While this might not be exactly a weight loss myth, I think it is very important to start this article with this myth. This is a very common misconception amongst a lot of people. Being thin does not necessarily mean you are healthy. There are plenty of people who are thin but struggle with eating disorders, depression, or are just in a state of total body breakdown.

From the outside, these people are skinny, and will do anything to stay that way, but do not look all that healthy. Their muscle mass is usually fairly low and usually look older than their age. Now I am not trying to convince you that being overweight is healthy for you but just being thin is not the goal. Your goal should be to get healthy in order to lose weight NOT the other way around.
 

2. “The only way to lose weight is to restrict calories and go low carb”

Traditional wisdom tells us that we must eat less and move more to lose weight. While this is true to a certain point, make sure you do not take this to the extreme. Too many people severely reduce their caloric intake, especially carbohydrates, while trying to lose weight.

While this might work in the short term it will only screw your body up. Long-term deprivation will lead to a lowered metabolism and increase in stress hormones. This will proceed to gaining at least all of the weight back.

Instead of deprivation, aim for substitution. You do not have to eliminate carbs to lose weight. Instead substitute starchy carbs for more fruits, vegetables and sweet potatoes. You can eat more starchy carbs right after workouts in order to help replenish your muscles but substitute for your other meals.

 3. “I only make progress when the scale goes down”

Too many of us get caught up caring about if our scale weight has changed. The most common goals we see are “I want to lose _______ pounds.” Even when they make great progress, if the scale doesn’t go down they get upset.

Instead, focus your thoughts and energy on body composition and fat loss. This whole article should be titled “10 Fat Loss Myths” as that is what we all are really after. Ditch the scale and use different methods to check your progress. One of our favorites is very simple: are your clothes fitting differently? This is the simplest way to see and feel what changes are going on in your body. Otherwise, ask a CORE coach to help you take body fat and girth measurements. This will give you actual data on what is changing over time.

 4. “I can just outwork a bad diet”

Have you ever used exercise as an excuse to eat bad food? Or maybe it’s the other way around and you use exercise as almost a punishment for poor nutrition. No matter which way you have used it, you can never outwork a bad diet.

Fat loss is 80% nutrition! What you put in your body really matters and no amount of exercise can change that. Don’t get me wrong, movement matters. But thinking you can eat whatever you want and make it up through extra exercise is never going to work. Eat real food, exercise properly for you body and notice the change you can produce!
 

5. “I need to use supplements in order to lose weight”

More and more supplement companies are coming out with their own 30 Day Challenges or 7 Day Cleanses. Sure it is great to kick start your journey to better health but you do not need to pay extra money for supplements. More are filled with artificial ingredients and will not make much of a difference at all.

If you would like to do some sort of challenge or cleanse, use real food instead. How about going gluten free for a month? Or try to not eat processed food for a week? These will be much more beneficial to your health and fat loss journey than drinking shakes.

Remember, supplements are meant to be just that: a supplement to your real food lifestyle; not a replacement. If you are not already eating a diet full of real, natural foods you have no business taking supplements. Get the right foods in your body first and see how you feel. If you still think you need something extra, then look at adding in supplements.

There are a few select supplements that CORE approves of that you cannot (or is very tough) to get in naturally. A few include gelatin and vitamin D3. Talk to a coach about these if you are interested.

Stay tuned for Part 2 later this week…

There are three main points to consider when choosing your post workout meal:

1-     Timing

2-     Composition

3-     Digestion

Timing

Let’s start with timing.  It is so very important to eat within thirty minutes to an hour upon completion of your workout.  Our muscles (and many other tissues) are in need of nourishment after they used nutrients and energy to perform the workout.  We need to restock the nutrients our bodies need in order to feel good, grow muscle and regulate hormones.  Eating shortly after a workout will also keep the body from running on stress hormones (*check out our post from earlier in the month). 

