7 Ways to Achieve Fitness Goals

7 Ways to Achieve Fitness Goals

The most difficult part of achieving your weight loss goals is just getting started. However the best part of weight loss is achieving RESULTS. I am not quite sure which seems to please my members more, feeling strong and empowered during a tough workout or slipping on those skinny jeans and laughing because they are now just a bit baggy. Losing weight takes persistence, patience and perspiration. Here are a few more tips to keep you going.

1.   Rethink your drink. Lose the sugar and drop the weight. You can still get flavor in water/tea while skipping the sugar. Try adding citrus wedges, chopped mint, sliced cucumber or frozen berries to tea or water.

2.   Slow Down to Lose the Pounds In a study in which female participants were instructed to wolf down their meal, they ate, on average 70 additional calories and felt less satisfied than the group that was instructed to eat slowly and enjoy their meal. It is important to eat slowly, take small bites, chew thoroughly and put your fork down between bites.

3.   Know Your Serving Size.  The palm of your hand is approximately 3 oz. serving of meat. Your fist is a good measurement for ½ cup, which would be the serving of pasta. Thumb is about 1 ounce and the tip of the thumb measure about 1 teaspoon.

4.   Aspire to Perspire. When it comes to working out, there are more options than there are shades of green. When creating your workouts focus on transforming your body as well as tuning your mind. Try it all and find the activities you enjoy the most. Remember 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity and 30 minutes of weight training at least 5 times per week.

5.  Scale down. As the number on the scale goes down so should the number of calories you are eating. To figure out your BMR – divide your current weight by 2.2 pounds then multiplying this number by 0.9 and then by 24. Now multiple your BMR by 1.2 and you have arrived at the number of calories your body burns per day when you factor in your physical activity. (300 – 500 calories per hour of intermediate exercise) Once you have your final number- shave off 500 calories to find how many calories you need to eat to lose a pound per week.

6.   Mix It Up. Have you been doing the same workout day in day out? If so, your body has more than likely become just familiar with the physiological conditions and this is no longer a challenge. To grow no more and to increase your body’s metabolism, you must change your workouts on a regular basis to continue the challenge. Increase your flexibility, strengthen your core, improve your agility and work on your speed.  Constantly mixing it up will keep your body guessing, changing and improving.

7.   Make a Promise. And keep it. It is very difficult to blow off a commitment that you have made public to people that are important to you. Tell your family, your friends, your trainer and anyone else you think will be supportive of your new aspirations.

Tammi Jacobs, Health and Wellness Expert

 Results Health and Fitness Center, Chandler, AZhttp://www.resultshealthandfitness.com/

Answers to Permanent Weight Loss Questions

2. How do I know how many calories to eat each day if my goal is to lose weight?
Healthy weight loss is a process built on three primary cornerstones:

1.  Understanding the food you are eating.

2.  Eating a variety of healthy foods.

3.  Exercising on most days.

    Whether your long term weight loss goal is to lose 10 pounds or 80 pounds, you should not expect to lose more than 2 pounds per week. Focus on setting achievable micro-short term goals. The central challenge to pulling off any switch is getting yourself started and to keep the momentum going. With success at each micro goal interval the momentum will carry you through the tough times.

    Weight loss programs, whether designed by you or a professional, are best when tailored to meet your own needs, as opposed to a 1 diet fits all. The basics of developing a healthy weight loss program, providing no extenuating circumstances, follow these basic steps:

1.  Determine the amount of calories you burn in a day.

2.  Determine the amount of calories you consume each day.
3.  Consider your exercise amount in terms of calories and modify the caloric intake so you have a 500 calorie per day loss. (1 pounds is equal to approximately 3500 calories) 

 




     Tammi Jacobs, Health and Wellness Expert                    
     Results Health and Fitness Center, Chandler, Arizona

Weight Loss Basics

Take a Load Off

    Male or female, young or old, weight loss is a challenge for everyone. Pick up any magazine, flip on the internet and there you have it... some crazy hocus pocus concoction or new invention that is going to shed the pounds off over night. What we all must realize is the basics are the foundation – they remain the same regardless of the newest fad diet. We must cut through the hype and relearn the basic of living healthy to feel healthy and look healthy.

• What is you healthy weight range?
• What are the nuts and Bolts of calories and metabolism?
• What are the healthiest foods to eat and the best exercises to lose weight?   

