EDITOR'S NOTE: THE FOLLOWING POST IS A GUEST BLOG FOR LIVESTRONG.COM FITNESS ADVISOR
JOE DOWDELL.
Take a minute and imagine you’ve decided to take the family on a vacation. You pack your bags, pile everyone into the family SUV and start to drive. Sounds like a great plan, except for one major flaw: You didn’t pick an exact destination. How far do you think you would get before your kids started asking you, “where are we going?”
Some of you are probably thinking that no one in their right mind would do such a thing. And you might be right. But when it comes to health and fitness, many people take this exact approach. In other words, they jump behind the wheel with no idea where to go. If you want to get in shape, you need to have a solid plan of action.
One of the quotes that I’ve always liked is, “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.”
It’s ultimately a reminder of the importance of goal setting, which is the key to successfully achieving your dreams, both in and out of the gym. Your goals should always be specific, realistic, achievable and measurable. They should also have a specific time frame for completion. If you set unachievable goals—the only result will be failure and disappointment, so be realistic!
There are two types of goals: Long-term and Short-term.
Short Term Goals
Short term goals should be obtainable within a short period of time. They should be very specific and absolutely reachable. In fact, for some people, especially those who are new to this concept, I would suggest that in the early stages of setting up your short term goals, you should create goals that you’re guaranteed to reach. Nothing can build motivation more than a series of successful accomplishments.
As you move along, I would start to make the short term goals a bit more challenging, but still achievable. A couple of examples of short-term goals may be something like:
“I am going to make sure I get to the gym three times this week?”
“I am going to make sure that I eat a good, nutritional breakfast every morning?”
I suggest writing down your short term goals as well as your long term goals in a check list format and placing them in a highly visible location. As you accomplish one of your goals on the list, you should either place a big checkmark next to it or cross it out. As you start to successfully accomplish these short-term goals, you should begin to add new short term goals to the bottom of the list. Remember: your short term goals should ultimately lead you to achieving your long term goals.
Long Term Goals
Long term goals are usually more general in nature but should also be realistic and achievable. Once again, they should provide you with motivation. Some excellent examples of long term goals are the following:
“I want to lose 35 lbs. over the course of the next year.”
“I want to be able to run a 10 K charity race by the end of the year.”
I happen to like when clients use athletic activities that are also tied into charitable causes because it doubles their motivation to stick with their plan. It is important to realize that consistency is one of the most important keys to getting shape. As you accomplish your goals, you should not forget about that achieved goal, but rather, if applicable, continue to make it ongoing part of your lifestyle.
Reward Yourself
Finally, it is important to reward yourself as you achieve your goals. Getting in shape should be fun. It should not be a daunting task. If you use the 90% rule, you will be much more likely to want to achieve a healthy lifestyle. If you eat well 90% of the time, you are allowing yourself some wiggle room. Or, if you complete 90% of your scheduled workouts over the course of a month, you can still feel great about yourself and your progress. Just like your goals, your rewards should be special and meaningful to you. Good luck and start making your list.
Personal trainer and strength coach Joe Dowdell is one of the most highly sought after fitness experts in the world. His motivating teaching style and unique expertise have helped a clientele that includes film and TV stars, musicians, pro athletes, CEOs and top fashion models. Peak Performance, his 10,000-sq.-ft. loft in NYC, was voted the #3 gym in America by Men’s Health.
For more information, visit
www.joedowdell.com or
www.peakperformancenyc.com. Or follow him on
Twitter or
Facebook.
The holidays have always been an important time of year for me. Whether it's the opportunity to relax or the chance to spend more time with my family, there’s something special about a season dedicated to the people and values that are most important to you.
But the end of the year is also bittersweet. When you look beyond the holiday cheer and time away from work, December oftentimes equals doom for your health. Diets go crashing, activity disappears, and the hard work that people put in for an entire year goes on life support—waiting for resurrection in January.
Year after year, resolution after resolution, the same trend always repeats itself. Leading to one simple question: Does fitness have to die in December?
This year, I want to try something different. I want to bring fitness back to life in December and start preparing some pre-resolutions. Consider it a test for the real thing in January. I want you to increase your activity, focus on your diet, and still enjoy the holidays, all while finding time for your health. It’s time to raise the bar. After all, recent research shows that by the year 2020, it’s estimated that 83 percent of men and 72 percent of women will be either overweight or obese. Translation: We need to fight for our health and set a standard for others to follow.
Focusing on your fitness at the end the year has many benefits that will make your life even better in 2012. Think about it: When January rolls around, you won’t be trying to make up for the damage caused in November and December. Instead, you can ride your momentum and accomplish even more. To help the cause, I encourage you to reach out to me on Twitter (@BornFitness), ask me your questions or share your motivation and tips, and include the hashtag #fitnesslives. Together, I want us to reverse the trend.
In addition to answering your questions, I’ll provide tips all month to keep you inspired, help you eat better, and make sure that #fitnesslives and 2011 ends on a good note. After all: It’s not always how you start, but where you finish.
To keep you on the right path, use these tips and words of motivation to push you towards the finish line.
INSTANT INSPIRATION: “It's never too late to reinvent yourself. Get up, and take the first step towards becoming the person you want to be.”
ENJOY, DON'T ABUSE: One "bad" day of eating will never ruin an entire diet. So if you choose to indulge, don't feel guilty. Enjoy. But then get back on track with your next meal or with a workout that day or the next. A healthy life is all about balance.
STAY FOCUSED: "When you're interested in something, you do it when it's convenient. When you're committed, you accept no excuses; only results.”
PLAN YOUR SUCCESS: Resolutions shouldn’t just exist during New Year’s. They should be a permanent part of your life. If you’re not trying to get better every week, every day, and every hour, you’re probably doing something wrong. Make weekly or monthly lists to help keep yourself on track, and reward yourself when you reach your goals. Do what it takes to keep yourself accountable.
