Phase Five of “appropriate behavior at the gym: the do’s and don’ts, according to a guy with an opinion about anything and everything”

 Don’t: Grunt or yell while lifting

    I know, I know, I don’t know what it is like to lift 350 pounds, so I should not be commenting on the subject of grunting. And you are absolutely right, but I certainly know what it is like to max out and in doing so I refrain from the huge grunt or the loud yell. Maxing at any level whether you are maxing out with light weights because that is your strength level or you are maxing out with ginormous weights, exerts the same amount of concentrated, maximized energy. Therefore there should really be no excuse for grunting or yelling out while working out. I have seen a dude three times my size max out with out making a peep and you want to know why, because he did not feel the need to initiate the inner barbarian at that moment. Now I am fully aware that when you lift you need to pump yourself up mentally and get into that savage mode of thought, but it doesn’t mean you need to act it out. Realize when you let this inner barbarian take control you are really only making a spectacle of yourself. You are drawing attention to yourself which in most cases is bad. I say this because most of the cases I have seen where people are grunting or yelling, have been because they were not properly executing the exercise they were attempting. I see guys doing curls with weights they have no business lifting – wobbling unevenly, rocking the weight instead of lifting it, using there back to lift in an improper way and all the while (yes you guessed it) they were grunting or yelling while everyone around them either shakes their head or chuckles to themselves. Not only are you a spectacle but now you are at risk of ruining your muscle tissue all together because you improperly lifting. According to personal trainer for a very popular gym (both of which need to remain nameless) “chances are if you let out that rebel yell or that exhausted grunt, you are most likely doing something wrong…and while you may see immediate results doing it the wrong way, in the long run your muscles will suffer. Not to mention that you sound funky man.” Even if you are lifting correctly, there is still no reason to yell or grunt: curb yourself, you are not in the wild you are at a communal gym where others don’t want to hear you.

 Do’s: lift properly and just breathe man

    Proper breathing is an essential part of working out correctly and it allows for you not to be the village idiot when you lift. But before the breathing even comes into play make sure you are lifting correctly…first and foremost every time. When you lift, literally just breathe. “While lifting, you are supposed to inhale the resistance and exhale the release. But when you hear someone grunting,” our personal trainer informs us “it is usually when they begin the resistance…when they are putting the weight up.” You hear that, breathe in when you put the weights up don’t let a yelp out. “When you come down with the weight, you normally just hear a sigh even if you are one who grunts or yells.” I have never seen anyone get dirty looks or attract attention for letting out a sigh. Breathing the proper way allows better air circulation within the blood stream, and there for helps to better circulate the blood flow while you are lifting. It seems silly but breathing correctly while lifting makes a world of difference and it elevates the need for barbaric noises escaping your vocal chords. While I may not be a grunter, I have been breathing incorrectly while lifting for sometime now. After I was shown how to properly breathe while lifting it took a long while to really get it down, because chances are if you were doing it wrong, you were doing it wrong for quite a while- which in most cases wears a condition in your body that knows no other way but the incorrect one. So although it might be tricky and seem tedious and mundane, focus on your breathing. If not for yourself, at least for everyone else around you, that has to endure your god awful noises. Once again this is just my opinion, take it or leave it.

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Stretch It Out

For many people, stretching is a chore. Touch my toes? Do a yoga pose? Forget it, you say — I’m tired after my gym workout and just want to head home. But stretching can reduce your recovery time after a workout, promote healthy joints, increase flexibility, and decrease muscle tightness. Remember, if you feel good after a workout, you’re more likely to head back to the gym again!

Staying flexible can help keep a bounce in your step as you age. There was a woman in my yoga class who was 60 years old (as she liked to let everyone know), but she had the body and attitude of a 30-year-old. I like to think it was because of her faithful yoga practice, which incorporates stretching.

Want to get started? Try these options:

Yoga class.  You’ll get a good full-body stretch in each yoga class. In the yoga class I used to take, the instructor would ask the students where they felt tight that day, and would customize the session to target those muscles. Yoga Finder can help you locate a class near you.

Online instruction.  About.com: Physical Therapy offers instructions and photos for dozens of stretches, including sports-specific stretches.

Tai chi. This is a calming martial arts workout that can help improve flexibility. Tai Chi Central lists some schools, and you can also find martial arts schools in your local Yellow Pages.