Do you need to lose weight?
If you think you need to lose weight, you are in good company. Studies indicate that 60% of American adults say they would like to lose 20 or more pounds. If you are overweight, it is to your advantage to shed the extra pounds, as maintaining a healthy weight range reduces the risks of diabetes, certain types of cancer, heart disease, gallstones, sleep apnea as well as various other conditions. To determine if you need to lose weight let’s consider two issues (we will discuss more later):

• Your healthy weight range.
• Your body shape.

Healthy weight range: Although there is no single number that defines an ideal weight for each of us, we can target a weight range considering our age, gender and height. This formula is called the BMI and it considers height weight in ratio. To determine the BMI follow this formula:

BMI = 704 x (weight in pounds)   or  BMI =   704 x 125  = 21.48

            Height2 (in inches)                            (64)2         

BMI score ranges

Below 18.5:      Underweight

18.5 – 24.9:     Healthy Weight

25 -29.9:         Overweight

30- Above:       Obese

Only those who fall into the overweight and obese categories will benefit from losing weight. Limitation of utilizing the BMI for healthy weight is the fact it neglects the lean muscle mass for individuals who are extremely athletic and conversely the underestimate of body fat in the elderly population who may have lost lean muscle mass.

How to identify your healthy weight range:

Gender  Formula                                    

Female  Begin with 100 pounds and 5 feet. For every inch over 5 feet,add 5 pounds. Your healthy weight range                                      is 10% under and 10% over.

Male      Begin with 106 pounds and 5 feet. For every inch you stand over 5,                                             

             feet, add 6 pounds. Your healthy weight range is 10% under and 10% 

             over.
Body Shape: Another way to determine health is body type or where fat is disturbed on your body. It is more advantageous to have a pear shape than an apple shape. Stored fat in the midsection indicates greater health risk.

Waist to Hip ratio:

1. Measure your waist by relaxing your abdominal muscles and measuring around the narrowest point of your waist.
2.   Measure your hips by wrapping the tape around the widest point.
3.   Divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement to get the ratio.

A. Female – a ratio of greater than 0.8 indicates an apple; ratio of less than 0.8 indicates a pear shape.

B. Male – a ratio of greater than 0.95 indicates an apple share; a ratio of less than 0.95 indicates a pear shape.

Understanding Weight Loss

In order to loss weight it is important to have a basic understanding of how the body processes food.

What is a calorie?

A calorie is a unit of energy.  We tend to associate calories with food, but they apply to anything containing energy. For example a gallon of gas has about 31,000,000 calories.

Here is the simple part – 
you will gain weight if you consume more calories than you burn. Conversely, you will lose weight if you consume fewer calories than you burn.Most health and fitness professionals concur if the goal is weight lose; you must cut calories by approximately 500 per day.

6 Ways to Burn More Calories

Burn More Calories

Get the Most Out of Your Workouts

If you are already exercising on a regular basis, give yourself a hand. Now let’s take it up a notch because we are not just looking to be good, we are looking to be great!

1.  Be Johnny on the Spot: Get to the gym first thing time in the morning. Research indicates those who lace up first thing in the morning do so regularly 75 percent of the time as compared to those who schedule their exercise time in the afternoon. “At the beginning of the day, you have the fewest excuses for skipping exercise.” explains Arthur Mollen, DO, founder of the Mollen Clinic.

2. Mix it up. Changing your workouts on a regular basis forces the muscles to work harder because they are engaging in unfamiliar activities. This also helps to keep the mind alert when workouts are new, exciting and different. So jump into that Country Two Step on Friday evenings, or play with the intensity levels during those step classes by jumping as high as possible or double timing the speed of movements for short intense intervals.
3.  Firm then Burn: Try a little Iron Pumping before you’re full on cardio interval. A recent study conducted at the University of Tokyo showed that participants engaged more fat cells when they biked within 20 minutes of weight lifting, having no rest in between.
4. Beat the Midday Slump: Take a quick 20 minute stroll during your lunch time. Many people think exercising wears you down and makes you feel tired however just the opposite occurs. Patrick O’Connor, PhD, a professor of kinesiology explains, “…brain chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin are altered and cause improved energy.” Better yet, you just burned an additional 75 calories.

5. Pack Your Bags: A recent Fitness poll found that sneakers, followed by a close second to the sports bra were work out items forgotten and circumvented workouts. Plan ahead, pack your gym bag the night before and place it strategically-next to your car keys, or in front of the door.

6. STRETCH: Consistent stretching significantly reduces muscle soreness. In addition to stretching after each workout to elongate each muscle group, add yoga at least once a week to achieve the long, lean and efficient muscles.