It is that time again.  The time for another season of American Idol.  The one thing that I am always reminded about when I watch young performers, is their determination to "make it".  For each of them I think their idea of success may differ.  Some want to be a star, some just want to be able to write and perform their music and be able to support themselves.  But, the one common thread that flows through every successful person whether it be the music industry, business or fitting into a bathing suit for summer, is the relentless determination and focus that they put forth. 

These people have a goal in mind.  They know what they want to achieve.  They may not always know exactly how to get there.  And, they do not achieve their goals alone.  There may be derailments along the way, obstacles in their path and they may lose sight of their vision at times.  No one who has succeeded in their chosen field has done it without sacrifice and pain.  But, the difference between achieving your goal and not, is
the ability to pick yourself up, brush off the dirt and start again. 

For everything we do in life, there are ups and downs.  There are always new challenges to face when trying to achieve a goal.  It is how you face these challenges that will make the difference.  I have certainly had my challenges the last 9 years.  Walking away from a secure Nursing job to follow my dream of opening my own business was at times terrifying.  I had many challenges along the way and I made a lot of mistakes.  But, I never looked at mistakes as something bad.  I looked at each mistake as a learning experience.  I know, it sounds corny.  But, most mistakes are what you make them.  I have always tried to turn each error in judgment, each mistake into something positive.  What can I learn from this?  How can I prevent from repeating this?  Instead of creating negativity, I try to turn lapses, errors in judgement into a positive lesson.  And, I think this can be carried over into almost every aspect of your life.

Success or failure, and life in general is what we want it to be.   Turn negatives into positives.  Don't let anyone or anything derail you from your path.  You are in control so make it happen.

Till next time,
Narina
"Monitoring, Mentoring, Motivation"

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Today's topic came about as I was reading some articles/blogs from other trainers/coaches.  It seems the same questions come up over and over, and fitness professionals all over are answering the same questions.  I thought I would address some of them here.  We have certainly talked about a lot of these items in past newsletters, so it may be a reminder to some of you.

1) Women Will Not Get Bulky Lifting Weights:

It amazes me people still believe this old myth.  I would think with all the literature out now and how common strength training has become for women, this fallacy would have disappeared.   Let me reiterate one more time – women will not get big and bulky from lifting weights unless that is what they specifically want to do.  It takes hours and hours of very heavy weights with lots and lots of volume to pack any muscular weight on a female frame.  It just is not physiologically possible with general fitness programs.   With general fitness populations and even most sport specific training, there is simply not the workload necessary to create that physique.  If I see one more woman in the public gym doing squats while holding a 3-5 lb dumbbell, I won't be responsible for my action.  So, let's put that myth to bed once and for all.  If you are weight training three times per week with emphasis on total body movements, you will not get bulky.  End of story!

2) Low Calorie Diets Don't Work:

Human beings require a certain amount of kilocalories daily just to keep our bodies functioning.  All our cells require nutrients to survive.  Drastically cutting calories to under 1000 calories  a day, not only will stall any weight loss attempts but is dangerous to your health over the long term.  There are certain weight loss clinics that advocate very low (700-800 calorie) diets.  Along with the very low calories, they advocate vitamin shots and no exercise while you are on their program – does it make you wonder just how healthy the program can be?  As a minimum, take your weight in pounds, multiply by 10, and that is the minimum calories you should consume per day. Example, a 150 pound person would eat 1500 calories/day minimum.

3) Let's forget the "Fat Burning Zone"

On most cardio machines today, you will still see the graphs depicting heart rate training zones.  This is another example of  old technology and outdated science.  It is amazing how many trainers are still coaching aerobic sessions to be in the 60-70% heart training zone.    It is not that the "FBZ" doesn't have a place.  It most certainly does.  It is a great start for those that are new exercise and especially if you are new to aerobic style
workouts and not accustomed to interval training.  Low training thresholds can also be beneficial for recovery workouts.  But, if you have an exercise history and are accustomed to working out, then the FBZ is not the most beneficial form of aerobic training.  For fat/weight loss, aerobic workouts should be high intensity and short.  Heart rates should be in the 85-95% of MHR and done in an interval style with a very short, high intense portion followed immediately by a lower intensity recovery portion.  For example, 30 sec to 1 minute high intensity followed by 2 minutes recovery, repeated for 20 -30 minutes. – Workout done!  Please remember also that aerobic training or cardio work (more correct phrase would be "conditioning work") does not have to entail a treadmill, elliptical or any other typical cardio machine.  Some examples of conditioning workouts could encompass kettlebell swings, jump squats, skipping rope, mountain climbers.  There is a endless variety of exercises that could be strung together to make up a conditioning workout.  Conditioning workouts are all about the intensity and getting your heart rate elevated. 

To recap today's newsletter:  Don't be afraid of lifting weights.   Eat a healthy diet with adequate calories.  High Intense Cardio Conditioning = mean, lean body built for summer shorts and t-shirts.

Till next time,
Narina

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As the New Year starts to unfold, here are some hints to making a healthier you!  Enjoy.

1.  Get adequate sleep.
2. Take time for yourself – pampering is ok!
3. Limit or eliminate foods with ingredients ending in "ose" eg fructose, sucrose, sucralose….
4. Eat breakfast everyday.
5. Ensure adequate protein daily – .8 grams per pound of body weight.
6. If at a desk job – get up and move once 2 hours
7. Include neck stretches into your daily regime; especially if you sit at a computer.
8. Find a good book, relax and read.
9. Delegate responsibilities, especially household chores.
10. Try to get in extra exercise each day – park in the corner of the mall parking lot, walk up an extra flight of stairs, make extra loads to carry in groceries.  Try to find ways to add a  few extra steps to your day.
11. Eat at least 5 servings of fresh vegetables daily.
12. Eliminate your intake of junk food.
13. Eat fresh fruit instead of drinking fruit juice.
14. Include some hand/forearm stretches while out for a daily walk.
15. Don't miss workouts, minimum 3 times per week whether at a gym or at home.
16. Hug your significant other, just because.
17. Workout hard, workout short and go home.
18. Avoid negativity; surround yourself with positive.
19. Make sure you eat adequate calories – starvation and low calorie diets don't work.
20. Include stretches after every workout, whether strength workout or cardio.
21. Tissue preparation (foam roller work) and warm ups are vital to safe workouts and injury prevention.
23. Use sunscreen; take care of your skin; prevent skin cancer.

Your body is like a garden; tend it well and it will blossom beautiful.

Till next time,

Narina

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