The Decider

Just in case you wanted to remember the insecurity that you felt in grade school gym class, the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports has just re-issued the Presidential Physical Fitness Test for Adults. The test measures your aerobic capacity, flexibility, muscular strength (sit-ups & push-ups), and body composition. Unfortunately, you won't get a certificate signed by Dubyuh, but you can see where you rank in relation to others across the nation.  Step 1: Print the data collection form  Step 2: Enter the data online for your results  Here's what I got: Fitness Component Test Event Your Results Your Score Aerobic Fitness* 1.5-Mile Run 13:30 75%ile Muscular Strength Half Sit-Ups 85 100%ile   Push-Ups 45 95%ile Flexibility Sit-and-Reach 17 55%ile Overall Score (based on percentile average) 81%ile Body Composition BMI: 22.3 Normal Waist Circumference 28 So, yes – flexibility is something that I always try to work on. See Read More . . .

The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.

It’s not that people lie on purpose; when it comes to weight loss, the most recent statistics show overweight people underreporting daily food intake by 30-40% while normal weight individuals underreport by 16%. Virtually no one over-reports their food intake. Additionally, they’ll overestimate how much they move. The combination of those two little white lies that folks tell themselves is partially to blame the expanding waistline of the American public. I’m not immune to these lies. I feel like I’ve struggled with my weight for years. Well, wait… let me back up there. For most of my life I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. It wasn’t until I was in my first marriage that I used food to emotionally cope with my problems. Although I wasn’t fit when I got married, I was thin, and when I got divorced,I was definitely fat. Here’s my transformation in case you’ve Read More . . .

El Nino

I found this new exercise that I really like a lot. It’s called Nino. I found it on the UWL Exercise Video Index. I like it because it is a very simple exercise in concept, however it is very intense in practice. It works the legs, core, arms & is surprisingly aerobic. There are just a couple points of form that I want make: Your legs start out parallel to each other & just over shoulder width apart. Between each action, your legs should come back to this starting position. Keep your back straight at all times. Never round your back. It doesn’t matter how close the bar comes to the ground – just make sure that your chest is forward, shoulders are back, & back is straight. When in the down position, you want your hips, feet, knees, shoulders to all be facing perpendicular to the direction your toes Read More . . .

But … how do you know? Part 2

The art of weight loss isn’t rocket science, however given the fact that weight loss is a multi-billion dollar industry, we can see that it eludes quite a number of folks. Weight maintenance/loss/gain is simply a matter of “calories in” versus “calories out”. On the nutrition side, if you eat more calories than your body needs, you’ll gain weight; if you eat the same number of calories that your body needs, then you will maintain your weight; and if you consume fewer calories than your body needs to maintain it’s weight, you will lose weight. But, how do you know how many calories your body needs to maintain it’s weight? In But … how do you know? Part 1, I explained that our metabolism (BMR),depending on how active a person is, can make up for approximately 75% or less of our calories burned. I also explained how we can estimate Read More . . .

I’m selling Gold Supplements

I brought my cat & dog to the vet the other day to get their annual exams. I mean, who wouldn't want to keep a face like that healthy? Anyway, because Lucy is aging, the vet suggested that we give her both fish oil & glucosamine. I take both of these supplements myself & figured that I could just give her what I take myself. Yeah – I thought wrong. I am an avid label reader – it's my job & it's what I do. The vet informed me that just because the label on the supplements says that it has 500mg of whatever it says that it has in it, it really doesn't have to. He then told me about a kids vitamin that when tested, actually had lead in it. Yes – LEAD! and a brand of glucosamine that when tested, didn't have ANY glucosamine in it. So Read More . . .

Boy, that taste really stays in your mouth, doesn’t it?

Dear God! No!  Just when I thought that there were no more food atrocities to commit against the human race, along comes hamburger in a can. It makes me realize that I am just not creative enough to come up with disgusting and evil foodstuffs. I'm speechless. I'm shaking my head as it is buried in my palms. Just make sure that you watch the videos to gain the entire experience.     Read More . . .

