I have always been into fitness. Even through high school, I was interested in sports performance and making myself the best that I can be. When I first got into kinesiology, I wanted to do what most people want to do and go into sports performance. And that still is a huge passion of mine and still help athletes hit their potential. But throughout college, I realized that there is a bigger problem than getting athletes bigger, stronger and faster. That issue is obesity. If an athlete doesn’t hit his numbers, they will still be able to live. If someone who is obese doesn’t get help, they will die.

Yes – it is that serious. I don’t think people understand the gravity of the situation when they are overweight. There is NOTHING good that comes out of carrying a few extra pounds. Your joints can’t handle the stress. Your heart can’t handle the stress. Your blood vessels can’t handle the stress. Your blood pressure increase. Your heart rate increases. Your blood flow decreases due to narrowing of the arteries, which could form blood clots leading to a stroke. You could develop Type 2 diabetes. Your sleeping patterns aren’t up to par so you aren’t sleeping through the night which effects your mood and your energy levels. Your energy levels are so low, you could develop sleepiness during the day which effects your work habits.

But here is the light at the end of the tunnel: Your start reaping the benefits of exercise the SECOND you start exercising. Your heart rate, stroke volume and cardiac output all start to increase, creating more blood flow through your body. Your blood starts flowing through your body. Your blood delivery becomes more efficient, your heart rate and blood pressure go to moderate levels after  you finish. Your perception of well being and self concept increase and anxiety and depression decrease.

And you don’t have to get out and run 6 miles to feel these effects! Your body starts adapting and benefiting from ANY physical activity. If you start walking around the block, you benefit. If you park farther away from the mall, you benefit. If you take the stairs rather than the elevator, you benefit. Start BENEFITING!! There is no better time than right now to get in the best shape of your life, and possible start saving your life.

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.

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.

Today’s post is by Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS. Craig owns a great fat loss product called Turbulence Training. Regular readers know how much I am against information product because in today’s day and age, everyone is an expert. Well, Craig is an expert. He holds a masters degree, high level certifications and writes for some of the most prestigious magazines on the markets. He stuff is legit and I highly recommend you heading over to Turbulence Training and check out his product. You will not be disappointed.

Why Cardio Doesn’t Work for Fat Loss

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
www.TurbulenceTraining.com

Cardio exercise is such a strange thing. In theory, it should work
so perfectly well for all men and women, but as anyone who has
tried it knows, the practicality of it just doesn’t add up.

After all, some men and women do cardio 6 hours, 9 hours, or more per week, and still have belly fat to burn. On the other hand, it works just fine for others.

British researchers wanted to get more insight into this paradox, and studied 35 overweight men and women, who weren’t previously exercising.

(Reference: International Journal of Obesity 32: 177-184, 2008).

Subjects exercised 5 times per week for 12 weeks. That’s a lot of
exercise, but it helped the subjects lose an average of 8.2 pounds, which is great – I was positively surprised by the results.

So cardio will work for some people, however, in my experience, it works best in young men, who need the help the least!

Back to the study, the variance in fat loss between individuals was huge. Check this out…

The best subject lost a staggering 32.3 pounds in 12 weeks, while the worst subject actually GAINED 3.74 pounds.

The scientists think they know where things went sour. They
classified the subjects into 2 groups, called the “Compensators”
and the “Non-compensators”.

The Compensators were hungrier, and as a result consumed an extra 268 calories per day, all but wiping out their cardio efforts.

Therefore, the Compensators lost the least amount of weight, and scientists believe that was due to the huge “compensatory” increase in appetite experienced by this group.

Does your appetite increase when you do slow cardio? If it does,
research shows it will ruin your cardio efforts.

So if your cardio program is not working for you, check your
appetite and calorie intake to see if you are “compensating” for
your efforts. If you are, you might be better off using a program
of high-intensity resistance and interval training (i.e. Turbulence Training) for your weight loss efforts.

As Australian Professor Steve Boucher has shown in research,
interval training increases hormones called catecholamines. And
increased catecholamines can reduce appetite, among other fat-
burning benefits.

In the real world, few people lose 33 pounds after 12 weeks of
cardio. Heck, few even achieve an average weight loss of 8 pounds with aerobic exercise.

