11 of my health and fitness pet peeves

Here are a few of my biggest pet peeves related to health and fitness:

1. Stuck on calories in/out – All of these calorie measurements are estimates. Eat good quality, nutritious food and let your body tell you when it’s full.
2. Barbie reps – Not burning calories or building muscle. Not getting benefit of a true resistance program that includes a challenge on the muscle.
3. Food puritans – Food choices are often limited anyway. Do the best that you can. Food is about replenishing our body and making the best choices possible given our circumstances.
4. Bro science –Don’t always follow the crowd, because sometimes the crowd is wrong. Do a little bit of research on your own.
5. Pre-workout stimulants – Avoid these. If you’re getting proper nutrition, that is all you need.
6. Fat loss supplements – If you’re eating a good diet and you’re moving around, your body will begin to burn fat without these supplements.
7. Flat stomach machines – Your body has a natural rhythm to how it wants to store fat. These machines will not be the difference maker.
8. Incomplete nutritional information in apps – You must do your own diligence to be sure what you’re eating is a true serving compared to the information within the app.
9. Ignoring food, stress, and sleep – You cannot ignore these, as you need them in your program just as much, if not more, than exercise.
10. Scale worship – The scale is not a good measure of health and fitness, but a measure of body mass. Focus on how you look and feel.
11. Irresponsible headlines – Misleading headlines cause people to make health decisions without understanding the real implications.

Another episode you may enjoy

How to shop for good food

The science of mind over body with Jo Marchant

Jo Marchant is an accomplished science journalist and the author of the new book, Cure: A Journey Into the Science of Mind Over Body. This book examines the role that the mind plays in healing the body.

One example of how the mind impacts healing within the body is displayed through the placebo effect. Jo explains that many people do get better simply by taking a placebo. Decades of research has shown that taking any medicine, including a placebo, triggers specific changes in the brain that eases our symptoms.

Many trials have shown that placebos even work when the patient knows the medication is a placebo. This may be because the brain gets the signal that the body is being cared for, and therefore backs off on its own symptom signals.

Similarly, the brain decides what level of the symptom we need to see based on the severity of the injury or issue. This is similar with fatigue. The sensation created is a psychological one of exhaustion and fatigue, so that we don’t push ourselves to a risk of death. This role that the brain plays shows that we have some control through our beliefs, hopes, attitudes, for example. Exercises such as HIIT can actually help improve our performance and break down this fatigue state, as the brain learns to let the body go a bit further each time based on previous experience.

Jo also speaks about the role of the vagus nerve within the parasympathetic nervous system in altering one’s heart rate. By slowing one’s breathing, the vagus nerve is triggered to keep the body and mind calm. This helps the body to better respond to stress.

Cure is a great primer to understanding how powerful mind can be for your body. To connect with Jo Marchant or to learn more about Cure, visit www.jomarchant.com.

Another episode you may enjoy

Forever painless with Miranda Esmonde-White

Becoming a certified personal trainer

There are multiple paths to becoming a certified personal trainer. I began my journey as a personal trainer because I wanted to get fit, but I didn’t have the time and availability to work with a trainer or get to the gym. In an effort to learn the skills and apply them to my own life, I chose to take part in the comprehensive certification program offered by the National Academy of Sports Medicine, or NASM. After six months of studying and learning, I was able to sit for the certification exam.

My daughter is also a personal trainer, but her path was a bit different. During college, she took kinesiology courses and acquired her L1 base level certification for CrossFit instructors. She is now studying to attain her certified strength conditioning coach certification.

Though the path to becoming a certified personal trainer can be quite varied, note that not all certifications are equal.

Is one type of certification better than the other? No; it simply comes down to the individual’s preference.

As a personal trainer, it’s more about working with your clients and being an overall good trainer. Here are a few tips in doing so:

1. Aim to teach the client everything you know so that he can move onto something bigger and better. A good trainer should not be striving to be a client’s trainer for life.

2. Focus on what the client wants. It may take time to get the client’s mindset to ease through a progression of what they should achieve.

3. It’s all about the relationship. The trainer and client must get along and communicate well. The relationship is based upon the client’s personal development.

When becoming a certified personal trainer, be choosy about the path that works best for you. A good personal trainer stands out not only because of his education but also because of his soft skills.

Here is the guide on selecting a personal trainer.  You can use this to assess your needs as you work toward this goal.

8 Things to Look for in a Personal Trainer

First Name:

Email:

We respect your email privacy

Powered by AWeber Email Marketing

 

Here is another episode you may enjoy

When to fire your personal trainer

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)

After an intense workout, it’s normal to feel sore or stiff. You may even struggle to move. This is a natural physical reaction to the work you have done called delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS for short.

What causes DOMS? The current popular thought is that when we do resistance style exercise, micro tears are created within the muscle, which allows these muscles to get stronger. Because of this, the autoimmune system often sends signals that we’ve overdone it, which manifests in the soreness we feel.

How can we manage DOMS?

1. Get into a mode of active rest. Though you will want to lay still to avoid the pain, you should actually try to move muscles in full range of motion throughout the day.

