Train like an Olympian...

SATURDAY, Feb. 13 (HealthDay News) -- You may not be an Olympian, but there are lessons you can learn from them if you want to improve your athletic performance.

"The Olympics symbolize the chance for all of us to push the boundaries of human potential. As I tell my students, if you want to compete at a high level, mimic the strategies of those at the top," Chris Sebelski, an assistant professor of physical therapy at Saint Louis University, said in a news release from the school. Sebelski offered the following Olympian-inspired tips:

Set a goal and break it down. For example, if you're planning a long hiking trip, you might start by walking three miles a day for the first two weeks, gradually building up to 10 miles a day by the end of 10 weeks.

Be sure to cross-train. It reduces the risk of overtraining, helps avoid injury, enhances muscle performance and helps prevent boredom.

Work out with others. Sharing a spirit of competition and encouragement will help keep your motivation at a high level. You'll also gain training benefits from working out with others with different levels of ability.

Think of people who can help you achieve your goal, such as a trainer, nutritionist, physical therapist or physician. There are many different sources of help and you can select the one that works best for you.

While it's impossible for most people to devote as much time to training as an Olympian does, you can approach the workout time you do have with the single-minded focus of a world-class athlete.
"Train for a couple of weeks with focus and discipline, and lo and behold, you'll be surprised by what you can do!”

5 Steps to Blast Fat and Lose Weight

What are the keys to blasting fat and losing weight? There are many theories out there but the following 5 are tried and true. If you're looking to lose weight and reduce body fat these steps are crucial to your success.

1) Weight train
Weight training is proven to add muscle and rev up your metabolism. Those that are only doing cardiovascular work are missing a key ingredient to losing weight. The more muscle on your frame the more calories you burn at rest. At least 2-3 times per week of 20-30 minutes and you'll soon see benefits.

2) Burst train to blast fat
Scientific research now shows that bursting or interval training is even better than traditional aerobic exercise done at the same speed. What's better is that it takes even less time and burns more calories once you are finished than that boring treadmill routine.

3) Eat a good breakfast
Many still struggle despite knowing the importance of this. Research shows those who eat a good breakfast (400-500 calories) are more apt to lose weight and reduce their cravings during the course of the day.

4) Replace one meal with a protein drink
Why? Because those that do lose more weight and keep it off. It's easy and full of quality nutrition. The basics are whey or brown rice protein, ground flax and fruit. Want to increase the nutritional content and make it even more filling-add green food powder, lecithin, vitamin C, almonds and or yogurt.

5) Avoid high fructose corn syrup
Not only will high fructose corn syrup make you hungrier it will make you store fat too. Read ingredient labels and steer clear of this sugar.

For more information on nutrition and diet please email ereardon@myboostfitness.com for a free half hour consultation.

10 Commonly Used Excuses to Avoid Exercise

1. Excuse: “I’m too busy at work during the day to find time to workout.”

Truth: Everyone is busy, and if it’s time on this earth you value, you should put your health first. If you don’t, what you're actually doing is letting time slip right through your fingers. Exercise improves your mood, your energy level, and promotes better sleep; making you more efficient at all those daily tasks that eat up your time. Make exercise a daily priority by scheduling it into your calendar or "to-do" list, like you would for any important meeting. Then, you will hold yourself accountable and exercise will feel like a natural part of your workday.

2. Excuse: “Health club memberships are too expensive.”

Truth: Memberships are available at a variety of price points, some as low as $19. In 2008, average monthly membership costs a little over $40. In 2010, $40 can get you a manicure/pedicure, a date night at the movies, or maybe a new sweater. When you evaluate where to allocate your $40, remember that those purchases, and most others, cannot improve your health or save you money, but exercise can, so plan your investments carefully.

3. Excuse: “Everyone at the gym is fit and in shape.”

Truth: People of all populations, ages, genders, weights, shapes, sizes, and skill levels workout at a club. Club staff, personal trainers, and other members will help ease you into the club environment. A trainer can show you the ropes, make you feel at home, and demonstrate proper exercise technique so you’ll feel like a pro on the fitness floor. Meeting a new workout buddy or bringing a friend can also provide the social support you need to get started and maintain your routine.


