Making your resolutions is the easy part, it’s keeping them that is the tough part.
Now that you’ve made and shared your goals, it can often be difficult to keep them a priority when the stress of life kicks into high gear, if it hasn’t already. Here are some tips to keep it manageable.
Indulge, but don’t gorge!
It’s ok to indulge for the occasional birthday celebration or special event. Be careful not to over-indulge, though. Your body can surely recover quickly from a little bit of bad behavior, but several weeks of overdoing it may have you packing on pounds that will be tough to shed later. If you must indulge at the company party or enjoy an obligatory office treat, be sure to make your next meal as healthy as possible to balance things out. Moderation is the key!
Avoid the splurge-and-starve cycle.
Sometimes when we eat a large meal or overindulge, there’s a tendency to say ‘I overate at dinner last night, so I’ll just skip breakfast and lunch.’ Better to break the cycle right away by starting the next morning with a quick walk and light, nutritious breakfast, and fill up with a snack and a glass of water before you sit down to the next tempting meal.
Stick to your regular exercise program.
It can be very easy to break a workout habit, and especially when your bed is so warm during Southern California’s winter. But if you’ve got one, maintain it!
Keep Hydrated.
When celebrating a special occasion, we tend to drink more sugary drinks – soda, cocktails, etc. – and less water. Try to get at least eight glasses of water a day!
Wash your hands.
Germs spread very fast, so remember to wash your hands before every meal and avoid touching your nose, eyes and mouth with your hands to keep germs at a minimum.
If your set of resolutions is still a work in progress, there are a few things to keep in mind to help you out.
1. Write down your ideas and goals that you’ve thought about achieving.
2. Give yourself a completion date for each goal.
Each of the goals should be definable and achievable. If your goal is to be more healthy, instead of telling yourself that you want to “lose 10 pounds,” consider adding in things like “meditate every morning to get centered, 30 minutes exercise three days each week, eat (x) amount of fruits/vegetables/whole grains per day.” If you don’t have a plan to get to a healthy place, you’ll become completely discouraged when the 10 pounds doesn’t fall right off of your body (plus, isn’t long-term health more important than just being skinny?)
3. Work on only one of those specific goals at a time.
For instance, instead of meditating every morning, working out three times a week and increasing your vegetables, just start with exercising 3 times a week. As soon as that becomes a habit, add in the meditation and as soon as that becomes a habit, add in the vegetables and so on. By the end of the year, you’ll have at least a dozen new life-long healthy habits. Here are some shocking statistics: Your chances of success when working on one specific goal is more than 85%. However, when throwing in just one more goal, your chances of success drop below 35%. Adding a 3rd one in, you might as well just throw in the towel, because you have less than a 10% chance of succeeding. It’s no wonder no one keeps their resolutions past February, we’re setting ourselves up for failure!
4. Rewrite your goal as: “I will _____ by (date).”
Just by writing down your goal and giving yourself a date to finish it by, you are making your health life a priority. Be sure to make it doable and stay dedicated.
5. Share your goals.
Don’t be shy – even if your goals might intimidate you, it’s amazing the amount of confidence and encouragement you can receive by sharing your goals with others. If you have the courage to share your own goals, chances are, you’ll unknowingly motivate others to pursue and share their own.
Good luck and we’re there if you need us!
Special thanks to Dr. Lyndsay Elliott, clinical psychologist.
2012 is just around the corner! With the NEW YEAR comes NEW RESOLUTIONS and the annual ritual of setting health and fitness goals. If you feel like your clothes have mysteriously reduced in size this holiday season OR if you want to stay committed to fitness beyond the 15th of January, let the Healthfit 4 Life team jumpstart your 2012 fitness program! Not only will you receive a customized, effective program specific to your physical and medical needs, you will also be held accountable to your commitment and goals. We won’t let you give up!
To help you get started, Personalcare Physicians is offering 3 COMPLIMENTARY PERSONAL TRAINING SESSIONS* to every patient throughout the month of January. Sign up for the Healthfit 4 Life program in January and we will take 10% off your annual membership fee* as a thank you for letting us be a part of your 2012 fitness journey. Space is filling up quickly, so schedule your appointment today!
