Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail

If there is one reason that people do not achieve their goals, it is failing to plan. The usual cycle goes something like this: feel inspired/motivated to change, make 10 changes at once to try and reach goal as fast possible, become frustrated when it does not happen quickly enough, decide that it is too much work, give up on goal. The problem here is twofold: 1) Taking on too much, 2) Jumping in without a plan.

Too Many Changes

The first issue comes down to our ability to establish new behaviors. We are very much creatures of habit: when we try to change our habits, it can be difficult to maintain those new behaviors. This is why taking one step at a time will always lead to better, more sustainable results. And that’s just the point, sustainability. I can’t tell you how many people say, “I’m going to just drop the weight and then maintain.” That’s like saying, “Let me just cheat on my entrance exam and THEN I will start studying.” It doesn’t work that way. Because even if you do lose the weight, how will you have any idea what means to maintain? Maintenance implies that you have healthy habits already in place, and this takes practice and repetition.

Action Without Planning…

The second issue comes down to willpower…of which humans have very little. We do not have self-control, so we MUST PLAN AHEAD! Removing barriers will become just as important as establishing new behaviors. If you want to start eating better, it is not enough to decide what you will eat and avoid all the rest, you have to take action! Remove ALL food items from your home that do not fall into the plan. Start cooking for yourself so that you do not have to go out to eat. If you know you will be going out, look at the menu before and decide what you will eat. If you need to start moving more, set a time to exercise that will not likely conflict with other obligations, and then put it on your calendar. If you go after work, avoid going home before the gym. If you can, go before work and get it out of the way early. Think about what you will do when you get there, and how you will progress your training over time. Find a workout buddy to keep you accountable. The starting of a new habit means nothing without the proper planning to reinforce that habit.

The Starting Line

So decide today—what would you like to achieve in the next 3 months? Write down all things that you will have to do to get there. Then write down all the things that could potentially stop you from getting there. Once you have these two lists, it is time to figure out what your first action will be to help you move toward your goal. Pick just one habit to change (drink more water) and then plan how you will achieve that (carry water bottle). If you can do this for 2 weeks, it is time to pick another habit to add on. Keep this up, and you will have formed 6 new habits in the next 3 months and 26 new habits in the next year! Just think of how different your life, health, and happiness could be if there were 26 actions you took every day related directly to your goals. The sky is the limit, but you have to start at square one. 

Loss of a Legend

As many of you know, Jack Lalanne, one of the most influential individuals on the world of health and fitness, passed away last night. Here is a nice article that talks more about all that he accomplished, but I want to add just one thing. What I will remember and admire most about Jack Lalanne is the fact that he, as much as anyone could be, was ALIVE. He spent every day of his life doing what he loved, practicing what he preached, and was healthy, able bodied, and happy for all 96 years of his life. And this is really what it is all about. This is the definition of longevity. Not that you will live forever, but that you will live to your potential. So let’s celebrate and remember by following in his footsteps and living life to the fullest!

The Role of Cardio

Cardiovascular training is most commonly known for movements that increase your lung capacity, ability to use oxygen, circulation, and endurance. This includes running, biking, and swimming, but it can also include strength training. Each of these will help to burn calories and body fat, reduce stress and improve overall health and well-being. Cardiovascular activity can be broken into two categories: aerobic (with oxygen) and anaerobic (without oxygen). The best way to incorporate cardiovascular training is in a way that supports your goals.

Aerobic Training

Aerobic activity is best used as a means of recovery and maintenance. This type of activity should be very light, such as walking, hiking, or going for a light swim or bike ride. If you have ever heard of the “fat burning zone,” this is the intensity of exercise that would keep you in this zone. Unfortunately, while low intensity exercise does utilize fat more than sugar, it does not actually help to burn more total fat. During steady state aerobic work, the body uses fat most efficiently, meaning that it burns fat very slowly. It may be the main fuel source, but you just do not need much fuel for slow, easy exercise. Add to this the ease with which your body recovers from this type of exercise and your net fat loss for this type of training is limited. If your goal is fat loss, this should be used sparingly (meaning you should be involved in other types of exercise instead) and for recovery purposes only. If your goal is general health, enjoy these activities more freely.

