Marking Milestones…Making New Ones

As many of you know, I kept a fitness journal as I was trying to lose weight and I took a look at that book today.  On this day, Sept 29, 2006, I had to rethink and reset my target weight goal.  Turns out I had underestimated myself and what I once thought impossible was within reach.  We’re talking 29 lbs wrong!!  That is a lot of underestimating!!

As I, and hopefully you, set new fitness goals, I have to remember to keep marking milestones and celebrating them while always looking forward to what tomorrow holds.  My googling this morning included milestones by my beloved New York Yankees…sorry to my Red Sox friends…but feel free to see what the Sox did on this day in history and celebrate as well!! 

As the Yanks prepare for this years post season, I am sure the great history of their team is very much with them!

September 29th in Yankee History!

1987          Don Mattingly hits a grand slam off Boston’s Bruce Hurst…which was a Major League  record with 6 grand slams in a season!

1950       The Yanks clinch 2nd consecutive pennant under Corey Stengel!

1947        Record World Series crowd of 73,365  at Yankee Stadium.  Go fans!

1927        Babe Ruth ties record by hitting grand slams in consecutive days.

1920      Babe Ruth sets the then home run season record at 54–no * needed!

1911       The Yanks steal 15 bases get 13 walks, beating the Browns 16-12 with a MLB record of 6 stolen bases in one inning!

 

Two other interesting events happened on September 29th that I hold dear…the Answering Machine was created in Bell Laboratories that changed how we communicate and a great friend was born that changed everything else!  Happy, Happy Birthday!  Edit to your hearts content…

 

 

In Sickness and In Health…

Not when it comes to exercise!!  Thanks for all the emails asking why no post yesterday…I was actually too sick to even log on for very long never mind come up with any words of wisdom!  Today is a little better for me but I’m still not 100% so this will be short and sweet!

So when should you really forgo lacing up those shoes and hitting the gym?  Just how sick do you need to be to stay home?  We simply need to apply common sense here…a little sniffle and you can still train, just make it a light or recovery day…but exercising while truly sick  is just plain silly.  I hear many people say they feel “guilty” if they skip the gym even for one day no matter what.  I appreciate your enthusiasm and love seeing you at the gym, but you could be risking your own health, and of those around you, if you push too hard.  Sometimes we need downtime…just some time to rest and fully recover.  No need to feel guilty at all.

Missing my clients and dumbbells alike…be back soon!

Gillian

How To Get Yourself Noticed At The Gym…

If you are craving a little attention at the gym here are a few tried and true methods to make your wish come true.  If you are in a big hurry for such attention, you could always mix and match some of the tips to expedite the response time!  Results will vary.

• Pretend you’re a contestant on American Idol.     Don’t give it a second thought…just belt out the tunes on your iPod and get some rehearsal time in while you run on that treadmill!  Practice makes perfect, so keep singing the same song over and over until you have it nailed!
• Get your ass pinned to the bench.   All you have to do is rack up more weight than you can control and then just wait for the bar to land on your chest pinning you in place.  If you can’t call for help due to lack of oxygen, just wave your little legs around until help arrives.
• Loiter around waiting for your “Lucky Machine.”   Don’t be quiet if someone is on “your” favorite machine.  Keep pacing in front of them and an occassional  “how much longer?” never hurt.
• Grunt…throw down weights…pose in mirror…repeat.  This one is a winner!
• Gassy Emissions.  This means you are working really hard which impresses everyone.  Squats, down dogs, and Rolling Like a Ball in Pilates are great ways to get things going! 
• Channel your inner Olivia Newton John look.   Leotards, headbands, and the ever practical leg warmers guarantee glances from the minute you step onto the gym floor.  The shinier the fabric, the more attention you get.
• Stop, drop and roll off the treadmill.  It works best if you are busy fidgeting with iPods, water bottles, towels, magazines, chatting with the person next to you or any combination of the above. 
• Show them you’re in popular demand!  Try to look annoyed with all the cell phone calls you get/make while you try to train…calls that simply can’t wait.  Texting while you train is an advanced skill that you can work towards.
• Pretend wardrobe “malfunctions.”  We can call them that but we know you really did want people to see that new tattoo or new thong with rhinestones….just make sure you shorts/pants are not too tight so they can “slip”  into place for optimal viewing.
• Slip ‘n Slide   This one makes quite the scene…load up the weight bar with plates and “forget” to put on the collar on to keep them in place.  When you lose control and bend over to one side during your lifts the weights will side right off…one clanging on top of the other so be sure to load up nice and heavy.  With any luck the oppostite side will go flying up in the air and you can dangle like a flag.