Videos.  There are several free stretching videos on YouTube, such as this 5 Minute Stretch Routine.

 You can also find stretching videos for rent or purchase on Amazon.com. Besides stretching, look for keywords like Tai Chi and Chi Kung (an ancient Chinese health care system that includes physical postures and breathing techniques — also spelled qigong).

Books.  Amazon.com and the sports section of your local bookstore offer books on stretching and flexibility. Try The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Stretching.

Whatever kind of stretching you opt for, follow these three easy tips to get the most out of it:

• Stretch warm. I used to take a karate class where we’d do extreme stretches before the main workout. Ouch! Stretching cold muscles can cause injuries, so be sure to save your stretching for afteryour workout. If you’re doing stretching exercises from a book or video at home, warm up with some light cardio first.
• No bouncing! Use a steady pressure.
•  No pain, all gain.  A slight discomfort is fine, but pain is a red flag.
• Hold it.  Hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds.

I’m lucky that I love stretching, but even if it’s not your thing, you should give it a try. You probably didn’t like cardio or weight training when you first started, either, but you kept them up because you know they’re key for a healthy lifestyle. Add some stretching to your day, and your body will thank you.

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Fool the Fat Off

In my 12-year career as a health writer, I’ve discovered many ways to fool yourself into eating more healthfully. These trick-yourself principles, all backed by research, can help you eat less and lose weight. Here’s how to psych yourself slim:

Unplug

Forget about Project Runway, and put down that copy of the latest bestseller. Instead, focus on your food. Chewing slowly and paying attention to the feel and taste of your meal helps you feel full faster and eat less. In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women who concentrated on the taste of their food ate much less than those who listened to a detective story while eating.

Choose Tall and Skinny

Research conducted by Brian Wansink, Ph.D., author of Mindless Eating, showed that people tend to drink more from short, wide glasses than from tall, thin ones. Apparently, the short glass looks smaller to us — even when it holds the same amount as the tall, thin glass — so we pour more. Prepare your drink in a tall, frosty glass and you’ll probably down less!

Imagine It

Whether it’s your high school reunion or an upcoming cocktail party, pick an event you want to look your best at and keep it in your mind as you make and eat your meals. You’ll eat more healthfully if you’re hoping to look and feel great at an upcoming event.

Go Dark

In another study by Wansink and his colleagues, researchers gave 30 secretaries clear or opaque containers full of Hershey’s Kisses. The secretaries gobbled an average of five treats per day from the clear containers, but just four from the opaque containers. The upshot? We tend to eat more of what we can see, so stow your goodies in opaque containers (and your veggies in clear containers!).

Put Them Away

All done with your scrumptious chicken piccata? No problem — there’s more in the kitchen! If that’s the way your mind works, fix your plate and then stow any leftovers before sitting down to eat. Along the same lines, put the least nutritious leftovers in the fridge and leave out the veggies in case you crave seconds. This same M.O. works at restaurants as well: Ask the server to pack half your meal in a to-go container so you’re not even tempted.

Scoop Small

In yet another study (boy, is this guy prolific!), Wansink and his colleagues gave people either large or small scoops and let them serve themselves ice cream. The result? The ice cream fiends who used the large scoop ate 15 to 20 percent more than those using small scoops. When you serve yourself food, use small spoons instead of ladles and other large utensils and you’ll likely dole out less.

Toss the Techno

Scientists at Fairfield University in Connecticut piped fast and slow music into the university cafeteria on different days. Researchers then counted the bites taken by the diners in the cafeteria. (Do you think the diners wondered why people were staring at them and scribbling in notepads?) The results: People take an average of 4.4 bites per minute to fast music, and only 3.8 bites per minute to slow music. So ditch the disco and listen to soft tunes when you dine.

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7 Free Websites to Boost Your Diet and Workout Success

Back in the olden days, the only way people knew how many calories were in Ye Olde Bigge Mac , how many calories they burned hoeing the fields, or whether their BMI was on target or over the top was to guess. Now, though, we have the Internet, which has tons of free resources for the health-minded among us. As a freelance health writer, I use many of these resources when I’m researching articles, and they can also help you in your quest for fitness. Here are my favorites:

1. The USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory : This website is truly amazing. Type in a food, and the site will bring you to a list that lets you further refine you choice. For example, if you enter “beef,” it will bring up all the different cuts of meat, both raw and cooked. Choose one, enter the amount — and you’ll get a spreadsheet listing the number of calories and the amount of everything from saturated fat to vitamin C to selenium. You can use this site to keep very detailed track of what you’re eating and make the best food choices.

