You've decided to get in shape this year right? You're going to do it, no if, ands or buts about it. You've got the famous New Years Resolution and you join the gym with the best of intentions.

The problem is that you won't make it. Those resolutions only last for about four to six weeks then you quit and go back to your old ways.

The best time for gyms is Christmas and New Years. It's when they make their most money and when they get all the clients they hope won't show up for the year. That's right, they want you to sign up but they don't want you to come.

Why? Simple. They oversell their membership knowing most people won't come after the first few weeks, but are going to pay for the year anyway. When I used to work for a big gym the owner said his favorite members were the ones who paid their dues and never came, since they weren't a wear on the equipment. Now that's pretty messed up.

Instead of going to the gym, giving your money, and likely never using it after the first month, do something different. Hire a trainer, join a running group, a bootcamp, yoga, anything where they is a group or a person you are accountable to.

If you are with a group of people you'll get to know them and make friends. It sounds corny but this will make you want to go more often, and you'll get more out of your money.

Plus when you are surrounded with people who have fitness goals like you, then you have a support system. Those people can help you to reach your goals. They will be excited for you as you reach those goals, just as you are when they reach theirs. It becomes a community and that's the best way to be successful.

So try doing something different this year. Spend your money wisely and reach your fitness goals.

360 wellness and fitness
d

Right now my left knee, both feet and my right hip are aching. I'm limping around the house, and all because I've been running like crazy.

I've been over training the last four days and I know it. Gina got me a GPS watch for Christmas and I can't seem to get enough of the darn thing. I ran two routes I often run the first two days, and then I raced myself the last two, beating me by 469 and 465 meters each time I might add. I've run a little over 29 km in four days and this is after not having run for about three months. It wasn't smart and I know that.

This is something that happens to lots of people this time of year, and you've got to be careful of it. Overtraining is as bad as too little training. At the best you'll end up feeling sore and tired like I do right now. At the worst you'll get hurt.

So when you think it's best to keep going every day because you have goals and want to get there fast, take it from me. It's not worth what you're doing and it won't get you in shape. I know you want to get out there and go. Heck I feel the same way. I'd like to race myself again tomorrow, but I'll take a day off instead.

Give your self a break too. It's the smart thing to do.

360 wellness and fitness

d

Ok Gina got me about the coolest Christmas present this year. A Garmin GPS watch.

Now I am a bit of a tech junkie but this one has to be the coolest. It has a huge number of options but the basic cool ones are the coolest.

You start the timer, run your route and the stop it when you're done. Then you plug it into your computer and see you top speed, average speed, top and average heart rate, how many hills you climbed, what your pace was, and exactly how far you ran. Plus you can look while your running and see how far you have come, your pace, etc.

Once you've set up some of your courses (it shows you a GPS map of the course on the watch and the computer after you've run it) then you can choose trainer option and complete against yourself from the last time you ran, all in real time so you know if you're in front, or behind your last pace. No more remembering land marks and times.

This watch is about the coolest thing for exercisers, and it gets better. It also lets you do the same thing if you are biking too, so you can track all of the bike rides you been on.

Now it's not cheap but if you want a very cool training piece of equipment, I'd suggest it. Gina got mine at Costco. You can look at a page about it here. https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=349&
amp;ra=true#

Have fun tracking.

360 wellness and fitness
d

You don't want to go to the gym over Christmas but you want to get some cardio in right? Then I've got a fun 20 minute workout for you. All you need is some stairs in your house. That's right, you'll be running stairs.

Most times I suggest this one people groan. "Not stairs Devin." It really is a killer workout but it'll give you a lot more exercise than jogging on that treadmill you hang clothes on.

It's really easy to do. Just jog stairs, hitting everyone of them, for 20 minutes. Now it might not be complicated, but it is hard. You'll be winded and red in the face, but it's better than skipping out on exercise all together. And you'll be happy you did it. It'll help relieve some of the stress of Christmas. And you'll feel a little like Rocky when you're done... or maybe that's just me.

Plus if you want to make it a little more exciting then do a set of 10 pushups at the top of the stairs and a set of 20 crunches at the bottom. That will add just a little spice. :)

d

People often ask me what the heck I do at bootcamp. I think they are thinking GI Jane and someone yelling at them all the time.

I'm not a yeller. I didn't like being yelled at when I played sports and I don't like to yell at anyone else. I'm more a a cheerer. But even so, bootcamp is tough.

I'm a big believer in constant motion and using a lot of bodyweight exercises, so at bootcamp you can expect to do lots of different exercises back to back. Say something like pushups for 30 secs, squats for 30 secs, and then a sprint would be one set. Usually I repeat that 3-6 times depending on the night.

