How to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

It's no debate that Americans always gain weight this time of year.  Heck even Santa puts on a few pounds.  But how much do we really gain?  And more importantly, can it be avoided?  Many experts believe we gain anywhere from 1 to 5 pounds from Halloween to New Year's Day but the good news is there are things you can do to limit or avoid any weight gain during the holiday season.

Hopefully you are not still eating Halloween candy; but, if you are, it's time to get rid of it.  Take it to the office, have your kids take it to school, or give it to our homeless Americans.  Furthermore, remember Thanksgiving DAY is only one day.  No need to stuff yourself like a turkey for more than 1 day or 1 meal for that matter.  Third, Christmas is the holiday of giving...not of eating. Granted there will be lots of delicious goodies at your disposal. Just remember to taste everything but don't indulge on anything!

Exercise is also important during the holiday season.  Most gyms are still open around the holidays.  If you don't have a gym membership, I believe it's still free to walk around your neighborhood.  What great weather we are having this fall!  As a bonus, exercise has been proven to reduce holiday stress and control blood sugar if you have eaten too many sweets.

Moreover, New Year's Eve is just not about consuming 1 or more adults beverages; it's also about setting new goals for 2014.  What a great way to start off the year with an exercise session on January 1, 2014!

Stay Hydrated This Summer

It's easy to get dehydrated in the summer sun if you exercise outdoors.  Drinking plenty of water is essential to staying hydrated.  It is the most abundant and most important nutrient in the body.  Our muscle weight is nearly 75% water.

We receive most of our water from liquids although we do get some from food.  On the other hand, we lose most of our water through sweat, exhaling, and urine.  Dehydration starts at 1% body weight loss due to sweating.  A person working out can lose as much as 3 liters of water per hour during a very strenuous workout.

Most experts suggest that a sedentary person should drink at least 2.5 liters of water per day.  On hot days and/or during exercise, water intake can be as much as 5 to 10 liters.  Proper hydration will help you maintain your workout intensity.  Studies have shown sports performance begins to drop with dehydration levels of only 1%.

So stay cool and hydrated this summer for better workouts and a healthier body!

What Is Functional Training?

More and more people have goals of improved everyday life rather than big gains in size and strength.  A new style of training includes exercises that mimic everyday movements called "functional training."

Most traditional exercises involve single muscle groups in a single plane.  Functional training utilizes more muscles groups in several different planes.  While traditional training will enhance absolute strength and hypertrophy, functional training will improve functional strength, stability, and coordination.

For example, someone who picks up a load of laundry and places it on the washing machine may perform a medicine ball squat with a twist (pictured) to utilize similar muscle groups and planes.  Another example is performing asymmetrical step-ups with a medicine or dumbbell on one side to closely resemble carrying a child up a flight of stairs. 

Not ready to give up your traditional exercises?  No problem!  You can combine traditional exercises with functional exercises to design a well-rounded routine.  For example, a back squats followed by asymmetrical step-ups OR bench press followed by one-arm cable press.  Just remember, when performing functional exercises, always progress from a more stable environment to a less stable one. Also, increase the difficulty by involving more muscles groups and more planes.

For beginners, some of these "functional movements" may initially seem awkward.  However, after repeated bouts of the same exercises, your muscles will coordinate and adapt to the challenge of functional training.  Good luck and happy lifting!

Bone Health

Many people know that resistance training is very beneficial for muscles; but, did you know resistance training is also very beneficial for your bones?

Many studies have shown that weight training builds stronger bones.  In fact, bones that undergo resistance training become bigger and stronger; while bones that do NOT experience exercise become weak and brittle.

The same way your muscles adapt to the weight training stress is very similar to how your bones adapt to weight lifting.  Exercise signals your body to make changes in the bone structure.  With a proper diet of calcium and vitamin D, weight training will build bigger, stronger bones.

