Top Five Ways To Keep YOUR Independence

Happy birthday, America!

It is during this time of year that we are reminded of the importance of being a free and independent American.

And, it is during this time of year that we'd like to remind you of how to keep your independence!
We're not talking about political independence, but of maintaining your physical independence.  As you know, Perfect Personal Training is passionate about keeping you free and clear of emergency rooms, overnight hospital stays, and debilitating diseases of the heart, brain, and joints.

So, we've put together our list of five key lifestyle changes that will go a long way in preventing disease and injury.  Please print this list and put it somewhere where it can serve as a daily reminder!

#5.  Keep a Food Journal:  While this may sound like a time-consuming task, just doing this for two or three days each month can give you a great idea of your intake.  It's not just total calories that you should be counting, but your approximate daily carbohydrate intake, your approximate daily protein intake, your water intake, and other important factors.  Of course, a Perfect Personal Trainer can assess your factors and make the appropriate recommendations.

#4.  Know Your Body Composition:  Knowing your weight is not enough!  Only your body composition score can truly assess how "fat" you are, and just how much change is needed, if any, to keep your risk for cardiovascular disease low.  This will also tell us how high (or low) your metabolism is.

#3.  Get Your Cardio In:  Five days per week are recommended for strong cardiovascular health, at a duration of 20-60 minutes per session, and at a "moderate to high" intensity.  This goes for everyone who is in generally good health and who is cleared for exercise by a physician.  This is not just for fat burning, but to keep your circulatory and cardiorespiratory systems functioning ideally.

#2.  Take Care of Your Muscles:  Let's face it - without healthy muscles, we're all in trouble as we age.  Stretch all major muscles safely every day, and perform appropriate strength training for every major muscle at least once or twice per week.  Statistically, even this low amount of strength training, when done properly, will improve metabolism and joint health, while maintaining your level of mobility year and after year.

And, the #1 thing that you should be doing to keep your independence.....

#1.  Load up on anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatories!  Yes, more than anything, you need anti-oxidants to fight off free radicals.  Free radicals are worse than ever now, with environmental issues and other factors contributing regularly to our poorer health.  Fight them off by getting high amounts of anti-oxidants through fruits and vegetables, green teas, herbs, and vitamins.  And, by adhering to a diet that is high in anti-inflammatory foods, you will reduce your risk even further.  These are easy and very important components to keeping your body healthy, while minimizing risk for cancer and chronic disease.
Stay independent, America!  Your decisions have the ability to make or break your health, happiness, and long-term physical independence.  Make the right ones, and you'll make your "future self" a healthy one.

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Conquering Metabolism This Summer -- Without the Gym!

Losing Weight & Feeling Great!

Perhaps you have heard the buzzword "metabolism" over and over again, but never quite understood how to improve it, or what it really is.  Or, perhaps you've the usual approaches, but your efforts never really seemed to create the change that you needed to create energetic, healthy days.

"Metabolism" is a word that represents all the caloric reactions happening in the body. This includes burning calories for energy and movement, building lean tissue, immune system functions, brain activity, digestion, and more.

Your metabolism is unique to you: Roughly 60-70% of the calories burned in a day come from the normal daily reactions in your body that are necessary just to keep you alive. Your heart beating, your kidneys clearing waste from your blood, your brain functioning, the digestion of food, and other factors all contribute to that 60-70% -- even while you sleep!

Roughly 10-20% of calories burned are done so through normal daily activity. Walking around the office, doing the dishes, cooking, etc burn those 10-20%.

So, where do the remaining 10-30% of burned calories come from?  Those calories are burned from additional physical movement -- cardiovascular or anaerobic exercise.

If you're not getting these types of exercise in your day-to-routine, then you're missing a big opportunity for longer life and better health, because you're not burning any additional calories. That 10-30% above becomes zero, and your daily caloric expenditure is going to come from those calories burned from just being alive and maintaining normal daily activities. It is important to understand that the number of calories you burn each day is a major factor in maintaining weight and/or weight loss.

Are you ready for the good news?

