Hi Everyone!
I hope you Turkey Day (for those of you in the US) was festive. Ours definitely was relaxing. We finally got the fireplace going and spend most of the weekend lounging in the living room. The cats didn't know what to think of the flames!
Ann and I did get a chance to go running in the woods and found a fantastic lookout just about 1/4 of a mile from our place. So even though this newsletter is about exercise frequency, I'd like to say, take some time to walk around in nature, even around your own house... you'll never know what you'll find!
This week's question is from Maureen:
"Kevin, I love these exercises, but I don't want to over do it. How many times should I be exercising a week?"
My response:
Many people want you to believe that you should be working out for 30 minutes a day, all 7 days of the week. It's just how the information has trickled down to us.
Personally, I think this is for robots.
You don't need to workout that much to feel better and have more energy.
In fact, fitness success hinges on your ability to forget working out for a certain period of time. No more 5 times a week for 60 minutes or 3 times a week for 90 minutes. What you need to focus on is working out frequently throughout the week.
This may seem groundbreaking to you... and it is.
I want exercise to be a regular part of your day. Just like eating, showering and sleeping.
It was like this for those as little as a century ago. They would exercise all day long. Walk to the store, do the laundry, work in the field, the factory--most of this work was labor. No one really ever went to the gym and worked out for hours on end.
Unfortunately, those times have passed. We have computers, office buildings and cars. Plus, we seem to think that we have certain time restraints and commitments that don't allow us the time to exercise. Which is another issue in itself!
So, yes, you're busy. That's fine. But I bet there are times when you could sneak in a few squats, stretches and dips. In fact, there are probably 10-15 times during that day that you can.
What I'm asking you to do is equate those down times as an opportunity to squeeze in an exercise or two. By the end of the day, you'll feel great knowing that you've put in a good amount of time exercising. Time that you thought you never had!
Will you still burn fat exercising this way? You bet! Your frequent motion will allow your body to up its metabolism, burning calories faster so you can lose weight.
Having the freedom to know that you can exercise in small clips will help erase your chances of failure and get you feeling great in no time!
If you're looking for some exercises that you can do during the day, check out our Lifestyle Fitness Points Program Workbook. This system will show you over 80 exercises and activities you can do without equipment and keep you accountable by using our unique point system! The program is on sale until January 2006, so get it while it's at such a low price!
Monday, November 28, 2005
Sunday, November 20, 2005
The Difference Between and 10 and a 5
Have you ever had a "Theme of the Week"? Something that keeps coming up over and over again that no matter what you do, it always echoes that same idea?
Well, here's mine for this week and I'm sure you'll take something from it. I certainly have.
I have this set of CD's from T. Harv Eker. I don't even know what the title of the program is, all I know is that when I'm sick of NPR (which usually is about 5 minutes) I pop one in and listen to what he has to say.
For those of you who don't know who Eker is, he is a motivational guy... a second tier Tony Robbins.
So I'm listening to Harv in the car this week and he says something that I have to repeat. So I scan the CD to find it again. When I repeat it, I get the chills...
He says that everything you've ever done in your life has lead you to the point you are at right now.
Let me say that again... everything that you've ever done in your life has lead you to the point you are at right now.
Make sense? Maybe it's not so ground breaking for you, but I want to explain what it meant to me and I think you'll take something from it.
I spent most of my life in fear of how people would react to anything I'd say. I was afraid of the word "no." Deathly afraid of rejection of any kind.
Some of you might be able to relate. That fear lead me to a place where I had no self-confidence, no money and where I was always feeling trapped. Every decision that I had made that avoided the possibility of hearing "no" lead me straight to an unhappy, miserable place.
It was torturous. I was there for a while.
I finally broke out of that slump when I realized that if I CONTINUED to make the same choices and believed the same things, I would never, never, never accomplish the things I wanted to accomplish. It was just that simple. No change, no success.
This applies to you in thousands of ways...
If you are overweight, tired, worn out, angry, anxious, in a dead end job, in a dead end relationship, etc. then your decisions and beliefs have brought you right to that exact place. You've created this reality for yourself. If you are broke, lazy, fearful, your actions and thoughts have brought you to that exact place. Like Eker says, everything that you've ever done in your life has lead you to the point you are at right now.
When you think of it this way, it gets you thinking.
