The goal is to take control of your body and make it change the way you want it to.
In fitness, we do this with a “program.” Programs are great when written well and executed properly.
The major problem is that many of us are lost when it comes to developing and implementing our own program.
Take computer programs for example. A computer program generally has functions that when used correctly create a specific desired result… most of the time. Ever had your keyboard lock and had no idea how to get it undone? Ever lost a project halfway through without saving because you hit some button? Or your internet suddenly got so slow that it made the Comcast turtles look like Michael Phelps?
Who got you out of that mess? Someone with specialized knowledge got you out of that mess. It was you, your technical support associate, or a 12 year old who solved the problem (maybe in three keystrokes or less).
See; that program was running fine until you did something that messed it up! It took someone with specialized knowledge who was able to look at it from an outside perspective, make a few tweaks, and get you going again.
In fitness it’s kind of like that… just not as obvious. Your program could be malfunctioning for years and you could go on, business as usual, with no idea how well you could be doing.
Keep in mind that your body doesn’t want to adapt (change) unless it has to. So the challenge is to keep changing the program so that you never hit a plateau and your body keeps changing favorably.
There is no one solution or “miracle” program. Each individual program will be different according to the specific needs of each individual and their desired goal.
An incomplete list of common denominators of a successful program:
Intensity:
*Move with a purpose; your mind should be focused on the muscles used during the exercise at hand.
*Make each rep count; don’t get “through” a workout; get “from” a workout.
*Socialize after your workout; the gym is a great place to meet wonderful people… after your done working out (or at least with the bulk of your workout).
Consistency:
*Four to six days a week you need to be moving your body in any general way (hiking, playing a sport, running the dog).
*Three to six days a week you need to be following your specific program.
*Think quarterly; not weekly. You should show some changes if you are consistent for three months straight.
Basic Nutrition Guidelines (from the National Academy of Sports Medicine):
For Fat Loss:
*Eat balanced meals (each having appropriate protein, carbohydrate, and fat content) throughout the day.
*Choose whole grains and fresh vegetables over refined grains and simple sugars.
*Schedule no fewer than four to as many as six meals a day. This will control hunger, minimize blood sugar variance and increase energy levels throughout the day.
*Avoid empty calories and highly processed foods.
*Drink water (up to 12 cups per day)
*Understand serving sizes. If you’re lost then measure servings with a measuring cup or scale for a week until you can “eyeball” serving sizes. Please don’t get too crazy with this one, understand what a serving looks like and move on with your life.
For Lean Body Mass Gain:
*Eat four to six meals a day. The more often you eat balanced meals the more you will repair your body tissues.
*Spread protein throughout the day to aid in muscle repair.
*Do not underestimate the importance of post workout nutrition; the first 90 minutes after exercise is the best chance you have to re-fuel your body. You need a liquid meal replacement here so that your body can ingest nutrients quickly; a meal will be digested too slowly and you will miss your window.
*Do not neglect the importance of carbohydrates and fats. It’s going to take more than just more protein to increase muscle mass… regardless of what the ads in Muscle and Fiction will tell you.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
6 Points of Preparation #2) Create the Time
We find the time for the things that we truly want to do in life.
If we really wanted to play in a softball league, fantasy football draft or a weekly poker tournament we’re probably too busy to do it… but we do it anyway.
Take a look at the demographic of Club Sport. At our gym we have busy mothers, fathers, professionals, business owners, politicians, commuters, even professional athletes all working for their own fitness each and every day. Are any of these people busier than you?
The fact of the matter is that everyone has obligations outside of their own fitness. Our time is “under siege” from all angles! It is easy to make excuses as to why you cannot make it into the gym (a process known as excuse-ercising). But if you have clearly defined your “why” then creating the time is not going to be an issue because you know exactly what you want for yourself.
Have you heard the investment philosophy of “pay yourself first?” Exercise is an investment that pays huge dividends for those who invest regularly. Isn’t taking control of your schedule and prioritizing your own fitness a way of paying yourself first as well?
