The Things You Didn’t Do
March 5, 2010 by Deb · Leave a Comment
“Without dietary intervention, can you successfully transform your body through exercise alone?”
March 2, 2010 by Deb · Leave a Comment
And the answer? Not so much.
In fact, in the studies I have read, even 3+ hours of exercise per
week failed to lead to substantial fat loss in the absence of
strategic dietary manipulations.
Clearly, your diet is critically important to truly changing the
way you look and feel.
But what about exercise? Is it worthless, or does it make
considerable difference when combined with exercise?
To get the answer, we turn to a recent review conducted by the
Harvard School of Public Health just this year.
The review analyzed data from 18 different research studies, all
of which studied the effectiveness of a diet + exercise
intervention vs. diet alone.
The results? In both short term and long term studies, diet +
exercise resulted in greater overall weight loss than diet alone
each and every single time.But even more important is the body composition data. When
looking solely at scale weight figures, it may appear that the
diet + exercise only slightly edges out diet alone. But when
analyzing the actual body composition data, diet + exercise
always results in much more fat loss and much less lean body
mass loss.
This is extremely important for a couple reasons:
1. Lean body mass retention is critically important to keeping
metabolism high as each lb of lean muscle requires approximately
50 calories per day to maintain.
2. When speaking of “transformation”, losing 20 lbs of pure
fat will have you looking and feeling infinitely better than
losing 10 lbs of fat and 10 lbs of muscle. I mean, amazingly
different.
Just imagine what your body would look like right now if you
dropped 10 lbs of pure body fat and added 10 lbs of lean muscle.
That’s the power of diet + exercise vs. diet alone.
And to that end, I’d recommend combining diet
tips with the following training advice:
1. Optimal training doesn’t require hours upon hours of time
in the gym. 45 minutes, 3-4 times a week is all that is needed
to reap the benefits of including exercise in your transformation
process.
2. Intensity trumps time. Work out shorter, but harder. Gauge
your workouts not by how long you go, but by how hard you go.
3. Combine both strength training and interval training for the
best results.
If you’re really looking to transform your body, combining
optimal training with solid nutrition will have you off to a
great start. But to maintain that momentum, two other
components are necessary: unstoppable mindset and ongoing
support.
Believe in yourself; believe in the change to come.
Deb 
May I “ash” you a Question?
February 17, 2010 by Deb · Leave a Comment
Happy Ash Wednesday! Forty-six days of Lent. A time when many Christians prepare for Easter by observing a period of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline. I want to encourage you to fast in a way that honors God.
I plan on giving up sleep (an extra 30 minutes daily) to spend more time in the word and in meditation. What will you do to show your dedication and faith?
Following are some tips that I hope will inspire you today. As you grow more in mind, body, and spirit, you will feel more content and full of joy!
Mind
”Mind your Ps and Qs!” It was something I heard a lot as a child. At the time that phrase meant “Please” and “Thank you” (not sure how they got Q from thank you). These days I believe in minding your Ps and Qs in a different way: Positively and Questions. What positive thoughts are you absorbing, and what questions do you challenge yourself with on a regular basis? The new Ps and Qs you mind could change your outlook on life. Learn to accept positive affirmations and to ask quality questions daily.
Body
It may be difficult to swallow, but the average person’s metabolism slows by 5% each decade, starting at age 35. To create an increase in a declining metabolic rate you should NOT crash diet any more than you should continue with the same ol’ exercise program. It’s best to eat 5-6 small healthy meals throughout the day and to change up your exercise program by increasing tension/weight, distance, speed, or even the type of workout altogether. Want to see results? Try something new that will challenge and speed up your metabolism.
Spirit
Sometimes the road less traveled may seem difficult, but the key is to go down the path that is paved for you. Some of the most rewarding moments happen along the bends of a winding path. You may not be able see what is ahead, but you have the faith to move forward anyway. This “blind faith” offers an opportunity to learn and grow beyond your comfort zone.
Deb
Have you fallen off the wagon and need help to get back up??
February 16, 2010 by Deb · 2 Comments
Every once in a while you need a swift kick in the butt to get you back on track and living to your full potential. I recently received a kick in the butt from a mentor. She actually called me ‘WEAK’, can you believe that? Not weak physically, but mentally. I was coasting through life and she let me know it. Are you ready for your butt kicking? Watch this quickie video clip from the movie “Rocky Balboa“. In this clip Rocky gives his son the kick in the butt that he needs to get back on track and living to his potential.