Personalcare Physicians would like to thank all of our patients, staff and friends for an amazing year. Those in our Healthfit 4 Life program have lost 650 pounds as of Dec. 1 and we want to encourage everyone to stick to their goals as the year comes to a close.
We’ve come up with five easy tips to help keep you healthy through the rest of the year.
Have a wonderful holiday season and we look forward to seeing you in 2012!
Indulge, but don’t gorge!
It’s ok, during this brief hiatus, to indulge in the richness and pleasures of the holidays. Be careful not to over-indulge, though. Your body can surely recover quickly from a little bit of bad behavior, but several weeks of overdoing it may have you packing on pounds that will be tough to shed later. If you must indulge at a holiday meal or enjoy a holiday treat, be sure to make your next meal as healthy as possible to balance things out. Moderation is the key!
Avoid the holiday splurge-and-starve cycle.
Sometimes when we eat a large meal or overindulge, there’s a tendency to say ‘I overate at dinner last night, so I’ll just skip breakfast and lunch.’ Better to break the cycle right away by starting the next morning with a quick walk and light, nutritious breakfast, and fill up with a snack and a glass of water before you sit down to the next tempting meal.
Stick to your regular exercise program.
It can be very easy to brake a workout habit, and especially so during the holidays. But if you’ve got one, maintain it!
Keep Hydrated.
During this time of year, we tend to drink more sugary drinks – hot chocolate, egg nog, etc. – and less water. Try to get at least eight glasses of water a day!
Wash your hands.
Germs spread very fast during the holidays, so remember to wash your hands before every meal and avoid touching your nose, eyes and mouth with your hands to keep germs at a minimum.
Hi Mat . . .
I met you in later February, and signed up for the gym/personal trainer program, and have been coming three times a week ever since. Since I am 73 years old, I had no idea how long it would take, or what it would cost . . . but I knew that I had to get back into something to preserve my body and mind, or continue downhill.
I wanted to significantly improve my life.
My wife Sharon passed away in 1999. I retired from work in 2002, although I continued on, both in consulting, and serving on several boards of directors for aerospace companies.
I also worked out and competed in race-walking from 1990 through 2001, after I retired from the Air Force Reserve/Air National Guard. My grandfather had been a race-walking guru, and I have medals from 1914-1934 from his estate.
But then the gradual downturn (due to age?) occurred, and I knew I had to do something significantly different. Throughout life, I tended to be overweight, or nearly so. I tried the fad diets, with mixed results . . . but none helped, and the weight returned. I tired some medication (DEXAMYL?), and it worked for a while, but when I got off that stuff, I just added weight. But they, when successful, provided temporary relief.
You guys do not come cheap. But you get what you pay for.
So I am certain that someone who participates in your program needs to come in with a strong resolve to continue and succeed. This is not a trendy artsy-crafty thing . . . it needs a personal commitment to personal improvement.
As you know, I have changed my food intake to better support my goals.
I have taken procedures for my knee to help with the periodic problems associated with it.
I have developed a positive attitude toward the improvement I expect from the program, and I would think anyone who undertakes this program has to do likewise.
I have made my primary doctor and cardiologist happy with my progress. And I have made ME happy with the progress, even though “NO PAIN, NO GAIN” is being proved.
Thank you for being sensitive to my needs, hard when I need it, and generating results for me, you, and the doctors.
You have heard us say it before, but one more time just in case you have forgotten. As we get older, we can naturally lose 30% (or more) of our muscle mass between the ages of 40 and 75. The best way we can protect ourselves and prevent this from happening is to commit to strength (or resistance) training.
Your muscles are important for everything you do. Whether you’re reaching for a box of cereal in the morning, climbing the steps outside your home and walking the dog, you need your muscles to move and function every day.
Strength training is the best solution to building and maintaining muscle mass to keep functioning at your best. Performing daily exercises with weights and learning to increase the difficulty as your body adjusts to the pattern gives the most physical benefits for your body.
