Training Guidelines

Below are some general guidelines from the ACE Fourth Edition Personal Trainer Manual.

Recommended Training Volumes
General Muscle Fitness:   1-2 sets of 8-15 reps
Muscular Endurance:        2-3 sets of greater than or equal to 12 reps
Muscular Hypertrophy:    3-6 sets of 6-12 reps
Muscular Strength:           2-6 sets of less than or equal to 6 reps
Power:
  Single-Effort Events:      3-5 sets of 1-2 reps
  Multiple-Effort Events:   3-5 sets of 3-5 reps


Rest Intervals Between Sets
General Fitness:              30-90 seconds
Muscular Endurance:      less than or equal to 30 seconds
Muscle Hypertrophy:      30-90 seconds
Muscular  Strength:         2-5 minutes
Power:
  Single-Effort Events:     2-5 minutes
  Multiple-Effort Events:  2-5 minutes

*A high-effort set of resistance exercise reduces the muscle's internal energy stores of creatine phosphate (phosphagen energy system).  Replenishment of these local energy substrates is relatively rapid, with 50% renewal within the first 30 seconds, 75% renewal within the first minute, and 95% renewal within the first two minutes.  For most practical purposes and general muscular conditioning, one-minute rest intervals between successive exercise sets are sufficient.

Workout Tempo & Rest Periods

Count Your Tempo  Your muscle gain is in the eccentric movement and not as much in the concentric movement.  The concentric movement is away from the pull of gravity and moving the joints closer together (e.g., in a bicep curl the concentric movement is when the wrist moves towards the shoulder joint).  The eccentric movement is toward the pull of gravity and moving the joints further apart (e.g., in a bicep curl the eccentric movement is when the wrist moves from the shoulder joint back towards the floor).  Note, that delayed onset muscle soreness (the soreness you feel a day or two following exercise) is mostly associated with eccentric actions, especially during higher-intensity exercises (e.g., deadlifts).  You should never just let your eccentric movements fall, meaning you should never let gravity do the pulling without you controlling the movement.  Rather, eccentric contractions should control the rate of motion, slowing the downward movement against the pull of gravity.  There are numerous reasons for this, not the least of which is prevention of joint and muscular injury.  During your next workout, see if you can focus on your control of both the concentric and eccentric contractions by counting your tempo.  The commonly recommended movement speed of six seconds per repetition is broken out as 2-3 seconds for the concentric muscle action and 3-5 seconds for the eccentric muscle action.  How on track have you been between contractions?  What have you noticed in focusing on this? 

  

Rest Intervals  You should have very little to no rest between repetitions within a set.  However, rest between sets allows your anaerobic energy stores to replenish, but you need to be careful with how much of a rest between sets as this affects both the workout itself as well as the outcome of the workout.  For the types of workouts we do, the ideal length of rest between sets is 30-90 seconds and no more.  With 30 seconds being an ideal target.  Shorter rest intervals increase cardiovascular and metabolic responses both during and after the exercise session.  

Law of Facilitation

Law of Facilitation  The body subscribes to the law of facilitation, meaning that the body will achieve the desired movement following the path of least resistance.  If your body has any mobility-stability compromises, you will end up with dysfunctional movement causing inevitable breakdowns at your weakest link.  This is corrected by focusing on moving correctly as opposed to just moving.  A great example is the squat and the push up.  If you just move through either of these movements regardless of incorrect movement just to say you got the move done, you are actually causing layers of damage to muscular and joint function which will impede your progress to moving correctly in those and other movements.  An excellent way to get in touch, stay in touch, as well as improve your mobility-stability issues is to STRETCH.  Yoga is an excellent way to accomplish this.  When you are stretching, regardless of what modality you use, pay attention to what is tight and what is overcompensating for your “weak links” and communicate those findings to me during our sessions.  We can work together to improve your movements so your body doesn’t have to “compromise” to move.

