I have to admit it. I love a good fad. I pegged my jeans, wore parachute pants, and owned more than one swatch watch. I didn't have a member's only jacket, but wanted one. Those were fun times and good while they lasted.

The same thing happens in the fitness industry. There are fads that people come up with and get rich on. Remember TaeBo? What about Jazzercise? The same is true for the latest craze... P90x.

Please don't get the wrong impression. If it motivates people to work out. GREAT. And the results are proven. If you work out for 90 minutes at a time, for 90 days, you are going to lose weight. (Who has that type of time?? My boot camps are less than an hour) But what then boys and girls? What then....It would be like watching the same movie... over and over again. There are a few movies I can watch maybe once a week; Office Space, Wedding Crashers, and a few others. But I need variety.

One word of caution about the newest fad. P90x is a toning and cutting exercise tool. What I mean is that if you have more than 15 pounds to lose, this is not the right program for you. There is even a fit test that will only take you about 40 minutes to complete prior to begining the training. http://www.beachbody.com/text/products/programs/p90x/p90xFitTest.pdf If you can't do this test, don't attempt the workout. Get the assistance of a personal trainer, and stay injury free.

Which brings me to my point. (Yes there is one!) Boot camps offer variety under the supervision of a personal trainer. I am constantly scanning my campers making sure proper form is maintained to prevent injury. I have more than 10 different routines, and loads of current music to help you forget about the fact you are exercising.

For whatever it's worth, my advice is to put down the remote. Get out and meet some new people, and join a boot camp. At >600 calories in less than an hour, you can't go wrong.

Randy

www.bringfitnessback.com

I have to admit it, I am a reality TV junky. Not in a need clinical assistance sense, but pretty close. It fascinates me how people act on the shows when there is fortune and fame to be had.

That being said, I was watching the Biggest Loser show the other day, and finally had a suspicion confirmed. I had always wondered how the contestants lost SO MUCH WEIGHT. One person lost almost 20 pounds in a week. How is that healthy?? Then Gillian said it. She told the contestant to "Stick to your exercises and STICK TO YOUR 1200 CALORIE LIMIT". The person she was talking to was a female who weighed over 250 pounds.

Here are the facts regarding calories. Women need 1200 calories for normal body functions. That means breathing, heart pumping, smooth muscle contractions, etc. Everything that your body does without you telling it to do, requires 1200 calories if you are a non pregnant, non breast feeding woman. So how then, can a person be healthy if they are burning 1000 plus calories a day on top of the normal stuff. That puts your body in a serious calorie deficit, which WILL RESULT in health complications. We are talking gallbladder problems, nervous system problems, there is a whole list.

I like the idea of the show and the way it motivates people to make a difference in their health. I'm sure you have seen all of the local gyms jumping on the biggest loser bandwagon with their own spin on it. It's free publicity, and people are excited about it.

If you are considering losing weight, you must eat right. You need to know how many calories you need, including how many fat, carb, and protein grams, to lose weight safely. Most people should only lose 2 pounds per week. I know that doesn't seem like a lot, especially if you have over 100 pounds or more to lose, but it is the safest way to get it off. The weight didn't get there over night. It probably was a result of years and years of poor food and fitness habits. Be patient and lose the weight the right way. If you don't know how to determine the amount of calories you need, talk to a personal trainer. Most will do this for free, with training of some sort. Others charge a small fee for it. The point is, IT WORKS. You will lose the weight and learn how to live a healthy lifestyle. The best part is, the weight will stay off, because it came off the right way.

Here is the link to an interesting article in today's Austin American Statesman.  http://www.statesman.com/search/content/life/stories/other/2009/09/21/0921peter.html Here is my take on that: Do you remember when the big hype was to work out in a specific zone based on your target heart rate? Today you can go to any gym and find a chart on almost all of the cardio equipment. It has fat zones and cardio zones associated with age and heart rates.

What is all that about? Well, we are told to work out in the fat burning zone if you are trying to lose weight, and the cardio zone if you are trying to get cardio gains. You could even, and still, buy heart rate monitors that strap to your chest or wrist like a watch, or even now as a ring. The truth of the matter is yes, if you stay within your "fat burning zone", you will burn calories from fat only. 

Time for a case study: Lets say you are in your "zone" and briskly walking so as not to go above your target heart rate. It takes you 1 hour to walk 3 miles. (20 minute mile pace). Now lets say you ignore your target heart rate and run. You run as hard as you can, for the same hour. If you are a good runner, you might be able to run 10 or more miles. You can expect about 40 to 60% of the calories being burned coming from fat.  When you were running, did you not burn calories? Where were those calories from?

So let's do a little basic math: First, 1 mile is about 100 calories. (Varies on your weight, but we will call it 100 calories) That's 100 calories walking, running, skipping, whatever. So if you were in your zone, you burned about 300 calories in an hour, from fat. When you ran, you burned about 1000 calories. (2500 more and that's a pound!!) It would take you almost 12 hours of walking to lose a pound, and only 3.5 while running. Who has time for that???

If losing weight was easy, we would not have an obesity epidemic in America. It will take some work, but it will be well worth it.

Randy

www.bringfitnessback.com

What are the benefits of getting up early and working out? I find it hard to get up, but after I've had my cup of java and a small breakfast, I'm usually good to go. Working out in the morning for me is a great way to start my day. I am up and doing something well before my tribe at home is up. This gives me time to concentrate on me, so I can be there for them later.

People work out for many reasons. Some to lose weight, some to gain weight, some for the numerous health benefits, or likely a combination of reasons. The point here is that after you workout, there is a sense of accomplishment. It feels good to work on yourself. The rest of the day is typically doing something for others. You may have to complete a project, file a report, or maybe put a "TPS" cover page on.

Start your day off right. WORKOUT! You will be happier and healthier.

Randy

www.bringfitnessback.com