Following these suggestions, below, will cause additional caloric deficit, but they will also lead to an increase in calories burned throughout the rest of the day... Yes, those calories burned "just to keep you alive" suddenly increase!  It now costs your body more calories each day just to live, all because you did any or all of the following:

• 2-3 times per week of appropriate strength training (100+ additional calories burned)
• 3-5 days a week of 20-60 minutes of appropriate cardiovascular exercising (100+ additional calories burned)
• Nutritionally packed meals/snacks   (5-10% additional calories burned)

Further, your age and genetic factors generally don't have to weigh as heavily into your metabolism as you might think.  While these factors can certainly play a role against you, lifestyle far outweighs the effects age and genetic heritage.  For example, people tend to lose muscle mass as they age, and that, in turn, reduces metabolism.  But, this isn't a necessary function of aging.  By sustaining muscle mass through healthy diet, proper exercise, and supplementation, a person can maintain muscle mass (lean tissue) through the aging process, and thereby minimize the effects of age working against metabolic factors.

Now, here is the bad news:  Skipping meals or cutting calories too low will lower your metabolism tremendously. This is generally the cause of weight loss plateaus. For example, a dieter loses weight quickly by eating very little -- usually fewer than 1200 calories daily. Then, after a few weeks of this, the breakdown of muscle and bone density has taken its toll on a dieter's metabolism, and the body weight starts to return. 

So, this is metabolism in a nutshell -- a crash course on the body weight basics.  But, there are lot more specifics that will be pertinent to you, and as with any science, the "devil is in the details".  If you aren't already, then we strongly suggest beginning regular Wellness with a Perfect Personal Trainer nutritionist and weight management expert.  Not only will your metabolism greatly improve (and stay that way), but your joints, bones, and heart will be tremendously healthier, also. 


And, with Fathers' Day coming up, we'd like to recommend a gift certificate for Dear Old Dad.  You can purchase in any quantity of sessions, and a free fitness assessment and consultation always starts things off - giving Dad the chance to meet with a trainer before using any of his gift certificate.  To make an easy purchase, just click here:  http://perfectpersonaltraining.com/gift_certificates/index.php


Questions or concerns about health and wellness with Perfect Personal Training?  Just call us at (877)698-3648 between 8am and 8pm Eastern Time during the week.  Every day, we help our clients achieve physical and mental success through safe, scientific, and well-balanced exercise.  Our clients love their results!

Do You Burn As Much Fat with Two Small Workouts As One Big One?

Happy Memorial Day, readers!

Today's question is a bit of a controversial one amongst dieters and those exercising for fat loss.  This question is, will a person burn the same amount of body fat by doing two small workouts instead of one big one?  Let's look at an example, below:

John Doe normally does 60 minutes of cardiovascular exercise each day.  He is considering splitting this into two 30 minute workouts.  Will John burn the same amount of fat this way?

The answer?  John will  likely burn about the same number of calories in both scenarios.  And, by splitting the workout into two smaller workouts, he will get added health benefits, improved post-exercise metabolic factors, and will generally reduce feelings of hunger more effectively than with his current hourlong exercise session.  However, there is a big downside...

After roughly 20-30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise at the appropriate intensity for fat loss, a person starts to burn a higher percentage of calories from stored fat.  You see, when you train your cardiovascular energy system, you don't burn every calorie from stored fat.  A bout that burns 1000 calories will not burn all 1000 calories from fat, but after 20-30 minutes, that percentage of calories burned from fat vs those burned from other sources will be higher and higher.  The story gets better:  After about 45 or 50 minutes, we'll see an even higher percentage of calories burned being stored from fat, and fewer and fewer from stored glycogen.

So, what does this mean for John Doe?  Absolute, maximum fat calories will be more greatly burned in the longer sweat-session than in the two shorter sessions, combined.  If John's sole aim is to burn as much body fat as possible, then he should stick to his current hourlong exercise session.  But, if John is bored with his routine and seeking a change that will still burn a great number of calories (and, generally, a decent percentage of those calories from stored fat), then splitting up his workout may be a good idea to avoid boredom and eventual burnout.  And again, the health benefits and metabolic benefits are often improved by exercising more frequently.

Do you have a question for an exercise physiologist from Perfect Personal Training?  We love to help!  Just post a comment below or call 877-698-3648 with your question, and we'll give you an in-depth and well-researched answer.  For more continued and personalized advice, we recommend working with a degreed and top-certified Perfect Personal Trainer.  Thank you for reading, and have a great new week!

* The Perfect Fathers' Day gift:  In-Home Exercise & Nutrition  *

Five Quick & Easy Fitness Opportunities You're Missing Out On

If achieving greater preventive health and fitness was as easy as a few minutes per day, then wouldn't you take those few extra minutes to improve yourself and reduce risk for debilitating disease?

Below are five quick and easy ways to make yourself healthier and more energetic, with a very small time commitment:

#5.  Perform 30-60 seconds of a front plank exercise.

This exercise is rarely contraindicated for those of normalized blood pressure and spinal health, making it a generally safe, effective method of improving core muscles, balance, and posture.  Please breathe regularly while you hold this position, and be sure to check with your physician to be certain that there are no health concerns regarding this or any other exercise.

#4.  Divide your bodyweight (in lbs) by two.  This number is, roughly, your recommended amount of daily water intake (in ounces).  On days of heavy sweating, high juice or tea intake, or prolonged cardiovascular or strength training, then this number should be much higher.

#3.  Stretch your major muscles any time that you can -- during phone calls, television time, or whenever you find yourself available to perform  some stretching.  Twenty seconds or longer is usually sufficient for improving joint and muscular health and flexibility.  This may even help you to prevent muscle aches and cramps, and to sleep more soundly.

#2.  Consume green teas, green vegetables, beans, and other high-anti-oxidant foods and drinks.  Just adding one more serving to each day can make a tremendous difference in your health and wellness.

And the #1 easy fitness opportunity to aim for each day:  Devote more time to cardiovascular training!  Just 20 minutes per day is often sufficient for greatly reducing risks for heart failure, stroke, and heart attack.  If twenty minutes per day isn't attainable for you, then keep in mind that even five or six minutes each day is helpful at improving long-term cardiac function, and will burn roughly forty to eighty calories for most people.

There you have it!  As always, we recommend consulting a top-certified and degreed Perfect Personal Trainer for specific, personalized exercise science and nutrition.  Have a great Easter weekend!

Will the ab roller give you better abdominals?

This question comes in a lot for our in home personal training team:  Does the ab roller give people better abdominal muscles?

Technically, if you use the ab roller properly and often enough for your fitness levels, then YES, it will improve the abilities of your abdominal muscles.  But, what is your ultimate goal in using the ab roller?  Is it really to improve those muscles or to burn the fat surrounding them?  Nine times out of ten, people are using the ab roller for the purpose of weight loss, and this is not a good use of your limited, precious exercise time.

If you're strictly looking to increase endurance and strength in your abdominal wall, then go ahead and use the ab roller.  If your concern is more about the "laundry" that lies above your "washboard abds" then you need to better identify your goal:  You're not after "better abdominal muscles".  Nope.  You're after "fat loss".  And, unfortunately, fat loss won't come from using the ab roller.... Not much anyway.

For fat loss, you need moving exercise of your bigger muscles at moderate to high intensity (this is not suitable for those of serious medical conditions or uncontrolled COPD).  And, you need to get a handle on your total calories coming in vs going out in the average week.  After all, if you burn 1000 calories in a workout but then consume an extra 1000 calories later, then you're not going to achieve much weight loss from that session.  (By the way, some sugary alcoholic beverages contain 1000 calories in just one drink!)

You can train the core abdomen muscles all you'd like (and believe me, it's very good for you to do so), but when it comes to burning bodyfat, there is a world of difference in training and lifestyle methods.

Perfect Personal Training is America's choice for in home personal training and exercise science.  Our personal trainers and wellness coaches are top certified, degreed, highly knowledgeable, and extremely experienced.  For a free in home consultation with a top certified Perfect Personal Trainer, please visit us online at http://perfectpersonaltraining.com/ or call 877-698-3648.  Our top certified personal trainers are always eager to help!

In Home Personal Trainer Tells Doctor The BMI Scale Is No Good

People are rightfully concerned about achieving a healthy body, but with all the misleading infomercials and pieces of data out there, one of the most misleading may be from your own doctor.

In Home Perfect Personal Trainer Aaron Dunn recently put together a press release telling physicians that the use of the BMI scale is outdated and, often, contraintuitive to fitness and wellness.

