I am going to reveal a secret in the health industry. This secret is so shocking, that people try to keep it hidden for you. Fitness professionals hide this so they can sell you things you THINK you need.  This is the code, the science if you will, behind the ultimate healthy lifestyle. People try to tweak this code in order to get the results, but there is only one true formula to get great health. I can’t believe I am revealing this, but I feel it needs to come out. Ok, here it goes, the big moment. The scientific formula behind living the healthiest life possible, are you ready?

Eating Healthy + Physical Activity.

Yes – that is the formula. This is the secret to living the best life possible. A lot of people try to tweak this formula. They tell you that you need to lay off carbs. Or go high protein. Or go extremely low calories. Or they tell you that you need to do high intensity training. Or squats and deadlifts. Or 1000 crunches. And some have found tweaks that yield results…for a little while.

If you really want to make lasting health changes to your life, stick to the science. Eat healthy. Be active. It really is that simple. You don’t have to eat special foods! Just know what you are eating. Stay away from processed, get plenty of fruits and veggies and lean meats and drink plenty of water. Do SOMETHING everyday. That doesn’t mean you need to go run 10 miles at the gym, or be put through an extensive training program. Walk your dog. Walk with your significant other. Take the stairs. Park farther away. Take an extra lap around Target. Do jumping jacks during commercials of your favorite show. Or turn off LOST and go take a walk.

Now, I understand that if you have health issues, there will need to be tweaks and tunes to this formula. But this formula is the basis for every formula. If you need to lose a few pounds, or just live healthier, eating clean and getting physical activity in will do the trick. But here is the kicker – YOU HAVE TO DO IT! You need to make the conscious choice that you are going to take a walk everyday after work, or whenever it is. I can share the special rocket science with you, but ultimately it is up to YOU to take your health into your own hands and make a change. YOU can do it. I can help. Email me with questions, concerns, anything. info@nintemanfitness.com

You just get off of work. You are hungry. You know you should take the time to cut yourself some fresh greens, and some veggies and make yourself a nice salad. But you are tired because you just worked a long hard day, so you reach into the freezer, grab a Lean Cuisine and throw it in the microwave because it is quicker and easier.

We live in a world now where convenience sells – It is a microwave society. People are busy then every, running around, picking up kids, dropping off kids, going to Yoga, going to baseball practice, tweeting, facebooking, and whatever other things people do. People, in general, are looking for the fastest, easiest way to get things accomplished. And when you are tired, you really want to get a great tasting meal for the least amount of time possible.

Our Microwave society is what is making us have the highest obesity rating in the world. Since we are always looking for convenience, we never do what is optimal for our health. And I don’t blame you. There are times I get home from a full day of work and school and just want to relax. And sometimes I do. But if you really want to make good choices, you need to work hard.

Sadly, living healthy isn’t easy. You need to have self discipline and dedication to know that no matter how tired you are, your health depends on you making that rice and chicken, or that salad rather than that Lean Cuisine. But you need to realize that every time you take the easy route, you are not taking it easy on your body. Your heath is important to your livelihood and is worth taking the time and effort to ensure that you get the healthy food that your body needs. Get out of the Microwave society and start living healthy.

I am a firm believer in “aha” moments. Most times, it takes one instant to realize something big enough to make a lasting change. I had mine in college.

I was a sub 5 min mile entering into college. I didn’t keep up my working out when I entered college. The freshman 15 hit me a few times and I very quickly got out of shape and overweight (a little over 200 pounds for my 5’10″ frame. I was running late for a class one day and had to park in the bottom parking lot at San Diego State University. The only way up to the campus was climbing a significant amount of stairs. I finally found a spot to park, checked the clock and had approximately 2 minutes to get to class. I started running. I hit the first of many staira, no problem – I got this. Half way up I was walking. When I reached the top, I had to sit down because my heart was beating out of my chest and I couldn’t catch my breath. Needless to say I was late to the class. As I sat there trying to catch my breath and bring my heart rate down, I kept thinking “what am I doing? How did I get like this? I am a fitness and health guy and I can’t climb stairs? How am I suppose to preach health and wellness if I am overweight?”.