In addition to the benefits for your muscles, strength training will also help you:
Develop strong bones – By stressing your bones, strength training increases bone density and reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
Control your weight – As you gain muscle, your body gains the ability to burn calories more efficiently, which can result in weight loss. The more toned your muscles, the easier it is to control your weight.
Reduce your risk of injury – Building muscle helps protect your joints from injury and contributes to better balance, which can help you maintain independence as you age.
Boost your stamina – As you get stronger, you won’t fatigue as easily.
Manage chronic conditions – Strength training can reduce the signs and symptoms of many chronic conditions, including arthritis, back pain, depression, diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis.
Sharpen your focus – Some research suggests that regular strength training helps improve attention span and concentration as we age.
Strength training can be done at home or in the gym and here are some options for you to consider as you are building your program:
Body weight – You can do many exercises with little or no equipment including push-ups (elevated or on knees if needed), front & side abdominal planks, dips, lunges and squats.
Resistance tubing – Resistance tubing is inexpensive, lightweight tubing that provides resistance when stretched.
Free weights – Barbells and dumbbells are classic strength training tools.
Weight machines – Most fitness centers offer various resistance machines and there are tons of options for home gyms that are portable.
Getting started
Please make sure to check with your primary care physician before you begin a strength training program and plan to start slowly. Warm up with 5-10 minutes of active stretching and/or light aerobic activity, such as brisk walking. Then choose a weight or resistance level heavy enough to tire your muscles after about 12 repetitions.
To give your muscles time to recover, rest one full day between exercising each specific muscle group. When you can easily do more than 15 repetitions of a certain exercise, gradually increase the weight or resistance. Remember to stop if you feel pain. Although mild muscle soreness is normal, sharp pain and sore or swollen joints are signs that you’ve overdone it.
When to expect results
You don’t need to spend hours a day lifting weights to benefit from strength training. Depending on your goals, two to three strength training sessions a week lasting just 30-40 minutes are sufficient for most people starting a strength training routine. Two times per week is plenty if your goal is to just maintain your current muscle mass and at least three sessions if you are looking to build.
By exercising your entire body (not just the muscles you can see) you will prevent your body from losing muscle mass as you grow older and ensuring you keep your independent spirit both physically and mentally. If done properly, you will notice a difference in your strength and stamina in as little as a few weeks.
Strength training can do wonders for your physical and emotional well-being. Make it part of your quest for better health. If you are just getting started, we highly recommend seeking the help of a professional trainer to ensure that you know how to most effectively exercise and avoid injury. Please feel free to contact our Healthfit 4 Life Fitness Team for help getting started.
Should we still send our kids to school with an apple for their teacher when school starts this fall? According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 98% of commercially grown apples contain pesticide residue.
In the Environmental Working Group’s yearly shopping guide, the data earned the fruit the top spot on the “Dirty Dozen” list, accompanied by celery, strawberries, peaches and spinach. But, before you cross apples off the grocery list or start bringing onions – which topped the clean list – for teachers, the pesticide residue measured well below unsafe levels determined by the USDA.
“It’s a headache,” Mark Seetin of the U.S. Apple Association told The Wall Street Journal. “It implies that something terrible is going on. But growers are doing nothing illegal. They’re just trying to keep their apples fresh and nutritious.”
Others in the industry calculate that crop losses would double without these chemicals, leaving consumers without the choice between often expensive organic fruits and commercial grown options.
The pesticides are used for a variety of functions including keeping the apples free from blemishes, warding off and insects that may take food, sunlight or water from the plants and to keep the fruit fresh before reaching your shopping cart.
To test the pesticide levels, the USDA washed samples of the fruit for 10 seconds under cold water in order to mimic the average American consumer.
The lists are not compiled in order to scare consumers, according to the Environmental Working Group, but more of a guide to encourage shoppers to consider buying organic for thin, edible skinned fruits and vegetables – virtually guaranteeing a pesticide-free product – and be aware of the data.
According to members of the group, the health benefits of a diet “rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure.”
For those that don’t want to take the risk, onions were joined by corn, pineapples, avocado and asparagus at the top of the clean list.
