The Vlog

I had a bootcamp client express to me that she couldn’t do the exercises in our bootcamp today. After talking with her, I realized that she had carpel tunnel syndrome in her wrists and bad knees. This prohibited her body from doing a lot of the regular exercises that all of the other bootcampers were doing. We talked about changing the exercises and modifying the program for her. She was very happy because she felt that she was listened to and that there was an alternative. Many times, clients will work through pain or something they know they shouldn’t. In that case, you have to speak up for yourself and tell your trainer about it. If they are a good trainer, they’ll actually listen to you and modify or change the program. If not, you need a new trainer.

Von

For those of you who experience low blood sugar levels because of long periods of not eating, there are certain foods that you may wish to avoid. These include of course highly processed crap, but also milk, yogurt, and butter. You probably haven’t heard of limiting the last three to control your blood sugar, but saturated fat in addition to carbohydrates will help raise insulin quite dramatically. Basically, the sugars which enter into your bloodstream will be rapidly transported into your cells and voila, low blood sugar. You may be thinking, I don’t have that much yogurt, butter, or milk. I’ll have to bet that at least 75% of Americans who actually eat breakfast have at least one of the three. (And if you don’t eat breakfast and experience low blood sugar, my God, eat something!) What do we drink milk with? Cereal. What do many women have only for breakfast? Yogurt. What do people put on their toast? Butter. Is it any wonder people are getting irritated and foggy by lunch time or even late afternoon?

Von

I’m a fan of some comics. I thought this comment funny from Joel Marion and John Romaniello. I’m not saying I agree with it for the whole population, but they are writing for tmuscle.com. “Every time we meet someone who doesn’t take fish oil, we don’t even know how to react. It’s like when someone tells you they’ve never seen The Breakfast Club, or worse, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. How did you get this far in life without seeing those movies, or taking fish oil? What the hell have you been doing with yourself? Don’t bother coming up with an excuse; you’re a moron. Get some fish oil. Save Ferris. Save yourself.”

Von

A client of my bootcamp has just been told he will be getting off injectable insulin and can start taking I assume Metformin (a pill) . This is great news! What’s the reason? Weight loss + exercise + much improved nutrition = better blood sugar control. No one wants to inject themselves with insulin and this shows how powerful the effects of exercise and nutrition are. Congratulations Michael!

Fish oil offers huge benefits (including new research showing it may help fight off cancer both in vivo and in vitro.) However, there are some precautions that some people may need to consider if they supplement with fish oil. If you are a hemopheliac or have heart disease and are taking some sort of blood thinner, then you should check with their doctor before taking fish oil. However, even my grandfather who is on blood-thinning medications has been recommended to take fish oil because fish oil helps to prevent cardio-vascular disease. The last consideration is if you already possess a compromised immune system or may be sick. If you are, I don’t know that fish oil will help you get better and it might compromise your immune system to fight off infections.

Von

Have you ever heard people say “I hate exercise.” When I hear that, I laugh. For some people, going to a gym to lift some heavy crap and run their your ass off to get nowhere can be hell. For these people, I don’t even recommend that they even do that kind of exercise. I recommend they do another kind – sports, bootcamps, or whatever else floats your boat. If you hate exercise and are overweight, you’ll have to face the fact that you can either diet your way 100% of the way to losing X amount of pounds or you can have some fun engaging in an activity you actually like and lose the weight and gain the benefits of exercsie. The hardest part is getting started. If you’re overweight, it can be daunting to start up Ultimate Frisbee with those who would probably die of starvation in two days in the desert without food (while you would probably last for a month)! Well, at least you would know who would survive the longest.

Von

Few people are aware that to be consistent at training, it helps to have a definite time and location. Sure, you can workout at your home but you can also do 101 things as well. However, if you go to the gym, you can only do so many things – either sit around and look kind of stupid for 45 minutes, chat (which I acknowledge can be a problem), or train. If you limit your options, you are increasing the likelihood of actually accomplishing one of the three things instead of actually trying to accomplish 101 things. Besides the location, some people are aware that if they don’t train by a certain time, then they will not train. If it is in the morning, then you must train in the morning. If it is at night, then you still have to make sure that you get everything done in your day to train at night. Nailing these two things will greatly enhance your long-term progress in the future as few things compare to consistency.

Von