BE CREATIVE: Cold weather isn’t an excuse to stop exercising. Go outside and play. Head to the gym. Do a workout in your home. If anything, the change in weather should force you to become MORE creative, which can make your typical workout more fun, challenging, and enjoyable.
FIRE-UP FAT LOSS: Don’t think you can do a workout at home? Try this one. It’s a metabolic program designed to burn calories fast—including the few extra pounds you might have put on during holiday eating. Best of all: No equipment is needed. Start on the lower end of the sets, and build up as you improve your stamina. Warning: This workout is harder than it looks.
Perform each of the exercise groups as a circuit. That is, do one exercise after another without any rest between movements. Once you finish all exercises in a group, that's one set. Then rest 30 to 60 seconds and repeat 3 to 6 times before moving on to the next group. Each exercise should be performed for 30 seconds.
Group 1:
Lunges
Mountain climbers
Squat jumps
Group 2:
Pushups
Hip extenions
Stationary running
Group 3:
T-Pushup
Side lunge
Squat thrusts (burpees)
GO SMALL TO LOSE BIG: Trouble getting started with what you should be eating? Start logging your foods on MyPlate. It will give you a baseline of how many calories you’re actually consuming compared to how much you should be eating. This will be your guide. But don’t try to make massive changes. The good foods vs. bad foods debate can be frustrating. Instead, do addition by subtraction. Add foods that will keep you full and help you eat less. Begin each meal with vegetables, pack each meal full of protein (which will help you burn more calories compared to fats and carbohydrates), and substitute fruits for some starchy carbohydrates (like breads and pasta). The fruit will satisfy your sweet tooth, but with just a fraction of the calories.
FACE YOUR CHALLENGES: “In our lives, we have two or three opportunities to be a hero, but almost every day, we have the opportunity not to be a coward.”
We asked our LIVESTRONG.COM advisors for their best Thanksgiving advice. Here’s what they had to say.
Mark Peterson
The Anti-Tip:
I’ve never been a big fan of “Holiday Tips” meant to suggest alternative options for eating. Why can’t I have seconds at Thanksgiving? Why should I replace my apple pie with apple slices and gluten-free, sugar free cookies? Why should I gorge myself with water to feel full prior to dinner? I literally could not disagree with those tips more. They set the wrong precedent for achieving the ultimate goal: good health and high quality of life. Moreover, they set the bar way out of reach for sustainable behavior modification. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, they do NOT represent a good example for other people who are trying to make lasting improvements in their own health. Some of the healthiest and fittest people I know allow themselves to eat extremely unhealthy from time to time, and especially on holidays. So I guess in reality, this tip is actually an anti-tip. Don’t irritate the host and the rest of your family by requesting 6 oz of baked or grilled chicken and steamed broccoli, instead of the holiday meal. This applies even if you’re the host. Ultimately, no single meal represents enough departure from a healthy diet to ruin your physique or clog your arteries. I learned a long time ago that having balance in all facets of life is the best way to ensure maintenance of healthy habits over the long term. It is neither admirable nor impressive to obsess over any particular part of your lifestyle, in route to better health. Demonstrate your humility, strength, and commitment to healthy living by resolving to allow natural ebb-in-flow in the food you eat, as well as the type and amount of physical activity you perform. As with most things in life, the aggregation of healthy habits is what dictates long-term success or failure.
Thanksgiving Day meals can get the best of all of us. I have found that many people tend to overeat for various reasons, but with prior preparation, there are ways to help combat this situation. If your family is like mine, and everything is laid out in a buffet-style manner, the temptation of repeat visits to refill your plate is far too easy. If this is the case, make a commitment to yourself that you will only make one visit to the buffet table; you will fill up your plate once and that’s it. In addition, make sure you have a big glass of water prior to starting your meal and make sure you take your time eating. If you follow these three simple steps, you will be able to enjoy a nice Thanksgiving meal while not letting the wheels come completely off the wagon.
Chew natural gum while you make Thanksgiving Dinner. Not only will you keep your mouth busy so you don't eat a full meal before your main feast, but you'll burn an additional 11 calories per hour just by chewing!
The number one thing to remember is not to STRESS! Just because you’re watching your weight, doesn’t mean your diet rules your life. Overall, staying healthy and getting results will only last if you make it balanced and realistic. You don’t get ‘skinny’ by dieting for one day, and similarly, you will not ruin your diet by indulging for a day!
Here are some helpful reminders for during the feast:
-Remember, this is not your last meal. You will get more food later. It is not necessary to overeat just because it is THERE! Similarly - Make the meal about the people around you, rather than the food as the focus. Taking the emphases off the food means you’ll concentrate more on the conversation and less on cramming your plate!
-Remember the water! The body can confuse thirst and hunger, so ensuring adequate water helps control appetite and prevents overeating.
-Head for the turkey first! Fill up on MORE protein and make it a priority. This will help to control your appetite for later in the meal, and therefore decrease the amount you can eat
-Eat your veggies!
-Pick a FEW favourite foods to enjoy rather than ‘sampling everything’ – studies show that it is when taste buds are overwhelmed with ‘too many flavours’ we are more likely to overeat
-COOK – make yourself & everyone else some health(ier) versions of traditional meals. No, that doesn’t mean ‘rice and chicken breast’, but changing a few small things in a recipe can decrease calorie density significantly, which gives you more ‘leeway’ to use with the foods you can’t control (or don’t want to)!
-Just because it is there, doesn’t mean you have to eat it! Eat slowly and taste your food… Chances are when you do this the calorie filled treat you were eating it isn’t ‘as good as you thought it was, and you’ll put it down and do yourself less damage instead of trying to cram it all in!
