September 3, 2008
Now this is a true story, about me when I was in the 2nd grade…and any of you that grew up in the late ‘70s early ‘80s will most likely remember this TV ad.
I was in the school spelling bee. I was standing in the line of kids, palms sweating, heart pounding…praying that I would get one that I knew, as I wasn’t the best speller and making it to the final 5 or 6 was a true accomplishment for me. Anyw
ay, the teacher looked me in the eye and said…
“Matthew, how do you spell relief?”
Ohhhh I was ecstatic…I got this one!
I replied “R-O-L-A-I-D-S.”
And I was shocked when the teacher said “wrong”…I was positive that I had spelled it right…absolutely POSITIVE! The correct spelling had been BURNED into my head by the TV set…so how could I be wrong? The TV taught me this…and the TV is not wrong!
Even though I lost the spelling bee, the teacher found it so funny that she called our local radio station and they told the story for the rest of the day. Ah, my brief brush with fame. My mom likes to tell the story every now and again…30 something years later…And, there was a time when I was embarrassed by this, but it is also my reminder.
So what does this story have to do with a fitness blog? It’s just a warning…to pay attention to the marketing of products. Especially now days…the companies are clever and are in our face from all angles. And, yes it is justified to say that of course a kid would be very literal and take advertising in its black and white state…and that adults do not. But we all know that is not true.
There is no magic pills. There is no magic machine. There is no magic exercise program.
DO NOT FALL FOR IT.
There is nothing but eating healthy and exercising consistently…if you do that the rest just falls into place…
And btw…the pic is my bro, not just some random clip art…it was taken after tooooooo many red peppers on his pizza!
What marketing traps do you fall into?
Cheers to your Health & Fitness!
Matthew
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August 26, 2008
Exercise is hard enough for most people, but what about pregnant exercise? And it’s not just Mommy, Daddy is affected too!
I was hanging out last weekend and…
My wife said that painting her toes was starting to be a real bitch…!!
Well, by this picture (and yes, this is her) I couldn’t disagree one bit…but it made me think of myself…That exercise right now was starting to be a real bitch. Now I know her challenge, she’s preggo! She was painting her toes whenever she felt like it. Now she paints her toes when she feels good, when the baby isn’t kicking too much, etc. etc. But she is still painting her toes, because it is important to her…
Pregnant Exercise
And exercise is important to me.
And her being pregnant is no excuse to let myself go. My mother in law said that I was going to gain weight just because my wife was pregnant…so I took that as a personal challenge to be in BETTER shape when he is born, compared to when he was conceived. And no it has not been easy, even being a “fitness nerd” my whole life, LIFE still gets in the way. If I am not in better shape, then so be it, but I will NOT be in worse!
So my challenge right now, the road block if you will, is that my wife is pregnant and life has been slowly changing, taking me out of my comfort zone and in turn challenging my eating habits and my exercise routine…So what do I do?
Well, just ADJUST to the situation, because you always have time to do what you want to do. Period.
I would NORMALLY exercise 5 days a week without fail with maybe a 6th day if I wanted to. I would NORMALLY do 30 minutes of weights and 30-45 minutes on the bike. And this is at my local health club. I would get up at 4:15am and be at the gym by 5, home by 6:30, at work by 7:30…Good grief just typing this out is making me tired.
I would NORMALLY go grocery shopping on Sunday and have my whole week of meals planned out, from my morning shake to my dinner and all the nutritional snacks in between.
And since I do not have the same time, I am ADJUSTING to it, not giving in to it, knowing that it will just get more challenging as time passes.
So now I have taken my exercise routine down to 3 days a week, what I would normally call my “beginners program”, and I also purchased an exercise bike to have at home. I ADJUSTED.
My meals are still planned out for the week, except now they are cooked all at once and frozen. I ADJUSTED.
So as this process of my little dude grows and soon will be a helpless creature in my hands, even more of my time will be donated…and I will ADJUST!
Making time to exercise is not easy, life isn’t easy, but your body must be exercised and fed good, nutritional things. YOU MUST ADJUST TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
So my question to you is, what is your road block and how are you adjusting? A little inspiration by you might just be what some stranger needs…
Cheers to your Health & Fitness!
Matthew
This article was also guest posted on www.johnisfit.com
What are your thoughts on pregnant exercise from both the male and female perspective?
Technorati Tags fitness, pregnant
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August 20, 2008
We all wish we had good eating habits, but it’s hard. The good news is it’s also largely mental, and the following mindset will set you in the right direction.
I am one of those “visual” people…meaning, if you are going to try to explain something to me you better bring a pen and paper or make sure that I already have some props stored in my memory bank. And no, drawing with your hands in the air does not work either.
So to make a point about how YOU can change your food consumption and exercise program, try to picture this:
Picture the last time you were cruising down the highway at let’s say 80 miles an hour, and it had been a while, maybe a good 30-40 minutes. Then someone pulled out in front of you bringing your speed down to 60 miles an hour…(what a jerk!). That horrible feeling, that feeling of just barely moving starts to set in. You are stuck behind this person and it is just agonizing, you cannot even imagine driving this slow…who drives this slow!
So now you’re stuck for a while going 60 miles an hour. Once you’re over the piss off, you actually get used to the speed and conform and then it just feels normal.
YES, NORMAL!
What does driving down the highway have to do with exercise and good eating habits?
