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Trudy — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:05:52 +0000

How to Build Functional Strength

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Does your workout translate into real gains of strength that you can use in sports or other parts of your life outside the gym? Are you wasting time lifting weights but not really getting any stronger? Are you exercising in a safe and productive manner?

Steps

Variety – Add variety to your exercise routine. Use different forms of resistance (dumbbells, stretch bands, cable machines, kettlebells, sandbags, etc) and different set/rep patterns. Try exercises from various angles as well to create a challenge for your body.
Rest Time – Shorten your break time between exercises. Try supersetting exercises (performing two different exercise sets back to back without a break). This will increase your overall endurance and anaerobic capacity.
Common Motions – Utilize motions that are more common in your every day life. For example, how often do you find yourself lying on your back and lifting something heavy over your chest? Probably the only time is in the gym doing bench presses. Instead, work on more common movements or change the exercise to perform it from a more common position. With bench press some examples include push-ups, standing cable press, or even punching motions with a stretch band or cable machine resistance.
Posture & Balance – Practice excellent posture and balance in all of your exercises and throughout your life. Typically when we need strength we are on our feet, so spend most of your exercise time on your feet.
Core – Engage the core in every exercise. Try to use your glutes for balance when standing, your hips and obliques to generate twisting force, and your abs to create a tense and balanced position for the appropriate exercises.
Weights & Cardio – Be sure to combine resistance training for building muscle with aerobic training to increase endurance and overall capacity.
Interval Training – When performing cardiovascular exercises train in “sprint intervals” or pre-determined periods of maximal exertion followed by specific rest periods. The rest periods should be only long enough to allow the heart to recover and fall back into an aerobic pace.
Stretch – Spend as much time as possible stretching. Flexibility will greatly reduce your chance of injury during training and helps to create a more balanced physique.
Rest & Recover – After exercising allow your body adequate time to rest and recover. Eat healthy, natural foods that are high in protein and low in processed sugars and saturated fats.

Tips

The most powerful functional movements come from a well-coordinated movement. Practice exercises slowly at first with great emphasis on technique and safety.
Try to reach the full range of motion that is considered safe in each exercise. Don’t shortcut lifts to get more reps in. You’ll gain more from executing exercises with good form.
Avoid over-emphasizing the upper body in workouts. Power comes from the legs and core (hips, glutes, abs, obliques), not from your arms. Focus your efforts on these parts.
These strategies work very well for women as well as men.
Avoid falling into a specific workout routine that you repeat each week. This will cause gains to diminish as the body becomes accustomed to the regimen.
Remember that the body quickly adapts to a familiar training regimen. The solution is to vary your routine so it provides a constant challenge to your body[1].
An example functional workout might combine a specific interval set, such as Tabata intervals (8 sets of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off) with a functional exercise such as unweighted squats and hip bridges[2].

Warnings

Functional training often includes explosive/elastic movements to improve athleticism. While these exercises are great for improving agility and endurance, they may not be appropriate for everyone.
Always warm up and stretch before engaging in strenuous exercise.
Consult with a physician if you are unsure if you are healthy enough to start an exercise program such as the one described here.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Build Functional Strength. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Trudy’s Tips For Wellness & To Avoid Stress-Related Eating

Trudy — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 00:38:50 +0000

How you buy, prepare and eat foods can affect your wellness goals. Here are Trudy’s tips to help the time poor and health conscious (yes … eliminate your excuses).
TRUDY’s TIPS for wellness and to avoid stress-related eating.

Avoid emotional eating
Many people respond to stress by craving (and indulging in) fatty, carby comfort food, you’re not alone but you do need to think about an alternative. Try taking a walk around the block or taking a couple of deep breaths and not using food as the stress reliever. Try some sugar free gum to freshen the mouth. If you want something sugary go for some strawberries or similar fruit that wont cause huge blood sugar spikes or added deposits on your belly!

