Week 1: Commit 2 Be Fit / Resolutions

REAL RESOLUTIONS

Ever since the Babylonians began celebrating the New Year 4,000 years ago and resolved to return something they borrowed from a neighbor the previous year, humans have made resolutions. And for 4,000 years, we haven’t been very good at keeping those resolutions. In fact, we can’t even agree that it was the Babylonians that actually started the tradition. So, with the new year upon us, we want to address why resolutions fail and then discuss how you can make a resolution this year that you can stick with. We have even laid out the basic framework for you with our COMMIT 2 BE FIT 10 week program.



Each year, millions of Americans resolve to lose weight, exercise more, make more money and quit or cut back on a vice (such as smoking or drinking). While these are reasonable and often necessary changes to make, we have a difficult time seeing the resolution through. This is because we bite off more than we can chew — expecting sweeping results in a short amount of time.

Everyone can be successful in keeping their resolutions. Failure is not about you as a person. Resolutions fail the majority of the time because people initially set their goals too high or do not take the time to plan how they will accomplish their resolutions. You might just need to put a little more time and effort into planning and structuring the resolution. That is where 241 Fitness comes in. We are taking the guess work out of the whole process, breaking it down into bite size pieces that are tempered with flexibility and suggestions to allow for success.


There is a process to planning a successful resolution. Intellectually we all know that we should make behavioral changes in our lives. Maybe it’s a collective guilt trip over our indulgence as a society, but the problem is that we have become accustom to instant gratification and a ‘super size me’ mentality. So there in lies the rub - CHANGE is a long term proposition and not a quick fix. Some good news is that 241 Fitness has developed a "short" 10 week tracking sheet that follows the SMART theory to get you started on the right foot toward your "long term" resolution journey.


The SMART Theory

S-Specific: What exactly is your resolution? What are you going to do to attain it? Make it clearly defined and simple.
M-Measurable: How long? How much? What are the milestones you’ll reach along the way?
A-Attainable: Make it reasonable. Don’t expect to lose 50 pounds in 3 months. How about 5 to 8 pounds a month for X amount of months? Or just a pound a week for these 10 weeks?
R-Rewarding: You have to stop and reward yourself along the way. Small rewards for reaching modest milestones will keep you motivated and keep you positive.
T-Time-limited: Set an end date for your resolution. The last thing you want to do is keep it open ended, because you’ll have less focus. At the same time, make sure you give yourself enough time to attain your main goal.

With your new SMART thinking, coming up with a reasonable resolution should be fairly easy. If you follow these rules and commit to life style changes for the first 10 weeks, you’ll have a much better chance for success. After you have set your final resolution, decide what milestone you will want to reach by week #5 and then by week #10. If you find yourself at week #5 having accomplished your short term goal, wonderful! If you missed the mark, find out why. Reassess that you didn't set the bar too high, that you didn't fall off the exercise wagon, or develop food amnesia, then make any adjustments needed to reach your goal by week #10. Whatever you do by all means stay positive! It is a critical aspect of keeping your resolution. So, if the resolution appears to be slowly going awry, the key is to examine your thoughts and behaviors then focus on the benefits of achieving your resolution versus the emotions of what it takes working for it.

Need more good advice? Don’t go it alone. Join into this challenge with your friends and family or let us know what you’re 10 week goal is and how you're doing. Not only will we encourage you along the way, but you’ll also feel accountable for your resolution, giving you added incentive to see your resolution to fruition. With a positive attitude, and a little help from your friends, you can adopt your new behavior for life.

The beauty of a new year is that we get a clean slate and we can let go of last year’s baggage. Join the Party!

Week 2: 10-2-10 Challenge

Easy Ways to Have a Healthy Holiday Season

The first step toward a healthful holiday season is simple and effective: Don't use the season as an excuse to splurge.

The second is: Always be on the lookout for ways to fit healthy behaviors into your life.