So again, check your appetite, and consider giving high-intensity
exercise a go for your next workout program.

Beat the curse of cardio with high-intensity Turbulence Training.

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training
About the Author

Learn about the “Dark Side of Cardio” in the free report from Craig Ballantyne at www.TurbulenceTraining.com. Craig is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit www.TurbulenceTraining.com

The term “Health and Wellness” is starting come into main stream as of late. Most people just relate it to their health and “wellness”. But do you really know the meaning behind “health and wellness”? It goes deeper than you would think.

I recently posed the question “What is the definition of health and wellness to you” on facebook and twitter. People came up with some great responses:

Here is my definition of health and wellness: Getting the whole pie.

Health and wellness has 5 categories mixed into one.

• Mental health-the ability to learn and develop intellectual capabilities
• Spiritual health-The belief in a unifying force-Godlike for some, nature for others, even science.
• Social health-The ability to interact and develop interpersonal relationships.
• Physical health-To supply the body with the nutrients and activity to ward off illness and disease, supply energy and maintain bodily function for maintenance and growth.

Health and wellness is making sure you have a full balance of every aspect of your health. Here is a breakdown on how you can work out each area of health and wellness:

• Mental health-Read, write, do puzzles.
• Spiritual health-This is important, even if you are not religious. But you have to believe in something, even if it is the religion of YOU! Take a few minutes every day, religious or not, to meditate. It clears your mind and allows you to “talk” to a higher power.
• Social health-GO OUT! If you have a significant other, go for a walk, go to a park. Go do something. Have a great circle of friends, go for a night out on the town, or stay in and play a game. Interaction is a key part to the health.
• Physical health-this is the easiest one! Work out. Go for a run/walk. GET EXERCISE!

For more information on ANY of these aspects, please feel free to email us at info@nintemanfitness.com. We will send you more information so you can stay healthy in all the areas of wellness.

Recently, I had the chance to chat with a group of people about their experience at big box gyms. Here are some of the opinions picked out of the conversation:

“Commercial” gyms, such as 24 hour fitness, can be an overwhelming place to try to get in shape. If you are just getting into working out, it can be intimidating. You have girls wearing TOO LITTLE of clothing while working out on a bike going 1 MPH while reading the latest version of Cosmo, or you have the meat head group of guys who think they are the next Mr. Universe, grunting and sweating their way through a workout that really is not making much of an impact. You walk in, see these situations, and get discourage. So you go take the farthest elliptical machine and start getting cardio, until you see a leg machine open up, then you jump on that doing light weights that don’t really benefit you. If this is you, don’t waste your money on your GYM PASS!

The commercial gym setting, such as 24 hour fitness, is not for everyone. There are some people that benefit from having people stare at them, but there are some that are truly throwing away 20, 30, 50 dollars a month. I am here to tell you that you DO NOT NEED A GYM! You can get great workouts around your home doing simple things around your house. No big box gym needed!

After talking with this small group, I realized that many people would be interested in a workout program they can do at their own home. If this is something that you would be interested in, email me at info@nintemanfitness.com and tell me a) why you prefer working out at home vs. the gym, b) how many times per week  you can dedicate to working out and the length of time and c)name, age, goals you want to achieve.

If I get enough emails (actually, if one person wants it I will do this!) I will create a newsletter that will delivered to your inbox that will have workouts you can do, at home, no (or little) equipment, and NO DISTRACTIONS! Of course, this newsletter would be free of charge, so  you really have nothing to lose. Drop me a line and let me know what you want!

So you want to get in shape, huh? Want to start living healthier? Here are a few things you can do to start living a better life NOW!