4. Excuse: “Why join a health club when I can exercise outside?”

Truth: Sunshine is beautiful, but exposes you to harmful UV rays. Every day is unpredictable - rain, shine, sleet, heat, cold, or snow, a health club provides a protective environment for working out; no matter what the weather is like outside.


5. Excuse: “I’m not overweight, so I don’t need to exercise.”

Truth: This is a big misconception. Exercise is not just a way to lose weight, but also a way to keep yourself healthy. People of any weight can have underlying health problems like diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis that can go undetected. Cardio and weight training help build a healthy heart, lungs, muscle mass, and strong bones; which are key to combat disease as you age and will help you live a long and healthy life. 7, 8


6. Excuse: “Dieting alone will yield the same results as exercising.”

Truth: Exercise is one of the most central components in maintaining your weight and improving long-term results. Ultimately, the most successful weight management plan is a combination of a healthy diet and daily exercise.


7. Excuse: “I can just workout at home on my own equipment or with fitness video games.”

Truth: Setting up a home gym means buying expensive equipment, taking up precious space, and spending time and money for equipment maintenance. A decent treadmill can cost about $1,000 (that’s the price of over two years of membership at a health club!). At home you’re on your own - you have no professional there to ensure proper technique and to help prevent injury. As far as video games go, a new study says Wii Fit provides insufficient stimulus for fitness changes and no major improvements in daily physical activity, muscular fitness, flexibility, balance or body composition. Leave the video games to Mario. Besides, it’s good for your mental health to get out of the house and go to the club for a change of scenery and to socialize, instead of being home alone. 9


8. Excuse: “There aren’t enough things to do at a health club.”

Truth: Boredom? Impossible! If it’s variety you want, health clubs have it: treadmills, ellipticals, weight machines, personal training, yoga, pilates, zumba, spinning, basketball, racquet sports, swimming, nutrition counseling, and spas. Not to mention a friendly staff of trained professionals.


9. Excuse: “Exercise isn’t all that important to my health.”

Truth: If exercise were a pill, it’d be the most potent and effective one ever made. Lucky for us, you don’t need to wait for a prescription; you just need to decide to get up and go. Regular exercise prevents chronic disease like diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease, increases productivity, improves your mood and your energy level, minimizes stress, promotes better sleep, and leads to decreased work absenteeism. Still need convincing? 1, 2, 4, 7


10. Excuse: “I can’t find a health club that fits my needs.”

Your already at our blog - might as well come to the club at least. With three convenient locations, great classes, personal training and memberships starting at just $19 a month - Boost Fitness might be just what you are looking for.

How to determine your target Heart Rate

One of the most common questions we get at Boost Fitness relates to what is my target heart rate. There are a bunch of little ways to mathematically figure out how you can improve your diet and exercise, and one of these ways is to determine your target heartbeat rate, and then use that information when you are exercising in order to get the most out of every single workout. Here is the math that you need to figure out in order to determine what your target heartbeat rate is.

First, take your age.Now subtract your age from the number 220.

220 - [Age]

Now take the difference, and perform these two mathematical equations:

[Your Number] x 0.6 =

[Your Number] x 0.8 =

Now take these two numbers and divide each one by 6 separately, so that we can get a target heart rate for 10 seconds rather than the full minute.

[First Result] / 6 =

[Second Result] / 6 =

The two numbers that you get as a result make up the range of beats per minute that should serve as your target heartbeat rate. Let us look at an example to explain this concept further.

First, take your age, 40 years.

Now subtract your age from the number 220.

>> 220 - 40 = 180

Now take the difference, and perform these two mathematical equations:

180 x 0.6 = 108

180 x 0.8 = 144

Now take these two numbers and divide each one by 6 separately, so that we can get a target heart rate for 10 seconds rather than the full minute.

108 / 6 = 18

144 / 6 = 24

What this means is that if you are a forty year old, then your target heartbeat rate should be between 18 beats and 24 beats in a 10-second count in order to be in the right cardio range.