Don't Forget to Train
During the holidays, you'll want to maximize your time with the family and not be stuck driving to the gym and training for an hour. Short 10-15 minute workouts, where you link 6-8 exercises together with little to no rest between, can be done with minimal equipment - anytime and anywhere, throughout the day. Using an elastic band, a couple dumbbells or even a bookbag with books in it, performing exercises like burpees, skips, push-ups, lunges, squats, inverted rows, bear crawls and squat to press - will give you a short, intense and highly effective workout.
Sleep More
Use your time off as your time off. De-stressing from work, the kids and everyday life can be as simple as sleeping longer or possibly fitting in a nap during the day. Your body will recover and be re-energized, ready to face any challenge.
No one wants to go on a diet, especially during Thanksgiving. Who can really resist grandma's famous stuffing or mom's pumpkin pie? So instead of foregoing your favorite foods that you have once a year, make your holiday a mindful one. Thanksgiving is full of wonderful food traditions...embrace them! For a holiday eating strategy, this approach can ultimately be more practical than swapping out high calorie treats with (often less satisfying) low calories ones.
Fill your Thanksgiving plate with all the foods that are appealing to you - without a regard to what is "healthy". When you sit down, eat slowly so that you can savor the flavors. Note the taste, texture and mouthfeel of each morsel. While chewing, put down your fork and focus on what's in your mouth, not on the next bite. Check in with your hunger level often throughout the meal...at least after each plateful. In fact, don't automatically assume that you have to get seconds, or thirds. If your hunger is gone and the food is starting to taste not AS good as the first few bites, chances are you have had enough.
If you slow it down and enjoy the day mindfully, you will avoid the 1-5 pounds of additional weight most Americans gain on average over Thanksgiving!
The average American eats over 3500 calories on Thanksgiving day, and 500 of those calories can come from one large piece of dessert! Don't skip dessert, just opt for 1/4 cup of canned pumpkin mixxed with one tablespoon of sugar. Mix with 1/4 cup low fat whipped topping and chill for a 100 calories dessert.
The most common mistake I see people make is checking out and go into black and white, on or off thinking. "It's Thanksgiving. I'm off my diet!" Be aware of your mindset as you head into the holiday week. Do not check out and start to go into this black and white, "on" your diet or "off your diet mindset. Instead eat healthy nutritious foods the week leading up to Thanksgiving, have a healthy breakfast with some protein and some fruit or veggies and maybe some oatmeal to get your blood sugar stable first thing that day. Then have a healthy snack of some almonds or something easy to munch on other than potato chips and dip while watching football. And strategize that you will have a splurge for Thanksgiving dinner and completely enjoy yourself but that doesn't mean that you have to blow all of the meals leading up to it. Thanksgiving is ONE MEAL. Enjoy your one splurge guilt free but don't blow the whole day or even the whole week!
"Saving up" is the other big mistake I see people make. Thinking that I won't eat all day because tonight I'm going to have a splurge. You'll do much less damage if you start your day off with a healthy breakfast and have a strategy of fueling your body with small, nutritious meals throughout the day keeping your blood sugar stable so that when you do sit down for Thanksgiving dinner you won't over indulge but instead have just enough to enjoy the holiday.
Get your workout done. You can take advantage of having a higher calorie day by getting a good workout done on Thanksgiving before you indulge. Post workout is the best time to have a splurge because it is more likely for those carbohydrates to go straight to your muscles to replenish your glycogen rather than to your fat stores. Also before you hit the shops for the black Friday sales put a workout on your schedule first thing the day after Thanksgiving to burn off some of that extra energy, taking advantage of the boost in calories from the night before.
Use this Diet Hack to make it though the holidays without extra weight gain...It's one of my favourites and involves using alcohol to 'cheat the system'.
"The drinker's hack"
This time of year, you will be pressured into all sorts of second helpings, treats, sweets and desserts. So here's one of my all-time favourite diet hacks:
Instead of dessert, order a dessert wine, or any other alcoholic drink - do your best to keep it lower calorie (not some crazy mixed drink) but also don't worry too much - chances are your drink will have far less calories then the cheesecake / pumpkin pie / cake that your friends and family are eating. So you save yourself a bunch of calories yet the miracle of alcohol is that you are still 'partaking in the celebration'. (I.e. you're not the party pooper passing on dessert.)
This technique works really well since you are cutting a large amount of calories out of the night all the while not throwing your diet in the face of your friends and family - because let's face it - nobody wants to eat dessert beside the guy or girl chewing on celery sticks.
And having a water / diet soda doesn't work in the same way - people view this as you 'opting out' of the festivities, and they will continue to try and get you to eat as away of pulling your back into the party.
Lastly, here's a trick within the trick - the stronger the drink the less likely people will be to want to 'top you up'. A pint of beer and a ounce and a half of hard liquor have the same amount of alcohol, but the beer (even if it's light beer) has almost 50 more calories. But with the beer, people will constantly ask you if you'd like another - with the hard liquor, you are allowed to sip away all night, without any one pushing you to drink more.
Alcohol has a bad rap, but when used sparingly, it can be a surprisingly effective diet hack, especially in social situations.
EDITOR’S NOTE: THANKSGIVING IS MEANT TO BE A TIME TO INDULGE. BUT FOR SOME, THE OVEREATING CAN DERAIL YOUR HEALTHY LIVING GOALS. IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING NEW THIS YEAR, FEEL FREE TO TRY OUT THESE SUGGESTIONS FROM FITNESS EXPERT AND LIVESTRONG.COM ADVISOR,
JASON FERRUGGIA. THE HIGHLY ACCLAIMED STRENGTH COACH IS KNOWN FOR ONE THING: INCREDIBLE RESULTS. HERE IS HIS 3-DAY APPROACH TO PREPARING FOR THANKSGIVING, SO YOU CAN DIG IN ON TURKEY DAY—WITHOUT THE GUILT. BUT A WARNING: HIS ADVICE ISN'T FOR EVERYONE. IF YOU DON'T AGREE OR PREFER ANOTHER STRATEGY, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO CREATE YOUR OWN HEALTHY APPROACH TO THANKSGIVING.
