New Year's Resolutions: Start Small So You Don't Fall Off!

During the holidays, many of us fall into the pattern of eating too much and exercising too little, and then commit to a New Year’s fitness resolution to get both our exercise and eating habits back on track. In my 10 + years as a personal trainer, I have seen that the #1 reason that New Year’s resolutions fail is that we try to make too many changes, too quickly. This inevitably results in failure to stick to the plan/resolution.

My advice is to start small by implementing one new exercise and one new nutrition habit for the first 4 weeks of the New Year.  Below I have listed four practices that can have the most significant impact on your health and physique.  Consider adding one practice a week to your routine at the start of the new year.

Week 1

Eating: Drink water like it is going out of style

- adequate hydration increases energy levels, decreases food cravings, and increases exercise performance, 

- drink a MINIMUM of 2.5 litres of water per day. The closer you can get to 4 litres, the better!

- keep a water bottle on hand at all times throughout the day

- try adding lemon/lime for flavour, or even a splash of juice

Exercise: Do two workouts and no more

- commit to two full-body exercise sessions during the first week; make sure they combine both resistance and cardiovascular training

- space the workouts 2-3 days apart,as you may be sore 

- Schedule in the two workout times and COMMIT to doing them; don't let other plans interfere

Week 2

Eating: Less Carbs, More Protein

- Rather than eliminating foods, try shifting your portion sizes

- Increase your lean protein servings and decrease your carbohydrate servings; this will help your body shed excess fat

- If your favorite dinner dish is chicken and rice, for example, try decreasing your usual rice portion by 1/2 to 1/3 and increasing your chicken portion by the same amount

Exercise:  Do three workouts and no more

- Set aside time for 3 full-body workouts, taking at least one rest day in between

- Choose movements that you like and are familiar with

- Be mindful of each exercise, making sure that are are "feeling" the targeted muscle doing the work

Week 3

Eating: Increase your Veggies - the greener, the leaner

- Increase your intake of vegetables, particularly the green ones

- Commit to having a green veggie serving at lunch and dinner (salad, green beans, asparagus etc.)

- Increasing your green veggies will boost your energy levels and help to keep your body in an alkaline (as opposed to acidic) state. 

- consider purchasing a "green" powder substitute at  a health food store and having at least one serving a day ("green" powders taste best in smoothies)

Exercise:  Start a periodized (planned) exercise program doing 3-4 workouts

- This would be a great week to hire a personal trainer, even if only for a session or two to set you up on a personalized program and to make sure you have proper exercise 

- If personal training isn't your cup of tea, or simply isn't in your budget, try meeting up with a friend who is familiar with the weight room

Week 4

Bagels...MY biggest "vice"

Eating: Eliminate your biggest “vice”

- Most people have a few foods that they "can't keep in the house" (cheese, chips, bread, alcohol, etc.)

- Be honest with yourself and decide what your biggest "vice" food is, then stop buying it. This may seem like a crazy idea, but you and I know what a difference not having this food in the house can make :)

Exercise: Exercise four times per week, now focusing on increasing intensity

- The thought of exercising 4 times per week may seem daunting, but this amount is ideal to keep your metabolic rate up and to ensure that your body is insulin responsive (good at processing carbs)

- Exercise sessions should last between 30-60 min, no more!

- cardio sessions should be short and sweet. Long cardio sessions are inefficient for supporting long-term weight loss. 

- start to increase the intensity of your workouts. Your body should now be more efficient at processing lactic acid, so you should be noticing that your soreness is decreasing. Try gradually increasing the weights you are lifting and push yourself closer to "failure"

I hope that these tips help you to succeed with your New Year's Fitness Resolution. If you have any exercise/nutrition questions, feedback, or an idea for a blog post, please send me a message at: innerimagept@gmail.com

Kanine Humanis Training System!

Earlier this year, some of my fellow trainers and I started receiving some poorly worded emails requesting a quote for group personal training sessions. After googling the type of messages we were receiving, we realized that the emails were part of a scam trying to get banking information in order to "pay" for the scheduled sessions. I decided to have some fun with the scammer and see if he/she/they were actually reading or understanding my emails. The jury is still out on that one... 

Below is a copy of the email exchange that took place between me and the scammer. I hope that you like it!