Primarily, a situation that we see too often is this:  Patient sees doctor and has BMI (body mass index) assessed, doctor says BMI is too high to be healthy, patient improves exercise and nutrition.

So far so good, right?

Well, here is the next step.  This is where things turn ugly.

The patient's new efforts will lose, let's say, 5 pounds of bodyfat.  And, the strength training, improved nutrition, and other associated factors will create 5 additional pounds of muscle and bone density.

Now what?  This patient has the same body weight as he or she did previously.  So, what does that do to his or her BMI?

The BMI stays the same, because it is a ratio of height to weight.

Well, what happens when the patient returns to the doctor to see how he is improving?

Read more at this link below.  This is a tremendously repeating scenario that DOES have a cure.  Please read the press release below to gain a life-changing understanding of your weight management efforts.

http://www.prlog.org/11279057-in-home-personal-trainer-exercise-instructor-tells-doctors-that-bmi-scale-is-no-good.html

(Fat loss and in home personal training are available through Perfect Personal Training.  Call 877-698-3648.  Due to the time of year, we're busier than usual, so if no operator answers then please leave a message and we will promptly return your call.  You can also visit http://perfectpersonaltraining.com/)

2011 Fitness & Wellness Resolutions -- Three Reasons Why You're Not Noticing Your Health Successes

It's now been over five weeks since your New Year's resolution began.  Surely, you're checking up regularly on your progress, eager to see if your efforts are paying out as you'd hoped.

If you're amongst those that feel that you're not living up to your potential, or if you think that you "just can't" seem to get at fit as you'd like, then here are some possible explanations for why you're actually being more successful than you think:

(1) First, if you're still measuring success solely by what the scale tells you, then you're probably misleading yourself.  If your exercise, diet, and overall lifestyle changed have led you to burn 5 pounds of bodyfat, and also led to a 5 pound gain in bone density, water, and/or lean muscle, then obviously, your weight will be what it was before you began.  THIS IS NOT A BAD THING!  Gaining muscle and bone density is incredibly good, and will prevent future injuries while improving metabolism.  Losing fat, is of course, very desirable for most of us.  For this reason, you can't let the scale be your "be all / end all" when it comes to assessing your progress, because your actual weight is not an indicator of fat loss or improved fitness.

(2) Secondly, if you're judging your fat loss by how well your clothes fit, then understand that this is not always an accurate way to figure things out.  You don't burn body fat in all the right places at all the right times.  For example, you may lose 5 pounds of unwanted body fat, but it may not come from your belly or your butt right away.  In fact, these are sometimes the last places that body really loses its fat, while the calves, back, and legs show faster reductions in fat tissue.  So, if your pants are just as tight as they used to be, there is still plenty of hope: The fat in that area may not come off until later in your exercise regimen.  And, those other areas are gaining lots of muscle, too, meaning that your circumference measurements and the way your clothes will fit may not be much of a noticeable change.

(3) And, finally, there is one more big bad barrier to truly assessing your own health and fitness successes:  Your own psychology.  Some days, we just feel better or worse about ourselves than we do on other days, and those unsightly body parts tend to flow with our feelings, causing us to think that our fitness levels are changing in ways that they are not.  This also ties in with the feedback that we get from people, affecting the way that we perceive ourselves.

So, how do we truly assess our health and physical fitness variables?  The biggest recommendation is to regularly have a Perfect Personal Trainer assess your body composition -- your ratio of fat weight to non-fat weight.  Even if you're not a regular client of ours, Perfect Personal Trainers can come to your home and check this figure to compare to your past scores.  This will help you to understand what lifestyle changes are burning fat and which aren't, and how your body is changing (or not changing) as you move forward with your exercise and nutrition.  We also recommend having flexibility tests for major articulations, and strength/endurance tests.  Again, Perfect Personal Training has top exercise scientists and instructors that are eager to implement these exams with you, and explain how the results can impact your life during the aging process.  We'll compare the results with ACSM norms, using health industry guidelines to assess risk for joint degeneration, metabolic factors, and risk for cardiovascular diseases and interventions.  This way, you'll gain the "bigger picture" relating to where your health and fitness really stand.

Enjoy your weekend!