But don’t let their lies mislead you into thinking that you can eat anything you want. Any food can be a part of your diet. It is always the portion that gets you. One bite of chocolate does not ever get anyone, it is the WHOLE BOX that does. It is not having pizza once a year — it is having it once a week. See what I mean. You need to weigh whether that birthday cake is any good — personally, if it is a store bought cake, I am cool with skipping it altogether. And with any of those treats, it is just as good to have a few bites as a huge piece — maybe better because you don’t feel all sick and sugared out later.

So that is the diet side — now the workout side. I see LOTS AND LOTS of people every day at the Douglasville Gym where I work who NEVER EVER touch cardio equipment. And guess what, while they do build muscle, they don’t lose the fat on their big ole man gut and they don’t really slim down. Cardio is really a NECESSARY part of your workout. It is great for fat burning and it conditions your heart and lungs so I have NO idea why you would not add it. Yes, there are times that machines can be boring for cardio but there are things you can do — wear your ipod, watch tv or take a deep breath and relax and enjoy your thoughts.

Now — a major question. How much cardio should you do. I personally like every day. And I know a lot of people that do Mon-Fri — kinda like part of their job and that works for their routine. But if you are unsure of how much cardio or to what intensity, then a personal training session or two might be in order to learn how to do cardio effectively and efficiently.

In order to lose weight — you need to reverse the numbers and make a deficit. Best way is to approach that deficit in a multiple of ways. Reduce the calories you are consuming and burn off more.

Getting fit here in Douglasville, especially this time of year, is full of variety. And variety is the best way to ensure you stick to your program. Not only are there lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in season to add to your new eating program. There are also lots of fitness options. Hiking in all our great parks, biking on the silver comet, swimming, rowing — the list of great summer workout options goes ON AND ON. And of course, when it gets really hot and you know it will, the wonderful air conditioning of the gym is the perfect place to ensure you get that workout.

Portion control is one of the most critical things when it comes to weight loss and weight control. This is made even more difficult by giant restaurant portions.

If you follow the USDA portions, you need to understand the SIZE of those portions. While 6 servings of grains may sound great, remember that one serving is 1/2 cup of cooked pasta or rice. So if you look at a regular restaurant size as usually more than 5 cups — WOW — you just blew your whole day and some of tomorrow. A half a bagel — gives you more than 2 servings of grain. Eat the whole thinng and you are almost done with grains for the day! Pancakes ? A serving is ONE pancake — eat a stack of them at IHOP and bye bye your whole grain allotment for the day. While sometimes you may decide to do that — it should be a CONSCIOUS decision — so you know to watch it for the rest of the day.

Getting and being fit requires a lot of hard work. There is no magic bullet, no magic plan, no magic pill, no magic surgery. And even if you choose to add surgery or pills, these will only do so much.

So that said, here are some examples of what I mean.

- Don’t “say” you are coming to the gym 3 times a week but then blow each one of your appointments off for something more urgent. Most people can make it to the gym 3-5 times a week without a major life adjustment. You may not be able to attend specific classes at specific times but somewhere in your week — there is time. For people who are very busy, I suggest working out on your own or with a trainer as opposed to doing fitness classes. There are some amazingly awesome fitness classes here in Douglasville. But if you can’t be there at 5 or 6 or whenever the class starts, it becomes really easy to just blow it off completely.

The concept of personal training is to do something different. FIRST, you have an appointment so there is — or should be! – an incentive to show up. Don’t show and lose not only that chance to get professional help with your fitness, but also lose the money you invested in that session. That’s right — personal trainers are like any other service professional, don’t show up and you still pay for it.

But there really is not a reason why you should be blowing it off. You should put your appointments at days and times when it works for you. Is Monday a horrible day with getting kids to school and long work hours from the weekend — hmmm, then maybe not Monday — you get the idea.

There are extremely busy people in the gym every day getting and staying fit and you can be one of them if you learn that it is a priority.

Here are a few time saving tips to “find’ your free time:
1-How much time do you spend social networking online. While MySpace and Facebook are fun things for young kids, they should not be eating HOURS per week of adult time. If they are, you have time to workout.

2 – How much time do you spend watching TV. If you spend, like most adults, several hours per evening, then guess what, you have time to work out. Learn to get your shows on demand or tivo or Itunes or watch a program on the tv at the gym.

3 – How much time do you spend checking e-mail and reading blogs. Limit this to a once a day activity.

A few of these things are items that have only been around for the last decade or so. And they are major time drainers. I am not asking you to be less social, I am just asking you which is more important, a MySpace layout for people you either already know or don’t know at all — or your HEALTH.

And I do not mean that in a cruel way. Sometimes — actually MOST OF THE TIME – these people believe they are really stepping it up and not getting there. Well, here are some things that can trick you into thinking you are doing it all — and these things all mess with your fitness and weight loss results.

1 — Liquid calories — are you drinking a lot of juice, soda, iced tea, coffee drinks — these all contain hidden calories and can add up to hundreds of calories a day.

2 — Cardio — are you doing all the cardio that your personal trainer has told you that you need. Remember 45 minutes does not include the time you took to stop and talk to someone, the time you spent getting started, etc. And if you are using an elliptical — are you working out INTENSELY enough? It is too easy to just go through the motions so if you are not sure, change to the treadmill for a week and see if you notice the difference.

3 — Strength training — do you do a strength training workout? A fitness class, even one with weights is not strength training. You need to lift weights regardless of your age to build not only bone density but muscle density which burns calories even when you are not working out.

4 – PORTIONS — this is perhaps the BIGGEST issue for a lot of people. How much is a cup? Take out a cup and actually measure a cup of cereal. Put 2 cups of salad onto a plate. It is very difficult to get a hold of your portions if you don’t. You end up eating too much of things your should limit and too little of fruits and vegetables.