** Disclaimer: my emails were written in good fun. I would never leash a client, or smack them on their nose, or call them Old Yeller :) **

FIRST MESSAGE:

From: wendy williams

Date:04-02-2015 9:42 AM (GMT-07:00)

To: wendy_williams181@outlook.com

Subject: Fitness training

Hello

This is Wendy william how are you doing,I will like to know if you are available for Fitness training and exercise services can i know if you are the owner and I hope credit card is fine to make payment with you,kindly get back to me as soon as possible.

Wendy

Date: Thu, 2 Apr 2015 10:56:56 -0600
Subject: Re: Fitness training
From: innerimagept@gmail.com
To: wendywilliams1218@outlook.com

Yes Wendy

I do accept credit card and am the owner of my business. What type of training are you looking for? How did you hear about my business?

On Thu, Apr 2, 2015 at 12:13 PM, wendy williams <wendywilliams1218@outlook.com> wrote:

Thanks for the prompt response, I want to make an appointment for Fitness training and exercise service for my family (private group training for four).I want you to get back to me with the total estimate for 3 weeks private training for 4 people 2(Female) aged (20, and 18)and 2(Male) aged (19 and 22) for 3 weeks 1hr daily 3 times a week, they will be coming with a private transportation driver for the service.I will be expecting your reply with the total cost and your full name,address and direction for the private transport to locate your place when they are coming for the service.

i got your mail while searching for a Good trainer for my Family on Google

Wendy

Date: Thu, 2 Apr 2015 14:03:35 -0600
Subject: Re: Fitness training
From: innerimagept@gmail.com
To: wendywilliams1218@outlook.com

Hi Wendy

Thanks for your prompt response and all of the information. This sounds like a great group of 4 to work with. The best offer I can give you for 4 people training 3 times per week for 3 weeks is $900.00 ( $100/session x 9 total sessions).

Please let me know if you are able to commit to this payment, and we can get things started!

Additionally, I should let you know about the new type of personal training that I offer. I've recently been utilizing a cutting-edge training method called "Kanine Humanis". The training entails utilizing some conventional dog training methods and applying them to humans. Strategies include: leashing the participants for the full hour of training, sitting, rolling over, and barking on command. Client's are in-turn rewarded for their obedience at the end of the workout with their choice of gluten-free dry or wet dog food.

Despite this approach appearing to be unconventional, I've had some great initial results. Here is just a sample of the plethora of testimonials I received:

"Since beginning the Kanine Humanis program I have lost 10 pounds in just 4 weeks. I think, partly, due to the revolutionary new diet approach. Why are most dogs leaner than humans? Why, because of the food of course!"

- Gertrude, 23 year old female

"I have spent 3 months training with Kristian. I like the Kanine Humanis program so much, that I find myself repeating the fitness routines at home to burn extra calories! My wife gets a little put-off at the barking, but she is a big fan of the "playing dead" pose :) Thanks again Kristian and Kanine Humanis for making me feel so dog-gone good!"

- Mervin, 45 year old male

Looking forward to hearing back from you soon and getting the training started!

Kristian.

On Apr 2, 2015 2:50 PM, "wendy williams" <wendywilliams1218@outlook.com> wrote:

okay good please send me your cell number and we can proceed with the payment okay and The 4 kids do swimming and basketball

None of them has no injury

The kids need Gain strength, Mobility, Flexibility

wendy

                                     Date: Thu, 2 Apr 2015 16:05:35 -0600
                                             Subject: Re: Fitness training
                                           From: innerimagept@gmail.com

                                       To: wendywilliams1218@outlook.com

Hi Wendy

I'm excited to hear that the kids have some basketball experience. There are some great movements from the "Air Bud" films that I'll teach them :)

Just a few questions before we finalize the transaction:

Are all of the kids ok with the gluten-free dog food after the workouts? We do have a vegan option, but that will cost a bit extra. Please let me know, so I can finalize the quote.

Are you able to sign a waiver permitting me to leash the kids during the one hour sessions? I can assure you that I will only hit them on their noses if they are really disobedient.

Lastly each kid will receive a free custom "Kanine Humanis" t-shirt upon enrollment. The t-shirts will have a special nickname printed on the back. I'll address them by their nickname during the one hour sessions. Suggested nicknames include : Old Yeller, Lassie, Scooby Doo, and Santa's Little Helper. The kids can choose their own nickname to be printed on their shirt, however, I prefer that it is a popular dog's name. Please message me back with the preferred nicknames and desired sizes for the shirts. We currently have Small, Medium, and Large sizes available.

