Biggest Loser Challenge Week 2

Exercise Homework

Stair Run +2 10/20

Duration: 20 Min non stop

Equipment: Stairs and you

Intensity: As hard as you can go

Progression: 10 pushups, 20 crunches

Start at the bottom of your stairs. Run to the top, hitting every stair on the way up. At the top, drop and do ten pushups.

Run back down the stairs then back up to the top. At the top drop and do 20 crunches. Run back down the stairs.

Repeat for 20 minutes.

Make sure you push yourself hard. You should be breathing hard and it should be tough.

If I could post a picture of an avocado with a Superman cape on I would.
Avacado is one of the best fruits you can eat.

Not only is it packed with monounsaturated fat, but it excellent for weight loss.

People seem to think that avocado's are too high in fat to eat.
Yes, avocado is full of fat - but it's full of good fat. Bad fat makes you fat; good fat keeps you from getting fat.
Avocado possesses a double whammy when it comes to weight loss and blood sugar metabolism. Avocado contains a unique weight loss friendly carbohydrate called mannoheptulose.

Mannoheptulose is a rare form of sugar, found primarily in avocado. Mannoheptulose has been found to lower insulin secretion.  To understand how the inhibition of insulin is helpful to weight loss we need to understand insulin resistance.

An underlying cause of the obesity epidemic is insulin resistance. Insulin resistance occurs when the cells lining your arteries become resistant to the action of the hormone insulin. Your body uses insulin to pull sugar from your blood and into your cells where it can be used as energy. When your cells become resistant to insulin your body has no choice but to store your blood sugar as fat. People with insulin resistance make too much insulin. Too much insulin only makes the problem of weight gain and difficulty with weight gain worse. Avocado actually helps to reverse the problems that we see with insulin resistance, by virtue of the presence of mannoheptulose and its high content of good fats.

I like to slice mine up, sprinkle with coarse sea salt and enjoy. We put them in sandwiches, on salads, eat them alone or with pita crisps. Anyway you slice 'em, avocado's are a kick ass food!

If you don't know how to buy them ask your local produce clerk at the grocery store. I buy them a little green and put them on top of the fridge to finish softening up. If you only want 1/2 at a time, leave the seed in the half you're going to store in the fridge to keep it from turning brown.

So, give an avocado a chance and go buy some today!

Gina

www.360online.ca

I am a huge fan of the food journal. But it has to be honest. Just because you didn't write it down doesn't mean you didn't eat it. Even if I steal 2 chips from my kids bowl I write it down.

Buy yourself a journal you'd like to write in. On the front of mine it says, "Don't let yesterday use up too much of today." I love my little journal.

You have to write down every meal and exactly what was in it. Some people will just write down "salad". But what was in the salad? Salad can get very fattening depending on the add-ins.

You have to become calorie savvy. Look up the calorie counts and write them down. Make sure you get your mid-morning and afternoon snacks in. Those are really important.

Keep track of your exercise and your moods too. You'd be surprised how much your mood effects your food and exercise performance.

Journaling is the KEY to losing weight. If you don't know what you ate, you can't make changes.
So go out today and buy yourself a nice fancy journal. Keep track of everything that crosses your lips.

You'll most likely see where you can tighten up on your calories.

G

We're just not that healthy in Nova Scotia, or anywhere in Canada for that matter. But in Nova Scotia we're bad.

Only 47% of us get enough exercise. That's embarrassing, and sad. It's not hard to do something, anything several days a week. 

On top of that the biggest decline comes from people aged 20-39. In other words the people who should be the healthiest are doing less and less. They might be slipping by now but imagine what our health care bills will be when that group is 50. Through the roof that's where, because they will be in terrible shape by then.

It's getting so bad it's now uncommon to see heart attacks for people between 20 and 30. That just never happened before. Now it's not strange or uncommon.