Anaerobic Training

Anaerobic activity is what you will want to focus on for fat loss and enhanced cardiovascular endurance and recovery. This type of activity is demanding and requires your body to work hard both during and after your training to recover. The more common forms of anaerobic training are circuit training and interval training. Circuit training involves moving from one exercise to the next with little-to-no rest, completing 5-10 exercises before taking a longer break. This type of exercise most commonly includes a combination of body weight movements, barbell/dumbbell exercises, kettlebell exercises, and more. Interval training involves working at a high intensity for a set period of time, then taking a recovery break for a set period of time. This type of exercise is most commonly used while training on a bike, treadmill, or rower. In participating in this type of training, you will be asking your body to work hard for a short period of time and then recover. While you will not burn as many calories during the training, you will end up burning more total calories and fat because of the effort your body has to put in to recover from the workout.

How Much?

It all depends. The first question: what are your goals? The second: are you already strength-training?  If your goal is to look and feel your best, then you should really be most concerned about establishing a solid strength-training program first.  Only after you have this in place does it make sense to ADD more traditional forms of aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Let us assume that your goal is fat loss and that you are currently strength-training 2-3 days per week. If you really want to focus in on your goal, add 1-2 days of anaerobic training on your off days. Luckily, this type of training can produce a positive response with as little as 4 minutes of work (but it has to be intense!). When you are first starting, try adding 5-15 minutes of high intensity cardiovascular exercise just one time per week and see how you feel. You need to be able to recover from all of your workouts, so if you notice that this training is negatively impacting your strength days, then go for less time, or cut it out until you feel more proficient in your strength training. Once you have set a base with your strength work and your anaerobic work, then you can think about adding aerobic activity here and there.

One last note: try to make this fun. We spend so much of our time in the gym doing things that we “have” to do, why not mix it up and keep it enjoyable. As long as it gets you breathing and forces you to work hard, you will see results. So go hard, have fun, and start working toward your goals!

Fat Loss vs.Weight Loss

Nine out of every ten people who will walk through my doors this year will be after one thing: weight loss. Whether they know it or not, the moment they have decided that weight is the most important factor, they have already set themselves up for failure.

This is not to say that weight is not important. Many people who set that goal would do well to lose a few pounds. The problem, however, is that this mindset has two inherent flaws. 1) If you think it’s just about weight, there are 101 ways to get that number down, not all of them healthy or sustainable. 2) If you take a healthy approach, you probably will weigh more than your goal because of increased muscle mass. As many of you have probably heard, muscle is more dense than fat. So a woman who weights 150lbs, composed of only 15% body fat, will look dramatically different from a woman of the same weight, who has 40% body fat. So regardless of the “ideal” weight either of these women would like to achieve, the only things that really matters is do they look, feel, and perform the way they want?

When we start to change how we think about our bodies and our weight, it becomes clear that body composition and fitness goals should be attained through fat loss and lean muscle tissue gain, not weight loss. A minimum of 25% of weight lost quickly (more than 2.5 pounds per week average) will be lost from lean muscle tissue.  If 25% or more of the weight you lose is from lean muscle tissue, you will easily regain the lost weight, and will likely gain additional weight.

What we find is that while you can lose weight rapidly through under-eating and over training (or being overly stressed), much of the lost weight is due to the breakdown of muscle tissue. As a result, you actually become less healthy, have a decreased metabolism, and set yourself up for rapid weight gain.

On the other hand, when you provide your body with the food and nutrients it needs, are well rested, and have a smart training program, you initiate fat loss and develop a healthier metabolism. This is the golden ticket to health, longevity, and looking your best. While rapid weight loss may be temporarily satisfying, it can only result in an unhealthier and unhappier you. If you want the best for your body, start thinking fat loss and you will be setting yourself up for success.

Happy New Year’s and Welcome Back!

Thank you all for your patience and support as I have been working to transition to my new studio! It has been a busy but exciting time, and I am happy to announce that Mint Condition Fitness is now officially open for business. As you will see, things have changed quite a bit with a new look for the webpage, significantly more information concerning what I do and how I do it, and you can look forward to a more active blog now that things have settled down around the gym.

My continuing goal is to motivate and educate. Please read through the material, ask questions, reflect, and commit yourself to achieving that goal that you have been putting off for too long. It is a new year and a new beginning. Everything starts fresh and if you believe that you can make a change this year, you will. My advice—pick just one thing to work on and start planning your success. Write down your goal, decide how long it should take you to achieve that goal, and then start tracking to keep yourself honest. If you do not know where you want to be, and do not track yourself along the way, how are you going to know when you get there? 

So let’s start off 2011 on the right foot and plan for our successes! I am looking forward to all that can be achieved this year and wish you the best as we move forward. Thank you all, again, and keep a look out for new content on the blog every 1-2 weeks.

Happy New Year’s!