The people who get the most results exercise more than 20 times per month, roughly 4.5 times per week. This type of commitment is proof that nothing worth having comes easy. Don’t expect results to come instantly. Expect results to be in direct proportion to the strength of your “why.”
Since you know exactly “why,” NOW it’s time to make the commitment, schedule the time, and walk whichever path you’ve decided is best for yourself.
If we really wanted to play in a softball league, fantasy football draft or a weekly poker tournament we’re probably too busy to do it… but we do it anyway.
Take a look at the demographic of Club Sport. At our gym we have busy mothers, fathers, professionals, business owners, politicians, commuters, even professional athletes all working for their own fitness each and every day. Are any of these people busier than you?
The fact of the matter is that everyone has obligations outside of their own fitness. Our time is “under siege” from all angles! It is easy to make excuses as to why you cannot make it into the gym (a process known as excuse-ercising). But if you have clearly defined your “why” then creating the time is not going to be an issue because you know exactly what you want for yourself.
Have you heard the investment philosophy of “pay yourself first?” Exercise is an investment that pays huge dividends for those who invest regularly. Isn’t taking control of your schedule and prioritizing your own fitness a way of paying yourself first as well?
The people who get the most results exercise more than 20 times per month, roughly 4.5 times per week. This type of commitment is proof that nothing worth having comes easy. Don’t expect results to come instantly. Expect results to be in direct proportion to the strength of your “why.”
Since you know exactly “why,” NOW it’s time to make the commitment, schedule the time, and walk whichever path you’ve decided is best for yourself.
6 Points of Preparation #1) Defining Your "WHY?"
Many people consult fitness professionals to discover “how’s”.
How do I get better abs? How can I lose weight? How should I do this exercise?
The answers to “how” questions will only get you so far, though. Ask five people how to get bigger biceps… you’re likely to get five different answers. It is also very unlikely that one “how” answer will satisfy your curiosity. Once you know the answer to one “how,” you may have seven more questions to follow with until you have so many questions and answers that you forget why you asked in the first place!
Start with uncovering for yourself “why” it is you are asking “how” to be more fit.
Why do you want to know more about fitness? Why do you want to lose weight? Why do you think you need better abs? Why is it that you seek to improve yourself through exercise? What is it exactly that you wish to gain from your personal fitness experience?
It’s been said that you can overcome any “how” if you only know why.
Your “why” can serve to guide you when the conditions are rocky and the forecast is rough. Your “why” will keep you consistent when “how” gets monotonous and dreary. Your own personal “why” statement will be the beacon with which you chart your course, set your goals, and navigate faithfully forward.
Focus on “why” and you will discover “how.”
How do I get better abs? How can I lose weight? How should I do this exercise?
The answers to “how” questions will only get you so far, though. Ask five people how to get bigger biceps… you’re likely to get five different answers. It is also very unlikely that one “how” answer will satisfy your curiosity. Once you know the answer to one “how,” you may have seven more questions to follow with until you have so many questions and answers that you forget why you asked in the first place!
Start with uncovering for yourself “why” it is you are asking “how” to be more fit.
Why do you want to know more about fitness? Why do you want to lose weight? Why do you think you need better abs? Why is it that you seek to improve yourself through exercise? What is it exactly that you wish to gain from your personal fitness experience?
It’s been said that you can overcome any “how” if you only know why.
Your “why” can serve to guide you when the conditions are rocky and the forecast is rough. Your “why” will keep you consistent when “how” gets monotonous and dreary. Your own personal “why” statement will be the beacon with which you chart your course, set your goals, and navigate faithfully forward.
Focus on “why” and you will discover “how.”
Drink Like a Champion!
Why does the average American spend their life in a mild state of dehydration?
Too busy to drink water? Not enough time? Slipped your mind? Just not thirsty?
Let’s talk about what happens when you miss on your water consumption.
When you don’t get enough water your body goes into a state of dehydration. In even a slightly dehydrated state the body clings to as much water as it can. You’ll soon become “sponge-like”, putting on water weight and losing muscle tone in the process.