And things are getting worse. I'm 36 and I remember going to the beach and no one was fat. If you saw an over weight child it was strange. Now when I take my kids, they are the skinniest and people say o me, "They're so thin!" To which I want to say, "No they're what normal should look like."

Take a look at that pic up there. When you were a kid do you ever remember seeing someone so fat they couldn't walk, riding around on a little cart, made for the morbidly obese? Now we see people like that all the time and we accept it. It's time we stopped accepting something some completely wrong.

I'm not saying I dislike obese people. They just need help to recover and there should be programs for that. Instead we wait until they have health issues then we treat the heart blockage or whatever it is and never take a look at the real problem. The fat.

We have a terrible epidemic coming and no one is doing anything about it. Companies aren't helping people to be fit, outside of helping with gym memberships which only 10% of people use. Food companies are looking for ways to make things last longer on the shelves and make you last shorter. We drive everywhere and we hate to sweat.

It's time to give up on the easy road guys. Being healthy isn't going to happen because you think it would be nice and you walk to your car every day, after sitting for eight hours at your desk. You need to make exercise part of your life. You need to get moving. Otherwise we're all going to be very sick and broke from the health care bills soon.

360 wellness and fitness

d

Less than 25% of people who join a gym actually go to the gym.
The busiest time of year for a gym is January. And the major membership purchasers are women.

It works out great for the gym owner. They make all of their money from the people that give up.Bridget Jones said it best, "Gym visits 0, number of gym visits so far this year 1, cost of gym membership per year 370 pounds." Sad, but true.

If everyone who had a gym membership actually went to the gym, it would create mass chaos. They over sell the space because they know that people will not go.

Why is this???

In my opinion...it's a lack of support. It all sounds so great when you go in to buy your membership. They make it seem like you'll be part of a family...supported, motivated, guided. 

Unfortunately, after you've signed your contract they show you around and then leave you to fend for yourself. There's no one there to walk you through a properly designed individual program. No one to ask if your form is right or if your even using the machines properly. No one standing by you motivating you and telling you how great you're doing. All of that is extra. 

When I first started working in weight rooms there was always someone on the floor to answer questions and give advice. Those days are long gone. If you have a question at the gym, hire a trainer...you can get your question answered within 3 to 4 weeks. People give up. They get frustrated and go home, crack open a bag of Doritos and decide to wait until month (which never comes).

My advice is....if you are TRULY ready. And I mean TRULY ready to take the steps and make a change you should hire a good personal trainer. We're worth our weight in gold! 

Get a trainer who can show you how to work for your body type and personal style. Being accountable to a trainer will help you stay on goal. The gym just does not work for most people. I know it, you know it, and gym owners know it. 

Figure out what works for you and go with it. Find a trainer who cares about your bottom line (literally) not just their own. 


360 wellness and fitness



G

Ok here's something I did as a fun little workout the other day and thought people might like to give it a try. It's a little hard but well worth your 20 minutes. Kind of like a cross fit but not as out of control.

10 pushups
10 jump squats
10 situps
10 chinups (you can use a chair if you like and put one foot on it because it gets hard to keep going on these)

Do these sets as fast as you can with some control to the movement, for 20 minutes. I got through the whole thing 18 times so I got 180 reps of everything. It was hard but lots of fun just to see how you can do.

I was blazing at the beginning but it got harder the farther I went and I slowed a bit. Just keep trying to keep going, even if you go slow.

360 wellness and fitness

d

I've decided it might be fun to include my workout homework on here for My Biggest Loser groups. It's easier for me since then I don't have to print out so many, and it gives other people a chance to try it out too.

Week 1

Stair run +1

Duration: 20 min
Equipment: Stairs and you
Intensity: As hard as you can go
Progressions: N/A

Start at the bottom of your stairs. Run up to the top. Turn and run back to the bottom. Repeat for 20 minutes.

This one is tough but as long as you work at it, you'll get through!

Make sure you push yourself hard. You should be breathing hard and it should be tough. Don't back down and don't give up.