Week 4

• Week 4 = 4/27-5/3 Eliminate 3 additional unclean eating habits for the remainder of this Challenge (so that will be 6 eliminated habits for the next 3 weeks)...Choose 3 from either Alcohol/Caffeine/Sugar/Soda/White Flour/Processed Foods/Eating Out  &  MOVE, MOVE, MOVE (be NEAT, Workout 3 times each week, Stretch/Yoga for 20 min 3-5 times each week)

Current Fitness Challenge

Discerning Good From Bad Fad

It is no small wonder that anyone succeeds at actual balance, healthful living, functional fitness, fat loss, etc.  Bookstores are filled to the brim, shelves upon shelves, of contradicting information.  And not just there, but magazines, television, internet...all filled with fads and fabulously tantalizing quick fixes.  Regardless of what the latest Hollywood hottie does or the "next best" 30 days to all your dreams coming true trend is, being fit and healthy is a day in/day out lifestyle.  There is no one-size-fits all program and there are no quick fixes that actually work (short or long-term)!  Not all bodies are the same and neither does any one program work for all people.  Success is dependent upon consistency regardless of what you are doing.  Consistently eating well, consistently moving and stretching your body, consistently sleeping well, and consistently putting you on the list of to-dos=SUCCESS!  That's it...simple, consistency.  We are not talking about penalizing yourself from parties, family fun, food depravation or punishing workouts.  We are not talking about excuses for hormones, prescriptions, or age because none of those have anything to do with getting fit and healthy the correct way.--Sure they hinder you if you go the "fad" route, but not if you are consistently feeding your body supportively and moving functionally.  You can get fit and healthy at any age and every age regardless!!!  We are not talking about investing tons of time or money as getting fit and healthy does not require either of those!  Video: Shocking Before and After Transformation Photos In 5 Hours

The benefit of a certified personal trainer is that they can assess you and determine what possible impingement(s) and what functional movement patterns need to be corrected and can CUSTOMIZE a workout program for you, the individual.  Not everyone can afford a personal trainer and that is why I provide the information I do on this site...it is the next best thing to meeting with me one-on-one...and it's free.

Keys to discerning the good information and a good program (and trainer) from a bad fad:

• Always go with a personal trainer who has a certification from a nationally accredited agency.  The top four NCCA certified personal trainer certifications are:  American Council on Exercise (ACE), American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), and National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).  I am certified through ACE and will additionally be certified through ACSM in 2014.  There are numerous "trainers" out there who did not study or "test out" through a NCCA approved agency but paid some money online and received a piece of paper "certifying" them to train folks.  The harm here is the lack of education on the body (physiology and kinesiology) and programming.  Beyond that, make sure they keep up with continuing education to know the latest research and breakthroughs.  Make sure the information you read and/or the trainer you utilize is properly educated.  Knowledge is power, but bad information is truly harmful!
• If a program is offering up "quick fixes" and fad solutions, then skip it and find something that is sound and balanced.  If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• A good program should educate you on the facts of weight/resistance training so that you know muscle equals metabolism and has nothing to do with gender.  Weight/resistance training isn't just for bodybuilding men...Women are not going to bulk up just because they utilize dumbbells and kettlebells larger than 10 lbs. -- they will however lose their fat and trim to that size they want to maintain!  If a program is taking up a ton of time with workouts making you feel that rest is for the weak, then it is a lie and you'd be better finding a program that helps you build your muscle, protect your joints, and rest your body in a balanced doable way!!!
• A good program should educate you on the facts of nutrition and supportive eating--Eat often and for your body!  It should not recommend no fat foods, no carbs, no to low protein, low calorie, liquid only fasts, hunger is your friend, timing fasts, etc., fad garbage!
• If a program touts that it has to be expensive to work then walk far away!  Neither fitness nor nutrition nor workouts or trainers or programs need to be costly to be effective...in fact quite the opposite is true!

 You don't just clean your house once in a lifetime and it always stays clean!  Being fit and healthy is not a once and done process!!!

Proper Warm Up Explained

Proper Warm Up  If you do stretching, even brief stretching, before high-intensity workouts it may actually inhibit the ability to achieve full intensity during your workout.  This is attributed to the fact that stretching improves muscle elasticity (decreasing tissue viscosity), which lowers the force-generating capacity of the contractile proteins of the muscle.  Moreover, the practice of stretching before performing any warm-up is not justified either and may potentially be harmful.  The warm up may be subdivided into a more general cardiovascular warm-up followed by a more exercise or event specific dynamic warm-up based on unique muscular elements that are to be performed during the workout session.  For these reasons is why you want to do Spiderman Crawls or Squats or Lunges or Jumping Jacks or a handful of exercise specific dynamic moves before workouts as opposed to static stretches…..Save the Static stretches for your cool downs and in between workout days.