Looking forward to hearing back from you!

Rest-assured that these workouts will be something to bark about!

Thanks

Kristian

On Thu, Apr 2, 2015 at 5:08 PM, wendy williams <wendywilliams1218@outlook.com> wrote:

please send me your cell and we talk this via text okay

Date: Thu, 2 Apr 2015 21:16:33 -0600
Subject: Re: Fitness training
From: innerimagept@gmail.com
To: wendywilliams1218@outlook.com

Hi Wendy,

Unfortunately, I don't have a text messaging plan on my phone. I've heard that those text message plans cost like a millions dollars or something. However, I think we are doing just fine over email, so perhaps you could send me the answers to my questions via email? That way I can get the dog food ready and start sewing the t-shirts. As soon as I get the answers to the questions, we can proceed with the final quote and credit card payment.

Just a quick review of the questions I need answering. A simple yes or no answer will suffice:

Do the kids require vegan dog food, or is our regular gluten-free dog food ok?

What are the kids chosen nicknames? I forgot to suggest Snoopy. That has actually been our most popular nicknames for the t-shirts!

Do you consent to the leashing of your children during the one our training sessions and the occasional hitting of their noses (only if necessary) ?

Are you able to provide the following items for each of the kids to bring to training: dog collar, bowl for drinking water, and a pooper-scooper for cleaning up any mess?

Please send me the answers to the questions and that way we can I can start training your kids as if they are actually dogs!

Thanks

Kristian

On Fri, Apr 3, 2015 at 1:30 PM, wendy williams <wendywilliams1218@outlook.com> wrote:

okay good what is the total cost again and i can make the payment with my card and when can they get started

wendy

FINAL EMAIL:

Date: Sat, 4 Apr 2015 10:25:47 -0600
Subject: Re: Fitness training
From: innerimagept@gmail.com
To: wendywilliams1218@outlook.com

Hi Wendy,

I apologize for not responding to your email sooner. One of my clients got off of his leash and escaped from the gym during our last training session. After scouring the city, I managed to find him in a parking lot close to the gym, urinating on a fire hydrant.

In terms of payment: since you are not willing to sign the waiver consenting to the leashing of your children, and also, since leashing your children is illegal, I will have to charge you a premium. I need to cover myself in case I get sued or thrown in jail. The final quote for the training (without signed waiver) is 2.5 billion USD ($2,500,000,000).

Please send me the cash in crisp, unmarked bills via messenger pigeon.

You can have the pigeon drop off the cash at the following address:

129 Northeast Southwest  Avenue,

Barkville, Canada

DOG POO

Looking forward to receiving the payment as I have a trip to Las Vegas coming up!

Thanks,

Kristian

    

A Night out on the Town: How to Minimize the Damage

Don't "triple fist" it.

            I try to approach nutrition and lifestyle change from a realistic standpoint. Most people will want to go out once in a while and have some fun with friends.  If you’re going out for dinner, appetizers, and drinks with some friends, there aren’t many healthy options to choose from. You can however greatly minimize the “damage” you put your body through. Below are some tips on how to make the best choices when getting intoxicated.

ALCOHOL

-          If not drinking to intoxication, or, if you are a “lightweight” when it comes to drinking, having two beers or two glasses of wine is fine

-          If you are, however, looking to get all “snockered up”, try sticking to low-carbohydrate high-balls such as rum with diet coke, vodka with water and a slice of lime, or gin with soda water and a slice of lemon/lime. Each of these drinks carry about 60 calories each.

-          When you do have an alcoholic drink, try to match every drink with a glass of water. This will help to keep you hydrated while minimizing mineral and electrolyte loss.

FOOD

-          If you are going out for drinks, try to eat a healthy dinner before-hand and try to keep your evening eating to appetizers only

-          When ordering appetizers, try to stick to the meaty type options such as chicken wings, steak strips, dry ribs, shrimp, etc.

-          Try to avoid nachos, cheesy dips, dumplings, spring rolls, bruschetta, (basically anything cheesey or starchy)

-          SKIP DESSERT!