As you become more and more dehydrated it takes more and more difficult for your body’s vital processes to function. This means more energy spent trying to manage involuntary body functions (breathing, your digestion etc.) and less energy left over for voluntary body functions (i.e. “banging weights”).
So not only are you thirsty; you’re tired. And you’ve just reduced your training effectiveness or worse: decided to skip your workout completely.
Furthermore; the human body’s metabolism can drop up to 5% if not supplied with the water it needs. So your missing workouts, feeling bloated, and now you’re not even burning as many calories as you could be. Where’s a faucet when you need one?
A good rule of thumb is 8 16oz. glasses of water per day. But the reality is that we all need different amounts of water. Here are some things you can try to make water easier for you:
Buy a water bottle.
Drink two cups of water for every one cup of coffee.
Drink extra water at night.
Put ice in your water to raise your metabolism.
Get a water filter for your sink.
Drink one cup of water before, during, and after your workout.
Drink water instead of soda.
Do whatever works for you to get “water conscious”.
Too busy to drink water? Not enough time? Slipped your mind? Just not thirsty?
Let’s talk about what happens when you miss on your water consumption.
When you don’t get enough water your body goes into a state of dehydration. In even a slightly dehydrated state the body clings to as much water as it can. You’ll soon become “sponge-like”, putting on water weight and losing muscle tone in the process.
As you become more and more dehydrated it takes more and more difficult for your body’s vital processes to function. This means more energy spent trying to manage involuntary body functions (breathing, your digestion etc.) and less energy left over for voluntary body functions (i.e. “banging weights”).
So not only are you thirsty; you’re tired. And you’ve just reduced your training effectiveness or worse: decided to skip your workout completely.
Furthermore; the human body’s metabolism can drop up to 5% if not supplied with the water it needs. So your missing workouts, feeling bloated, and now you’re not even burning as many calories as you could be. Where’s a faucet when you need one?
A good rule of thumb is 8 16oz. glasses of water per day. But the reality is that we all need different amounts of water. Here are some things you can try to make water easier for you:
Buy a water bottle.
Drink two cups of water for every one cup of coffee.
Drink extra water at night.
Put ice in your water to raise your metabolism.
Get a water filter for your sink.
Drink one cup of water before, during, and after your workout.
Drink water instead of soda.
Do whatever works for you to get “water conscious”.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
On Heart
Def: Heart (ha-art) n.
1. That inextricable quality inherent in all leaders, visionaries, and forward thinkers
2. Substance; extracted by all athletes, of every shape and size. Overcomes obstacles
3. State of mind, quality, necessary ingredient of champions
You don’t need to bring any special equipment, new and improved diet formula, or some magical potion to the gym to get results. You only need to bring a good pair of shoes, some comfortable gym clothes, and heart.
In sports, if an athlete is great they say he’s got talent. If an athlete used to have talent they say he’s a “has been”. If an athlete gives everything he has, when all others have quit, he’s got heart. Heart transcends talent. Heart keeps pushing when talent lags. Heart is there when talent wanes, still driving, after the lights are burned out of the stadium and all of the fans have gone home. Heart lasts when talent hangs up his shiny helmet and is forced to retire. Heart is always with you; for life. Not everyone has talent, not everyone has heart. Some people will never have talent, anyone can have heart.
You can have anything you want, but you’ll get nothing of value until you give your heart.
1. That inextricable quality inherent in all leaders, visionaries, and forward thinkers
2. Substance; extracted by all athletes, of every shape and size. Overcomes obstacles
3. State of mind, quality, necessary ingredient of champions
You don’t need to bring any special equipment, new and improved diet formula, or some magical potion to the gym to get results. You only need to bring a good pair of shoes, some comfortable gym clothes, and heart.
In sports, if an athlete is great they say he’s got talent. If an athlete used to have talent they say he’s a “has been”. If an athlete gives everything he has, when all others have quit, he’s got heart. Heart transcends talent. Heart keeps pushing when talent lags. Heart is there when talent wanes, still driving, after the lights are burned out of the stadium and all of the fans have gone home. Heart lasts when talent hangs up his shiny helmet and is forced to retire. Heart is always with you; for life. Not everyone has talent, not everyone has heart. Some people will never have talent, anyone can have heart.
