Your Most Neglected Body Part

I can’t figure out why, but people universally neglect to train their legs. It’s a funny thing, since proper leg training will dramatically deliver total body results.

Walk into any gym and you’ll see the bench press taken, the dumbbells being curled-and an empty squat rack in the corner.

Leg exercises are tough, I won’t deny that, but the benefits are more than worth the exertion.

A Case for Your Legs

Your legs are a major muscle group, so it’s no surprise that training them will get you big time results. Training your legs will…

1. Melt fat from your body. As I mentioned above, leg exercises are tough. Your legs are a large part of your body, so each exercise literally moves your whole body. This is precisely why a good leg workout will fire up your metabolism to melt fat away. You’ll burn more calories while exercising your legs than any other body part.Due to the intense nature of a leg workout, your metabolism becomes elevated for more than 24 hours. That means that for an entire day your body continues to burn extra calories without any extra effort on your part. Who wouldn’t love that?
2. Build strength for everyday life. How often do you use your legs? Most of us depend on our legs constantly throughout the day-so wouldn’t it make sense to strengthen our individual mode of transportation? Kind of like putting a super charger on the engine of your car.Exercising your legs isn’t only about increased strength; you’ll also improve your coordination and balance. This means that you’ll be able to do and experience things that you otherwise would have missed. You only live once, right?
3. Uncover natural muscle shape. Let’s be honest, toned legs are attractive. I’m not saying that you’re legs will bulge with muscles (unless we trained you for that), but I am saying that consistently training your legs will uncover your natural toned shape.Many of my clients discover a whole new level of confidence after getting their legs back into shape. Women especially enjoy the freedom to wear shorts or a skirt without feeling embarrassed to show their legs. Wouldn’t you love that freedom?Oh, and I should tell you that as you strengthen your legs you’ll also reduce the risk of injury to your lower back because you’ll actually learn to pick things up off the ground the right way.

Best Leg Exercises

Now that I’ve convinced you to pay more attention to your legs, here are three of the top exercises you should do. Each of these exercises have dozens of different variations, so have fun and always keep your workouts fresh and challenging.

1. The Lunge: Start with your feet together, take a large step forward and bend your knees down into a lunge position. Exhale as you press yourself back up to a standing position, or continue through with your step into another lunge.
2. The Squat: Start with your feet shoulder width apart, inhale as you bend your knees, keeping your back straight. Be sure to keep your knees from going past your toes. Exhale as you push back up to a standing position.
3. The Dead Lift: Grip the barbell with a mixed grip (one palm faces you, one doesn’t). Allow the barbell to hang down in front of you as you stand on the platform with your feet shoulder width apart. Lean forward at your waist, keeping your back flat, and bend your knees, bringing the bar down past them. Exhale as you straighten your legs and lift the bar up. When you are standing upright lean back slightly and squeeze the muscles of your lower back. Hold this contraction for a moment. Inhale and slowly return back down to the starting position.

By no stretch of the imagination are these three the ONLY leg exercises out available. And that’s the other great thing about training your legs… you have tons of options and variations.

Want to know more about leg exercises and which ones are the best for you? Are you finally ready to get into the best shape of your life? Let me help.

Contact me today and we’ll schedule a consultation where you and I can assess your goals and I can show you the fastest and safest way to reach them.

Kristy Lee Wilson

http://www.kristy-leewilson.com

Fitness Tip: Fat Vs. Muscle

We hear it all the time… “I’m working out less and my muscle is turning into fat!” One of the biggest myths in weight training… muscle and fat are completely different types of tissue and can’t magically be changed. Muscle shrinks (atrophy) when not stimulated so your muscles may seem softer. Compounding the problem, most people don’t lower their calorie intake to match their now lower energy needs. The result is less muscle mass and extra calories being stored as fat… a shift in your body composition.

Get Fit and Stay Fit!

Kristy Lee Wilson

Contact me

Resistance Training trumps Aerobics for most effective F.A.T. B.U.R.N.

Most people have only one thing on their mind when they join a gym or approach a personal trainer…fat-loss. With more than half of the adult population registering as overweight it is no wonder that fat loss is such a hot topic.

It’s simple, really. We used to think that cardiovascular training was the quickest and most effective way to shed unwanted pounds. Aerobics, jogging, swimming and biking were the activities to turn to when we wanted to slim down.

Boy, were we misled.

The idea was that when you perform low level aerobic exercise your body relied on calories from fat. Sounds good, right? Well, there were a couple of major limitations with this method…

First of all you only burn fat calories while the aerobics are performed. If you do twenty minutes, then you only burn for twenty minutes; if you do two hours, then you only burn for two hours.

Secondly, if you are overzealous with aerobics your body actually eats away at lean tissue, leaving you with lowered calorie requirements. Ever wonder why you eat the same amount but still put on pounds? A loss in lean tissue will do that to you every time.

So where does this leave you?

Lucky for us, we live in a time of great scientific discovery with tools and statistics that give us the cutting edge in our quest for a slimmer, sexier body. And science has given us the solution for optimal F.A.T. B.U.R.N.

The Solution: Resistance Training

You have probably heard about the many benefits of resistance training. Here are just a few:

• Increase in muscle strength
• Injury prevention
• Improved bone density

But what about F.A.T. B.U.R.N.? Here are the two reasons that resistance training is the most effective way to B.U.R.N. F.A.T.
1. Oxygen Debt

Now I know debt isn’t usually a word that we enjoy…but in this case I’m sure you will agree that it’s a great thing. Resistance training puts your body into oxygen debt which means you will B.U.R.N. F.A.T. as you recover from your workout. And this effect can last quite awhile – studies have shown an increase in calorie burning for up to three days following a resistance training workout.
2. Lean Tissue Burns More

The other way that F.A.T. B.U.R.N. is accomplished with resistance training is through an increase in your resting metabolism. You see, lean tissue (muscle) requires many more calories each day than fatty tissue. In fact, one pound of muscle burns 30-50 calories each day at rest – compared to a measly 9 calories per pound of fat.

When you perform resistance training exercises your body composition will change to contain more lean tissue, thus resulting in extra calories burned while you sleep. What could be better than that?

Resistance training is truly worth your time – talk about an exercise that keeps on giving.

Wouldn’t you love to reap the rewards of a solid resistance training program by waking up slimmer every morning? I love nothing more than to see my clients achieve awesome results – clients just like you, who decided to change their shape forever by contacting me.

Do something nice for yourself – contact me today – together we will turn you into a F.A.T.B.U.R.N.I.N.G. machine.

Get Fit and Stay Fit!

Kristy Lee Wilson

How To Gain Body Fat While Exercising 14 Hours a Week

by John Berardi, PhD, CSCS

Exercise Without Diet
A few weeks back I shared with you an article called “When Exercise Doesn’t Work.”

And in this article, I reviewed some fascinating new research demonstrating that, without a dietary intervention, exercise doesn’t have much of an impact on body composition.

Even to the tune of 6 hours per week…

Even when it’s high intensity exercise….

…participants following an exercise plan, without being cognizant of their nutritional intake, only tend to lose an extra pound of fat vs. those folks who do nothing for the same 12-16 weeks.

Disheartening, I know.

But oh so true.

Especially when supported by this new information I’m going to share with you today.

More Support For the “No Diet Hypothesis”
Just yesterday, I received an interesting email from Dr Gary Homann, a faculty member at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, MO.

(Some of you may recall that we collaborated with Dr Homann a few years back and came up with some interesting insights, spotlighted here: Long Haul Training)

Gary, intrigued by my last article, shared with me the results from a very telling study he completed back in 2003. Here’s what he found.

2 Hours a Day and They Still Got Fatter!
In Dr Homann’s study, 56 girls between the ages of 14 and 17 – all of whom were in a program run by the South Dakota Department of Corrections – volunteered to get involved in a 4-6 month wellness program.

The idea was to have the girls exercise for about 14 hours per week (2 hours per day consisting of various activities such as hiking, running, circuit training, step aerobics and basketball) while following the USDA Food Guide, as it appeared in 2003.

At the beginning of the study and again at the end, a host of measures were recorded, including:

A step test and timed mile for cardiovascular fitness

Height, weight, body mass index (BMI), skinfolds (for % body fat), waist and hips circumference for body composition

Shuttle run for agility

Standing jump, sit-ups and bench press test for muscular strength and endurance

And sit-and-reach and straddle tests for flexibility

So, what happened?

Well, as expected, cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and endurance, agility, and flexibility all improved. That’s great!

What’s not so great is that body composition measures worsened.

Instead of losing body weight and fat, these girls, on average, gained 6lbs, increased their waist circumference by 1/2 and inch, increased their hip circumference by 3/4 of an inch, and increased their body fat by over 1/2 a percentage point.

Now, I don’t know about you.

But this isn’t exactly what I’d expect to happen if I went on a 14 hour per week exercise binge!

The USDA Food Pyramid circa 2003
(note: the pyramid has since been updated…thank god!)

Exercise + The Food Pyramid
As you’d imagine, I’m kinda disappointed to learn that it’s actually possible to gain body fat when exercising 2 hours per day, every single day. You’re probably disappointed too.

However, what’s even more disappointing is the fact that it’s possible while actually following a nutrition plan!

Remember, participants in this study were following the recommendations of the USDA – you know, that famous food pyramid that everyone talks about. The one that dietitians across the land recommend that we follow. The one recommending 6-11 servings of breads, cereals, and pastas each day.

(Now, it is true that the USDA has since changed their recommendations – for the better. But can you blame me if I’m a little gun shy on backing their new recommendations? Especially after the checkered history of the last food pyramid?)

Questions
Now, you might have some questions about the study design…as I did when first reading it.

After all, maybe the girls didn’t follow the USDA plan to a “T”…

Or maybe they were going thru puberty at the time of the study and that explains the fat gain…

Or maybe being put in a detention center isn’t exactly condusive to fat loss in the first place.

Well, after speaking with Dr Homann, I’m pretty confident that these factors can’t really explain away the fact that these girls exercised for 2 hours every single day, while following the USDA’s guidelines, and got fatter.

For starters, the girls were living in a detention center and they were provided all their meals. So there wasn’t much room to cheat.

Further, the girls were starting out quite over fat. Indeed, their average body fat was just over 30% to begin with. So they did have fat to lose. And their fat gain can’t be explained by simply “getting older” or “puberty”.

Let’s Bottom Line This
I could probably go on and on here…but I’ll spare you that. Instead, I’d like to simply say the following.

The data are pouring in.

And they paint a pretty clear picture. If you want to look better, feel better, and perform at the top of your game, you definitely have to exercise…(although 14 hours a week probably isn’t necessary).

But, even more importantly, you’ve got to look after your nutrition – specifically what you eat, how much you eat, and when you eat it.

Indeed, without the right nutritional intake, you simply can’t expect inspiring, noticeable results. Heck, in some cases, you might even expect to get worse!

So don’t leave your nutrition up to chance.

And if you need some help getting your nutritional intake straight, Precision Nutrition can help.

__________________

Posted By:
John Berardi, PhD, CSCS
President, Precision Nutrition

Benefits of Using an Exercise Ball

By now, you’ve probably seen an exercise ball. They’re those things that look like giant playground balls that you see people rolling and stretching on at the gym. If you’re like most people, you’re probably hesitant about using one of these balls. You may be worried about looking silly or can’t actually figure out how they work. Well, next time you’re at the gym, why don’t you try one out? You’ll probably find the benefits well worth it.