The perfect plan for Thanksgiving is less about what you do on the big day of eating, and more about what you do before and after. If you follow the right plan, you can eat (and eat some more), without any negative consequences. Here's how to plan a successful feast.
Start your week with a normal upper body workout on Monday. Some pressing and pulling and maybe some bi's and tri's, 15-20 total sets, 5-10 reps on most stuff. Do the same on Tuesday with your lower body day. Some jumps, some squats, a single leg exercise, posterior chain work and abs.
On the diet side, these days should be very low carb. You want to enter your Thanksgiving feast very carb depleted, so you can indulge more without having to worry. That’s why I’d keep carbohydrate intake around 50 grams per day from Sunday-Wednesday. And ideally, you’ll consume the carbs after your workouts. If you wanted to be even more extreme, you could cut carbs to 30 grams.
On Thursday you're going to fast up until three hours before you plan to start eating. So let’s say your planning to begin your feast at 4 pm. I’d recommend fasting until 1 p.m. If needed, you can have some black coffee between 10 and 12 for a boost. It’s also essential that you drink plenty of water the day of the meal, and the day prior (on Wednesday).
At 1 p.m., I’d recommend drinking drink 10 grams of BCAA’s (branched-chain amino acids) and head to the gym for a full body depletion workout. (see below) You need to train every major muscle group from head to toe with three sets of 15-20 reps. The entire workout should be performed as a circuit. (one exercise after another, and then repeat the entire process two more times)
One thing to remember is that you don't want much eccentric stress or soreness, as that can impair your insulin sensitivity and ability to store glycogen the next day. (and negate any benefits of your carb binge) So ideally most of this workout would be done using a sled and blast straps because there would be zero eccentric component to it.
Here's a sample sled workout for your Thanksgiving prep: (each exercise is followed by number of sets, reps, and rest period)
1) Upright row- 3 x 15-20 x 30 sec. rest
2) Front raise- 3 x 15-20 x 30 sec rest
3) Rear delt fly- 3 x 15-20 x 30 sec. rest
4) Chest press- 3 x 15-20 x 30 sec. rest
5) Row- 3 x 15-20 x 30 sec rest
6 Military press (leaning forward)- 3 x 15-20 x 30 sec rest
7) Sled Curl- 3 x 15-30 x 30 sec. rest
8) Triceps Extension- 3 x 15-30 sec. rest
9) Back Extension- 3 x 15-20 x 30 sec rest
10) Backward drag in half squat position- 3 x 15-20 x 30 sec rest
11) Forward Frankenstein walk- 3 x 15-20 x 30 sec rest
If you don't have a sled here's a plan B workout (using the same sets, reps, and rest):
1) DB Shrug
2) DB Military Press
3) Face Pull
4) Pushup or DB Press
5) Chest Supported or Inverted Row
6) Pushdown
7) DB Curl
8) Back Extension
9) Goblet Squat
10) Standing Calf Raise
Again do three sets of 15-20 in a circuit, resting 30 seconds between sets.
If you’re keeping the rest periods as short as they should be, you'd finish the workout at 2 p.m. Go home and shower, get dressed, pop 300mg of rALA and then start feasting. Also, be sure to drink at least a gallon of water throughout the day on Thursday.
Since you are going to be eating enough for a small army you should fast again for 16-18 hours the next day and do yet another full body depletion workout before gorging on leftovers. This way, you’ll be able to dig in—and be surprised at how great you’ll still look.
I’m a gym guy. Always have been, always will be. I love lifting weights, pushing sleds, and deadlifting.
But I’m also a believer that fitness has many faces, whether it’s running, swimming, climbing, or fighting. (sorry, curling does not make the cut) It’s why I’m constantly trying out new forms of fitness, just for the sake of experiencing something new.
So when I saw some recent ads running for Your Shape Fitness Evolved (a new game for Kinect), I had to try it out. But my opinion wasn’t enough, and, in full disclosure, I didn’t want to provide anything that could appear biased. Instead, I had 5 fellow employees try out the game and provide me with their feedback. Here’s what I found:
The Game is Fun
I’ll say this about Your Shape—it makes being active more enjoyable for people who don’t like exercise (and let’s admit it, many people fall into this category). All of the people who tried the game also participate in a 2-day-per-week boot camp. No surprise: Everyone considered the game more fun and it made the time pass much quicker. Twenty minutes of heart-rate-elevating dancing, kicking, punching, and jumping moves faster when it’s part of a game. (and when I’m not yelling for 5 more burpees)
It Makes You Move
Much to my surprise, the people who tried the game found themselves with an elevated heart rate and signs of fatigue. In a world where video games typically promote a sedentary lifestyle and Cheetos addiction, this was a step in the right direction.
It Can Work For Everyone
I’m not necessarily talking about results. Instead, I’m referring to usability for a wide demographic. These games have enough options to entertain any child or adult. I watched grown men live out their Karate Kid fantasies by punching and kicking virtual boxes, all while dodging swinging hammers with virtuoso Matrix-style movements. Toss in the fact that you can do everything from abs, arms, and cardio to boot camp, and you have a game that—at least on the surface—offers plenty of variety and activity.
It Has Benefits for Kids
I’ll be the first to say that I’d rather see children running around playing outside or participating in a sport. But I was surprised by one aspect of the game: It clearly builds coordination and quick reactions. Both of these are skills that children should have. And again, while I’d prefer for them to build them outside, this is clearly a better alternative to traditional sedentary games.