You can have anything you want, but you’ll get nothing of value until you give your heart.
Monday, July 7, 2008
The Foundation of Results
Consistency is the foundation of results.
Winning athletes in any sport, top producers in any company, and great parents all have something in common. They are all consistent.
Think about it. Could you raise a child one hour per week? Can a top salesperson in your company have one great month and then rest on their laurels? Does your favorite baseball player just show up, knock it out of the park and go home? Not even close.
You are what you consistently allow yourself to be.
The bottom line is that regardless of any circumstances; consistency gets results.
How consistent is your fitness? How consistently do you allow yourself to become the person whom you envision yourself to be?
Sometimes it is more about quantity than quality. Don’t think that you can make up for lack of hours training by having one or two great workouts per week… it doesn’t matter how good your workouts are you just will not get results unless you make the time to train 4-6 days per week.
Let’s go back to the Major League Baseball Player; not only does he play more games than any other major league sport, but he will also strike out more than he gets on base. In fact if he hits only 3 times out of ten at bats… meaning he missed on 7…he could make it to the hall of fame!
There’s no difference with your fitness. Not every workout needs to be a “home run”. Just getting in uniform is all it takes sometimes.
In order to see results you need to plan and schedule time for training, just like you would plan time for work or your family.
Take control, be consistent not perfect.
------------------
How strongly do I believe that consistency breeds results? Strong enough to give results out for free.
In fact; if you are training or can plan to train with me two or more hours per week then I will be glad to offer you an additional session per week FOR FREE during my flex time… one additional free session during my flex hours.
This offer is good through July 15th and is dependant upon scheduling availability.
If you are ready to prioritize your schedule around your fitness then we can make it happen!
Regardless of your current training status; respond to this email with the word FLEX in your title and I will be glad to work some times in with you!
Until Next Time,
Jonathan Azevedo
Winning athletes in any sport, top producers in any company, and great parents all have something in common. They are all consistent.
Think about it. Could you raise a child one hour per week? Can a top salesperson in your company have one great month and then rest on their laurels? Does your favorite baseball player just show up, knock it out of the park and go home? Not even close.
You are what you consistently allow yourself to be.
The bottom line is that regardless of any circumstances; consistency gets results.
How consistent is your fitness? How consistently do you allow yourself to become the person whom you envision yourself to be?
Sometimes it is more about quantity than quality. Don’t think that you can make up for lack of hours training by having one or two great workouts per week… it doesn’t matter how good your workouts are you just will not get results unless you make the time to train 4-6 days per week.
Let’s go back to the Major League Baseball Player; not only does he play more games than any other major league sport, but he will also strike out more than he gets on base. In fact if he hits only 3 times out of ten at bats… meaning he missed on 7…he could make it to the hall of fame!
There’s no difference with your fitness. Not every workout needs to be a “home run”. Just getting in uniform is all it takes sometimes.
In order to see results you need to plan and schedule time for training, just like you would plan time for work or your family.
Take control, be consistent not perfect.
------------------
How strongly do I believe that consistency breeds results? Strong enough to give results out for free.
In fact; if you are training or can plan to train with me two or more hours per week then I will be glad to offer you an additional session per week FOR FREE during my flex time… one additional free session during my flex hours.
This offer is good through July 15th and is dependant upon scheduling availability.
If you are ready to prioritize your schedule around your fitness then we can make it happen!
Regardless of your current training status; respond to this email with the word FLEX in your title and I will be glad to work some times in with you!
Until Next Time,
Jonathan Azevedo
Nutrition for Max Results
Allow me to summarize this article for those of us with busy schedules:
1) Eat wholesome, fiber rich carbohydrates to get more results.
2) You only need as much protein as your body can process in the moment.
3) For a list of foods I support download “Grocery List.”
4) To be educated; read on!