Have fun getting noticed!

Gillian

 

Results Not Typical.

The days of  “Results Not Typical” are numbered…thank the Good Lord!!  The FTC has new guidelines requiring advertisers to tell us what the “average” consumer can expect instead of the “over achievers” that peak our interest into believing we can be one of them if we only buy the product at hand. 

Can you imagine?  Right alongside new skinny minnies will those that only lost a pound, those who didn’t lose an ounce, and some that gained it all back,  instead of losing the promised twenty five … calling out the product  right in their own “production!!!”   Talk about Reality TV!!   Just seeing the paid spokesperson wiggle and squirm will be worth staying up watching infomercials all night!

Hold up Gillian, my clients are saying.  You buy some of those products, learn some crazy ass moves, then make us try them…so why are you dissing on them now?  Great question.  Don’t get me wrong, there are some really good fitness DVD’s and products out there and I am intrigued with them just as much, if not more, than most.  The issue I have is in the far reaching claims that the product is supposed to deliver…

Following a tried and true pattern for infomercials, we see before and afters of people who achieved extraordinary results with a teeny tiny disclaimer at the end that these results are not typical.  However, the damage to the consumer is far worse than losing the dollars spent if those expectations are not achieved…many blame themselves, hate exercise even more, and swear off new attempts to lose weight as the “failures” add up.

Here’s the good news though.  The “average” results need to be shouted from the rafters ’cause is not only the truth, but it can still mean a darn good product.  It just isn’t the end all, be all of the fitness quest.  If the producers would tell the truth that “product A” needs to be a part of the puzzle that makes a good fitness regime everyone would be better off. The hosts only need squirm if they continue to hold onto the false belief that they are selling the Holy Grail of fitness.  The truth is good enough…and the mental well being of people searching for ways to train will remain in tact.

Purchase Typical!

Gillian

Whose Got An Achy Breaky Heart?

Ah, the Heart.  The most important muscle in the body.  I just read some very sobering numbers regarding hearts on the CDC’s website that made me sit up and take notice.  The facts my brain are drawn to are the things people have control over…things such as not overeating, smoking, and to exercise.  Check out these stats:

Percentage of persons aged 20 years and older who are obese: 32.0%                                                                                  Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older who are current cigarette smokers : 18.4%
Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older who engage in no leisure-time physical activity : 39.5%

Yikes…almost one third of us are obese, one in five still smoke, and 6 out of  10 don’t get any exercise at all!! 

While sobering, these stats are far from new.  Most of us know we are supposed to eat well and not overindulge, we know we are not supposed to smoke, and we know we are supposed to exercise but these numbers clearly indicate we don’t always make the right choices.  How come?  I think when people truly know better, they do better.  When the hard realities of our choices are placed front and center and realistic alternatives are offered, instead of being in the fringes of our orbit, patterns of lifestyle change.

But change isn’t easy.  Patterns are hard to break.  Addictions to tobacco, alcohol, sugar, are complicated to say the least.  Past failures with diets and exercise weigh on your spirit to try again.  Some of us think we just have too much weight to lose, too high of a mountain before us to conquer, that it is a lost battle and the days of having a healthy body are gone.  I know I felt that way and I hear the same message from clients on a regular basis…and those are the ones who have made their way to a trainer!  I don’t have to imagine what the others are thinking as I thought the very same thing.

So what is one to do when the lightbulb goes off that change is needed?  A healthy dose of reality can be sobering, but also jolting..and it needs to jolt you into taking care of yourself.  Yes the tobacco, food, magazine, and even fitness industries should be ashamed of themselves for all the false advertising, but there comes a point when each of us needs to assume responsibility for our own selves. But that is the good news…you can pull yourself out of the rut you are in and create new habits!!  Don’t wait on anyone else…create your own Health Care Reform!

What are some best practices for change?  Don’t go it alone.  Find a workout buddy to keep each other on track and for encouragement.  Keep changing it up!  Don’t let boredom make you quit.  Have patience…changing body composition is hard work but soooo worth it!  Expect there to be some bad days and have a plan to work through them with your training buddy!!  Also expect and anticipate some great rewards with your new health!!  Congratulations from me in advance!! 

