We all live in both anticipation and fear of the holidays. Grandmas and Nanas and Nonas and
Great Aunts who can all whip up the best traditional feasts and pinch your cheeks as you eat it.
Unfortunately, you know that their secret ingredients are a 50/50 mix of love and lard. And if
it’s your turn to host this year, you can’t be the person who doesn’t have a full fridge, gallons of
eggnog, and at least a pound of turkey for each of your uncles and cousins. So how do we get
through the holidays without ruining all the work we did the rest of the year?
- Bring Your Own: At any type of party, bring a dish! Most parties I’ve been to are seriously
lacking in salads, fresh veggies, and fruits, so it doesn’t hurt to add some low calorie fare
to the high calorie indulgent foods. Nobody has to know your spinach dip is low calorie.
- Send them Home: If you are hosting the party, a very important action is to send your
guests home with food…don’t even ask; pack it for them and send them home with it.
That way you’re not left with tempting leftovers during the “hangover” period. If you’re
hosting a potluck, do some organized planning ahead of time. If 15 people are coming
over, you don’t need 15 dishes (especially because you know this ends up being at least
five plates of cookies and brownies). Once you have a couple appetizers, a couple side
dishes, and a dessert accounted for, just tell the rest of the people they can bring soft
drinks, plates, napkins, etc.
- Clear the Table: If you’re hosting, serve the meal in courses, clear the table and pack up
the leftovers immediately once everyone’s kind of “done eating” that course. If the
turkey, salad, potatoes, and desserts are all sitting there for three hours, you’re going to
have three servings. The longer it’s in front of you, the more of it you’ll eat.
- Go The Distance: Don’t sit within arm’s reach of the cheese plate. If you have to
stand up, put your drink down, and lean over Aunt Mary to get to them, you’re not
going to have as many.
- Cleaning Crew: Offer to help clean up when dishes need clearing during the meal or
afterwards. If you can spend some time in the sink and suds instead of in front of
whatever’s on the table, not only will you be your mom’s favorite for helping clean up,
you’ll eat a little less.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
Holiday Body Blitz (Part 3 - Meal Protocols)
I’ve designed an extremely effective rapid fat loss meal protocols for you to follow. Stick to it religiously excluding the 10% cheats that you plan for yourself. YOU MUST STICK TO YOUR PLAN. ANYTIME YOU CHEAT NEEDS TO BE PLANNED. DO NOT BREAK THE RULES.
Rapid Fat Loss Meal Protocols
• 2 “Regular meals”
- Protein+greenvegetables+oil/fat
• 2 snacks
- Cheese, nuts, small shake, piece of fruit, greek yogurt or cottage cheese
• 1 “workout meal” within 1 hour after workout
- Protein+greenvegetables+starchy carbs
• Hyper hydration
- 16 ounces of water with each snack, 8 ounces with each meal
• Belly blasting boosting supplements every morning such as a B vitamin supplement and a green tea extract
Rapid Fat Loss Meal Protocols
• 2 “Regular meals”
- Protein+greenvegetables+oil/fat
• 2 snacks
- Cheese, nuts, small shake, piece of fruit, greek yogurt or cottage cheese
• 1 “workout meal” within 1 hour after workout
- Protein+greenvegetables+starchy carbs
• Hyper hydration
- 16 ounces of water with each snack, 8 ounces with each meal
• Belly blasting boosting supplements every morning such as a B vitamin supplement and a green tea extract
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Holiday Body Blitz (Part 2 - Fat Loss Habits)
Before we can get into the real meat of this blog post we need to establish some basic key habits you need to start practicing in order to get ANY results.
Two glasses of water immediately when you wake up: there is nothing more important habitually than hydrating immediately when you wake.
Keep all eating within a 10-12 hour window: There should only be a 10-12 hour window between when you eat your first and last calories of the day. Once that window is closed, so is your mouth.
Eat your first meal when your first hungry: If you wake up at 6am and your not hungry until 9am don’t force food at 7am. Wait until 9am and then start your 10-12 hour window from there.
Don’t let more than 4 hours go without a meal: once you’ve started your 10-12 hour eating window keep all meals within 2-4 hours of each other
Protein and vegetable with every meal: don’t worry I’ll give you ways to eat vegetables that you won’t want to stop eating them!
Plan your cheats for 10% of the time: Let’s face it. You’re going to cheat. It’s inevitable. But only cheat if it’s a planned cheat and limit yourself to 10% of your total snacks and meals. (Example: CHRISTMAS DINNER?) so if you are eating 30 meals and snacks a week then three of those can be cheats.
Zero calorie liquids only: If you have any liquid that has any calories that counts as a cheat. This includes, milk, juice, cream in your coffee, soda (both diet and non diet), alcohol etc.)
Plan Ahead: this is mandatory and only takes 5-20 minutes at the end of the day. Use the protocols in the next post.
Two glasses of water immediately when you wake up: there is nothing more important habitually than hydrating immediately when you wake.
Keep all eating within a 10-12 hour window: There should only be a 10-12 hour window between when you eat your first and last calories of the day. Once that window is closed, so is your mouth.
