Sunday, February 24, 2013

Dont feel like exercising??

What do you do on days when you simply don't feel like exercising? I'm not talking about the normal "I dont feel like it"......Im talking about the " kids are driving you crazy"; or the -"you haven't had but 3 hours sleep"; dont feel like it". You know the one I'm talking about. Today, (2/24) I had a day like that. I woke up feeling like "trash". The last thing on my mind was exercise. Im thanking God  for giving me the strength/wisdom to walk for 30 min .......He knows that I didnt want to do it. Dont get me wrong, I felt much better afterwards, but I really didnt want to do it.


Now my question for whoever is reading this is : What do you do in situations like that?? Do you tell yourself "Ill make it up another day". Or do you half-heartedly go through a strenuous routine.

Well, If you want to exercise smarter, a simple solution to use when you just dont feel like it is to deviate from the plan a little bit. Try these "smart tips":
  1. Take a casual walk for about 20-30 min.
  2. Stretch and massage your muscles for about 10-15 minutes.
  3. Or do Half of whatever you had planned to do. Half the sets, half the weight, half the reps, half the distance, half the intensity, etc.

The key to exercising smarter is looking at it with a "long term" mindset. We want to get into a habit of doing something instead of nothing. Nothing about  is exercise is etched in stone.........except that we must do it safely and consistently. 

****Always remember that we feel much better mentally and physically after weve done what were supposed to do.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

How important is good eating habits?

No matter how long or hard you exercise, if you have bad eating habits, you will NEVER reach your peak fitness levels..........

 When you take into account everything needed to maintain physical well being (eating healthy, consistent exercise and rest), what you eat makes up 70-80% of the equation.
With that being said it's imperative that each of us find a healthy meal plan that we can stick to.


I know for sure that there are many opinions on what constitutes as "eating healthy". Some take the extreme self denial approach (no sugar, no starch, no fat, no-no-no). While others "think" healthy eating is a salad with tons of cheese and ranch dressing. In reality both of these eating styles are
short-sighted. The first will make you crazy and the latter is sure to keep excess pounds around your mid-section. From my experience, I believe that a healthy eating plan should be practical first and foremost. A practical meal plan, is one that is equally beneficial for the  mind and body.

When one sets out to create a practical meal plan; it must be based on individual preference; while at the same time following some basic guidelines. Use the simple formula below to map out you meals:

At least 6 days a week, each of your meals should be structured in this order- lean/low fat protein, high fiber carbs, and healthy fats.*Use starchy carbs (white rice, white bread, potatoes, pasta) and simple sugars (candies cakes, etc) sparingly.

Sounds simple enough. Right????

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Plans fail for lack of counsel........but.........

The other day I was teaching a middle age female some resistance exercise techniques and
as we were talking, she said something that "struck a nerve" with me.................She told me that "all she really wanted to do was lose her stomach and her hips".

Immediately my brain went into overdrive trying to think of the best way to tell her that its IMPOSSIBLE to lose weight in one area of the body (spot reducing). Those that know me will tell you that I don't believe in sugar coating my words when it comes to health/fitness. However, I do like to get my point across in a way that my trainees can understand.

So I did my best to explain to her that when we lose weight/fat, we cant pick and choose where we want it to come from. Our bodies use fat from all over. And from my experience; the stomach area is THE hardest(and sometimes the last) area to lose fat at. I also informed my trainee that if she really wanted to reduce the size her mid-section, she must reduce her overall body fat percentage.Which she can easily do with the basic fat loss routine we put together for her:

Routine for fat loss (works best while used with a proper diet)

*4 days a week: 30-45 minutes of  low intensity cardio sessions at 60-70% target heart rate.
  220- age x 60% 

*2 out of the 4 days incorporate some light resistance exercises; preferably a full body circuit routine. A circuit routine involves performing a series of high rep exercises for each major muscle group.For example:
                                     3 sets(20 reps) bench press
                                     3sets (20 reps) squats,
                                     3sets (20 reps) lat pull downs


I hope she sticks to the routine that we have in place for her. I have faith that she will. Yet no matter what happens, at least I know that she has the knowledge that she needs to reach her goals.
When it comes to making a health/fitness plans; many people miss the mark because they don't have the right information.

