Sunday, May 26, 2013

15 minute workout

Even when you cant make it to the gym, there's always something you can do. Try this simple 15 minute workout that you can do from home. Trust me, its so easy that even a child can do it!!!!


Sunday, May 19, 2013

Slimming Body Wraps: Do they really work???

 As a fitness professional; its my job to teach people safe and effective exercise techniques. Also, being as though I personally lost a lot of weight; I feel that it is my duty to inform individuals about diet/exercise fads, misinformation or flat out lies.

One diet/exercise fad that I'm constantly hearing about lately is the "slimming/body wrap". At dinner one evening, my cousins fiance was telling me how wonderful the body wraps are; so I thought I would do a little research for myself.......I had to see what all the hype was about!!!
 
 After researching about 3 or 4 different body wrap distributors as well as a few "homemade" body wrap methods I noticed that they all promised the same things:
  • lose weight, 
  • shed love handles, 
  • get rid of cellulite and stretchmarks 
All the promised benefits mentioned above are supposedly accomplished by placing the "slimming wrap" around ones "problem areas" and leaving it for 45 minutes or more...........Now, I know for sure that I'm not the "sharpest knife in the drawer" and I definitely dont have all the answers.......but these claims are not possible. And this is why:

  • First of all, losing weight is all about basic math. One pound is equivalent to 3,500 calories. So, for one to lose weight and/or fat, calories must burned by exercising or simply reducing calories from the diet. 
  •   Secondly, it is impossible to lose weight from one part of the body or shed love handles only". When weight/fat loss occurs; it will come from all over the body. The final outcome will largely depend on your genetics and how fat is distrubuted throughout your body. This process will be different for each individual.

  • And lastly, the weight and/or inches that individuals seem to lose come from water weight. If one were to check their body fat percentage before and afterwards, it would be clear that no amount of fat was ever lost. Also, according to an article posted on ABC News.com........ This technique is similar to hot yoga: "You'll put back on any weight you lose once you start drinking," says Dr. Peeke............ Your skin might appear tighter for a couple of days afterward, as the caffeine in many of these wraps temporarily constricts skin, notes Elizabeth Tanzi, MD, a dermatologist in Washington, D.C.
  
I wrote this article knowing full well that eating healthy exercising is time consuming and sometimes frustrating for a lot of people. Every week at least one individual will tell me that "they simply dont have the time". However, my answer to that is always the same......"we make time for whats important"!! And I believe that it's a waste of time using body wraps for weight loss!!!!

With all the time spent on- buying/ordering the product, using the product ( 5-20 minutes) and sitting around waiting for the product to work (45 min or more)...........One could have been to the gym and back!!!! And on top of that save a ton of $$$$.

When it all boils down to it; eating healthy and exercise is the only weight loss method that that will last. If you want to just waste $$$ and time, keep trying all the "lose weight quick" methods. However, if you want to seriously improve your health..........you know what you got to do...........and always remember that:

 "Time is the only thing that we cannot make or buy, use what time you do have wisely"!!


 



 


Sunday, May 12, 2013

Its all about habits!!

If you've ever started a diet or exercise program and after only a few weeks you felt like it was too difficult..............Remember these two things:

  1.  It will get easier over time and
  2. "To get the maximum benefits from eating healthy and exercise; you must get to the point where these actions are part of your daily life.........in other words; Eating "right" and exercising should be a habit!"
Watch the video below to see how long it takes to develop a habit........









The link below is the source of my information.

spring.org.uk/2009/09/how-long-to-form-a-habit-.php

Sunday, May 5, 2013

How I became a Personal trainer......Before and After Photos!

240 lbs. !!
A lot of people don't believe  me when I tell them that "I used to weigh 240 lbs". Some think I'm joking or even exaggerating. However, those that really know me and the life that I used to live will tell you that I was  a "Big Boy"!!!

I wasn't always a big guy. Yet, due to a lot of bad lifestyle choices I gained about 70 lbs in 12 months. I was eating and drinking whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted; and even though my health was slowly declining, exercise never even crossed my mind.

I initially began exercising in 2003 when a few of my friends "persuaded" (or basically forced) me to. They knew just as well as I did that my health was terrible. Now that think back, I thank God for these guys because no matter how much I wanted to give up, they wouldn't take "NO" for an answer.........

 After a few months of exercising with my friends, I started to see MAJOR changes in my body. And on top of that, my love for exercise was growing stronger and stronger each time I went to the gym. At first working out was like swallowing bad tasting medicine. But after several months (and plenty of physical results) exercise became very therapeutic..........

Fast forward 2 years later and I went from exercising 2 times a week, to 5-6 times per week. At this point, exercise was a part of my everyday life. I had also begun to study/read about exercise and nutrition; which was what lead me to get my first Personal Trainer Certification in 2006.........

As I reflect back on everything that lead me up to this point, I cannot help but thank God for allowing me to go through everything I've been through. My health issues have actually helped me to become a more humble person and a better trainer. As a Personal Trainer; I'm able to:
  • relate to the person who smokes cigarettes (been there)
  • understand the person who over-eats. (see photo)
  • easily sympathize/relate with the individual who is overweight and wants to get the excess weight off and keep it off. (see photo)
   156 lbs!!



I hope my short testimony will inspire someone to get started on the path to health and fitness. If you need help, or simply dont know where to start, feel free to contact me at:  mackwayne1980@gmail.com  or
http://www.facebook.com/reon.mcilwain