LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME

As a trainer, I am often dismayed to see someone, whether or not a client of mine, “fall off the wagon”. That’s the training and nutrition wagon, of course. I try to keep my clients engaged in strength and/or cardio training as well as developing nutritional habits for at least six weeks. Why six weeks? Because behaviors don’t usually get shaped into habits until something has been consciously done for at least six weeks. 

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The Weight Training Trifecta

When you set out to weight train, you should have one or more specific goals in mind. It could be weight loss, lean muscle building, or maybe just quality of life fitness. Those goals will be an important factor in shaping (pun intended) the design of your workout program. Will you be working toward increasing your strength, endurance, muscular form or, preferably, some combination thereof?

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I Only Have Fries For You

So, you’re working out now. A little cardio, a little weight training…Sure does build up an appetite. Here’s the thing, and you may have heard this before. In the battle to be fit (and to fit – into your pants) nutrition is 85% of the battle. Nutritious eating habits combined with personal training are critical if you want to get in shape. And by “in shape”, I mean better health, a higher energy level and lower stress through improved cardio fitness, a higher lean muscle to body fat ratio, and muscular development.

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Toes to Nose? That's a Stretch

When a Trainer initially evaluates a client, it should include evaluating mobility and flexibility. Mobility is your active range of motion. If I ask you to raise your arms above your head on your own, mobility is the degree to which you can raise them. Flexibility refers to how high I can raise your relaxed arm. Said another way, the more flexible you are, the more mobile you can be.

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Skinny fat? Is that like jumbo shrimp?

I was recently meeting with a new client (I’ll call her Mary) to discuss her goals and objectives for our training program. Mary knew, at some level, she wanted to be “more fit.” “But” she said, “I’m at a normal weight for my height, so what will our training really accomplish?” Mary was, as it turned out, “skinny fat.” She looked thin, but her body fat percentage was higher than the normal range. She had a high fat mass and a low muscle mass. Metabolically, she had the same health risks as an overweight person might.

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