That was my “aha” moment. It was at the moment that I decided to turn it around. I start working out, eating better, dropped weight and changed my entire lifestyle so I can now talk the talk while I walk the walk.

Most people need that “aha” moment. Some people it is waking up and realizing you cannot see your feet because your belly sticks out. Others it is sitting in the doctors office with the doctor telling them if they don’t lose weight, they are going to die from Type 2 diabetes or heart attack.

It is my opinion that in order to make a lasting change, people need to have that “aha” moment. If people don’t have that moment, they just go through the motions. The implement changes that don’t stick. There is something psychological about an “aha” moment that makes you want to make a change. This is how you will make a change. Sure, you can make changes without an “aha” moment. Those people are determined to make a change. But I bet if you chat with most people that make drastic changes, there was something in their mind that clicked.

Dig deep down inside of you an find your “aha” moment. Find that one thing that makes you realize that you need to make life long changes in you life, whether it is to lose weight, live healthier, or change a bad habit. If you acknowledge the issue (the “aha” moment”) you will be able to find the determination to actually make the changes stick.

I just signed up for a professional organization and they sent me a journal contain some great research that people have done. You know you picked the right career path when you truly get excited for reading research on the subject!

The article was something that I have heard before in school, but never seen the research. It finally hit me reading this research that I have to spread the word on it.

Most people that are overweight or obese cannot walk for 40 minutes consecutive. This is either due to joint problems, lack of cardiovascular fitness or an array of other issues. So they will get discouraged about trying to complete that exercise bout and more than likely won’t do it at all.

A study posted in the American College of Sports Medicine Journal of Health and Fitness says that by breaking that cardio up, you get the same exercise benefits as walking consecutively. So now you have no excuse. If you can’t muster up the energy for 40 minutes, or if your knee starts hurting after 10 minutes, doing four 10 minute bouts of exercise will yield the same exercise effects as walking continuously.

Now this isn’t a reason not to be lazy. If you can sustain cardio for the consecutive 40 minutes,  you will yield better cardiovascular endurance than only going 10. But if you are one of those people who need to start exercise because you need to change your life fast, but just can’t do the 40 minutes, BREAK IT UP!

You hear it ALL the time in the media. “BEAT THE BATTLE OF THE BULDGE!”. I don’t give a crap about the battle, I want you to win the war.

A general doesn’t care the result of the battles as long as he won the war. The battles mean nothing, but the end result means everything. What is your end result?

Your end result should be a life full of health and longevity. One bad weekend isn’t going to lose the war for you. You may lose that battle, but who cares about that one battle? Focus on your end goal and know you can enjoy Sunday BBQs with the family. You can enjoy Super Bowl. You can enjoy the holidays. But moderate it. Lose the battle, don’t get massacred. Stay focused on your long term goals to live longer and be healthier.

Now I am not saying you can lose EVERY battle and still win the war. If you lose every battle, you lost. As long as you win more battles that you lose, you will win the war. Moderation in everything and everything in moderation. Go enjoy yourself, but know overall, you need to eat cleaner, healthier and get your physical activity in.

In middle school, you more than likely took a health class. In that class, they told you that diet and exercise was the best way to stay healthy. That hasn’t changed over the years, regardless of how long ago you were in school. What does change over the years that people get confused about is how much physical activity you need. The requirement depends on which organization you look at. There are some that say 5-7 days of moderate physical activity and then there are others that say 3 days of low to moderate exercise.

I think the first thing that needs to be done is you need to define what Physical Activity actually is: From an earlier post, Physical Activity is any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that result in energy expenditure. In real life, physical activity is basically anything that you break a sweat doing. Walking the dog, playing with the kids, joining a softball team, anything!