1. Take a walk-Enjoy nature!
2. ride a bike-ENJOY NATURE!
3. Walk your dog-Enjoy nature and your best friend!
4. Eat Breakfast-The don’t call it the most important meal of the day for nothing.
5. Drink Water-It does more than you thinks.
6. Take a multivitamin-Fill in the holes that your diet leaves.
7. Hug someone you love-Nothing is better than hugging someone close.
8. Hug someone you don’t love-Never underestimate the power of a hug.
9. Eat fruit-5 a day keeps the doctor away. Fruit is a great snack throughout the day.
10. Spend 30 min outside everyday. Rain or Shine (Ever danced the salsa in the rain? Give it a shot!)
11. Take some quiet time for yourself-Some call it meditation. Others call it relaxation. Whatever you call it, it clears the mind and is a valuable part of health.
12. Sleep-Sleep refreshes your body.
13. Don’t oversleep-You need just enough sleep to refresh yourself. Too much sleep and you will become over tired.
14. Breathe-take a few minutes every day and focus on your breathing. Concentrate on the breath in, and the breath out. This will remove any stress at the moment you are having. Just breath.
15. meditate-Or relax. Do whatever you call it to have some time for YOU!
16. read-Flex those intellectual muscles!
17. Turn OFF the tv-It is a waste of time. Most channels offer condensed versions online. Why do you need to sit for an hour doing nothing?
18. Smile-It keeps you in a positive mindset, which is critical for having a happy health life.
19. Call your family-Mom, dad, brother, sister, friend that is like a brother-Call to check is a great way to relieve stress.
20. Stay positive-See Smiling. Thinking positive is one of the most critical parts to living a happy, stress free life. It is all mental.
21. Drink Less Alcohol-Alcohol in moderation is not a bad thing. But too much, even just a bit too much-throws you over the edge.
22. Be grateful for the day-You are alive. You are working on your health. You have things you appreciate in your life. Be grateful for those things. Say it out loud-”I am grateful for….”
23. Eat less-Simple and effective. Moderation in everything and everything in moderation.
24. Eat Green Leafy veggies-Salads are a great source of fiber, calcium and iron-essentials for a health body, especially for women.
25. Quit smoking-HUGE! If you smoke, you are hindering yourself from getting healthy. If you need help, get it. Quiting smoke (although I know easier said then done) is a huge way to instantly increase your health.
26. BONUS!: Enjoy life. It is a gift.

Have you hit a plateau on you workouts? Here are 5 tips that you can do to get back on track and jump start results again:

1. Move quickly from upper to lower body-By switching from upper to lower body, you crank up your caloric burn exponentially. Try this: Move from biceps curls to squats. It can raise your heart rate by forcing blood to shunt from your arms to your legs. Try to work this into your routine once a week to get great results.
2. Lower your weight-Get every single fiber firing when you lift. When you lift, start with a heavier weight and do 10 reps. Switch to a little lighter of a weight to ensure that you can complete the next 10 reps. Then go even lighter on the third set again to ensure you can complete all the reps. Do this once a month, as you can feel VERY sore after you complete this workout.
3. Work two muscle groups at once-Save time and burn more calories with a series of several muscle groups together. Try adding triceps presses to squats or front shoulder raises to lunges. This technique isn’t highly fatiguing, so try it once a week.
4. Balance on one leg-Using one foot instead of two during strength moves will recruit the muscles in your core, helping you sculpt flat, sexy abs. Stand on one leg from everything from shoulder presses to squats. Because you are using only one leg, you will have to use a lighter weight in order to complete the exercise.
5. Team up on one muscle-zap your most persnickety parts into shape by doing back to back exercise for the same muscle groups. For example, blast your lefts with a squat, followed by a lunge. To attack your abs, do bicycles followed by reverse crunches. This pushes your muscles to total exhaustion, so don’t try it more than twice a month.

According to a recent study, 1 in 4 people in the US are on a diet. 1 in 4! People have misconstrued what it means to “diet”. You hear people all the time talking about how they are “on a diet”. A diet, if looked up in a dictionary, is defined as “the kinds of foods that a person, animal, or community habitually eat”. So to say “you are going on a diet” really sets yourself up for short term success. You are telling people I am going to temporarily change what I eat, to see if that will then in turn help me lose weight. A diet is simply what you eat. So instead of going on a diet, try changing your diet. Permanently. You know what you are suppose to eat. We all had it instilled in us by the food pyramid. Unfortunately, the food pyramid does not factor in the schedules of busy life. But don’t let that stop you. There are books such as Eat This Not That: Thousands of Simple Food Swaps That Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds-or More! This book puts the entire food industry under the spotlight, and arms you with the savvy tricks and insider information it takes to eat well no matter where you are. It is a great read and allows you to be conscious of what you are eating. You don’t have to end your social life because you are changing you diet. Most of changing your eating habits is being knowledgeable of what to eat and what not to eat.