2. Wondering how many calories an hour of water polo will torch? InternetFitness.com’s Calorie Burn Calculator lets you enter in your weight and  the amount of time you do a certain activity, from aerobics to shoveling snow, and calculates how many calories you’ll burn.

3. NutritionData lets you analyze recipes and creates a nutrition label for the entire dish. You need to register, but it’s free.

4.  YouTube has more than funny videos of cats — You can also find free vids of cardio workouts that you can use on days you can’t make it to the gym. For example, SparkPeople.com offers this 10-Minute Jump Start Cardio Workout.

(I’ve done this video — it really does kick my low-endurance butt!) Just search on YouTube for keywords like “aerobics workout” or “cardio workout” to find free vids.

5. No need to search the Wendy’s website to dig up nutritional data on its salads: The Calorie King Food Database boasts the nutritional information for over 50,000 American generic and brand name foods, including over 260 fast-food chains.

6. The National Institutes of Health offers this BMI calculator so you can find out whether our Body Mass Index says you’re fit or fat. Just enter your height and weight and the calculator will do the rest.

7. If you’re sick of your workout music mix, check out PodRunner, which offers “free exercise music mixes for runners, joggers, power walkers, cyclists, elliptical trainers, or anyone who can use nonstop, fixed-tempo music when they train.” These free techno and house beats will keep up your energy while you work out.

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Hello Friends,
I hope this finds you well and happy. It’s a great day just because it is. I try to have a positive out look every day.

Lots going on; school shopping, summer activities, my oldest is a very smart chick and is doing dual enrollment. Dual enrollment is where seniors in high school can enroll in college and have it be credit towards their high school diploma and earn college credit as well. Best of all the college credits are paid by the high school. Free college credits…yeah baby!

One of my difficulties is being able to stay in routine with my diet. I get enough movement but my weight does not budge. I know it’s my eating. I do well when I use my free diet plan from Designer Whey  but I am also a rebel not submitting to what works. That part of me is difficult for me to understand. I try to analyze myself to figure it out. Someone said I just don’t value myself enough to be the best I can to myself. I am the best I can be to everyone around me. My family has no idea how well I take care of them because they have never been with out my care.

I saw an ad the ‘The Biggest Loser’ is casting again. What a dream, though they are looking for couples at the moment and I really don’t know anyone close that is as big as me or bigger to see if we could get on the show. I think going away and totally working on me and putting myself first, valuing myself for the time that the contestant are away would change my life. Last season my husband jokingly commented “Why don’t you get on that show”, that hurt a bit and when my kids said “Yea, mom you should go on The Biggest Loser show”…OUCH!!!! It makes me wonder what my family really things of me.

Maybe Designer Whey will bring me to them and teach me the ways of health…lol. Did you know Designer Whey is on FaceBook??? I found out recently. Let me tell you, the people behind this product look amazing! They are beautiful people and really stand behind their products and rightfully so. Ok, I have to put a plug in for Andy because he is my Designer Whey buddy and support. OMGsh Andy, I had no idea you were such a cutie patutie! Whey to Go, keep your health and looks dude.

I will be glad when school starts so I can get back to routine. I need to start my day right now with my breakfast of a wonderful Designer Whey Shake, some fruit and a piece of whole wheat toast. I will get back to what works starting with breakfast. I have been skipping that part for a while now…not good. I need to start right to keep right. I need to carry my 2GO packs in the car like I did before. It’s too easy to stop at a drive-thru when you’re hungry. I need to carry my snacks in the car when I am working instead of a quick stop at a gas station to grab something that is not the best choice.

I have to value myself.

Take Care,
Camille

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Push Yourself!

I’m in New York City, and tonight I’ll be participating in an especially rigorous martial arts class with a woman I’m profiling for a business magazine. I’ve stepped up my weight training and cardio in the last month and a half, doing weights four to five times per week and interval training on the treadmill three times per week. Hopefully I can make it through this class, but I’m not confident…my endurance is still low.