Here's the kicker... if you continue to believe the same things and take the same actions, you will continue to live the same overweight, tired, worn out, angry, anxious, in a dead end job, in a dead end relationship, etc. life that you are living now.
There is no magic pill.
If you rate the quality of your life on a 1 to 10 scale (10 meaning fantastic) and it is not a 10, then you have some serious decisions to make. I don't know many people who are striving to live a "5" life, but I'll bet many of you have that rating for one or two aspects in your life. If you don't start to change the way you think and act, then your "5" will ALWAYS be a "5".
Since you're here for health and fitness, let's think about it this way... if you are out of shape and can't find the time to exercise even though you really want to... that's fine... just know that your decision is based on your present beliefs, not new ones that can propel you into a life of energy and vibrancy.
If you are addicted to sweets and you know that it brings you down, but you always make up the excuse that it's just how you are... then yes, it will just be how you always are... addicted to sweets, worn down and gaining more pounds.
You need to start breaking free of your past beliefs.
I spent years breaking free of the negative belief systems that were installed in my head when I was younger. I would always question the negative, before I looked at the positive. ALWAYS. When someone would present an idea, I'd say "What if...", "Won't work because...", etc. The negative ruled and it got me nowhere!
Maybe you're like this. Maybe you have different challenges that you need to think about. Anger, anxiety, fears, health, relationships...
You can change the situation you are in now. This is how you start...
Start by doing things that are out of your comfort zone. Start questioning your belief systems. Start by doing the opposite of what you normally would do. Start by smiling and taking fear with you... not letting it stop you.
You should be living a "10" life, full of vibrancy, energy and creativity. You deserve it. Start shaking it up today.
Well, here's mine for this week and I'm sure you'll take something from it. I certainly have.
I have this set of CD's from T. Harv Eker. I don't even know what the title of the program is, all I know is that when I'm sick of NPR (which usually is about 5 minutes) I pop one in and listen to what he has to say.
For those of you who don't know who Eker is, he is a motivational guy... a second tier Tony Robbins.
So I'm listening to Harv in the car this week and he says something that I have to repeat. So I scan the CD to find it again. When I repeat it, I get the chills...
He says that everything you've ever done in your life has lead you to the point you are at right now.
Let me say that again... everything that you've ever done in your life has lead you to the point you are at right now.
Make sense? Maybe it's not so ground breaking for you, but I want to explain what it meant to me and I think you'll take something from it.
I spent most of my life in fear of how people would react to anything I'd say. I was afraid of the word "no." Deathly afraid of rejection of any kind.
Some of you might be able to relate. That fear lead me to a place where I had no self-confidence, no money and where I was always feeling trapped. Every decision that I had made that avoided the possibility of hearing "no" lead me straight to an unhappy, miserable place.
It was torturous. I was there for a while.
I finally broke out of that slump when I realized that if I CONTINUED to make the same choices and believed the same things, I would never, never, never accomplish the things I wanted to accomplish. It was just that simple. No change, no success.
This applies to you in thousands of ways...
If you are overweight, tired, worn out, angry, anxious, in a dead end job, in a dead end relationship, etc. then your decisions and beliefs have brought you right to that exact place. You've created this reality for yourself. If you are broke, lazy, fearful, your actions and thoughts have brought you to that exact place. Like Eker says, everything that you've ever done in your life has lead you to the point you are at right now.
When you think of it this way, it gets you thinking.
Here's the kicker... if you continue to believe the same things and take the same actions, you will continue to live the same overweight, tired, worn out, angry, anxious, in a dead end job, in a dead end relationship, etc. life that you are living now.
There is no magic pill.
If you rate the quality of your life on a 1 to 10 scale (10 meaning fantastic) and it is not a 10, then you have some serious decisions to make. I don't know many people who are striving to live a "5" life, but I'll bet many of you have that rating for one or two aspects in your life. If you don't start to change the way you think and act, then your "5" will ALWAYS be a "5".
Since you're here for health and fitness, let's think about it this way... if you are out of shape and can't find the time to exercise even though you really want to... that's fine... just know that your decision is based on your present beliefs, not new ones that can propel you into a life of energy and vibrancy.
If you are addicted to sweets and you know that it brings you down, but you always make up the excuse that it's just how you are... then yes, it will just be how you always are... addicted to sweets, worn down and gaining more pounds.
You need to start breaking free of your past beliefs.
