed?

By Beth Dean Certified Personal Trainer

This past weekend I was volunteering at an event my daughter attended and I had the chance to listen to their guest speaker.  During his presentation he worked with the kids about the difference between being “interested” and being “committed”.   As you continue reading, ask yourself am I interested or am I committed to making the changes I need to reach my fitness goals.

He first asked the kids what it meant to be interested.  The group shared the following thoughts: In it for the fun, you can just show up, give it a try, if something better comes along it is okay to quit, selfish, follow along, minimal effort.  The list was short and there was not a lot of discussion.

Then he asked the kids what it meant to be committed.  The group shared these thoughts: Passionate, willing to do extra, hardworking, enthusiastic, communicate and work with others to get the best results, follow thru, share lots of ideas and creativity, put in the time and effort to be successful, pride in what you are doing, purpose driven.  This list was longer and the kids were animated discussing it.

As we head into the start up of another school year this is a good time to reflect on what you want to focus on this fall.  Have you been frustrated with your workouts and eating habits?  Do you want to make a change?  Are you ready to do what it takes to achieve the outcomes you desire?  We can help, but you will need to commit to the behaviors that lead to that outcome you desire.

At the end of the speech he asked the kids to come up and sign their names on the committed side if they were committed.  They all crowded in and signed their names.  This fall where would you sign your name — interested or committed?  The answer if up to you!



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When I played college football we used to do film sessions after games. Sometimes our coach would get on our case for thinking to much he called it paralysis by analysis. Basically you would be in the middle of a play thinking of who should block and by the time you thought of it the play was over.   He coined the term “paralysis by analysis”.  Because of your over thinking you did nothing and blew the play.

I think this is a good analogy to how a lot of people approach weight loss and exercise. They want to figure out which piece of healthy fruit has the least carb grams is or analyze the sodium content of a protein bar and can’t decide if it’s good for them all the while they are eating fast food, skipping meals or downing sugar laced lattes at Starbucks. Come on seriously.

This trivial crap is useless.  If you are doing any of these things you need to do something better and not focus on these details. 

Another good quote I heard is “there are 5 birds on branch and one decides to fly away. How many are left on the branch??”

Answer: not 4 but 5

Why deciding to do something and actually doing it are two different things.

I hear people say I’m going to lose weight or get in shape all the time but many times when the rubber meets the road and it’s time to start showing up here come the excuses.

“I’m too busy” 

“I’m too tired”

“My dog ate my gym bag”

Whatever! If you are busy during the day get your butt out of bed early. If you say I’m not a morning person than become one. How bad do you want it? Not bad enough if you can’t get up.

But I don’t have time. Well, you seem to have time to watch all those “unreality” TV shows like the Housewives of wherever. Than make time.

Bottom line quit thinking and start doing. Will you make mistakes . Yes but mistakes are also learning opportunities. Will you blow it some days. Yes, but if you have more winning days than losing ones you will make progress.

So my question is are you a thinker or a doer?  We have a lot of thinkers/philosophers but not too many doers.  

So quit analyzing spending countless time analyzing which program is best just pick one and do it. If it doesn’t work pick a different one.

Be player not a spectator in life whatever your goals are.

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It’s been one month of intense workouts, disciplined eating and focus.  One goal has been knocked down. The last and final goal of getting my bodyfat to 6.8% remains.  The lower you go on bodyfat the more stubborn your body becomes.  You have to use every trick in the book to get that low it can be frusturating.

I have to admit there have been days where I wanted to say “screw this” but all it took was one good workout to change my mind.  I also kept in the back of my mind that I announced that I was going to accomplish something so my integrity is on the line as well.

Well I got my final assessment I’m 4mm on the calipers away from hitting my bodyfat goal. So close but yet so far.  One of the best things I heard about goals is they are like shooting at a target if you don’t hit the bulls eye the first time re-aim and shoot again.

The feedback I get from this is I’m close but I need to make a few adjustments and I’m there.  The assesment shows me how close I really am. In my mind I might think I’m way off or I hit it but hard numbers tell the truth.

So here I am 1 for 2 hitting my flexibility/mobility goal and hair away from my bodyfat goal.  I’m not going to be satisfied with close that only counts in horseshoes.  

Today we are heading up north for a week of family time and I am going to take a break from the regimen and recharge and re-strategize than I’m going to come back re-aim and nail the bullseye.

Really what setting goals and discipline are all about is making the conscious decision to keep going until the objective is achieved even if there are setbacks.

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