Keep Training Even When It Bites!

Gillian

 

 

Mirror, Mirror, on the Fitting Room Wall…

…you’re the cruelest of them all.

I mean now really.  Who the hell came up with the placement of the three way mirror, another one mounted on the opposing wall, ghastly fluorescent lighting, all in a three by four cell for us to try on new clothes while eyeing every bulge, roll, and dimple in sight?  Wasn’t there one fat person on the “designing-of -the-fitting-room” committee to put a halt to it all?  Someone with a heart?

I had considerable time to contemplate my anger towards the architects of such horrors a number of years ago when I managed to get my fat ass stuck inside one when I couldn’t get the door opened.  The door seemed a little sticky upon entering so I pushed on it real good to get it shut tight…so good that I couldn’t get it opened when I was ready to make my escape from the torture….the round, silver handle just keep turning without catching the latch and I was stuck!  As luck would have it I also got a sassy seventeen year old sales associate asking if I was sure I was turning the handle properly and what did I want her to do about it as she had lots of other customers to take care of as well?  Oh no she didn’t…. ”For starters, sweetheart, imprisoned customers take precedence over the ones walking around freely…and yes I am quite sure that by age thirty five I know how to turn a freakin’ door handle properly.  Now walk over to the phone and call for help…a manager, maintenance, perhaps security…or pass me a hatchet over the top and I will swing my way outa here.”

 So, like I said, I had lots of time on my hands to think this all over as they cleared the fitting rooms of the other women while the man with the right tools entered to extricate me. There was talk of them calling Mall Security and the freakin’ Fire Department for God’s sake…I wonder what the code was for “fat lady stuck in fitting room and needs assistance” would be?  Luckily it didn’t come to that but I did try to make my time productive.

I was big into selling back in those days and couldn’t help but think they would sell a whole lot more if they made a few improvements to the “trying on” experience.  Here’s what I came up with as I tried to get my breathing under control while locked up.

1.  There should be a sticker on the mirror that states “OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE MUCH SMALLER  AND SMOOTHER THAN THEY APPEAR.” 

2. There should be an Affirmation Button that when pressed tells us in a soothing voice such things as “This too shall pass” or “Breathe in through the nose, out through pursed lips to lower your blood pressure” or “You are unique and wonderful just as you are?”

3. A shot of Jameson or perhaps a nice Chardonnay should be offered upon entering.

4. Mood lighting is a must.  Dimmer switches would be de-light-ful!! (That little gem just came to me…not during my imprisonment!)

5. The staff should automatically get you the same garment in larger sizes as they know “it’s running small”… without you having to hang your half naked self out the door and yell a really big number to them.

6  An AED, first aid kit,  and oxygen tank should be on standby in the event of an emergency.  The business cards of therapists specializing in anxiety attacks should also tastefully displayed.

7.  A comfortable seating area for friends and family* waiting on us with lots of magazines, games, TV’s, beverages to keep them busy.

8.  Options should be given to the consumer…mirrorless rooms where you only want to go by “feel,”  single mirrors rooms when you want to see yourself coming but not going, and for the very brave rooms with mirrors everywhere so you can see yourself coming and going.

*Friends and family can be a curse or a blessing in these situations…pick carefully. Under no circumstances should friends shop together if they are going to the same event…their need to look better might influence how they think you look…it is all subconscious and therefore no one’s fault you understand!

Years later, fitting rooms still give me the hibby jibbies. (Maybe it’s a form of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome considering I was in a cell for forty five minutes against my will, huh??)  I tried something on a few weeks ago and not only looked green, but every imperfection was highlighted and magnified in the reflection of poor lighting.  Guess what…didn’t buy the item…retailers are missing the boat big time here!

Try on in Comfort!  Gillian

The Agony of De Feet

Handing two people in the club bandaids for their feet today made me think about how important it is to have properly fitting footware.  If your feet hurt,  your workout can be ruined.  If that isn’t enough incentive,  if your feet are improperly aligned the rest of your body will follow suit…the knee bone really is connected to the hip bone kind of thing!  In fact, if you are experiencing any hip or knee pain, the feet are the first place to look at for the source of the trouble.