Composition

The composition of our post workout meal is of course important as well.  Eating high quality, real food is the best way to give your body nutrition.  Processed foods contain ingredients made in science labs instead of in nature and are going to give your body processed results.  Although processed foods have calories, they don’t have much nutrition.  Not every calorie is created equally!  Opt for real foods as often as possible.  If you’re in a pinch, a bar or shake will suffice but try not to make a habit out of the quick fix “meal”.  Aim to eat a selection of foods containing carbohydrate, fat and protein.  Our brain and muscles need glucose (carbohydrates), our muscles need protein and fat helps to regulate digestion and is a building block for all hormones in the body.  Eating these three together will also ensure your blood sugar stays balanced through out the day, avoiding that mid-morning or afternoon “crash”.

Digestion

Digestion is the third important component related to nutrition and workout recovery.  If you’re not digesting your food, proper timing and good composition of your meals doesn’t matter too much.  We need to be able to digest our food in order to reap the rewards of the nutrients and energy that food has.  Stress hormones are back again, providing us with another reason why we want to keep those in check!  If we are in “fight or flight”, our body will not want to digest food.  If we are in “rest and digest” mode, we will want to digest food!  If you feel bloated in your lower abdomen after eating a meal, you probably aren’t digesting your food too well.  Breathing and walking can be helpful tools to switch our body back over to “rest and digest”.  Take a few deep and slow breathes before eating, or maybe take a leisurely walk outside for a few minutes first.  Anything else that relaxes you and turns the mind off will do!

We have gone over how different energy systems, sleep and nutrition can all impact your recovery from workouts.  To optimize all the effort you place into your workout, remember to take care of yourself those other 23 hours each day!  Take time to relax and get off your stress hormones.  Get restful and quality sleep each night.  Eat real food shortly after your workout, when your body is in a relaxed state to digest properly.

Next up is Sleep. Sleep might be one of the most underrated aspects of health and fitness out there. Sure people understand that they need more sleep and usually are not getting enough but do they ever do anything about it? Not usually. Instead they add in more training volume or try some new fad diet where you can only eat between the hours of 3-5pm.

Now don’t get me wrong, movement and nutrition are vitally important to health. However, you cannot forget about recovery and primarily sleep.

Why sleep is important

I am not going to go in depth into all the physiological responses that happen when you sleep at night as I think the basics will do just fine. Plain and simple, during rest is when the body repairs itself. We spend most of the waking day breaking down our bodies in some way or another and this is the time where we can restore and start to rebuild.

Of course if you are trying to gain muscle, this is vital. You make progress when you are able to recover from your workout; not from the workout itself. This is a common misconception from many beginners. They think more is always better when in fact getting an extra couple hours of sleep would do more good than that extra set of curls.

If fat loss is your goal sleep is just as important. Did you know that you oxidize the highest percentage of fat while sleeping? If this doesn’t want to make you turn off the TV and go to bed earlier I don’t know what will! Do yourself and your body a favor and take your sleep habits seriously.

7 tips for the best sleep ever

1. Climb into a warm bed

Now this one might catch a lot of people off guard. Most people recommend keeping your bedroom very cool and if that works for you great. However, when you climb into an ice cold bed (you know where you have to curl up in the fetal position right away to stay warm), it automatically stimulates your stress hormones. If you are someone who wakes up at 2 or 3am to go to the bathroom every night take note. Spiking adrenaline will cause this midnight break so try using a warm bed for a couple weeks and see how you feel. This does not mean a hot bed or you should be sweating at all. Just do not make your room ice cold for proper hormone reactions.

2. Create a routine

Our bodies like routine. If you do the same thing every night before going to bed, your body will begin to realize this routine. You will fall asleep easier and be tired earlier if you follow the same pre-bed routine every night. This could be taking a warm shower, doing some light stretching and foam rolling, or even doing some deep breathing exercises. Just make it a routine and enjoy!

This also means trying to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. I know this can be tough between week days and the weekend but the closer you are to keeping these constant, the less stress you will put on your body. Remember, every hour you sleep before midnight is worth two so start hitting the hay around 9 or 10pm for optimal recovery.