Proper Cool Down  The cool down post workout should be of approximately the same duration and intensity as the warm-up (i.e., five to 10 minutes of low to moderate intensity activity).  As opposed to the warm up, the cool down is an excellent time for stretching of your worked muscles.  The cool down is directed primarily toward preventing the tendency for blood to pool in the extremities, which may occur when exercise ends.  An active cool down also helps remove metabolic waste from the muscles so that it can be metabolized by other tissues as well as reduce the potential for muscle soreness and stiffness. (American Council On Exercise 2010)

Workout At Home or With Me

A years worth of FREE monthly workouts plus "just getting started" workout along with explanations of moves...as well as links to yoga information and more.... Free Monthly Workouts

Need some trainer help and support and accountability? See me for one on ones / small group / or classes at the VEF Studio! Class schedule and prices at www.veryeffectivefitness.com/

Importance of Sleep, Post Workout Snack, & Water Intake

Here are some excerpts from Women's Health article, "A Hotter Body No Sweat!" by Jayme Moye in the March 2012 issue out now:

"As soon as you slip off your sneakers after a workout, your body starts repairing the 'damage' you did to your muscles.  In fact, it's actually this recovery process--not  exercise itself--that makes you stronger and leaner, says Stacy Sims, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist at the Stanford School of Medicine's Prevention Research Center in Palo Alto, California.  'To speed your results, research shows that what you do when you're not exercising is nearly as important as the workout itself,' she says."

Benefit of Sleep
"We know, we know--if you could lose a pound every time you heard about the advantages of sleep, you'd never have to work out again.  But if seven to nine hours of shut-eye still isn't a priority, here's some incentive:

Not only does deep sleep kick up production of tissue-repairing growth hormone, but studies show that lack of it is a weight gain double whammy:  It prompts your body to consume more calories and shuts down its ability to recognize a full stomach.  When you're tired, your gut produces more ghrelin, a chemical that triggers sugar cravings.  'It causes your body to seek quick energy from food to try to keep you awake,' says neurologist Chris Winter, M.D., medical director of the Martha Jefferson Hospital Sleep Medicine Center in Charlottesville, Virginia.  Meanwhile, fatigue suppresses leptin, a fat-cell hormone that tells your brain, 'OK, stop eating now.'  For this reason, says Winter, 'prioritizing sleep is probably the best thing you can do, recovery-wise, to meet your body-shaping goals.'"

Post Workout Snack & Water IntakeWhile the article goes on to talk about the importance of staying on the move, massage, upgrading your post-workout snack, and how dehydration substantially slows your metabolic rate, I am simply going to refer you to Eating Supportively.

I have wanted to relay the importance of sleep on muscle recovery but hadn't wanted to get too technical about it, so when I came a across the simplicity of the explanation in this article I thought it was the best way to share this with you ;-)

Short On Time?

Short On Time?  Don't think you have time to prepare supportive meals for you and your family?  That's kooky talk!  First, don't make it complicated!!!  You can have extremely supportive home cooked meals in minutes!  Here's how I do it:  Pick one hour a week (whatever day you have an hour to be home...Sunday afternoon, Friday evening, Tuesday morning, whatever day works for you) to prepare your weeks worth of meals.  I usually cook the meats (mostly baked...so not even in the kitchen for the hour) whether it be a combo of baked, grilled, sauteéd, or crock pot.  Then if I am going to cook dried beans, I also put those on and/or anything that needs some time to cook or prepare.  Then it all goes in the fridge to be pulled out the meal of throughout the week and put with whatever veggie or grain I am combining with it.  Some grains (such as quinoa can be prepared also in advance and stored and just pulled out).  Fresh veggies steam within 10 minutes in a free standing steamer pot (can be purchased at WalMart for $20).  I can have a healthy and supportive dinner within 15 minutes of walking in the door at night (1/3 of the plate protein (lean meat/fish, beans/legumes) and 2/3 veggies and/or grains).

Habits? What Habits?

Nutrition

*Sugar, Sugar, Sugar.  Sugar comes in many forms:  sugar (high fructose corn syrup, etc.), simple carbs (good whole grain carbs and veggie/fruit carbs are good for you, but the rest is crap and PI material), alcohol (wasted calories that goes straight to sugar and on top of that slows down your metabolism).  To figure out what to replace this overindulgent habit with, first determine why you over consume.  If it is an emotional trigger or stress reaction, then replace it with something healthy to ingest as well as a behavior modification to replace the food response.  If it is a social habit, then announce to your social group your new goals for the support and accountability and curb your social intake of the bad and increase better choices.  Alcoholic Beverages

*Not enough produce:  If you are either not getting enough produce in (at least 8-10 servings), or are consuming way more fruits than veggies (shoot for at least one to two more servings of veggies to fruit total), or are choosing low fiber, high sugar produce and your total daily fiber intake is below a 25g minimum (I'd shoot for 30-50g a day), then preplanning is going to be the habit you need to make to hit your minimums at least. Produce Serving Sizes

