Modify for your Benefit

Sometimes you run into a workout that you just can't do. Maybe it's because of range of motion limitations or pain restrictions, but that doesn't mean you have to completely skip that body part or exercise. You can in fact still get the same benefits doing something completely different.

Modifications of an exercise/workout can help you do build muscles or lose weight with a lesser stress than the original exercise. Take my issues for example. I have a bad back, this makes it very difficult to squat and deadlift. With modifications of my leg and back workouts, I can still work my legs and low back. When it comes to leg day, while I still try and squat, I go very light weight with it. I modify by doing leg presses at a higher weight and higher volume. While on squats I'm lucky to hit 205 LBS, my average leg press is 748 LBS. That is a pretty substantial difference. By doing a Leg Press, I am able to put much less stress on my back, and also have the support on my back from the bench. I am also able to do more strength days of pushing over 1000 LBS every couple of months.

So many exercises can be modified, look at classic push ups. If you can't do them from your toes, you are taught to modify by doing them from your knees. This is taught to us all the way back in elementary school. Many modifiers like the push up from the knees are also used to assist in building that strength to be able to do them from the toes. If you are doing assisted pull -ups, you are building to do unassisted pull-ups. But just because you are modifying, doesn't mean to not make attempts at the classic movements you are building towards. Like I said, I still do squats and deadlifts, but a majority of this work is done with modifications.

Gym Etiquette

It happens to all of us at some point. You walk into the gym and are about to jump hop on a machine to do cable rows, and someone has left a giant puddle of sweat behind! Were these people raised by wolves? Worse yet, is the fact that you are the only one in the gym! How long has that puddle been there? It can be very frustrating having to clean up after other adults in a public venue, so I bring to you this gym etiquette guide.

1. Don't stink. Yes, I know you are going to the gym to workout, but there is no need to smell bad. You are going to have plenty of time to get all musky and smelly. Please apply deodorant before going to the gym. But don't overdue the deodorizers. Putting on perfume or cologne before hitting the gym can also make it unpleasant for others. Keep it simple, don't smell like trash when you go in, and you should be fine.


2. Don't hog the equipment! I understand you want to get your workout done, but there are others that want to get their workout in as well. It's fine if you are the only one in the gym to hog what you need, as long as someone else doesn't need it. But if you workout in a small gym, be kind and share. Equipment can be very limited in smaller gyms, and everyone there has paid their dues to use that equipment. At the same time, don't get huffy if someone is on something you want to use, ask if you can work in between their sets. Most people should be fine. If you do work in, re-adjust the machines or barbell to what the previous user had it at too. They will think you for it.


3. Re-Rack the weights! Yes, you just did a 300 LBS bench press, I'm so proud of you. But re-rack the plates when you are done. No one wants to clean up your weight mess after you have left. By leaving the weights on the barbell and other plate machines, you are cutting into someone else's precious workout time as well. And what if they have difficulties lifting a 45 LBS plate?


4. Clean up! We are all guilty to a point I'm sure. You finished your workout and left without wiping down the bench or machines you just used. You left a nice butt puddle too. Take the time and wipe the machines down that you used when you are all finished with them. It's not that hard. Sure, we are all human and forget sometimes, but it shouldn't be constant. Also, throw away the wipes! No one wants to pick up your nasty wipes that you decided you could just leave in random areas of the gym.


5. Finally, put the cell phone away! Cell phones are great, we can play music and track workouts on them, but they can also be a huge distraction. Invest in a cheap mp3 player for music and use a notebook to track your workouts and enter them in your phone later. It gets really annoying when people are texting or talking on their phone at the gym. This can also be very dangerous as well. Distracted lifting is no joke. Sure it's funny to see someone texting while on the treadmill right before they face plant, but really? Was that text that important.

We are all bodybuilders

You have decided to change your life, you have put the first step forward into living a healthy lifestyle. Maybe you have been living this lifestyle for a while now. The simple fact is, you don't think you are a bodybuilder, that word might even make you shudder a little bit. But you are, in fact, a bodybuilder.