I spent years breaking free of the negative belief systems that were installed in my head when I was younger. I would always question the negative, before I looked at the positive. ALWAYS. When someone would present an idea, I'd say "What if...", "Won't work because...", etc. The negative ruled and it got me nowhere!
Maybe you're like this. Maybe you have different challenges that you need to think about. Anger, anxiety, fears, health, relationships...
You can change the situation you are in now. This is how you start...
Start by doing things that are out of your comfort zone. Start questioning your belief systems. Start by doing the opposite of what you normally would do. Start by smiling and taking fear with you... not letting it stop you.
You should be living a "10" life, full of vibrancy, energy and creativity. You deserve it. Start shaking it up today.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Winter Running Blues
Alright!
Weather here in the NE is great! So those of you who live close... go out and take advantage of it. Cold and snow is right around the corner.
For those of you who endure the cold winters, you know how challenging it is to get outside and exercise, so here is a treadmill tip that will keep your knees healthy and injury free so you can still keep moving through those chilly months.
This question comes from Janel from Upstate NY who sees even more snow than I do!
Janel writes:
So let's talk treadmills:
"Treadmilling" as I call it is not really running. It may look like it, but it's not!
Yes, you're moving your legs similarly to the way you'd move your legs if you were running a local 5K, but the muscles use and the actions are very different.
When you run on trails, pavement or the track, you are moving along a stationary object. (In this case the ground) When you "run" on a treadmill, you are reaching in front of you with your legs to keep up with a moving surface. The actions are different. The muscles you use are similar, but the fire in a different pattern.
On the ground, the basic pattern is leg forward and push. On a treadmill it is only leg forward. The push is eliminated because the tread does it for you.
This does not mean the treadmill is a bad tool to use when you're getting in shape. It's just different than running. And since it is different than running, we have to be cautious to not use the same running form.
Most people I see on treadmills are doing three things wrong.
First, they are going too fast.
Second, they are always leaning back, not forward.
Third, they are pounding on the ribbon--heel strike after heel strike. Sometimes so loud you can hear it on the other side of the gym--OVER the music!
So here's why those three things are bad for you and how you can correct them and save your knees and your back!
Treadmill Tip #1:
SLOW DOWN! The more speed you pick up, the more you are chasing to keep yourself upright. This leads to the other two issues I'll be dealing with. So if you are wondering what speed or program is best for you, it most likely is one where you can "run" comfortably and not feel like you're struggling to catch up to the tread.
Treadmill Tip #2:
LEAN FORWARD! When you lean forward, with your entire body, (not just with your torso) you will take the impact pressure off of your ankles, knees, hips and lower back. Many people I see leaning back when they are on the treadmill are also arching their backs which can lead to back pain and knee pain, because your weight is not distributed properly.
Two good ways to eliminate your lean is to slow down your speed and also to bring the treadmill to an incline. All machines are different, but if you have a .5-1.5 incline, you will find it is harder to lean backward.
Treadmill Tip #3:
TAKE SHORT STEPS! The shorter your steps the less likely you will injure yourself on the treadmill this winter! Why? Because you never want to out stride your body. When you do, your heels strike first sending shockwaves up your body to be absorbed by your knees, hips and lower back. This is NOT a good thing. The more you land on your middle foot, the better impact absorption our body has.
You can practice landing on your midfoot just by shortening your steps. Practice and you'll see what I mean. You'll feel lighter.
So take these tips to the gym or your basement and try them out. It might take some time to adjust, but it certainly will pay off in the long run. Your chance of injury will be reduced dramatically!
To The Treadmillers!
Kevin
Weather here in the NE is great! So those of you who live close... go out and take advantage of it. Cold and snow is right around the corner.
For those of you who endure the cold winters, you know how challenging it is to get outside and exercise, so here is a treadmill tip that will keep your knees healthy and injury free so you can still keep moving through those chilly months.
This question comes from Janel from Upstate NY who sees even more snow than I do!
Janel writes:
"I have 40 minutes to run on a treadmill at work each day. (I am new to running) There are so many options on the treadmill I am not sure what to do; the intervals, work on speed, use the incline. Should I do something different each time or the same thing so I can track progress? I am not training for a race, just general overall health. Trying to make the most out of the little time I can set aside. I also work out at Curves for Women in the mornings so I do get some resistance training."