3. Shut your mind off

If you have trouble falling asleep, one of the main culprits might be your mind. Many people have a tough time turning their mind off at night as thoughts keep bouncing around all night long. This can cause some very restless nights. Obviously just saying, “stop thinking about everything” will not work. However, you might want to try a brain dump. Keep a notebook next to your bed and if you are having a tough time shutting your mind off just start writing. Write down everything that is going on inside your head and it will help put you at ease.

4. Schedule out your next day

This goes along with number three but a lot of times we are stressing about what we have to do the next day. Taking 15 minutes before bed to plan out the following day will not only help keep your mind at ease but will also help you be much more productive the next day. This is a small tip that can make a huge difference in your whole life. Try it out for a week. I guarantee you notice a difference not only in your sleep patterns but also your productivity at work.

5.  Make the room as quiet as possible

You will achieve your best sleep without any interruptions and noise can be a big disruption. Some people sleep better with some white noise in the background, which is great. You can use a fan or a soft relaxing soundtrack if you know there will be loud noises during the night. I know this can sometimes be out of your control but try your best to eliminate loud noises that you can control.

6. Make the room as dark as possible

This probably does not need much explaining but light interferes with our natural sleep cycle. Make sure your room is as dark as you can get it. This might mean buying some blackout shades for your windows or getting creative with some towels but do whatever you have to do to keep it dark all night long. You can also use eyeshades but some people do not find them very comfortable. They can also come off during the night, defeating their purpose in the first place.

7. Ditch the electronics

This tip refers to all different types of electronics: TV, computers, iPads, smart phones, all of them! The glow off the screen stresses out your body and will disrupt the essential chemicals and hormones that will put you to sleep faster. This means that you should turn off the TV and computer at least an hour before bed. One thing that I have been using for the past couple months has been f.lux and I love it. It changes your computer screen to not look like the sun at night to help reduce the stress on your eyes and body. It is a slight adjustment that has made me feel much better.

The other aspect of ditching the electronics is to not use your phone as an alarm clock. I did this for the past few years and have recently bought an old school alarm clock instead. I know keep my cell phone is a different room at night. Not only will the radiation bother your sleep patterns but you can easily be woken up by the middle of the night text message. Don’t worry, it can wait until morning!

Quality over quantity

One last quick point: like most things that I talk about on this site, make sure you prioritize quality over quantity in your sleep. You might be sleeping 8 hours a night but if it is not good, restful REM sleep you are not recovering like you should. I do not like recommending a certain number of hours of sleep a night as everyone is different but if you need an alarm clock to wake up in the morning and do not feel rested, you are not getting enough quality sleep. Start by getting the best quality sleep possible and then work on increasing the number of hours.

If you follow these tips I am positive it will start to make a positive impact on your overall recovery and health. Our next post will talk about how you eating habits can help (or hurt!) your recovery. Check back in next month as May is all about weight loss here at CORE! Hope you all enjoyed this post and now go take a warm shower and go to bed!

So how do you actually make progress toward your health and fitness goals?

This seems like a simple question but I do not think most people realize the exact answer. Sure we can talk about moving more and eating less but what happens when you look deeper at your actual workout.

If we are talking specifically about your workout, did you know that you don’t make progress during your actual workout but only from how well you recover from it? Seems a little backward right away but really think about it.

When you perform a resistance training session you are actually stressing your muscles causing them to break down. The next process builds them back up stronger than before as a “super-compensation” from your workout. If you are not fully recovering from your workouts, you are never getting the full regeneration of your body and cannot make real progress toward your goals.

Recovery Strategies

There are three main strategies that will aid in your recovery:

• Sleep – both the quantity and quality you get per night
• Nutrition – what you eat after your workouts and how you replenish your body
• Hormones – which system is providing your energy throughout the day

This article is going to touch on how to optimize your body’s energy system to make sure the right hormones are working at the appropriate time.

Sympathetic vs Parasympathetic

You may have seen these different systems talked about before but we are going to make it nice and simple.

Your sympathetic system is also commonly referred to as your “fight-or-flight” response, running on stress hormones or even running on adrenaline. While these all might not technically be the exact same, for the basis of this article we will use them as synonyms.