But how much are you suppose to get? Really, whatever you can. 5-7 days of moderate physical activity, according to the ACSM, is optimal for great health benefits. But if you can do 3 days, that is better than zero days.

Honestly, though, you should not really say “5 days” or “7 days” or anything else. You should try to just make physical activity part of your life. If you put to much emphasis on trying to get enough days of physical activity in during the week, more than likely, you will say something like “I will just get my 5th day in tomorrow” or ” If I take today off, I will go the next 5 days”. And due to human nature, you more than likely will not hit what you want to. Instead, just make physical activity part of your lifestyle. Be active. Live active. Start walking every morning. Join a sport league. Start hiking. Whatever it is, just start living a healthy, active lifestyle and you will start living a healthier life. But if you must put a number on it, shoot for 5-7 days of moderate physical activity for optimal health improvement. But also make sure your diet is in check. A good, active lifestyle doesn’t mean anything if you are eating crap. But that is another post for another day. Have an awesome day.

People often hear the word meditation and get scared. They think it is some zen/religious practice that they want no part of. Others think it is a waste of time. And still then, there are those who just plain think its weird to do.

Meditation, as defined by Wikipedia, is “a mental discipline where by the practition attempts to get beyond the reflexive “thinking” mind into a deeper state of relaxation and awareness.” In other words, it is going to your “happy place”.

Mental health is often over looked when people want to try to get healthy. Relaxing is an important part of being healthy. It reduces stress, and clears the mind for increased mental health. And you don’t have to sit cross legged on the floor humming in order to reach this state. Think of a place where you go that you are completely relaxed. Some people meditate in silence. Others in noise. Some in the gym. Others outside. Some by themselves. Others with people around. It all depends on you! Meditation is nothing more than blocking every stress that you have in the world out, if only for a moment, and focusing on relaxing and letting nothing get to you.

One question I get asked when I talk about meditation is “How do I know when I hit that mindset”? That is a hard question to answer. It totally depends on what your mind thinks is relaxing. For me, it is getting my mind to “vacation mode”, even for a brief moment. When I go on a vacation, I don’t have a care in the world. I don’t think about work, stress, projects, deadlines, or anything else. I am fully in the moment and am completely relaxed. That is the place I try to get to when I meditate. I can’t go on a vacation every time I get stressed out. That is why meditating is so helpful. If you get stressed, and you need to relax, a quick meditation session can work wonders. Daily meditation will help you to be less stressed overall throughout your life.

Still struggling on the whole meditation concept? Just try this for starters: Whenever you are feeling overwhelmed, stressed, frustrated or anything of that nature, think of a few of your favorite things. It could be “Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens” (I kid). Or your grand kids, your wife, a place that you love, a time in your life where you were on cloud nine. Whatever makes you the happiest is what you are going to focus on. So when you are feeling stress, focus on that one thing as hard as you can. Try to get yourself to actual FEEL like you are there in the moment. Listen to the sounds of that moment. Feel the feelings of that moment. For example, if your place is the beach, feel the sun on your face, hear the ocean crash down, feel the sand in between your toes. Really get yourself into that place that makes you happy, even if just for a brief moment in time. Your mood/mind set will start shifting and you will start to feel better. You will know that your stresses and frustrations are little things in life and the important things are really the only things that matter. Stress doesn’t solve anything. Take a deep breathe and get back to whatever you were doing with a fresh new mindset and start kickin’ butt.

So in order to start getting your mental health as good as your physical health, start trying to meditate once in awhile. It will help clear your mind and relax your body.

2009 is coming to an end.  I hope that you took every advantage of every situation presented to you last year and that your next year is your best year yet.

2009 was a great year for me personally. I learned quite a bit throughout all my experiences this year. I am going to share what I learned in hopes that some of what you read here sparks a fire within you and you take the information and run with it.