So let's talk treadmills:
"Treadmilling" as I call it is not really running. It may look like it, but it's not!
Yes, you're moving your legs similarly to the way you'd move your legs if you were running a local 5K, but the muscles use and the actions are very different.
When you run on trails, pavement or the track, you are moving along a stationary object. (In this case the ground) When you "run" on a treadmill, you are reaching in front of you with your legs to keep up with a moving surface. The actions are different. The muscles you use are similar, but the fire in a different pattern.
On the ground, the basic pattern is leg forward and push. On a treadmill it is only leg forward. The push is eliminated because the tread does it for you.
This does not mean the treadmill is a bad tool to use when you're getting in shape. It's just different than running. And since it is different than running, we have to be cautious to not use the same running form.
Most people I see on treadmills are doing three things wrong.
First, they are going too fast.
Second, they are always leaning back, not forward.
Third, they are pounding on the ribbon--heel strike after heel strike. Sometimes so loud you can hear it on the other side of the gym--OVER the music!
So here's why those three things are bad for you and how you can correct them and save your knees and your back!
Treadmill Tip #1:
SLOW DOWN! The more speed you pick up, the more you are chasing to keep yourself upright. This leads to the other two issues I'll be dealing with. So if you are wondering what speed or program is best for you, it most likely is one where you can "run" comfortably and not feel like you're struggling to catch up to the tread.
Treadmill Tip #2:
LEAN FORWARD! When you lean forward, with your entire body, (not just with your torso) you will take the impact pressure off of your ankles, knees, hips and lower back. Many people I see leaning back when they are on the treadmill are also arching their backs which can lead to back pain and knee pain, because your weight is not distributed properly.
Two good ways to eliminate your lean is to slow down your speed and also to bring the treadmill to an incline. All machines are different, but if you have a .5-1.5 incline, you will find it is harder to lean backward.
Treadmill Tip #3:
TAKE SHORT STEPS! The shorter your steps the less likely you will injure yourself on the treadmill this winter! Why? Because you never want to out stride your body. When you do, your heels strike first sending shockwaves up your body to be absorbed by your knees, hips and lower back. This is NOT a good thing. The more you land on your middle foot, the better impact absorption our body has.
You can practice landing on your midfoot just by shortening your steps. Practice and you'll see what I mean. You'll feel lighter.
So take these tips to the gym or your basement and try them out. It might take some time to adjust, but it certainly will pay off in the long run. Your chance of injury will be reduced dramatically!
To The Treadmillers!
Kevin
Friday, November 04, 2005
The Fitness Robot Invasion
Hello Everyone!
I had some great feedback from the last posting, so I'm going to continue to answer your questions. Consider it a fun and fr*ee service for everyone...
So in order for this to continue, I need your questions! So fire away.
Also help me grow this list by passing this information along to your friends, family members and colleagues. The more people we are, the more advice I can give.
This week, I'm going to tackle Heather's question, which might one that you've been dealing with as well...
Heather writes:
My response:
It's no secret that people are busy.
"Not having enough time" is the most common concern I hear from the people I come into contact with everyday.
The most common question I have for that concern is this:
"Do you feel like you have to exercise for 30 minutes a day 6-7 days a week?"
Most likely the answer is "yes".
So here I am to bust a few myths.
You don't have to exercise 30 minutes a day, 7 days a week to be in great shape.
First off, many people aren't exercising at all... so just 5 minutes a week is better than none, right!?!
Second, many of the exercises that I love to teach are economical. What do I mean by that? Well, they save you time by working as many muscle groups as possible. The more muscles you workout in an exercise, the less time you have to spend working out. I'm sure this is a dream to hear... and guess what... it's TRUE! You can find a bunch of these exercises in our points program @ www.cafepress.com/pointssystem.
And third, you can break up your workouts throughout the day so that you do 5 minutes here, ten minutes there and maybe a walk after dinner. You don't have to be so rigid.
Much of the fitness industry is filled with fitness robots. You've seen them in the gym. They are the trainers that live and breathe the bench press or the aerobics classes. What they know and what they do invades our fitness routines. But it does us no good. We're not all mechanical like those freaks of nature!
I just spoke to a woman on the phone yesterday who was on a weight loss program that was so regimented that she was eating the same foods on a 3 day cycle. Talk about boring AND unsustainable.
