How Fitness Can Help You Deal With Life's Daily Stresses

One of the questions we get asked all the time is "Will fitness help me deal with the life's daily stresses?" The Answer is yes and in more ways than just being fit. Eating healthy and exercising regularly, even if it’s as little as daily walking, help you look and feel better both of which makes EVERYONE less stressful when compared to being out of shape.

We are not sure there is a better way to manage stress than exercise. It is well accepted in the scientific community that exercise counteracts stress-related disorders. Exercise has been proven to be a better strategy for treating depression than any drug on the market. The hormonal changes, including the release of endorphins during and following exercise, naturally soothe the entire body. Exercise and proper diet help keep the brain “young” - i.e. improves cognitive functioning by helping maintain the integrity of your brain cells just like exercise and diet improve your muscle cell functioning. And finally, both short-term exercise and long-term aerobic exercise training are associated with improvements in various aspects of psychological functioning. Cross-sectional studies reveal that compared with sedentary individuals, active persons are more likely to be better adjusted, to perform better on tests of cognitive functioning, to exhibit reduced cardiovascular responses to stress, and to report fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Exercise can help you recharge, and eating properly positively affects the way you look and feel. Any way you slice it, fitness creates a happier, more satisfied person. Once you’ve experienced the euphoric feeling of true fitness, it’s locked in your mind and will emanate throughout your body.

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How You May Be Sabotaging Your Weight

Weight Control Basics

You may recall from Weight Control 101 that your weight is determined by the calories you take in and the calories you burn on a daily basis. If you’re like most adults, you’ve been taking in more calories than you burn and you have excess body fat that you’d like to get rid of. If you’re not like most adults, consider yourself warned as experts predict that 9 out of 10 people will become overweight or obese at some point in their lifetime.  This underscores the importance of consistently balancing the calories you take in with the right amount of activity, especially since the majority of people pack on the pounds slowly and steadily without really noticing it. Years of misjudging your intake by just a few calories at a time will end up sabotaging your weight. For example, if you gain the average amount of one pound per year, this means you’re off by only 10 calories a day. After 20 to 30 years, you’ll end up 20 to 30 pounds overweight. To help you avoid this, here are common ways people underestimate the calories they take in and unknowingly eat more than they realize.


What you don’t know WILL hurt you

Research shows that most people: 1) don’t know how much to eat to control their weight;  2) don’t accurately judge the calories they take in and 3) have no idea they take in extra calories in different situations.
In a recent national survey, only 15 percent accurately estimated how many calories they should eat to maintain their weight.    Ask yourself – how many calories should I eat to maintain my weight? This begs the question – is it possible to maintain a healthy weight without knowing how many calories to eat? Certainly, if you keep regular tabs on your waistline and make the needed adjustments to your diet or activity level. Studies on college freshmen showed that daily weighing helped maintain body weight whereas those who did not weigh daily gained nearly seven pounds in ten weeks.   Since most people don’t weigh themselves daily or even monthly, they don’t notice the weight creeping on. And as you can see, what you don’t know WILL hurt you.

You eat more than you think you doLet’s say you do know how many calories to eat to manage your weight. The next question is - do you accurately judge how much food you eat? Not according to research. When people are asked to record how much they consume, they consistently underestimate.  , ,   Overweight and obese women tend to underestimate more than other people, and it worsens as body mass index (BMI) goes up.  ,  That is, the higher the BMI, the fewer calories people report eating. Meal size also affects how accurate we are. The larger the meal, the more we misjudge how much we eat. One study demonstrated that participants underestimated a large meal by up to 1,000 calories.   If you ate an extra 1,000 calories once a week without making up for it with more activity, you’d gain almost 15 pounds in a year. An extra 1,000 calories equates to eating one more slice of meat lover’s pizza and one more fruit smoothie. The bottom line is we eat more than we think we do, making weight control quite challenging. 

You eat more and don’t even realize itStudies have also shown that people unknowingly consume more calories in the following situations:
• Food is presented in large quantities (restaurants, parties)
• A wide variety of food is present (buffets,  all you can eat)
• More people are present
• Being distracted and doing something else (watching TV)
• Eating out of large packages (bag of chips, tub of ice cream)
• Tempting foods are within reach and within eyesight
• Frequently dining out

By becoming aware of how you eat in these situations, you’ll be better equipped to control the amount of food you take in.