The Game Doesn’t Burn a Ton of Calories
I know that my co-workers were sweating a little, but after completing each game the user receives feedback about how many calories they burned (admittedly, a cool feature). Unfortunately, the numbers weren’t significant. At most, people were burning about 20 to 30 calories per game (we didn’t try every option). And while that’s definitely better than ingesting hundreds of calories or not moving at all, it means that you’d have to be sitting in front of the TV screen for a long time in order to really make a significant difference. In other words, it burns calories but it’s not the most efficient way to boost your meatbolism.
Don’t Expect a Transformation
The Kinect is extremely cool. It literally allows you to become part of the video game. But the technology also has limitations—and that includes the type of exercises you can perform and still be “recognized” on screen. So while there’s plenty of a variety for a game, it still has limitations in the types of exercise movements that are incorporated. As such, while the game forces you to move, it won’t make you more muscular or shred much fat.
The Bottom Line: Your Shape is a step up from traditional video games, and it’s a great bridge for people who don’t enjoy activity or are intimidated by the gym. It’s better than being inactive, and it might encourage people to live healthier, join a gym, or become more interested in exercise. After all, anything that can make exercise seem more enjoyable (for those who naturally dislike it), is a good thing. Just be realistic about what you can expect. Playing a video game probably won’t help create much change. For that, you still need to rely on a professional workout and a solid diet plan.
Certain dates in the year exist for a particular purpose: Veteran’s Day salutes those who have fought (and do fight) for our country, Mother’s Day reminds us to tell our mothers we love them, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemorates a man who helped change the face of history. Thanksgiving falls into the same category—only it serves a much different purpose. Thanksgiving is a day to enjoy food, and I’m not just talking about the healthy stuff. Everyone deserves a day to indulge. The key is making sure that those days are few and far between, and surrounded by general eating habits that demonstrate a little more control.
But on Thanksgiving, it's important to remember there’s nothing wrong with breaking some rules, eating a few extra calories, and indulging in dessert. In many ways, Thanksgiving is the national holiday of eating—and the behaviors of the 4 million users who tracked food and fitness with LIVESTRONG.COM’s MyPlate Calorie Tracker during the 2010 Thanksgiving holiday season. Here are a few interested facts about the most common behaviors on the unofficial day of excess. (click on the image if you want to zoom in)
1) Turkey Spices up the Dance Floor—and the Bedroom
You know the old adage about turkey: It makes you tired. Blame the tryptophan or the extra calories, but the old myth might not be as accurate as we once thought.
New research shows that protein is a better energy source than sugar. And while people are definitely less active on Thanksgiving, (more on that soon) your feast still helps you have a good time. Dancing and having sex are two activities that show a spike—and in that order. In fact, nearly twice as many people head to the dance floor than the bedroom during Thanksgiving.
2) You’re Healthier than you Think
Thanksgiving is admittedly a heavy calorie day. Most people have meals that fall between 3,000 to 4,000 calories—which is about 2 days worth of eating for most people. However, it could be a lot worse. According to
MyPlate data, 85% of people choose white meat over dark meat. That decision alone (depending on portion size) can save you about hundreds of calories, and about 15 to 20 grams of fat per 6 ounce serving. What’s more, about 25 percent of Thanksgiving eaters also list sweet potatoes as their preferred starch. Compared to the mashed white version, you cut out about 150 calories per serving.
3) The Worst Side is Also The Most Overrated
Don’t kill the messenger, but odds are your guests don’t want to eat your gravy—at all. Despite its apparent popularity on mashed potatoes or turkey, 75 percent of people don’t enjoy gravy on Thanksgiving and avoid it completely. Save yourself the time and stick to other sides like mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, and green bean casserole (or just sautéed green beans for a healthier slant). These sides are rated as the most popular complements to your turkey.
4) Thanksgiving is the New Halloween
It might come as no surprise, but the most popular Thanksgiving flavor is pumpkin. The pie is the most popular dessert, as 70 percent of people list that as their after-meal sweet du jour. But it’s also the most popular form of cookie, coffee, and bread—beating out other seasonal favorites such as peppermint and gingerbread.
Bonus fact: While pumpkin pie is extremely popular, there’s a different type of sweet that’s consumed much more frequently. People eat 4 times as many Clementine oranges than pumpkin pie slices on the holiday.
5) Exercise is NOT (as) Popular on Thanksgiving
Turns out, most people don't try to earn their way to a bigger meal on Thanksgiving. The amount of physical activity tracked on MyPlate drops more than 30 percent. And it’s not just people exercising for less time, its people abandoning physical activity altogether. Of the 355 activities tracked on MyPlate, 86 percent show a decrease. And while football might be the most popular show to watch on television, it’s one of the least popular activities to play. (clearly my Thanksgiving is a little different than the rest of the nation) But that doesn’t mean everyone takes a day off from activity. Popular forms of exercise including walking, weightlifting, and biking—all great ways to burn a few extra calories and earn more room for dessert.
No matter how you choose to approach Thanksgiving—with a healthy slant or an all-out cheat day—remember that either way can be a part of your healthy living plan. Personally, I’ll create the best of both worlds: Eating the foods I love, but preparing them in a healthier way. I’ll pile on lots of turkey, dine on large servings of stuffing, and dive in for dessert without any regret. But you can be sure on Friday I’ll be in the gym, back on track, and thankful for the day where I was able to celebrate the joy of food.
Sometimes the best ideas are the ones that we never even consider. If you struggle with motivation, consistency, or just need a kick in the ass, this list is for you. It's a practical approach that will help you eat better, exercise more effectively, and win the mental battle that allows you to improve your health.