Your parasympathetic system is almost the complete opposite. It is commonly referred to as your “rest-and-digest” system, or your anabolic hormones.

Both systems are always running, it just depends if you are relying on just one or are able to switch back and forth with ease.

Working Out is a Stressor

Exercising is actually a stressor to your body. While working out, generally your sympathetic (stress hormones) system will kick into gear. To recover properly from your workout, you need your parasympathetic system to start working. The sooner the better!

Here are a few tips to help start the recovery process even before leaving the gym:

To kick-start your recovery, try to slow down your body and mind right after your workout. This could be accomplished in a couple of different ways. It could be a slow foam rolling session or deep stretching routine right after your workout. It could be 10 deep diaphragmatic breaths. Even just sitting in a dark room or listening to relaxing music can accomplish this feat. Anything that help you quiet your mind and relax your body will do the trick.

My favorite of these is to take a couple minutes to work on my breathing. Proper breathing patterns will stimulate your parasympathetic system right away and you always feel great afteward. However, make sure you try different tactics and figure out what works best for you.

Sustained Energy

So we know that switching our system back into a non-stressful situation is a good thing to help us recover from our workouts but there is also another great benefit. Making this switch will help give you sustained energy throughout the rest of your day.

Most people love getting that energy high from exercise but then crash later on in their day. That is because they remained on adrenaline and that cannot be sustained throughout your whole day. By switching over the your parasympathetic system you will get a small boost in energy right away and feel it throughout the whole day.

Small increase, sustained throughout the day

Quick increase, crash later

First Step in Recovery

So there you have it, your first step toward better recovery from your workouts. This will help you reach your goals quicker and more efficiently as well as keep you healthier in your journey. All it takes is a couple minutes right after your workout while you are still at the gym but can make a world of difference in the end.

Talk with a CORE coach about which strategy might work the best for you and make the switch!

We will be back with more tips on how your sleep and nutrition can help get you to your goals later this month.

Stay healthy!

That is why we are very excited to share this new study with all of our members.

The study took 20 previously untrained women and lead them through a 12 week weight training program. They tracked and measured resting metabolic rate, fat-free mass and strength of all the participants. The group participated in 2 resistance training sessions a week and each session contained 6 different exercises.

I don’t want to spoil the whole study for you but guess what happened??

The results found that the study group decreased their body fat (through loss of fat and gain in muscle) and increased their strength. One of the really amazing aspects of this study was this was all done without nutritional changes!

What does this mean?

Exactly what we have been preaching for years. Women can and should be involved in a resistance training program if their goals are to lose body fat and stay healthy. This also means that you can ditch the pink 2 lb dumbbells and not have to worry about getting big and bulky. This does not mean that they cannot do any other type of training but trying to aim for at least 2 days of strength training can go a long way to helping you achieve your goals.

Let us know what you think!

Teri before CORE

“My name is Teri and I’m a book editor at American Girl. I sit. A lot!  Once I leave work I’m pretty active, but so much weekday chair time takes a toll, especially on my hips and back.  I started my 30s in bad shape. I was close to 200 pounds, and my blood pressure was high enough that my doctor was about to put me on medication. That scared me, and I knew I had to change my lifestyle. I signed up for Weight Watchers, joined a fitness center, and started taking yoga. Fourteen months later I’d lost 52 pounds and my blood pressure was normal. No medication! I felt great. I maintained good eating and exercise habits and kept my weight in a healthy range for 7 years.

When I turned 40, parts of me started to wobble and ache in strange new ways. I had hip surgery. The same old cardio workouts just weren’t as effective. It was getting harder to maintain my weight. I knew I had to take a new look at my health. But then life got very busy very quickly. In 2011 I got married, moved twice, and discovered, at age 42, that I was pregnant. I was in the middle of fantastically happy changes, but change of any kind brings stress.  I forgot to make my health a priority.  I gained 10 pounds before I got pregnant, and I gained another 40 over the next 8 months. The final trimester of my pregnancy was complicated. I developed gestational diabetes and a condition called polyhydramnios, or excessive amniotic fluid. Then the worst happened. Two weeks before her due date, our daughter’s heart stopped. Maeve was stillborn on March 15, 2012. My husband and I were devastated. There was no clear medical reason why our baby died. Grappling with our loss left me feeling like I didn’t have control over the things that mattered.