Get informed and take charge

One of the most effective ways to get informed about the way you eat is to track it regularly. People who do lose more weight.   To avoid calorie amnesia, jot down everything you consume right away. Start to pay attention to the calorie content of the items you choose by reading food labels and looking up the calorie content of restaurant foods and beverages. Keep in mind that many beverages contain calories so be sure to count those tea drinks, sports drinks and alcohol.  They add up quickly especially if you’re thirsty. In certain states it is now required by law to post the calorie content directly on the menu board. You’ll think twice once you realize your favorite coffee drink and muffin has 1,000 calories. If you’re really motivated, weigh and measure the amount of food you eat with a food scale, measuring cups and measuring spoons and calculate the calories you take in. This pocket size Calorie, Fat and Carb Counter contains thousands of common foods, restaurant items and useful information. Since humans are creatures of habit, you’ll get familiar with the items you eat regularly and measuring will no longer be necessary. The idea is to get educated on how much you eat.

To prevent unconsciously eating excess calories, follow these tips:

• Eat and only eat. Avoid being distracted during mealtimes or snack times. 
• Eat from smaller plates, bowls and glasses.
• Portion out your food and avoid “family style” eating or eating out of the package.
• When you dine out, control the portion sizes by sharing meals or packaging some to take home right away.
• During social occasions, decide on what you’re going to eat and stick to it. Otherwise you’ll graze mindlessly.
• Limit your alcohol intake. Alcohol tends to stimulate appetite and reduce your awareness of what you’re eating and how much. 
• Keep snacks, treats and tempting foods out of reach.
• The old adage “knowledge is power” is true for weight control if you use it to make informed decisions.

It’s not rocket science if you judge by RESULTS over time

It’s challenging to manage something you aren’t aware of and don’t keep track of. Since only one third of the population acknowledges that calories are responsible for weight gain, it’s no wonder there’s an obesity epidemic. 21 (And by the way, it’s no coincidence that one third of adults have a healthy body weight.) Knowing how much you consume is a key part of successful weight control, but even if you don’t know – the scale will tell you. If the number on your scale increases over time, you’re taking in more calories than you’re burning – PERIOD. The solution is to burn off that extra fuel by moving more and eating fewer calories.  If you don’t measure your results by checking your weight regularly, you’ll end up sabotaging your waistline and likely your health.

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Tips To Help You Keep Your Diet Under Control On Easter

Easter is here and for weeks now as we have completed our weekly grocery shopping we have been forced to walk past a never ending range of Easter eggs & candies scattered all throughout the store. For weeks these childhood favourite treats have been tempting us with their fancy packaging.

Did you start your Easter early by giving in to the temptation each time you did the grocery shopping? Have you bought Easter eggs or candies for others only to have eaten them yourself? Easter is one of those times of year when time off work, social events, and plenty of delicious food can lead to gaining a few extra pounds.

Chocolate is high in sugar and fat and low in essential nutrients. A diet that is high in sugar can lead to chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure) and obesity. Unlike other foods, when we consume sugar it does not cause the release of the hormones that tell our body we have had enough to eat and here is why over indulgence is a big risk. The best way to stop your good habits from falling by the wayside this Easter Sunday is to plan ahead and stay in control.

For the sweet tooth and the chocoholics Easter can be a risky time to over indulge so below are some tips to keep you in control:

1. Exercise on Sunday like any regular day, if you have exercised you are more likely to make better food choices and less likely to over indulge.

2. When you are eating, think about your food choice before you put it in your mouth. Consider whether your body really needs that particular food and the consequences that may follow after eating it then make you final decision.

3. Set yourself a Easter egg & candy quota.  If you fulfill your daily quota take notice of how you feel. If you feel sick your quota was way too high. Don't go over your quota, not even by the smallest amount.

4. If you are the host for a Easter get-together ensure to create healthy options and include lean meat and lots of vegetables. Over Easter we still should be aiming for a nutrient - rich diet rather than one that is high in saturated fat and sugars.

5. Be aware of how much energy an Easter egg contains and if you are going to eat it then you will need to balance it out by burning it up.

Don't give up on the Easter bunny altogether, just act in moderation and stay in control. You will feel great for doing so.

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Load Your Energy Systems For Peak Performance

Maximizing Energy Stores Helps Delay Fatigue

Food supplies the energy and components our bodies need for growth and movement. In order for our bodies to use the energy stored in food, we must first extract it through digestion and store it so we can continually draw on it to produce the energy molecule that drives all movements of the body – ATP. In other words, we consume energy, store it, use it and deplete the supply. We eat again and the cycle continues. The athlete’s goal is to have their stomachs fairly empty while energy stores are full at the start of training or competition. Following a specific eating pattern can maximize the production, storage and use of energy (see Performance Nutrition for Young Athletes). By properly loading your energy systems that are rapidly depleted during exercise, you can delay fatigue and optimize performance during activity.

