Fit Club's Wellness Blog

Three Pounds of Fun!

Scott Andrews — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:21:15 GMT

As I mentioned to many of you, I was away on vacation in Nashville from May 22nd until May 25th. These 4 short days flew by in the blink of an eye. I learned a valuable lesson in these four days that I think we can all learn from, seriously.

Many people have this false idea that they can eat pretty much anything that they want if they are active. Well, I am here to tell you folks that, this is not true. To believe this would be as silly as looking for a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. I am here to tell you how I managed to gain 3 pound while on vacation for only 4 days.

That is right, Mr Bootcamp himself. I ate on the go, and in abundance (aka. large portions, stuffing myself until I waddled home) for 4 days straight. I also consumed some adult beverages on occasion, okay so I am being modest. Don't judge me I was on vacation.
In an effort to offset this I performed 45 minutes of cardio every morning. I also did boot camp style workouts by myself in the grass field outside the hotel lobby. Yes, I did receive a lot of strange looks. At the end of my workout I felt pretty good about what I had accomplished; I had a sense of temporary fulfillment.

This fulfillment was short lived, because as soon as I came home I learned that despite the constant walking of downtown, the 45 minutes of cardio per day, and my individual workouts; I still gained 3-4 pounds. Here is the reason and moral of the story...

Even the most disciplined of us forget just how big portions of food are when we eat out. Also, most restaurants do not even post their meal's caloric values. In addition, the nostalgic feeling that comes from a good workout is often more of mental sense of freedom than it should be.

We (yes, all of us) do not have realistic ideas of our input vs. output. I learned that my super high metabolism and fitness dedication stood no match to the super sized portions and beverages of Nashville's finest. Please, learn from this story. If you do eat out, take half home. If you insist on drinking on occasion, choose your beverage carefully. I truly believe in work-life balance. The easy route would be to say: don't eat out, no fast food, no bread, no pasta, no alcohol. I could also tell you to hold your breath too, but these are all unrealistic options.

Learn to make healthy lifestyle choices and make them daily. Those of you that are participating in the Biggest Loser Challenge and the rest of you that would just like to fine tune your eating habits will be asked to start keeping a food journal next week. If you want to maximize your results, then you will have to start at the dinner table. I am hear to help. We will kick this off at all locations starting next week for those interested.

I hope you enjoyed my reality check, and learned the lesson that came with it. I did.

Disconnected: body weight and physical condition

Scott Andrews — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:18:34 GMT

This blog will focus on a disturbing article I read this morning called "Worry over weight: Poll finds disconnect." The article finds that most individuals are far more concerned with the way they look, as opposed to their overall health. This alarming trend has worked its way from Hollywood into our own backyards.

"Are we worried just about appearance, or about whether our size signals a health problem? There's a big disconnect between body image and true physical condition", an Associated Press-iVillage poll suggests. A lot of people say they're dieting despite somehow avoiding healthy fruits and veggies. Many others think they're fat when they're not.

Society's priorities have flipped to the point that folks would rather look like a model than an athlete, particularly women. ""There's an undervaluing of physical fitness and an overvaluing of absolute weight and appearance for women in our culture." About 60 percent of Americans are overweight or obese. The AP-iVillage poll of 1,000 adult women mirrors the government's count on that. More surprising, perhaps, are women's attitudes and actions.

"Half don't like their weight, even 26 percent of those whose body mass index or BMI — a measure of weight for height — is in the normal range. But just a third don't like their physical condition, even though being overweight and sedentary are big risk factors for Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other ailments. The poll found women putting in a median of 80 minutes of exercise a week, meaning half do even less. The average adult is supposed to get 2 1/2 hours of exercise a week for good health".

Honestly, I am upset by this article as a fitness professional. Has our own vanity gotten in the way of what is truly important; our health and happiness? When are people going to realize that they did not gain weight, or get "out of shape" overnight. Thus, they will not be able to fix their issues overnight. It has to be a lifestyle change. Rome was not built in a day.

Body image and Being Fit

Scott Andrews — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:13:00 GMT

This week's topic is on the subject of "body image and being fit." I do not consider myself some sort of revolutionary fitness genius, nor do I claim to be. However, I have managed several fitness centers over the course of a decade now. I have noticed a trend that is both alarming and downright silly; there are millions of people around the world that think that they are fit just because they lift weights. I find this phenomenon both amusing and frustrating.

I am going to signal out the guys first. Just because you can lift 300 pounds does not mean you are fit. In fact, most of these individuals are severely overweight to obese based on BMI scales. Many weight lifters avoid real cardiovascular workouts, because they are "afraid of losing strength". This is code name for "too lazy to do real work." It is ironic to see guys walk around like they are inflatable, yet their only cardiovascualr activity comes in the form of a jog to their car if it is raining.

I have news for you gentleman, you might lose strength off of your bench press by increasing your cardiovascular activity. However, you will also lose a much needed 10 to 15 pounds. You will move better on your feet and feel better. Your blood pressure will likely decrease. You will have more stamina, and I am sure your significant other will thank you. The best response I heard came a few days ago with a gentleman making excuses about why he doesn't run more. He stated that he "did not want his face to look all skinny." What a tragedy... to have a "skinny face."

I was once a member of this dubious "weight lifter" club and many of my friends still are. I could relate to this a few years ago. Now that I can see clearly, I do not have the extreme issues with my feet that I did before (due to weight). I am actually less injury prone at 205, 11 percent body fat than I was a 222 and 20 percent body fat. The funny thing is out of the six main muscle groups, my strength has only decreased in one of the areas.

Now on to the ladies, where do I start? Many ladies, my wife included love to watch celebrity gossip shows and read celebrity magazines. It is fascinating to see how these larger than life stars live, but for goodness sake do not compare yourself to these plastic women. There are so few healthy, fit, natural role models for women to look to.

Consider that many of these 39, 18, 42 sized women (obvious exaggeration) could not ride their bike to Starbucks to get a frappuccino if their Jaguar broke down. Do not let body image dictate your life! We all want to look a certain way, sure. What is the most important thing in life though? Isn't it life itself, prolonging it to be exact. Lead a healthy lifestyle, be active, eat right and I promise you will have a body that more than meets your standards.

This brings me to the concep of being fit. What is fit? Who determines what fit is? The obvious answer is that we are all the judges of our own fitness level. I can tell you that some of the most unhealthy people I know are rail thin. In addition, I know some incredibly athletic people that are on the heavy side. I read something recently on the subject that I thought was worth quoting.

"Our understanding of human fitness has unquestionably evolved. It went full circle from graceful Greeks to medieval Quasimodos to modern day Terminators. Having achieved the maximum in human muscles' (size and strength development) perfection, we can now see that the physical aspect of being fit is not the only one that exists and needs to be developed.

A truly fit person is in perfect synergy with his/her surroundings, moving gracefully in space and time regardless of the activity. A fit person is in perfect balance physiologically, psychologically and emotionally, mentally and spiritually."

Make your own definition of fitness. Decide what it means to you to be fit. Do not let pop culture or celbrities have an impact on what being fit means to you. Body size and level of fitness are two totally different things.

Have a Fit-tatstic week!

Welcome to Fit Club's Wellness Blog

Scott Andrews — Sat, 30 May 2009 17:31:59 GMT

I want to take this opportunity to welcome you all to Fit Club's Wellness Blog. Over the next few days I am going to be a lot more content. These blogs are going to be interactive. So, feel free to join in on the fun. If you have any health or wellness questions, feel free to ask.