Oh yes, you may want to argue and say "But I'm not lifting heavy weights" or "I don't want to be a bodybuilder". Well TOO BAD! Ok, maybe that was a little rough, and you are not a bodybuilder in the way that you traditionally hear about it or that you may even think you know it as. You are building yourself a new body.

Yes! You are tearing down the old body that you don't want anymore, and building a new one that you want, that you want to share, that will last you a full and fun filled life. Just because you are a "Bodybuilder" doesn't mean you are hulking out. Look at bodybuilding shows, they have the ranks of Bikini, Figure, Physique, Fitness, and Bodybuilding. But all of those fall under bodybuilding. Look up bikini competitors like Alexis Burke, she is not big and bulky, but I can tell you now, she goes to the gym and lifts, she works her whole body.

So let's look at your bodybuilding in this way, shall we? You are changing your life. You have torn down the original structure of your body to force new habits, and to start building it to last. You may not fit into the general meaning of the word bodybuilder, but what else would you call it? Getting fit? Getting healthy? Embrace what you have become, and have fun with it. But don't scare the children, no one wants to scare children..ok, you can scare the children.

Don't let the gym intimidate you

We are a few weeks into the new year, and maybe you are new to the whole gym atmosphere. You went through the signup process, took a tour and a gym staff member showed you how to use the machines and gave you some tips. Now it's time you do it all on your own. You get on the chest press machine and adjust the seat. Then after you sit, you don't think it feels right, so you adjust it again and again. Finally you set the weight, Remember, the gym staff member told you to start low with around 10 LBS, so that's what you set it for. This is when you notice that in the time it's taken you, that there are more people at the gym and they are lifting heavier than you. You knock out some reps and your big day at the gym that you planned an hour for has turned into a 10 minute workout.

This intimidation is not uncommon for a new gym go'er. When you are just starting at the gym or fitness in general, you feel that all eyes are on everything you do. When you do cardio, you feel that people are racing you, or judging you because you can't run for more than a quarter mile if even that. When lifting, you notice that people may be doing a lot more than you, and you think they are judging you based on your lack of strength. This couldn't be further from the truth though. You also have to remember that you are new to all this, you have to start somewhere. After a few visits you will get it down.

Honestly, those people that you think are judging you, or secretly watching you, are probably more concerned about their workout and most likely don't even notice you there, or just don't care what you are doing.

We have all been that new person at the gym. I remember when I first started at the gym doing 10 LBS on all the machines, I wouldn't even touch the free weights. I was so self conscious. I would get to the gym super early and workout on the elliptical and hope that no one would come into the gym before I got to the machines. I didn't want people to notice how weak I was. But that eventually passed. Later when I rejoined the gym, I felt a bit intimidated again. I was lifting free weights, but I didn't have the strength that I wanted. There were others lifting, but I just put in my earbuds and did my thing. I may not be the strongest at the gym, but I don't care.

A couple weeks ago I noticed a guy at the gym working the machines, I said good morning to him and went on my way. Within a few minutes, I could tell he was a new member. He was looking over at me while I was lifting and starting to look intimidated. When I went to the seated chest press machine, I jumped the weight up to 125 LBS, and busted out 15 reps and went over to do dumbbell bench. He looked dumbfounded at the machine I had just left and made an adjustment and started using it. Soon after he left. When I went to that machine again, it was set on 10 LBS, all the machines he was using was set at 10 LBS. I haven't seen him since. He was intimidated and left, I hope he comes back. Personally I would love to workout with him, because I think it would be good for him to know some members there and realize that no one is judging him.

Gym intimidation will always be around, but the best thing to do is go into the gym with a positive attitude and doing the best you can. Who knows, maybe you will even make some friends at the gym and you might even end up being the one intimidating others next year.

Don't use the Holidays as an Excuse

We are in the middle of the holiday season, with the biggest of the holidays just a couple days away. It's during this time of the year that people really let their lifestyles relax. People naturally want to pig out and make unhealthy choices during this time of year. We pack ourselves full of food for Thanksgiving, load up on sweets and food for Christmas and pretty much live sedentary lives the last 2 months of the year because we want to use the holidays as an excuse. Well Stop!