*Too many processed foods:  Ideally, you'd consume a grand total of ZERO processed foods in your daily life, but life is rapidly zooming and that is not always doable.  If, however, you are consuming more than one or two processed foods in a day on average, then I'd aim for zero and see where you land.  Preplanning and preparation is going to be key with this habit change.*Eat out too much:  If you eat out for more lunches and/or dinners than you make yourself at home, then you need to preplan and prep for your weeks.  Even making the best possible choices when you do eat out is disrupting your fitness, health, weight loss goals as you are, at the very least, getting way more sodium, fat, and calories than you would had you prepared that healthy choice yourself.  Short On Time?  Eating out is a PI and you are only supposed to be getting 3-4 of those a week....remember a PI is not a whole meal but a serving....Eating Supportively

*Too many PIs or UPIs:  Planned Indulgences and Unplanned Indulgences.....Reign it in folks.  If you are bite, licking, and tasting your way through the day, then you need to hunker down and get serious about your goals!  Preplan and stick to the plan!!!

*Don't journal or Don't preplan meals:  If you have not practiced journaling your food, then I'd highly suggest giving it a whirl.  You might think that you do not consume that much or that little, but unless you start logging your actual daily intake, you will never know....and believe me we are always wrong on this one!  If you are great at journaling, but fall down because you don't plan, then that is where you need to be...."If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

*Wait too long in between meals:  If you are go, go, going and go longer than 3-4 hours before eating your next meal, you are only slowing your metabolism way, way down and setting yourself up to UPI all over the place.  Trust me, busy days do not have to equal not eating what you should, the way you should and when you should, but what it does mean is that you are going to have to make the choice that your goals are important to you and preplan, preprepare, and Just Do It!

Fitness
*Workout too little:  If you read my blog, then you are familiar with the 3 times a week resistance/interval workout recommendation and why.  If you cannot find 90 min to no more than 3 hours a week to accomplish this, then I'd have to say you are also too busy to watch tv, blog, post on Facebook, Tweet, read a book or a Kindle, play a game on any device, take a bath, chat to a friend on the phone, you get the idea.  All of us waste an exorbitant amount of precious time, so carve out at least 90 minutes a week to no more than 3 hours to at least prolong your life...it's like a savings account of time then!

*Workout too much:  If you are strength/resistance training and interval training more than three times a week for more than 3 hours a week.  If you are running more than 3 days a week in addition to this.  If you are doing additional fitness activities in addition to all of this....You are probably working out too much and not allowing your body the proper recovery time to heal, mend, and benefit you.  Aside from overuse injuries, you are actually slowing your metabolism down by overworking out.  Make a sensible and reasonable plan and stick to it.  If it is almost a compulsion, this can be as serious as over indulging on sugar, so sit down and dive within to figure out what is going on.

*Don't stretch enough:  If you do not properly cool down your muscles post workout and in addition to this do some sort of stretching regime a couple to a few times a week, you are setting your joints up for some real issues down the line.  With strength training, you are building short muscles that pull the joints apart which is great if you are balancing that with stretching....so be sure to stretch those muscles out to relieve that otherwise building tension.

*Don't push to workout intensely:  If you just go through the motions during your workouts, you might as well go for a walk as the good it is doing you.  If you want strength, endurance, fat loss, go for the heart pumping, air gasping, sweat through every fiber of your clothing workout.  Get in, get done!  If you're doing it, DO IT!

Mono Fats, Fake Sugars & Fiber

-Monounsaturated fats such as found in avocados halts the spike in blood sugar that otherwise would signal your body to store fat around your stomach.

-Fake sugars are zero calories, but not zero consequences.  Sweeteners, stabilizers, and additives such as found in diet soft drinks actually trigger your appetite due to your body expecting an actual calorie substance that it then does not receive.

-Fiber, fiber, fiber because it keeps your body's insulin levels low, which studies suggest may help shrink fat cells (Oxygen Magazine, Spring 2012).

Size Really Does Matter

If you are in the habit of checking out the Nutrition Labels before consumption, then you are ahead of the game!  If not, this might be the added habit that makes all the difference in your journey!!  First things first.....Disregard what the front of any package tells you because it may or may not be true.  Look at the actual Nutrition Label & Ingredients to ascertain if the food is for you or not.