Eat your first meal when your first hungry: If you wake up at 6am and your not hungry until 9am don’t force food at 7am. Wait until 9am and then start your 10-12 hour window from there.
Don’t let more than 4 hours go without a meal: once you’ve started your 10-12 hour eating window keep all meals within 2-4 hours of each other
Protein and vegetable with every meal: don’t worry I’ll give you ways to eat vegetables that you won’t want to stop eating them!
Plan your cheats for 10% of the time: Let’s face it. You’re going to cheat. It’s inevitable. But only cheat if it’s a planned cheat and limit yourself to 10% of your total snacks and meals. (Example: CHRISTMAS DINNER?) so if you are eating 30 meals and snacks a week then three of those can be cheats.
Zero calorie liquids only: If you have any liquid that has any calories that counts as a cheat. This includes, milk, juice, cream in your coffee, soda (both diet and non diet), alcohol etc.)
Plan Ahead: this is mandatory and only takes 5-20 minutes at the end of the day. Use the protocols in the next post.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Friday, November 30, 2012
Holiday Body Blitz (Part 1 - Introduction)
Congratulations on taking steps towards a better, healthier, happier life and welcome to the Holiday Body Blitz post. Over the next days this blog is going to serve as your go-to guide to burning fat during the holidays.
You see, the reason why I made this program is because without a doubt, the holiday season between Thanksgiving and right after New Year’s is the hardest time of the year to lose weight. There are a few reasons that contribute to this problem:
- No Game plan: the main problem is as simple as that. Not having any set structure of what your going to eat, when your going to eat and how your going to eat. Just by putting a plan in place you will be 10 times more likely to see results than if you just “winged it”.
- Always on the run: this is also the busiest time of the year for most people what with holiday shopping, kids, work deadlines and let’s not forget all the social gatherings.
- Holiday treats: they…..are….EVERYWHERE! Your boss has them on their desk, your co-workers have them on their desk, YOU have them on your desk or maybe in a dish in your living room or a little treat bag in your cupboard. Treats are constantly in your face for the next 40 days and there is little you can do about it.
- Social Gatherings: Work Parties, Friends Parties, Family Parties YOUR Parties…it’s an endless assault of alcohol and food.
So with these key points in mind I set out to design this plan in order to specifically combat every one of those excuses. I say excuses because let’s face it, once I expose the solutions to all of these problems listed above, 90% of people reading this will still use them as excuses to gain weight but they are really just trying to justify their own self-doubt and laziness.
YOU CAN DO THIS. YOU DESERVE THE RESULTS. STAY TUNE FOR MORE POST TO COME.
You see, the reason why I made this program is because without a doubt, the holiday season between Thanksgiving and right after New Year’s is the hardest time of the year to lose weight. There are a few reasons that contribute to this problem:
- No Game plan: the main problem is as simple as that. Not having any set structure of what your going to eat, when your going to eat and how your going to eat. Just by putting a plan in place you will be 10 times more likely to see results than if you just “winged it”.
- Always on the run: this is also the busiest time of the year for most people what with holiday shopping, kids, work deadlines and let’s not forget all the social gatherings.
- Holiday treats: they…..are….EVERYWHERE! Your boss has them on their desk, your co-workers have them on their desk, YOU have them on your desk or maybe in a dish in your living room or a little treat bag in your cupboard. Treats are constantly in your face for the next 40 days and there is little you can do about it.
- Social Gatherings: Work Parties, Friends Parties, Family Parties YOUR Parties…it’s an endless assault of alcohol and food.
So with these key points in mind I set out to design this plan in order to specifically combat every one of those excuses. I say excuses because let’s face it, once I expose the solutions to all of these problems listed above, 90% of people reading this will still use them as excuses to gain weight but they are really just trying to justify their own self-doubt and laziness.
YOU CAN DO THIS. YOU DESERVE THE RESULTS. STAY TUNE FOR MORE POST TO COME.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Three Signs You Need A Diet Break
One of the biggest mistakes that far too many people are making on their diet program is neglecting to consider a diet break. You’re seeing good success and as such, the last thing that you want to consider is stopping.
Or, perhaps you aren’t seeing success – it’s quite the opposite. Try as you might, that weight is just not coming off. You’re frustrated and wondering if you’ll ever be able to attain that dream body that you were going for.
Whatever the case may be, often the biggest way to resolve any dietary problem is to actually take a break. Constant dieting is going to place stress on the body so whether you’re seeing the effects of it already in the form of a plateau or you’re moving along great but are on the verge of suffering from the plateau, a diet break is a must.
Let’s have a look at three signs that indicate that it’s time you took a diet break so that you know precisely what you should be on the look-out for.
You Have Non-Stop Hunger
The very first sign to watch for that would indicate that you need to be taking a diet break is if you have non-stop hunger. When you’ve been on a reduced calorie diet for far too long, the body is going to start sending out signals that it’s time for you to begin eating more food once again.
This is its way of trying to prevent starvation. Hunger increases dramatically and it’s going to take all the effort in the world on your part not to eat.
