Change

Week 16- Change

Change is difficult. It is hard to get our head around the fact that we are living in an ever changing world and if you don’t keep up, it won’t wait for you! As many of you know, I recently had a career change from teaching to consulting. Many people have asked me how I enjoy “not working”. I try and defend the fact that I am indeed working, just not teaching. Why are we so quick to defend ourselves, would it not be easier to just say “Great, thanks”, and leave it at that? One aspect of our lives where change is difficult to implement is maintaining a healthy lifestyle. As a personal trainer, I try to instill the notion that you are on a “lifestyle change” and there is no quick fix to maintaining a healthy body, mind and spirit. In my opinion, there are some key areas one must “change” in order to see improvements in your health goals. The first is the topic I wrote about last week, which is to eat smaller, more frequent meals. I have labeled this way of eating meal cadence, which simply burns calories more effectively. Remember to keep that furnace packed with fuel and when doing so, go for fiber, not carbs. White, refined and over-processed carbohydrates found in white bread and sugar spike our blood sugar before causing our bodies to crash. Opt instead to eat fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads, pastas and brown rice. Fiber is one of your best defenses because it removes waste and uses water to do its job, meaning it eliminates bloat and water retention. Sounds like a crucial consideration for my North American friends moving into bathing suit season. The second area to consider is the level of intensity of your workouts. If you want to see change, you need to challenge your body. Aim to push a little harder, go for a little longer and do it more often. The smallest increases will make the biggest differences. This is where personal trainers come in handy, as it is our job to get that last three out of you! Next, I strongly believe that in order to see a change in your fitness level, circuit training is a must. Combine cardio intervals with weight and resistance training to tone your muscles. This is where the boot camp classes, cardio pump and circuit classes come in to play. If you combine quick bouts of cardio with exercises that you use your own body weight and do resistance exercises, the result will be a leaner physique. Not to mention that research has proven that circuit training is psychologically rewarding. Regardless of fitness level, you can really push yourself and set your own goals in the knowledge that you’ve only got 60 seconds worth of any activity before you move on to the next. If you are reading this letter in Sao Paulo, come join my boot camp classes in portal every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:30-9:30am. The last key area is to set achievable goals. This comes back to journaling and or charting what you are doing both with regards to fitness and nutrition. By marking your progress and working toward a measurable goal, you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Goals should not necessarily be related to weight loss but perhaps, buying jeans that are a size smaller or lowering your cholesterol points. The motto of CHANGE worked for Obama, why not let it work for you? I loved this blog from one of my favourite sites Tiny Wisdom: