GymPact! Doh!

There are a plethora of fitness apps and gadgets out there to help you track distance, heartbeat or total time. Now, there's an app that makes you pay cash every time you miss a visit to the gym. Ouch!

Developed by two 2010 Harvard graduates, GymPact is an iPhone app that offers cash incentives. You lose $5 (you can choose to pay more) if you miss a scheduled gym visit and make money if you stick to the pact you set at the beginning of each week.

If you're the competitive type, feel better knowing that the money you make is an equal portion of a pool collected from your lazier peers who sat on the couch.

Why cash incentives?

Users have to commit to at least one 30-minute workout per week and the app knows if you're really at the gym because it will confirm your location whenever you check in for a workout. And yes, you really do have to pay $5 because it deducts the fine from your credit card on file.

Do you think this app would help you stick to your weekly gym schedule, too? Is cash really a strong motivator?

Your go to workout

15 squats, 10 push-ups and :30 of planks. Do as many rounds in a circuit as you can. Cool down with a quick walk around the block. 


You can do this anywhere and instead of making excuses why you don't have time to get to the gym, you can be done with a full body workout, fully anaerobic and stimulate muscle growth in 10-20 minutes!

Do Less Cardio...Get Better Results

Don't waste time doing the same old thing that's not getting you results. Ask yourself these 3 questions:

1. Are you happy with what you see in the mirror?
2. Do you have too much free time on a daily basis?
3. Do you believe in Santa Claus?

Now, if you answered "yes" to any of these questions then this post is not for you. However, if you answered "no" to these questions, then please stop doing the same old routine and getting less than exciting results. You can get the body you want in less time than you can possibly imagine.

Let me be plain and clear --

I am asking you to stop doing steady state cardio since you already know it will not give you the results you want. I read on people's Facebook all the time, bragging about how they do SPINNING six times a week if not more. SERIOUSLY?!?! That's what you call an obsessive spinner.
 

Try spending less time doing cardio and put more effort in getting your nutrition in order. Be willing to challenge yourself to do something different or go out on a limb and try another instructor. Remember you can always go back to your favorite one. Impress yourself.

New Year. New Start. New You.

You've got a clean slate to start from.  Pretty much no matter how the year before turned out, you have a fresh new year to start off right and achieve the things that you didn't have a chance to get to last year. 

It's a prime opportunity to get clear on what it is you want out of this year and create a plan to achieve it.  A chance to review the things that are adding to the quality of your life (friends, positive habits, personal and professional groups that keep you on track, etc) and those that are distracting (the judgmental friends, associates that when in their presence always seem to drag you down, and bad habits that sabotage your progress).  It truly is an excellent time to really get dialed in on how to make this year better than the last.  As well as an opportunity to clear out that which is distracting or not serving you.

Yet even with all of the opportunity provided by a new year and a fresh clean slate, there are still those that complain about how they can't accomplish their goals because of such and such: they're too busy, don't have time, work long hours, have to take the kids to their events, they don't like the gym, etc.  And for every excuse I can, in most cases, show you a person that has as much or more on their plate and still is able to get it all done.  

Sure this week I could have blogged about things that you and I both know you need to be doing. Now you have something you can read, print out, and re-read when you find yourself getting off track.

You see it's not a matter of your circumstances.  It's a matter of your commitment to success.  You achieving your best is going to take time.  That's not the issue. Question is, are you committed to getting it done?

Bodyweight Training

Use your body for resistance and get a full-body workout. Try pushups, sit-ups, lunges, and jumping jacks for a mixture of strength training and cardio.

What makes a Spinning class awesome?

I often ask people to tell me what they like about their favorite class or instructor. There seems to be certain qualities that pop up every time. People say things like: great music, encouraging instructor, well planned class, the instructor knows everyone by name, my instructor challenges me... I have to agree with all of these ideas, but there is more to it than that.  A great class is also about what the participants bring to the plate. An instructor provides the "ingredients", and whoever shows up has to be willing to create a "gourmet meal".

I have been on both sides of this fence as a rider and as an instructor and when the participants come to class and tune out the instructor or carry on their own conversations, it really detracts from atmosphere.  I think an awesome class happens when the participants and the instructor work together to create it. I don't think that the instructors can do it all by themselves.

Next time you go to a Spinning class, look around the room and see how much the participants are bringing to the table. Are they engaged, are they listening and following instructions. Do the participants keep those who would threaten the positive atmosphere in check via peer pressure? Is your favorite class your favorite solely because of the instructor, or is it the combination of who is in the room riding together that creates that magic? Think about what you bring to the table!

FINALLY! First mainstream newspaper to challenge the unsafe techniques of Soul Cycle

Click here for article written in the LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-fitness-soulcycle-20111128,0,3219505,full.story

Healthy Recipes for Holidays

You already know what happens during the holidays. Instead of preparing the same dish you've prepared year after year...try something new this year. Here are some healthy alternatives. Good luck!

http://health-full.blogspot.com/2008/10/recipe-of-week-halloween-banana-pumpkin.html

Why Seniors Should Exercise

One of the best anti-aging activities you can do for your body is exercise. For years, it has been widely accepted that we start getting slower, weaker, and more fragile with age. But more recently, this has been proven otherwise by studies on the cellular process of aging and the impressive performances of older athletes.