I’ve realized that I have a lot of trouble pushing myself when I work out. A couple of days last week, I just did a moderate walk on the treadmill instead of interval training, and I didn’t weight train as much as I had been due to scheduling conflicts between my trainer and me. Of course, I could have picked up my handy dumbbells at home, but with no one pushing me, I dissed that idea.

I think that in order to lose weight and get fit, we need to push ourselves more than we think. Many magazine articles tell you that being active just a half-hour per day is fine, and you can even split up your activity into three 10-minute sessions, such as walks after meals. But when you read the profiles of people who have lost weight and kept it off — and who look great — they don’t just meander around for half an hour every day. They work hard! For example, some of them do an hour of cardio every day, and weight training three to five times per week on top of that. They watch their calories. They’re dedicated to being healthy.

I have a friend who would like to lose a lot of weight. But when he tells me about his workout, I realize that he’s just walking slowly on a treadmill at 0% incline for half an hour, then lifting weights that even I, who am in no way a trainer, can tell are way too light. He can go on forever without reaching failure! Then he gets demotivated because he isn’t losing any weight.

In contrast, the person I’m profiling has a fit body. She does vigorous martial arts for one to two hours a day, weight trains with heavy weights, and runs. And when we went out to lunch, I noticed that she ate only a half slice of bread from her open-faced tuna sandwich. (I ate all my bread.)

Me, I’m somewhere in the middle — I usually push myself, especially with weights (I lift heavy enough that I can do only eight to 12 reps), and I take care not to eat a crazy amount of food. And my results are…well, middling. I’m not overweight, but I’d like to look and feel fitter, and to fit into the jeans I wore in graduate school. The woman I’m profiling has inspired me: I think when I get back to New Hampshire, I’ll feel a renewed commitment to push myself harder during exercise.

How about you? Do you push it, or are you a slacker? What kinds of results are you seeing? I’d love to know…please post your experiences in the Comments section below.

Stay healthy,

Linda

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Hey Friends!
 

My scale must have been on the fritz when I weighted in at the 278. I had to change the batteries. I say that because I got on the scale today and it said 267. I was very happy!

Hey Friends I am moving up I and finally on FaceBook! I did not realize how many relatives I have on there. So if you have FaceBook look me up! cammiegibson@gmail.com or Camille Gibson and you can find me. Oh course I am promoting my Designer Whey! I love these products; the taste, the help in losing weight and energy is priceless. I believe in Designer Whey’s purity and goodness to be the best protein supplement out there. I know my progress is slow but I rather have the weight come off at a steady rate then dramatic change. Dramatic is not good for me. Losing weight slower is better in the long run. I do have to work on the exercise part. My family and I are riding bike more often so that is good.

I hope this finds you well and healthier then the day before, be sure to drink your whey everyday!
 

Camille

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In reality it’s my fault. I have been way off, weddings, graduations, eating out lots, not following my plan, not documenting what I eat, and not eating enough of the right foods… which still blows my mine…the concept of having to eat to lose weight. When I do not including my Designer Whey Protein powders every day I eat more junk…I know this yet I neglect myself. Then on the other hand I am like…do people who are a healthy weight have to do what I have to do to be healthy? I wish I could observe a week in the life of a healthy happy person. What they eat, how much do they exercise, how do they deal with stress, just to see how it’s done.

On the good side; we bought a camper this week and are heading out to Vermont for a weeks vacation. We really need some R & R…it’s been a tough, busy and stressful few months. I am so ready to just be with my family and enjoy the scenery.

Ok Friends, I will check in after we get back, hopefully I do not gain any more weight…some times I just want to give up and say screw it when it comes to weight loss but I can’t give up, I have to continue the quest.

Take Care,

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I find it very hard to find time for a good abdominal routine after or before my workouts. I am one of those people who only have a set amount of time that I can allot to working out everyday and if I use that time for ab workouts then I fall short of completing my other workouts – which for my personal goals are far more important. But I do not want to leave my abs out because they are not only a key factor in complete physical appearance but they are extremely essential to building a solid core which is one of the biggest factors in upper body strength. I always say to myself, I will just do abs when I get home from the gym, but that never has happened. So lately I have been trying something new – when I do my regular workouts and not the experimental ones. I have been doing a set of about 20-25 crunches in between every set of lifting reps that I do.