So your hoping to shed a few pounds. No matter how motivated you are, this can be a difficult time of year. But that doesn't mean the holidays have to be an unhealthy time. In fact, it's important to keep your health and fitness goals in mind. If you ignore them they may be much harder to address—mentally and physically—in the new year. The 10 pounds you wanted to lose by New Years may seem like a hill, but if you overdo it now, the 18 pounds you'll be facing on Jan. 1, 2010 will feel like a mountain. You can have a healthy holiday, even in the hectic weeks ahead, by making small adjustments that will make it easier for you to stay on your fitness track and tackle your weight-loss goals.

Challenge yourself to use these behavior modifications
1) Always eat a healthy snack before you go to a holiday party.
2) Bring healthy foods to potlucks.
3) At appetizer tables, choose two or three of your favorites and put them on a small plate or, better yet, a napkin. Then, walk away. Don't hover! When you're done with your food, throw away the napkin and grab a bottle of water.
4) At a buffet, cover most of your plate with vegetables and fruits. Then if there is room try a small portion of the high-calorie main dishes.
5) Watch out for times when you feel guilty for overeating. Just because you slipped up at lunch isn't license to overindulge all day. Remember: One meal is one meal. One day is one day.
6) On the nights you decide to have a drink, limit yourself to one or two. And don't indulge every night. Also, choose wisely—a gin and tonic has 155 calories for 7.5 fl oz, while the same size frozen strawberry daiquiri has a whopping 450 calories. Or choose wine spritzers, which are half wine and half seltzer. If you are drinking, alternate alcoholic beverages with nonalcoholic, calorie-free drinks like flavored seltzer.
7) No matter how busy you get, make time for a healthy breakfast. Eating a morning meal will help control cravings later on.
8) Purge the "junk" food from your fridge and pantry. Then replace them with healthy alternatives like 94% fat free or air popped popcorn. With all the extra homemade goodies hanging around this time of year you don't need them. Remember a calorie in must equal a calorie out!
9) Streamline your grocery shopping to include a bagged salad and healthy ingredients to top it for quick, easy meals. This way, you won't be limited to last-minute fast foods during those nights when you're dashing around.
10) Online shopping is a great time saver, but it means you lose out on the mall walking that usually goes with shopping. Make it up by figuring out exactly how much time you saved (say, 15 minutes per gift), then increase your cardio by that much for the week. Or add that time strength training. Building muscle will help your body continue to burn calories even at rest.


We'll see you in class!




Excerpts and ideas from article by:Melissa Sperl

Week 1: 10-2-10 Challenge

THE TRICK TO TREATS

Forget the haunted house; the spookiest Halloween specter is the candy. Talk about scary: Halloween is a hard time to stay on a weight loss and exercise plan. What can you do when those 5-pound bags of candy go on sale at the grocery store, or when your kids have laid out their loot on the living room floor? Here are some easy ways to tackle the scariest Halloween candy scenarios.

1) Resist the sales: A big Halloween challenge is not falling for the coupon in the paper. A 5-pound bag of Snickers on sale is still a 5-pound bag of Snickers.

2) Buy late: The closer to Halloween you buy the candy, the better off you are. In fact, never- ever open the bag before the first trick-or-treater comes. That way you'll have less total temptation time to cope with those pesky little temptations.

3) Buy candy you don't like: If it's coconut that doesn't interest you, buy mounds and almond joy bars. Sometimes you feel like a nut....and....sometimes you don't.

4) Make up a game plan: If you decide to go for the mini Reese's that the kids will love you for start giving out more as the night wears on, so there's less left over. If there are still remainders, get them out of the house. Give the candy away to a food charity.

5) Go out on a full stomach: If you have to walk your kids around to trick-or-treat, make lunch your big meal of the day, so you're not walking around hungry with bags full of candy. Carry a thermos of something hot to sip on, or chew gum throughout the night. It’ll help kill your urge to put candy in your mouth.

