Hi,

Eating on holidays is always a dilemma.  You have worked so hard to lose weight and here comes a holiday. 

What should you do?

Step back and look at the bigger picture. 

A diet or a nutrition plan is part of your lifestyle.  Even if it is a temporary one (like most diets seem are).

Getting in shape and/or losing weight are great goals and a great way to change your lifestyle for the better.

But, you also have to be happy and satisfied with life. 

Are you going to be happy if everyone around you is feasting and drinking and having fun – while you are eating your salad with no dressing?

Are you going to want to listen to all the teasing about your diet or your fitness program all weekend?

Odds are the answer is probably not. 

Some fitness and nutrition gurus maintain that you will undo all your hard work with a weekend of feasting and drinking.

So what is the answer?

How about a compromise. 

When you know a holiday or a special celebration is coming up then prepare for it. 

Work out extra hard that week.  Eat extra clean that week.  Take some extra supplements (vitamins, minerals and antioxidants) that week.

When the event arrives I think you should go ahead and enjoy yourself. 

But, that doesn’t mean you have to go overboard.  You can enjoy all the food and drink within reason. 

Eat a little of everything you want.  Just don’t go back for seconds and thirds and fourths.  You can do this throughout the weekend and no one will even notice. 

If you want to exercise, get up earlier than everyone else and go to the gym or just for a brisk walk. 

Do a couple of these sessions throughout the weekend and that will be enough. 

This way you get to enjoy the holiday weekend and not have to worry about undoing all your hard work.

Eating on the holidays can also be a great way to add some poundage to your weight lifting. 

All the extra food will give you lots of energy.  Go ahead and use that by really upping the amount of weight you are lifting.

Not only will this feel good, but the repairing necessary after a jump in strenuous activity will burn a lot of extra calories. 

This might be just the pop you need to get you really motivated.

In the meantime have a great Labor Day. 

Hi,

I have been getting a lot of femfigueres comments on these posts and I want to thank all of you who have taken your time to write and post a comment.

I read all of them -eventually- and appreciate them.

Last post I responded to some questions from the comments on steroid use. 

This post I am making a few changes.  I have had to add a spam filter to them. 

Why anyone would want to post about ringtones -10-20 posts a day – on this website is beyond me. 

And rather than manually going in and deleting them, I will just use a spam filter to get rid of them.

I got a few posts asking why I was deleting their comments.  So here are my reasons.

The first is I thought it was spam.

The second is the use of inappropriate language (swear words).

The third is the use of racist or sexist language.

The fourth is what I call shouting.  This is when someone’s comment is only designed to blow off steam.  Calling me stupid, dumb, ugly, skinny, fat and other more derogatory terms really adds nothing to the conversation.  And yes, I have been called skinny and fat.  Go figure.

The fifth is related to the fourth.  This is when someone doesn’t agree with me and does so by shouting or using inappropriate language. 

I don’t mind someone disagreeing with me, but tell me why.  Just saying an article was the stupidest thing ever written in the history of the world is really not constructive. 

My writing is based upon my research and my opinions.  I don’t expect everyone to agree with them.  But, hopefully, they have raised an eyebrow or made you think about something in a new way. 

That is my goal. 

However, I did screw up in one way.  When I had this blog designed it was pre populated with a few articles. 

And I did not look at them.  I just started writing my own posts.  That was a mistake. 

As someone pointed out, one of the articles did not make sense.  I read it and had to agree.  So this week I will be going through all of the pre populated posts and changing them or deleting them.

For that oversight I do apologize.  And I pledge not to let that happen again.

Again thanks for your comments and ideas for improvement.  They are truly appreciated.

Hi,

I have gotten a few questions about steroid use on comments section and thought I would address the issue.

First of all, the use of steroids in the US is illegal.  Now whether that is right or wrong is a matter of opinion and there are valid points on both sides.

But, bottom line they are illegal. 

Do they work?  Yes, they work. 

Most people will never get to the size of professional bodybuilders without some kind of extra help. 

And many bodybuilders (and other athletes) still use them.  That is why many bodybuilding events have drug testing. 

