Marie Strinden, Certified Personal Trainer, ACSM
 
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Another gem from the American College of Sports Medicine Health and Fitness Journal:

It can be hard to overhaul all of your bad habits, so here are some small changes you can make to achieve big health goals:

- Order healthier options at fast food restaurants
- Use smaller plates and cups when you eat
- When at parties, put a few pieces of food on a small plate and walk away
   from the food table
- Cut back on just one soda a day
- Choose whole grains instead of white bread/ rice/ etc.
- Eat breakfast
- Eat more fruits and vegetables
- Eat every 3-4 hours
- Split normal sized meals into 2 smaller meals
- Eat slowly
- Don't look at exercise as "All or Nothing," instead, see it as "A Little is Better
  than Nothing"  (especially on really busy days)
- Cut your cardio into smaller bouts of 10 minutes throughout the day
- Sit on a balance ball at work
- Take stairs instead of elevators
- Park farther away and walk
- Do sit-ups or dance during commercials
- Take walks with your family on a daily basis, even if they are short
 
 
According to an August 2009 article in the American College of Sports Medicine's Health and Fitness Journal,

There is little evidence that dieting leads to lasting weight loss or health benefits.  Diet programs without accompanying exercise cause reduced muscle mass and decreased resting metabolism. (Making it harder to burn calories)

On average, adults who do not strength train lose 4-6 pounds of muscle tissue per decade.  When this happens, the calories that were previously used to maintain the lost muscle tissue are stored as fat.

Because muscle tissue burns more calories than fatty tissue, adding a regular strength training program (2-3 days/week) into your weight management plan is the scientifically proven way to lose fat and to keep it off.
 
 
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Everyone has heard of a million different techniques for achieving the best strength training workout.  Should you move quickly?  Slowly?  Full range of motion or only partial range? 

As it turns out, there's no "right" answer. 

There is a terrific article in this month's Women's Health magazine entitled "Blast Away Fat: To scorch more calories and trim inches off your body, you need to challenge and surprise your muscle."  It outlines 6 different types of movement variations to keep your body guessing and improving:

     * Shock your Body
     * Slow Down
     * Split the Difference
     * Step it Up
     * Get off the Ground
     * Mix in Cardio

Click on the picture above for more information!
 
 
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Push-ups target your shoulders, chest and triceps, and when you perform them correctly, they help strengthen your core.  Click on the picture above for a video from the American Council on Exercise on how to perform a perfect push-up.

 
 
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Cultivate friendships and family connections, floss...  Just two of 10 suggestions to live a long life. 

Click the photo above for a link to the article in the Baltimore Sun.

 
 
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It's been a crazy few weeks!  Everyone wants to get in shape for the summer!
This is my first post in awhile, but it's a good 'un.

I found this article on the Yahoo! news feed.  Click on the image above, and check out the difference in portion sizes over the last 20 years.  New diet plan:  eat like it's 1989! 

 
 
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Several people have asked where they can get a barbell like the one I use.  It has a bar with easy-to-put-on weights in 1kg, 2.5kg, and 5kg amounts. 

My bar is from The Step Company, and it's the official equipment for Group Power, a strength class taught around the world.  (learn more about Group Power on my "credentials" page.) Click on the picture above to purchase the bar (it's called the F3000).

 
 
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This is the clearest, simplest way I've found to describe proper bicycling position- whether it's in the cycling room at the gym or in the great outdoors:

Reach for the handlebar with an OPEN CHEST.  Relax your upper body.  Let your legs do the work.

 
 
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Keeping a healthy body image can be difficult.  We live in a culture of youth, as well as one of dangerously thin body types being touted as the norm.  Here are some points from an article in the Fitness Management magazine (August 2007) that outline strategies to make yourself body image resilient:

Challenge Beauty Standards.  This is a nice time in history for women who are naturally slender to be alive.  A hundred years ago, they would have been the ones disappointed with their bodies!  Fashions come and go, and, at this point, few of us fit the fashion ideal.  No matter how much we exercise and diet, we may never achieve a "perfect" physique.  Fashion helps sell products, and encourages us to feel dissatisfied with our appearance, so that we will buy clothes, make-up and other products.

Challenge Irrational Thoughts.  Many people fall for the "myth of transformation."  They think, "If I were thinner, I would be happier," or "I would have the perfect mate," or, "the perfect job."  In many cases, people put their lives on hold until they lose the weight.  They put off things looking for the perfect job, dating, or traveling.  Other people harbor irrational ideas, such as "No one will love me unless I look perfect," or, "I must be a bad person because I can't lose the weight."  Replace such irrational beliefs with more realistic and positive thoughts.  Focus instead on health and on developing a healthful lifestyle to look and feel your best, but not because you must attain perfection.  Appreciate all your body can do.

Enjoy Physical Activity.  Active people tend to have a more positive body image.  They exercise for positive reasons- to reduce stress, anxiety and depression- and to increase energy levels, sleep better and feel stronger.  Find activities you enjoy and relish your body's strength, power, health and vitality.

Make Peace with your Genes.  Make the most of what you have.  If you need to lose weight to be healthier, set realistic goals.

Develop your Personal Style.  The impression you make has a lot to do with posture, confidence and personal style.  Wear clothes that you love, that are comfortable, and that make you feel and look good.

Strive for Healthy Families.  Your family exerts a strong influence on your body image and self-esteem.  If you are a parent, help your family develop healthful eating and exercise habits.  Model self-acceptance and a positive attitude.  Help children get involved in productive activities that build self-confidence.  Reduce the focus on appearance.  Encourage children to develop "media-literacy"- an ability to critique the messages commercials send to sell products, and the sociocultural messages embedded in movies, TV and other media.

Cultivate Coping Strategies.  Life is not always easy, but don't blame your problems on appearance.  Cultivate effective strategies for coping with stress.  Develop friendships that make you feel good about yourself.  And get a life!  Recognize that health and fitness are means to an end: a life well lived.  Get involved in work, recreation, family and community.  Use your talents to make the world a better place.

 
 
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I just got a new weight loss tool!  It's BodyBugg, an armband that records how many calories you expend each day. You plug the armband into your computer and it charts it all for you, day by day.  You can also record your food intake and discover your daily calorie deficit or surplus.

If you want more info, click on the picture of the Body Bug above.

I wore my GoFitWear armband sandbagging yesterday.  In 3 hours, I burned 1140 calories!  I ended up with a calorie deficit of 700 calories for the day. 

Sandbagging is an EXCELLENT upper body workout, and if you've been doing your strength training 2-3 times a week, you should experience minimal soreness.  Call the flood fight hot-line for Grand Forks at 701-787-8052 to volunteer.

**If anyone need help sandbagging your house, please post here so all of my strong readers can help you out!