Fitzy Bitzy: Fitness Blog - Weight Loss Blog - Trainer Blog

New mom? Here are some great weight loss tips!

Here's one of those short posts I was talking about.  I love it when I find great content to share with others! 

Weight loss tips for moms

Fitness book thoughts

I was in Barnes & Noble the other day and started skimming through Tom Venuto's The Body Fat Solution.  From what I read, it looked like a pretty good book.  Finally, a book without a specific program that needs to be followed.  Anybody who's read it have any thoughts?  Anything you wish would have been done differently with the book?  What did you like most about it?

In Columbus, Ohio? I'd love to meet you!

On Thursday of next week, April 2, from 6 to 8 PM, I'm going to be speaking at a fitness seminar for my company.  We've decided to bring in different health and wellness resources from around town, so what does that mean to you?  It means that you get in the doors for FREE!  That's right.  We don't want to charge a cent for you to be able to come listen, and thanks to our sponsors, you won't have to. 

The topic of the seminar is on designing a game plan to help you reach your fitness and weight loss goals.  I'm going to be throwing out all kinds of information that will simplify how the body works and what you need to do to get results.  None of this take this pill or buy this contraption and lose 6 inches in 6 days junk.  No, this seminar is for those that want real results ... the kind that take some time but that are legitimate and last. 

If you're in the Columbus, OH area, I'd love to see you there.  It's going to be a fun environment that allows you to ask any questions you want and network with wellness resources and other like-minded individuals around the city.

Look forward to seeing you there; it's going to be an exciting evening!  Sign up today!

6 simple strategies to get the most out of your metabolism

So you want to raise that metabolism, huh?  I don't blame you; an increased metabolism means increased calorie burn and faster weight loss.  Here are 6 simple strategies to get that metabolism up there:

1. Exercise: This is one of those that makes you say, "Duh!"  Exercise requires energy, energy being calories.  Increased energy equals increased calories used.  Also, as a result of exercise, your overall energy levels will go up, and your body will be rejuvenated to process calories more efficiently.  This means less excess fat storage.
2. Anaerobic training: Aerobic training is one thing (walking and jogging), but anaerobic is an entirely different animal.  Anaerobic training (sprints, jumping jacks, etc.) utilizes a concept that stimulates increased oxygen consumption by the body ... even after you're done working out.  What does this mean?  It means that even after working out, your body is still using up excess oxygen, meaning more energy is used for the respiration process.  More energy used equals more calories burned.
3. Resistance training: Just like anaerobic training, excess oxygen is being used after completing resistance training.  Again, increased oxygen consumption equals increased metabolism equals increased calorie burn and fat loss.  Plus, after resistance training, your metabolism is raised because your muscles have to repair themselves.  On top of that, studies have shown that resistance training creates a longer, healthier life, more so than any other type of exercise, so it's a must.
4. Eating less but more frequently: Excess calories means increased fat storage, which means our bodies get weighed down.  By eating smaller, more frequent meals, our bodies are given just enough fuel to keep the fire burning brightly (our metabolism).  If you throw a lot of wood on a campfire in the morning, and then wait until the evening to throw more on it, the fire will dwindle during midday.  If you eat a big meal in the morning but wait till the evening to eat again, your body's metabolism will slow during the day.
5. Multivitamins: By taking a multivitamin everyday, you help maintain the health of your muscles.  Healthy muscles equal a higher metabolism and more calories burned.
6. Laughing: Studies have shown that laughing increases calorie burn ... enough said.

By following these simple strategies, you can help your body achieve that extra bit of calorie burn that it may need.

Need to find your heart rate? How about with an iPhone?

That's right, the iPhone can now act as a heart rate monitor.  Thanks to a new module and wireless technology, the iPhone can be incorporated with chest straps or the pre-existing heart rate sensors on many cardio machines.  Instead of having to stop and check your pulse, the iPhone does it for you without you breaking stride.  Couple that with some nifty technology to track your workouts, and now you have a cool tool to evaluate your workouts.

Thanks to several websites, the data your iPhone collects can be downloaded to these sites and used to compile all kinds of workout results for an assessment.  What does something like this cost?  Well, the apps are free, but try $155 for the module, plus the added costs for the different assessments you want and any sensors you want to buy (besides the ones on cardio machines).  

Does the President exercise?

I'm sure you've wondered this before.  With bodies such as The President's Challenge and The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, one has to wonder if the President sets a good example.  After all, the President only has the small task of running the United States, not that that should take too much time away from a fitness program.  You'll be happy to learn that surprisingly, a lot of our presidents have incorporated staying fit into their daily schedules.  Here are some neat pictures of our presidents in action ... you might get some different workout ideas, although I'm not sure if golfing really counts as exercise ... unless you hoof it.