1) The Ingredients are listed in order of the most prevalent....So, if enriched flour is listed before any actual grains, then it isn't the "whole grain" source the front of the package would have you believe it is!  Same regarding trans fats.....Hydrogenated Oil.  In trying to keep sugars at 25 or fewer grams a day, then definitely ditch foods with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, syrup, honey, etc., listed in the first five ingredients.  Fat free isn't all it's cracked up to be....your body needs good fats especially to properly function, so cutting out fat from your diet isn't ideal.  Further, fat free foods usually have a laundry list of preservatives and unpronounceable ingredients listed in lieu of fat to make it palatable.

2) Know how many servings are in each food you are consuming.  Serving Size listed matters....the amounts per serving are just that...PER SERVING, so don't get fooled into thinking a package of anything is only the caloric number listed on the label if it is 2 1/2 or more servings then it is 2 1/2 more calories, etc.

3) Check for balance of protein, fats, sodium, and carbs in each serving listed.  For example two or more grams of fiber per serving helps to slow increased blood sugar.

4)  Know what constitutes a Calorie:  Protein is 4 calories per gram; Carbohydrate is 4 calories per gram, Fat is 9 calories per gram, and Alcohol is 7 calories per gram.  Eating Supportively  &  Alcoholic Beverages

Nutritional Targets

So what are these targets?  Well, it can be different depending on who you ask.  Let's start with some basics:  Protein contains 4 calories per gram and it is recommended that approximately 10-35% of your daily calories come from protein.  Carbohydrates also contain 4 calories per gram and comes from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and it is recommended that approximately 45-65% of your daily calories come from carbohydrates.  Fats contain 9 calories per gram and it is recommended that approximately 20-35% of your daily calories come from fat (less than 10% from saturated fats and the majority from polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats).  Meeting Energy Needs

The next piece of the puzzle is determining your specific resting metabolic rate (RMR) which represents the number of calories it takes to fuel your body (ventilation, blood circulation, temperature regulation, digestion, etc.).  The Mifflin-St. Jeor equation is the most accurate estimation of RMR and is outlined below.  Some info you need to know to complete the formula are your weight in kilograms (1kg=2.2 lbs and you can easily convert by dividing pounds by 2.2), your height in centimeters (1 inch=2.54 cm and you can easily convert by multiplying inches by 2.54).

For men:  RMR = 9.99 x wt(kg) + 6.25 x ht(cm) - 4.92 x age(yrs) + 5
For women: RMR = 9.99 x wt(kg) + 6.25 x ht(cm) - 4.92 x age(yrs) - 161

The RMR value derived from the predication equation is then multiplied by the appropriate activity correction factor below to determine your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE).  Note that this equation is more accurate for obese than non-obese individuals.

*Sedentary (little or no exercise): 1.200
*Lightly active (light exercise/sports one to three days per week): 1.375
*Moderately active (moderate exercise/sports six to seven days per week): 1.550 (if you workout with me this is the calculator you would use) (Workout Calories)
*Very active (hard exercise/sports six to seven days per week): 1.725
*Extra active (very hard exercise/sports and physical job): 1.900

Example:
For a moderately active 38 year old 140 lb 5'6" female then;
weight in kg = 64 (140/2.2)
height in cm = 168 (66 x 2.54)
RMR = 1,341 ((9.99 x 64) + (6.25 x 168) - (4.92 x 38) - 161)
TDEE = 2,079 (1,341 x 1.550)

The Dietary Guidelines recommend that those trying to lose weight aim for a 500 calorie deficit per day, achieved through decreased calorie intake and/or increased physical activity.  Even for fat loss you would take the above derived number and decrease it by 500 for your total daily caloric total.  From there you can break out the particular nutritional targets: protein, carbohydrates, and fat based on the previously provided information.

Example:
If your TDEE is 2,079 then your total daily caloric intake should be 1,579 (2,079 - 500) then;
Protein would be 474 calories and 118 grams (1,579 x 30% / 4)
Carbohydrates would be 711 calories and 178 grams (1,579 x 45% / 4)
Fats would be 395 calories and 44 grams (1,579 x 25% / 9)

Be sure to reevaluate your nutritional targets about every 5 to 10 pounds lost.