6) Come up with a candy strategy: When the candy's at home, work with your kids to decide what to do with it. Have them pick their favorite pieces: If they're young, encourage them to leave the rest out for "The Great Pumpkin." And if they're too big to believe, encourage them to save the rest for lunches and parties.

7) Freeze it: Put any left-over favorite candy in the freezer. If you get weak and find yourself digging into the kids stash, they will be rock solid and it will take time to get through even one.

8) Ditch the sense of occasion: Remind yourself that you can buy yourself candy any time of the year. There's no need to load up on fun-size bars on October 31 when you can enjoy them whenever your heart desires. Your an adult after all!

9) Keep things in perspective: Eating a little bit of candy on Halloween doesn't make a person overweight — it's constant overeating that can pile on the pounds. So don't assume you can't enjoy even a single treat, especially since deprivation is a dieting tactic that often backfires.

10) Try some slimming treats: Halloween means candy wherever you look, and it can be hard denying yourself outright. For those who like to have a candy bowl nearby, we've searched the shelves for candy that was a better choice but still gave a bang for the buck. Miniatures are a great deal in terms of portion control, while chewy candies turn out to be a big mouthful bargain and hard candies and lollipops score high for long-lasting satisfaction.

Don't trick yourself into believing that these SMALL treats won't add up to BIG calories if they are not consumed in a responsible manor.

Excerpts from article by: Melissa Sperl and Leslie Fink, RD

Why Time Magazine’s Article on Exercise and Weight Loss Could Be Harmful to Your Health

Did you see Time Magazine's recent article:
Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin? Cedric Bryant, ACE's Chief Science Officer, responds to the article outlining scientifically-backed research demonstrating that exercise leads to a healthier and leaner life.
The cover story of the August 9, 2009, issue of Time magazine featured an article entitled, “Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin.” In this piece, author John Cloud made several inaccurate and unsubstantiated claims regarding the value of exercise, particularly as it relates to weight loss. What follows is a summary of some of the most misleading assertions made in this highly publicized article, as well as the American Council on Exercise’s response to these assertions:

1) First and foremost, the article categorically implies that exercise has no meaningful role in weight loss. Such a conclusion is as false as it is reckless. The author’s “evidence” is the fact that he has “gut fat that hangs over his belt when he sits,” despite maintaining a regular exercise habit. In all likelihood, his unwanted abdominal girth is probably a by-product of genetics and/or consuming more calories than he expends.

2) Weight loss and maintenance are a matter of simple accounting that is dependent upon energy balance. In order for weight loss to occur, individuals must burn more calories than they consume. Regrettably, many individuals who regularly exercise are unable to meet their weight-loss goals because they eat too much. In reality, however, their “personal weight situation” and overall health profile would be far worse were it not for the extra calories they expend while exercising.

3) An overwhelming body of scientific evidence exists that confirms the positive role that exercise plays in weight loss and maintenance (Hill and Wyatt, 2005; Jakicic and Gallagher, 2003; Jakicic et al., 2001). These findings refute the notion (advanced by the author) that exercise impairs weight-loss efforts by substantially and uncontrollably increasing appetite. Recent research suggests that appetite may be suppressed for 60-90 minutes following vigorous exercise by affecting the release of certain appetite hormones. It also appears that aerobic exercise is more effective at suppressing appetite than non-aerobic forms of exercise (Broom et al., 2009). In general, individuals who participate in moderate exercise tend to eat approximately the same number of calories (or only slightly more) than they would if they did not exercise. Elite-level athletes typically consume high volumes of food after their exercise workouts, but they almost always expend more calories than they consumed (Blundell and King, 1999). It is important to keep in mind, however, that appetite is influenced several factors and is a very complex process making it difficult to generalize the impact of exercise on appetite. The bottom-line is that exercise and diet go hand-in-hand with successful weight management.