The High Intensity Energy System

The high intensity energy system is called the Phosphocreatine System or the ATP-PC System. Having fully loaded ATP stores is important to athletes who perform high intensity activities such as weightlifting, certain track & field events, football or other sports that include sprint and explosive-type activities. This system is responsible for producing the ATP that is used during the first 10-15 seconds of strenuous movements, after which the stores are depleted. Creatine phosphate is a naturally occurring compound used in this system to maintain ATP or short-term energy production. By loading as much creatine as the system will hold, we can delay depletion and speed up the regeneration of ATP. This is why supplementation of creatine has become so popular and doing so has been shown to enhance performance in certain sports. Weight gain due to water and increased muscle size are common with creatine supplementation and may be beneficial for certain athletes. However, in some sports, any potential benefits from creatine use may be offset by weight gain. To load this high intensity energy system with food, it would be necessary to consume unrealistic quantities of meat to achieve maximum levels. Because consuming large quantities of muscle/red meats is not practical or healthy, supplementation has become the preferred and acceptable method. Hundreds of research studies have established the safety and performance benefits of creatine supplementation.
 
While creatine appears very safe and beneficial for adult strength athletes, you may ask, “Is creatine supplementation safe for athletes under 18 years of age?” And everyone does! Definitely one of the most common questions I get at all lectures. My answer at this point in time is quick and easy:

Based on the fact that there is very little data on the use of creatine supplements for athletes under the age of 18, most professionals (including the dotFIT Research & Development team) play it safe and recommend that the qualified athlete reach the age of 18 before considering the use of creatine. Because this is such a hot topic, I will dedicate a complete article related to the use of creatine for all athletes of all ages including proper loading procedures so stay tuned. In the meantime follow your dotFIT menu plans including meal times and protein recommendations to help maximize your ATP-PC energy system.


The Moderate to High Intensity Energy System

The moderate to high intensity energy system is called the Glycolytic Energy System. Glycolysis is the breakdown of stored carbohydrates (glycogen) for energy. This system is directly responsible for the production of ATP during moderate to high-intensity exercise longer than 10 to 15 seconds and also helps fuel endurance activities. Filling this system to capacity can dramatically delay the onset of fatigue for almost all training/events lasting longer than one hour including repeated short sessions of high intensity activity (e.g. soccer, football, basketball, etc.). This means less fatigue, higher quality workouts and improved performance. Just as competitive strength and power athletes load creatine, trained endurance athletes load carbohydrates because of the proven performance benefits. (Again, we will dedicate an entire article in the near future to the practice of carbohydrate loading for endurance athletes).

The quantity, type (whole food vs. liquid) and timing of carbohydrate intake must all be considered in order to fill this system without experiencing stomach upset or other adverse effects during activity. Appropriate pre and post-training snacks can effectively top off energy stores and maximize recovery.

Following your personalized dotFIT Athletic Performance meal plan, paying special attention to your carbohydrate amounts and timing around your training, you will ensure optimal energy stores for the Glycolitc Energy System. No matter what your sport, filling this system properly before and after each training bout/event can dramatically delay fatigue, giving you the potential for a great “fourth quarter” effort versus a tired ending performance.  

Below is a basic outline on meal timing and carbohydrate amounts per pound (your dotFIT program will contain your exact personalized recommendations based on your body statistics age, sport and goal):


Pre & Post-Training/Event Snacks

• Your pre-training snack should be consumed 10-40 minutes before activity
• Your post-training snack should be consumed immediately after the workout or event
• The pre/post snack is usually in liquid form but you may substitute solid meal replacements (bars) based on preference, venue and/or convenience, any other appropriate foods (carbohydrate higher than protein with low fat)
• Carbohydrate in a pre/post snacks can range from 0.25 grams to 0.5 gram per pound of bodyweight (¼ to ½ gms/lb). Higher end of the range for long endurance-type activities and lower for strength training or workouts lasting less than an hour

Large Pre & Post-Training/Event Meals

• Your large pre-event meal should be eaten approximately 2-3 hours before major activity
• Your large post-event meal should be eaten 1-2 hours after major activity depending on post-training snack (1 hour for <200 calorie snack; 1-2 hours for 200+ calorie snack)
• The large pre/post meal should be solid food made up of approximately 60% carbohydrate, 20% protein, and 20% fat (carbohydrate should be 3 times higher than protein)

Early Morning Training

• If you train soon after rising and have no time for complete digestion of a large meal, make sure you consume a large pre-training type meal as your final meal of the previous day and consume only the pre-workout snack before your workout

  
By knowing the energy system(s) you use during workouts and events, and properly maximizing your energy stores, you can effectively delay fatigue and reach your peak performance.

