FITNESS 101: Spring Cleaning w/Personal Trainer Audra Yocom

by Audra Yocom

Audra Yocom is a certified personal trainer based out of Burbank, CA and will be bringing you monthly fitness tips and helping us to disspell those myths we’ve all been subjected to regarding fitness at one point or another in our battle with the bulge.  To learn more about Audra or to inquire about training sessions visit her site www.audrayocom.com

Spring cleaning? Yes, you heard me, spring cleaning. What’s that you say? You thought this was a fitness column? What’s spring cleaning got to do with fitness? Well, you cynics out there, you’re about to find out!

Let’s face it, New Years you resolve that this year you’re going to lose that extra ten pounds. Get organized. Answer all your e-mails in a timely manner. Send your thank you cards. Enter all those phone numbers you have written on little pieces of paper lying around. And of course, lose that extra ten lbs. Yes-sir-ree, this year your life will be running like a well oiled machine. And suddenly it’s March and your little pieces of paper are still scattered around the house. Your e-mails have started to pile up in your inbox again. The thank you cards are still in their store bought casing and that extra ten pounds on your body has turned into twelve. Sound familiar?

Don’t fret! It’s only March and you still have plenty of time to get organized and lose that extra weight in time to show off your new six-pack before summer is over. The best part is we’re killing two birds with one stone because your spring cleaning is incorporated into this fitness overhaul. We’re going to start with your fridge. Yep, clean it out. You know how all those “Get rid of clutter” books tell you to be relentless? This is no exception. GET RID OF IT. Yes, that means the regular mayonnaise, the leftover cake from your birthday, the sodium filled frozen dinners, and the left over pizza. Next you will do the same with the pantry.

Now it’s time to restock. You have probably heard before, or even noticed on your own, staying away from the aisles at the grocery store is key to picking out healthier foods. The aisles are where most of the junk, processed and starchy foods reside. Stick to the produce, meat and dairy sections to stock your fridge. Stay as close to nature as you can. Whole foods are always better than processed ones. Be sure you are getting a good mix of proteins, carbohydrates and healthy fats. Examples of good proteins would be chicken, nuts, turkey, tofu and eggs (without the yolk) while you are trying to lose the weight and lower cholesterol. New studies have shown that yolk is okay in moderation, but the key word is moderation. A couple websites to check out supporting this fact are as follows:

http://www.lhj.com/recipes/healthy/eating/eggs-tra-good-for-you/

http://www.creators.com/lifestylefeatures/joe-weider/the-truth-about-egg-yolks.html

When searching for carbohydrates stick to ones that are lower on the Glycaemic index. If they are too high on the Glycaemic index they tend to lead to an increase in insulin levels and may eventually lead to an increase in body fat storage. There are many health books which contain Glycaemic indexes. It could be beneficial for you to check one out. You may be surprised at how high some foods (even vegetables) are on the GI index. A good source of carbohydrates would be baked beans, butter beans, chick peas, black eye beans, and whole meal spaghetti or porridge oats.

Finally, for fats try and stick to fats from omega-3 and omega-6 oils. A good example of these oils are; nuts, olive oils and fish oils.

Once you’ve finished shopping it’s time to go home, put everything away and make a nice snack for yourself. You’ll need your energy to keep you afloat for the next task.

After your snack, head to your bedroom and begin cleaning out your wardrobe. In the process find at least one outfit that’s been sitting there for god knows how many years. You know the one, the one you keep holding onto saying to yourself, ‘I am going to fit into that again one day.’ It’s the one you looked so good in at one time, but now every time you see it, it just reminds you of how you never lost the weight. Take that outfit and put it in your thrift store pile. 1) It isn’t doing you any good staring you in the face calling you a failure. 2) It’s probably out of style anyway. But the good news is that just like with your pantry and fridge you get to replace that failure outfit with a bright shiny new one. Assuming you like bright and shiny that is. This new healthy weight outfit is there to remind you of what you are working toward. We’ll wait on replacing the rest of the wardrobe until you’ve managed to reach your goal and get your new healthy self into your healthy new outfit.

Now that we’ve made a little extra room and cleared out some junk it’s time to redecorate. First thing is first. Start with the bathroom mirror or maybe a wall you will be sure to look at every day. Have a friend take a current picture of you and place a print out of it on the left side of that mirror, wall or space you have set aside for this exercise. Every two weeks take a new photo of your self and place it to the right of the previous photo. What we’re doing here is creating a visual timeline of your progress. If you want, you can even place an older healthier picture of yourself to the far right end of the timeline to keep you focused on your goal. If you don’t have one of those pictures take a photo of the body you are aiming for and place your face on it. Be realistic in picking the fit body, but also think aggressively. When I say be realistic I’m saying if you are 4’ 11” don’t use a picture of someone who is 6’ 1”. If you have a short torso, don’t pick someone who has a long one. There’s no point setting goals for yourself that are impossible to reach.

