Tools to help you make exercise a part of your life.

Hello, this week I would talk about some tools to make your exercise and fitness goals easier.

1) One thing ALL successful dieters have utilized to make their weight loss efforts stick is to keep a food log. With the advent of the Internet this is easier than ever. Most sites allow you to just drag and drop your meals based on a food database. If you need help finding one reach out to me about what I feel are the best.
2) Even if weight loss is not your goal keeping a food log goes far in showing you exactly what you are eating and how balanced your nutrients are for a given day. Below is what each of you should strive for per day.
a) PROTEIN: 50 to 70 grams per day or 12% to 20% of total caloric intake.
b) CARBOHYDRATES: A minimum of 125 grams per day, optimally 350 to 400 grams or 555 to 65% of total caloric intake.
c) FATS: Approximately 30 to 65 grams per day or 25% to 30% of total caloric intake.
d) WATER: At least 1 ounce per pound of weight.
3) Get a jump rope – and us it daily! Why? Because it is still one of the best ways of getting an intense cardio and building lower body strength. If you do not have a jump rope you still can pretend and go through the motions as if you did have one to supercharge your cardio.
4) Buy a cheap pedometer to assure you are getting 10,000 steps a day. By taking 10,000 steps a day you will burn an additional 500 calories a day. See my post http://personal-trainer-nj.blogspot.com/2009/03/walking-as-part-of-your-fitness-goals.html
5) Take a multi-vitamin daily. Very FEW of us ever get all the required nutrients we need daily. Buy the store brand multi (with minerals) – they work just as well as the pricier ones.
6) Write into your calendar/planner set times to exercise and OBEY the appointment you have with yourself. Research has shown that this little step goes far in your goals for obtaining a fit body.
7) Buy some Personal Trainer sessions (Believe me I am not trying to self-promote myself here). When you are accountable to another about your fitness goals research has shown you are more apt to go the distance to achieve your goals. I have some clients that only see me once a month to assure they are at their best. Others only buy ½ hour sessions with me weekly. The point is my clients realize that having a professional review and work with them really makes a BIG difference. Again, research shows that people who utilize a Personal Trainer are happier with their exercise experience and obtain results MUCH quicker then if they tried to go it alone.
8) Plan on two days away from the gym to achieve your goals. On these days walk your neighborhood. What this does is get you into the mindset that the gym is NOT the only place to get fit.
9) Keep an exercise diary. Map out your goals, what you did, how many sets/reps and pounds, and write how you felt before and afterward. Strive to better your results daily.
10) Make exercise a part of your favorite TV show. If you watch a 1-hour sitcom plan on either stretching or doing easy exercises while you watch it. I use this technique with all my clients and they are amazed how good they feel about themselves when then do this.
11) Fit exercise into everything you do.
a) Park farther away from your destination.
b) Bike more.
c) Take the stairs more.
d) During your lunch break grab a willing partner and walk.
e) Do some sort of stretch every 45 minutes while at work. See my post for some simple all body stretches. http://personal-trainer-nj.blogspot.com/2009/02/basic-stretches-to-keep-you-relaxed.html

12) And lastly – love your body. It is the only one you will ever have – make it ready for the challenges that life demands.

As always - I am available for personal training either in person (if in NJ) or over the web. If you feel you have stalled in your pursuit of fitness and need some expert knowledge to get you on track reach out to me.

Regards,

Eddie Camaroto CPT