And bootcamp is never the same. I don't like being bored when I workout and I don't like to do the same things at bootcamp night after night either. Every bootcamp is different, but it's all hard. :)

And now the biggest question... can I keep up? Of course you can!

I'm not saying it's easy at all. It's freaking hard, but you can run at your own pace. Plus everything can be modified. I have people who go who are super fit, to ones who are just starting out, and everything in between. If you think you can do it, you can!

So come try out a class. You'll be happy you did.

d

So you're getting a little bored of your cardio workout? Well I've got just the thing for you. A little interval treadmill cardio blast.

Most people love to use the treadmill but it can be a bit of a pain to do intervals on. But I've found a good way to do it. It's simple, and nasty.

Warm up for about 2 minutes at a walk. The spend the next 20 minutes doing this.


1:30 at a normal pace (either fast walk or a slow jog)
:30 sprint as hard as you can go

Keep that up for 20 minutes then get off and go about the rest of your day. It's that easy.

Now I'm not saying it will feel easy while you do it. It's hard as heck. But it'll burn lots of fat and it's fast and to the point. Give it a try this Christmas. You'll be glad you did.

d

Everybody I know is on a diet of some sort. One friend of mine (who shall remain nameless) eats only chocolates, and crackers all day. Another friend of mine swears off carbohydrates after 3 pm everyday (except Saturday). Another has given up jujubees!

My point is....on some level...we're always on a diet, restricting ourselves from foods that are bad for us.

Over the years I've come up with a few simple rules that I TRY and follow when I need to buckle down and lose a few pounds.

No eating after supper!
Extra protein with my meals and snacks!
Eat every 2 to 3 hours!
Drink tons of water!

If you followed these 4 simple rules you'll notice a big difference pretty quickly.

A little commitment goes a LONG way! Baby steps...baby steps...

Since you're not going to have much time over Christmas you might think you'll have to give up your workouts. But really you just need to train a little smarter. Don't have time to get to the gym? Here's an 20 minute workout you can do at home.

The idea of this workout is hard and fast. It won't take you long but it will wind you a lot. The aim is to try to keeping going with as little break between exercises as possible. Just move from one to the next as fast as you can.


Pushups - 10 reps
Squats - 20 reps
Crunches - 20 reps
Run on the spot - 30 seconds

Do one exercise after another without a break until you have finished the 30 second run. Take a 30 second break and then go again. Keeping going as hard as you can for 20 minutes.

It will feel pretty easy the first two or even three times through. But after that things will change and it gets rough. But hey, at least it's over in 20 minutes!

Now there's no excuse. Go get at it!

d

Ever had one of those weeks (or months) you just don't feel like working out? And when you do it's tiring and boring?

I call these days, "the slump". Sometimes I love working out and couldn't be happier. But other times I think, "Hey, I'll just live with what I got."

Over the years I've come up with a few ways to get myself revved up.

First I start out with a big ol' coffee. Then I put on some really great, upbeat music. Then I start to jump around my house dancing and cleaning up. You know... make beds, pick up toys, empty the dishwasher. After about 20 minutes of listening to good music and cleaning I feel energized and ready to hit the gym.

"Slump" days are great days for interval training. If you're on the treadmill start off nice and slow.
5 minutes: speed 3.0 incline 0
2 minutes: speed 3.5 incline 4
1 minute:  speed 3.0 incline 0
2 minutes: speed 4.5 incline 1

REPEAT FOR A TOTAL OF 30 MINUTES!

Keep reminding yourself of how great you'll feel when you're finished!

Ever wonder what to look for when you look at that label on your food? It's got a lot on there and can look a little confusing for sure. But there are a few simple things to keep an eye out for.

First look at the portion size at the top. This is the first place the food company will try to trick you. If the portion size is silly (like seven chips and you know you'll eat three times that) then they are trying to pull a fast one. They made the portion smaller than it really is so they can lower the amounts of everything else.

Next take a look at those calories. I'm not a calorie counter but if this is high (say 300 or more) and you're not going to be filled up afterward, then skip it. You want good calories that will fill you, not garbage ones which leave you hungry.

When you get to fat, the big one to look for is trans fat. You shouldn't eat any. It's like glue in your veins and it'll make you die. It's that simple. There is no healthy amount.

And if they say "trans fat free" but there is still trans fat believe it's there. Companies are allowed to have .2 g of trans fat in a serving and still call it "trans fat free". Any is too much.