What most people consider to be the biggest benefit of using an exercise ball is the ability to strengthen your core muscles. These are the muscles in your abs and back; the muscles you work so hard to tone up with crunches. When you do exercises on a ball, your abdominal and back muscles are constantly working to make adjustments and keep you balanced. Unlike traditional exercises, the ball works the muscles on the front and back of your body at the same time, promoting a more balanced and healthy physique. Even if you’re targeting a different area, your core muscles are still getting exercise. Plus, there are tons of exercises you can do on a ball that focus on strengthening and toning these muscles even more.

If you slump at a desk all day and find that your back, neck, and shoulders are sore at night, you can definitely benefit from an exercise ball. By toning your core muscles, exercise balls can do wonders for your posture. When your core is toned, the muscles keep working after you’re done working out, helping you sit up straight. You can get this benefit even without working out by replacing your desk chair with an exercise ball (I actually do this myself). This way you maintain proper posture to stay on the ball and work your core at the same time! If you don’t think your workplace will allow you to sit on an exercise ball at your desk, they make exercise ball chairs that provide the same benefit with a more professional look.

Have you had a previous injury to your back, knee or hip? Do you worry about exercising because it might aggravate your condition? An exercise ball can help. The ball can be used to support your body while you stretch or build muscles. Those with back injuries may even be able to find some relief from pain by lying on the ball. These balls are so good for helping relieve strain and preventing future injury, they’re often used by physical therapists for rehabilitating back injuries.

If you find it hard to bend, move, and even touch your toes, an exercise ball can help you improve your flexibility. It can help you stretch yourself farther, but it can also provide supports so you can stretch certain muscles more safely. Their ability to help stretch you out is one of the biggest reasons physical therapists swear by these balls.

So what are you waiting for? With all these benefits you can’t afford to not go out and get an exercise ball today!

Want to know more, or would like some exercise ball workout ideas? Contact me

Exercise for Older Adults

Brought to you by the American College of Sports Medicine http://www.acsm.org

Engaging in regular physical activity yields many benefits, regardless of age. For children, exercise is important in healthy growth and development. Preventing chronic disease and helping maintain an appropriate body weight are among the most important exercise-related benefits for individuals of all ages. The American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association recently published physical activity recommendations for older adults. This statement encourages various types of regular activity but with caveats based on health and physical ability. This recommendation is for individuals aged 65 years or older and for those aged 50 years or older who have a disease or functional impairment.

AEROBIC ACTIVITY
Aerobic activity is critical for preventing chronic disease and helping control weight. Individuals should engage in at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity on 5 days per week or at least 20 minutes of vigorous activity on 3 days per week. A combination of moderate and vigorous activity can be used to meet this recommendation. Using an intensity scale of 0 (effort while sitting) to 10 (all-out effort), moderate activity is a 5-6 effort with noticeable increases in heart rate and breathing. Vigorous exercise, 7 to 8 on the effort scale, leads to large increases in heart rate and breathing. Individuals with disease or limited functional capacity may start with shorter and less intense exercise and gradually work toward higher goals.

MUSCLE-STRENGTHENING ACTIVITY
All people lose muscle as they age but especially after the age of 50. Muscle-strengthening exercises help to offset some of this loss. Additionally, these exercises ca help promote good bone health. On at least 2 days per week, older adults should engage in activities that promote muscle strength and endurance. many activities can meet this objective including traditional weightlifting programs, calisthenics, and exercise using resistance bands. Eight to ten exercises that work the major muscle groups of the upper and lower body should be chosen. For each exercise, 10 to 15 repetitions should be performed.

FLEXIBILITY AND BALANCE EXERCISE
Falls are a major cause of disability in older adults. Although evidence is difficult to obtain using standard research methods, muscle-strengthening exercises, flexibility training, and activities to improve balance may be helpful in reducing the likelihood of falling. Good range of motion in joints (i.e., good flexibility) makes everday movement easier. To help with flexibility, individuals should do stretching exercises for at least 10 minutes on 2 or more days per week. Balance exercises should be done routinely (3 or more days per week) and must be based on individual skill level. For some people, practicing standing on one foot might be a good balance exercise, whereas for others, standing up without holding onto something is a big challenge.

THERAPEUTIC AND PREVENTIVE RECOMMENDATIONS
For individuals with existing disease, activities should be performed at a level that will help alleviate symptoms and/or treat the disease. The amount and type of activity will be individualized based on needs and abilities. Physicians, physical therapists, and fitness professionals can determine the type of program that is most appropriate. Activity plans for older adults should address all of the areas listed above and should include appropriate guidance on progression and strategies for adherence.

SUMMARY
Older adults can benefit greatly from regular physical activity. Although activity may take a form different from that recommended for younger people, the benefits are dramatic. Reducing sedentary behavior will help prevent/treat chronic disease and help maintain functional capacity, a key to independent living.

Fit or Fiction: Baby Boomer’s Fitness

Whether you’re old or young, in shape or never picked up a weight in your life, you’ve probably heard a lot of fitness myths. There are all kinds of ideas about weight loss and exercise out there, ranging from credible to downright crazy. Here are just a few of the common myths baby boomers hear about their fitness and the real truth behind them.

Myth #1: You can’t be in great shape.

When you think of healthy, sculpted bodies, your mind generally cuts to people in their mid 20’s. While many people want to be more fit and healthy, they have convinced themselves that they are simply too old to be in great shape. This simply isn’t true. Sure, you lose some of your abilities as you get older. You may not be as fast or lift as much, but that doesn’t have to stop you. Plus, the earlier you get started on your fitness program, the less functioning you’ll lose as you age.

Myth #2: You have to work out very hard to lose weight.

Sure, working out really hard is going to burn more calories than if you have a light workout, but you can still achieve safe results while cutting back a little. If you go into workouts full force, you’re not only putting unnecessary stress on your heart, joints, and the rest of your body, you’re also risking injury and other serious health problems. Don’t try to push yourself beyond what your body can do. A little bit of effort does goes a long way.

Myth #3: Doing cardio several times a week is enough exercise.

While cardio and other endurance exercises are an important part of getting and staying in shape, they’re just one piece of the puzzle if you want to stay healthy. A well-balanced workout should also include strength training to keep muscle mass, definition, and bone density, stretching exercises to maintain and improve flexibility, and balance exercises to help prevent future injury. If you are uncertain about your workout, seek the advice of a personal trainer who can help you get started on the right path.

Myth #4: Cutting out carbohydrates and fats will make you lose weight.

Sure, there have been fad diets around for many, many years, but lately they seem to be much more prevalent and often much more crazy. You may be guilty of jumping on the bandwagon, probably only to ump right back off. These diets tend to cut out things completely that your body needs and craves. Instead of constantly looking for diet products, eat sensible meals with lots of fruits and vegetables for nutrients. The best way to get into shape is to do it slowly through a healthy diet and regular exercise. Ignoring the latest fads of fitness myths will usually keep you on the right track to becoming healthy.

Get Fit and Stay Fit!

Kristy Lee Wilson

Contact me

Why Exercise is Important During Menopause

We all know that getting enough exercise is a vital part of staying healthy. What you may not know is that the older you get, the more important it is for you to work out regularly. As your body starts to change, you not only may experience hot flashes and mood swings, you’re also at a higher risk for dangerous diseases. The good news is that many menopausal symptoms can be helped or even stopped through regular physical activity.

One of the biggest concerns for women approaching menopause is the loss of bone mass. This can lead to osteoporosis and other serious consequences. Many doctors suggest getting plenty of calcium to help prevent bone deterioration, but this is just the first step. Getting regular, weight-bearing exercise is also essential for maintaining good bone health. If you’re not in very good shape, walking and other light exercise can be enough to get you started. You should eventually work yourself up to resistance training. This is the best way to slow, or even stop loss of bone mass. You should also consider adding flexibility training; being limber will keep you from getting injured sometime down the road.