My ultimate goal is to save my faithful from those drill sergeants. They don't understand that we are humans.
We have schedules, people to meet, children to take care of... we need to make exercise a PART of our day, not a scheduled chunk.
Most of you (I hope!) have made showering a daily routine, right? Why can't it be the same for exercise? Wouldn't it be nice to think that you could just get up and exercise, just like you get up and hop in the shower?
Its possible... and this is how you do it. You start by just doing one or two exercises a day. Don't worry if it is enough or that it's not worth it. Eventually, you'll want to do more, because you'll start to feel more energy, which is the ultimate benefit of exercise.
I want you to start in a backwards sort of way. I want you to just feel it out yourself. Don't rush into anything. How many of you have rushed, gotten results, then seen yourself a year or so down the road in worse shape than you were before.
The reason is because you never made the exercise part of your day... like showering, like brushing your teeth, like getting up in the morning.
So Heather, here's my first bit of advice... when you get up tomorrow, touch your toes. That will be your first step. Don't think that you aren't doing enough... just be happy you did something.
Then do it again the next day... then the day after that. You'll get yourself moving, you'll even find the time to workout in a few weeks. It's just how it happens, I guarantee it!
I had some great feedback from the last posting, so I'm going to continue to answer your questions. Consider it a fun and fr*ee service for everyone...
So in order for this to continue, I need your questions! So fire away.
Also help me grow this list by passing this information along to your friends, family members and colleagues. The more people we are, the more advice I can give.
This week, I'm going to tackle Heather's question, which might one that you've been dealing with as well...
Heather writes:
"Kevin, Here's my problem: I need to make the time between raising my 22-month old & 2 teenagers & working full time. I am gaining weight and feel tired and weak. I want to get into shape and really need help in doing so. I can't seem to get started! Help."
My response:
It's no secret that people are busy.
"Not having enough time" is the most common concern I hear from the people I come into contact with everyday.
The most common question I have for that concern is this:
"Do you feel like you have to exercise for 30 minutes a day 6-7 days a week?"
Most likely the answer is "yes".
So here I am to bust a few myths.
You don't have to exercise 30 minutes a day, 7 days a week to be in great shape.
First off, many people aren't exercising at all... so just 5 minutes a week is better than none, right!?!
Second, many of the exercises that I love to teach are economical. What do I mean by that? Well, they save you time by working as many muscle groups as possible. The more muscles you workout in an exercise, the less time you have to spend working out. I'm sure this is a dream to hear... and guess what... it's TRUE! You can find a bunch of these exercises in our points program @ www.cafepress.com/pointssystem.
And third, you can break up your workouts throughout the day so that you do 5 minutes here, ten minutes there and maybe a walk after dinner. You don't have to be so rigid.
Much of the fitness industry is filled with fitness robots. You've seen them in the gym. They are the trainers that live and breathe the bench press or the aerobics classes. What they know and what they do invades our fitness routines. But it does us no good. We're not all mechanical like those freaks of nature!
I just spoke to a woman on the phone yesterday who was on a weight loss program that was so regimented that she was eating the same foods on a 3 day cycle. Talk about boring AND unsustainable.
My ultimate goal is to save my faithful from those drill sergeants. They don't understand that we are humans.
We have schedules, people to meet, children to take care of... we need to make exercise a PART of our day, not a scheduled chunk.
Most of you (I hope!) have made showering a daily routine, right? Why can't it be the same for exercise? Wouldn't it be nice to think that you could just get up and exercise, just like you get up and hop in the shower?
Its possible... and this is how you do it. You start by just doing one or two exercises a day. Don't worry if it is enough or that it's not worth it. Eventually, you'll want to do more, because you'll start to feel more energy, which is the ultimate benefit of exercise.
I want you to start in a backwards sort of way. I want you to just feel it out yourself. Don't rush into anything. How many of you have rushed, gotten results, then seen yourself a year or so down the road in worse shape than you were before.
The reason is because you never made the exercise part of your day... like showering, like brushing your teeth, like getting up in the morning.
So Heather, here's my first bit of advice... when you get up tomorrow, touch your toes. That will be your first step. Don't think that you aren't doing enough... just be happy you did something.
Then do it again the next day... then the day after that. You'll get yourself moving, you'll even find the time to workout in a few weeks. It's just how it happens, I guarantee it!
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