Crunch Time: Munch an apple, celery, broccoli or carrots with hummus. Crunching these foods will help provide a nice stress reliever out without packing on the pounds- do something for yourself rather than letting stress get the better of you. Have these handy at your desk or office refrigerator. (ditch the Peanut butter with apple)

Plan ahead
This may seem obvious, but planning a week’s menu can make that week run much more smoothly. Sit down on one day and pick 4 good nutritious stock standard meals to make throughout the week, go shopping and just have those ingredients on hand. Always cook with leftovers in mind so that you can have leftovers for lunch the next day. If you don’t have junk food in the house you won’t eat it!! Don’t buy it!! This will also save on the grocery bill. Junk food is expensive. Real food is cheaper in more ways than one and will keep you out of that ugly hospital gown down the path.

Have a back up
Maybe it’s traffic or a late night meeting; whatever the reason, sometimes life gets in the way. If you find you’ve run out of time for the meal you intended to cook, it pays to have an emergency recipe ready to go. Eg ground turkey/lean beef or chicken tacos or all you need is meat, lettuce, salsa and taco seasoning (sometimes I throw in some tomato paste & Garlic for taste)

Stock time: Get in the habit of keeping key staples on hand so you’ve got at least one or two meals that can easily be prepared – instead of calling the pizza guy.

There are lots of options for veggies. Check your local grocer for “PRE CUT” carrots, broccoli, medleys, pumpkin, sweet potato etc for a quick meal. Also don’t ignore the frozen food section. Always have frozen peas and corn – they go with everything and can be put in the microwave for a few minutes if need be. You can get such a variety of mixed frozen veggies these days, Chinese, edema me, you name it, all go well with a protein serving (lean beef, chicken or turkey).

Of course always have lettuce, grape/cherry tomatoes and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegar handy – this makes for a killer salad to go with anything (prep time under 2 mins – straight from container to plate!!

Adding the obvious one … don’t shop whilst you are hungry or have the munchies! Big no no! Go have a decent meal before you hit the supermarket.

Cook For leftovers
If you are having a great day and are doing a cook up for that night, make extra and either freeze it for another night (when you are totally time poor) OR have it for leftovers the next day. Keep it away from those other household members who may be tempted by a midnight snack

Technorati Tags: buying food for wellness, preparing food for wellness, responding to stress

Surviving Eating Out At Fast Food Chains

Trudy — Fri, 29 May 2009 08:26:46 +0000

Surviving eating out at fast food chains: Chili’s, Denny’s, Olive Garden, etc

Relax. You’ll be fine. Just don’t go and blow all the hard work you have done through the rest of the week.The first thing you need to do is use common sense. Here’s a quick list of things that’ll help you survive any restaurant.

Go for the chicken or fish. A lean cut of beef is ok, also
Avoid fried food.
Unless it’s veggies, salad, or fruit, skip the side dish.
Pasta? Avoid cream sauces and just eat half your portion. Ditto for white rice.
NO bread, except if you’re having a sandwich.
Ask for the salad dressing on the side and use it sparingly.

Here are some ideas that won’t blow your good nutrition

Chili’s

Grilled Salmon with Garlic and Herbs (no sides)
1 fat portion
2 protein portions
1 veggie portion
0.5 carb portion
2 condiment portions

Calories: 380
Protein: 40 g
Carbs: 1 g
Fat Total: 25 g

Fajita Pita Chicken

1 fat portion
1 protein portion
1 veggie portion
0.5 carb portion

Calories: 455
Protein: 31 g
Carbs: 52 g
Fat Total: 13 g

Guiltless Black Bean Burger

1 protein portion
2 carb portions
2 condiment portions

Calories: 609
Protein: 37 g
Carbs: 91 g
Fat Total: 11 g

Guiltless Grilled Salmon

1 fat portion
2 protein portions
2 condiment portions

Calories: 395
Protein: 51 g
Carbs: 8 g
Fat Total: 20 g

Denny’s

Veggie-Cheese Omelet with Eggbeaters (no sides)
1 fat portion
1 veggie portion
1.5 protein portions
1 condiment portion