Stronger bones is the key to preventing osteoporosis and minimizing fractures at the more common sites like the hip, spine, and wrist.  Moreover, bone density is site specific. Which means that although runners may have strong tibias (lower leg bones), they may be weak at the hips, spine, and arms.  Therefore, everyone should participate in some type of weight bearing exercise for all the major muscle and major bones of the body.

Lat Pulldowns: front or back?

There is an ongoing debate whether we should perform lat pulldowns in front of our heads or behind our heads. Personal trainers should always consider the safety and effectiveness of an exercise before they include it in a resistance training program. A study by Signorile et al (2002) compared muscle activity in the latissimus dorsi using different hand positions and techniques.  EMGs were connected to 10 subjects using 4 different hand positions: wide grip anterior, wide grip posterior, close grip, and supinated grip.

The study concluded that the wide grip anterior (front of the head) grip produced significantly greater muscle activity in the latissimus dorsi than any of the three other grips.  Furthermore, there was more activity in tricep, teres major, pec major, and posterior deltoid during pulldowns in front of their heads than behind their heads.  Also, most experts believe that anterior pulldowns are safer than posterior pulldowns concerning neck and shoulder joints.

 

Therefore, it is concluded that anterior pulldowns are not only safer, but this study has proven that anterior pulldowns are also more effective in recruiting latissimus dorsi and other muscles than lat pulldowns behind the head.

Leg Press Tips and Technique

The Leg Press is one of the most popular machines in the gym.  It is a single plane machine which means it really targets the glutes, quads, and hamstrings if used properly.  To use all three big muscle groups, your feet should be placed near the center of the plate.  If your feet are placed too high, you will recruit more glutes/hams than quads.  If you place your feet too low on the plate, then you will recruit more quads than glutes/hams.

Another important facet to the leg press is the lower back.  As with most exercises, it is very important to keep a neutral spine throughout the movement.  Some exercisers will lower the weight too fast causing their lumbar spine to curve.  Make a mental note to keep your low back on the pad.  A curved lumbar will produce a posterior pelvic tilt which may lead to low back pain or injury in the future.

So next time you're at the gym and the angled leg press machine is available, try experimenting with foot position.  High on the plate for glutes/hams, low for quads, and wide for adductors.  But regardless of your routine, make sure you maintain proper form to prevent injury.

Recruiting the Pectoralis Minor

Most people know how to recruit the pectoralis major.  In fact, Monday is what most people at the gym call international "chest day."  Some of the best exercises for pectoralis major are chest press, pushups, and cable crossovers.  But do you know how to properly recruit the pectoralis minor?

The pectoralis minor is a smaller muscle beneath the pec major.  While the pec major inserts into the humerus, the pec minor inserts into the scapula or shoulder blade.  Therefore, the two muscles have two different functions.  In order to properly recruit the pec minor, there must be a separation of the shoulder blades or rounding of the back.  Next time you do cable crossovers, try rounding your back at the end of the movement.  This will ensure that you are recruiting your pec major and your pec minor during the same exercise.

Happy lifting :)

Fat Loss Tips for 2013

Millions of Americans began a new health and fitness journey on January 1.  We wish everyone luck on their health and fitness goals.  If you can make better activity choices and better food choices, the journey will be successful.

Simple things you can do to add activity to your daily routine:

·         Take the stairs

·         Park far away

·         Walk during your lunch break

·         Walk to check your mail

·         Walk your dog

·        Play outside

·         If you “need” to watch the latest reality show, do some crunches or pushups during commercials.

Making better food choices is almost impossible with all the goodies everywhere; so:

·         Eat at home

·         Eat more fibrous fruits and vegetables

·         Do not leave your home hungry

·         Pack healthy snacks to go just in case

·         Avoid long periods between snacks

·         Drink water with your meals

·         Drink alcohol in moderation if at all

Another important aspect of your journey is your support team.  Surround yourself with friends that have similar goals.  Also write down your goals and share them with some of your friends.  Together, you all will help each other reach your 2013 health and fitness goals!