Presidents breaking a sweat 

100 fitness iPhone Apps

One of my readers, and a past guest blogger on Fitzy Bitzy, emailed me with this post that was recently done by her organization.  It lists all kinds of different fitness apps you can use on your iPhone.  I thought it was so unique, I had to share it with you.  Technology is such a wonderful thing; does anybody really have an excuse not to exercise anymore ... other than laziness?

100 fitness apps for your iPhone

It's time for a survey!

This last month has been a great month for me.  I’ve been able to meet a lot of really great people, and after explaining what Your Live Trainers does, I got all kinds of interesting responses.  Some people loved the idea, some weren’t sure about online fitness training, and some were confused all together.

Being the “Curious George” that I am, I decided to tackle this problem head on.  So what did I do?  I created a survey.  Yea for surveys!  My goal is to get feedback from you so that we (Your Live Trainers) can figure out how to serve you best.  Everybody knows they need to be healthy, but so many people have different issues that prevent them from achieving that level of health they want.  We want to provide the best approach for you to get there, so that’s why we created this survey.  I would extremely appreciate it if you would take 5 minutes of your day and complete it.  With your help, we really feel we’ll be able to help you even better.  

Here’s the link to the survey: http://www.fitzybitzy.com/fitness-survey.html.  Thanks in advance!!! 

Turn to a healthier lifestyle instead of pills

I received this email from a friend and thought it was so interesting that I had to share it with you.  Basically, studies have shown that lifestyle changes that incorporate proper nutrition habits and exercise are just as effective, if not more effective, as taking medications to decrease the risks of type 2 diabetes.  Also, the number of adverse effects associated with lifestyle changes compared to medications was less.  It just goes to show that old-fashioned exercise and proper nutrition are the real "mircale pill".  Here's the email:

Lifestyle changes as effective as drugs in cutting diabetes risk

At a Glance Lifestyle changes appear to be at least as effective as medications in delaying or preventing type 2 diabetes among at-risk adults, and are associated with significantly fewer side effects according to a report published in the British Medical Journal. Read more about this study below.

A university-based controlled clinical trial recently compared the effectiveness of a portion-controlled meal replacement diet (PCD) to a standard diet (SD) based on recommendations by the American Diabetes Association. The focus of the study was to compare each diet in achieving and maintaining weight loss among obese subjects with type 2 diabetes.

A recent meta-analysis published in the British Medical Journal consolidated the evidence from 17 clinical trials that studied the effects of lifestyle, drugs and other methods on men and women with impaired glucose tolerance. Results showed that intervention can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes in high-risk individuals, and lifestyle changes seem to be at least as effective as drug therapy. Compared to individuals who received standard advice only, the effect of lifestyle changes resulted in a 49 percent reduction in the risk of developing diabetes. Exercise alone or exercise combined with a healthier diet was more effective than diet alone. Oral diabetic medications were also effective in delaying or preventing diabetes, but were not as effective as lifestyle changes. Orlistat, an anti-obesity drug, was also effective in reducing risk when compared to control groups.

Although both medications and lifestyle changes were effective in reducing the risk of diabetes, diet and exercise were associated with considerably fewer adverse effects than those caused by pharmaceuticals, which were typically gastrointestinal effects and reduced liver function. Since it is fundamentally a lifestyle issue, the authors had concerns about the practice of treatment with a lifelong course of medication, especially since even minor adverse effects become more significant if a medication is to be taken for life. But they also noted that compliance is generally the key when it comes to lifestyle interventions, so strategies to improve compliance need to be enhanced and put into action.

Source: BMJ 2007; 334:299 (10 February)

Thanks Lisa!

I'm branching out!

So I created a Twitter account, and now I'm getting ready to use it.  One of the ways I'm planning on using it is to be able to meet up with people in the Columbus, OH area, since that's where I live.  If, you live somewhere other than Columbus, I'd still love to be able to talk, even if it's only online and not face-to-face.  I'll try and keep you updated with any news from Twitter ... I finally had it explained to me a little more, so I'm going to give it a go.  If you're on Twitter, look me up.  Just search for danfalkenberg and follow me.  Speaking of online stuff, look me up on MySpace and Facebook; we also have a Your Live Trainers page you can become a fan of on Facebook.

For all you bloggers out there, did you catch the article on FOX News about the "Best Job in the World"?  Blogging in Australia on an island in the Great Barrier Reef.  It's a 6-month gig that pays $100,000 for you to promote the island to tourists.  Not a bad use of your time.  Are you gonna apply?  It never hurts to try ... and if you get it, it could be a 6-month tropical vacation for your family too.  Just the thing to cure the winter blues.  Alright, that's it for today.  I'd love to hear if you applied. 

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