Calories: 410
Protein: 39 g
Carbs: 11 g
Fat Total: 22 g

Grilled Chicken Salad Deluxe

1 veggie portion
1.5 protein portions
1 condiment portion

Calories: 290
Protein: 36 g
Carbs: 15 g
Fat Total: 10 g

Vegetable Beef Soup

1 veggie portion
0.5 protein portion
1 condiment portion

Calories: 140
Protein: 7 g
Carbs: 17 g
Fat Total: 5 g

Olive Garden

Pasta e Fagioli
0.5 protein portion
0.5 carb portion

Calories: 130
Protein: 7 g
Carbs: 19 g
Fat Total: 2.5 g

Venetian Apricot Chicken (dinner)

2 protein portions
1 fruit portion
1 condiment portion

Calories: 360
Protein: 58 g
Carbs: 32 g
Fat Total: 4 g

Red Lobster

Chilled Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail
1 protein portion
1 condiment portion

Calories: 120
Protein: 19 g
Carbs: 9 g
Fat Total: 1 g

Manhattan Clam Chowder (Cup)

1 veggie portion

Calories: 80
Protein: 6 g
Carbs: 12 g
Fat Total: 1 g

Sources: Information taken from the following companies’ Web sites: Chili’s, Denny’s, Olive Garden, and Red Lobster.

Technorati Tags: best fast food options, low calorie fast food, surviving eating out, surviving eating out at fast food chains, surviving fast food

Italian Style Chicken Breasts

Trudy — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 21:58:31 +0000

This is a great way to prepare chicken breasts. The combination of tomatoes with basil and balsamic vinegar provides great Italian-inspired flavor.

Prep Time: 12 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Ingredients:

4 skinless, deboned chicken breasts
4–6 tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup fresh basil, loosely packed
1 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preparation:

Combine garlic, tomatoes, vinegar, oil, basil, pepper, and salt in a food processor. Reserve a small amount of chopped tomatoes and basil for garnish.

In a large resealable plastic bag, add chicken and marinade. Make sure chicken in well coated. Seal bag and allow to marinate for 6-8 hours in refrigerator (or if you’re like me, 10 mins)

Preheat grill. Place chicken on grill and cook on medium heat for 10–12 minutes, turning once. Remove chicken from heat and garnish with remaingdiced tomatoes or chopped basil.

Technorati Tags: italian chicken recipe, italian syle chicken breasts

FAD FITNESS

Trudy — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 08:01:23 +0000

There will always be a new fad diet, exercise, equipment or celebrity endorsed product that we will seek. The health and fitness industry survives on it.

People are forever seeking the miracle pill or invention that will magically make them skinnier, leaner, and ripped or fitter without any effort involved.

Marketing plays a key role in the success of fads, which are unfortunately not limited to midnight infomercials. It is human nature to follow the hype because we WANT to believe that it will work.

Some fads have stood the test of time and or have come full circle, some even sprouting similar offspring. Below is a table to help you sort out the mad from the mainstream, of course these are just the ones I know about!