 

Using the holiday season as an excuse to not eat right and not workout is like saying you don't have time to eat right and exercise. It's just an excuse. It's ok to indulge a little during the holidays, but at the same time you need to be conscious of the decisions you are making. You don't need to eat so much that you have a food baby by the end of the day!

 

Food is not the Enemy

When it comes to changing your lifestyle, it's easy to fall into the wrong way of thinking. Most of us that are switching our lifestyles are making huge changes in our diets. I know I sure did. The biggest mental issue to get over when this change starts, is how we look at food. Quite frankly this mental issue can stick around through your entire journey, even after you have done a complete transformation.

Think about it. You spend your time counting calories now. You start thinking if you consume less calories you will lose weight faster and get fit quicker. You begin to think of food as the enemy, you even become scared of food. Food is the single most important thing in your transformation! Food is what fuels your basic life functions. The human body needs 1200 calories a day to sustain healthy functions. To people that are scared of food, that seems like a lot. That 1200 goes really fast throughout the day. You walk around the office, walk down the stairs, workout, and so on. This 1200 burns up fast! This 1200 is the absolute minimum! You need more than that.

Most active woman can count on a good 1800 calories a day and be pretty well off calorie wise. But if you are a woman and are majorly active, well you are going to need to ramp that up a bit more. Take into account that during a 1 hour workout, you are probably burning anywhere between 500 - 800 calories depending on intensity. Now you have sunk back below that 1200, and your body wont fully recover. Food is your fuel, food will actually help promote weight loss with proper nutrition. Want to build muscle? Get some hot sexy abs? You have to eat.

But it's not just the calories. Sure you can get 1800 calories or so from just 1 meal of crap. It's the quality of calories. You need to consume good healthy foods. This means lean meats, vegetables, fruits, grains, healthy fats, complex carbs. Don't cheat yourself with garbage, because you will never get where you want to be. I can easily go into a restaurant and order a meal and get 3000 calories in that one meal. I know, I have done it before. And all those calories are normally absolute garbage. Be smart, eat for your goals, don't starve yourself. If your nutrition is in place, you will reach your goals. Your journey starts in the kitchen, and ends in the gym!

Eat for the Future, not the Past

Ok, that might sound kind of strange, I admit. But when it comes to your daily eating, often times people eat incorrectly. Most people that are trying to drop weight eat very light all day, then after they workout they have a large meal. This is entirely wrong! Sometimes this is done as a reward to ones self. The thinking is "I worked really hard, I deserve this" The other thought is just replenishment of the body. Here is the deal. You should be eating based on what you will be doing, not for what you have already done. If I am going to workout in the AM, I am going to eat a larger breakfast because I am not going to be sedentary in the next few hours. I am going to be active and I need that energy from my meal. If I am working out at night, then I am going to eat a regular breakfast and lunch, and make my dinner larger to fuel for my workout. Again, I need this energy. Even though your metabolism is up after a workout, this does not mean it's going to burn a bunch of calories that you are just putting in it.

Now this pertains mostly to dropping fat, there are exceptions to every rule. But do you really want to workout at night, eat a ton of food and be inactive for 8 hours? I smell a good portion of weight gain right there. There is nothing wrong with eating after a workout, just be smart about it. Fuel your body before your workout, not afterwards.

Social Fitness

In today's society of social media, we tell the world everything we do. This is also the case when it comes to our workouts. You wake up in the morning and post to Facebook or Twitter "Going to the gym" or "Getting ready to do some P90X Plyo". Of course people get a bit annoyed at this, but what if I told you, that this action could make or break your fitness goals?

Think about it. You might not have a workout partner for the gym, or in fact you workout primarily from home. It is up to you to make sure you do your workouts and no one else. However, if you are posting every day when you do a workout, then you are holding yourself accountable. Accountablity is important during fitness after you have set your goals. Without accountability, you would workout maybe a week and then just stop. When you post online that you are going to workout, and you post this every day, people will notice when you don't post about it. These people that notice will write on your wall or tweet you and ask if you worked out, or say "What, no workout today?".