Next  look at the carb amount and how much of it is sugar. In some things you will see sugar but it's from fruits, but most times it's garbage table sugar and that will make you fat. If it has sugar then take a look down in the ingredients list. The rule of thumb is that if sugar is in the first three or four ingredients you don't want to buy it.

But they like to trick you by call it things like fructose, glucose, dextrose, galactose, lactose, maltose, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, honey, maple syrup etc. They have hundreds of names for sugar and each  is aimed at making sure you eat it. Look carefully.

And the last thing you want to keep an eye out for in the ingredients list is hydrogenated fat. They only do that to make it last longer on the shelf. And if it lasts longer on the shelf, it'll last longer in you too. Nothing with the word hydrogenated in it should go in your mouth. Any is too much.

If you get used to reading those labels you'll soon find that about 80 percent of the grocery store isn't good for you at all. But have no fear. The other 20 percent is great. Happy reading.

d

We all have a million excuses as to why we can't exercise.

"I have no time," or "I'm too tired," or "I have an injury." etc etc. The list goes on and on...

In the past few months I have been ridden with injuries. First it was my mid-back. Then I had sciatica in my butt cheek. Then I got shingles! So....it has been one thing after another. And being injured makes you tired and lethargic. Devin keeps telling me I'm falling apart.

My point is...even though I was battling numerous issues, I still worked out. I just modified my exercises.

My back is still sore so I've been lifting light weights for any shoulder/back exercises. I have added in extra heavy leg ones. I am being really careful about my form, and speed. I have built a workout that still allows me to burn massive calories, but protects my sore spots.

You have to work with your health issues. Seeking the professional help of a personal trainer can help you work through your aches and pains. A good personal trainer will develop a program suited just for you and your body type.

And sometimes you need a little inspiration! When I tell myself I don't feel like it, I think about Michelle getting out of bed at 5:30 in the morning to go for a run before work. The I say to myself, "If she can do it, I can do it!"

The word "excuse" means; an explanation offered to justify or obtain forgiveness.

Don't let excuses ruin your diet and exercise goals!

Corporate Fitness is on the rise. In fact it is growing by leaps and bounds, even in a slower economy. But why? Simple. It makes businesses more money.

Of course spending money at a time when money is harder to come by can be a little daunting for businesses. They look at their bottom line and say, "Where can we cut?" But many are now looking and saying, "How can I make more?" Fitness is the answer.

The math is very simple. For ever dollar a business spends on health and fitness, they make back almost four dollars. Sounds crazy but it's true. That's because a healthy employee takes fewer sick days, pays more attention, has fewer injuries and gets more work done.

I have a company I work with that actually makes money everyone month having me come in and do fitness bootcamps. They used to pay for gym memberships and only about 10 percent of people used them. Now they pay to have me there and almost 90 percent of people come to workout three times a week.

So try putting together a fitness group at your work. You'll save time going to the gym and you'll feel better the whole time you're working.

d

I really enjoy watching the people on The Biggest Loser in their final show of each season. It's amazing how they have changed their lives and their bodies so completely. The show really does help to insipire people and change lives. But it has one annoying part. Jillian Micheals.

It's not Jillian herself I find annoying. I'm sure she's a good trainer and gets good results. It's the way the show has created a character for her that I find annoying.

When you watch interviews will Jillian you see someone who, while no nonsense, is a caring and pleasent person. Then you watch her scream at, belittle and rant at the people on the show and I'm disgusted. I know they are doing it for ratings and people seem to like Jillian screaming her head off, but it does a disservice to all trainers out there. It makes people they that's the way we all are, bullies who break you down and build you back up after we have you in tears.

In fact the complete opposite is true. Our whole job to to build you up, not break you down. A good trainer doesn't just give you a good workout. They should be able to push you farther than you thought you could go, encourage you to make changes in your life, and make your time with them fun.

Just think about it, would you want someone in your face yelling at you while you tried to workout? I've had a few football coaches like that and it's not a lot of fun.

The bottom line is remember that Jillian is playing a role on the show when you see her yelling and ranting. That's not who she is, and you can tell that by how the people on the show love her. She likely a nice person who has a bit of a no nonsense streak. Hey Gina's like that too.

Just don't expect that all trainers are like that. We're usually nice people. :)

d

I get asked all the time how often I workout out and for how long. The answer surprises most people.

I workout five days a week, usually about 45 minutes each time. That's it. I know if doesn't sound like much but that's all I do. I just hit it really hard when I train.

