Does a stylist or trainer have to look the part?

For many, when a hair stylist, personal trainer or beauty consultant doesn't look the part, it's a deal-breaker. Some believe their appearance is their business card.

We've all heard professionals dispense advice on how we should take better care of ourselves.

Your stylist gets on you about your damaged hair. Your dentist flogs you about flossing. Your doctor wants you to lose a few pounds – and your dermatologist is sick of your picking.

But what if those nags aren't exactly practicing what they preach? Should you turn tail and run if, for example, your personal trainer is kind of pudgy? Should you dread getting a haircut from a stylist who wears her hair in dyed-blue dreadlocks?

I feel you have to represent what you are selling. I am selling wellness and fitness, so I have to look like I know what I'm talking about.

In my line of work, I'm selling the benefits of exercise. When it comes to the business of beauty, what you see goes a very long way – and that includes personal trainers. The natural reaction is to balk at a flabby fitness guru and follow the recommendations of the trainer with the chiseled abs.

However, some overweight clients may feel more comfortable talking to a trainer who is also carrying around a few extra pounds.

If you're someone who's never gotten off the couch and sees a trainer who's lost 50 or 100 pounds up there doing a Zumba class, you're going to get motivated but you still have to make sure they know what they are doing when it comes to training you.

On the flipside, being lean and muscular isn't the only measure of stamina or fitness ability.

There are a lot of trainers that look amazing who are clueless. I think a general rule of thumb is to look at what type of fitness level you are trying to achieve, and make sure the person you choose can 'walk the walk and talk the talk.' You want to find someone that looks good and has the experience to make you feel energized, healthy and balanced.

On the other hand, hair and fashion stylists don't have the same problems when it comes to how they look. Anyone who has seen the frightful outfits worn by aspiring "Project Runway" designers, or the ghastly hairdos sported by stylists on shows like "Shear Genius," knows that even the most eccentric artists can produce mainstream looks. Their trendy customers get it and they trust.

Hair and fashion stylists are a lot more creative and frankly, get most of their referrals from people that like their clients hair, not their own.

7 Tips to Give You a Jump Start

Being physically active is the initial step to living a strong life! Here's seven tips to help you achieve your quest to a healthier and fitter you!

1. Commit for 30 Days – Begin by make a undertaking to exercise every day for a month. This will jump start the habit of exericing.

2. Don’t Break the Habit – The easiest way to keep things going is simply not to stop. Avoid long breaks and don't give up, remember exercising leads to more benefits in the long run.

3. Start Small – Trying to run fifteen miles on your first day isn’t a great way to begin a habit. Work next your ability is the right way to start your habit. Otherwise you may shock yourself off after a heartless workout.

4. Start Slow – Over time, work up to 30 to 60 mins of activity, at least 5 days a week. If you can’t work at a full 30 mins to exercise, break your routine up into three 10-minute intervals to reach your goal.

5. Create a Ritual – Your exercise goal should burn inside you so much that it becomes a ritual. Make an appointment to workout each and every day.

6. Add Variety – Try not to take long breaks (no more than three days off) on a exercise activity. Find a form of exericse that you enjoy. That way, exercise will never appear tedious or routine.

7. Find a Buddy to Exercise With – Exercise may be fun if you have someone to share your thoughts with while you workout. Statistics show that people who exercise with a buddy are more successful at reaching their goals. You can also keep each other accountable.

Here's The Best Core Exericse

There are many ways to burn fat and sculpt a flat, sexy stomach. But with the media and all of the garbage on the market today, what is true and what is a myth? Can I really get a model's body by dong the "shake weight" for 6 minutes per day? My answer to this question is "no", and here is why....

The absolute best core exercise is super simple. It's the plank. A simple "push-up" position except on the elbows and you hold. That's it. Of course there are numerous variations on the plank to make it easier or harder. But the absolute best core exercise (when done correctly) is the plank.

Just remember to keep your butt down, back straight and hold for as long as you can hold!

Insider Training brings fitness seminar to Quad Cities

Insider Training, Inc. is a metabolic profiling company and a leader in the Twin Cities with helping people better understand and maintain their metabolism. They are bringing their Fitness Independence Boot Camp to the Quad Cities on July 1-3, 2011. This high energy, entertaining fitness seminar will be held at the Holiday Inn Rock Island, 226 17th Street in Rock Island, Ill.

Insider Training's Fitness Independence Boot Camp seminar is complete with education, fitness assessments, and live group exercise training sessions. Exercise training with hip-hop, soul, jazz, classic rock, and gospel music. Group Fitness Classes include: 40+ Groove, Hip-Hop Generation, Singles Groove, Stretch to Live, Gospel Goodness, Boomer Fitness, and Youth Sports Conditioning.

In addition, there are education sessions, music, dancing and exercise—plus learning to improve your health and fitness with the latest research in the fitness industry. The featured presenter is Chris Dixon, M.Ed., AARP featured speaker at the 2010 Essence Music Festival, ACE, ACSM Certified Personal Trainer and NSCA Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist.