But checking in is also as effective if you use Foursquare or Facebook Places. Checking in to your gym or fitness center and publicizing this on your Facebook and Twitter timeline holds you to the same accountability. All this may seem annoying, but you would be surprised at how many people care and want to see you succeed. Just don't share when you are pooping, ok?

Clothes make the difference

When it comes to your journey, there are going to be several factors that your success depends on. But most of all it's going to be your overall feel. When it comes down to it, your workout clothes contribute to that overall feel. Now at first you will probably fall victim to the same thing that many do, and that is putting on the sweats and workout out. The thinking process with this? If I sweat more, I'm going to lose more weight and reach my goal faster! Yes, you will sweat more, but the weight you are going to lose is going to be water weight, and more of it than normal. You are also going to find yourself more fatigued that you normally would have if you had just worn normal workout clothes. Working out with high intensity and in layers of sweats can also be damaging to your body. The last thing you want to do while working out is over heat and pass out.

When working out, where some nice light clothing that makes you feel good. Feeling good is part of this journey, though it can get expensive. When you buy workout clothes specifically for workouts, we tend to workout more. We also tend to buy things that fit better to show off what we are working towards. Now you don't need to go off and spend a ton of money either. Sure, I love UnderArmor as much as the next person, but unless you are made of money, you aren't going to be able to afford buying 6 days worth of UnderArmor workout clothes. Look at the options at Target and Walmart. Target has a great collection with Championship gear, which is primarily what I have. It is colorful, fits great and is made with the quick-dry technology. Quick-dry basically just means, it's going to suck the sweat off your body, and then dry quickly, so you wont always be soggy. Walmart carries the Starter brand workout clothes and again comes in bright colors and comes in quick-dry. Of the two, the Starter wear is the cheapest, but still made with high quality materials.

Just remember, this is your transformation, your journey, you want to look and feel good, and good workout clothes that fit will do that. If you wear baggy clothes, you aren't going to feel as good as you could. When you are wearing workout clothes and even regular clothing that fits well and right, you will feel amazing and your attitude and confidence will show.

Do you know your real competition?

As a human race, we thrive on competition. This holds true to everything we do, be it in our personal lives or professional lives. However, sometimes when on our weight loss journey, we find the wrong competition to fuel ourselves with. What do I mean by this you ask?

Often times when working out or starting to workout, we decide our competition is the person on the treadmill or weight bench next to us. We see what they can do, or how long they go, and we decide we are going to beat them. Sure, some people find this motivating, but there is a serious flaw to this logic. You can always be better than someone. Let's say the person you chose to beat today is just there for a mild workout. Let's say this person is just wanting to do a 30 minute job on the treadmill, you hop on when they do, you glance and their speed and increase yours by just enough to be faster. They hop off after their 30 minutes and you go to 35 minutes. But where is the competition? It's not there, you beat someone who wasn't there to compete. Or maybe let's say you pick someone who looks like they can lift a lot of heavy weights. Well what if they can't, maybe they are just starting to lift and have no real experience, there is no competition there. You are only half way satisfying a need. Sure you think you are fully satisfying it, but you aren't.

So who is your competition? You are your own competition. Yes, I said it. Your main obstacle is you. You can never do better than yourself. This is something I knew from the beginning of my weight loss journey and my journey to a healthier lifestyle. I set daily and weekly goals, as I met those goals, I increased them as well. My first day on the elliptical was to just survive, I barely made it 15 minutes, each day I did the elliptical, I made a goal to go one minute longer. I didn't care what my speed was, I wanted to sustain on the machine. When I made it to 30 minutes, I started working on distance to complete in 30 minutes and so on.

Now in my daily workouts at home, I push to make it farther in my workouts without nearly dying. I will never be satisfied with what I do in my workouts, and no one really should be if they are competitive with themselves. Sure I have days that I tell myself that I am going to take it easy, but I still go strong to compete with me. You are your biggest competition, you can never be better than yourself. Remember that next time you are working out or decide to take on a fitness journey.

 

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Hitting the mark

One thing we often do in life is set high goal for ourselves. We will set goals that we know we can't achieve, just for the reason to fail. Think about it for a minute. If you fail, most times you won't try again. This is our way of saying we did something and moving on. But what if we kept striving to accomplish our goals?