It’s always something

A few weeks back, my husband, Gary & I were walking into Sports Authority when we saw the dreaded folding table set up in front of the entrance surrounded by little girls holding boxes of cookies! Girlscout cookie season has started. What really struck me about it was that this occurred just 3 weeks after the New Year. I thought about all of those people who had made resolutions to "eat healthy" this year, or "give up junk food". I thought about them because after three weeks of eating differently; depriving yourself of everything that you think is good (because that's what healthy eating is. Isn't it?), all that is needed is one innocent little girl selling something that only comes around once a year to derail you from your commitment to your health. Two weeks later was the SuperBowl. It is now said that the SuperBowl is the 2nd Read More . . .

30 Day Challenge

Back in September I tried Bikram Yoga for the first time. I was undecided as far as the benefits go, and was pretty sure that my body was not meant to contort into some of the positions that the class was doing (specifically Eagle Pose & Fixed Firm); however, I decided to give it a try. I signed up for an unlimited 30 day membership (at an unbelievably affordable rate) & made the commitment to go. Now, at this point, I need to confess that I have inherited frugality from my father. Or rather, I'm cheap. Plus, since I'm a personal trainer, I hate having to pay to exercise. There are lots of personal trainers who have separate gym memberships from where they work – that just seems crazy & a waste of money to me. But I digress… Because I hate paying to exercise, and because I am cheap, Read More . . .

The chemical free diet

Yesterday, Jenny McCarthy & Holly Robinson Peete were on the Oprah Winfrey Show. They both have sons with autism. Jenny McCarthy has just published a book titled: Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism where she discusses her journey to reverse autism in her son. Yes, you read that right – reverse autism. What I find fascinating about this topic is that she was able to do it through food. Within 2 weeks of eliminating dairy, wheat, and artificial flavoring and dyes from her son's diet, he had doubled his vocabulary. That's HUGE! For those of us who are healthy, we don't really consider how food affects us – maybe a bit in reference to our weight, but to realize that there are foods out there that are toxic to us — foods that may be fine for someone else, but for a child it clouds the brain, Read More . . .

I don’t think my body is supposed to do that

 On Labor Day, Yoga studios around Austin sponsored “A Free Day of Yoga“. I used that opportunity to try Bikram Yoga. Many people that I had talked to about Bikram Yoga loved it, for various reasons, but mainly because it was a really good workout for a yoga class. Bikram yoga is held in a room at 105 degrees & 40% humidity, and consists of the same 26 postures  performed 2 times, in the same order, for the same duration each class. I was expecting it to be hot. I was expecting it to be difficult. I was expecting not to like it. I was not expecting to leave class. I was not expecting to be the best one in the class. I was expecting to be able to hold my own – and I think I did hold my own. My initial thoughts were “I don’t think that my Read More . . .

AARP Trainer Program

I just joined the AARP Trainer Program. The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) & American Council on Exercise (ACE) have teamed up to provide affordable personal training to AARP members. It's a new program, so we'll see how it does. I think it's great that seniors are getting more active. It's really interesting for me to compare clients at similar ages. Those clients who have been exercising for years appear to have better cognitive function in addition to balance, coordination and strength. It's really encouraging. Not that I can't wait, but knowing that my body and mind will be better because of the things I'm doing today makes me feel better about aging.     Read More . . .

Heathy Dining? At a Restaurant?

A few weeks ago, Hungry Girl wrote about the Healthy Dining Finder. Just over the weekend I stumbled upon the site myself. Now I have to say that I was really disappointed in the restaurants that I found, but given that they are a new site & they were focused on chain restaurants, the results are acceptable at this point. The fate and success of this site is now up to us. On the Healthy Dining Finder website, they have a preprinted form that you can hand out to your favorite restaurants. I think this handout does two things: 1) it allows those restaurants who do serve healthy food to register their location on the website, but more importantly, I think it sends a message to any restaurant that we as consumers are starting to demand foods that are good for us from restaurants. New York City is on the Read More . . .