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What Is Reactive Training And Why Should I Do It?

Traditionally, reactive or power training has been viewed as a form of conditioning used exclusively in athlete’s programs. Although this is an important component in the athlete’s protocol, it’s equally important to the exercise regimen for any healthy exerciser. Every movement we perform, whether on the playing field or during everyday activities, requires us to react and generate forces quickly in response to certain demands placed on our structure. Thus, it is critical that people train at speeds that are functionally applicable to everyday life and sports. This will decrease the risk of injury and enhance overall performance.

What is Reactive/Power Training?

Reactive training is defined as quick, powerful movements involving an eccentric contraction (force reduction) followed immediately by an explosive concentric contraction (force production). An example would be sitting down into a squat to load the muscles, and then explosively jumping up, as if trying to touch the ceiling. It utilizes the stretch capabilities of our tissues to store energy as potential energy and then employs this energy as kinetic energy—the energy of motion—to generate force efficiently. Reactive/power training also teaches the nervous system to recruit muscles quickly, thus enhancing the rate at which muscles generate force.

Why is Reactive/Power Training Important?

No matter the population or the activity, one’s ability to react and generate force quickly is crucial to overall function and safety during movement. Reactive/power training can enhance one’s ability to stabilize while moving, slow down and/or stop, and produce forces at speeds that are functionally applicable to the tasks at hand. The nervous system only recruits muscles at speeds for which it has been trained. If the nervous system is not trained to recruit muscles quickly, when met with a demand that requires a fast reaction, the nervous system will not be able to respond appropriately.

For example, if two basketball players of the same height are going up for a jump ball, the one who can react and generate force the fastest will win the toss. The same holds true for the typical exerciser and the overall population. If you step off a curb that is deeper than expected, you might lose your balance and fall. But if your nervous system has been trained to react quickly and you lose your balance, your nervous system will be able to recruit the right muscles at the right time, allowing you to regain your balance and decrease your chance of serious injury. It is important to note that reactive/power training should only be incorporated into an exercise program once you have obtained proper flexibility, core strength, and balance capabilities.

As you can see, reactive/power training is not just for the athlete anymore. It is an important component in all exercise programs to enhance function and performance, and decrease the risk of injuries.

Reactive Training for Weight Loss

Injuries can be devastating to the achievement of your goals. In order to avoid injuries, we have to train to perform at various speeds, stabilize quickly, and generate force quickly in order to avoid potentially devastating falls, spills, and tumbles. As noted earlier, reactive training teaches you to contract muscles surrounding a joint quickly, to stabilize various joints in conjunction, and reinforce proper landing mechanics to increase your ability to produce force. This offers one big benefit for weight loss: It’s a definite calorie burner! The more calories that can be burned in a session, the better. For some, this can be an extremely fun plateau buster as well.

Reactive Training for Hypertrophy

For people trying to gain muscle size, injuries can limit growth potential. To avoid devastating injuries, we have to stabilize and move at the various speeds we encounter during everyday activities. If you remember, in order to gain size in a muscle fiber, the muscle needs time under tension. This means training sessions are slower and controlled. This is great for size, but not so good for movement. When we move, we move at differing speeds—sometimes fast, sometimes slow. If we do not train at a variety of speeds, our body does not know what to do when we are forced to move and stabilize at those speeds. This leads to injury. Reactive training teaches us to reactively stabilize at various joints, maintain postural equilibrium at faster speeds, and utilize proper landing mechanics to increase force production when it is needed. Basically, we train for life's little surprises in a safe, controlled environment so that when we are faced with a situation in real life, our brain and nervous system already has a strategy to deal with it.

Reactive Training for Increased Health

If you want to stay healthy, you have to move. Since most injuries occur during the eccentric (deceleration/slowing down) portion of a movement, the body needs to learn how to decelerate properly and reactively stabilize at various joints. This is what reactive training does. It allows you to move at various speeds safely and efficiently while maintaining proper postural alignment.

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The Amazing Weight Loss Story Of Allan Hoffman

Meet Allan Hoffman, 35 years old, starting weight 555 lbs, uses a wheelchair to get around, has a fractured vertebrae in his lower back and it’s fair to say he had a very difficult childhood. He’s struggled with his weight forever, battles depression and over the past 10 years his weight has gone from 305 to 555 lbs. Talk about having to overcome some challenges! His doctor said he should have gastric bypass surgery to lose the weight. Enter the exerspy and the dotFIT team.