Before, there were bodybuilding events.  Now there are natural or drug free bodybuilding events and other non tested bodybuilding events. 

Steroid use will help you get bigger and sometimes stronger.  But, for the average person trying to become a bodybuilder they will never reach the size of some of these men and women champions.

You need the genetics before anything else.  Then you need a diet specific for gaining weight.  Then you need a great training program based on building muscle.

Then you need to use supplements to build muscle and to burn body fat.  Then you need the steroids.

All of that to reach the pinnacle of success in the bodybuilding world.

Most people won’t do what it takes to reach that level.  That is why there are only a few champions.  It takes a lot of hard work – with or without the steroids.

But, there is another reason that we need to talk about steroid use and training.

To become as fit as you can be involves dedication and your involvment.  Your involvement in your training.  Your involvement in your nutriton.  Your involvement in your health.

In other words, just having bigger muscles just means you have big muscles.  It does not mean you are extra strong, that you are fit, that your are healthy or that you even live a healthy lifestyle.

All of that is necessary to get the benefits of fitness and health. 

Steroids will not help you get healthier or fitter. 

They will help you get bigger.  But, there is a problem here also. 

You can use weight training to get bigger.  There are many people with big muscles in the gym and most do not use steroids. 

There are many professional bodybuilders who do not use steroids.  And they have huge muscles and very little body fat. 

Even they admit that steroid use is tempting.  Because it is a shortcut to getting bigger. 

But, is it as satisfying?   I don’t think so. 

To me, working and accomplishing something worthwhile is what life is all about. 

To be healthy and fit is a worthwhile goal for me.  That means I have to exercise.  That means I have to eat right.  That means I have to do a lot of things to make sure I stay on the path.

And occasionally I will have a cheat meal.  That is okay.  But, occasionally is not 2-3 times a week. 

I do this to make sure I stay healthy and fit my whole life. 

Do I have big muscles?   No.  As some of you have commented I am a “skinny noob”. 

You should have seen me when I was much younger.  I look like Arnold now, compared to then. 

But, I am very fit and in better shape than most people that go to the gyms. 

Bottom line, if your goal is to become a professional bodybuilder, then steroid use is something that you will have to deal with.

For everyone else, stay on the healthy and fit path and forget about them.  And don’t worry, you can build bigger muscles if you use the right training programs and eat correctly. 

Keep tuned for more on this.

Thanks

Gym Boss Interval Timer

Hi,

The last two posts talked about how much time you should spend in the gym.  We also mentioned that you can time your sets.  But how do you measure the time in the gym?

After all you are supposed to be concentrating on the exercise, not counting the seconds you are doing an exercise.

Multi-tasking – even if it is only 2 things – is not the thing to do in the gym.

This is especially true if you are doing a highly skilled exercise or one that is using a lot of weight.

Fortunately, there is an answer.  It is called the Gym Boss. 

It is an interval timer.  You can set it up for any length of time you want. 

For our purposes you can set it up for the 36 seconds mentioned in the last post.  This is the length of time you will be doing an exercise.

Then you can set the length of time you will be resting.  Again you can vary this for just about any time you want.

This way you don’t have to worry about counting, or not going long enough for your exercise set. 

You can concentrate on the exercise. 

Anyhow the Gym Boss is a great little timer.  Easy to use and very practical. 

If you want one you can check it out here: Gymboss Interval Timer

Thanks

Please note that the above links are affiliate links and I will earn a small commission if you buy the Gym Boss from the above link. 

Hi,

In the last post we looked at how much time in the gym should you be spending.  We discovered that it depended on what your goals were.

Different goals might take longer time periods.

Then I showed you where I rarely spend more than 20 minutes in the gym at a time.

You can greatly improve your time in the gym if you have  a plan of attack. 

One secret is to write down what you are going to do before you go. 

If you are working on upper body strength, then you should write down 2 – 3 exercises you are going to do. 

Notice there are only 2-3 exercises.  If you try to do 10-12 exercises, then you are doing 2 things.

You are greatly increasing your time in the gym and you are not going to be as productive on all 10-12 exercises.