But … how do you know? Part 1

On the bottom of every nutritional facts label there is a foot note. The footnote tells us that diets based on 2000 & 2500 Calories should have "x" amount of Total Fat, Saturated Fat, Cholesterol, Sodium, Total Carbohydrates and Fiber respectively. That's great, but how do you know which one you should abide by? How many Calories do you need in a day? Three things influence how many calories you need in order to maintain your weight. Your Metabolism (aka: Basal Metabolic Rate – BMR) The amount of activity that you get on a daily basis (aka: Thermic Effect of Activity – TEA) How many Calories your body uses to process the foods that you eat (aka: Thermic Effect of Food – TEF) Your metabolism is responsible for using the bulk of your calories in a day – roughly 75%. A few things contribute to your metabolism: Genetics Age Weight Read More . . .

Happily Ever After

I love the TV show "The Biggest Loser". I don't really know why I like watching it so much, but I do. I'm amazed at the contestants losing 3 to 20 lbs on a weekly basis. It's fantastic to see the contestants get smaller and smaller and smaller & then see what they looked like at the beginning of the show. I really couldn't care less about the drama – I TiVo it for that same reason – so that I can skip over the overly dramatic TV crap – that way, I can get through a 60 minute show in less than 40 minutes. Although I was never as heavy as the folks who are on that show, I can relate to their struggles & am completely jealous that I didn't have a team of doctors, dietitians and personal trainers at my disposal when I went through my weight Read More . . .

One Size Doesn’t Fit All

The USDA Food Guide Pyramid     In this blog post I talk about the Metabolic Typing Diet   http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/pdf/DGA2005.pdf   http://www.mypyramid.gov/         Read More . . .

Certifiably Certified

Because the summer is a slower period for folks in my business (people taking vacations and although new clients want to look good in a bathing suit, they really don't want to spend any time in the gym), I decided that this would be a good time to complete a few certifications that I have been wanting to do: ACE Lifestyle & Weight Management Consultant, and wellcoach Wellness Coach. I'm really excited about the Wellness Coach certification. I think it's what a lot of people are looking for when they are looking for a personal trainer. Granted, some people are looking for someone to help them through their workouts, but for the folks out there who know what they're doing in the gym (for the most part) and know the basics of good nutrition (but just aren't doing it), this is the person they are looking for.  Excerpt from the Read More . . .

Yum-O!

I’ve finally added the Summer Wheatberry Salad to my website. It’s the perfect light summer salad. Make it as a side to complement grilled chicken or fish or even burgers. It’s a great potluck dish too because there’s no mayo or dairy ingredients. If you’re not familiar with the wheatberry, it is the whole wheat grain before it’s been milled into flour, wheat germ or bulgur. Once cooked, the finished product looks like a cross between barley & rice. Enjoy! Read More . . .

alli or enemy?

Alli is a diet drug that is available today over the counter. Alli is a reduced strength version of a prescription only pill called Orlistat. Orlistat works by preventing the body from absorbing all of the fat that a person has consumed (an estimated 50%). That sounds good. Right? If the body doesn't absorb the fat, then it doesn't absorb the calories that you've consumed through fat. Fat is higher in calories than protein or carbohydrates. Each gram of protein or carbohydrates, holds 4 calories. Each gram of fat holds more than twice that at 9 calories. So then by taking alli, consuming fat isn't as calorically expensive. If I eat the same number of calories and take alli, I'll reduce the number of calories that my body absorbs, thus giving me a calorie deficit; which is what is needed in order to lose weight. Well, thinking about it, where Read More . . .

I’m training in 78704

I am a personal trainer and nutritionist. I train folks out of two different locations: the Westwood Country Club fitness department and a local independent gym. At the beginning of 2007 the local gym that I trained out of changed ownership. The policies that the new owners put in place forced me to look at other options for training my clientele. I explored opening my own private boutique, I looked into other personal training gyms and renting space from other trainers who have their own studio space. Although some day I like to think that I'd like my own personal training studio, until I increase my independent client base, it doesn't make fiscal sense. I settled on a new personal training gym: the South Congress Athletic Club. They just opened their doors January 12th & they are in the very hip part of town, the South Congress District. It takes Read More . . .