SAMPLE NIGHT OUT : Not so Bad VS. Really Bad

Night out at Boston Pizza: 

NOT SO BAD

-           6 rum and diet coke drinks 384 calories (all calories coming in form of alcohol)

-           ½ of order oven roasted Frank’s red hot chicken wings 298 calories (27.5g protein, 4.5g carbs, 18.5 g fat)

-           ½ of order of chicken fingers 170 calories (14.5g protein, 7.5 g carbs, 9.5g fat)

-           NO DESERT

Total = 852 calories (42g protein, 12g carbs, 28g fat)

REALLY BAD

-           6 pints Molson Canadian 1290 calories (5.5 g protein, 40g carbs, 0g fat)

-           ½ of bandero pizza bread 410 calories ( 13 g protein, 29g carbs, 28g fat)

-           ½ of boston pizza spring rolls order 320 calories (16g protein, 39.5g carbs, 10.5g fat)

-           ½ of chocolate explosion cheese cake – 435 calories (5.5g protein, 49g carbs, 24.5g fat)

Total = 2455 calories (40g protein, 157.5g carbs, 63g fat)

Analysis:

-          Each night out involved 6 drinks, and two shared appetizers with the only difference being one serving included half of a desert, and the other did not include a desert

-          Despite only having 852 calories VS. 2455  calories, the “not so bad” night out had more protein (42 g VS. 40g)

-          The really bad night out had 2455 calories which is the equivalent to almost ¾ of a pound of body-fat

-          Sticking to meaty appetizers and low-carb highballs is the way to go

How to minimize hangovers:

-           Aside from the obvious fact that hangovers make us feel sick, from a           nutrition standpoint, they can also lead to major food cravings and binging the next day

-           Dehydration leading to mineral and electrolyte loss can cause the body to crave salty and greasy type foods

-           Drinking water in between alcoholic drinks will help to minimize dehydration

-           Waking up feeling relatively hydrated will drastically increase the chances that you can will get your butt out of bed and do something active J

-           One serving of alcohol is metabolized in about an hour, so sticking to the rule of one drink per hour will help to minimize the compounding effects of having several drinks

-           Prior to going to bed, try to consume a low-calorie electrolyte drink such as 500ml to 1L of Gatorade G2 or 500ml to 1L of water with 5-10 droplets of  trace mineral drops

Conclusion

            Go out, have fun, indulge (even swear a little bit), but keep an eye on what you are indulging with. Depending on your choices, two fairly similar night’s out can have drastically different nutrition consequences. Party hard, but party smart!

To look up the nutrition profile of some popular restaurant’s, visit these links:

Boston Pizza

http://www.bostonpizza.com/en/nutrition/

Earl’s

http://www.earls.ca/food-menu/nutritional-info

Joey’s Seafood

http://joeys.ca/eatsmart/nutritional.html

The Keg

http://www.kegsteakhouse.com/en/nutritional-charts/

Montana’s

http://www.montanas.ca/pdf/nutritionals.pdf

Travel Eating

Deep Fried Snapper: Freeport, Bahamas

Travelling can make healthy eating challenging. A big part of the travel experience involves enjoying the local cuisine. It is important that you take the opportunity, while traveling, to try new  and treat yourself once in a while. At the same time, keep the portion sizes under control, and engage in as much physical activity as possible. Walk! Take in the sights and sounds on foot, explore, and have fun!  Below are some tips that to help you to maintain, and even lose, body-fat while travelling:

Where to stay:

            Whenever possible, try to stay in a hotel, condo, etc. that has a refrigerator, and, if possible, a kitchen. From personal experience, I find that renting a condo or apartment lends itself to having a more “authentic” travel experience. Before you travel, look up the closest grocery store and try to get yourself the necessary items on day #1 of your trip. If you’re feeling so ambitious, you can even have the cab driver stop at a grocery store on the way from the airport to save yourself and extra trip.