When hunger seems almost too much to bare, that’s a good signal that it might just be time to give in and take that diet break.
Your Energy Level Has Plummeted
The second signal that a diet break is in order is if your energy level has hit a turn for the worse. This is another defence mechanism that the body has to prevent starvation from occurring. When you’re in an extremely stressed state due to ongoing dieting attempts, your body will try and make sure you’re as sedentary as possible as it just doesn’t have energy to spare.
By making you want to do nothing other than lie on the couch and relax, it accomplishes its objective nicely. Your daily calorie expenditure goes down and the rate of weight loss will decline.
You Aren’t Losing Weight
Finally, the last signal that it’s time for a diet break is if you aren’t losing weight. If you seem to be doing everything right and you are sure that you’re tracking your calories accurately, this is very likely what’s going on.
Your metabolism has slowed down due to that reduced calorie intake and now you’re burning fewer calories than ever.
With this slowed metabolic rate, fat loss also slows, moving you further away from reaching your goal.
So there you have the main signs that it may just be time to take a break from your diet plan. Periodically raising your calories up again for a week or so can do just the trick to get you back seeing the fat loss you’re after and feeling much better as you go about your diet plan.
Or, perhaps you aren’t seeing success – it’s quite the opposite. Try as you might, that weight is just not coming off. You’re frustrated and wondering if you’ll ever be able to attain that dream body that you were going for.
Whatever the case may be, often the biggest way to resolve any dietary problem is to actually take a break. Constant dieting is going to place stress on the body so whether you’re seeing the effects of it already in the form of a plateau or you’re moving along great but are on the verge of suffering from the plateau, a diet break is a must.
Let’s have a look at three signs that indicate that it’s time you took a diet break so that you know precisely what you should be on the look-out for.
You Have Non-Stop Hunger
The very first sign to watch for that would indicate that you need to be taking a diet break is if you have non-stop hunger. When you’ve been on a reduced calorie diet for far too long, the body is going to start sending out signals that it’s time for you to begin eating more food once again.
This is its way of trying to prevent starvation. Hunger increases dramatically and it’s going to take all the effort in the world on your part not to eat.
When hunger seems almost too much to bare, that’s a good signal that it might just be time to give in and take that diet break.
Your Energy Level Has Plummeted
The second signal that a diet break is in order is if your energy level has hit a turn for the worse. This is another defence mechanism that the body has to prevent starvation from occurring. When you’re in an extremely stressed state due to ongoing dieting attempts, your body will try and make sure you’re as sedentary as possible as it just doesn’t have energy to spare.
By making you want to do nothing other than lie on the couch and relax, it accomplishes its objective nicely. Your daily calorie expenditure goes down and the rate of weight loss will decline.
You Aren’t Losing Weight
Finally, the last signal that it’s time for a diet break is if you aren’t losing weight. If you seem to be doing everything right and you are sure that you’re tracking your calories accurately, this is very likely what’s going on.
Your metabolism has slowed down due to that reduced calorie intake and now you’re burning fewer calories than ever.
With this slowed metabolic rate, fat loss also slows, moving you further away from reaching your goal.
So there you have the main signs that it may just be time to take a break from your diet plan. Periodically raising your calories up again for a week or so can do just the trick to get you back seeing the fat loss you’re after and feeling much better as you go about your diet plan.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Head, Heart and Hands Featured Speaker Ernestine Shepherd was a guest on the Anderson Cooper Live Show this past Tuesday.
It is our pleasure to announce that we have arranged to bring Ernestine, who is a world class health, fitness and nutrition expert to our Jamestown Bluffs Library Branch, 4153 N. US Highway 67 on Saturday, November 10th at 1:30 PM for a 90-minute presentation.
Be sure to register and grab yourself a spot for this event. You can log onto www.getfit4christ.org for more info.
In the meantime check out the video below to see who won the push up contest.
Ernestine Shepherd Vs. Anderson Cooper Push Up Contest
Friday, October 26, 2012
This Puts the Zum in Zumba
You can approach Halloween one of two ways.
The first option is to go nuts with all of the eats and treats. The second is to indulge in moderation and offset any extra caloric consumption with a seasonal Halloween Zumba workout.
I recommend the latter... it's a lot more figure friendly! Zumba is exercise in disguise. I like to take it one step further (no pun intended) and add that Zumba is a total body workout that combines upper body, lower body, and core movements into one big bang for your buck workout.
Here is a video of a Zumba routine done by Phylliss that I guarantee will help you burn fat and build muscle in minimal time. I recommend performing this routine at least two times with little to no rest in between for every Halloween treat you eat:
Try it for yourself and have some fun.
And if you would like something a little more challenging with a lot more variety then keep an eye out for a special Zumba Halloween discount :-)
Click here for the video --> This Puts the Zum in Zumba
The first option is to go nuts with all of the eats and treats. The second is to indulge in moderation and offset any extra caloric consumption with a seasonal Halloween Zumba workout.
I recommend the latter... it's a lot more figure friendly! Zumba is exercise in disguise. I like to take it one step further (no pun intended) and add that Zumba is a total body workout that combines upper body, lower body, and core movements into one big bang for your buck workout.