4) Surprisingly (and disappointingly) the author failed to mention the tremendously important role that exercise plays in the maintenance of weight loss. According to data from the renowned National Weight Control Registry, consistent exercise participation is the single best predictor of long-term weight maintenance. In others words, if individuals want to be successful in getting off the weight-loss roller coaster (i.e., repeatedly losing weight and regaining it), they need to regularly engage in physical activity.

5) Another particularly bothersome portion of the article was the misleading comments regarding children and physical activity. A preponderance of evidence shows that kids are often less active after school, not more active as the article implies. As such, community-based youth fitness programs and high-quality school physical education programs are much needed. The available statistics support the fact that well-designed fitness programs aimed at encouraging children to be more active and maintain a healthy body weight remain a significant priority (HHS, 2008).

Needless to say, readers of this article in Time are likely to conclude that exercise is of little to no benefit to them, which makes its publication in such a high profile and respected magazine so disappointing—and possibly even dangerous. Given the enormous economic costs associated with obesity (approximately $147 billion annually), we should be promoting and advocating scientifically proven healthful behaviors like regular exercise participation whenever and wherever we can. Beyond its weight-control benefits, regular exercise provides a plethora of health benefits, including the treatment and prevention of a wide variety of chronic illnesses (heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, certain types of cancer, to name a few), an enhancement of psychological health and well-being, and an improvement in the overall quality of life throughout the human lifespan.

By Cedric X. Bryant, Ph.D., F.A.C.S.M., Chief Science Officer, American Council on Exercise
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How Long Does It Take To Get Fit?

Because we live in a society that prizes instant gratification and encourages magical thinking, there apparently are scores of people who still fall for the late-night infomercials and miracle pills. What these info-gimmicks and 10-minute workouts do make plain is the fact that too many of us just can't face the fact that fitness requires good, old fashion time and effort. So, if fitness doesn't come in a box, a pill or a cream, how do we know when we've attained it?

Traditionally if you passed the standard baseline fitness tests, such as for aerobic fitness and body composition, you were considered fit. But lately the criteria for fitness has expanded and is now more focused on lowering risk factors for disease, which is turning out to be difficult to measure. Even with the use of traditional methods it is possible for a person to be fit in one area and not in another. For example, you could have above-average muscular strength, yet too much body fat or the ideal percentage of body fat, yet below-average cardiovascular capacities. Therefore you have to look at all the components of what fitness encompasses and train for overall functional fitness.

Five Components of Fitness

1. Cardiovascular Endurance
2. Muscular Strength
3. Muscular Endurance
4. Flexibility
5. Body Composition

Fitness is a relative term. If you are unable to walk up a flight of stairs without becoming breathless one week, but are able to perform that task after a month of workouts, that's one definition of fitness. But if you try to compare that person to a four-minute miler, the former is no way fit. Furthermore, that four-minute miler can become decidedly more fit if he's able to cut just two seconds off his time. So the definition of fitness depends on where you are beginning from and what your overall goals are.

For the general population of today fitness is about functionality, being able to move efficiently from head to toe and having the strength and energy to maintain a high quality of physical and mental engagement in our daily life. With this quality of life also comes significant decreases of risk factors (such as high blood pressure, adult onset diabetes, and heart disease). A study of 30 men back in 1980 showed that its subjects could gain optimal muscular strength and cardiovascular reserve in as little as two weeks. However, most experts would agree that these findings in a controlled group are unrealistic for the general deconditioned population to attain. Traditionally fitness timetables range from a few months to a year or greater depending on the individual case.

To gain some perspective on what it might take for each individual to reach his or her fitness goal you have to look at this question of fitness from the vantage point of a deconditioned person, then gauge it from there. Even here though there are numerous factors: A question of age, weight, sex, current fitness level, motivation, proper form, diet, time and even the dedication that the individual is willing and able to devote to their program. So every persons progression will be at a different rate, even if they're all doing the same routine and giving it their maximum effort. Therefore, each variable muddies the waters a little more to getting a clear cut answer to the question, "How long does it take to get fit?"