Some of these tips might seem a little too simple. Others might sound bizarre. But all of them have been proven to be effective. So what are you waiting for? Maybe it's time to give them a try.
1. Think less
Most people looking to improve their health and fitness have a common theme—and it’s not weight loss, muscle gain, or improving their 5K time. It’s paralysis by analysis. Health has been examined from so many different angles that we’ve turned what should be small, simple life decisions into a complex equation that makes living healthy a frustrating process. People need to spend a lot less time wondering if they need to eat exactly 27 minutes after their workout is over (nope), if antioxidant-infused cereal will fight off disease (it won't), or debating whether white bread and rice should never be consumed (for the record: the white stuff won’t kill you).
The more you focus on the little details, the farther you get from the big picture. So start simple.
Eat more natural foods. Fill your plate with fruits, vegetables, and lean sources of protein (whether animal or not—depending on your dietary preferences). It can be a battle for people who don’t like these foods, so swap them gradually. Make “shakes” if you must, but there’s nothing special about those either. They’re just another way to make eating healthier a little bit easier. Find an eating schedule that works—whether it’s 3 or 6 meals. Limit the amount of crap you eat. Hit the gym—and work hard. But find a program that’s both challenging and fun. Make it a game and workout with friends. If you hate the gym, don’t force it (at least not initially). Find other ways to push yourself hard like playing sports or swimming. Activity has many faces.
You’ll find that starting simple can be incredibly effective. Because when you think too much, you oftentimes don’t act at all. Or you make yourself believe that it’s too hard. As the saying goes, “nothing happens until you start moving.” So what are you waiting for?
2. Write More
I’m constantly asked how I stay motivated. After all, the psychological and mental approach to your health is probably the most underrated aspect of the industry. Most people don’t inherently enjoy exercise or eating well, so they need to know how to push their buttons to elicit behavior. So if I’m struggling, I use a technique that works for me at my job: I write down my goals. In fact, I start every day writing down my goals for the entire day. It might consist of articles I need to complete, attending meetings, eating more vegetables, hitting the gym, and making dinner for my wife. It’s my own accountability checklist. And that list stays with me all day as a reminder.
I sincerely enjoy the process of crossing off items on the list. It gives me an agenda and a goal. And when I fall short of my expectations, it only provides more motivation to improve the next day. Admittedly, writing a checklist might not be your style, so find what makes you work harder in your life and apply it to fitness. But there’s something about writing it down that makes it feel more binding.
3. Track your progress
This is simple: You don’t know where you’re going or what you’ve achieved (or haven’t achieved), if you can’t accurately see where you’ve been. The reality is, most people underestimate how much they eat and overestimate how much they exercise—and that includes people who are in great shape.
Track your foods. Track your fitness. I recommend using our
MyPlate Calorie Tracker. It’s free on the site, or you can download it on your mobile app. There’s a reason people have burned tens of millions of pounds (yes, literally that much) using MyPlate: It works. Give it a try and you’ll be surprised how much you learn.
4. Reward yourself
In every area of life, we create an expectation that good performance will yield some additional benefit. In work, this manifests itself as a raise. In your personal life, it’s a vacation. Health and fitness should be no different. You should be setting short and long-term goals, and rewarding yourself with things that matter to you. That can be a trip, new clothes, tickets to a sporting event, or whatever brings you joy. It not only reminds you that you’ve done a good job, but it offers a little extra motivation. Your health and longevity should be enough to keep you pushing forward (after all, you only have one life to live), but sometimes it’s tough to see the forest through the trees. So go ahead: Bribe yourself. If that’s what it takes to keep you eating well and hitting the gym, the investment is more than worth it.
5. Eat dessert
Some of you might disagree, but I believe that every diet has room for dessert. In fact, science agrees with me. At the end of the day, your effectiveness at gaining or losing weight is a simple caloric equation. Did you eat more or less calories than you burned? This is why tracking your calories is so effective—you can actually know if you’ve had too much, or if you have a little room to spare. It’s no different than budgeting your money.
Me? I like to budget some dessert into my life. The problem for most people is being able to cut themselves off or becoming hooked on the sweet stuff. So start infrequently until you have a handle of what you can do successfully. But eating right shouldn’t be painful. Life is about enjoying—so save some room for your favorites.
6. Challenge your beliefs
I think stubbornness is a disease, and one that is very prevalent in the health field. We all have our personal preferences, and that’s fine. But oftentimes what we hold true isn’t actually reality. And that doesn’t mean that every new trend or research needs to be applied to your life. That’s not what living is about. When we share features like
20 Fat Loss Myths or
20 Overrated Supplements—we’re not telling you how to live. Instead, we’re providing a new way to make you more informed.
You’re still the one who will determine what’s best for you. And you might have reasons for following the diet you choose or the exercise plan that you enjoy. But that doesn’t mean anything that runs contrary to your personal preferences doesn’t work or is wrong. The best way to improve health—globally—is to improve education and reduce ignorance. And the only way to do that is by keeping an open mind. I’m constantly learning and many of the things I “knew” yesterday won’t necessarily be true tomorrow. But I’m OK admitting when I’m wrong, as long as it means I’m informed and I can do a better job of helping people live a better life.
7. Visit your doctor
Be like Nike and Just Do It!
(Does this really need more of an explanation? There are enough hidden diseases and problems that you need a professional to check on your health. You can thank me later)
8. Ask questions
This is closely linked to #6 (Challenge Your Beliefs). You should never feel that you need to blindly accept what is viewed as common knowledge. You should not only understand your behaviors—but understand why. It’s easy for us to just follow the lead of the majority. Heck, it’s even happened to me several times in this field, and this is what I do for a living.
