Tag: Treadmill

Categories
General Weight Loss Tips

Semi-Perfect Day

Krissie gave me a challenge that I couldn’t refuse. To recreate my perfect day, write about it and then do it again. The thing about my perfect day is that it’s not fancy or extravegent. It’s a day where I get things done that make me proud. Things that, I assume, are second nature to most people.

And yesterday was that day. It was not perfect as the house still needs lots of organizational work to get to that maintenance stage. I’m okay with that. It was also not perfect because I still had to deal with life and a schedule that changes almost hourly. Again, I’m okay with that. Setting it up as a “go get em'” day, really transformed how I dealt with my feelings. If something minor upset me, I would brush it off because I didn’t want it to taint my perfect day. I also purposely and publicly have candy in the house (my next post) and I didn’t dig in when I felt unsteady.

The day started with a little last minute work at the computer. I put my exercise clothes on and was ready for the sun to rise. I made a quick trip to the bank and came home to wake the husband up. We went out for our first run in a very long time. I want to call what I did a jog, but it wasn’t. I was pushing myself. I also walked a lot too. It was so fun and freeing. I also loved that I did this without numbers. All I knew was that I needed to be home before a nine am meeting. Other than that, I would run, and walk when I needed to.

When I exercise, numbers distract me. This is why I rarely step on a treadmill or elliptical. And when I do I have to cover up the time clock because it distracts me and I don’t push myself. The same when I’m outside exercising. During C25K the challenges were great, but I hated knowing the time. I hated waiting to be told to run or stop. I know why this is, but I was more obsessed with that than anything else. So it was nice and freeing for me to just be outside and push myself on my own terms. I know that probably sounds silly and wimpish to numbers people. But, goodness I hate time. I hate knowing how long I have to do something, how many minutes I have left, or how far I went. I want to go until I can’t. And that’s what I did.

I’m seeing a trend as far as numbers go in my life. And it’s funny because my husband loves statistics and gets satisfaction from that. The numerical value of time spent, and comparing it to the next time and then the next. Calorie counting, numbers on the scale and minutes spent exercising are all distracting to me. They take away from the heart of what I’m trying to do. And for a long time, I’ve fought against my natural instinct by forcing myself to use numbers to gauge my actions. And on top of that, I would judge myself harshly for not liking it or sticking with it, thinking, I was  flawed. My point is, because something works for seemingly lots of people, doesn’t mean it will work for you. It doesn’t mean anything other than a need to find what does work for you to get the same results. That is all. It doesn’t make you lazy, unfocused or not dedicated. It just means you need another method. I digress.

I came home and put some bacon in the oven and went to answer a few emails. I burnt the bacon. Which was not part of my perfect day. I then decided on an orange and some toast with butter and jam. I got lots of creative work done and then headed out for a few more work related tasks. I came home and ate a bowl of vanilla bean greek yogurt and made dinner. Vegetable tortilla casserole. After dinner I watched The Office and passed out on the couch at 8:30. It seems that my 5-6 hour nights of sleep caught up with me.

How was the day perfect? I went with the flow. When I burned the bacon, got semi-annoying or upsetting emails, when my schedule changed, or when things just weren’t perfect. I didn’t drop the ball on the day. I realized and implemented what I already know to be true:  it isn’t want happens that matters, it’s how I react. 

I also took time to do things that make me happy. Simple stuff makes me happy. I went for a run. I took time to cook dinner. I made time to relax. I journaled throughout the day. I also made time to do lots of laundry and clean.

And finally, I realized that I work really well with a core plan for the day. And what I mean by that is, I have goals for the day that I do no matter what such as: don’t overeat, exercise, get work done. And everything else can move and shift as I see fit.

How was the day not perfect? I should rephrase this all and say that I know a perfect day doesn’t exist. This is fact. There will always be trash to take out, people will always be annoying, and there will always be dirty clothes to wash. But, I understand that I deserve the attitude and actions that bring me as close as possible to that day, on my terms. And when something goes unplanned, I’m ready to deal with it from that perspective rather than, “the sky is falling! the day is over! what’s the point? bring me candy!” .

I’m ready to continue figuring out how to make each day as perfect as possible for me. I find that what I love most is freedom. Freedom to choose how my day goes. Freedom to do what I love: design, create, cook, clean, exercise and be social. Being productive is a huge component to my happiness. I’ve found that relaxing time only feels good to me when I have work to back it up. Otherwise, I feel depressed and lazy.

And finally, I need  flexible daily plans for myself. I need daily reminders of my goals. I need journaling throughout the day. I need core, unwavering goals. Every day can be treated as a perfect day and can plant the seeds for even better, more ideal days down the road. As in, today I can get caught up with my design work and this weekend I can do something really fun. Or today I will take the time to make delicious and healthful food, so that in a year I can have a healthier body. I love the idea of being in the now and working for the future at the same time. Today I love cooking, tomorrow I will be thankful that I cooked. Today I will exercise, tomorrow I will be thankful that I did. Today I will be the clothes away, tomorrow it will be nice to pick out an outfit in two minutes rather than twenty.