360 wellness and fitness

d

Once in a while I like to change things around.

You know, get back to a simpler way of life....lifting heavy.

Anyone who knows my workout style knows I lift light, fast, and cover a lot of ground. I always mix in cardio, yoga and biking in the summer.

The other day I tried a workout DVD that had the name "Extreme" in the title. So I thought I'd give it a try. In actuality, it wasn't very extreme and it wasn't very hard. But it was different from my normal exercise style.
It was slow moving, with very heavy weights and stationary. I have to say, I felt it the next day.
Because I'm not used to the "old school" training anymore my body reacted to the workout. My legs felt like jello, and I was stiff. I have to admit, it made me remember how strong I actually am.

That being said, I still enjoy my light, fast moving style of exercise. I like to burn mega calories in the shortest amount of time. But it is still a good idea to mix it up, keep it fresh and get back to basics once in a while.

Give it a try...kick it old school!

360 wellness and fitness

G

Ever compare yourself to a picture in a magazine? Ever feel like you just don't stack up? You're not alone. Most people do it and it makes them feel bad. But maybe it's time to stop looking at those fake pictures.

We live in a society of people who are becoming obsessed about being thin. Hollywood celebs are getting thinner all the time. When a celebrity gains a little weight they're criticized for being "fat". I've even heard people say Mariah Carey is "thick."

And the more we look at pictures of perfect bodies, the worse we feel. Heck, I feel that way sometimes too. I look at myself and I think, "You could be a little leaner, bigger etc." But I want you to remember something. The people in those pictures don't look like that in real life. They are photoshopped to death.

When I was younger I looked at pro bodybuilders and wanted to look that way. I thought it would be cool. But since I wasn't taking huge amounts of steroids, it wasn't going to happen for me. Finally I just decided it was time to give up on that and change my thoughts about how I wanted to look. I changed my concept of what looks good and healthy, then I worked toward looking more like that.

And you know what? I started to feel a lot better about myself. I had a lot easier time working out. I was more confident. Changing my thoughts on what looked good had a great impact on the rest of my life.

So stop looking at pictures of people who don't even exist outside a computer program called Photo Shop. Pick a healthy, fit body and decide you want to look that way. Then work toward it. You'll be happy you did.

360 wellness and fitness

d

There are days I don't feel like exercise. They aren't all that often but there are days I just don't feel like it.

We all have those down days. You don't want to go to work, workout, whatever. But those are sometimes the best times to get a workout in. Why? It's easy. Because you'll be happy you did at the other end.

Working out isn't always easy. If it was everyone would be in great shape. It's hard and those gut check days are the ones where you'll either end up getting in great shape and reaching your goals, or you won't. It's that simple.

If you're someone who skips your workout on those down days, then you're not going to get to where you want to go. That's a fact. One day will roll into two and then you've missed a week and set yourself back. But if you just grit your teeth and do it, then you've got a great chance to reach all your goals.

Think of it this way; if everything in life came easily, you'd never enjoy it. Anything worth having takes work. If you want to get in great shape, you have to put in the work to get there. And that means working hard on those down days.

So don't skip you're workout because you don't feel like it. Go do it. You'll be happy you did.

360 wellness and fitness

d

All Hail The Kale

Just because you've never had kale doesn't mean you shouldn't try it.

Kale is absolutely rich and abundant in calcium, lutein, iron, and Vitamins A, C, and K.
Kale has seven times the beta-carotene of broccoli and ten times more lutein.
Kale chopped or chewed triggers the liver to produce enzymes that detoxify cancer causing chemicals, of which we all are exposed on daily basis. A recently new study in the Journal of Nutrition (2004) demonstrates that sulforaphane helps stop breast cancer cell proliferation.

Kale is in season now, so it's a great time to give it a try. I love a simple Kale salad. And one of the best things about kale is it doesn't wilt like lettuce. If you make it in the morning and stick it in the fridge it'll still be crispy and flavorful by lunch! And it sooooo delicious with grilled or poached salmon.