That’s right, another article on the importance of exercise. As your medical partners, we want to consistently remind you how important regular, purposeful movement can be. One of the most frequent questions we get from clients is, “Why can I no longer lose weight like I used to?” or “Why am I slowly gaining weight as I get older?” While the answer is not always simple, most of the time we will start with a discussion about what you are eating, how you are exercising, and what happens to our metabolism as we get older.
Let’s start with a quick refresher on what your metabolism actually is. Most of us think of metabolism as the rate at which we burn calories. That is true, but it is also the body’s ability to breakdown the foods we eat. It’s the body’s ability to burn the various nutrients from the food we eat to help us maintain a healthy body. The healthier the food, the more nutrients our body can burn, and conversely, if we eat unhealthy foods, less fuel opportunity for our body to burn.
Understanding the importance of what we eat (our fuel content), we also need to understand what is happening to our metabolism as we age. The aging process starts at a cellular level and with normal aging comes a slowing in the ability for our cells to repair themselves, mostly due to damage from free radicals. This may slow the weight loss process down. More importantly, once over the age of 30 we begin to slowly lose muscle mass. As muscle burns more calories (energy) and increases your overall basal metabolic rate (the number of calories your body burns just to function), this means that your energy burn is decreasing, and it will take you longer to burn off what you eat. Ultimately, you will burn fat less efficiently.
Yes, this is a frustrating and inevitable result of aging for most of us. But there is a way to change this cycle. We know that we are what we eat. Diet can account for up to 80% of weight gain and body composition. Eat real food, eat often, drink lots of water.
Next in line is exercise. When we exercise, we burn fat, we increase our metabolic burn rate AND we have the ability to increase muscle mass. Muscles burn more calories than fat.
When we coach our clients on not only the benefits of exercise, we also know that integral to changing your fitness is to address the type of exercise you need to do. Starting with a brisk walk, or a swim is a great start, but if you truly want to change your metabolism, burn more calories, you have to also focus on the type of exercise you are doing.
The best exercise program is one that is a combination (and changing rotation) of aerobic exercise, interval training, and strength training. We do believe that any exercise is important, but let us tell you a bit more about why each of these options are so important.
Aerobic exercise
When you participate consistently in a form of aerobic exercise (running, biking, swimming, spinning, elliptical, fitness classes, etc) your heart gets stronger and pumps more blood with each beat. Elite athletes, for example, can have significantly larger left ventricles than average individuals. Conditioned hearts have greater diameter and mass (the heart’s a muscle too and gets bigger when you train it). When your heart holds a greater volume that means it doesn’t have to pump as fast to meet the demands of exercise or daily life (lower resting heart rate). Fewer beats and more volume mean greater efficiency. Athletes can have a resting heart rate as low as 40 beats per minute; the average is 60-80. Which heart do you think will get tired earlier in life?
Downstream from the heart are your muscles, which get more efficient at utilizing oxygen when you do regular aerobic exercise. This happens because of an increase in the activity and number of enzymes that transport oxygen out of the bloodstream and into the muscle. This process is what builds your endurance. You will have more endurance because your muscles are not going to run out of oxygen as quickly. Measuring your V02Max is an excellent way to understand your current oxygen utilization capacity.
Interval training
Interval training has been used by athletes for years to build fitness. Interval training combines short, high intensity bursts of speed, with slow, recovery phases, repeated during one exercise session. Interval training works both the aerobic and the anaerobic system. During the high intensity part of your workout your anaerobic system uses the energy stored in your muscles (glycogen) to support the short bursts of activity. Your anaerobic metabolism works without oxygen and produces a by-product of lactic acid. As lactic acid builds, you will have a shortage of oxygen to the muscle, and it is during the slower, recovery phase that the heart and lungs work together to put this oxygen back and break down the lactic acid. It is in this phase that the aerobic system is using oxygen to convert stored carbohydrates into energy, i.e. burning calories!
According to the American College of Sports Medicine, more calories are burned in short, high intensity exercise. If you are counting calories burned, high intensity exercise such as intervals are better than long, slow endurance exercise, but be careful. There are risks inherent to high intensity training. This type of training can put a maximum load on your cardiovascular system (your heart and lungs), so it is imperative that you ensure you are physically ready for this type of activity. Talk to your primary care physician, educate yourself on interval training program, warm up, and listen to your body as you progress. We highly recommend investing in a heart rate monitor to help you create and maximize an interval training program’s results. Also, it is very important to allow your body appropriate recovery from interval training to avoid injury.