Track Your Food....Really

Track Your Food:  How do you know if you are hitting your nutritional targets if you are not tracking what you are eating?  You don't have to track for the rest of your life, just while you are trying to get down a different food lifestyle.  Unless you are tracking (and better yet planning ahead) your meals, you have no idea how close you are or are not to supportively eating.  It takes me all of 5 minutes to log my food for the day.  The hard part is starting this habit, but I can assure you it is so simple once it is a habit.  There are many free sites with databases of foods and the ability for you to track & plan your foods/meals.  The site that I began using in 2009 and absolutely love is sparkpeople.com.  SparkPeople has a huge database of foods (whole foods, prepackaged foods, restaurant foods), but also allows you to customize and build your own database of food choices, create a "favorites" food list so you are not always hunting for foods you eat frequently, allows you to create and store for later access whole meals that you eat frequently so you don't have to log in each food item every time, and even allows you to build recipes so you are aware of the nutritional breakdown of each serving.  Additionally, it allows you to modify your nutritional target ranges as well as add targets to track daily.  It is very user friendly and even has mobile apps for your smart phones, so it can be on the move with you.  However you journal, plan, track your food choices....Make the habit today for better results tomorrow!  ...See also these Post Links:  I Ate How Much?  &  Hows The Tracking?  &  The Importance Of Journaling

Produce Serving Sizes

A question that gets asked a lot is what constitutes a serving size of produce.  First know that the information contained on this blog is not medical advice and is not intended to replace the advice or attention of health-care professionals. I am not a registered dietician. Consult your physician before beginning or making changes in your diet or exercise program, for diagnosis and treatment of illness and injuries, and for advice regarding medications.  That said, the rule I go by is to eat a minimum of 8-10 servings of fruit and vegetables daily.  I try to weight the fruits earlier in the day due to the sugar content and I always combine my produce with protein. Eating Supportively  The serving sizes I utilize are as follows:

1 Fruit Serving Size is Equal to:
1 medium whole fruit (e.g., apple, banana,, orange)
1/2 cup small fruit (e.g., berries, grapes)
1 cup chopped large (e.g., melons)
1/4 cup dried fruit

1 Vegetable Serving Size is Equal to:
1 cup cooked or raw
2 cups leafy greens
1/2 cup beans/legumes

Eating Clean

If you are aiming to reach fat loss goals, then you must eat mindfully.  Part of mindful eating is not being distracted while you are eating (e.g., television) as well as tracking what you are eating (reference below section on tracking foods).  Eating clean and planning your indulgences is another key factor...if you try to eat clean (whole foods rather than processed foods, limited sugar and white flour, etc.) about 90% of the time and limit your personal indulgences (PIs) to 3-4 times a week, you will be set for optimum supportive and fat burning mindful eating.  Keep in mind that bites, licks, and tastes (BLTs) of foods throughout the day count towards your caloric intake and need to be tracked, or better yet avoided all together.  Planning your indulgences is better than "winging" it as you will end up eating far more PIs throughout a week if you do not plan them in advance.  Also check out these Post Links:  The Importance Of Journaling  &  Weekends  &  Pre Splurge  &  Tricks & Tips  &  Alcoholic Beverages

Measuring Results

Measuring Results

For those of you who are getting fit in part for weight loss know that the scale is not the best way to ascertain your results.  You can lose a lot of weight on calorie restriction focused diets, but what you are most likely losing is muscle mass.  To lose fat and maintain muscle, the scale might take longer to move.  It's not that fat weighs less/more than muscle (a pound is a pound), but fat takes up a lot more space than lean muscle mass....so, when you lose fat and increase lean muscle mass, the scale doesn't move a lot but the reduction in inches lost is quite substantial and easily measured.  To be consistent and get the most out of your progress assessment, you want to try and use standard sites and procedures.  All measurements and weight assessments should be done first thing in the morning after you go to the bathroom, before you eat/drink anything, and with as little to no clothing.  If you are doing your weight assessments at a facility other than your home and/or at a different time of day, then it's best to do your assessments at the same time of day and under the same (similar) circumstances (e.g., before lunch every time as opposed to sometimes before, sometimes after).  All measurements should be taken while standing upright and relaxed with feet together.  All measurements should be made with a flexible yet inelastic tape measure.  The tape measure should be placed on the skin surface without compressing the subcutaneous adipose (fat) tissue.  Take duplicate measures at each site, and retest if duplicate measurements are not within .25 of an inch.  Rotate through measurement sites before retaking measurements at any one site so as to allow time for skin to regain normal texture.  When taking your measurements, look in a mirror if necessary, verify that the tape measure is horizontal and even along the measurement site (in other words, if taking the measurement of your hips, the tape measure should come straight around your buttocks and not droop anywhere making an uneven line).  You only need to take the measurements of one side of your body (e.g., one bicep, one calf, etc.), but in doing so be sure to take the measurement of your dominant side (e.g., if right handed then of your right bicep, right calf, etc.).  You may take measurements at other sites than what is listed below which is more than okay, just try and apply the logic that is presented in the sites listed below to apply to additional measurement sites.