 

That's what I did when embarking on my weight loss journey. I set a near impossible goal of losing 30 lbs in one month. But I kept pushing. That fire from that goal kept burning inside me. I kept pushing and pushing. Now look at me, I have lost 140 lbs and I feel great. Think about that next time you are satisfied or are ready to quit. It's all about pushing yourself. Don't take failure in stride, strive to always do better. Never be satisfied with accomplishing something, you can always do better, push hard, play harder!

One year of Healthy Living

It's hard to believe that it was one year ago today that I decided to take my life back. It all started with me weighing in at 332 LBS! Sadly that wasn't my heaviest, but after endless health issues with being sick and my back always hurting, and some major nudging from my doctor, I knew it was time to do something.

It hasn't been an easy year. Even today I struggle with eating right and working out on a regular basis. Heck, I'm human and I am still adjusting to my new life. After 28 years of horrible habits, it is going to some time to break all those bad habits. But what I have accomplished in just 1 year is what many would say is truly amazing. I went from 332 LBS, 43.6 BMI and 47% body fat down to 197 LBS, 24.89 BMI and 11.9% body fat. That is in one year. I have gone from being morbidly obese to being average in weight.

The hardest part I think about all of the weight loss is convincing my family that I'm not anorexic though. They are so used to me getting second and thirds, and filling up my plate or eating massive amounts of food, that when I eat healthy I get accused of having an eating disorder. This actually sets me back quite a bit because I find myself bingeing on food just to prove that I eat, and I end up eating way more than normal. Were I normally eat 1 serving size at lunch, when with my mom I actually eat 3 - 4 servings sizes (restaurant dinner portion plate). So this obviously sets me back. Even this last week I have struggled with massive weight gain because of this very reason.

All in all, I am very pleased with my results. I still want to lose the rest of my gut, but again, I have gone from a 52 waist pant to a 34 waist. I just really want a flat stomach, and be able to look good shirtless.

Don't fall victim to the cleanse

Over the years there have been many fad diets. The producers of these fads spend their time trying to convince you that this is the best way to kick start your weight loss. The funny thing, is some of these people have also stated in the past that there is no need to do a cleanse/reset. They were right to begin with!

Here is the problem. Right now there are 3 really popular cleanses/resets. Jillian Michaels detox and Cleanse, Bob Harpers Smart 7 day Cleanse and Beachbody's Ultimate Reset. While the first two are the cheapest alternative, they brand themselves are what have people convinced that these are viable things that need to be done!

Lets start with the first two on the list, shall we. Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper, the worlds toughest trainers. These two are responsible to zapping the fat off of millions across the globe. Both have great at home workouts, both were and one still is part of the most popular weight loss show in America, and both talk a good game. Lets face it, Jillian at this point will do anything for a buck. If you watch her on old episodes of Biggest Looser or even as recent as The Doctors, she talks about nutrition and "gags" at the thought of fast food and soda. Yet this woman endorses an at home Soda making machine where you buy syrup and make your own cola! What? Yeah, so anything she has to say is null and void!

How about Bob? He is the more respectable of the two trainers. Bob has several books out and several DVD's. He knows his stuff. He sells his DVD's for $5 a piece on his site and happens to have the best kettlebells on the market (that's just my opinion). All around, I think Bob is a pretty decent guy. I honestly can't find any fault with him, other than he pimps a cleanse!

Oh, but I haven't forgotten the one most people will be shocked I'm posting about here. That's right, it's Beachbody's Ultimate Reset. The most expensive of the three coming in at a whopping $229.95. This is a 21 day reset/cleanse that promises lower cholesterol and the usual detoxify your system lines. Nothing like 21 days at $229.95 to make you homeless right?

Here is the point though. Our bodies are designed to cleanse and reset themselves. This is something our bodies would do often if we treated them right. Do you want a real reset/cleanse? Try this. Eat clean for 21 days. Yep, it's that simple. Eat natural clean foods, no processed garbage. I'm talking Veggies, Fruits, high protein meat, lots of water and you can have some whole grains. In the first week, you will start noticing a huge change, you will probably even lose a few pounds. Within the 21 days, you will find yourself to be feeling better, being more regular and craving less crap. All this is attainable without spending outside of your regular budget. There is no scam to the proven method that I am offering you. No pyramid, no celebrity trainers, just you, natural clean food and your health of the future.