Okay…you need to view this video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uASVzkrEKgs This is what we discussed after viewing clip….maybe some of you can relate? Let’s discus some of the key points from the Rocky Balboa Speech…
The first important point thing that Rocky tells his son is, “When things got hard you started looking for something to blame.” Now let’s turn this back to you and your fat loss journey. Have you found yourself in a situation where things are going really great… you’re working out regularly, eating well, and feel awesome, then after four to six weeks something happens… you’re faced with a challenge or obstacle and you fall off the wagon? What is some of the self talk that goes on in your head when this happens and what do you tell others? Do you say, “Here I go again, I always end up sabotaging myself.” Do you say, “I’m just too busy to workout regularly, I’ve got kids and my work schedule is demanding.” Do you say, “That diet didn’t work, it’s too strict.” Or do you blame it on the genetics that your parents passed down to you? Where do you look to place the blame when the going gets tough?
Let’s take a look at the next point that Rocky makes to his son. “It’s not about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward… how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!” Again, we’ll use this statement and compare it to your fat loss journey… It’s absolutely important that you give each workout your very best effort. Hit each workout hard! It’s absolutely important that you give your best effort to following a healthy nutrition plan. Hit it with your best shot! But that’s not what will ultimately make you successful at burning all that unwanted body fat from your physique. The defining moments of winning the fat loss game are the ones where you get hit hard by an obstacle or challenge and you get back up stronger than ever before and continue moving forward toward your goals. Those moments where you feel at your lowest, whether you missed a few workouts because you were sick or you go way overboard on junk food while you are out with your friends at a party, these are these are the moments that you actually want to experience because they help you grow as an individual and become the best that you can be. Obstacles and challenges happen for a reason. They are not designed to make you fail… they are designed to help you succeed. How’s that for a mindset shift?
Let’s take a look at another important comment that Rocky tells his son, “If you know what your worth than go out and get what you’re worth, but you’ve got to be willing to take the hits and not pointing fingers and saying you ain’t where you want to be because of him or her or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain’t you. You’re better than that!” Do you know what you are worth? Are you willing to go out and get it even though it means that you are going to have to take some hits and get knocked down several times along the way to receive what you are worth? I know that you are worth more than you may be thinking at this moment. Take some time and really think about what you are honestly worth. I also know that you are better than the effort that you have been putting forth. How do I know that? Because we can all do better. We can all dig deeper. We can all push our limits. We can all experience a new level of greatness.
Here’s one last important statement that Rocky makes in this clip, “Until you start believing in yourself you’re not going to have a life.” Wow! How’s that for a kick in the butt? That’s some serious tough love, but if you have seen the movie you know that it was exactly what Rocky’s son needed to hear. Rather than get defensive he took that hit from his dad, let it soak in, and used it to explore who he really is and what he is really worth.
We all have goals and dreams, but do you believe that you will achieve them? I mean deep down with every ounce of your being believe that you will achieve them? Losing weight is not easy. Maintaining that weight loss is not easy either. Believing in yourself is not always the easiest thing to do as you may have experienced. Striving to continuously discover new ways to improve yourself, your body, and your health, takes a heck of a lot of work. But the rewards are always well worth the price that you had to pay in order to achieve them. No one and nothing is holding you back from achieving the body and life that you deserve except for yourself. Take responsibility. Take massive action. Take the hits and keep moving forward. Focus on your goal and don’t stop until you’ve achieved it. Turn your WISH into a MUST! Don’t just HOPE for it to happen… EXPECT it to happen.
Embrace the challenges that you are faced with and use them to sculpt the body and life that you deserve. Carve out a new path and lay down the pavement for others to follow so they too will experience the incredible successes that you are about to achieve. It’s never to late to get back into the game! Make your new start TODAY!
Deb:)
You must be willing to die to diet.
February 11, 2010 by Luke Carlson · Leave a Comment
The word diet creates a a negative image and some say dieting is like dying because die is the first part of diet. I say hallelujah! We have an opportunity to learn how to die while we diet. What a great training ground God has given us. Jesus teaches us that we are to die of this world so that we can be reborn. When we are reborn we learn to leave the world behind and allow the Holy Spirit to more freely work in us. Dying of this world is what it means to grow in our Christian faith and to live in Christ so that we can be free from the bondage of food.