After approximately 15 minutes worth of working out, not including your warm up, you should find your pulse on your neck using your index finger and your middle finger. Count how many beats you have for ten seconds exactly. If the number falls between your range, which in our example was 18 to 24, then you are doing good. If you get less than the lower number, you need to increase your workout intensity. If you get more than the higher number in the range, then you need to decrease the intensity of your workout.

When your heart rate matches with these numbers, that is when you know that you are getting the most benefit out of your workout. This is the best possible way for you to benefit from exercise for weight loss, so make sure that you know your numbers.

Keep the weight off for good...

With the New Year, comes new goals. Now is the time to lose some weight and get in shape. Unfortunately, for many of us - myself included - it is a revolving cirlce. How many times have you gone on a diet, only to gain back the weight, plus a little dividend? For many people, dieting is a vicious cycle full of ups and downs, and plenty of discouragement. If you want to keep your weight off permanently, you are going to need to implement a few techniques. For most of us, staying at a healthy weight requires a lot of dedication and hard work, but it will pay off in a longer life span, less sickness and simply feeling better. Let's look at a few of the ways that you can keep your weight off permanently.

1. Change your lifestyle -If you want to keep your weight off successfully, more times than not this means changing your entire lifestyle. It's not easy, but it is worth it. You don't have to become entirely preoccupied with your weight, that's not healthy. But you will need to keep focused on eating right, getting enough exercise and avoiding trigger foods that you know will put you back on that wrong path again. It's fine to cheat now and again, but you can't let it become a regular event. Allow yourself a nice dinner out every few weeks, but don't fall back into your old habits.

2. Replace bad foods with better foods -
There are some foods that you may never be able to enjoy in large quantities again. There are also other foods that simply may be too dangerous for you to eat ever again. These are known as trigger foods, like we mentioned above. These are the foods that start you on that downward spiral that can be nearly impossible to overcome. If you simply cannot eat one piece of chocolate cake, it's better to avoid eating it at all than risk falling back into your old habits.

Replace that cake with something that still satisfies your sweet tooth and chocolate craving but doesn't trigger that old behavior. This works for any food, not just cake, that you simply cannot control your reaction to. It's not easy and it's more than a little sad. But, you can look at this way. Which would you rather have - a few bites of cake or a longer life that you can enjoy? A little extreme yes, but sometimes you need to get tough with yourself.

3. Treat every day as a brand new challenge -If you've fallen off the wagon, don't let that cycle continue. Every day is a brand new day where you're going to have that chance to succeed at your healthy lifestyle. We all fall down every now again, but not all of us can get back up. Stop that cycle of falling and staying down, and start realizing that you are on a lifelong path towards getting healthy. It's ok to take a break for a few days, but don't let those days stretch into week, months and years. Get back in that saddle!

Looking for more tips - or help to jump start your weight loss? Join the BE A LOSER 6 week challenge starting January 18th at all Boost Fitness locations. Teams forming now.

Beat the Winter Blues with Exercise

Anybody who has ever exercised on a regular basis will tell you that they get a high from a good sweat session. It has long been believed that the body releases feel good hormones after exercise that are responsible for that great feeling. Recent research has proved this theory directly relating your workout with a feel good sensation.

Endorphins, the bodies all natural feel good painkillers are released post workout and are responsible for that after exercise bliss. Scans of athletes brains revealed that immediately after exercise regions of the brain associated with mood are flooded with endorphins. The greater the flood of endorphins the better the high. If you tend to suffer from the winter blues then try out exercise as an all natural ‘medication’ from your usual depression. The only side effects will be a better body.

Working out while Pregnant?

I am Pregnant - can I work out?

If you are pregnant you can still workout, in fact it can improve the baby's health, make the birth go easier and allow you to loose the unwanted pregnancy weight faster after birth. Even though you can workout you need to follow a different set of guidelines. Your workouts should be shorter, 20-30 minutes, and you can't go as strenuous as you normally could because the fetus can overheat. Also the fetus needs its fluids and oxygen so drinking plenty of water and focusing on steady breathing is important. After the first trimester exercises laying on the back need to be excluded as well as high impact exercises do to pressure on organs, joints and the fetus. Also when squats are still okay, you should not do them too low or with more then your body weight due to the changing of the pelvis. And as always a doctor should be consulted first because everyone and every pregnancy is different.