It’s only the second week of January and the gyms are still packed with the usual “New Year’s Resolution” crowd.  This group will normally thin out by the end of February and we get our equipment back.  Why do you think this happens? After years of watching, training, and even coaching these particular New Year’s enthusiasts I can honestly say it is because they do not get the immediate results they had hoped for.

Let’s face it, we are a society of instant gratification and if we can buy it in a bottle we will. If we do not see fast results we throw our hands up and ask ourselves “Why bother? I don’t see the results I am looking for anyway!” Then we go home and resort back to our habitual bad eating and sedentary lifestyle. This also comes from our media that paints pictures of ‘Six Pack Abs in 6 Weeks!’ Trust me, you don’t get abs in six weeks unless you are genetically inclined, doing the perfect amount of cardio and weight training.  My husband has an amazing set of abs but did not get them in just six weeks! He puts the time and effort in his workouts and eating.  Let’s not forget he’s been athletic most of his life and leading a healthy lifestyle since college.

What we need to understand is you can’t start a program and expect to get results over night.  You have to set goals, plan, prepare, and most importantly stay consistent.  The first step is to start eating “clean”. What does clean eating mean?  For starters stop eating junk and fast food.  You should eat foods that are whole and not processed.  The second step is to control your portion sizes and not over eat every meal.  Aim for three meals and two snacks a day.  Pack your food for work and if you eat out go for a lean protein like chicken or fish, a whole grain starch like brown rice or whole wheat pasta, and a vegetable.  Stay away from fattening sauces and ask for dressing on the side.  It’s a matter of changing habits and taking baby steps.

Once you get the eating under control add exercise into your routine.  Put the gym membership you have been paying for every month to use.  Cardio burns calories, weight training increases lean muscle mass AND increases metabolic burn once you start developing good quality muscle.  Ladies pay attention! You will not get bulky from lifting weights unless you produce a large amount of testosterone.

I know this is probably stuff you have heard before but this year don’t give up.  It takes time to get results.  Set realistic goals, write them down, and then take the steps that will help you reach them. There are a lot of online programs that will guide you.  Sites like http://www.bodybuilding.com/offer great information and if that’s too intimidating check out Dr. Oz’s program Body Transformation http://doctoroz.sharecare.com/ What do you have to lose besides those extra pounds and additional inches you’ve added to your 2011 body? Remember, the only one that can make a change for yourself is you.

Sticking to Your New Years Resolution

Today I was thinking about the different clients that I have helped and asked myself how I can improve as their trainer,nutritionist, consultant, and friend. My clients (whom are also my friends), open up to me and the heart of most of their issues come from within. We battle with ourselves everyday and fail to realize we are our own enemies. One of the first things we need to do is love ourself before we can help ourself. Its a hard thing to realize but is one of the first steps we must take if we want to make any changes.

People think I’m crazy for putting myself through a competition diet and deprive myself of great food and drink but for me its an accomplishment to stick to my program and achieve my goals. My biggest challenge when I begin dieting for a show is me. I am the one that chose to compete, I am the one that has to wake up every day and stick to my plan. I know there are people that are waiting for me to fail but the only person I will truly let down is myself.

When you choose to change your lifestyle you are choosing to make major changes in your life. Your activity, food intake, where you buy your groceries, how you prepare your foods, including where you go out to eat and how you order. It’s not going to happen over night but the first thing we must do first is look in the mirror and love the person looking back at you.
When you decide to extend your hand to yourself, you can help the person in the mirror and help them become healthier, more energetic, and even a little hotter than before

The supplement industry has grown in the last twenty years.  With new products being introduced in the market no one can keep count.  When someone asks me what I would recommend for a multi vitamin I only talk about what I have personally taken and what has worked for me.  Dietary supplements are required to have a Supplements Facts panel and I generally trust what is on that panel.  Then looking towards the bottom of that label it clearly states, ‘These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration’.  Should I be worried?  To be honest with you, I would feel a lot better if the FDA approved it.  I know that if everything were to stop and a new law implemented the FDA to approve all vitamins, herbs, and supplements to be tested for validity, quality, and compliance, we would see a lot of companies go out of business and larger companies take over the industry.  This would be followed with the larger companies trying to gain control of people in Congress that make the laws behind these regulations and it will start mirroring the meat and poultry industry.  Currently the FDA does have regulations that monitor the supplement industry like the labels.  “FDA regulations require that certain information appear on dietary supplement labels” (FDA, 2009).  Claims about the product must be accurate and truthful, “This statement or “disclaimer” is required by law (DSHEA) when a manufacturer makes a structure/function claim on a dietary supplement label (FDA, 2009).  For the most part, the FDA does play a role in the supplement industry, but it isn’t until a product harms enough people that the FDA takes action to remove the ingredient or the product.  Overall, I would like to see supplements that have stimulants be approved while vitamins and herbs that work alone or together to meet deficiencies or optimal health continues being produced and marketed as is.  If a product is meant to treat you then the pharmacies already have a hold on it and they can go through protocol necessary for a drug.  Besides, we find vitamins A and C in our foods and I definitely don’t want to get a prescription for that.

References:

No author, FDA U.S Food and Drug Administration (Oct 14 2009)“Overview of Dietary Supplements”. Retrieved on April 1, 2011 from website:

http://www.fda.gov/Food/DietarySupplements/ConsumerInformation/ucm110417.htm#regulate