Arm  Midway between the shoulder joint and the elbow joint (mid-bicep)
Abdomen  At the level of the umbilicus (belly button)
Waist  If you desire a separate measurement for your waist other than that of your belly button then:  At the narrowest part of the torso above the belly button and below the base of sternum
Buttocks/Hips  At the maximal circumference of the buttocks
Upper Thigh  At the maximal circumference of the hip/upper thigh, just below the gluteal fold (thickest part of your upper thigh)
Calf  At the maximum circumference between the knee and the ankle (thickest part of your calf)

Other forms of measuring your results....How your clothes fit.  There will be no mistaking the effectiveness of your fat loss plan if you are losing inches and going down in pant sizes!  Don't let a slow moving scale give you a head trip if you are losing pant sizes.  Seriously, would you rather weigh less and be in the same pant size or weigh the same and be two sizes smaller?

Another way to see your results is by taking before and after pictures throughout your fat loss journey.  A picture can show you places you have trimmed down that you might miss when measuring yourself.  The best way to go about this is to wear a swimsuit or shorts and sports bra (for women...no shirt for men) and take a front pic, back pic, and side pic.  Take a before picture and then follow up with pics every 6 to 12 weeks until you reach your fat loss goals.

Post Links of Other Helpful Tidbits to Know: 
Body Comp v Scale   
Greater Muscle Mass = Higher Metabolism  
Not Getting Results???
Body Composition
How Much Should You Weigh?
Skinny Or Fit??? You Decide...
Afternoon Bloat?
5 Pounds Of Fat
Scoop On Fat Cells
GOALS
Discerning Good From Bad Fad

How To Set GOALS

Setting GOALS within a timeframe & having them be SMART is the best way to get to where you want to go.....Not having SMART GOALS contributes to failure as much as not planning your meals/workouts.  So get a head start on the next six weeks and get on those G O A L S .... April 6th - May 17th 2015 Spring Clean Your Habits 6 Week Challenge

GOALS

There are three key reasons to transform large goals into smaller, more realistic goals: 

1. Overly general or unrealistic goals demotivate and overwhelm people.
2. Small goals direct energy to manageable actions and tasks.
3. Transforming larger aspirations into a series of smaller goals provides a clearer picture, or roadmap, for success.

You can achieve this by examining past experiences and obstacles and where you presently are and where you would like to go, and then establishing SMART Goals: Specific MeasureableAttainable Relevant and Time-bound.

SMART Goals are beneficial because:

1. They provide clarity and direction on a daily basis.
2. They motivate during the process of change.
3. They help reduce relapse and enhance program adherence.

Specific: Goals must be clear and unambiguous, stating specifically what should be accomplished.

Measurable: Goals must be measurable so that you can see whether you are making progress. Examples of measurable goals include performing a given workout two times a week or losing 5 pounds.

Attainable: Goals should be realistically attainable by the individual. The achievement of attaining a goal reinforces commitment to the program and encourages you to continue.

Relevant: Goals must be relevant to the particular interest, needs, and abilities of the individual.

Time-bound: Goals must contain estimated timelines for completion. You shouldevaluate regularly to monitor progress toward goals.

Spring Clean Your Habits 6 Week Challenge

April 6th - May 17th 2015 Spring Clean Your Habits 6 Week Challenge

It's Spring and the sleeves are shorter and the pants are turned to shorts and just around the corner is bathing suit season.....So, let's take 6 weeks to clean up the dirty habits that are keeping you from reaching your fitness and health goals!!!

Whether you have never tried clean eating and an active lifestyle or you have and fallen to the wayside or you are on track but have a few habits that need to be cleaned up....Take 6 weeks to make a huge impact in your life and health!!!  You will never be able to out move bad eating so while exercise and being active is extremely important for your health, eating clean and balanced is the key to everything including your mood!  We are not going to tackle any mountains here or get overly complicated.  Below is the entire 6 week challenge broken down by week and the focus for each week along with links to information to help you along the way.  If you join me for any of the Fitness/Yoga/Stretch Classes at the VEF Studio throughout this Challenge, I will not only be able to give you your workouts for the Challenge to best reach your GOALS, but will also be able to assist you with any struggles you might encounter as you exchange bad habits for good (for schedule and directions visit www.veryeffectivefitness.com/).  Be sure to LIKE the Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Very-Effective-Fitness/501193266624220) to stay up on the current info regarding Fitness, Nutrition, Encouragement, Challenge, and Studio Classes!

