Archive for April, 2010

Too often in the fitness industry, trainers and health professionals assume they “know” their target client.  This hypothetical client is typically young, fit, non-injured, and in a healthy weight category.  This client might also be completely prepared to begin an aggressive exercise program and give up all sugars and carbohydrates in the name of renewed health.

You’ve probably guessed by now that this client rarely - if ever! - actually exists.

Here at bene-fit, we view our role not simply as trainers or coaches but as fitness leaders, ready to help anyone who is genuinely ready to make positive change find the tools and motivation to make that change.  We don’t assume anything about who you are, what you’ve done in the past, or where you’re headed.  We want to empower you to find purpose in what you are doing and support the healthy choices you make along the way.

That said, the most overlooked populations in the personal training and wellness industry typically fall into one of three categories: over-55 adults, the obese, and post-natal women.  Older adults might not have grown up doing regular exercise and may be fearful or intimidated by the way fitness is perceived in our pop culture.  The obese might feel excluded from venues and activities that make them more conscious of their bodies and size.  Post-natal women are undergoing significant life and physical changes that may make their old routines ineffective and any new time commitments prohibitive.  These groups are being overlooked by the “mainstream” fitness industry, which is why bene-fit strives to welcome these groups as our primary clients.

For older adults, try wearing a pedometer and setting “step” goals each day – start at 5,000, then move to 7,000 and eventually the optimal 10,000 steps per day.  For obese persons, invite a personal trainer into your home to show you how to get fit in the privacy of your own personal space, or outdoors in a park if you aren’t ready to commit to a gym membership.  For new moms, hop on the computer as your baby naps or feeds and chart out a workable plan to keep both you – and baby – fit and healthy.  The first step can be the hardest for anyone new or returning to fitness – the key is simply to get out of your comfort zone and take it.

Remember, you’re never too old – or big – or busy – to commit to your best self.  Go find your bene-fit!

The rumors are true - bene-fit is now coming to you more than just Mondays via Twitter.

Follow us @findyourbenefit for daily tips, tricks, and just plain fun (all in 140 characters or less).

Happy tweeting, bene-fitters!

Allow me to describe a scene we all know too well.  You wake up after a 6-hour night’s sleep to a blaring alarm at an ungodly hour of morning to rouse yourself for work or your daily activities.  You shuffle over to a coffeemaker and brew up a quick pot to get you through the morning commute.  You arrive at work hungry and grab a sugar-laden breakfast (or worse, nothing at all) and power through until lunch, at which point you’re starving.  You eat a carbohydrate-heavy lunch and are all but napping at your desk by 3pm, at which point you reach for the coffee yet again.  You eye the clock and wonder how you’re ever going to muster up the energy for your post-work exercise session, which at this point sounds absolutely dreadful, and decide to hit up the happy hour instead.

Now consider a few revisions.  You wake up after 8 hours to either natural light (leave those dark-shield curtains for the weekend) or a peaceful-sounding alarm.  Because you set your coffeemaker the night before to brew only one cup, you switch it on and enjoy the awakening smell without the extra servings.  You heat up a bowl of instant oatmeal with fresh fruit in one minute – no sugar required! – and are off to work.  You make it, satiated, to lunch and enjoy a few servings of vegetables and protein tossed into a light salad.  Refreshed, you work straight through the next few hours with a piece of fruit, some raw nuts, and a cup of hot green tea.  Suddenly, the clock hits 5pm and you, ever-prepared with your gym bag packed in the back or your car or stashed under your desk, head out energetically for a strong workout to end your healthy day.

Notice that each of these stories contains the same three variables: sleep, nutrition, and exercise.  The difference in the outcomes is simply in the amount, and form, that each variable takes in the course of a day.  Adequate (7-8 hours) sleep staves off fatigue and helps keep the appetite in check, avoiding the high-low sugar spikes that do no one’s body good.  A diet high in vegetables, fruit, and lean protein and low in sugars, sodium, and saturated fats provides a natural energy source more powerful than any additive or pill.  Keeping foreign substances, such as caffeine or alcohol, to a minimum allows you to rediscover the power of your own focus and mental processes without intervention.  Regular exercise decreases stress, boosts metabolism, and promotes muscle development to support strong bones and joints, even as we age.

The bene-fit lifestyle is a wellness lifestyle – we believe that every part of the body and mind must be working in sync to truly find health in the long term.  Try and think about your day not as one amalgamate blob (good/bad, for example, or happy/sad), but rather as a linked chain of small choices and interconnected actions that stack up to your whole self.  You can turn a bad night’s sleep into an opportunity for a hot bath and an early night the next day.  You can think about the doughnut you had for breakfast as a small treat for the healthy eating you will pursue the rest of the day.

Try to start and finish each day on a healthy note – eating breakfast and getting a good night’s sleep, for example – and watch how easily the middle starts to fall into place.  Stay focused to truly find your bene-fit!