Strength training
As muscle mass diminishes with age, the only way to preserve or build it is to commit to a strength training program. In addition to helping you lose weight, strength training will help you develop strong bones, reduce risk of injury, build stamina, manage chronic conditions, sleep better and maintain focus.
Strength training is all about creating resistance for your muscles. Resistance training works by causing microscopic damage or tears to the muscle cells, which in turn are quickly repaired by the body to help the muscles regenerate and grow stronger. The breakdown of the muscle fiber is called “catabolism,” and the repair and re-growth of the muscle tissue is called “anabolism.” Anabolic means to grow, and that’s exactly what happens after you break down the muscle fibers with resistance exercise. To help your muscles re-grow, testosterone, insulin-like growth factor, growth hormone, protein, and other nutrients rush to the muscle after a resistance-exercise session to help repair the muscles to make them stronger. Your muscles will even heal and grow when you aren’t working out, and that is why it is so necessary to leave time between workouts for recovery.
There are several options to consider as part of your strength training program including:
Body weight. You can do many exercises with little or no equipment. Try push-ups, pull-ups, abdominal crunches and leg squats.
Resistance tubing. Inexpensive, lightweight tubing that provides resistance when stretched. You can choose from many types of resistance tubes in nearly any sporting goods store.
Free weights. Barbells and dumbbells are classic strength training tools.
Weight machines. Most fitness centers offer various resistance machines. You can also invest in weight machines for use at home.
Once again, be sure to check with your doctor before you start lifting weights if you have any medical conditions, injuries or illnesses. If you don’t know much about weighttraining, consider hiring a personal trainer, to help you set up your program. You should work all of your muscle groups each week so that you avoid muscle imbalances, which could lead to injury. Functional movement testing with a trained professional can help to prevent injury during resistance training and help you achieve your goals faster and more efficiently. If you would like more information on how to start, please contact our Healthfit 4 Life Fitness Team here.
Sounds like a lot of work?
There is no doubt that committing to an exercise program that encompasses aerobic, interval, and strength training can seem overwhelming and impossible to fit into your already busy life. The key to success here is to find a balanced program that you enjoy and fits into your lifestyle. After all, shouldn’t your health be a priority over everything else?
Aerobic and interval training sessions can be combined and / or alternated. Maybe you do 30 minutes on the elliptical 1-2 days a week at a steady heart rate and then another 1-2 of 20-30 minutes of interval. Balance that with 1-2 days of 40 minutes of strength training spending one day on your upper body, the other day on your core and legs. There are many, many options to ensure that you are aerobically and anaerobically conditioning your body. Educate yourself, create a plan, put it on the schedule and if you need some support, give us a call.
We often tell our clients that exercise should be scheduled into your day just like any other appointment. You wouldn’t miss that important meeting with a new client right? Make your workout session your new, most important meeting of the day. Commit to it, practice it, and then you will never want to give it up!
Six months ago I was a different person. Run down, dealing with significant knee and joint pain, I felt physically defeated and had become a woman I did not recognize. Having tried every “weight loss” product and method in the past, I decided to take the advice of my doctor, Dr. Kenneth Cheng and join Personalcare Physician’s Healthfit 4 Life Fitness Program. Feeling at the end of my rope, I gave in to his suggestion.
With the help and expertise of Krista Reader, my Healthfit 4 Life Fitness Coach, my customized exercise program, her motivation, inspiration, and nutritional guidance, I have lost one-third of my body weight!In the past, the thought of being able to ski, horseback ride, or run again was a dream. Now, these activities are my reality. Krista has helped me achieve a body that is strong enough to handle all of these exercises and surpass my dreams. I will be completing a half marathon on May 1st and June 5th, I hit the slopes this season; and I have been riding horses. I feel like I am 25 years young again!