Proverbs 15v22 says it best, "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many adviser's they succeed".
The Bilbe (NIV)

I say all this to say...................."If you're not sure about how to carry out your plans and/or reach your health/fitness goals; please get some advice".

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Consistency!!!

One of the smartest things that you can do when it comes to health/fitness, is to simply stay consistent! Consistency is the glue that holds any good fitness plan together.

Consider for a moment what the word consistency means...............Consistency can be roughly  defined as a "dedicated conformity to a specific set of principles, actions, or beliefs".

With that being said, for us to achieve lasting health benefits; we have to be dedicated to eating right and exercising on a regular basis. It doesn't take much. Research shows that by simply reducing overall calories and exercising 2-3 days  a week; one can significantly improve health and fitness levels.

I know that we cant go through life without homemade chocolate chip cookies (my favorite) and all the other good things that we like. However, we can and need to be dedicated when it comes to our health. It is very possible for us to eat right and exercise at least a few days out of the week. No one will be perfect. But simply getting into the habit of doing something will be a whole lot better than doing nothing. Make time for whats important.

Consistency Tip-  Drink one 8 oz. glass of water before and after each meal.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

What is "exercising smart"?

When I talk to individuals about health/fitness (regardless of where they are on the fitness path) I always stress the importance of eating and exercising smart. Many times I get the question "what does that mean"? Well, eating and  exercising  Smart consists of two factors:

1. Having a specific goal/plan in mind (what, where when, and how much) 
2. Staying consistent

Having a specific goal in mind is smart because once you know where you want to be health wise; its easier to take the necessary steps needed to get to your destination. To give you a example of how critical setting goals are; I'll use myself for an example of what NOT to do.........

Back when I first started exercising, I use to work out with a 3 other guys. We would all go to the gym and basically "throw weights around" 5 days a week. None of us knew much about goals/plans, or why we were even there in the first place. All we knew is that we wanted to "get strong" and "out do" each other.............
After about 3 months of these "testosterone fueled workouts"; everyone's elbows and knees' were super sore. At times; my elbow felt as if it were constantly being hit with a hammer! I didn't realize at the time that what we were doing (lifting heavy weights everyday) wasn't a sustainable plan.  Needless to say, our  I little exercise crew broke up within a few months. We all used various excuses/reasons why we couldn't exercise together anymore. But we  all  knew that we were just too sore to go on. This is what happens when you don't have a plan or goal in mind. 


Staying consistent goes hand in hand with having a specific goal. One could have the most elaborate eating/exercise plan,yet still not come close to reaching the goal. We can  hire the best trainers, and buy the latest/greatest fitness programs; yet if were not consistent, our plans will fail. Consistency is simply putting in the work and effort a regular basis.


These are the two core components of exercising smart.


Thursday, February 7, 2013

Introduction

Allow me to introduce myself............

My name is Reon Mcilwain. I'm a Personal Trainer and an all around fitness enthusiast for  over a decade now.  I haven't always been on this path. At one point in my life I knew nothing about exercising and healthy eating. These things were like a "foreign language" to me! But as with everything in life, "time brings about change"!!

As I look back on my experiences within the realm of health and fitness; I can see that this lifestyle has  opened doors for me that I could not have imagined. Ive  meet alot of great people and Ive been able to help many individuals obtain and maintain their health and fitness goals. I even lost
80 lbs along the way! Which I'll speak more about in later posts.........

For now,  I want to inform those that are reading this my reasoning for creating this blog in the first place..............

I initially created this blog to simply inform others how they could eat and exercise smarter, not harder. I would like to share some of the practical wisdom that Ive learned from watching others and dealing with my own shortcomings. I do realize that there's a ton of health/fitness info out there. However, I feel that I have some valuable input as well.

Before I leave, I want to share with you what I always tell those that are "striving" for better health:

"Exercise doesn't necessarily have to be hard, But if you plan to be healthy/fit for a lifetime, its mandatory that you exercise smart!!


Until next time....................