Here is a video of a Zumba routine done by Phylliss that I guarantee will help you burn fat and build muscle in minimal time. I recommend performing this routine at least two times with little to no rest in between for every Halloween treat you eat:
Try it for yourself and have some fun.
And if you would like something a little more challenging with a lot more variety then keep an eye out for a special Zumba Halloween discount :-)
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
5 Ways to Fall Into Fitness
Fall Into Fitness |
“September is second only to January as a time when fitness springs to the top of the to-do list, with gyms and training studios buzzing with activity and motivated new members,” says Rob Williams, a Personal Trainer in Vancouver. “At the same time, family and business commitments seem to increase and the days get shorter and darker.”
Here are my five tips for you to fall into fitness as your already busy schedule cranks up another notch.
1. Don't get caught up in the quick fix - There is no such thing as a quick fix and you're fooling yourself if you think there is. Good things come to those who wait and any health and fitness goals are going to take effort and commitment on your part.
2. Support - When you are trying to get more fit, it is very important to have family and friends supporting you along the way. This means that they need to respect your fitness and health goals and not tempt you into the wrong food choices or try and derail you from your fitness training plan. Remind them how important this is to you and you need their support and encouragement and who knows, they may end of training right along side you.
3. Use variety - The body is very adaptive. Performing the same routine over and over is not only boring, but your body will get used to the routine and quit responding. Change your exercises, the order in which you do them, the number or sets and reps, or change the weights. In one workout you may use weights, another you may use resistance bands, in another, machines. Make every workout different in some way.
4. Record and review - If you don't keep track of your workouts and improvements, how will you know if you're making progress? Whether it's fat loss, building muscle tissue, or just feeling better; keeping a log helps and motivates you to get there. When you see where you were, and where you are, you realize you're making progress!
5. Hire a Personal Trainer - It is proven that having a motivating and positive support system will help you stay with your goals long term. How many times have you started an exercise program and stopped? Remember those New Year's Resolutions? How many have you kept? Was losing weight or eating healthier part of those resolutions that are now on a shelf collecting dust? Do you have multiple pieces of exercise equipment that you bought on an infomercial late at night that you now hang your clothes on collecting dust? Get motivated and use a Personal Trainer to help support you in your life long mission to permanent weight loss and better overall body fitness and health.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Camille Simmons finds two weight loss plans that work
Camille Simmons |
For Camille Simmons rapid weight loss techniques never work, but at MVP she has found two weight loss programs that work. Here's your story.
I have two scriptures that I live by to get me through my weight loss journey. The first is 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, it says “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” The second is Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
I have to first start in the beginning. In 2009 in a quest to have children, I had several blood clots travel to my lungs. Had I laid down that night I may not have lived to see another day. While in the hospital every doctor that came in to see me, told me I should have gastric bypass. In my heart I knew that is not what I needed. I finally went home and was not released to go to work for five months. In that time I became bored and frustrated and that lead to me eating even more. Before I knew it I reached my all time high of 360 pounds. I felt my life was truly out of control and I didn’t quite know how to get out of it. I knew what the Word of God said, but it did not stick. I really couldn’t see it.
I had a very good friend who kept telling me about a boot camp that she found and how much she loved it. She would ask me to go and of course I just had to turn her down. You see I had a really defeated mindset. I could never imagine myself ever trying to do somebody’s exercise class let alone boot camp. Come on I was 360 pounds and oh so out of shape. I didn’t want to get out there and embarrass myself. I looked for every excuse to turn her down.
In late 2010 my friend finally convinced me to go. She said she had already paid and I had no excuse. Needless to say I went… I walked out onto the track that hot August day to meet Lyle Johnson and to begin my journey with MVP fitness. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. The first thing he told us to do was to run the track. I was stunned. All I kept thinking was “He has got to be kidding. It’s hot out here and I have not had to run in about 30 years. I’m clumsy and I’m going to fall and embarrass myself. I’m not going to make it. Guess what I didn’t make it. I think I ran about 30 steps and I was ready to turn around and head for my car. I starting walking trying not to cry out of frustration, embarrassment as l looked over and saw that everyone else was finished and I was only half way. About three fourths of the way I was finished, I could go no further. Lyle walked over to me and asked me if I needed him to drag the bench over to me so I could sit down. I did not know what to say. I just knew if I said yes he was going to yell at me and say things that I really didn’t want to hear. He did like he said and went to finish class. There was no yelling or fussing at me. I was relieved. I sat trying to figure out a way to get the energy to get back to the end of the track to get my keys and belongings. I was praying for God to give me a way to pay my friend back so I did not have to endure this. When class was over I wanted to cry so bad but my friend wouldn’t let me. I waited till I got in my car and had a big temper tantrum and cried like a baby.
I had every intention not to go back, I did not care who was mad at me. I wanted no part of boot camp. A few days later Lyle called me to see if I was ok and to encourage me to come back. Dang… how could I say NO now! I came back and by the end of summer I was not running but I was at least able to walk at least one lap around the track. Praise God, I was surely improving.