The ability to concentrate on only 2-3 exercises will greatly improve your results.

Now, here comes the fun part.  Try doing your first working set (after you have done a quick overall body warmup) for 36 seconds non-stop.

Right now 36 seconds doesn’t sound like much, but it can feel like a really long time. 

If you are looking to build strength and use some fairly heavy dumbbells then 1 set of 36 seconds could seem like an enternity.

If you can easily do the set for 36 seconds, then you used too light a weight.

Increase the weight until you can barely get the 36 seconds.  That will be your second set.

On your third set, increase the weight again so that you can’t do the exercise for the full 36 seconds.  But, don’t put the weight down.

Keep moving the weight -even if only a few inches – until the time is done. 

On the fourth set, without resting decrease the weight by 50% and do as many reps as you can non stop. 

If you do this right your shoulders will be trashed.  You can add a finishing exercise like we discussed in a previous post. 

If you couldn’t get the full 36 seconds in the first set, then just continue moving the weights even if only for a few inches.   Continue the sets as above.

If you still haven’t reached 36 seconds and you can’t move the weights for even an inch, then just hold them in position for those 36 seconds. 

Why 36 seconds?  Thirty six seconds has been shown to be the idea time to utilize most of the muscle fibers.  You have – to keep it simple – endurance fibers and strength fibers. 

You want a weight heavy enough to stimulate the strength fibers and you want the set to go long enough to stimulate the endurance fibers. 

Thirty six seconds is about that time.  I am sure this will vary with each individual.  And as research in this area gets more refined, I will keep you posted. 

In the meantime try this 36 second set routine your next time in the gym and really feel your muscles being torched. 

Thanks

Hi,

How much time in the gym?  Are you one of those people that likes to go to the gym to socialize? 

If so then 1-2 hours will be your usual time there. 

Now, I like to be efficient and I am usually very busy.  So I need to spend as little time in the gym as possible. 

That might sound sort of weird coming from someone who has a blog on fitness and health.

But, really, spending too much time in the gym becomes counter productive.

After about 45 minutes your body starts rebelling.  You might not notice it, but your body starts making changes.  Your hormone levels start rebelling.

Growth hormone levels go down.  Cortisol – or the so called muscle destroyer hormone – goes up. 

If you haven’t been drinking enough water – and most people don’t – you become dehydrated.  Just a 5-10% loss in water has a very negative effect on your energy levels. 

A loss in your water levels usually means your percentage of sodium goes up.  This can lead to muscle cramps.

I could go on and on, but you get the picture.

So how much time should you be in the gym?  Long enough to accomplish your goals.

And no, this is not going to be a treatise on goal writing.  Goals can be great, but they are not necessary.

However, you should have a general idea of what you are trying to accomplish when you go to the gym.

And it doesn’t have to be the same thing every time.  For example, you might want to concentrate on burning fat at one workout. 

This workout might consist of some intense aerobics or several body weight circuit exercises.

Another time you might want to build strength.  You can use your body weight for this, but to get really strong you will need to use weights. 

Many researchers believe that you don’t even need aerobics and that weight lifting will burn much more body fat. 

There is a slight problem with this though.  Go to any gym in the country and you will those with really big muscles.  Most of them will have really big guts also. 

In order to get into the best shape of your life, you need to mix it up.  You do need to have strong muscles.  You do need to have a strong heart.  You do need to have some flexibility.  You do need core strength.  You do need to have endurance.  You do need to affect your hormones.  You do need…. Ok, there I am going on and on again. 

You can incorporate all of the above in one workout, but that will take more time.  For me, that is too much time.

I like to break it down into smaller segments.  Right now, I do an upper body workout for strength.  I do a lower body workout for strength.

I do a total body workout for fitness and to burn fat.  I do 2 intense cardio sessions a week.  I do one longer low intensity cardio session per week. 

Each one is on a different day.  The only session that goes over 30 minutes is leg strength day.  That is because of changing the plates between sets.  That takes time. 

Sometimes I will do a weight day and cardio day on the same day. 