It’s embarrassing to me, but there was a period in time when I was suckered into believing that all carbs were bad. So I removed them completely. Breads, fruits, veggies. You name it. Sure, I was young and stupid, but it happened. Even more recently, I used to avoid eating big meals late at night or I thought that 6 meals a day was the best way to approach a diet. While either of these methods CAN be effective, they aren’t the rule. You can eat big late at night, just as there’s nothing wrong with eating two meals a day. But I was only able to draw those conclusions by looking at my behaviors and making sure that there was a legitimate reason for what I was doing.
Even if you’re learning from someone who is smarter and more experienced than you, that’s not a reason to hold back your questions. If they can’t give you a good reason—and an informed reason, then there’s a good chance there’s more flexibility to what you're doing and how you can live than you might have previously thought.
9. Sleep more
When you get more rest, you burn more fat, build more muscle, feel better, perform better, are smarter, don’t feel as hungry, have more energy, ward of disease, and age better. Any questions?
Aim for at least 8 hours per night. That’s the sweet spot. (And yes, I’m bad at this too. We can all work on it together…well, not literally. Don’t think my wife would like that)
10. Grade yourself
Need another motivation trick? Create a grading system where you assess your health from everything that makes a difference (eating, sleeping, exercise, free time, achieving your goals). And then rate yourself every week, two weeks, or month. It’s a great way to establish self-accountability. If you know you’re grading yourself, it might incentivize you to work harder.
Even more effective? If you don’t make the grade, you receive some sort of punishment that you actually care about. Consider it your health detention—and earning your way out can pay big dividends to how you look and feel.
11. Take pictures
Listen, I know that taking pictures of yourself is not the most comfortable thing to do. But that’s exactly why you should do it. At some basic level, we all possess vanity traits—even if that isn’t why you train or eat well (I do it to fight off disease and injury—two things that have plagued me in the past). So when you see an image of yourself, it can serve not only as motivation, but also as a starting point so that you know how far you’ve come. Not all goals are aesthetic, so this does not apply to every health goal. But it’s still something I’d recommend. We all need reminders sometimes about how far we’ve come and what we accomplished.
Or, if you’re weird like me, you can take pictures of your fridge and pantry. And then track how much you change your eating habits.
12. Read labels
If you want to start eating better, you should know what’s in your food. Check the total number of calories, the macros (proteins, carbs, fats), and even the ingredient list. If your food doesn’t have an ingredient list (think fruits, veggies, lean sources of protein), then you’re probably buying the right stuff.
13. Train Less
Most people overestimate how much exercise they actually need to be fit. You can train 5 or 6 days per week if that’s what you want and enjoy. It can be done. But that doesn’t mean it’s necessary. I rarely train for more than 45 to 60 minutes per session, and usually only 3 or 4 days per week. And some weeks, especially when I’m on the road, I’ll do some metabolic workouts that take only 15 to 20 minutes—and they are some of the hardest workouts I’ve ever done. In fact, every Tuesday and Thursday I lead my company through a 30-minute boot camp. You can ask them: It’s more than long enough to see results and feel great.
Most people think they don’t have time to exercise. And I completely respect the difficulty of your busy schedule. But there are few things more important than your health. And it requires much less time and maintenance than you think. So find the time that works best in your day, and make it a part of your schedule. Start with just three days, and see how you respond. If you’re doing the right things, I promise you will be pleasantly surprised.
14. Train harder
Once you start exercising consistently, make sure you are pushing yourself as hard as you can. This does not mean just doing endless reps and spending hours in the gym. As I just mentioned, a longer workout is NOT a better workout. Your success will ultimately be determined by your intensity. That means being focused. No more cell phones or checking emails. No more watching TV for 5 minutes between sets. Your mind should be on the job at hand. It’s no different than when you’re at work: If you’re multi-tasking, your primary focus will suffer. Don’t let your body suffer. Work hard, work efficient, sweat, laugh, and enjoy. And then rest. Keeping you fresh and energized is all part of a good plan.
15. Cook More
If you want to eat better, start here. Most restaurants load your foods up with unnecessary calories in an attempt to make the food taste better. But you know what? Good foods are inherently delicious. They don’t need much “dressing up” to bring out the flavor. Cooking puts you in control of your diet, and allows you to develop new favorites. It also helps you have leftovers—which prepares you for the following work day and ensures better eating habits. It doesn’t have to be fancy or time-consuming, but a little extra time in the kitchen will probably result in a few extra pounds off the scale.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is a guest post from fitness expert BJ Gaddour, C.S.C.S, CEO of
StreamFIT, and a Fitness Bootcamp and Metabolic Training Expert.
The most efficient way to go about getting the body of a God or Goddess is to perform metabolic bootcamp-style workouts that will burn belly fat, boost metabolism, and tone and tighten your whole body. The best aspect of these types of workouts: They are so fast that you can see visible results in just a fraction of the time. But be aware, these programs are short but difficult.
Try any of these four workouts to burn fat, build muscle, and transform your body in record time. These are called 11/11/11 metabolic complexes, and the concept is sipmle. Perform 11 reps of each of the exercises listed. Once you complete 11 reps of all three exercises that's one round. Your goal is to do a total off 11 rounds. Try to finish the entire workout in 11 minutes or less. For examples of each exercise, simply click on the link for video.
Perform 11 reps of each of the following movements with no rest between movements:
1- Bodyweight Push-up Jacks
2- Bodyweight Seal Jacks
3- Bodyweight Squat Jacks
Try to get 11 rounds completed within 11 minutes!
Perform 11 reps of each of the following movements with no rest between movements:
1- Dumbbell Skier Swings
2- Dumbbell Bent-Over Rows
3- Dumbbell Split Jerks
Try to get 11 rounds completed within 11 minutes!