The fitness seminar kicks off on Friday afternoon with a free community health fair and seminar then Friday evening join them for a networking/social hour. Saturday morning begins with fitness education and group exercise training sessions. Return Sunday morning for more fitness education and group exercise training sessions. Sunday concludes with give-aways and raffles for seminar attendees.

Register for the event at www.insidertrainingfitness.com and receive an Insider Training Metabolic Profile ($115 value) to help you better understand your metabolism. Early registration by June 16 is $20.00 with per session bundle of 3 classes is $45.00. After June 16, registration is $25.00. Spectators are welcome for $7.00 per session or a weekend pass for $20.00. Email qcbootcamp@insidertrainingfitness.com with questions.

How to Boost Natural Fat Loss

As a trainer, I find that many clients are willing to put in the fitness and exercise component while struggling with the nutrition component of their health program. If you experience the same thing, this article is for you.

It is important to realize that nutrition plays a bigger role in fat and weight loss than exercise and physical training. There are many ways to boost metabolism and working with a personal trainer will help you to incorporate as many strategies as possible into your daily routine.

The following are a few techniques to boost your fat loss efforts:

Engage in aerobic exercise for 30-60 minutes MOST days of the week and an additional 15-30 minutes in the afternoon/evening. My peers in the fitness industry may suggest less time per week but I find that the body is designed to be active daily and maintaining a strong workout schedule boosts the metabolism. Always remember that you can break your workouts into shorter sessions to meet your schedule and personal obligations.

When exercising, use interval training and weight training sessions at least three times a week. Both techniques push the body to use carbohydrate and fat stores in the body. Weight training also builds lean muscle mass which increases your metabolism.

If you are performing weight training and cardiovascular exercise in the same day, weight train first because it will burn carbohydrates for the first 30 minutes so that the calories you burn during cardiovascular exercise will come from fat.

Always look for ways to be active throughout the day. Walking up the stairs instead of using elevators and walking as much as possible throughout the day will add up to meet your fitness goals.

Exercise in the morning when you can because it will help to control your appetite all day long and decrease food cravings.

Do not hold your breath and breathe deeply during exercise because your body needs oxygen to effectively burn fat and boost your metabolism.

Once you have the fitness component in place, you should take a look at your dietary habits to boost your metabolism.

First of all, drink water, water, and more water. Drinking cold water throughout the day actually encourages your body to get rid of excess water, increases your body’s core temperature which stimulates your metabolism and promotes cleansing of the body.

Always eat breakfast and eat 5-6 smaller meals a day (every 3 hours).

Eat the majority of your calories earlier in the day when your body is active and able to burn more calories than during sleep.

Avoid empty-calorie foods and beverages like sodas or alcohol which dehydrate your body, slow your metabolism, do not satisfy your hunger, and add to the calories you have to burn later.

Whether you want to boost your metabolism to increase fat burn or boost overall energy, make sure you consult a professional like myself and gradually incorporate the tips I am sharing with you to reach your goals. Don’t forget to avoid stress and sleep well (7-8 hours) to improve your results.

A Word About Goals

When it comes to physical preparation, most athletes don’t know where to start or what direction to take. They go through the motions of training, but they’re unfocused and rarely leave their comfort zones. If they want to get to the next level, however, their activities must be much more focused and intense.

I’ve found that setting goals for my athletes has really given them the direction they needed. If you have goals in mind, like playing your sport in college or professionally, you tend to organize your life so you can meet them. Here are six keys to meeting your expectations.

1 Write your goals down. Until you put them on paper, they’re just ideas, and everybody has ideas. Once you write them down, you can start taking the necessary steps to reach them.

2 Put them where you can see them. Write your goals on posted-notes and stick them on the bathroom mirror. Look at your goals every day when you wake up and before you go to bed.

3 Set long- and short-term goals. While tracking your progress from week to week, you should never lose sight of why you are working so hard in the first place.

4 Make your goals measurable. I hear a lot of athletes say, “I need to be better overall.” How can you tell if you are better overall? For a baseball player, the proof might be improving your batting average by 100 points, increasing your RBI totals or making better plays in the field. These things are actually measurable.
5 Do what is necessary to achieve your goals. If you can’t find time in the day to develop your skills, such as batting practice or dribbling a basketball, wake up earlier. You’re competing against millions of athletes for that scholarship. Make the time.

6 Stay focused and keep your goals in mind with everything you do. If you lose concentration doing something simple, like jumping rope, you’re going to lose concentration in a game.

US Army Makes Changes to Physical Fitness Standards

The United States Army will make changes to their Physcial Fitness Standards.

A revolutionary new physical readiness test will shorten your run distance, eliminate sit-ups, change the way you measure push-ups and add three new events.

In addition, a new combat readiness test may replace one of the two PT tests soldiers do each year.

The changes — the first to the PT test since its inception in 1980 — stem from a nearly yearlong effort by Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, deputy commanding general for initial military training, and Frank Palkoska, director of the Army Physical Fitness School. He and a team of 16 fitness and nutrition experts have built a new test centered on five events:

• 60-yard shuttle run

• 1-minute rower

• Standing long jump

• 1-minute push-up

• 1½-mile run

I will have tips on how to past the Army PRT in upcoming blog posts.