Newsletter Archive

June 2007

IN THIS ISSUE

• Feature: Compliance – What's Keeping You From Your Goals?
• Feature: Replacing Mindless Eating with Action and Awareness
• Q&A: Time Frame for Losing Weight

Hello from Cor Clinic!

Well, it is June. That can only mean one thing... Summertime! The kids are out of school, and for most people it is a time to head out on vacation. Remember, though, not to let your health slip while you go on your vacation! Find some time while traveling to perform body weight exercises, interval sprints and cardiovascular work to stay in shape and keep up with your goals.

Also, don't let your nutrition take a vacation this summer! Continue to eat healthy meals, but allow yourself a less-than-healthy treat every now and again, if you have a craving. Who doesn't like a little ice cream on a hot summer day?

Speaking of allowing yourself some dietary freedom and sticking to heathly meals, we have some great articles this month. I have written a piece on being compliant with your plan and charting your progress. After reading the article, you should be able to fill out a compliance grid and see exactly where you're falling off the wagon.

We have a guest contributor this month, health and nutrition educator Ivonne Berkowitz CSCS has written an article on mindless eating. She offers up some common nutrition traps we can all fall into with out even realizing it (hence the "mindless" part)!

Also, be sure to read this month's Q&A. It inspired me to make an offer that should be filed under "too good to be true!" - except it is true. As well, we have a great summer promotion going on right now where anyone new to training receives a 40% discount on 12 sessions. Existing clients receive the 40% discount if they refer someone who commits to 12 sessions. This offer can not be combined with the offer that I am making in my Q&A, though. I can't give everything away! So, you will have to read on and choose which is best for you. If you are interested in more information about these offers, please feel free to contact me directly.

Hope everyone has a great month!

Patrick Ward, Ms, CSCS, NASM-PES, CPT, USAW Club Coach

FEATURE ARTICLE:

Compliance: Do you know what's keeping you from your goal?

The main reason that people seek out a fitness professionals is to help them come up with a plan; a system of how to exercise, eat healthy, change their lifestyle, and work towards their goal(s). While the importance of this can not go overlooked, one of the errors that people often make is thinking that just because they are working with a professional, things will just happen "automatically." Unfortunatly, this is not true. Sitting down and talking about it isn't going to change anything. You have to actually implement the changes! If an alcoholic goes to AA to talk about his/her addiction but then leaves and heads out to the liquor store, will the addiction ever be resolved? Nope! Exercise and living a healthy lifestyle are the same way. You have to make the changes and be compliant with those changes.

The easiest way to make sure you are being compliant with your health and fitness goals is to chart your progress. Writing things down will allow you to evaluate whether or not what you are doing is working. More importantly, and often the case, writing things down will allow you to see if what you say you are doing is what you are really doing in the first place!

Often times, when I have someone write down what they have been doing, they get a big surprise. People will tell me all about how they train so hard and exercise so much. However, after closer inspection, we notice that they have been doing the same thing for the past 6 months and miss two workouts each week. To top it off, they have not improved, challened themself or attempted to move in a direction that is codusive to their goals. Nutrition is the same way. I have had people tell me that they eat perfectly, only to find out that they eat perfectly 3 days out of the week and then the other days are "so-so". Well, the problem is right there infront of you now! If 4 out of 7 days are "so-so", then you are not compliant with your program and you are not going to reach your goals. You have no right to say that what you are doing is not working because what you are doing is not right! You are following the wrong plan. Following the wrong plan will not lead you to the right goal.

So, how do we get on the right plan? More importantly, how do we make sure that we are staying on that plan? As stated before, the easiest way to make sure we are doing things properly is to CHART YOUR PROGRESS!

Lets say for example, that your program calls for 3 resistance training workouts per week and 2 cardiovascular workouts. Most people will look at that and say "okay great! I can do that. That sounds resonable." But, how do you know if you are doing the right things? How do you know if you are moving in the right direction? Simple....write it down!

Go to the store and get a little log book so that you can track your progress. If it is a resistance training day, write down the exercises that you are doing, the weight that you are using, the number of sets you are performing, the number of repetitions you are doing in each set and the amount of rest you are taking inbetween each set.

Example:

Week 1
1) Bench press
200lbs/3 sets x 10 repetitions; Rest Interval= 45seconds

2) Lunges
10lb dumbbells/4 sets x 8 reps each leg; Rest Interval= 60seconds

Now, next week when you go back to do this workout, you should attempt to improve in one of those areas; either more weight, more sets, more reps or less rest interval.

