"Fun" Workouts?

There is always a lot of talk about workout programs, fitness classes, etc. that are fun. Everyone wants a workout that is fun. I understand that as I like things that are fun too. But fun doesn't usually equal results. My personal workouts are not fun. I make them enjoyable by listening to good music and knowing that my hard work is doing something good for my body and my health. My personal training sessions are fun because I joke with my clients and we have a great relationship and enjoy our time together, but the workout itself is not fun. It's hard work. That is why is called a "workout" not "play time".
There are new exercise "crazes" every year, and many of them are "fun." That's great. Going to a club and dancing all night is fun. It makes you sweat. It gets your heart rate up. Awesome. Does it get you stronger? Does it make you healthier? Does it make you look better naked?

It amazes me how many times I have had to try to explain to someone who has just complained to me for 20 minutes about how big her legs are, that she needs to stop spinning 3x a week. "But I love spinning", she says. "Great", I say, "but do you love it more than you hate having big legs?" Listen, I'm actually a fan of big muscles, so if you have thick, firm thighs from spinning I'm good with that. But if you want thinner legs, you cannot spin 3x a week. Have you ever seen a spin instructor with thin legs? Muscular and toned legs, yes. "Thin legs"? Nope. You get the idea.

You need to train for the goal you have in mind, not necessarily what you "like" to do. 

Training is something you do to achieve a specific result. Exercising is something active that you like to do. There is a very big difference between the two.I like to play hockey. That is my fun and that is where I get to enjoy the benefits of my hard work in the gym. Being faster is fun, being stronger is fun, being able to play all game long and not get tired or injured is fun. And although hockey is strenuous exercise , it alone will not give me the results I want. If that was my only form of exercise that I was willing to do (because it is fun), I would be very disappointed in my physique and other goals. I must perform workouts that build muscle and burn fat, and leave the fun for the other activities that I love.

Going to the beach is fun, especially when you are confident in the way you look in a bathing suit. Being insecure and self-conscious at the beach is not fun.
So the moral of the story is that while some workout programs may be "fun", you are going to get more long term enjoyment from workouts that "work", even if they are not so much fun while you do them. Train for results. Exercise for fun.
-Scott
 Hook up with me here: Online training, nutrition and inner circle membership support- www.theprogram.trainerize.com

A "unconventional" approach to feeding kids

*Important things to remember:

Our goal is to control and stabilize blood sugar to enhance learning ability and impulse control (ie: avoid tantrums and promote good moods!)

• There are three keys to a child's ability to learn. Sleep, oxygen and glucose (an optimal blood sugar level).
• When glucose (blood sugar) is low, things requiring mental effort (learning, self-control, decision making) are impaired.
• Baked goods and refined grain products have a serious negative impact on blood sugar. The response is equal to or worse than actual sugar. 
• Things that will negatively affect blood sugar: Crackers, pretzels, most cereals, breads, waffles, pancakes, muffins, pasta, white rice, Goldfish, juice, soda, candy, etc. All baked goods and refined carbohydrates will cause a rapid rise in sugar followed by a dramatic drop. 
• The cure to this is to:

A) Avoid refined carbohydrates when possible and instead choose from the recommended carbohydrates listed below and focus on fruits, fats and proteins (and, of course, vegetables when possible). One trick with veggies is to sauté in olive oil and/or serve with butter. (Kids will generally eat the veggies when they are seasoned with some fat and salt and the nutrients are better absorbed that way as well.)

B.) When you give refined carbohydrates, try to choose whole grain when possible and serve with a protein and/or fat to reduce the blood sugar response. ** Fats and proteins will slow the rapid rise in blood sugar (and corresponding crash) that typically comes from a high carbohydrate meal.** Some examples of how to this and other good snack/meal suggestions are below:

                        Use oatmeal and add real butter, a little maple syrup or sugar, cinnamon,                                     etc.  (Butter is key to help the kids be willing to eat it and makes the                                     energy provided from the meal longer lasting).

                        Add meat/cheese to pasta.

                        Use whole milk (rather than non-fat) with cereal and have some organic                                     sausage, eggs, cheese sticks or some other fat/protein on the side.

                        Whole grain waffles/pancakes but always serve with organic bacon or                                     sausage or eggs.

                        “Fage” full fat Greek yogurt with nuts.

                        Homemade “loaded” muffins. We like Dr. Oetker’s Organic Muffin Mix                                     (available at Whole Foods) We use Apple Cinnamon or Oatmeal and add                         an extra egg, chopped walnuts, banana or applesauce, and use coconut oil.  
                        Coconut oil is a great oil and a healthy source of good fats. 
   

                        Apples with peanut/almond butter.

                        Nuts and fruit.

                        Cheese sticks.

·      Gluten. We have seen many people have a favorable response to eliminating gluten from their diet. Research suggests that many people may be gluten-intolerant and not know it. You can get tested by your doctor or you can self-test by eliminating all gluten (all wheat products) for 2 weeks and see how you feel.

Non “blood sugar friendly” breakfasts and snacks. AVOID THESE!!

·      Sugary cereal with non-fat milk and juice

·      Pastries, muffins, bagels, etc.