I like to say I prescribe to the brief and brutal workout plan. In other words I don't have the time for long workouts (they aren't all that good anyway) and so I go as hard as I can handle for a short time and then get on with the rest of my day. I've moved into this training style about five years ago and I can honestly say I'm now in the best shape of my life at 35, plus I spend less time in the gym too.

I also don't do much in the way of cardio. The reason is fairly simple. I hardly take any time between exercises and that keeps my heart rate up for the whole time. I get the benefits of weights plus cardio all at the same time.

Now I usually do put in one straight cardio day each week. So my break down looks like this: four days weights, one day cardio and a full two days off.

To be honest I'm not a fan of taking time off, since I really like to workout, but if I don't I end up overtrained, tired and worn down. It's best for me to force myself those off days so I get in better shape.

So you don't have to workout everyday and you don't have to workout for hours a day to get in shape. Just work hard in the time you have.

d

Every woman, and most men can relate when I talk about the "muffin top". It sucks when you have a party to go to and you're feeling kind of lumpy and loose.

So, over the years I've figured out a plan that works for me.

For at least three to fours days before the big event exfoliate your skin and start putting on a self tanner. This will give you great color, and make you feel better.

The day before you go to the party drink tons of water, eat very few carbs, and do lots of cardio and abs. The day of the party, do NOT starve yourself to feel thin. As soon as you eat and have a drink...BAM...the muffin is back! So, eat mini meals.

Start off with a bowl of oatmeal, have a piece of fruit for snack, get in a long walk or run, have a salad for lunch, and a piece of fruit or some veggies for a snack. Again, drink tons of water and add in a couple mugs of green tea.

If you're feeling extra fancy, buy some body powder with a sparkle and shade in your best areas. The shimmer leads the eye to the places you want people to look. So, if you have great shoulders, add some sparkle to them! You get the idea.

Let the preparations begin!

G ;)

People often ask me why I like lunges so much. They are the staple for me in lots of workouts. Why? Because I've yet to find something harder on my legs.

I love lunges because they are just plain hard. When you do a lunge all your weight is on your front foot, basically on one leg. You have to lift your entire weight on that one leg, while moving through space. It's not like a squat which is on 2D. A lunge has you moving in space so it adds to the exercise.

Plus lunges are something which work more than just your legs. A lunge will work legs, plus your butt and core too since you have to balance the entire time you do them. And if you want to add a little weight to the equation, more power to you. It just makes the lunge that much better.

Just make sure you take a long enough step. The important thing to remember is that your knee never gets out over your toe on the front leg. If you do that, you can do lunges no problem. Just ask my client Theresa who has a knee issue and rocked lunges this weekend!

Give lunges a try and you'll see your overall fitness go through the roof, plus you'll get some great legs doing it too.

Happy lunging.

d

Over the years I've struggled with the morning and afternoon snack/meal. What to eat? When to eat it? How many calories should I have? The list goes on.

Devin and I have come up with a simple, delicious, high protein, under 200 calorie snack to fit any lifestyle.

Start of with a can of tuna, drain it and mix in a couple spoonfuls of light mayo. Take one tomato basil rice cake and top it with half of the tuna. Add a lettuce leaf and enjoy! You get 22 grams of protein, 10 carbs, under 200 calories, and under 10 grams of fat. This little snack packs a protein punch, and it's highly addictive. You get the crunch, the salt, and the benefit of delicious protein. If you want, you can substitute tuna for turkey.

So, give this little snack a try. You won't be disappointed. Let me know how you like it.

G ;)

So you want to get in great shape, and you're willing to workout for hours a day, seven days a week to do it? You're actually not helping yourself get in shape at all.

You see your body only can handle so much stress. I'm not talking about the stress you have at home or at work. I mean physical stress.

Whenever you workout you cause stress on your body. Since the workout is hard, your body has to adapt to that workout so it won't be as hard next time around. That's how you get in better shape. It's your body's way of protecting itself against the physical stress you place on it. But if you workout every day, you don't give your body the time to heal itself from the other workouts.

Think of it this way, you don't get in shape working out. That's just the stress you place on your body. The starting point. You get in shape when your body heals itself, in other words when you sleep and eat good clean food.

So if you workout too much and don't take days off then your body can never heal, and it starts to break down. And when you body is stressed it tries to hold onto fat. Not too good huh?

So next time you want to workout every day of the week, take it from me, and I take two full days off a week. It won't help you, and might just make you in worse shape than you are right now.

Enjoy your rest days.

d

I have to say. Being a regular exerciser is not easy. Very few people are committed to it and love it.
People always ask, "How much do I have to workout?" The answer is very individual. Some people can get away with three times a week, and others have to workout six times a week. You have to figure out what works for you.