Are you ready to die through diet? Knowing that this is your opportunity to be reborn you should feel a new joy about the word and ability to diet. Dieting is no longer a negative thing for Christians, but a chance to grow and give glory to God. We will have more dying to do than to just die from dieting, but a new beginning is awaiting us. It is never easy, but it will be worth every difficult step of the way. When times get tough know that you are not doing this to glorify your self, but to die of your old self so that the new self can be born and that God can be glorified.
Acts of Kindness
February 5, 2010 by Jenny Neighbour · 1 Comment
This morning, my 16 year old had an issue with her car. Now keep in mind that she is a NEW driver and a little nervous on the snowy roads. She ran over a plastic bag that got STUCK underneath her engine somehow. I guess it made a weird sound and gave off a “burning-type” odor as well. This scared my daughter and since her dad was at work…she came to me!
I couldn’t reach the bag so I told her to go to the local BP Amoco station owned by a great guy named Tim. Deb and I know him well and I just knew that they would take good care of her! My frightened and extremely SHY girl went to the gas station and do you know what they did for her?
They put that car up on blocks…got the bag out…torched the remainder of the bag off of the engine so it wouldn’t smell…and sent her on her way with a smile on their face. They treated her with the highest respect and didn’t even CHARGE her for the service. Can you believe this???!!!
I went over to the station after I got off of work to thank them and to see if I could pay them. They acted like it was no big deal and would not take any money! I am pretty much a SAP but sitting in Tim’s Amoco with tears in my eyes was pretty embarrassing! I was so proud to be a member of this community! I was so happy that my daughter was well taken care of and that she was able to SEE first hand, what it feels like to be on the receiving end of kindness.
Another act of kindness…JUST TODAY! After teaching my Drums Alive class this morning, I found out that one of our precious members named Wreta, actually SWEPT the exercise floor before our exercise class. She said the floor needed swept so she grabbed a broom to take care of it. She didn’t want anything in return…she just did it out of the kindness of her heart! (I did give her a HUG, however!) Also…before class…3-4 sweet ladies helped set up for the class for me! I didn’t even ask them to do so…they just DID IT on their own!
Look around you. What can you do to offer a little bit of kindness to someone else? Who knows…maybe if we all actually LOOK around for something nice to do…we can make this world a better place. The thing is…it doesn’t have to be big…even the smallest of things can make someones day a little brighter!
Let’s give this a try! Let’s join the ranks of Tim, Wreta, and the Drums Alive girls today…join the KINDNESS team and spread a little JOY!
God bless!
Christians can lose weight by surrendering.
February 4, 2010 by Luke Carlson · Leave a Comment
The Bible doesn’t tell us to have a strong willpower. That if we try hard enough we can keep from sinning. It tells us to surrender our will to God and follow the Holy Spirit. Even some research is pointing in that direction. Roy Baumeister did a study to see if resisting a chocolate chip cookie for five minutes made willpower stronger, weaker or unchanged. They found out that those that had to resist eating a chocolate chip cookie for even five minutes gave up on complex math problems more quickly than those that didn’t have to use their willpower. They concluded that our willpower fatigues us and eventually we not only quit trying to avoid what we are trying to avoid, but we give up on other things that challenge us as well.
Willpower sounds like a recipe for failure to me. Our addictions and bad habits with food can’t be willed away, but Jesus can steer us away from these bad habits if we let Him do the driving. It is time now to ask God to guide us in the path to health and wellness, and surrender our will to His. What does this mean? Reread the section of “who’s in charge?” in the e-book to get a more in depth explanation. This is a simple concept, but takes lots of practice and continued growth to achieve. Let weight loss be your training ground to surrendering to God, and as you become better at surrendering just imagine the blessed and glorious life that awaits for you.
Your 4-week Status Check – Are you making it happen?
January 29, 2010 by Deb · Leave a Comment
It is important to pull the bus over right now and be honest with yourself about how the first 4 weeks of 2010 went:
Do you have more energy?
Are you generally in a better mood?
If weight loss is one of your goals, did you lose 4 to 8 pounds (1 to 2 pounds per week)?
Are you getting more tone?
Are your clothes feeling loose/are you losing inches?
If you answered yes to at least 1 of these questions, then Congratulations! You are “in the game” and you should be proud of yourself.
If you answered no to all of the questions, then make today your January 1st and jump “in the game” RIGHT NOW and start focusing on your health! You are worth investing your time and energy into!