·      Pretzels (alone)

·      Goldfish or other crackers (alone)

·      Cookies, cake, etc.

·      Non-fat sweetened yogurts

·      Non-fat sweetened frozen yogurt

·      Juice or other sugary drinks alone or with the above snacks will just make the problem worse. 
  Here is a great Low Carb Cookbook with great low sugar, low refined carb meals and snacks for the whole family.  Because your kids aren't the only ones who should be eating healthy.

Hook up with me here: Online training and coaching, nutrition and inner circle membership and support. www.theprogram.trainerize.com

Get "lean", don't just "lose weight".

Let me try to simplify some of the complicated processes of nutrition and the human body so that we can better understand why we get fat and more importantly, how we can get lean and healthy.
Part One:
First off, let me put an end to the "it's as simple as calories in versus calories out" debate. If it were only that simple. I find this argument being made typically by old school thinkers or those with only book knowledge. I refer to John Berardi of Precision Nutrition on this one and he talks about how the science of measuring calories in a food and recording calories is so flawed that it can not be relied on as a reasonable way to lose weight. (Yes, we all know about the professor who did the "Twinkie diet" and proved that you could lose weight on junk food alone if you just kept your calories low. Well I have never seen this man but I will bet you anything that he did not have a nice looking physique at the end of this little experiment.)
Having spent many, many years working with countless numbers of clients and with competitive bodybuilders, I have seen many attempts at losing weight and losing bodyfat. This brings up my first point. The goal of anyone trying to lose weight should be to lose bodyfat, not weight. That sentence bears repeating. The goal of anyone trying to lose weight should be to lose bodyfat, not weight. If your goal is simply to lose weight on the scale, then yes, counting calories will do it. Remember, Mr. Twinkie may have lost weight but we can be sure he wasn't lean and muscular at the end of his little test. Most people who say they want to lose weight really want to lose bodyfat. Looking better, feeling better and being more toned is a result of losing bodyfat, not just weight. Many times losing "weight" is losing muscle, so the person looks smaller, but no leaner and no better. Just a smaller sized fat person. 
Having worked with bodybuilders for over 20 years, I have seen bodybuilders drop bodyfat more effectively than any other group of people in the world. Now yes, most bodybuilders use steroids and a myriad of other drugs to lose bodyfat and build muscle and I will not discount that as a huge part of why they look the way that they do. However, I have worked with many natural bodybuilders, who did not use steroids or any drugs, and many of them didn't even  have good genetics. They were not competing on a high level, they were just trying to lean out for a personal goal. Not one bodybuilder, male or female or natural or drugged, got lean by eating anything other than clean protein foods, vegetables, some fruits and some "good" carbohydrates. Virtually all of them eliminate processed foods, sugars, white flour, white bread, juices, sodas, sweets, alcohol, etc. NOT ONE of them got lean by counting calories and eating bad food. NOT ONE. In fact, I have seen many, many bodybuilders keep their calories low but "cheat" on their diets and NOT get as lean as those who did not cheat. This is not to say that everyone should eat like a bodybuilder or that everyone wants to look like a bodybuilder, but it is to prove the point that eating like a bodybuilder removes bodyfat better than any other method. Period. So the goal should be to learn from the bodybuilders and eat as close to that as possible, if your goal is to lose fat and build muscle.
So, how do the bodybuilders do it? Well, let's try to simplify it here. Do the following: Lift heavy and hard. Eat clean (protein foods-organic meats, poultry, eggs and fish, eat lots of good fats, eat moderate amounts of veggies and fruits, some "good carbs" like oatmeal and sweet potatoes and eliminate anything (or as much as possible) with flour and/or sugar. Bottom line is don't try to count calories. Try to eliminate the crap and make sure you lift heavy (heavy is relative to each person) so that you maintain or even build muscle during the leaning out period and keep your metabolism stoked. (If you want to know exactly how to eat to be lean, muscular and energetic without suffering, check out my Ebook "The PROGRAM- Nutrition Protocol for fat loss." A little cardio is good but you cannot make up for cheating on your diet with cardio. (Not if you want to be lean and defined.) I have seen a million people try it and it doesn't work.
-Scott
 Hook up with me here: Online training, nutrition and inner circle membership and support- www.theprogram.trainerize.com

"No, I'm sorry.. It's not ok to be fat."