Perform 11 reps of each of the following movements with no rest between movements:
1- Kettlebell Shuffle Swings
2- Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift Jumps
3- Kettlebell Power Triceps Push-up
Try to get 11 rounds completed within 11 minutes!
Perform 11 reps of each of the following movements with 11 seconds of rest between
movements:
1- TRX Side Plank Headlock (L)
2- TRX Side Plank Headlock (R)
3- TRX Front Planks Circles
Perform 11 total rounds and time yourself. Try to shave off time from workout to workout!
Breakfast can feel like one of the hardest meals to prepare. You never have time, and that often leaves you grabbing something on the go that doesn’t fit into your healthy eating plan.
These quick easy nutritious meals can be eaten standing, on the go or between your morning tasks.
• Hard boiled eggs - or egg whites; I like to make "Eggies" the night before or at the beginning of the week. Use your cupcake tin, use your nonstick spray then fill the cups 3/4 full with egg whites. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes and you have Eggies! They’re easy to eat and great on the go.
• Greek yogurt: I love the nonfat version with berries and a handful of almonds. It’s high in calcium, the almonds provide some healthy fats that keep you satisfied, and the cleanup couldn’t be easier.
• Cottage cheese: I also prefer the nonfat version of this. I like to save my fats for almonds, avocados or olive oil. Add a serving of low fat granola (I like Galaxy brand) and you've got a fast breakfast high in calcium, protein, carbs and low in calories.
• Fresh Fruit – super easy, nutritious, filling – and naturally organic. I eat berries and apples every day. Apples are full of fiber which make for a great afternoon snack. The berries are low in calories, full of antioxidants and vitamin c, oh and they just taste great!
You will feel and look better when you are properly fueled for your day. Don’t forget, food is fuel, keep it clean, simple and portioned for maximum results.
-Susy
I don’t think I’ll ever forget the tragic death of Steve Bechler—but not for reasons you might think. For those who don’t remember, Bechler was a minor league pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles. In 2003, he unexpectedly died from a heatstroke after a workout, the cause of which was linked to the use of the supplement ephedra.
Bechler’s passing was notable for many reasons; the most heart-wrenching of which was the premature death of a young man. But Bechler’s sad story hinted at a foundational flaw in the way most people approach their health. The young pitcher was in a unique situation: He was a highly competitive athlete, and he was trying to do everything he could to rise to the top. And while most people’s professions don’t depend on physical performance, the motivation to use a supplement was one that everyone could relate to. At some point, we all wonder if there’s more we can do to improve our workouts or finally lose some fat. And while most people pointed the finger at the supplement industry following Bechler’s death, the bigger issue was a culture shift that emphasized and rewarded a do-whatever-it-takes approach to health.
Let’s be honest: The supplement industry could use more oversight. But the problem with supplements isn’t their existence or your use of them—it’s the unrealistic expectation of their benefits that causes misuse. We have morphed into a society that craves the need for instant gratification. People want to see results—and fast. Whether it’s a 24-hour news cycle, instant updates from Twitter, or fast food—we have lost our patience. And nowhere is that more evident than the health field. Legal supplements, like protein powder, and illegal products (think anabolic steroids) might be dramatically different in the health risks they pose, but the reason for use and experimentation is oftentimes rooted in the same motivation. We all want an edge that speeds the success curve. Something to make use lose fat faster, build muscle easier, or ward off the aches and pains that victimize so many people.
In the most general sense, there are two types of people who turn to supplements: Those who work hard and are trying to do all they can to maximize their potential, and those who desire the bottom-line results and are searching for a more efficient path to the finish line. In both situations, though, the motivation is the same: To do what it takes to become better.
So where do we draw the line?
It starts with understanding what supplements work and which one’s don’t. To that effect, we had our nutrition expert, Alan Aragon, research and create “The 20 Most Overrated Supplements” to help you identify what products to avoid. As I’ve mentioned before, education will always be the launching pad for empowerment.
From there, it’s important to realize that living healthy doesn’t manifest itself in one shape or approach. For any person, the drive to uncover their best is oftentimes rooted in an unrealistic or uninformed belief of what it means to be healthy. Health—much like beauty—is in the eye of the beholder. Your inspiration should come from within, and not some expectation of what is sold on a supplement label, in a magazine, online, or on television. As I like to remind people:
“The best inspiration is not to outdo others, but to outdo ourselves.”
In the end, Bechler’s death was less a warning about the potential danger of supplements and more about the danger of uninformed decisions and impatience. (That’s not to say their aren’t dangerous supplements, but it’s on the individual to protect themselves and not blindly trust the supplement manufacturers)
I have no problem with supplements. I’ve taken protein powders, multi-vitamins, and a day doesn’t go by that I don’t pop some fish oil capsules. But I recommend cutting out all supplements for a period of time and take on fitness on your own. You see, most of us fall victim to a form of the fundamental attribution error. Instead of seeing your success as a result of your hard work, you link it to your use of a supplement. After all, most supplements provide more of a psychological boost than a physical one, and we end up developing dependency without even realizing it. Or even worse, we doubt that we can make changes on our own and lose faith in our ability to become healthier. That's why it's essential to test yourself and see what you’re made of. Even if you've failed before, try again with a more informed approach: Work hard, stay patient, and assess what you can achieve. (Note: If your physician has mandated that you need to be on certain supplements, please follow that advice)
As you remove supplements, you’ll start eating more whole, natural food choices to help your body recover and reach your goals. And those foods will keep you fuller and have surprising benefits. As part of the process, you’ll essential rewire your diet to something healthier than it was before. And by removing your reliance on supplements, you’ll be able to better understand your body, your diet, and your exercise habits. After the experiment, you can decide what you really need.
The test should serve as a reminder and lesson that what’s missing from your approach isn’t a powder or pill, it’s just a little more patience and a bigger belief in you.