Most Nutritionists out there will tell you that about 60-70% of your diet should consist of carbohydrates. The fact of the matter is that all of us need carbohydrates, especially when we are training hard.
Carbohydrates are the gasoline of our muscles, except that you won’t need to refinance to fill up on them! Carbohydrates are stored in the muscles as fuel, protein is not. In fact any excess protein that your body does not need at the moment is just passed through your system.
In a landmark study; weight lifters who ate a high fat or high protein diet after exercising to exhaustion remained glycogen depleted for 5 days after their session (they had no energy). Compare these results to the people who reached for a high carbohydrate meal and replenished their bodies in 24 hrs. (1)
“Carbohydrates are important not only for endurance athletes but also those who train hard day after day and want to maintain high energy. If you eat a low carbohydrate diet, your muscles will feel chronically fatigued. You’ll train, but not at your best.” (2)
But there are diet fad’s that have come and gone which boasted a “no carb” approach. Some people were very successful in the short term with these programs. So what gives?
My personal opinion is that when many of us think of carbohydrates we think of the “junk foods”. In other words, we eat refined carbohydrates and sugars (i.e. white breads, soda, anything containing “high fructose corn syrup”) when we should be searching for darker, more dense, high fiber options (i.e. fruits, vegetables, any bread with a big red heart on the label from the American Heart Association).
Refined grain products and simple sugars are converted into fat very quickly. So by ridding our bodies of that sugar we can drop weight, for a while (and in my opinion very un-naturally and unsafely).
Don’t buy into the hype; a business can profit from marketing protein powders and diet fads much easier than by selling fruits, vegetables, and a well rounded diet… take it from an Agriculture Business graduate.
1- Bergstrom J., L. Hermansen, E. Hultman, et al. 1967. Diet, muscle glycogen, and Physical Performance. Acta Physiol Scand 71: 140-150.
2- Clark C. 1990. Sports Nutrition Guidebook 2nd Edition. 115.
1) Eat wholesome, fiber rich carbohydrates to get more results.
2) You only need as much protein as your body can process in the moment.
3) For a list of foods I support download “Grocery List.”
4) To be educated; read on!
Most Nutritionists out there will tell you that about 60-70% of your diet should consist of carbohydrates. The fact of the matter is that all of us need carbohydrates, especially when we are training hard.
Carbohydrates are the gasoline of our muscles, except that you won’t need to refinance to fill up on them! Carbohydrates are stored in the muscles as fuel, protein is not. In fact any excess protein that your body does not need at the moment is just passed through your system.
In a landmark study; weight lifters who ate a high fat or high protein diet after exercising to exhaustion remained glycogen depleted for 5 days after their session (they had no energy). Compare these results to the people who reached for a high carbohydrate meal and replenished their bodies in 24 hrs. (1)
“Carbohydrates are important not only for endurance athletes but also those who train hard day after day and want to maintain high energy. If you eat a low carbohydrate diet, your muscles will feel chronically fatigued. You’ll train, but not at your best.” (2)
But there are diet fad’s that have come and gone which boasted a “no carb” approach. Some people were very successful in the short term with these programs. So what gives?
My personal opinion is that when many of us think of carbohydrates we think of the “junk foods”. In other words, we eat refined carbohydrates and sugars (i.e. white breads, soda, anything containing “high fructose corn syrup”) when we should be searching for darker, more dense, high fiber options (i.e. fruits, vegetables, any bread with a big red heart on the label from the American Heart Association).
Refined grain products and simple sugars are converted into fat very quickly. So by ridding our bodies of that sugar we can drop weight, for a while (and in my opinion very un-naturally and unsafely).
Don’t buy into the hype; a business can profit from marketing protein powders and diet fads much easier than by selling fruits, vegetables, and a well rounded diet… take it from an Agriculture Business graduate.
1- Bergstrom J., L. Hermansen, E. Hultman, et al. 1967. Diet, muscle glycogen, and Physical Performance. Acta Physiol Scand 71: 140-150.
2- Clark C. 1990. Sports Nutrition Guidebook 2nd Edition. 115.
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