Fad name & spin offs	Origin Description	Friend or Fad
Pole Dancing, Stiletto Fitness	Strip clubs– Carmen Electra style with Stiletto fitness done wearing heels; focus on legs… isn’t this just what the average single girl does every Saturday night?	Fad- requiring a piece of equipment not commonly owned and not too many women have the strength or confidence to straddle a pole upside down. Good for hens parties though!
300 workout/ Cross fit/ Fireman’s workout/ Boot camp Circuit/Kettle bells	Based on movie. Origins of combat style basic strength training, dragging tires, push/pull ups, big muscle movements etc.	GRR boys in leather undies. A few digitally enhanced six packs but the guys worked extremely hard & had very strict diets for 3 months leading up to and including the filming[1]. It’s a superbly challenging workout but nothing new to the exercise world. Try it! Go to you tube Or search local health clubs for like minded classes. Build up to it if you are a beginner. www.crossfitaustralia.blogspot.com
Spin/cycle classes	Riding on a stationary bicycle with levels of resistance with hills, drills & sweat! Spinlates – combines spin and Pilates. Who would have thought?	As an instructor of spin for 8 years, I still love it. You are in control of resistance/intensity. It’s a disco on wheels. Friend -Try it! Good for all levels, high intensity but low impact. As for spinlates if you live in Sydney try www.icycle.com.au they use real bikes! Otherwise your local gym will have spin/cycle/RPM classes.
Yoga/ Pilates	Hatha (basic poses),Bikram (hot), Ashtunga (power) Or Pilates- Mat & Reformer (equipment)	Strengthen & Stretch muscles. Low impact. Find a Yoga style to suit you. Reformer Pilates gives better toning results due to resistance training elements. Both Friends. Recommend finding a local studio (smaller class)
Tai chi	Traditional Chinese mind body martial art developed in the 12^th Century	Relaxed graceful moves, balancing your yin (stillness, water, feminine) and yang (action, fire, masculinity) Friend for the elderly in assisting falls prevention but not for your hard core exerciser.
Nordic walking	Picture walking in broad daylight around your neighborhood with ski poles	Fad. Considering the company went broke in 1998 then I wouldn’t go for this one.
Hawaii chair	Simulates hula dances whilst seated	As featured on an Ellen De Generes’ episode. Too funny for words. Go to www.hawaiichair.com to laugh at how you could look at work. Less than a fad- gimmick. Foe.
Booty camp, beach body, hip hops abs	Focus on those wobbly bits, usually abs butts thighs type of thing-usually for women.	Nothing new here. Women always want smaller abs butts and thighs, so anything that gets them moving is good. The names may have changed but the exercises remain the same. Good for socializing as well! Friend.
Dancing, erotic, exotic, tap, Dancing, Salsa, exotic, ballroom, cardio funk, hip hop abs, belly dancing	Shake that booty & more! Muscles move the way they were meant too.	Bought back into fashion by so you think you can dance… I have never seen a dancer with a bad body. Friend and fun. Wake up muscles you never knew you had.
Wii – like Xbox or playstation but with movement simulators.	Designed to get fat kids & like minded adults moving off & the sofa. Games include low movement like bowling through to boxing	I was doubtful of getting a workout but boxing with my husband and being determined to win actually mad me sweat. I will give it thumbs up as an attempt to cure the obesity epidemic in a fun way- a fad but anything to get non active people moving is a good thing.
Vibration training/ Vibrogym	A vibrating platform where the vibrations travel through to feet or hands. Supposed to simulate muscle growth.	I have flashbacks to Olivia Newton John’s Let’s get physical video clip with the jiggler belt and fat men. They didn’t work then, they still don’t. It may have very mild benefits to the elderly and untrained adults. Fad[2]
Boxing, kick fit, tae bo, kickboxing, martial arts.	Different species from different countries. Impact & non impact	Now empowering more women into the traditionally male oriented classes and these movements have stood the test of time. Friend and awesome stress reliever!
Adventure racing	Team sport from serious athlete to getting the family together. Includes different aspects like mountain biking, kayaking, horse riding and reading a map!!	Nothing like the TV show, Great Amazing Race. Nice way to enjoy the outdoors and escape the gym junkies. Fun & Functional fitness- Friend! Go to www.arocsport.com.au to find out more
Indo Row, Shreadmill (treadmill workout)	Has turned the traditional rower or treadmill into a class, with drills, intervals & intensity levels. Indo Row is Low impact and high calorie burn for the whole body.	Better than 4am starts and getting wet!!! This is hot NY & LA’s trendy clubs. You row as a team; it’s definitely harder than you think. Control how hard you go & track your progress through the “intensity gauge” monitor www.indo-row.com or search you tube Friend, hoping that it comes to Australia real soon.
Mums n bubs training, Strollercise	Targeted at postnatal mums wanting their pre baby body, includes using your baby as a weight!!	Love it, should be more of it. Search for local Personal trainers that do this. No need for a baby sitter. Friend.
Gyrotronics	combine moves from swimming, ballet, yoga & Tai chi using a pretty swish machine	The latest LA & NY Fad recently spotted in the trendy Australian clubs. See www.gyrotronics.com . Fad, but has advantages.
Abswing, ab king pro, 6 minute abs, lemon diets, cabbage soup diets, Diet patches, pills etc	Promise of a six pack in 4 weeks or similar.	Foe Foe Foe. There is a reason why you see these gadgets at every garage sale or front porch. They don’t work and are not used! Look out for scams and companies that use credit cards and keep charging. Just Google it and you will find scam claims everywhere. Usually a short term fix for a long term problem