I'm not saying that I'm old. But the older I get, the less I feel like running a marathon. My fitness goals change on an almost weekly basis. One week my goal will be to do 6 hours of cardio and three weight training sessions. The next week my goal may be to do 2 hours of cardio, 2 hours of yoga, and 2 hours of weights. I change my mind every week.

But my point is...I have a goal. I have thought about what I'm in the mood to do and how I'm going to do it. And sometimes....brace yourself...I just skip the workout and go for a long walk with the dog. There, I said it! It's o.k. to skip a workout, as long as you move in a different way. Just move.

If you completely skip a workout, odds are you'll beat yourself up about it. But if you go for a walk or a bike ride instead, you'll at least feel like you did something worthwhile.
Your body will tell you what it needs, just listen.

G ;)

So why do you need to do anything beside run or walk? People ask me that stuff a lot, and it's always around the fact that they don't want to get "too big" or "too bulky."

The fact is that if you want to have healthy bones, muscles and feel your best, you need to do resistance exercises. When I talk about resistance exercises I mean everything from body weight stuff like pushups and lunges to lifting weights. Basically anything where you have to move a weight around, even if it's your own body.

The reason you need to do this is because every year that goes by you lose a little bit of muscle and bone density. It's between .5 and 2% a year after 40. If you live another 20 years past that you might have lost 40% of your muscle. Scary huh?

It's a process that just happens, but if you want to feel and look young then you need to combat it. Think of these exercises as anti-aging.

But what about gaining weight from lifting weights right? Well it takes a lot of working out and a lot of drugs to look like a bodybuilder so if you're doing it for health reasons and to look better you're safe there. You're not going to bulk up. But you might not lose the weight you think you want to lose.

So what do you do about that? I always tell people do you really care what you weigh? I mean if you looked the way you wanted to look, felt great and were 10 lbs heavier than you thought you'd like to be in a perfect world, would it matter? Of course not.

So don't stress out over what your weight is as long as you're in a healthy range. Concentrate on getting healthy and looking the way you want to look. And to get in that shape you need to do some resistance exercises.

Happy lifting.

d

I get lots of questions on protein powder and which one to buy. It's a normal question. Back 10 years ago there was only a few kinds and none of them tasted good. Kind of like chalk with some nasty flavor added.

Now when you walk into a health store they are stacked to the roof, and come in all shapes and sizes. So what do you buy?

Most protein powder out there now is whey protein and unless you have a problem with milk products then this is usually the easiest way it go. It's cheaper than rice or soy protein for the most part and it has more choices. Under the whey protein there are a few different types though.

First is meal replacement protein powder. This is basically protein powder with extra carbs in it so it feels like a meal. I'm not a huge fan of these since they tend to have a lot of sugar in them, which you don't need, and often have lots of extra carbs too.

The second is weight gainer. This stuff is pointless even if you are trying to gain weight. Basically it is just lots of calories with some protein, and it will make you fatter no question. Will it help you put on muscle? Maybe but you won't be able to see it anyway so I'd skip it.

The third and forth ones are the ones you want to aim for. They are plain whey protein and whey isolate. The only real difference is in purity. Isolate is refined more so it has less sugar (by a few grams at most) and if you have milk issues, you should be able to drink it. It also mixes better in water. It is more expensive too, but that's about the only differences.

I personally go with plain whey protein powder since I feel it does what I need it to do and really the few grams of sugar isn't all that much of a big deal. I tend to go for Power Whey, which I find tastes the best (even Gina likes it) and isn't very expensive.

Happy shaking. :)

d

The other day my friend Rob and I were talking about losing weight. Rob has a hard time preparing meals since he's super busy at work and works a lot. So we figured out a meal plan for him and it's one anyone can do to lose weight and get in great shape.

Breakfast

1/2 cup of cooked oatmeal. Add extra water after it is cooked then add protein powder and blueberries.

Snack

Protein shake and two pieces of fruit.

Lunch

Wrap of some sort (has to have meat) with no dressing except mustard and lots of veggies.

Snack

Protein shake and two pieces of fruit.

Supper

Meat (chicken, steak, turnkey etc)and big salad. No dressing except one without sugar.

Snack

Popcorn 1 cup or lot fat, low sugar yogurt.

That's it. It's basic and simple. Anyone can do it. This is how you want to eat for six days a week, with one cheat day when you can eat anything you want. And I mean ANYTHING. Go nuts that day. It'll help you lose in the long run.

And of course get at least four to five days of exercise of some sort too. :)

d