Optimal fitness has to integrate cardiovascular exercise, strength training, flexibility and, in the case of some people, sports-specific training. However, paradoxically, doing multiple forms of exercise limits the gains accrued from each. In other words, if you are doing cardio and weights, you won't get as much strength than if you focused solely on strength training. And if you're doing exclusive cardio, you'll only see improvements in that area, not in strength and flexibility. However, training one system solely, lends itself to an increased chance for overuse injuries. Studies done with even highly trained athletes have proven that, if you started them on a program limited to lifting weights and then had them run, they wouldn't hack it. Swimmers who were made to run faltered badly, and cyclist, when running, evidenced a much lower degree of cardiovascular conditioning then when on their bikes. For some, fitness is about specificity where you could define fitness as being fit for what you want to do. However, cross training is definitely the best way for the average person to increase his or her overall health.

If you are the average Joe who just wants a down and dirty workout program to lose weight and stay healthy we have good news. You can discover or improve fitness at any age. How long it take depends on what you have to bring to the table. Set some short term goals for yourself and then use these guidelines to chip away at them.


The American College of Sports Medicine has developed the following guidelines for aerobic exercise:
Frequency: 3 - 5 days per week
Duration: 20 - 60 minutes
Intensity: 50 - 80% of heart rate reserve (based on resting heart rate)


The American College of Sports Medicine guidelines for strength training are:
Frequency: 2x per week
Duration: One set of 8 - 10 exercises involving the major muscle groups
Intensity: 8 - 12 repetitions


Flexibility is a side of fitness that is often overlooked. Flexibility is defined as “the range of motion around a joint”. Static stretching of all major muscle groups (e.g., hamstrings, quads, calves, hips, chest, back, biceps and triceps) is recommended. This involves lengthening the muscles until tension is felt. The position is then held for 10 - 30 seconds while breathing in a deep and controlled manner.

WHY ZUMBA?

Lets face it, working out can be healthy, rewarding, beneficial..... working out can be lots of things, but it's never been known to be much fun UNTIL NOW!

Zumba® fuses hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy to follow moves to create a dynamic fitness program that will blow you away. The goal is simple: We want you to want to work out, to love working out, to get hooked. Zumba® Fanatics achieve long term benefits while experiencing an absolute blast in one exhilarating hour of caloric-burning, body-energizing, awe-inspiring movements meant to engage and captivate for life!
The routines feature interval training sessions where fast and slow rhythms, and resistance training are combined to tone and sculpt your body while burning fat. Add some Latin flavor and international zest into the mix and you've got Zumba®!
In the past years Zumba® has become nothing short of a revolution. Coining the concept of fitness-party™ and making fitness fun, Zumba® has spread like wild-fire, and has positioned itself as the single most influential movement in the industry of fitness.
As of April 2009, Zumba® has a rapidly growing community of over 30,000 trained instructors in thirty-five countries, sold millions of DVD's, and changed the lives of millions of Zumba® Fanatics worldwide.
Why? Because it's the best party around.

History
Celebrity fitness trainer, "Beto" Perez, stumbled upon the concept of Latin inspired fitness in his native country of Colombia (South America) in the mid 1990's. One day, he walked into his class and realized that he had forgotten his aerobics music, and his only option was to grab whatever tapes he had in his car. Beto's tapes were comprised of the songs that he loved, the traditional Latin salsa and merengue music with which he had been raised. But it was a challenge to improvise a whole class on the spot using non-traditional aerobics music. Beto rose to the challenge and from this last-minute improvisation was born a revolutionary fitness program – Zumba®! The class soon became the most popular class at his fitness facility.
In 1999, after his success in Colombia, Beto brought the class to the United States, where he was approached by entrepreneurs Alberto Perlman and Alberto Aghion to create a global company based on the Zumba® fitness philosophy. The three young entrepreneurs then set a goal to offer Zumba® classes all over the world.

(excerpts from: http://www.zumba.com/)