My husband and I were determined to start a family. Our doctors advised us to wait 6 months before trying again. In that time I knew I couldn’t make myself any younger, but I could make myself stronger and healthier.

I emailed several gyms for more information about their programs, and I got automatic replies from a couple of them. When I emailed CORE, a response not only came within the hour, but it came from a real person!  Kane and I set up a time for me to come to the gym, where I expected to get a tour and a price sheet, but instead I was led through an hour-long sample workout. I think I was hooked after the first 20 minutes. The work was challenging, and it was the sort of strength building I would never attempt on my own, but, I could do it!  And with each set, I could do it a little better. That was what I was looking for: the chance to improve.

I started working out at CORE once a week, and soon I was going twice a week.  Taking charge of my physical health was the best thing I could have done for my emotional health. Getting fit has kept me sane.  Having the support of Kane and all the trainers at CORE has made an enormous difference in my motivation, confidence, and knowledge. I love the variety of my workouts and the fact that I don’t just learn how to do an exercise but how it will help my overall health.

I’ve been a CORE member for 9 months now. I still sit for a living, but because I’m stronger, my hips and back don’t ache the way they used to.  It has been a difficult year, but it’s made me realize how much I need to take care of myself, even through busy and stressful changes. I’m a success-in-progress.”

Teri’s husband, Craig, even wanted to get in on the action and help celebrate his wife’s success. According to Craig, “The past year has been very difficult for Teri and myself. I am so pleased and proud of Teri’s many personal successes. We owe a lot of that success to the outstanding folks at CORE. I want to publicly thank Kane and the rest of his staff for making my wife a part of their family. You will never know truly know how much your program has meant to both of us.”

Don’t let Teri trick you by saying she is a success-in-progress. She is committed, fun and makes every session that she is at very enjoyable for all of us coaches and all of our other members. She also has the luxury of having a great support system at home. She is definitely quite a success that we have the joy of coaching!

Here is a quick video that Dr. Jason from Renewed Life Chiropractic agreed to film with us describing a little bit more about what chiropractic work really is. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q18GBvh099E

Renewled Life Chiropractic is very unique as Dr. Jason is SFMA Certified, which means we speak the same language back and forth between our FMS screen that we perform on our members. They understand that there needs to be more done on top of a basic adjustment to help make the changes stick and are very passionate about learning.

If you think you may be a good candidate for chiropractic work or would just like to try it out, check out Renewed Life Chiropractic sometime. They can be reached at 608-233-7750 and you can find more information at www.renewedlifechiropractic.com/.

“But doing it right makes it harder!”

“I love how I feel after working out”

“That exercise is tougher than it looks”

However, the one that we hear the most that is the most dangerous is…

“I already know that”

Be honest, how many times have you said these four words together? And it doesn’t have to be just related to fitness; it can be in any aspect of your life.

If everything was as simple as just knowing the information, why is our country so unhealthy? And why are we getting worse everyday? Is it lack of information? NO!

We probably have too much information out there but that is not the point. Everyone knows the basics for better health: Eat less. Move more. Stress Less.

If you just said “I already know that” then you know exactly what I am taking about.

Remember, “I already know that” will crush you! In all reality, you do already know the information. You are not lying when you say it but what it says is “I am not an action taker.”

Knowing and doing seem like they would be fairly close but that is not the case. There is a huge difference and that difference in ACTION.  This really separates those who are successful from those who are not, in all aspects of life.

Next time you catch yourself saying “I already know that” take a second and reflect. If you already know it, ask yourself why you haven’t taken action on it yet. Generally you will not have a good answer.