2. Drink plenty of water. Stay hydrated and flush out impurities, which will help to maintain your muscles. Make sure you’re getting enough electrolytes such as potassium and sodium.

3. Get an adequate amount of protein. This will help to add muscle and allow you to get stronger.

4. Rest at least 48 hours between exercise sessions. You may be sore, but you are still capable of doing work. You may consider toning down the workout slightly, but there is no need to skip a session if you have rested adequately.

There are smart ways to get fit and improve your physique without experiencing DOMS after every workout. By having a good plan in place and doing everything in moderation, you will be better able to manage delayed onset muscle soreness.

Another episode you may enjoy

Essentials of strength training

Going too hard, too long with Lennard Zinn

Lennard Zinn is a professional frame builder, bike designer, and co-author of a new book entitled, The Haywire Heart. This new book examines the potential impact on the heart when pushing one’s self too hard during the course of exercise.

Though exercise is often viewed as a key to living a healthy life, research has indicated that we can actually go too far during exercise. At a certain point, there is potential for exercise-induced disease, especially concerning the heart.

A competitive cycler, Lennard explained that during one particular race, he noticed his heart rate was extremely high. He decided to get it checked out later in the day and was instructed to go to the ER. Though he was in denial for some time about the issues with his heart, he continued to train and race. Eventually these incidents became so frequent that he needed to stop.

Lennard was experiencing arrhythmias, which is an electrical problem of sorts with one’s heart, that causes an irregular or abnormal rhythm. Symptoms encompass a wide variety, ranging from a racing heart rate to general uneasiness. The most common type of arrhythmia is atrial fibrillation, which can present as a strange feeling in the chest or an erratic heartbeat. This can persist for hours or days and may require medical intervention. Anything that seems out of the ordinary should be evaluated by a medical professional.

To encourage heart health, Lennard recommends adding magnesium to one’s diet, as it is critical for the function of the heart. Other beneficial supplements include CoQ10, baby aspirin, hawthorn, L-carnitine taken with alpha-lipoic acid, and iodine.

To connect with Lennard Zinn or purchase The Haywire Heart, visit www.zinncycles.com.

Another episode you may enjoy

The tao of running | Gary Dudney

11 Foods you should be eating

There are several healthy foods you should include in your diet.

1. Avocado – Has good fats, tastes great, and is a great source of potassium without the sugar.
2. Fish – Should eat at least three to four times per week. Mix varieties and choose wild fish, if possible.
3. Leafy greens – Great source of fiber and nutrients. Choose a large salad with kale or spinach.
4. Nuts – Another source of healthy fats and contributes to brain health. Choose an in the shell nut and crack them open as you eat them.
5. Variety of colors – Choose colorful foods like beets, bell peppers, blueberries and vary the colors of the food you eat regularly.
6. Offal – A great source of nutrition, but difficult for many to eat. Find ways to mix liver or kidney in with other foods you eat.
7. Berries – Those ripened on the vine will have the most nutrition and antioxidants.
8. Dark chocolate – Varieties that are 85% cacao will be lower in sugar. Consume small pieces.
9. Flaxseeds – Choose ground varieties and mix it in with any food.
10. Turmeric – Has many health benefits, including anti-inflammation properties. Eat it with black pepper to improve body’s ability to absorb the nutrients.
11. Water – Drink regularly to stay hydrated and flush toxins out of the body.

Be sure to incorporate some or all of these healthy foods into your regular diet to see a real improvement in your overall health.

Becoming a firebreather with Greg Amundson

Greg Amundson is known as the original firebreather in the CrossFit world. In his new book, Firebreather Fitness, Greg defines a firebreather as one who embraces the trials and tribulations of a great physical challenge and maintains an optimistic energy.

The term firebreather has less to do with the physicality of an athlete, but is more related to his spirit or heart. Both novices and seasoned athletes can embrace the spirit of a firebreather.

In the book, Greg includes exercises with visual representations and written cues. The movement patterns are broken down into four basic sets including:

Open – a full extension of hip and body (example: overhead squat)

Close – at axis of hip (example: crunch)

Push – (example: push up or burpee)

Pull – (example: pull up)

These movements are complementary and can be combined, such as with open and push movements, for example. Greg explains that the movements involve multiple joints and use body weight moving through the same patterns. Elite levels of fitness can be accomplished with just moving our bodies.

Greg also discusses the concept of virtuosity, meaning to do the common uncommonly well. This involves finding one’s self completely aligned and integrated between mind, body, and spirit. Other important concepts include intensity, intention to do one’s best, and consistency. Maintaining fitness is meant to be a lifetime lifestyle. To encourage ongoing forward movement, goal setting can be helpful.

Greg also points out the usefulness of the zone diet. This diet quantifies the food we’re eating in a specific way, which complements the physical exercise. The diet involves sectioning off one’s plate, with a high-quality protein source making up 1/3 (about the size of the palm of your hand) and fruit and vegetable carbohydrates making up the remaining 2/3.

To learn more about Firebreather Fitness, visit www.gregoryamundson.com or www.firebreatherfitness.org.

Another episode you may enjoy

Warrior | Theresa Larsen