5 – Restaurant Meals — It really does not matter what you eat in a restaurant — it is rarely healthy. Even “grilled vegetables” are usually brushed with butter so they look better. So really, try to learn to eat at least a few of your meals at home. You will be healthier, more in control of your diet and you will save money. If you are not sure of what to cook, I have a whole site dedicated to that very topic with tons of healthy recipes and new ones added every day so if in doubt, have a look at Douglasville Weight Loss

6 — Are you actually hungry. Addicts are told to be careful of what they call HALTT — hungry, angry, lonely, tired or thirsty. Well, some people are addicted to food and to their eating habits. So ask yourself this same list of questions. Are you ACTUALLY THIRSTY?? Are you just bored and lonely and watching TV? Are you eating more from habit and less from need?

I hope these help you get control on some of the things that can be sending you off the rails. If you still do not see results, I would suggest at least a handful of personal training sessions to get you back on track because there is more going on.

David Hansey
NASM Certified Performance Enhancement Specialist
NASM Certified Sports Fitness Specialist
NASM Certified Personal Trainer

This time of year, as our thoughts shift from sugarplums to fit bodies, many people make resolutions to get fit. This will be the year!! No more excuses, this time it will really happen. Well I have to admire the resolve but let’s put together a fitness “tool kit” so that by the time you are reading the March issue of the Chapel Hill News, you are still committed to getting fit and you are starting to enjoy the results that come from having a healthy fit body.

The first step is easy but often neglected and it is a MUST. Visit your doctor. He is the professional on your health so go. Don’t find excuses not to go, just go. Your doctor will probably kiss you for starting a routine but he will also tell you any things that are important for you — You are unique and only your doctor knows what you need to watch out for.

Next, review your fitness options. There are LOTS. Do you plan to work out at a gym, at home, join a team sport, run, etc. Decide on something that fits your life. There is no point in making it more difficult than it needs to be. While your intentions might be good in choosing to swim every morning at 5 am, if you have never been up at 5 am ever, then that may not be an easy option. Try to find something that fits with you. Like if you hate the outdoors, you are not going to go out to run every day. But you may love running on a treadmill at the gym while you watch your favorite program or listen to your ipod. Making it a part of your life is a KEY to making it last. One of my most successful clients ever told me he considers his workout a part of his work day and his work day is not done until that workout is done. That mindset is what you need to get fit.

While you are considering your options, keep in mind the advice from your doctor as well as your needs and goals. And remember that everyone needs some form of strength training. Your weight loss and body transformation will not only be sped up by strength training, you need it for overall health to avoid issues with osteoporosis and aging. Strength training is lifting heavy weights (defined as being something that you can not lift more than 10-12 times) If you can lift it 100 times, consider those light weights as just a nice add-on to your cardio routine. Two to three sessions a week of strength training is all you need. And depending on what you choose for cardio, it can be a very simple addition. For example, if you love tennis, then go play twice a week and twice a week come to the gym for some cardio and strength training.

Now that you have decided what activity you are going to do, it is time to decide if you need any special equipment or training. You can’t run without great running shoes. And you don’t jump into a pool unless you know how to swim. So unless you know what you are doing, you may need some instruction. Whether this is some lessons, personal training or special equipment, you need to realize that the quickest way to succeed is to get expert help and great equipment. It is also the best way to avoid injury. So determine what you need and then decide on what is right for your budget. And then regardless of whether it is personal training sessions or great equipment, use it. If you don’t show up for your lessons or your shoes just sit on the shelf, then you are wasting your money.

I wish you a very happy and healthy start to 2008. For more information on Sports Specific Training, call me at 404-514-1896 or visit my website at www.4fitbodies.com.

I got a great cartoon from one of my new favorite clients yesterday and it was a doctor talking to a patient and he said “Which is better for you, one hour of fitness a day or 24 hours of death” OH MY — it was delivered in a funny format but the message is true. You can certainly afford an hour of exercise every day over dying way before your time. Or living in pain and not having the quality of life that you could have.

The same client also told me that while she is doing her strength, cardio and eating plan, she is struggling with certain aspects (such as sticking to the eating plan on the weekends). I loved the honesty. Changing your life is hard work and I always worry when people tell me everything is great (or everything is awful) but then I get no details on what they are doing. I understand that it is hard to sneak in a workout. Sometimes I go several days without turning on the TV and I often find myself sneaking in a quick workout over my lunch break or breaking up my cardio and strength training so I can get one of them in before work (which is usually around 4 in the morning) So I understand!!

There are some ways you can make it easier — some of these are going to sound like advice that your Mom told you years ago — but it is still good advice.

- Pack you lunch for work the night before. Ensure you have healthy snacks and a healthy lunch. Brown bagging it to work may seem boring but it is a good way to guarantee that you eat healthy.

- Prepare for the week on the weekend — chop vegetables and put them in the fridge, wash fruit and put it in a nice bowl by the door, section a grapefruit to have in the morning, do your grocery shopping, make a “big batch” meal such as turkey or vegetarian chili or homemade soup or roast a chicken — this will help keep lunches from getting boring and will help you get healthy dinners prepared quickly when you get home. There truly is nothing better than coming home from a long workday to dinner already being prepared so try to get as close as you can to that.

So what I am saying here is that getting fit, living healthy — these are not things that turn on like a switch. So just work the plan. Some day will be better than others. Some days you will not get to your group fitness class, some days you will not feel like strength training.(but you still should) Some days you will not get the ideal amount of cardio, some days your eating will not be perfect — but by continuing to work your plan every day, you will get healthier and stronger. And eventually (there will still be no perfect days) you will get to a point where you are enjoying a whole new healthier way of living.