Deb
Building Functional Abdominal Strength
January 28, 2010 by Luke Carlson · Leave a Comment
Those that have wash board abs did not get them by doing sit ups or crunches. They did not get them by doing any of the infomercial ab machines that are out there. They got them because functionally they use their abs all day long (and they have a low body fat so that they can be seen). If you do not use your abs when you walk, reach, push, pull or lift throughout the day then you will not have ripped abs. If you don’t use them functionally you will lose them.
Now, something that is even more important than having a wash board stomach is have a body that protects itself from injury. If your abs are not being used throughout the day with walking, pushing, pulling or lifting then you are at a high risk of injuring your back, shoulders, hips or knees. Our abs are a huge group of muscles that consistof four layers. They function in all three planes of motion. Because we are a society that does not highly move in all three planes of motion each and every day our abs have a tendency to get turned off (if you don’t use it you lose it). This is one reason why we are seeing a high rate of increased injuries to the back, hips, shoulders and knees. It is much more involved biomechanically involved then I want to discuss in this blog, but the basis is that the abs are the crossroads between the upper and lower trunk. It is the connection that creates stability when we reach, lift, push or pull between the upper body and the lower body. When we lose that connection the body is forced to compensate somewhere else and try to get it from another body part that is not designed to perform a specific activity without help from the abs. Hence, over time we break down.
How do we turn on our abs? One of the best ways is with walking or running. But it must be done correctly. We must get a good pelvic turn that is matched by a good upper trunk turn. We can accomplish this by taking a good long stride that is matched by our opposite side arm swinging forward. I can’t tell you how many people I see every day that walk incorrectly. I can tell you that I rarely see someone who walks correctly. For most of us it takes practice to get it right. Seek out a good personal trainer or friend that can help you if you think your gait is incorrect. If you still need help, try seeing a physical therapist. The one thing that you should notice if you pay attention is that you should feel your abs working when you are walking correctly.
There are many other ways of turning on our abs, but the best ways to help prevent injuries are the ab exercises in standing. When we strengthen our abs on our backs we over stabilize our pelvis which takes the functional components out creating a potential for injury to occur. Almost every exercise that uses arms and legs together will activate your abs. If you have more questions on other ab exercises talk to anyone of us at Crosstrain Fitness and we would be glad to help you out.
Don’t Conceal…REVEAL!
January 27, 2010 by Jenny Neighbour · 1 Comment
I went to the Winter Jam concert this past weekend in Des Moines, Iowa. This was a huge event that sponsored 6 Christian bands and featured some cool speakers! Not only did I find my new favorite Christian rock band… NEWSONG…but I also heard a great message by a Pastor named Tony Nolan.
Tony was cool! He was outgoing and very “on fire” for Christ. He is not your “typical” Pastor…that is for sure. He yelled…he jumped…and he even talked about his “shady” past. HOW REFRESHING…a Christian that isn’t afraid to be a little transparent and show his/her warts! I found him to be a true disciple and a man that truly wants to walk with the Lord…no matter the price.
The biggest thing that I took away from Tony’s message was the “little ditty” that he did about REVEALING to others that you are indeed a Christian. As he was jumping and yelling, he reminded me that I am called to share the love of Christ with others too. That I am called to tell people about the “good news” of Christ. That I am supposed to SHOW people that I am a believer by my ACTIONS. It was a huge reminder to me that I am called to be DIFFERENT…because I am a Christian.
“Don’t Conceal…REVEAL” was his message. Don’t walk around and keep this wonderful news to yourself. TELL others about Jesus Christ! It was that simple.
Are you keeping Jesus a secret?
Are you praying about HOW and WHEN to approach that one person in your life that needs to know God?
Do you shine the light of Jesus to the world around you…or are you “worried” about what others may think of your “beliefs”?
These are just a few of the questions that Tony put out there for his audience to ponder. I know that it really made me stop and think about my actions and how I am representing God.
So…my challenge to you is this…
Don’t CONCEAL…REVEAL! Pray about how you can be used to reach others in your life. Sure, we are not to come across too HARD or PUSHY or we may be likely to push people even further away from God but if we pray about HOW and WHEN to do it…God will show us the way and will be there every step of the way. Don’t Conceal…REVEAL!
If you have any stories to share about HOW you revealed your faith in the coming days…PLEASE write a comment so we can all learn and grow from each other.
Good luck and God bless!