It must have been fate because Allan reunited with a half-brother he never knew he had, who happens to be one of dotFIT’s team members. Allan gets an exerspy, a few phone coaching sessions and starts using the dotFIT Me program to shed the weight. With his physical limitations, we had to start slow. Fast forward three months and he’s dropped 62 pounds. Here’s the strategy we used:

1. Identify WHY you want to lose so you stick to the process. Allan’s motivation was twofold – 1) meet his biological father face-to-face for the first time this summer and 2) see his 6 year old son graduate from high school. He keeps a picture of his son on his computer to keep him focused.

2. Set realistic and achievable goals. Allan’s ultimate goal is to weigh 210 lbs so we set him up to lose 2-3 pounds a week.

3. Give him visible targets to hit daily so he sees progress every day. Using the dotFIT Me program an exerspy – his daily calorie burn target was approximately 4300 calories (remember, the heavier you are, the more you burn). His daily calorie intake goal was about 2800 calories. When he hits those targets, he loses weight. Period.

4. Log everything you eat. Becoming conscious of what goes in your mouth is the first step towards making better decisions and Allan was prone to mindlessly eat.

5. Increase physical activity. Do upper body exercises using cans for hand weights and leg lifts as he sits in his wheelchair. Work up to 5 minutes of physical activity per day. The exerspy tracks this so he knows whether he reaches this daily goal.

6. Eat more fiber-rich foods. Get 25 grams a day to start and track in using the online food log.

As you can see – a few simple adjustments repeated over time has produced AMAZING results. No diets. No drastic workouts or magic cleanses. Just practical changes anyone can do and a bit of encouragement and guidance along the way.  

–Kat Barefield, MS, RD
Registered Dietitian for dotFIT

To find out more about the dotFIT difference, contact us at any of our desert area fitness centers.

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Exercises For Agility Training

If the thought of pedaling a stationary bike or walking on a treadmill instigates a yawn or a genuine lack of enthusiasm, you are not alone.  If you want to change up your routine and create a great cardio challenge for yourself, try performing an agility training routine.  Agility training is another form of cardio fitness that can be fun and create more helpful results for the body than simply increasing cardiovascular efficiency and decreasing body fat.  If you are looking to give your cardio fitness a kick, add fun to your routine and increase your body’s ability to function and avoid injury, agility training is definitely worth investigating.

Agility training teaches the body to start, stop, and change direction quickly while maintaining proper posture.  Agility challenges you to control your center of gravity over a changing base of support while changing directions at varying speeds.  It is important to remember that we move at varying speeds and in various planes each day.  Training to improve movement not only increases functional capabilities, but will help you avoid injuries by teaching your mind and body to work together and move at different speeds using the correct muscle at the correct time in the correct plane of motion.  Agility training can provide you with numerous overall training benefits such as challenging your core, legs, balance, reactive capabilities, and increasing your cardiovascular efficiency.

Agility work can be done using cones or lines and is best performed on a basketball court, tennis court, or in an aerobics room.  Performing agility drills on concrete is not advised and may be harmful to your body.  Opt for surfaces that provide better control for short, quick movements and avoid surfaces that may have loose gravel or feel slippery.  With agility training, the proper surface can make all the difference.

Below are a few different drills you can utilize within an agility training program:

1.  5-10-5 Drill:  Begin with three cones, placing two cones 10 meters apart.  Place the final cone at the midpoint.  Start at the middle cone A and sprint to cone B, then to cone C, and back to cone A.  For increased intensity, get a friend to time you as you complete the drill.



2.  Box Drill:  Place four cones in a square pattern, approximately 10 yards away from each other.  Start at cone A and sprint to cone B.  Side shuffle from cone B to cone C.  Backpedal from cone C to cone D and carioca from cone D to cone A.  Try to maintain appropriate speeds and form.



3.   T-Drill:  Place four cones 5 yards apart from each other in a “T” pattern as shown below.  Sprint from cone A to Cone B.  Side shuffle from cone B to cone C.  Carioca from cone C to cone D and side shuffle from cone D to cone B.  Backpedal from cone B to cone A.

 

Watch your key checkpoints to make sure you are performing your drills correctly.  Always be aware of your body position during your drills.  Good agility comes from good form!

Be sure to design your agility workout so that you have time for a proper warm-up and cool-down.  Both are essential to good form and injury prevention.  As with any program, try not to overdo it!  Work an agility program into your routine performing this workout one to two days a week.  You must give your body time to adapt to the new program in the beginning and give your body time to recover after performing this workout. 

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