• Never judge people by their looks. Yes, first impressions are crucial, but they are not everything. See Susan Boyle.
• Never let anyone tell you that you cannot do something. If you want it bad enough, you can do it. You are more powerful than you know. Again – see Susan Boyle (and I swear that is the last time I will mention her!)
• Be genuinely you – You cannot try to be something you are not. It is fake and people can see right through it. Plus – why would you not be proud of who you really are? Let people connect with you as  you, instead of someone else.
• Be a big deal – If you don’t think you are a big deal, no one else will.
• Invade peoples personal space – People for some reason are afraid of being close to other people. Reach out and give someone a hug when they least expect it. They may think it is weird, but it will make their day.
• College is a complete waste of time. Needed? Yes, because every job wants you to have a piece of paper saying that you sat through 4 years of classes that relate to nothing for the job that you are applying for and now you are $20,000 is debt.
• Having someone by your side who supports you and all your crazy ideas is one of the most important thing to have in your life. If you have someone like that, make sure you tell them how much they mean to you everyday.
• Reading books and RSS feeds are a great way to find information. However, it will do absolutely nothing if you are trying to accomplish something. They only way to get stuff done is to take massive action and actually try it. I would rather try and fail rather than not try at all.
• Self helps books will not change your life. Motivational speakers will not change your life. I will not change your life. Only YOU can make the choice to change and take the action needed to change. All self help books and motivational speakers and I can do is give you advice, tips, tricks and point you in the right direction. The rest is completely up to you.

It is also up to you to take this advice I have just given you. You can use it, or throw it out. It is your choice. Only you can make it happen.

Regardless of if you use this list or not, I hope that 2010 is a great year for you.

You hear it all the time on the TV, Radio, from Doctors, around the coffee machine and throughout your daily life: Get physical activity in your life. But what exactly is physical activity and how much should you really get?

In science, physical activity is any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that result in energy expenditure. In real life, physical activity is basically anything that you break a sweat doing. Really anything. Do you work when you vacuum the house? That is physical activity. Do you work when you chase your grand kids? That is physical activity. Do you work when you go shopping and have to walk around the entire mall? That is physical activity.

What is NOT physical activity? Watching hours of TV. Sitting in front of a computer (reading killer articles on Ninteman Fitness is OK for now). Doing nothing is not physical activity. Physical activity doesn’t have to be hard to do. Just make

sure what you are doing is hard. Park farther at the mall. Do lunges when vacuuming. Race the kids around an obstacle course around the house. Do jumping jack during commercials through your favorite TV show. Walk up and down your stairs at your house. Find a step and do 20 min of stepping up and down your step. When you look around, you can really find ways to get in your 30 min a day 5 days a week of physical activity each week. It shouldn’t be a chore. Find things you are doing already and amp them up to get in your activity. Your health will thank you in the long run.

For some of you, you know the name Dr. Oz from either his appearances on the Oprah show, or his various other books and TV appearances. For the select few of you, if you don’t know who Dr. Oz is, you should.

Being a fitness professional, I hear all the time “My Dr. prescribed X” or “My doctor told me Y is the best thing for me”. Most doctors are pill pushers that honestly couldn’t care less about  your overall health and want to get in and out of your appointment as fast as possible so they can move onto the next one so they can get their paycheck and drive home in their fancy car. I say most because there are those few doctors who truly care about their patients health and know the best way to change someone’s overall health issues is back changing their overall lifestyle.

Dr. Oz, although still a celebrity doctor which to me, reduces credibility, is very straight forward and knows that pushing healthy diets will get people healthy, not pushing pills.

Dr. Oz has a book that I think is a great starting point to getting healthy. It is called “You on a Diet”. It very plainly and basically explains how diets are suppose to help you stay healthy. I have taken nutrition classes for years and I have not had anything as simple and straight forward as this book.

If you are serious about your health, this book is a great place to start. He has more books that are just as good as this one, but You On A Diet is a great place to start.