Most of the sessions are 20 minutes. 

Now we come to the point of what can you do in 20 minutes that will make how much time in the gym productive?

Stay tuned.

Hi,

Here is a variation on the lateral raise that will really give you a burn.

The video is on You tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTjzwzixBPg

Check it out and watch your shoulders stand out.

Lateral raises are great for working the outside of the shoulder.

Try them.

Here is the video I promised about shoulder  bombs. 

This is a great finishing exercise for your shoulder routine.

I can’t seem to embed this video into the blog, so here is the youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vAGIUTD3JQ

Enjoy and I will have another video on lateral raises for the shoulders this week.

In the meantime enjoy these shoulder bombs.

Hi,

Let’s take a break from some of the heavy reading you have been going through on this blog lately.  I know it is my fault!

I forgot about this old shoulder exercise, but saw an article in Ironman that mentioned it, so it is now becoming a new exercise again.

This is great for a finishing exercise after your shoulder workout.

I used to call them 1/2 circles, but Ironman used the term shoulder bombs and I like that better.

I will do a video of this later, but for now will just describe it.

You take a pair of light dumbbells and hold them near your waist with your palms facing away from you and your thumbs pointing to the ceiling. 

Raise the dumbbells up and out in an arc motion.  Continue the motion all the way over your head until your thumbs are pointing down. 

You can do this sitting or standing.  The most important part is to start with a light weight.

Remember this is after your normal shoulder workout.  You are also putting the dumbbells right over your head, so you don’t want to be to tired to stop them before they hit you on the head.

Try this new, old shoulder exercise for a super burn.

Thanks,

Hi,

In our last post on losing weight by fasting we looked at some of the problems with your ability to lose weight by fasting.

One of the other issues is the fact that since your metabolism gets lowered when fasting, once you stop the fasting you will regain the weight back really quickly.

This is because you start eating more right when your metabolism is at its lowest point.  Guess what, you have just made it really easy to gain weight quickly. 

I can add a few personal comments here.  I have been pretty good at maintaining a four pack out of the elusive 6 pack abs that everyone wants.  I have done this for several years.

Every once in a while I could start to see the outline of the other two, but never quite got there.

So I decided to try one of the fasting + exercise programs out there to see if it lived up to its name.

It was a five week program and you fasted once every 5 days.  And there was a pretty decent exercise program that went along with it.

I followed it all 5 weeks.  And I did lose weight.  5 pounds.  I also kept records of my measurements.  I lost size in my arms, my chest, and my legs.  I did not lose even 1 centimeter in my waist. 

Not quite what I had in mind. 

But, this program did me in.  I was fatigued and irritable.  I had no energy. 

At first the fasting did not bother me, which surprised me.  But, as it went on I felt drained of all energy. 

So, for me fasting is not an option. 

However, that does not mean you can’t use it and here are some of my thoughts on how best to use it.

You already fast for several hours a day when you are sleeping.  You can extend this time frame by not eating after your last meal of the day or after 7 – 8 pm. 

While I believe in eating a good breakfast, if you are not already eating a breakfast, then continue your fast for a 2-3 more hours before you eat your first meal.

You could also try skipping a lunch once a week.  Or skip a lunch and dinner once a week.

This might be easier for some of you. 

Thinking and worrying about what you eat and how much at every meal is pretty hard to do when you are on a diet.  If you only have to worry about not eating at all for a couple of meals a week, you might find that easier.

After all, even though not talked about much, if your mind is fatigued from worrying about your diet, it makes staying on a diet much harder.

Fasting might be a help in that area.

Losing weight by fasting is possible.  Just remember it is not the be all and end all. 

If you are going to fast make sure you add some exercising for strength and cardio. 

Also, as a warning, make sure you talk to your doctor first.  Fasting can have some consequences.  For example, if you are a diabetic, you have to be concerned with the drop in your blood sugar levels that fasting can cause. 

So start your fasting program like outlined above.  Please don’t go out and try to lose 50 pounds by fasting for 2 months straight.  That goes even if you are on a juice fast or raw foods fast.

Be sensible.

Thanks