Because I haven’t said it, Happy New Year.
2009 lies before us full of promise and I am burgeoning with plans, resolutions, and visions for the year. Convinced
I am already way behind schedule I wanted to share a few thoughts with
you to keep you on track as the end of January nears. Why is this a significant time? Sadly because a huge percent of people abandon their resolutions by the middle of February!
But not you! Not this year.
Know why?
Because you are not going to fall for some random guru of the month making glorious promises that no reasonalbe person could ever fulfill.
No cabbage soup diets this year
No lofty aspirations of working out 2 hours every day
No falling for the newest workout - if you look close you’ll see its simply an old workout recycled anyway.
This
year will be different because I’m about to arm you with some simple
facts that will free you of guilt and put you on an honest path to
wellness. Buckle up! Why am I doing this? Because every January, fitness frauds come out of the woodwork – selling some brand new trend that just. wont. work. And frankly, I’m sick of it.
So here goes!
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Cardio is fantastic for you!
Unless of
course you are doing it to lose weight and speed up your metabolism –
it which case the ONLY benefit you will realize is however many
calories you burn during your workout. Think you’re getting a significant metabolic benefit after your workout? ‘fraid not! The bump is all but insignificant and doesn’t last but a few minutes beyond the treadmill. Don’t believe me? Check it our for yourself.
Anyone
who tells you that you have to dance around, run around, or skip hop,
jump or climb around for hours on end is dead wrong? Tell them that, the next time you see them ok? In fact, tell them I said so! And give them my number.
But don’t just believe me – ask your doctor!!
Weight training bulks up women. Women should only lift light weights.
Uh, no!
Sorry ladies, there is no excuse for avoiding substantial weight , weight bearing or resistance training.
Want to trim down and tighten up? You have one option; weight or resistance training. Whether it’s Nautilus, Free Weights,
Pilates training on the apparatus or something else, working your
muscles against resistance is the absolute only way to build strength! Which is the only way to build muscle. Which is the ONLY way to burn more calories all day long. One other thing, if you’d like to avoid things like osteoporosis, get in line behind me and start using something over 3lbs – puhlease!
Want to speed up your metabolism so it’s cooking when you’re napping? Yeah, I thought so. Guess what, it’s not cardio. It’s creating more lean muscle mass. How? Oh right – weight bearing exercises!
Are you following me here?
And just to bust a few more myths while I have your ear!
-Muscles aren’t really that bright. They either contract or they don’t. You can’t tell the upper abs to work and the lower abs to shut off. Your nervous system doesn’t work that way. You
CAN leverage your position to allow physics to help you target an area
but you will still fire the entire muscle, no matter what.
-And speaking of target or spot reduction, you’ve heard it before – I’ll tell it again. Spot reduction – not so effective. In fact a muscle has pretty much nothing to do with the fat around it – they are not even distant cousins. Fat
must be burned off by calories – and while you can tone and strengthen
a muscle – you cannot reduce the fat around it simply by exercising
that specific muscle.
If you’re throwing your hands up and saying well, what am supposed to do now Alycea?, I’ll tell you.
Pick a thing. One thing. Drink more water. Take one workout a week. Eat more fruit. Pick one simple small thing that you can do – and do it consistently. When you have mastered that one thing, add one more thing. A habit takes 21 days to build (at least). Consistency is the single most important thing in building a healthy life.
And one final thing; go on a workout exploration. Try something new every week. A new dvd, a new class, your friend’s at home workout – whatever! Find the one that’s the most fun for you! Because that’s the one you’ll stick with. When I found Pilates in 1984 I was hooked for life!
So there you have it- my New Year’s soapbox! Barely edited and from the heart!
As fitness trainers, we have an obligation to our clients to tell the truth -
any trainer who promises you the world with no credentials and no
research to back it up is a trainer you need to run far far away from!
Now, go get started!
Alycea