Here's my simple kale recipe;
2 bunches of kale finely chopped (rinsed, with ribs and veins cut out)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (did you know...olive oil is only good for 3 months after opened )
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2-3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
3/4 cup shredded carrot
3 tbsp raw sunflower seeds

Mix it altogether and enjoy!

G
                

In most cases, back pain results from bad posture. Not because you sit at your desk all day, or because you lifted heavy bags out of your trunk.
It's because you have poor posture, which results in weak muscles and in turn makes everyday activities more difficult.
Resulting in back pain.
Preventing back pain really takes some work.
You first have to figure out where you're weak. A good physiotherapist can tell you right away where you need to strengthen.
For most of us, the problem is sitting up straight. We round our shoulders, and end up stretching the muscles across the back and shrinking the ones in the front. This causes an imbalance and also postural problems.
Have you ever looked at a baby sitting on the floor? Their little legs are stretched out in front of them, and their backs are perfectly straight. It's incredible.
Have you tried to sit like that now as an adult? It's pretty challenging. Not many people can comfortably sit in that position for very long. If you can...good for you!
If for just 10 minutes, 3 times a day you practiced sitting or standing with perfect posture you can work on strengthening those muscles that have become weak and stretched out.
Channel your inner baby and sit up straight!

www.360online.ca

G       

Ever looked at your burger and wondered....How many cows are in this burger?
Well, now you will.
The answer...hundreds! I know, it's disgusting.
As consumers we purchase more beef than poultry or chicken. It is a cheaper product, especially ground beef.
Did you know that if you drain and rinse regular ground beef after it has been cooked, you can lower the fat content so that it is equally matched to cooked lean ground beef? Just drain and rinse with hot water! Tastes the same, just much lower in fat.
You can also significantly lower the fat in other cuts of beef by trimming off all excess fat. I do this already because I hate the look of the white death edging a nice cut of steak.
Some people like the fat, they say it's tasty! Really? It sits on your internal organs and suffocates them. Yuck.
So, I'm not saying to give up beef.
I'm saying keep it lean, and buy locally if you can.
Happy Beef Eating!

G    www.360online.ca

I get asked about P90X all the time. What I think of it and whether I think it's a good workout.

P90X is the training program created by Tony Horton. It's a very hard, 12 week program, which will kick your ass, plain and simple. It's not easy and I'm sure Horton made it hard on purpose. But is it good?

Well I don't really think P90X is for the average person. First off it's six days a week, at least an hour a day. If you do that you're going to get in better shape no question, but you're also going to get over trained in no time.

That's the problem I have with P90X. I did it and I got over trained toward the end, and I work out all the time. I have since I was about 15. I'm used to difficult workouts. My body has adapted to having a lot of stresses put on it, and can handle a fair amount. Plus it's my job to be in shape. But it wore me down.

For someone who has never worked out, or only doesn't workout super hard, P90X is going to kill you plain and simple. There's no other way to say it. You will get over trained and burned out.

But, if you use a little common sense and and take a few more days off, shorten some of the workouts etc, then it can be a real positive for you. Horton has some great exercises in there and he pushes you. Plus you can do it with minimal exercise equipment, which is good.

So if you are up for a huge challenge and want to really push, P90X can be good. Just don't overdo it, because it's easy to do.

360 wellness and fitness

d

Does anyone ever feel like they've got the food thing down? I know I don't. Even though I live in this world of fitness, dieting, exercise, etc etc. I find the food thing the hardest.

Lots of people tell me they find the exercising part the hardest. It's opposite for me. I love exercising, but I love food even more. Carbs, carbs, and more carbs. I'm guilty as charged.

It kind of makes me feel guilty too. I know in my mind that I eat too many, but I can't stop. I've come to the conclusion that carbs and I have to find a way to co-exist.