Just as you would take your car in for an alignment, I want you to give the same attention to your base of support…your feet and ankles.  Take a few minutes to stand barefoot in front of a mirror.  Notice if your feet and ankles are straight or do they rotate in or out.  If the degree of pronation is enough it can torque the bones of the lower leg and pressure on the knees can result.  Then they, in turn, may be out of alignment.  If the knees are out of alignment it can torque the thigh bones and hip discomfort can result…this can go on all the way up the body so we really need to get the best fitting shoes possible to keep the feet comfortable, supported and aligned.

While brand new shoes will feel different that your old faithful pair, there really shouldn’t be a huge “break in” period.  The shoes should fit you well before you leave the store.  While you don’t need to spend large amounts on other clothes to wear to the gym, footwear is the place to invest your hard earned money.  There are many brands and styles to chose from so take your time and try as many as you need to before making a purchase.  If you have any doubts that you can do this on your own, find a reputable store that specializes in athletic wear.  Listen to their suggestions and try out something new…however, the final say is up to you.  Make sure your decision is based on fit as well as how much you like their appearance…there are enough choices now so you don’t have to compromise!

In addition to thinking about sneakers, some thought needs to be given to your socks.  The wrong sock can move around in your sneakers and result in painful blisters. My favorite socks are from an active wear store called Lucy.  The are just right for me…not too thick, not too thin.  They also have a running sock which really does make a difference by wicking away moisture and staying in place.  Just make sure you are wearing the kind of sock you plan to train in while purchasing new sneakers…!!

Keep the Agony of De Feet at bay….Gillian

The Dog Ate My Homework…

…and other BS reasons people don’t train.

• I have nothing to wear?     I don’t care if you show in a Frankie Goes to Hollywood tee shirt…get your behind to the gym.
• I’m too fat and out of shape. Precisely the reason you should be at the gym.  Everyone was new at some point.
• It costs too much.   The great outdoors is free, there are some great DVD’s on the market, and most gym memberships break down to a couple dollars a day.  The cost of not exercising is astronomical in comparison…find the time and the money, you are worth it.
• I have an old war injury.  Experienced trainers can work around an injury…and depending on the situation, help it out.
• My kids need me at home.  Your kids need to have a healthy parent who they can emulate with good healthy habits…plus they need your ass to be around for a long time.
• Everyone else looks like they know what they are doing.  Amm, to an untrained eye maybe.  Most people are in the same boat as you.
• I don’t want to get “bulky.”  If we see that happening ( it won’t to 99.999% of you) we will lower the weights…pinky swear!
• I’m hungover.  Everyday??  Might I suggest counseling of some sort…your poor liver.
• I was sore after last week.  Was it the pain of an injury, or the pain of muscles finally being awakened?  Huge difference.  Never work through an injury pain without help…however, you are stronger than you think and you will survive through the first rough sessions.  Yes it bites in the beginning…mostly ’cause you are mad at yourself for slacking for so long…this, too, passes.
• None of my friends train.  Be a pioneer…and make new friends
• I’m too old.  80…it’s the new 40…get busy living healthy please.
• I’m bored doing the same thing over and over.  So don’t do the same thing over and over.  Try a different class/ instructor.  Run a different route.  Buy a new DVD. Make the big leap from the treadmill to the elliptical!  Ask a trainer for help.  Put your fitness to use…walk/run for a cause.  Raise the bar on how hard to try…in both intensity and frequency.  Challenge yourself.

Never to be the pessimist, I want to tell you about a wonderful client…we will call her Barbara as that really is her actual name.  I got a call from Barbara telling me she needed to cancel her appointment that was coming up in a half hour.  Here is how that conversation went.

I was in the staff room and heard the page to pick up on 101.

“Hi, this is Gillian.”

whispering …”Hi, it’s me Barbara.  Can you hear me?”

follows suit and also whispers…“Yes, but why are we whispering?”

“We have a little situation here at work and we are on lockdown.  There is a sniper on the loose, and the authorities have told us to stay put”

Gillian pauses for a few seconds to digest the situation… still whispering “Hold up…did you just say you were on lockdown and there is a sniper on the loose?

“Yes”  whispers Barbara

“You need to hang up the phone right now and pay close attention to what the authorities say and we can reschedule later okay…”

“okay, so sorry for the trouble” says Barbara

“No, no…thank you but hang up the phone this minute and take care of yourself…call me later to let me know you’re okay.”