In this next week, commit to something you said you will do. Make sure this is something important and something you have been putting off for a while. Take action toward it right away. Keep doing it everyday. Turn “I already know that” into “I already did that!”

Start taking action on things in your life and reap the rewards!

The problem is that most people go about making this resolution totally wrong. They change everything around in their lives and push really hard for a couple weeks. After that, they realize that their new pace is not sustainable and fall back into their old patterns.

Did you know that if you try to adopt one new habit there is an 80% chance of succeeding but as soon as you try to adopt two new habits at once, that percentage falls to 30%? 3 new habits at once and it plummets to around 10% chance of making those habits sustainable. No wonder our typical resolutions never stick! We decide to totally change our diet, exercise 5x a week, and give up sweets all at once. This type of change is not sustainable no matter how good of intentions you have.

The other aspect of making habits stick is guaranteeing success. Our new habits have to be easy enough for us to do 90% of the time. If you pick too aggressive of a goal, as soon as you hit that first bump in the road everything falls apart. Maybe it won’t be the first time but I guarantee that if you continuously fail to achieve your goal you will stop trying very quickly.

You may be asking yourself, “So what should I do?”

Start out the new year with a long term goal. It might be a specific amount of weight loss, to run a 5k, or to heal a hurting shoulder. Pick a simple habit that will help you reach your goal. Make sure you are 90% confident that you can complete that habit for at least one full week. As soon as you have that habit down pat (1-2 weeks) move on to the next habit. Make sure that all the habits continuously build on each other and do not worry about picking something too small.

If you would like help on this process, check out CORE’s 6 Week Resolution Challenge. We will sit down with you and plan out 6 different habits that will give you a great head start to the New Year! This challenge is free for our current members and only $149 for all non-members. This includes 12 personal training sessions over the six weeks as well as nutritional suggestions and email/telephone support from our coaches. 

Start 2013 off right: New Year, New You!

don’t just survive; thrive! 

Tip 1: Keep a Healthy Mindset

Your thoughts and emotions control so much more in your body than most people realize. It is easy to let toxic thoughts and emotions enter our brain during the holidays. Instead, reflect on the past year and realize how lucky we all really are. This is the perfect time to give thanks and take into perspective what is really important. More than likely the things that you are worrying about right now will not be nearly as big of a deal down the road. In fact, you probably won’t even remember most of them next year. Enjoy yourself this holiday season and keep a positive outlook on life!

Whether it is at a friend’s house or at the office, holiday parties tend to not have many healthy food options.  If you arrive at a party hungry you are more apt to overindulge in unhealthy foods.  It is always a good idea to have a healthy snack prior to any holiday party.

Tip 3: Take Some Personal Time to De-Stress

We all know how harmful stress can be on our bodies and this time of year everyone’s stress levels seem to be heightened. Maybe it is trying to deal with some family members or just rushing around trying to get presents for everyone; whatever it may be, you need to take a break and have some relaxation time. This can be as simple as a slow 10 minute walk outside, taking a yoga class or even just reading a good book. Everybody deals with stress differently but make sure you take the time to help de-stress your body.

Tip 4: Don’t Skip Your Workouts

Exercising seems to get put on the back-burner around the holidays. While this is a busy time of year, try to make time to keep your body moving and feeling good. This might mean turning your usual 60 minute routine into a shortened 30 minute routine when you are rushed for time. This is still much better than skipping it entirely. Even just doing a 10 minute mobility circuit every day will do wonders for your body. Just keeping your joints moving will help you in January when you have the time to get back to your normal routine.

Tip 5: Don’t Beat Yourself Up

Chances are at one point or another you will slip up and either pig out at a party or skip your workout routine. Don’t beat yourself up about these small slip ups. We are not perfect and should get the chance to indulge once in a while. The mistake most people make is just saying “Well I already cheated so I might as well keep doing it.” Instead, recognize that you might not have made the best decision but that is ok and get back on track. This is no sense in punishing your self. Just recognize and move on!

Remember, true health is about balancing your nutrition, movement and mindset. Keep these in mind over the holiday season and set yourself up to really thrive!