Don't get habits confused with genetics

We hear from every source these days that obesity is a "genetic" disease. However, I completely disagree, and I know there are more people that disagree.

First let's look at obesity in your family. Are both your parents fat? Yes? But were they obese when they were younger? or did it occur as they got older? Are your grandparents overweight? Yes? Again, ask the same question about your parents.

In my case, you could say I was morbidly obese because my father is obese. Well that's what the "experts" would say at least. But lets go back to 1974 when my dad graduated high school and married my mom. My dad graduated weighing in at a whopping 119 LBS. But how can he be obese now? Oh his family must be morbidly obese right? Wrong. My dad's whole family were a bunch of bean poles. But what about me? I picked up my dad's eating habits.

That's right. It's not genetics, it is picking up your parents habits. My dad for as long as I can remember has been a snacker. When my dad would be off duty and would be home with me, he would snack. So, I would snack. It eventually turned into a thing that when I was bored, I would snack, because that is the habit my dad passed on to me. It's like with healthy eating. I wasn't raised around eating healthy or restricted portions. If I wanted a second helping, I could have it. This all led to my being morbidly obese.

Sadly though, parents and their children don't want to take the blame for their own problems. They would rather blame a non-existent genetic disease on their problems than admitting that they have just passed on and excepted bad habits.

I've changed my bad habits. No longer do the days exists where I mindlessly snack because I'm bored or watching TV. Do I still snack though? Yes I do! But I snack healthy, I eat either an apple, banana, celery stalk or brocoli. If I'm not eating those, then I have 8 almonds for one snack, and 14 almonds for a second snack. I do this only once between meals. I mostly only do this to keep my metabolism going. I survive the day just fine and no longer feel phantom hunger at bored times.

Make a change in your habits, and stop blaming genetics if you are obese.

Change your life the healthy way

These days we have a lot of things that promise quick results. Every thing from diet pills, so crazy diets and even surgeries. The problem with all of these things, is you are putting a bandaid on the bigger problem.

Take surgery for example. The popular things to do for weight loss is Liposuction, Gastric Bypass and Lap Band. These all promise fast results, but most of these are for cosmetic purposes only. You hear on the radio all the time about Lap Band surgery. It's probably one of the biggest fads right now. The problem is you are having surgery to lose weight that isn't going to stay off unless you change yourself. In my opinion no one should have Lap Band surgery.

Gastric Bypass in most cases is a end of the line surgery, or at least it used to me. You're doctor would suggest it to you if you were morbidly obese and you absolutely had to have surgery to save your life and make changes. Now, you can go to a plastic surgeon and get this procedure done without having to be obese hardly at all. At 250 LBS myself, I can qualify for Gastric Bypass. But again, if you don't change your eating habits and exercise habits, you will gain the weight back, just like a Lap Band patient.

Liposuction is the old school way of doing things, you still hear about people having it done though. Back in the day it was mostly a hollywood thing though. You would hear of an actress having it done to get rid of a little bit of fat on her butt or hips. However now it is for any one that wants to drop a quick 20 LBS. Again, most people put that weight back on.

My whole point to all of this, is these surgeries are taking the easy way out. These surgeries in most cases is a lazy persons way to lose weight. These are the same people that think of exercise and diet as punishment. That would rather sit at home and watch their favorite TV show instead of going for a walk or would rather wake up an hour before work instead of 2 hours so they can hit the gym.

I've completely changed my life by implementing diet and exercise into it. You can ask any one that has known me for a while, I was always lazy. My idea of working out before I changed my self was lifting a fork full of pasta to my mouth. Now I work out 6 - 7 days a week, sometimes multiple times a day. I feel better about my life, health and future than I ever have. My weight is less likely to come back because of my lifestyle change. If you have taken to the easy way out, you will most likely be back in your fat pants with in 5 years. So change your life for the better.