As the program is integrated with my doctor, it has been wonderful to see the medical progress as well. My cholesterol and blood pressure have decreased along with my weight. I truly feel blessed to have this team in my life, helping support me and encourage my health success. It has inspired me to now act as the same light and inspiration to my friends, family and co-workers. I am very grateful for the Healthfit 4 Life Program, and I encourage everyone to commit to their health and to then take action to make their dreams their reality.
Who knew – exercise and diet really DO produce results as long as you put in the work!
One of the key objectives we had when building our Healthfit 4 Life Fitness Studio was to have cutting edge equipment that would not only help our clients get healthier, but do it more efficiently. We chose to invest in the Power Plate because we believe in the exciting benefits it can deliver and we knew that our very busy clients would love how quickly it can produce results.
Let’s talk a little more about why it is so great. The Power Plate machine uses the principles of Acceleration Training™ to stimulate the body’s natural response to vibration. These vibrations transmit waves of energy throughout the body, activating muscle contractions between 25 and 50 times per second, enhancing overall performance in sessions as short as 15 minutes a day, 3 times a week. Standing on the mechanical vibrating plate, we adjust it to a vibrating frequency that meets your fitness level. From there the vibrations will cause your body to respond and contract with each shift. This constant muscle tensioning is what makes it so effective.
Under the supervision of a Healthfit 4 Life Fitness Coach, you will be lead through a series of exercises on the Power Plate. You will immediately feel the results of the vibrations and can very quickly see a dramatic improvement in your strength, power, flexibility, balance, and tone. Say goodbye to some cellulite as well!
Just as exciting, is the fact that this is a very low impact technology and will work for any age. Extensive research has shown that whether you are 20 or 80, the benefits can be amazing. Because of the cellular level stimulation the Power Plate creates, there are several additional benefits including
Fight osteoporosis
Increase stamina
Build strength and muscle tone
Improved circulation throughout your body
Relieve stiff muscles, joints, including lower back pain
Increase range of motion
For more information about our Power Plate Fitness Training Program, or to sign up for your free session, please contact us here or call (949) 706-3300.
How do you know that your body is ready to start a fitness regimen? Jumping into an exercise routine without making sure that your body is ready can sometimes result in injury. To ensure that our clients are ready to go, we conduct an extensive fitness and nutrition assessment,and we thought it might be useful to share with you why this is so important. There are many different versions of these types of assessments, but we have found that the top 5 evaluations that give us the best overall snapshot of a client’s health are:
Body fat and body mass index (BMI)
Aerobic fitness and metabolic assessment (V02 Max)
Total body power and endurance assessment
Nutritional assessment
Functional Movement Screen (FMS)
As a kickoff to a multi-part series on fitness health, we wanted to share some information with you today on the importance of the Functional Movement Screen (FMS).
Ask yourself the following questions, if you answer “yes” to any of them, please keep reading!
Is one side of your body stronger than the other?
Do you feel pain or stiffness in your back after sitting for extended periods of time?
When reaching your arms overhead, do you feel pain or impingement?
Is it a challenge to touch your toes without bending at the knee?
Do you work out through minor or serious pain?
Everyone has imbalances, but if they affect your basic levels of movement then there is a good chance that you will experience discomfort, pain and injury. It is imperative that your body is free of these imbalances and capable of moving without restrictions before starting any exercise or conditioning program.
As a balanced, mobile body is essential to fitness success, the Functional Movement Screen is a simple and measurable method of evaluating basic movement abilities. The test is comprised of 7 fundamental movement patterns. Through these 7 tests, a certified trainer should be able to identify any weaknesses, mobility issues, and imbalances between the left & right sides of the body. Demonstrated below is one of the 7 tests we conduct, the Lunge Test.
As you can see, by pinpointing these weak links, we can then prescribe to our clients a corrective program that will get the body moving how it was meant to move. After addressing these issues, you can then have greater movement efficiency, which will then lead to an increase in strength and performance. Most importantly, this will decrease the risk of injury. You must first have function before fitness.
If you would like any further information on this type of assessment, or hear more about what we can do for you, please contact us here.
3. Work on only one of those specific goals at a time. 