I'm sure this post won't make me any friends, but it has to be said and if I have to be the one to say it, then so be it. I am all for "accepting yourself for who you are" and being comfortable in your own skin. If you are short, big boned, skinny, have a big nose or a small nose, big lips, thin lips, curly hair, no hair, etc. But I am not for "accepting" obesity and disease as "who you are." You have the power to change this. And you need to change this. Both for you and the life that you deserve to live,  because you only get one; and for your family and friends who love you and don't want to see your life cut short because you were comfortable "accepting yourself" and not taking accountability for your health.
Don't get me wrong. Being curvy, thick, etc. is cool if you are healthy. But being fat and unhealthy is not. Please don't be offended or misinterpret my point. I get passionate about people not being fat (unhealthy)  not for my own reasons or because I "dislike" people who are overweight. I am not prejudiced in any sense of the word and in fact, I appreciate diversity in lifestyles, race, gender, etc. more than anyone. The reason I am passionate about people not being fat is because it upsets me very much to know that these people could be leading a longer, more enjoyable and fulfilling life and they are going to miss out on that because of their health. This is not just an opinion, this is a fact. Being overweight leads to a myriad of health problems and a shorter and more limited life. Period end of story. Yes, it is selfish because it affects everyone that loves you. We as a society, have begun to accept dangerously high levels of bodyfat as normal. Forty percent bodyfat is not normal. Human beings are not supposed to look like (or feel) like this. We are designed to be lean, strong, fast and healthy. Mother nature is a miracle maker and the human being that she designed looked much different than who we see walking the malls today. Human beings eating foods that we were designed to eat and doing exercises/activity that we were designed to do look great, feel great and live healthy. It's time to get back to the human beings that mother nature designed.
-Scott
Hook up with me here for online training, the nutrition plan Ebook "The PROGRAM- Nutrition Protocol to lose fat.", inner circle membership and support. 

Oh, now I get it..

So today was one of those days when I had plenty of excuses not to work-out today. Lots to do, kind of tired, maybe I need another day of rest.. You know the story. Then I saw something that changed my mind. A guy flew past me on a skateboard. Wow, I thought.. Ok now I have no excuse, I need to get my workout in. After all, you know as well as I do that one day of excuses leads to a second day of excuses and next thing you know, 5 years of "I'll get back on track tomorrow" goes by.

 It doesn't matter that your kids kept you up late or got you up early. It doesn't matter that you missed yesterday's workout too. Mother nature doesn't care what excuses you want to use. She will still make you sick, fat, tired and all of the other bad things that happen when you don't exercise.

I was forgetting all of this when I felt lazy this morning. I had all the excuses lined up. And you know what? I was buying them. Sometimes it seems like all the stars have to be aligned just perfectly to work out. You need just the perfect amount of time, (like that ever happens), you need tons of extra energy (like that ever happens either), etc.. But the reality is you just have to do it, no matter what the conditions are. Ask the skateboarder.
Now what was it about this skateboarding man that inspired me? Well, he wasn't exactly your typical skateboarder.
He had no legs.
What's your excuse?
#dontbullshityourself
-Scott
Hook up with me here: Online training, nutrition and inner circle membership and support- www.theprogram.trainerize.com

Motivation.. For Life!

Motivation for Life.

Often when it is time for me to write an article, I ask friends and clients for topic suggestions. One suggestion that I get frequently is the topic of motivation. I have to say that this puzzles me. Motivation is all around us, in every aspect of our daily lives. If the goal of the article is to provide the motivation to exercise, eat right and be healthy: then that is a very easy article to write. Let’s begin with a list of five general facts and then find a motivation point to take from them and make them more personal and powerful.

11.)    A recent report by the BBC states that physical inactivity now causes as many deaths each year as smoking. That number is a staggering 5.3 million. Now if that isn’t motivation for someone to get off the couch and start exercising then I cannot imagine what is.

MOTIVATION POINT: Exercising can save your life. Think of how valuable ten or twenty more years of life will be to you and your loved ones. Think of how devastating the loss of a life is to the family left behind and what a shame it would be to know that it could have been prevented with a simple consistent exercise program.

22.)    Obesity and diabetes are two of the fastest growing health concerns in the United States and exercise is one of the best ways to fight and prevent both of them.

MOTIVATION POINT: Exercising can keep you healthy and extend your life. Think of how difficult life will be for you or your loved ones if you are faced with obesity and diabetes.

33.)    Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent every year on cosmetic surgery and other procedures to look better. Almost everyone will agree that looking lean, healthy and fit is one of the keys to looking better and younger.

MOTIVATION POINT: Exercising will help you look better. This is a point worth repeating. Exercising will make you look better and the confidence that comes with that will carry over into all areas of your life.

44.)    Americans spend countless hours in therapy and take dozens of different medications to feel better. Exercise is a clinically proven anti-depressant and a guaranteed way to make you feel better.

MOTIVATION POINT: Exercise will make you feel better and has no negative side effects!

55.) Americans spend close to 750 million dollars per year on energy drinks, all with the goal of increased energy and mental focus. Unfortunately, energy drinks can ultimately drain your adrenal glands and cause serious health problems.

MOTIVATION POINT: Choose a healthy way to increase your energy and mental focus. A diet with the correct amount of fats, proteins and carbs and a consistent exercise routine will help you sleep better and have more energy for all of the things you love to do.

In summary, the motivation to exercise and get healthy is all around us. The more challenging part is to taking the steps to get started. Don’t let that stop you. Start with small steps. Start taking regular walks, join a gym or exercise class, find a sport that you once loved and start playing again or simply plan active time with the kids. Don’t get too hung up on what to do, just do something.  Nike had the slogan “Just Do It” and we can now use the slogan “Just Do Something.”

-Scott
 Hook up with me here: Online training, nutrition and inner circle membership and support- www.theprogram.trainerize.com