MVP Fitness has been truly a blessing. Lyle has even given me one on one classes for free to help me reach my goals, just because he cares. When we finally moved indoors Lyle introduced us to Kettlebells. Oh happy days! I fell in love with the class. I truly believe that God gave that vision to Lyle just for me. It has truly changed my mindset about going to boot camp. It has resulted in the biggest transition in my journey. I have something that I want to go to. I hate to miss a class and I get mad when it happens. I have had trials and tribulations along the way, but I will not be stopped. When things get rough I pray and give 100 percent, because that is all that has been asked of me.
Now with prayer,MVP, working at adopting a healthy eating lifestyle and a vision to be fit and healthy I am around 80 pounds down. I have made huge strides in my life because I feel better about myself and have gained more confidence. I was able to wear my wedding ring that I had not been able to wear for years. I applied for and got a new job with better pay and hours. I’m able to talk to people with more confidence. I even added Zumba in after class on Saturdays.
I have received so much encouragement from my husband, my good friend Deena Sneed who gave me the push I needed and to Lyle and his wife Phylliss that words cannot express.
My journey is not over. I have a long way to go, but I know that every day I am just that much closer. My goal is to “Get Fit For Christ” to be a light. Along the way God has given me a vision to be an example to the body of Christ, to live a healthy lifestyle and to show that He will work with you no matter where you are. So my question is what you are waiting for. “With man this is impossible but with God all things are possible.” Matt 19: 26. It’s time to take care of the temple of The Holy Spirit!
P.S. I am now running some of the track. I plan on being able to run the whole thing by summer’s end!
A Motivational Message from Jackie Joyner Kersee
Jackie Joyner Kersee is considered the Greatest Female Athlete of All Time. But your journey was not an easy one. Listen to her message and find out how she clear several of life hurdles.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Fitness and Age
On Oct 21st I will be 51 years old. While others my age are looking for rapid weight loss techinues and taking lipotropic injections for weight loss, I'm discovering the older I get the more serious I get about maintaining my level of fitness. My personal trainer once told me “you're certainly arguably the most athletic clients I've trained to date. That includes pro athletes in their 20s!”
While it is generally true that fitness level decline with age after about age thirty-five, it
is not an absolute. Getting older does not necessitate feeling older, losing strength and vitality,or limiting physical activities. Most people know someone aged seventy or older who continues o participate in physically challenging activities like weight lifting, bicycling, golf, tennis,
or jogging. For example, 75-year old body builder Ernestine Shepherd has made news worldwide with your lifestyle. Shepherd is in better shape than most people, decades her junior. Up at 3 a.m. every morning, she spends her days running, lifting weights and working out. She also works as a certified personal trainer at her gym.
There are a variety of prevalent age-related fitness myths, and Dr. Kenneth Cooper
exposes them in his book, Faith-Based Fitness. Many people believe exercising after age forty
is dangerous, but there is no support for this myth, as long as older continuing or beginning
exercisers have regular medical checkups. In fact, evidence shows that those who fail to exercise
are at greater risk than those who exercise regularly.
The average person loses between 30 - 40 percent of his muscle mass during his lifetime,
but the reason is because most people become less active and less fit as they age. It is commonly
thought that increasing muscle mass after age sixty is impossible, but muscle can be added at any
age with strength training. Cooper teaches that strength training leads to significant increases in
muscle size and strength and in functional mobility, even among nursing home residents up to
ninety-six years old. Likewise, people who engage in regular endurance exercise can maintain a
high aerobic capacity from age forty to about age seventy. It is only in the seventies and eighties
that older athletes normally begin to experience declines in aerobic ability, but even at late ages,
those who continue to train can remain remarkably fit.
Myths may be more about laziness than age-related fears. Research shows that people as
old as one hundred can dramatically increase their strength, improve their balance, restore bone
density, moderate diabetes, and diminish joint pain in just a few weeks of weight training. The
minute a person starts sweating, whether he is twenty or ninety, he elevates his heart rate, his
arteries get more flexible, and his blood pressure is lowered, thereby lowering the risk of heart
disease and stroke. For hours after exercise, bodies are more sensitive to insulin, keeping sugar
levels in check and reducing the risk of diabetes.
Herschel Walker is a great, modern example of the myths of age’s affect on fitness.
Walker won the 1982 Heisman Trophy (presented annually to the top college football player in
America) and was a world class sprinter at the University of Georgia from 1980– 1982. He
played professional football from 1983-1997, and competed in the 1992 Winter Olympics as a
bobsledder.76 On January 30, 2010, at age forty-seven, Walker competed in his first professional
Mixed Martial Arts fight. Critics ridiculed him for entering the sport at such an advanced age,
and concerns for his health were daily topics on national sports shows. Despite all the negativity,
Walker knocked out twenty-six year old Greg Nagy in a dominating performance.
Because of his age, Walker had to endure a battery of tests to be sanctioned to fight.