Example:

Week 2

1) Bench press
200lbs/3 sets x 10 reps; Rest interval= 30 seconds (decreased rest interval)

2) Lunges
15lb dumbbells/3 sets x 8 reps each leg; Rest Interval= 60 seconds (increased load)

Now, we are charting progress and we know that we are moving in the right direction.

If it is a cardio workout, you are doing to do the same thing. If it is interval training, write down the intensity level that the machine is set at, the length of the work interval, the length of the rest interval and how many intervals you did.

Example:

Week 1

Bike Sprints
Level 8
30seconds of work:30seconds of rest
10 rounds

Week 2

Bike Sprints
Level 8
30 seconds of work:30 seconds of rest
12 rounds

So, as you can see, we improved by adding 2 more rounds to what we did in week 1. That is progress and now we know we are moving in the right direction.

Okay, now onto diet. How do we know if what we are doing is correct? I have found the compliance grid to be very valuable in showing people exaclty where they are going wrong with their nutrition. The grid was designed by Dr. John Berardi and it really works well as far as letting people know where they stand with their diet and how compliant they have been. Dr. Berardi maintains that you must be 90% complaint with your diet over the week to see the improvements you desire. That leaves you a 10% wiggle room to allow for slip ups in your planning or a meal out for something you have been craving (read: this does not mean a full day of eating garbage!).

Below is an example of a compliance grid. To download your own in Excel format, click here.

Lets fill one out so that you can get an idea of how it works. Lets say our goal is to eat 4 meals a day and a postworkout shake after each of our training sessions (3 training sessions a week). That is a total of 28 solid meals and 3 post workout shakes a week, or 31 total meals. This means that we are allowed to deviate on 3 of our weekly meals, or 10%. Anymore than that, and we have not complied with our program. Lets say our goal is to eat 500 calories per meal (2000 calories per day), so anytime we eat less than that or more than that (within 20 calories), we have not stuck to our plan and we will mark the meal as non-compliant (remeber: under eating is as non-compliant as over eating). If we decide to snack inbetween one of our meals, then the next meal will be written as non-compliant as well. If we miss out post-workout shake, then we also mark a non-compliant. So, here is out example:

Now, we know where this individual is going wrong. Ten of his meals this week were either non-compliant or missed and with only 68% compliance to his diet, it is no wonder he is not seeing the results he wants! Consistency is the key! You have to stick with the plan to make it work.

I hope these simple tips can help you on your way towards the progress you desire. Remember, it isn't what you think you are doing, it is what you are actually doing!

Don't forget! Download your own compliance grid in Excel format.

FEATURE ARTICLE:

Replacing "Mindless Eating" with Action and Awareness

Ivonne Berkowitz, CSCS, CISSN.

How many food-related decisions do you make every day? According to Dr. Brian Wansink, author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think, the average person makes around 250 decisions about food every day. Most of them are mindless - meaning, we don't even really give it a thought before eating or not eating. From whether or not we eat breakfast, to what we put on our plate at the salad bar, to how many cookies we munch on from the tray at the weekly staff meeting. Not only that, but most people think they are too smart to be influenced by the size of a plate, the shape of a glass or a distraction such as television, a movie or a computer.

In reality, all of these unconscious, or "mindless" actions result in direct sabotage of our nutrition goals. I see it every day all around me. Partly because the way I eat is normally very mindful, I notice the way everyone else eats, even when they don't. Yet, when I go out to eat at a restaurant, I often fall "victim" to the very same things I advise people to be aware of. I eat more than I need to, even if I'm full, just because there is still food on my plate, or I'll drink more if the glass is huge - and it is, at Pita Jungle!

I've been incorporating some important points made in Mindless Eating into the advice I give my nutrition clients. They're really simple steps everyone can start using immediately, at their very next snack or meal time.

For example, I often tell folks to just use smaller plates at home or at buffets. Studies have shown that the larger the plate, the more you will serve yourself, and the more you will eat - even if you're full. If you're buying plates for your home, choose a set that includes dishes no bigger than 10 inches for dinner plates, 8 inches for salad plates and 7 inches for soup bowls. If you're at a buffet, depending on where it is, the dinner plates may be huge. In such a case, use a salad plate for your meal.

Similarly, the larger the container that the food is coming from, the more you are apt to serve yourself - an average of 20% more than you intended to, according to researchers - unless you're mindful and weigh and portion everything out. Buying in bulk is often a recipe for nutritional disaster, rather than a money-saving tactic. People who buy in bulk often over-eat the snack foods from the bulk containers the first five days or so after they shop, - barrels of pretzels,Twizzlers, nuts or trail mix come to mind. After that, they've either burned out on the snacks or have eaten them all! If they've burned out on the snacks, they are stored and forever forgotten. Money saved or money wasted on these bulk quantities? The best thing to do if you do buy snack foods in bulk is to portion them into snack sized baggies the moment you get home from the wholesale club. You'll think twice before reaching for a second snack bag, turning a mindless decision into a conscious one.