Now it’s time to take stock. Ask a friend or family member to help you with this next task. Find a tape measure, wear tight clothing and then have your friend or family member measure around your neck, bicep, bust line, forearm, waist, hips, upper thigh and calf. Invest in a small diary or notebook to write these measurements down. Next take that dreaded step on a scale and notate your weight here. Make sure to go through this same process every 2 weeks at the same time you take your timeline picture and notate the weight and measurement differences. In this journal you will also want to keep your daily food intake. The key with this part is not to cheat – you won’t be doing yourself any favors by leaving out that burger you ate at lunch! You will want to write everything in here and also write down what you are feeling when you decide to splurge and have that hot fudge sundae you weren’t suppose to. This will help you pinpoint triggers for your eating. You may just learn a few things about yourself in the process too!

Once you’ve gotten half way or even a quarter of the way to your goal reward yourself – within reason. Take yourself to a movie, get a pedicure, get a massage or just take time for yourself and read a book. If you notice I’m not mentioning high-calorie food rewards. Don’t get me wrong you have to allow yourself the occasional food reward. I’m just saying don’t go overboard otherwise you’re defeating the purpose! I can’t stress how important it is to reward yourself for your efforts along the way. Seeing your progress is definitely reward in and of itself, but the occasional small gift to yourself is always nice too. You would be amazed at how much positive reinforcement can help along your journey to success.

Finally, break out the planner or PDA and rearrange your schedule to make your fitness regime a top priority. Pick a minimum of 3 days a week and schedule an hour to an hour and half of those days to dedicate to training yourself. Below are a couple example training schedules:

 3 day training schedule

M	T	W	TH	F	S	Sun
20 – 30 minutes of cardio   Full Body Resistance Training	OFF	20 – 30 minutes of cardio   Full Body Resistance Training	OFF	20 – 30 minutes of cardio   Full Body Resistance Training	OFF	OFF

 

 

6 day training schedule

M	T	W	TH	F	S	Sun
Full Body Resistance Training	20 – 45 minutes of cardio	Full Body Resistance Training	20 – 45 minutes of cardio	Full Body Resistance Training	20 – 45 minutes of cardio	OFF

 

Starting out, a lot of people find the 6 day training schedule works best for them. It’s less daunting than full body workouts followed or preceded by 20 – 30 minutes of cardio. Then again some of you may want to get it done in one go and don’t have enough time to go to the gym six days a week, hence, the three day schedule. Either way, find a schedule that works for you and stick to it! Treat it like an appointment with yourself. If you had an appointment with a trainer chances are you would get out of bed because you have made a commitment. Consider this a commitment you’ve made with yourself.

If you aren’t sure where to start when it comes to a full body work out, check in the area for a personal trainer near you for guidance. There are also some great books and videos for beginners. You can even find some videos on You Tube. Here’s a simple yet great beginner’s workout I found online:

http://exercise.about.com/cs/exbeginners/l/blbegstrength.htm

If you find it hard keeping yourself on a schedule or making yourself commit to your workout it may be time to sit down with a trainer. If you are strapped financially and can’t afford a trainer, see if you can negotiate a better price with one. If you have the time, maybe even offer a trade in services with the trainer or to assist them in gaining some clientele by advertising for them. Many trainers, including myself, offer a discount if you refer a client who signs up with them. In these tough economic times, you are likely to find trainers who are willing to negotiate a better price as well.

The main thing to remember when starting a new program is making it a habit. Many experts say it takes 21 days to make or break a habit. Others say 30 days to form a habit and 60 to break a habit. I prefer the idea of trading a bad habit for a better and healthier one. If your habit is to sleep in, make a new habit and get up a half hour earlier and take a jog. Just like forming a bad habit you can form a new and healthy one too. So put down that donut and go for a jog! Do your best and if you ever fall off your program don’t beat yourself up. There’s no point. We’re only human after all. Just stick to your schedule. If you miss a workout appointment, skip it and go on with your next scheduled workout appointment. Remember you are doing this for you. If you get bored with your current schedule switch it up. Instead of doing cardio in the gym get a group of people together and arrange a session of football or join a league for whatever sport you might be interested in. Chances are if you are bored, so is your body. Changing it up can help you get past a plateau in your weight loss. So make it fun and don’t give up. Your hard work (or play for that matter) will pay off in the end and when all is said and done you’ve got a clean house to boot!

Apr 02, 2009 | Categories: Fitness, Life, Uncategorized | Tags: Add new tag, Audra Yocom, Excercise, Fitness, Personal Trainer | Leave A Comment »