At boot camp last week, a participant told me that it was “the hardest workout” she’d done in a long time.  I asked her why that was.  She answered, “I don’t know – I just don’t push myself like this.”

And so it is with high-intensity interval training (HIIT).  It holds a level of mystique, of satisfaction, even of intimidation – all of which lead to its underuse, particularly by those new to exercise.  HIIT simply means alternating periods of very hard activity (heavy weight lifting, sprinting, calisthenics, plyometrics) with periods of moderate activity (recovery weight lifting, walking or jogging, stretching).

Because of my busy schedule, whenever I go to the gym, I make it a point to get the most accomplished in the least amount of time.  Why walk at 3mph when you can run at 6mph for half the time (or for the same amount of time and burn nearly twice the calories)?  Why lift endless repetitions of 5-pound weights when you can rock a solid 2-3 sets with 10 or 12-pounders?  Why sit on the stationary bike watching CNN when you can join a Spin class and power up your workout hour?  Don’t hesitate to interrogate yourself about why you’re doing what you’re doing, and what you can do to up the ante on your routine.

Increasing intensity doesn’t have to be scary or overly strenuous.  Try parking as far away as you can from the gym and sprinting to the door (if you really want to kick it in – time yourself and try to beat your time each visit).  Ignore all elevators and take the stairs whenever possible, even if daunting (I live on the 11th floor of my building and I walk up from the ground floor at least once every day).  Add short-burst cardio (jumping jacks, burpies, squat-jumps, or jump rope, for example) between weight sets instead of allowing your body to rest.  If you typically use a walking-based program, integrate running in short bursts – try 4 minutes walking to 30 seconds running for a week or two, then 4:1, 3:1, 2:1, and finally 1:1 until you’re running half your workouts.

bene-fit is about balancing challenge with support, and high-intensity interval training combined with a healthy diet and group motivation is one of the best ways to achieve optimal fitness and wellness.  How did you “amp up” the intensity on your workouts this week?  Let us know by leaving a comment!

Guess what? It’s National Public Health Week (April 5-11).

The bene-fit lifestyle includes staying accountable to our national health as a policy priority that affects us all.  I wanted to pass along the recommendations from the APHA (American Public Health Association), of which bene-fit is a strong supporter, to promote public health and prevention:

–Talk to your senators and Congresspeople about childhood obesity and school nutrition

–Encourage schools and workplaces to eliminate trans-fats and provide access to fruits, vegetables and whole grains

–Educate friends and coworkers about public health professions and preventative health goals

–Post positive and accurate health information via your Facebook, Twitter, and/or email accounts

–Support mandatory physical education for grades K-12

–Host a heart-healthy “snack sale” to raise money for health programming and share healthy recipes

–Get screened for preventable diseases and encourage family, friends, and peers to do the same

–Start a running or walking group in your household or workplace to encourage physical activity

In uncertain economic and health-care climates like the one we are in now, it is more important than ever to be accountable for your own health and well-being.

You can make a difference with your own personal choices.  Set an example to bene-fit those around you by celebrating NPHW!

Recently I was invited to join a group running club, something I never saw myself doing.  Despite being dedicated to the overall bene-fit mission in my own life, I have always seen myself as more of a “lone runner” – committed to health and fitness in my own life, as an individual.

Groups frightened me, or perhaps, intimidated me.

What if other people don’t want to run as far as I do, or what if they run too fast?  What if they all know each other and I feel like an outsider when I show up?  What if they find out I’m from L.A. and don’t want a “temporary” member in their club?  What if I wear the wrong brand of shoes?

At the heart of it all lies the central fear/worry: what if I don’t fit in? At any point in your health and fitness journey, you may want to turn down an opportunity – a friend invites you to run the neighborhood 5K, your coworker asks you to tag along to the post-work Spin class – simply because you aren’t sure what to expect.  Whether we admit it or not, sometimes groups can seem demotivating because they communicate a certain level of commitment, consistency, and accountability that we might not be ready to embrace.

In the end, I went to the run club.  I loved it.  There were runners at all levels, with all sorts of interests, and I found someone to talk to right away.  We get to see a different part of D.C. each week, making the outings both fun and highly anticipated, and I feel a sense of connection and camaraderie with the women (and sometimes men!) that I run with each week.  Whether we have a good one or a hard one, a rainy one or a sunny one, or a short one or a long one, we all do it together – and the group bene-fit is undeniable.

Coming soon, bene-fit will offer group-based initiatives for people looking to make real, lasting changes to their lifestyles.  Our groups will meet weekly and discuss health and wellness issues, focusing on diet and exercise as well as motivation and support, and help you break through those hurdles and detours that tend to derail your fitness goals on your own.  Truth is, groups work – so stay tuned for how bene-fit can help!