Fitness Model James Ellis

This not only has been building my abs back to where I want to see them but it has also been increasing my overall workout stamina. Putting your body in constant motion for an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half is a great workout. When doing this I am able to complete my full workout without relinquishing any amount of time to an abs workout because I am getting my ab workout in while I rest in between sets and because my rest time is spent doing abs, my endurance is getting even stronger.

This is how I have been doing my workouts. On a day where I would do biceps I would do four sets of curls with about 6-7 max reps on each of them. But in between the sets I would do a set of 25 crunches regular crunches. The when I switch to another exercise like hammer curls for instance, I would follow the same regimen but instead of doing normal crunches I would do a set of 25 side crunches and then vary on the next muscle exercise I did. I haven’t found a way to incorporate weights into the ab work out without using machines and taking up two things at once at the gym, but just working my abs by way of crunches and other non-weight involved exercises, I have been able to see a clear result. For about the first week and a half I thought this workout was too exhausting, but that was because I was trying to do too many ab reps in between sets. I was trying to do 50 crunches instead of 25. But after I lowered the amount that I was doing I was able to finish both workouts in the time it takes to do one and not feel like I had absolutely no energy left. When I am at the gym at my condos where there is never anyone there and I can use two machines at once without holding anyone up, I will also try to incorporate running for my rest time. Like I mentioned before, I only do this when I am doing my normal routine and not when I am varying from routine to routine, because it really only personally works for me when I am doing my normal lifting sets. But this can be a good thing to incorporate into cardio or leg workouts as a break that is not really a break.

Proper Crunches Thanks to YouTube ID masterblevins

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For the longest time, I was a breakfast person: Every morning I would make whole wheat toast with peanut butter and berries, scrambled eggs, whole wheat French toast, or multigrain blueberry-walnut pancakes.

Then, one day, I suddenly couldn’t stomach the idea of eating in the morning. And I was also too busy for lunch, so I would get up every day, skip breakfast and lunch, and not eat until around 4 pm — and then pig out on fatty foods because I was ravenous.

You’d think my weight would go down from eating one meal per day, but if anything, it went up. That’s because when we don’t eat, our body thinks it’s fasting and slows down your metabolism, so we’re burning fewer calories than usual. In addition, we tend to make up for skipping meals by overeating later in the day (like I did).

In a National Weight Control Registry study of people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off, 78% are regular breakfast eaters — so breakfast is clearly important. But what you eat is also important: According to an article in the Washington Post, recent research found that sedentary, obese women lost almost five times as much weight when they ate a big breakfast with carbs and lean protein as they did when eating a restrictive low-carbohydrate diet. The “big breakfast” included milk, three ounces of lean meat, two slices of cheese, two whole grain servings, one fat serving and one ounce of milk chocolate or candy (to help reduce cravings for sweets later in the day).

And in a study in the International Journal of Obesity, one group noshed on a bagel every morning for eight weeks while a second group had two eggs every morning for eight weeks. At the end of the study, the egg group showed a 61% greater reduction in BMI, a 65% greater weight loss, a 34% greater reduction in waist circumference, and a 16% greater reduction in percent body fat.

It’s clear from these studies that a healthy breakfast needs to have enough lean protein, fiber, and fat to keep us full until lunchtime — but all of this information isn’t much help when the thought of food in the morning makes your stomach turn. Why do some of us just not want to eat in the morning? My life coach theorized that I might be too stressed in the morning to be hungry, and the Washington Post article states that we may not feel like eating because our levels of the brain chemical serotonin are highest in the morning, which means our craving levels are at their lowest. (When serotonin levels dip during the day, cravings start.)

But whatever the reason for not wanting to eat, it’s important to have something to start off the day. I developed this recipe for an easy-to-digest smoothie that has enough protein, fat, and fiber to get me through to lunch:

Linda’s PB&J Smoothie (Makes 2 smoothies)

Add to the blender:

1 banana
2 heaping tablespoons natural peanut butter
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons ground flax seed
1 1/4 cups frozen blueberries (frozen cherries also work well if you can find them)
3 cups 1% lowfat milk (or more depending on how thick you like your smoothie)

Blend on High for 1 – 2 minutes, pour, and drink!

Are you a breakfast person? What’s your favorite healthy breakfast? If you’re one of those can’t-eat-in-the-morning people, what do you do to keep your energy up until lunchtime? Please add your opinions and experiences to the Comments below!

Stay healthy,

Linda

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