Lately I've been eating only good carbs. Organic honey-oat bread, rice cakes, squash, sweet potato, and other fibrous carbs. I will admit so swiping a few of the kids crackers given the opportunity ;)

But, these past few weeks I've been trying not to feel guilty about my carb selections. I'm trying to change my guilty self dialogue. It's o.k. to love a carb, just choose wisely. (I keep repeating this in my head).
It's o.k. to love a carb...it's o.k. to love a carb....it's o.k. to love a carb.

360 wellness and fitness

G

About this time of the year is often when people begin, and quit, their New Year Resoluion to get in shape. That's because this time of this year is also when you're the most sore you've been in a long time.

Being sore is part of exercising. The old, "No pain, no gain." saying has some truth. To get in shape you're going to have to have a few days of being sore. It's just the way your body feels when you exercise hard for the first time.

But it's also not the time to give up. Getting sore happens to everyone who works out. I often live in a constant state of soreness. We all get it.

Now the first time you workout you're going to get super sore for several days, but take heart. It won't get that bad again. The first time is really the worst. Just have some hot bathes and don't stop moving. It feels worse if you don't move.

Be tough. It will go away, and you are getting in much better shape. And the next time you won't be as sore. Just keep at it. You'll be in great shape in no time.


360 wellness and fitness

d

So you're eating better, you're exercising and you start to lose weight. You're hyped. Then it all stops. What went wrong?

Nothing at all. You see your body spends all it's time making sure you don't die. It adapts to stresses like exercise by getting in better shape. But it doesn't know what kind of shape you want to be in. In fact, it just wants to get in good enough shape so it can handle whatever workout you did last time. It wants to get in that shape and stop right there. This is why changing your workout all the time will help you get in better shape, since your body can't get comfortable.

And it's also the reason you stop losing weight. Your body is looking for a comfortable place to stop, and so, from time to time, you will stop losing as it tries to adjust to your new lifestyle.

Don't give up hope though. While you may stop losing, it will start again each time too. That's because your body has to adapt to the exercise and food. It might fight it a bit, but it will adapt.

So don't get down or frustrated. Keep working at it. You'll be losing again in no time.

360 wellness and fitness

d

We live in a culture of too many carbs and too little protein. I can't even count the times I've looked at someone's diet and told them, "You hardly ate any protein today." But why is eating it so important?

Actually it's simple. Protein is a major building block for everything in your body. Without it you have a hard time growing hair, bones, skin and muscles. And when you exercise the idea it to grow muscles.

Now you might no be wanting to be big, and that makes sense. But you still need to grow some muscle. That's what exercise is all about, stressing your body to grow muscle and get in better shape. Because of this you need to feed those muscles. You need protein.

How much? Depends on your sex. If you're a woman who works out regularly then you need about .75 grams of protein per pound of body weight. If you're a man, shoot for 1 gram per pound of body weight.

This means having protein in every meal you eat, which might sound hard, but it's not really. Just start reading some labels, make a protein shake or two a day and you're there. You'll be happy you did when you're suddenly losing weight and getting in better shape.

360 wellness and fitness

d

The age old question..."How many calories should I eat?"
If I had a quarter for every time someone asked me this question...well, I'd probably have 200 quarters.
This is a very individual question. We all have different body types and metabolisms.

Here's a basic formula that will give you a general idea:
655 + (4.3 x weight in lbs) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age) = ____ calories
This is how many calories you need just to stay the weight you are.
Add in some exercising and clean eating and you can shave off some serious calories.
Remember it takes a 3500 calorie deficit to lose 1 pound. That's 500 calories a day!
Any way you cut it....you have to move to lose!
JUST dieting is not the answer. Dieting alone will not build muscle, strong bones, core strength, or hundreds of other benefits.
Calculate your calories, keep a journal, and see where you're at.

360 wellness and fitness
G

I have for a long time, struggled with ways to make fitness more inclusive for people. The problem I always had with gyms is that you are left on your own when you're not with your trainer and that doesn't work for most people. So Gina and I have decided to make up our own Biggest Loser for our bootcamps.