And finally, I want build up days. Next Monday looks like a really good day for another ideal day. And not that today can’t be ideal, it will be in it’s own way, because truly, that’s all I have. I don’t know if I will have Monday. But, today, I can make that happen. I feel like each day I can give my chance to build and improve my days. I’m still mulling this all over. Ultimately I want to be the best version of myself that I can. I want to treat myself and act as if I deserve the effort, because I do.  I’m trying to be okay with living without rocks in my shoes.

 

Related Blogs

  • Related Blogs on fat
Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

How to Lift Weights Properly for Strength Training



Ever wonder how to lift weights properly? Lifting weights is the best way to build muscle mass, gain strength, and improve your physique. However, strength training puts a lot of stress and pressure on your body especially when you begin working with heavy weights. Regardless of whether you are lifting heavy or lighter weights, it is vital to do so correctly. Before doing any strength training exercise, it is important to learn how to lift weights properly.

Always warm up before you begin your strength training exercises. Walking or jogging on a treadmill is a good way to limber up your muscles to avoid injury. There should always be a gym instructor or fitness professional present when you exercise. A gym instructor can show you how to do each exercise properly, what equipment to use, and how to use it.

How to Lift Weights Properly

How to Lift Weights Properly for Strength Training

How to Lift Weights Properly

Knowing how to lift weights properly will reduce the risk of injury and provide a more effective workout. The following tips are applicable when doing strength training exercises:

  • Choose a weight that allows you to perform 12 to 15 repetitions when you start out. Add more weights as you gain strength.
  • Control the weight and lift slowly from the original position. Return to the starting position slowly. Although you may be tempted to do so, do not allow the weight to drop quickly to the starting position. The downward motion is just as important as the upward motion. Both are necessary parts of lifting and will work your muscles in both directions.
  • When lifting, use your muscles to complete the motion and not momentum. Do not arch your back or rock your body to get the weights up. If you have to swing your body to lift weights, you may be trying to lift too much weight. Reduce the load and learn how to lift weights properly.
  • Move the weights through the full range of motion for the exercise. You should feel your muscles stretching and contracting fully with each repetition.
  • Don’t forget to breathe continuously while lifting. As you lift the weight, exhale through your mouth. Inhale through your nose as you lower the weight. A lot of people hold their breath when lifting weights. This is a dangerous practice as it can cause your blood pressure to spike.
  • Use a spotter when doing exercises where you may accidentally drop a barbell or dumbbell on yourself. Part of knowing how to lift weights properly includes making sure there’s another person close by to monitor you when you are working with free weights. You’ll be able to push yourself harder if you have a spotter who can help make sure you do not injure yourself as you make that final rep.

You always have to remember to be careful, mindful and focussed when lifting weights properly. Strength training can transform your body when done right.


Related Blogs

  • Related Blogs on Downward Motion
Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

5 Fat Loss Myths

There are so many fat loss myths out there in “exercise-land” that I was hired by a fitness magazine to write about one myth each month.

After all, by now you’ve probably heard that if you don’t do 60-minutes of cardio in your fat burning zone on an empty stomach while Venus is in line with Jupiter, you’ll never burn fat.

5 Fat Loss Myths

Fat loss Myth buster Craig Ballantyne

The problem with myths is that not only are they wrong and give false hope to millions of people trying to lose weight, but they also waste your time and mental effort.

I have also seen these myths used as justification for cheating on a diet, watching countless men and women justify their “treats” because they believe they are on some type of magical exercise program or nutrition plan.

I could go on for days about fitness myths, but I cut my list from 30 down to the Top 5 Fat Loss Workout Myths today. I’ll save the other 25 for future newsletters.

Fat Loss Myth #1: You have to do cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

Relax. You don’t have to hop on the treadmill at 4:30am every morning. Let’s allow common sense to dictate when and how you exercise.

If you want to work out first thing in the morning, and I know that is the best time for many TT readers, by all means, go ahead and do it. There’s nothing magical about this time – although it is often the only time many of day many people have to themselves.

We need to think “outside of the hour” of exercise and realize that calorie burning and fat burning goes on for 24-hours. Forget about the theories and look at the big picture.

It doesn’t matter when you exercise – as long as you exercise intensely and consistently. Focus on relatively high-intensity workouts to increase your metabolism for as many hours after exercise as possible. That is best done with interval training and resistance training.

Fat Loss Myth #2: You have to do your cardio in your “fat burning zone”.

Again, nonsense.