Along with osteoporosis, women who have reached menopause are also at an increased risk of developing heart disease. Many women assume that only men are at risk, but heart disease is a top killer of women as well as men. Plus, women are less likely to know they’re having a heart attack, so they don’t get treatment as quickly. Regular aerobic exercise can do wonders for keeping your heart in good shape. Even if you aren’t going through menopause yet, getting regular exercise is a great way to keep your heart healthy for a long time.

Another common symptom of menopause is mood swings. As estrogen levels fluctuate, so do you emotions. And unlike mood changes due to your menstrual cycle, menopausal mood fluctuations are much less predictable. Exercise can work to ease symptoms of depression, decrease mood fluctuations, and decrease irritability. Exercise helps you to be more emotionally stable so you can worry about more important things.

With the onset of menopause, many women gain weight. While it’s usually not a substantial amount, it can increase the risk of certain weight related diseases. Regular exercise can help you keep your weight in check, reducing the risk of serious health problems in the future.

If your biggest concern about menopause is the immediate physical symptoms, exercise is a great cure for you too. Many women notice a decrease in hot flashes and other physical symptoms when they go on a regular exercise program.

Sure, exercise takes some planning and work, but your health is worth it, so go out and get moving.

Want to know more? Contact me

Total Lifetime Fitness Interview

In our Total Lifetime Fitness Radio Network Interview, Kristy Lee talks about how people can stay motivated to follow-through on lifetime training programs and how people can realistically fit exercise into their day. She discusses the childhood obesity epidemic and the long-lasting benefits of sports participation for children. Importantly, Kristy Lee discusses how parents can help their children to become healthier and more active.

Listen to Kristy Lee’s interview here

Got Muscle Confusion?

A question that I am often asked by frustrated fitness enthusiasts is “Why have my results stopped? I am doing the same routine as before – what happened?”

This is a common place to end up, usually a few months after starting a new exercise routine. At first your body responds to your routine in lost pounds and gained muscle one, then one day your results screech to a stop.

What happened? And, more importantly, what can you do about it?

You may have heard the saying, “When you discover tat you are riding a dead horse, the best idea is to get off.” This is the perfect analogy for your stale workout routine.

• The Problem: Your body has adapted to your routine. Let’s face it, when you can do your workout routine in your sleep … it’s time for something new!
• The Solution: It’s time to shake things up, and to apply the concept of muscle confusion.

Muscle confusion means that you keep your body guessing by changing your routine. The following are great ways to do just that:

1. Exercises: When you know that your routine has lost its effectiveness the first obvious thing to change are the actual exercises. It is important to include every major muscle group in your routine, so be sure to exchange each exercise for one that works the same muscle group.

2. Resistance: Do you find yourself always reaching for the same dumbbells, or placing the pin in the same notch of the weight stack? Change your weight as well as the number of repetitions performed. If you normally do 12-15 repetitions … then increase the weight and do 6-8. The key is to challenge your muscles in a new way.

3. Equipment: There are so many different pieces of exercise equipment out there – don’t limit your routine to just one type. If you love working with dumbbells but your routine has fallen flat, put them aside and try something new. A little creativity can really jump start your progress.

4. Style: So often the training style that we are first taught sticks with us forever. For you this may be the style of doing one set, taking a rest period, and then doing another set. Or maybe you have caught on to the curcuit training style that keeps your heart rate elevated throughout the routine. Whatever your chosen style, be sure to change it once your routine ceases to produce results.

Now, don’t worry, this doesn’t mean that you need a brand new workout every day of the week. In fact, your body will take some time to adjust to each new workout, so it should be done for the appropriate amount of time before results start to slack off.

What is that ‘sweet spot’ of time that each new routine should be used before moving on to the next? Well, the answer to that question is as unique as each person reading this.

For some this will mean a new routine every 2-3 weeks, and for others it will mean a new routine every 6-8 weeks. Typically the fitter you are the quicker your body will adapt to each new routine.

Muscle confusion plays a big part of the programs that I provide for my clients and it’s one of the little secrets I use to deliver fast results.

Want to know more? Contact me today to get started on your own program aimed at weight loss success!