Barbara gets nominated for client of the year!!  However, if you are ever a lockdown situation that can be proven by the media or police reports, feel free to skip the gym that day!

“No More Spaghetti Arms” Johnny Castle in Dirty Dancing

I was saddened last night to look up at the television screen and see in the Breaking News Box on CNN that actor Patrick Swayze had died.  Just like with Senator Kennedy I wasn’t in the least bit surprised by the news…just saddened.

Saddened because the number two killer in our country, cancer*, takes way too many too soon.  It is the disease that took both my parents in their early fifties. 

What is it about cancer that makes it so hard to cure?  Many years ago I had this talk with my Dad’s oncologist to try to wrap my mind around this complex group of diseases.  As I understand, the bodies own immune system is supposed to recognize danger in us and start the battle for good health as it does with a virus or bacteria…the only problem is the immune system doesn’t recognize cancer cells as “foreign’” so the disease is often wide spread before detection.   At a cellular level, our own body has betrayed us.

Guess what, though, cancer cells??  Your days are numbered!  We’re on to you and plan to fight you tooth and nail.  Prevention is the key!  We now know that we need to keep the body working as efficiently as possible…with every cell and organ doing exactly what it was designed to do!  What has this to do with weight loss you may wonder??  Carrying extra weight means the body isn’t working as efficiently as possible. We are taxing ourselves and asking the body to “multi-task” way too much.   Having a healthy body fat percentage is less of a stress on everything including our cardiovascular, skeletal, and immune systems.  When all the cells are happy and doing the job they were hired to do, there is less of a chance of something going awry…and if it does, you’re going to need all the strength you have built to fight off what comes your way.  It’s a win, win reason to exercise!!

How exactly do we stack the deck in our favor against cancer?  We have balance in our lives…a healthy balance of body fat and lean muscle mass, a healthy balance of nutrition, a healthy balance of work and play, and most of all a set of unbalanced friends to make us laugh!

Thank you Patrick Swayze for the fun we had watching Ghost and Dirty Dancing…but most of all thank you for your voice these past two years speaking out against cancer and showing us your strength and courage!  That could not have been easy. 

Make your Dance Space Special!!   Gillian

*I don’t like cancer very much so I try never to capitalize the word…it simply doesn’t deserve the respect…

Mama Said There’d Be Days Like This…

…not my Mama in particular, mind you, but somebody’s Mama according to the song.  Ever just not feel like going to the gym??

Does it just seem too much trouble?  Too much effort, too few results?  Too many reasons to skip the gym, too few to show up?

This excerpt is from my fitness journey back in 2006…”There isn’t a place on my body that doesn’t kill me. How did I let this happen?  More importantly,  how am I gonna call Randy and tell him I can’t make it to train today?  What excuse will he buy?  I’m on to him though, I see his game plan…we were supposed to go over nutrition but ran out of time Monday but who needs that…his plan is to make it so uncomfortable for me I can’t even walk to the kitchen….he’s a genius!  Seriously, there’s not a part of my body that does not feel like it has been hit by a Mac Truck!  I would get Tylenol (extra strength) but it is all the way upstairs and that seems like climbing Mount Olympus to me at this given moment!  I just can’t believe how out of shape I am…and this is twenty two pounds lighter that when I started this stupid weight loss thingie!”

Continuing…”Besides the scale hasn’t moved in two weeks, TWO WEEKS!!.  What the hell is that?  I have been working my ass off and nothing to show for it…except for the sweatshirt from Black Page Black that Rick brought me fitting…it had been very tight across the back but now it slips on.  But the freakin’ scale says nothing!  This is driving me crazy!!  Maybe Randy will have a sick kid to take care of and we can skip today.????!”

Crap, Randy just sent me an email saying how proud he was of my efforts and progress…now I can’t skip! He won’t be proud of me and I can’t do that to him..or me!  So I guess I will have to rally, gather myself, and head on over to meet him at the gym. This bites. No this more than bites. And I did it to myself.”

Yikes…I remember this day and many others when I just didn’t feel like going to the gym….It was uncomfortatble and it made me mad at myself for letting things go this far…I used to be in great shape but I really believed those days were gone.   And I was right…What I thought to be in shape really wasn’t and I am in better shape than I thought was possible~:

Hang in there everyone…the bad days will pass, I promise…just keep pluggin’ along!