As a matter of fact, most research is now showing that when it comes to your fitness, if you use it, you lose it far less quickly. And you’ll also age more slowly and have a higher quality of life in your older years!

The Effect of Aging on Exercise Capacity
But it can certainly get a bit more difficult to jump, sprint, and move just as powerfully as you may have been able to do in your younger years. There are a few reasons why:

1. Your metabolism decreases with age, by about 10% from your 30’s to your 60’s, and a further 10% from your 60’s forward. This means you main gain fat more easily.
2. Your maximum oxygen consumption decreases by significantly each decade from 25 to 65 years of age, and then decelerates even more quickly – which means intense cardiovascular efforts can be very difficult.
3. You grow less responsive to energy stimulating hormones called catecholamines (like epinephrine), and as a result, you maximum heart rate decreases, which also can decrease the intensity of hard efforts.
4. The total amount of blood your heart pumps per beat and the ability of your muscles to extract oxygen from that blood decrease, which can affect your cardiovascular capacity.
5. Your muscle strength peaks around 25 years old, plateaus through 35 or 40 years old, and then begins to decline quickly, with 25% loss of peak strength by the time you’re 65. This is due to a loss in the number of muscle fibers.
6. Your tendon, ligament, and joint elasticity is decreased as “cross-linkages” form between soft tissue fibers in these areas. This can cause a loss of 2-4 inches of lower-back and hip flexibility.
7. Your bone density decreases as the calcium content of bones gets lower and the matrix inside the bone begins to deteriorate, which can lead to increased risk of osteoporosis or fractures, especially in women.

Good Exercises for Seniors
Most of the fitness loss just listed can be drastically decelerated by engaging in regular bouts of physical activity through adulthood and into your older years. Based on the list above, good exercises for seniors should include:

Muscle Strength
Weight lifting machines are perfect for introducing a senior to exercise, especially since there is significantly lower risk of falling or injury. Free weights and elastic bands can be included once comfortable with machines. A 68-year-old friend of mine recently became certified as a TRX instructor, and this is certainly more challenging, but completely do-able for senior exercisers.

Cardiovascular Endurance
Treadmills can easily be used by seniors, and can actually help with building both cardiovascular fitness and balance, since a rail is there to help. Elliptical trainers and bicycles are also good for cardiovascular endurance, and for beginners, a recumbent bicycle is a great option.

Metabolism
Rather than simply riding a bicycle at a set pace, seniors should attempt to include a few hard intervals that involve hard breathing and burning muscles. This will help to boost the slowing metabolism.

Bone Density
Bone grows stronger in response to loading and impact. While impact-sprinting on a treadmill may be difficult for seniors, loading of the bones and spinning along the long vertical axis is a very good idea, and can be achieved with exercises such as squats, overhead presses, chest presses, or lunges.

Flexibility
While many yoga classes require a degree of balance that can be difficult for seniors, a beginner yoga class is the perfect solution for improving flexibility. In addition, a full body stretch routine can be included after exercise, when the muscles and joints are more warm and pliable

A Workout Program for Seniors
For an aging individual who is just getting into exercise I’d recommend starting with the following routine, 3-4 times per week:

Warm-up for 10 minutes on a recumbent bicycle, alternating 2 minutes of easy pedaling with 2 minutes of hard pedaling.

Perform a full-body stretch, including flexibility moves for the upper and lower body such as arm circles, leg circles, toe touches, reaching for the sky, and torso twists.

Do a full body circuit on exercise machines that consists of 2-3 sets of 10-12 repetitions of chest press, seated row, shoulder press, pulldown, leg press and leg extension and leg curl.

Finish with abdominal bracing on the ground, which simply involves lying on the ground with the knees bent and feet flat on the floor, then pressing the low back down and tightening the abs, holding for 5-10 seconds, releasing, and then repeating for 10-12 repetitions. This does not involve low back bending and extending, and can build abdominal strength while being easier on the spine.

Remember, it’s never too late to start exercising So what are you waiting for? Go get fit!

Healthy Holiday Cooking

I love to eat, but I sure don't want super high calorie foods on my holiday table. One heavy meal won't hurt a person, but generally it is the left overs that hang around for days after calling at you to finish them off.

Stuffing is usually made with broth and butter. Nix the butter and use non-fat, low sodium broth. You won't even notice the butter missing. Add bits of Fuji apple, almonds or walnuts for healthy fat and some dried cranberries to the mix.

Yams and sweet potatoes just need to be baked or boiled and instead of coating them with butter and brown sugar, just dust them with cinnamon and butter buds.

Mashed potatoes can be made with non-fat milk and butter buds, or whipped butter since a serving is lower in fat due to the whipping process. Steam the veggies and add Olive oil or Flax oil just before serving with some nice sea salt, instead of cooking with bacon.

When making deserts, replace oil with the same amount of apple sauce and use canned non-fat milk when it calls for milk or cream. White sugar and corn syrup can be replaced with any number of sweetners made from fruit or brown rice. A pie crust can be made with 2/3 C soy milk replacing the butter and most of the oil, though you still need at least a couple TBL's for a pie crust. There are plenty of low-fat ice creams and non-fat or low-fat versions of whipped cream as toppings for deserts.

I hope this helps give you some ideas of how easy it is to replace some of the heavy ingredients that make holiday foods so calorie dense. This way even the leftovers won't weigh you down for days on end.