Allen Fields, chief physician for the Florida Boxing Commission that also oversees MMA
sanctioning, said that not only did Walker pass the most strenuous of all medical athletic tests,
but he produced the highest cardiac stress test score of anyone ever tested by his facility. Fields
said that Walker was in “as fine a shape as Muhammad Ali or any of these people we’ve had the care of.
This guy is 47 going on 22, as far as his physical fitness goes.”78 Like all world class
athletes, Walker is an anomaly. But unlike most world class athletes, Walker has maintained his
fitness as he has aged. Mike Tyson and Bo Jackson are contemporaries of Walker, and at this
stage of their lives, they look like any other middle-aged, overweight man. Everyone has the
choice to age like Walker, or to age like Tyson and Jackson.
Fitness and Age |
While it is generally true that fitness level decline with age after about age thirty-five, it
is not an absolute. Getting older does not necessitate feeling older, losing strength and vitality,or limiting physical activities. Most people know someone aged seventy or older who continues o participate in physically challenging activities like weight lifting, bicycling, golf, tennis,
or jogging. For example, 75-year old body builder Ernestine Shepherd has made news worldwide with your lifestyle. Shepherd is in better shape than most people, decades her junior. Up at 3 a.m. every morning, she spends her days running, lifting weights and working out. She also works as a certified personal trainer at her gym.
There are a variety of prevalent age-related fitness myths, and Dr. Kenneth Cooper
exposes them in his book, Faith-Based Fitness. Many people believe exercising after age forty
is dangerous, but there is no support for this myth, as long as older continuing or beginning
exercisers have regular medical checkups. In fact, evidence shows that those who fail to exercise
are at greater risk than those who exercise regularly.
The average person loses between 30 - 40 percent of his muscle mass during his lifetime,
but the reason is because most people become less active and less fit as they age. It is commonly
thought that increasing muscle mass after age sixty is impossible, but muscle can be added at any
age with strength training. Cooper teaches that strength training leads to significant increases in
muscle size and strength and in functional mobility, even among nursing home residents up to
ninety-six years old. Likewise, people who engage in regular endurance exercise can maintain a
high aerobic capacity from age forty to about age seventy. It is only in the seventies and eighties
that older athletes normally begin to experience declines in aerobic ability, but even at late ages,
those who continue to train can remain remarkably fit.
Myths may be more about laziness than age-related fears. Research shows that people as
old as one hundred can dramatically increase their strength, improve their balance, restore bone
density, moderate diabetes, and diminish joint pain in just a few weeks of weight training. The
minute a person starts sweating, whether he is twenty or ninety, he elevates his heart rate, his
arteries get more flexible, and his blood pressure is lowered, thereby lowering the risk of heart
disease and stroke. For hours after exercise, bodies are more sensitive to insulin, keeping sugar
levels in check and reducing the risk of diabetes.
Herschel Walker is a great, modern example of the myths of age’s affect on fitness.
Walker won the 1982 Heisman Trophy (presented annually to the top college football player in
America) and was a world class sprinter at the University of Georgia from 1980– 1982. He
played professional football from 1983-1997, and competed in the 1992 Winter Olympics as a
bobsledder.76 On January 30, 2010, at age forty-seven, Walker competed in his first professional
Mixed Martial Arts fight. Critics ridiculed him for entering the sport at such an advanced age,
and concerns for his health were daily topics on national sports shows. Despite all the negativity,
Walker knocked out twenty-six year old Greg Nagy in a dominating performance.
Because of his age, Walker had to endure a battery of tests to be sanctioned to fight.
Allen Fields, chief physician for the Florida Boxing Commission that also oversees MMA
sanctioning, said that not only did Walker pass the most strenuous of all medical athletic tests,
but he produced the highest cardiac stress test score of anyone ever tested by his facility. Fields
said that Walker was in “as fine a shape as Muhammad Ali or any of these people we’ve had the care of.
This guy is 47 going on 22, as far as his physical fitness goes.”78 Like all world class
athletes, Walker is an anomaly. But unlike most world class athletes, Walker has maintained his
fitness as he has aged. Mike Tyson and Bo Jackson are contemporaries of Walker, and at this
stage of their lives, they look like any other middle-aged, overweight man. Everyone has the
choice to age like Walker, or to age like Tyson and Jackson.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Head, Heart and Hands Seminar to be Held in Florissant
Head, Heart and Hands Seminar will be held in Florissant, Missouri on Saturday, November 10, 2012 at the Jamestown Bluffs Library from 1:30-3:00. The event is geared towards providing people with valuable and information on how to take good care of their health.
In general, the said seminar will address the fitness, health and nutritional issues faced by both men and women of all ages, sizes and shapes. The organizers of the seminar are confident that both couch potatoes and extreme athletes will benefit from the knowledge and information to be shared by the speakers.
The seminar will feature 75-year old body builder, Ernestine Shepherd. She is one of the oldest competitive female bodybuilders in the world, declared by the Guinness Book of World Records. Currently, Shepherd leads the exercise classes for seniors at the Union Memorial United Methodist Church in Baltimore, and works as a personal trainer. In her bodybuilding career, she has won 2 titles and run 9 marathons.