While you might burn a larger proportion of total calories as fat when you exercise in your fat burning zone, you burn fewer calories overall by exercising at such a low intensity.

When you increase your workout intensity and get out of your so-called “fat burning zone”, you burn more total calories, and as a result, more fat.

In addition, the “fat burning zone” training doesn’t put “turbulence” on your muscles…so you don’t burn many calories in the post-exercise time period. But with interval training, you burn a significant amount of calories for hours after training, and that leads to more fat loss.

I’ve worked with hundreds of people that have avoided the fat burning zone while still managing to lose dozens of pounds of fat. The “fat burning zone” is one of the biggest fitness myths of all time.

Click here to stop the cardio lose fat with Turbulence Training workouts:

= http://www.turbulencetraining.com/

Fat Loss Myth #3: You have to do cardio for 20 minutes before you burn fat.

When I hear this, I picture a fat-burning switch in my body that turns on only after I’ve been doing “cardio” for 20 minutes. But what if I only exercise for 19 minutes and 59 seconds? Are you telling me that I won’t have burned any fat? That’s ridiculous.

What if I did it on an empty stomach in the morning and in my target heart rate zone? (read that one sarcastically!)

I’ll say it one last time. We need to be more concerned with our 24-hour metabolism, not how much fat or even how many calories are burned during the workout.

Fat Loss Myth 4: Drinking ice cold water will help you burn calories and lose fat.

Standing in line at the grocery store is a great place to pick up the latest fat loss myths. You’ll also find this one all over the Internet.

This myth often comes along with some calculations showing that by drinking 8 glasses of ice-cold water you can burn 70 calories per day. I don’t believe that actually holds true in real life. Regardless, drinking cold water is not going to burn any more fat off your body than drinking room temperature water.

Don’t get me wrong, I strongly believe you should drink 12 glasses of water per day, but the temperature of your water won’t have any effect on your overall fat loss success.

Fat Loss Myth #5: Adding one pound of muscle will burn 50 extra calories each day.

Uh-oh, now I’m cutting down a myth that supports my use of strength training in a fat loss program. But I have an obligation to set the record straight about this extremely prevalent myth (even though I just saw a big name fitness expert perpetuate this myth in a recent article!).

This myth sounds so good. Add a pound of muscle, boost your metabolism 50 calories. That doesn’t seem out of line at all.

But do the math for a guy that puts on 30 pounds of muscle. Does his metabolism really increase by 1500 calories? Absolutely not. For an average guy, that would require his resting metabolism to increase from 2500 calories to 4000 calories per day. How would he be able to keep any of that muscle with a metabolism like that? He’d have to eat like a pig forever.

So when you look at the big picture, you can see this little myth start to fall apart.

That’s not to say you should stop your strength training, but just don’t use this myth as an excuse to cheat on your diet.

Bonus Fat Loss  Myth: Negative Calorie Foods Cause You to Lose Weight

According to the “experts”, a negative calorie food requires more energy to digest than it provides you when you eat it. And included in the negative calorie food list are apples and bananas.

So by this logic, I would actually starve to death if I had nothing to eat but apples (because I would have a net energy loss from eating a so-called “negative calorie” food).

There is no such thing as a negative calorie food. It’s a shame “experts” are out there promoting this stuff, and that so many people fall for it.

Instead, let the common sense fat loss principles apply. It’s going to take consistent effort, working hard at your workouts and with your nutrition to get the results you want.

http://www.turbulencetraining.com/

I guarantee you that Turbulence Training will successfully guide you to the fat loss you deserve and desire.

Sincerely,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS Author, Turbulence Training

P.S. Here’s the truth on fat loss from TT users…

“I Coach busy women with no time to look in the mirror, let alone adopt a whole foods lifestyle or exercise yet already! And yet, your Turbulence strategies show almost everyone that everyone has all of the time they’ll ever need to include exercise as a fun, performance-promotion essential to their lives. This program is amazing and plenty challenging because it is simple. Clear but lets no one off the hook. I’m thrilled to say this is a great addition to any woman’s arsenal of “what to do.” Ann G. Burgess, President, Pathfinders’ Fitness by Design, Arlington , MA

Get your very own copy of Turbulence Training the Nutrition Guide here:

= http://www.turbulencetraining.com/

“I have been in possession of TT for a several weeks now; I absolutely enjoy the program. I can get in to the gym and rip though the supersets work up a great sweat and pump my energy levels up before I even get to the cardio portion of my work-out. I I have recommended this program to both beginner and veteran alike. Since starting TT I have dropped almost 2% of body fat and look forward to making my goal of 10% body fat in no time. This program is absolutely one of the best anywhere on the Web.” Alejandro B. Villalobos

Remember and internalize these fat loss myths so that your diet and exercise will be better.