In addition to buying healthy groceries, here are some ideas of some foods to pack with you:

Snacks:

Almonds

-          put almonds in baggies and bring them along for snacks. 15 almonds is a good serving size for a quick snack

Low- Carb Protein bars

-          Detour and Supreme protein bars provide a nice serving of protein, and some great flavours, without going overboard on the sugars

Premade pitas

-          If you can find a whole grain pita at a grocery store where you’re travelling (30g of carbs or less) such as Byblos bakery pitas from Safeway, you can stuff it with low-fat deli meat, prebagged salad and low-calorie condiments. Obviously, these will only keep for a day, but they will certainly carry less carbs, less fat, and more protein than 99% of the snadwhiches you’ll buy on the road

Veggies

-          Again, these will only keep for a day or so, but broccoli and cauliflower stems, and celery and carrot sticks, along with a low-calorie dressing will help to give you some good alakaline nutritious food

Fruit – Apples tend to travel well for a day or so

Flavoured Tuna

-          You can purchase these at most major grocery stores. They come in small cans, and in a variety of flavours, and don’t require a can opener. Breath alert, bring some gum to avoid offending people after you eat these

Protein Powder

– bring along a zip-lock bag with whey protein powder in it. You can add the protein to milk, water, or low calorie juice for a quick dose of lean protein

Tips for Eating out:               

Breakfast

-          whenever possible, try to get an egg-white omelette

-          Other good options include oatmeal, and fruit bowls

-          Try to avoid/minimize the starchy breakfast items such as pancakes, toast (any more than one slice), hash-browns….you know, all the stuff that tastes good J

-          Skip the sausages/bacon and go for the ham

-          Steak and eggs is a good, high-protein low carbohydrate option too

Lunch/ Dinner

-          Salads with grilled chicken, steak, or seafood are good options, provided that you can get a low-fat dressing on the side. The standard serving size of the dressing container is usually double what you should actually have on your salad, so when you get your dressing, try to pour half of it (or less) sparingly. Vinagrette options are always good

-          Steak, seafood or grilled chicken with steamed veggies on the side is a great option. Don’t be afraid to ask for steamed veggies or grilled chicken and don’t be shy to ask that they don’t butter your steak

-          Try to avoid fried foods and starchy foods such as potatoes, pasta, and rice

-          Skip the bread! Many restaurants will supply you with all the bread you can eat before a meal. If you’re like most people, by the time the meal arrives, you’ve probably already eaten enough bread to spike your insulin levels and signal fat storage…all before your main dish has even arrived! Yikes!

-          If you must have desert, try to share it with one or more people who don’t have a mouth disease. If you are full from you’re meal, don’t eat desert!

Having a “night out on the town” ?

-          Try to avoid beer and wine. If you’re looking to “tie one on” try to stick to low-carbohydrate high balls. Any hard alcohol mixed with a diet pop, water with a slice of lemon or lime, or soda water will save you a huge ammount of calories

-          When you do have an alcoholic drink, try to match every drink with a glass of water

-          If you’re ordering appetizers, try to stick to the meaty type options such as chicken wings, steak strips, dry ribs, shrimp, etc.

-          Try to avoid nachos, cheesy dips, dumplings, spring rolls, bruschetta, etc.

-          Eat a healthy breakfast the morning after! Oatmeal and scrambled eggs/whites is a good choice. Don’t let a party night spill over to into a junk food frenzy the next day

A few words on the all-inclusive resorts:

-          People can gain as much as a pound per day at an all-inclusive resort due to overeating and overdrinking

-          Just because these resorts are labeled as all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink doesn’t mean you have to actually try and fill your gullet will as much as you possibly can

Alcohol

-          Again, try to stick to the hard alcohol combined with a low-calorie mix such as diet pop, water with lime, soda water, etc.

-          A couple of glasses of beer or wine won’t make or break you, but getting intoxicated on these drinks even once or twice can lead to weight gain

-          AVOID the slushy drinks such as daquiris and pina coladas. Even though they taste delicious, they pack as much as 300-400 calories per drink, most of the calories coming in the form of pure un-adulterated sugar

Buffet:

-          Keep the starchy and deep fried foods to a minimum

-          Stick to the protein items (beef, chicken, fish), veggies, an fruit

-          Protein items and veggies should take up the majority of your plate, starchy foods should only cover 1/3 or less of your plate

-          Eat your protein and veggie servings first, before eating the starchy foods

-          Avoid the bread/ dinner rolls: One roll max per meal

-          You don’t have to try every desert. You want to, but you don’t have to! Considering SHARING a desert each night, and remember if you’re full, don’t eat desert!

Conclusion:

            As long as you keep your activity level high and your portion sizes under control, you will be able to come back from your travels without having gained a pound!

If you have any additional questions or comments, do not hesitate to contact me!

Kristian Leach

info@innerimagept.com