In the seminar, Shepherd is expected to discuss all the things about longevity and optimum health secrets. She is also expected to share her experiences and routine as a bodybuilder not just to inform the audience, but to inspire them as well.
Apart from Shepherd, Dwayne Bess and Lyle Johnson will also share their expertise in fitness and health. Bess is an acclaimed author of The Perpetual Hand. He has also appeared and received coverage on The Bernie Hays Show, Essence Magazine, KPLR, ABC, FOX and other media outlets that speak on topics about creating a selfless and positive life and personal protection of ladies. Bess is highly regarded as a speaker who shoots straight from the hip, so he is expected to inspire others with his speech.
On the other hand, Johnson is the CEO of St. Louis-based MVP Fitness and the author of the book entitled “Get Fit 4 Christ”. He is considered as a force in the fitness industry due to his wide background in competitive athletics coupled with his knowledge of personal fitness training. With his long years of experience in the fitness and health industry, he is expected to provide the audience with tips and information that they can use and apply on their everyday life.
For more details about the Head, Heart and Hands Seminar, visit their website at http://getfit4christlive.com/ or call them at 314-831-7505.
In general, the said seminar will address the fitness, health and nutritional issues faced by both men and women of all ages, sizes and shapes. The organizers of the seminar are confident that both couch potatoes and extreme athletes will benefit from the knowledge and information to be shared by the speakers.
The seminar will feature 75-year old body builder, Ernestine Shepherd. She is one of the oldest competitive female bodybuilders in the world, declared by the Guinness Book of World Records. Currently, Shepherd leads the exercise classes for seniors at the Union Memorial United Methodist Church in Baltimore, and works as a personal trainer. In her bodybuilding career, she has won 2 titles and run 9 marathons.
In the seminar, Shepherd is expected to discuss all the things about longevity and optimum health secrets. She is also expected to share her experiences and routine as a bodybuilder not just to inform the audience, but to inspire them as well.
Apart from Shepherd, Dwayne Bess and Lyle Johnson will also share their expertise in fitness and health. Bess is an acclaimed author of The Perpetual Hand. He has also appeared and received coverage on The Bernie Hays Show, Essence Magazine, KPLR, ABC, FOX and other media outlets that speak on topics about creating a selfless and positive life and personal protection of ladies. Bess is highly regarded as a speaker who shoots straight from the hip, so he is expected to inspire others with his speech.
On the other hand, Johnson is the CEO of St. Louis-based MVP Fitness and the author of the book entitled “Get Fit 4 Christ”. He is considered as a force in the fitness industry due to his wide background in competitive athletics coupled with his knowledge of personal fitness training. With his long years of experience in the fitness and health industry, he is expected to provide the audience with tips and information that they can use and apply on their everyday life.
For more details about the Head, Heart and Hands Seminar, visit their website at http://getfit4christlive.com/ or call them at 314-831-7505.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Fat loss tips for Moms
Mother’s Day has past and I thought I’d share some quick fat loss tips for moms.
Not like moms need tips. Being a mom is way tougher than burning fat (once you have a game plan set in place that is.) I feel like any woman who can give birth and raise a child definitely has the strength to change their own body, but so many moms are used to putting all the focus on their kids that they forget how to invest any time in THEMSELVES!!!! Anyway if you’re a mom who could use some, “me time” Why not get that self-focused alone time while using some of these tips to burn fat?
Tip #1 - Plan out your day (the night before). A lot of my clients who are moms literally can’t get anything done for themselves in a simple day unless they write it down and plan when they are doing it the night before. It’s too easy to fall into “carpool” or “errand running” mode and before you know it, its 3pm
and you’re starving because you haven’t eaten yet.
Tip #2 - Ditch the long boring cardio. When it comes to exercise the last thing you should be doing to burn fat is long bouts of cardio. Cardio training has been shown to increase oxidative stress on the body, which can increase the speed of aging and it pumps your cortisol hormone through the roof which is a stress hormone. The last thing any mom wants is to look older faster and induce more stress than they already have.
Tip #3 - Do full body strength workouts. The bodybuilder type split muscle routines that the Joe Black trainer is doing at your local big franchise gym is not going to get you your pre-kid body back. You need to focus on doing upper body, lower body and full body movements that give you a high caloric burn as well as work more of your muscles in less time.
Tip #4 - Ditch the baby weight. Chances are you’re probably a lot stronger than you think. Lifting heavier weights is the only way to get stronger, it produces a ton of fat burning hormones and it burns a lot more calories than “toning” movements with light weights.
Not like moms need tips. Being a mom is way tougher than burning fat (once you have a game plan set in place that is.) I feel like any woman who can give birth and raise a child definitely has the strength to change their own body, but so many moms are used to putting all the focus on their kids that they forget how to invest any time in THEMSELVES!!!! Anyway if you’re a mom who could use some, “me time” Why not get that self-focused alone time while using some of these tips to burn fat?
Tip #1 - Plan out your day (the night before). A lot of my clients who are moms literally can’t get anything done for themselves in a simple day unless they write it down and plan when they are doing it the night before. It’s too easy to fall into “carpool” or “errand running” mode and before you know it, its 3pm
and you’re starving because you haven’t eaten yet.