Don’t be fooled by infomercials promising big results with minimal effort – Our bodies are designed to move and consume food as fuel, not as a daily feast. You must move more and eat natural (not processed) nutrient rich foods to be successful in creating a healthy maintainable lifestyle. The only thing that will work and is maintainable is long term, good nutrition and exercise. You can still have your cake and eat it too, just eat really well 80% of the week. Find exercises that you enjoy and that have been around for a while as they get results. Ideally, get in 4 medium to high intensity sessions per week and mix up your routine to challenge your body. A good start is 2 cardio sessions and 2 weight sessions, then perhaps add in another light session like a hike or Yoga class. Look at it as a long term investment.

To help you move that butt here are 5 simple exercise that you can do anywhere there is a step and some light dumbbells.

Please ensure you have warmed up for at least 5 minutes beforehand. Start off using light dumbbells and perform 3 sets of 10–12 reps. To boost the intensity, increase the weight and reps or try it using/balancing on one leg!

1) Backward lunge with overhead press – Big step backward with left leg whilst lifting dumbbells into an overhead press. Keep hips & knees lined up, core on and distribute weight straight downward rather than over the front knee. Repeat using right leg.
Major muscles used: Butt, thighs (Gluteus Maximus & Quadriceps) abs and shoulders
Variation: try it without the over head press for beginners, hold it down there and press more reps for advanced version.

2) Squat with forward raise – feet just wider than hip width apart, bend butt downward into squat position (all weight is going backward and through heels of feet) At the same time as you squat down raise dumbbells to shoulder height
Major muscles used: Butt, thighs front of shoulders.
Variation: as per 1)

3) Decline push ups – Feet on a step, hands out at shoulder level, core supporting back, no sagging in the middle. Lower rib cage to floor by bending at the elbows.
Major muscles: chest, shoulder (front), triceps.
Variation: on knees for beginners, hands closer or wider, single leg, hold at bottom for advanced.

4) Side Bridge with row – rest on elbow and feet and lift your body off into a side bridge position, arm with dumbbell in air. Once stabilized hold bridge position and perform row with dumbbell coming downward toward your torso. Swap sides & arm.
Major muscles: obliques (side waist), back & shoulders.
Variation: on knees if beginner, on hand instead of elbow for advanced.

5) Prone hover – similar to push up position but on your elbows rather than hands. Key is to hold it for as long as you can without compromising your back position. Start off for 20seconds build to 60secs.
Major Muscles: core – abs & back, some upper body.
Variation: on knees for beginners. Try it on one leg for advanced.

Reference – my friend Tim Connelly who was Gerard Butler’s stunt double!
Conclusion based on more than 20 Swedish, Japanese & USA research reports dated from 1969 through 2007 and published in FitnessRX magazine October 2007.

Technorati Tags: fad fitness, health and fitness industry, kickboxing, miracle pill, vibrogym

Welcome to the Star Personal Training Blog

Trudy — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 07:56:04 +0000

Welcome to Star Personal Training. From time to time I’ll publish articles on fitness, fat loss, sports and strength conditioning and injury rehabilitation.

I’m a personal trainer based in Los Angeles. You can contact me via email at trudy [at] starpersonaltraining.com