• Day One 4/6/15 Weigh and Measure where you are so you can see the progress in Week 3 and 6!  If you need help, just click here:  Measuring Results  Also, get an accountability partner (ideally someone doing the Challenge with you) because changing habits is difficult and having someone who knows what you are doing greatly assists you actually doing it!
• Week 1 = 4/6-4/12 Eliminate 3 unclean eating habits for the entire 6 weeks...Choose 3 from either Alcohol/Caffeine/Sugar/Soda/White Flour/Processed Foods/Eating Out  &  MOVE...be NEAT (Click & Learn NEAT)
• Week 2 = 4/13-4/19 Add or continue 2-3 Resistance & HIIT Workouts for the remainder of this Challenge; Schedule 7-8 hours of sleep each night; Stay hydrated; Eat clean 85-90% of your week with only planned indulgences 3-4 times each week (to learn about workouts and clean eating/hydration: Workout Tidbits & Eating Supportively  &  For Free Workouts: Free Workouts Here)
• Week 3 = 4/20-4/26 Weigh and Measure on 4/20/15 and notate changes from Day 1.  Assess past two weeks and plan the areas that are in need of improvement for the remainder of the Challenge for best results.  If you haven't been planning or tracking your food, then start!  If you haven't been eating every 3-4 hours each day starting with the first hour of waking up, then get on it!  If you haven't been eating supportively with protein and produce at each meal including snacks, then just do it!  If you haven't been stretching or practicing Yoga 3-5 times each week (either after or at other times from workouts for at least 20 minutes), then grab a mat!  Fine tune what you've been doing the past two weeks to see the results you want!
• Week 4 = 4/27-5/3 Eliminate 3 additional unclean eating habits for the remainder of this Challenge (so that will be 6 eliminated habits for the next 3 weeks)...Choose 3 from either Alcohol/Caffeine/Sugar/Soda/White Flour/Processed Foods/Eating Out  &  MOVE, MOVE, MOVE (be NEAT, Workout 3 times each week, Stretch/Yoga for 20 min 3-5 times each week)
• Week 5 = 5/4-5/10 Take a real look at the stressors and deterrents from you being healthy/fit daily, and make the necessary changes to eliminate them as stressors/deterrents for good!  Need some help?  Check out http://veryeffectiveliving.blogspot.com/  or  Inspiration & Encouragement
• Week 6 = 5/11-5/17 Home Stretch!  Really give this last week everything you've got and don't ease up on any of the good habits you have thus far made!!!  Weigh and Measure on 5/17/15 and compare changes from Day 1.  
• Have further to go to reach your ultimate GOALS?  Continue on with your good/clean/active habits and you will most certainly get there!  Want to maintain your achieved success?  You guessed it....continue on with your good/clean/active habits and you will most certainly stay there!  What you are doing is NOT a diet or a temporary "fix".... you are living with good health/fitness habits which should never deprive you from a full and happy life, so why stop?

Basics:  

*Eat protein/produce (fruits/veggies) at every meal
*Eat every 3-4 hours beginning with the first hour of being awake
*Eat 8-10 veggies/fruits in a day
*Have a "cheat" 3-4 times each week (but that's it)

*Move every single day!
*Workout 3 times each week
*Stretch or Yoga at least for 20-30 minutes 3-5 times each week
*Walk or Run or Cycle or Elliptical or Dance at least 45 min each week to help you be NEAT daily



For those just beginning and/or those in need of some hand holding to get past those obstacles that keep tripping them up along their journey to fitness (and/or fat loss). The below links to a previous 6 Week (step by step) Challenge might be the best place to start, and is a great opportunity to get some shadow support, how to info and advice from someone who is not only educated on all aspects of the process and certified, but who has also been there and done that from every aspect of the journey!"

6 Week Step-By-Step How-To Succeed Challenge:  Just One Step At A Time  (Final Week & New Opportunity)

Step-By-Step How To Succeed In 6 Weeks + GOALS
Free Workouts All Levels
Week One + The Importance Of Tracking Foods + If Nothing Else Be NEAT
Week Two + The Importance Of Journaling + Move n Move n Move
Week Three + Track Your Food For Best Results + Workout Tidbits You Need To Know
Week Four + Nutritional Targets + Workout Recovery Needs
Week Five + Healthy Foods + Stress Hormone Response
Week Six + The Whys 'n' Hows of Measuring + GOALS