Tip #2 - Ditch the long boring cardio. When it comes to exercise the last thing you should be doing to burn fat is long bouts of cardio. Cardio training has been shown to increase oxidative stress on the body, which can increase the speed of aging and it pumps your cortisol hormone through the roof which is a stress hormone. The last thing any mom wants is to look older faster and induce more stress than they already have.
Tip #3 - Do full body strength workouts. The bodybuilder type split muscle routines that the Joe Black trainer is doing at your local big franchise gym is not going to get you your pre-kid body back. You need to focus on doing upper body, lower body and full body movements that give you a high caloric burn as well as work more of your muscles in less time.
Tip #4 - Ditch the baby weight. Chances are you’re probably a lot stronger than you think. Lifting heavier weights is the only way to get stronger, it produces a ton of fat burning hormones and it burns a lot more calories than “toning” movements with light weights.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Three Ways to Stop Procrastination
One of the most common problems when it comes to starting an exercise program is procrastination. We know what we want to do and should do. But still we end up making all kinds of excuses and spending hours upon hours watching TV, surfing the internet or listening to music.
Now, nothing wrong with an escape from time to time, but if you procrastinate too much you will not reach your fitness goals. Soon you will find yourself gaining more weight and also send yourself into negative spirals where your self-esteem takes a nose dive and you spend your days in a negative funk with no results.
So what can you do? Here are three simple tips to help you to stop procrastinating and start living your life more fully.
1. Stop thinking. Start doing.
A bit of planning can certainly help you to achieve your weight loss goals. A lot of planning and thinking tends to have the opposite effect.
By over thinking you tend to put things off because you are not only trying to protect yourself from the muscle pain that you will experience when you first start your exercise program. You also make mountains out of molehills because you are dwelling on it. And so it expands in your mind. And since you are putting it off you are probably thinking about it in a negative way. This makes a little thing a big giant, a horrible beast that is threatening to ruin your health.
Often you don’t even have to plan, you have been there before and you know what needs to be done. So stop thinking and just do it no matter how you feel and what you think.
2. Just take the first step.
Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
When you start to look at how much weight you want to lose it can seem close to impossible. You begin to shut down because you become overwhelmed and start eating more and more.
You should just focus on taking the first step. That is all you need to focus on, nothing else. By taking the first step you change your mental state from procrastination to “hey, I’m working out and I feel good”. You put yourself in state where you become more positive and open minded a state where you gain enthusiasm because you are making progress.
3. Finish it.
Not taking the first step to start your exercise program can make you feel bad. But not finishing what you have started can also leave you in a sort of negative funk. You feel sluggish or stressed and sometimes you don’t even know why. It’s like someone zapped your inner power. Once you start commit to it. Ask yourself what’s more important to you – Going out to a fast food restaurant and eating 800 calorie or going to Zumba class and burning 800 calories? The former might bring you some temporal gratification, but the latter is what truly gives you satisfaction. The rewards you get from doing the latter are rewards which you’ll continue to reap long afterward. Remember always finish strong, if you fail, try and try again, never give up!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
MVP Fitness Opens In St. Peters
MVP Fitness is pleased to announce it has opened a brand new studio at 235 Jungermann - Old Mills Plaza in St. Peters. Working with the St. Louis-based firm of McKelvey Properties, MVP Fitness will develop a 2,400 sq. ft. exercise studio. With construction finally completed, the studio opened for business on January 2nd.
MVP Fitness, opened its first location on May 5, 2005. Since then, it has help hundreds of clients reach their fitness and weight loss goals through seminars and fitness programs training them to go from where they are to where they dream to be. Clients initially come to MVP Fitness seeking weight loss and ultimately reclaim their lives by gaining energy, improving strength, building new-found confidence, reducing pain, eliminating medication, and the amazing side effect of achieving the body they desire.
“We are very excited to open up another studio in St. Peters,” said Lyle Johnson, studio owner. “We believe our fitness classes which include Athletic Boot Camp, Zumba and Kettlebell will be a great addition to St. Peters.”
"The new location in St. Peters will give clients a chance to experience the type of results other clients have received from our North County location for the last six years and that is helping clients get in shape and motivating them to achieve their own personal physical fitness goals."
MVP Fitness, opened its first location on May 5, 2005. Since then, it has help hundreds of clients reach their fitness and weight loss goals through seminars and fitness programs training them to go from where they are to where they dream to be. Clients initially come to MVP Fitness seeking weight loss and ultimately reclaim their lives by gaining energy, improving strength, building new-found confidence, reducing pain, eliminating medication, and the amazing side effect of achieving the body they desire.
“We are very excited to open up another studio in St. Peters,” said Lyle Johnson, studio owner. “We believe our fitness classes which include Athletic Boot Camp, Zumba and Kettlebell will be a great addition to St. Peters.”
"The new location in St. Peters will give clients a chance to experience the type of results other clients have received from our North County location for the last six years and that is helping clients get in shape and motivating them to achieve their own personal physical fitness goals."
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