The idea is to create a support group with like minded people to help them get where they want to go. I've done Biggest Loser programs in the past but I think combining it with bootcamp will be much more helpful for everyone.

What we'll do is have a weigh in each week, along with some exercise homework, a new recipe or two and talk a little about how the week went. Each person will need to keep a food journal so they know what they have been eating, along with an exercise journal so they know they have gotten their workouts in. It's only $25 for this program plus the normal cost of bootcamp.

With people supporting each other and helping each other out, either through workout buddies when not at botcamp, or with moral support when they are having tough days, I think we can create a community support group for people looking to gain similar goals and looking for help to do it. Combining it with bootcamp will mean you will get at least two great workouts a week, plus have to do a few others outside with their exercise homework.

I'm really excited about this and how it can help people. If you have any other ideas you think might help, let me know.

360 wellness and fitness

d

Just let it all go....but not literally.

I'm talking about those ladies in the magazines. I have clients come to me with pictures from Oxygen magazine asking me to help them look like that. I always reply, "They don't even look like that!"

It's called photoshop people! Anyone can look like a model after great hair, make up, and fantastic editing. They shave off all the bumps and humps in the picture so the end result is...perfection. Then we strive for it.

So, my advice is to appreciate what you have and work with it. Some people just have big hips and they always will. I'm not saying good diet and exercise can't help, but it will not make them disappear. Odds are if your mom has big hips and you have big hips, you'll always have bigger hips.

The trick is to find an exercise program that targets your "problem" areas. I have heard people say that there's no such thing as spot reduction. But if you are dieting and exercising like crazy your "problem" areas will have no choice but to hit the road eventually. They may be the last place to leave, but it will happen.

So, do some research. Ask for advice. Hire a professional. But learn what works for you and your body.
It may take some trial and error, but you'll make it!

360 wellness and fitness

G

Have you ever had a hard workout and thought I can't do anymore? The reason it feels so hard is because you're making it that way.

If you think something is hard, it will be. The more you create something as hard in your head, the harder it will be. When I was a teenager I thought I would be crazy strong if I could squat 315 lbs. (I thought it would impress girls too but that's another story.)

Every time I worked out I thought of how hard it was going to be squatting that weight. Now in a few years I could do that and more. But along the way something funny happened. Whenever I squatted 315 it felt super heavy. Heavier than 405 and heavier than 450.

Of course that doesn't make much sense but it was how it felt. Even to this day, almost 20 years later I still find 315 crushingly heavy, much more so than heavier weight.

That's because I created a belief in my head that it would be tough and I still have that in there. I've made it feel that way, and made squats tougher for myself.

So next time you do something hard in the gym, think, "This is easy! I can do this!" and you'll be able to do it much more easily. Remember, whatever your head thinks, your body will feel.

360 wellness and fitness

d

People think to be in shape they have to eat less, and for some people that might be true. But for most being fit and in better shape means eating more.

Of course that's more good things. You can't eat more cookies and expect to be in shape. But by in large, you need to eat more times during the day if you want to be fit.

The whole three meals a day thing won't cut it. That's because your body isn't designed to eat that way. Our bodies do best when we eat five to six times a day, small meals each time. This allows our bodies to keep a healthy blood sugar level.

If you don't eat for more than three hours your blood sugar levels drop, and you get tired and cranky. When you eat after that you blood sugar spikes and your body is much more likely to turn what it has just eaten, into fat whether it's healthy or not. It's because your body thinks you are starving and therefore needs more fat to survive.

When you eat every two to three hours, your body gets comfortable with that and expects that you'll get food again soon, so it can drop some of the body fat you have. Your blood sugar stays more constant, promoting fat loss.

So next time you think skipping a meal is the best choice for you, think again. That will just make you unhealthy and fat.

360 wellness and fitness

d