Tag Archives: Fitness

How many different ways can they spin butter, eggs, and refined sugar? The possibilities are endless and calories limitless, unless you take the initiative to control your appetite and be aware of your body and it’s realistic needs. Now the goal here is to not get swept away in nostalgic emotional eating – it is to realize what your body’s nutritional needs are.  Odds are you won’t find a cupcake with 50 grams of processed sugar just sitting in the middle of nature, and we wonder why diabetes is a growing problem in America.

“Sweet is the first taste humans prefer from birth” according to Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD, a  dietitian and American Dietetic Association spokeswoman.  Carbohydrates also make us feel good, releasing serotonin and rewarding us for the choice; the taste of sugar alone releases endorphins and relaxes us, somewhat of a natural high. With so many immediate onset incentives to eating these sweet treats no wonder we get carried away. Let’s go over some good ways to control these cravings, instead of letting the cravings control us.

Eat regularly:  Having a balanced and healthy diet with proper intervals of eating will keep your blood sugar more level and reduce the risk of craving sweets, and over indulging.

Drink water, stay hydrated: If 80% of Americans are dehydrated daily, then odds are you are dehydrated. Which can be mistaken for hunger, even if your needs are fulfilled.   So next time you crave a cupcake or cookie, drink some good old calorie free tap water.

Go natural, eat fruit: If you crave sweets indulge in some chocolate covered strawberries, or have an apple. This will be a lot easier and efficient for your body to break down and will also have some nutrients to go with the calories.

Take a walk: Stop obsessing and get your mind off by getting outside. Change the subject of your mental conversation and often your cravings will subside.

Many of you may have taken to the treadmill in an attempt to outrun all of those holiday treats and cocktails. The battle against belly fat has begun, and many of you may be asking yourself should I focus on cardio or strength training? Which will be more effective for me?

According to Wayne Westcott, Ph.D, cardio burns 10-12 calories a minute while strength training burns around 8 calories a minute.  However, consider the following:

• As soon you stop your cardio workout your calorie burn stops; where as strength training may have an initial lower calorie burn count, but the calorie burn continues as the body works to maintain and replenish your muscles. This spikes your metabolic rate (the rate at which you burn calories) for 24-48 hours after the exercise.
• Strength training also packs on lean mass, which takes calories to maintain – raising your metabolic rate as long as you have that extra muscle using energy.
• Running for long periods can also damage knee and shoulder joints from the repetitive impact and movement, potentially impacting posture as well. When done properly, strength training will safely burn calories with low impact movements, strengthen tissue, bones and improve posture.

We counsel clients to incorporate both cardio and strength training as part of a balanced work out regimen. Hours on the treadmill are not needed. Generally with proper rest intervals during strength training you can finish your work out in 40 minutes, and reserve 20 minutes for cardio. As you go to the gym through the holiday season, keep in mind the benefits of strength training.

I stumbled upon this 1970s advertisement on Retronaut.com. Clearly we’ve been deluding ourselves for a very long time about how to live a healthier life and nothing takes the place of a sensible diet or exercise.  However, few ideas look as strange as “wonder sauna hot pants”.

The video is entitled “Best Calf Workout Ever!” but I disagree.  Having a 90-lbs woman ride you like a Shetland pony at a public gym is odd.

I’ve been quiet about my fitness regimen, and it is mostly due to the fact that I’ve been slacking.

Thank goodness I have a trainer, because there have been many weeks over the past two months where my only gym-time has been spent working out with him.

My short-term fitness goal is to drop the few extra pounds that have recently settled around my waist before they take up permanent residence.  My plan is to get a few more cardio sessions in each week.  We’ll see how that goes – wish me luck.

Are you struggling to motivate yourself to get to the gym?  Misery enjoys company.  Let me know how you are doing and we can work to motivate each other so we look picture perfect in time for the holidays.

I occasionally blog about my attempts to get into better shape and struggles with remaining motivated.  Starting last week my trainer and I changed my work out routine.

In lieu of meeting twice a week for a one hour we will now meet three times a week.  Once a week we will have a one hour session focusing on my back and chest, and twice a week we shall meet for thirty minutes;  one session will focus on arms and one session will focus on shoulders.

I like the idea of splitting one of my one hour sessions.  In theory, this will make sure that these muscle groups will get more attention.  As time permits,  I’m hoping to incorporate cardio either before or after the shorter work outs.  I’ll let you know how it works out.  What are you doing? Any tips or suggestions are always welcome.

Kris Kranzky, my personal trainer at The Boston Sports Club in the South End,  each week shares some fitness tips to help motivate and encourage people like me struggling to get into better shape.

This week’s tip revolves around the importance of cardiovascular exercise.  According to Kris,  this is essential if you want to reach your maximum potential. Some of the ways that cardio training helps includes: weight managment, increasing bone mineral density and increasing your metabolism.

If you combine cardio and weight training in a single session, Kris suggests starting with cardio. This will make you less likely to shorten or cut out your cardio exercises and it helps warm the body to prepare you for your weight training.  To keep your cardio sessions interesting set goals for yourself; this can include time, speed or the types of running exercises.  One of Kris’ favorites is interval training.  Jog for one minute followed by a one minute sprint that is approximately 50-60% faster (e.g. on a treadmill one minute at 6.0 followed by one minute at 10.0).  Repeat this ten times for a total of 20 minutes.