That leads me to the "barriers" tactic. Place barriers, or additional steps, between you and food. Why? This gives you an opportunity to think about what you're about to do, and make a decision to eat or not eat something. A study performed on a group of secretaries in an office illustrates this point. These secretaries were all given a container of chocolates. Some were instructed to put them on their desk, some in a drawer at arm's reach, and some on top of a filing cabinet where they have to stand up and walk to it to get a piece of chocolate. Furthermore, some were clear, some were white, some covered, some uncovered. The secretaries who had to take the fewest steps, mindlessly ate more chocolates. Similarly, those who could see the chocolates also ate more than those who could not.

In addition to placing portions into snack bags, other "barriers" include serving yourself a portion into a bowl or dish in the kitchen, and then taking your food into another room to eat. You will have to think about getting up, going back to the kitchen and taking out the food container for a second serving. This gives you several barriers, or stopping points where you can think about whether or not you really need that second serving.

What about drinks? According to researchers at Cornell University, the "height" of the fluid in a glass is usually your visual cue that you've poured enough, and you will pour more into short, wide glasses. Even professional bartenders overpoured! A solution would be to replace your large tumblers and short/wide glasses with tall, skinny glasses ("highball" glasses). If you enjoy a glass of wine, consider replacing your balloon wine glasses with regular wine glasses. Interesting side note: the same researchers noticed that people will pour more red wine than white wine into the same size glass! Keep that in mind, too!

One other tactic that is often advised, but I will reiterate here both for you readers - and for myself! - is to slow down when you are eating. Pause to sip some water, chat with your dining companions and let your stomach process some of that food. They say takes 20-25 minutes for you to realize that you're full. If you inhale your meal in two minutes, you may overeat, especially if it's a restaurant meal, where the servings are much larger than necessary.

I could go on for a while here, talking about all the ways we all tend to screw up our diets without realizing it, but these are some of the major points, and they're not hard to implement, now that you are aware of them! Even if you don't immediately go into your kitchen and start making changes, the next time you reach for a cookie at the meeting, or sit down for dinner, chances are you'll remember some of the information you just read and suddenly it won't be so "mindless" anymore!

MONTHLY Q&A:

Q: What sort of time frame should I give myself when trying to lose weight?

A: The time frame that you give yourself is going to depend on several things: how commited you are, your current level of fitness, prior injuries, and your current level of health (metabolism, hormone levels, etc). These are all factors that play a part in how quickly your can drop body fat and reach your goal.

The biggest problem I find is that people don't establish any sort of time line when they set out to accomplish a fitness goal. They simply say "I want to lose weight." Unfortunatley, this is a completely open-ended statement, and what a person is really saying is, "I want to lose weight but I am not ready to give it a 100% effort." In order to accomplish a weight loss goal (or any goal, for that matter), it has to be a specific goal and you must set a specific time frame in which you plan to accomplish said goal.

Once you know what you want and when you want it by, you have to devise a plan. Look over your plan and know the price that you are going to have to pay to get what you want. Finally, pay that price. Whatever it takes, carry out your plan. If that means super-strict dieting and rigorous training five days a week, then stick to it. As we saw in this week's feature article, you need to have +90% compliance with your plan to really see the results.

So, how do you know what plan to follow? This is where most people fall short. They have the right intentions, but they are executing the wrong plan. The first thing that you have to look at is your nutrition. If I had to pick a number, I would say that 70-80% of the total equation is about diet and nutrition. You can train devotedly and do everything right in the gym, but if you are not dialed in with your nutritional intake, you are not doing to be dialed in on your results. The other 20-30%, in my opinion, is an even split between training and recovery.

Making sure that you have a good training program, specific to your goals, will maximize the results of your diet. When put together in a comprehensive program, diet and training will help you create the caloric deficit you need to lose body fat and reach your goal.

Most people, however, do not have the right plan. This is why they seek out fitness professionals (trainers and performance coaches), nutritionists and dieticians to help them get specific with their program. Fitness professionals can be very valuable not in only helping you get on the right plan, but teaching how to live by that plan, and make that plan a life-long habit. Afterall, the most important thing isn't just LOSING the fat, it is KEEPING it off for good!

If you want some help devising your plan, take advantage of my offer for a free week of training (above)!

Do you have a question you'd like to see answered in next month's Q&A column? Email your question to pward@corlcinic.com