Well really not much or anything at all…except the feeling of change.
When you first start an exercise program it can feel awkward. But after you stick with it, it feels NORMAL. The trick is getting through that period of “change”. Once you give into the change and accept the new routine it feels great…like, how did I never do this before?!
Good Eating Habits
And food intake is the exact same way. You might go from eating ice-cream every night to only once a week. Wholly crap…that would be like going from 100 mph to maybe 20…but after you get used to 20, it just feels NORMAL…
If you want to get ahead in life with this exercise and diet stuff, then pay attention to your reaction to change.
What are your some of the tips you use to form and maintain good eating habits?
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August 19, 2008
Today’s Main Event: Bike vs Elliptical. Which is better and why? You’re about to find out now…
When you do cardio are you a little confused by what program to do? Well, then you’re not alone. Below is a quick question that I get quite frequently.
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Hi Matthew,
I have a question for you and I hope you have the answer. I want to lose this last 20 lbs. The machines at the gym give the option to do either cardio or fat burning. Which one is best for me to lose the weight the proper way? I get frustrated when I do fat burning for 1 hr. and see I burn less calories than when I do cardio for an hour. What’s up with these machines?
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Bike vs Elliptical
That’s a very good question and I’ve been asked it many times. The information provided by the machine is just an estimate. If you want to burn body fat you need your heart rate to be at 65-75% of your max, see this link for the math.
What you must understand is that ALL cardio equipment gets created and then it gets marketing flare. The piece of equipment that claims to burn the most fat/calories is usually the most popular. Take the elliptical machine for example.
What most people don’t realize is that the calories are counted by the revolutions and tension (level - how hard it is) of the machine. On the elliptical you are using your body weight to move the machine and a lot of momentum is being used.
The bike on the other hand is ALL YOU. You do not use your bodyweight to push the pedals; it’s all muscle and heart. I am not saying the elliptical is not a good workout, just comparing how the two machines operate.
So now think about this, think of the full revolution of the elliptical and the full revolution of the bike…See how much bigger the elliptical is?…maybe 3+ times bigger. And the calories are counted by the distance and tension of the revolution. Do you smell what I am cooking?
I can spend 30 minutes on the bike at my target heart rate and burn 200 calories, according to the machine readout.
I can spend 30 minutes on the elliptical at my target heart rate and burn 600+ calories, according to the machine readout.
Marketing BS at it’s finest. It is about your heart rate and duration, that’s all.
The fat burning programs are supposed to keep your heart rate in your 65-75% fat burning zone. The cardio programs are supposed to keep it higher, to build your cardio endurance. I personally always set the machine on random and for 60 minutes, which is probably a control thing. I don’t like the machine telling me when to speed up, slow down, grab the handles, and when to stop, etc.
Pay attention to your breathing and understand how your heart rate coordinates.
Understand?
One last thing to be aware of - sometimes, once you slow down and get into a fat burning zone you feel like you aren’t doing anything. It can mess with your mind as having your heart rate up in a cardio level can be addicting.
Cardio level is for endurance.
Fat burning level is for fat burning.
Good luck!
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There’s nothing better than a cool, frosty Muscle Memory™ protein shake on a hot day. Not only are you giving your body a full spectrum of vitamins and minerals, it tastes like a chocolate milk shake! If you’re still not sure how Muscle Memory™ can help you, read more… http://www.3rdchancefitness.com/protein-supplement.html
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Cheers to your health and fitness,
Matthew
www.3rdChanceFitness.com
Any other judges care to score our Bike vs Elliptical fight differently?
Posted in 1 Comment »
August 18, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
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Of course, at least once in your life…and I have too, too many times to count in fact…
And if you haven’t, you are either a liar, or genetically gifted beyond the norm. Or, you diet and exercise because your body is your profession and you have to do it (ha-ha!…Just kidding, we should all be so lucky).
What I am trying to get at is it is good to cry every so often when we analyze our bodies. It helps keep ya honest. It helps keep you/me from getting too comfortable. And that is just okay. Our physical bodies give us our own measuring stick…slow down, speed up…or keep cruising.
When we quit looking in the mirror, is when we quit CARING. And no this is not about vanity, it is reality…EVERYONE wants to look good, not only to others, but most importantly to ourselves. And EVERYONE wants to feel good. When you look in the mirror and like what you see, you feel good. When you look in the mirror and want to cry, you feel bad. WE feel bad, as everyone is in this together.
Now, sometimes the shame of not eating right and exercising keeps us from looking…that old ignorance is bliss thing. Maybe you keep the robe on right up until the clothes go on…just so you don’t catch a glimpse.
So what’s the KEY INGREDIANT…to help keep the tears at bay? Hold on to your hats…
IT IS BEING PRESENT!!!
To-to-Today People!
That is it, right now…not what you did yesterday, not what you think you are going to do tomorrow…or this summer…being “present” is now, as you are reading these little words.
Being present is making decisions today, right now, to commit to health and fitness…while allowing yourself to not be perfect. Being present is knowing that the decisions your make today, right now, about YOUR health and fitness effect tomorrow…Effect your mind…Effect your body…Effect your family…Etc…
Now I must ask you, are you present?
Here’s a link where you can get some ideas to start changing your life now: http://www.3rdchancefitness.com/healthy-eating.html
As always, thanks for listening.
Cheers to your Health & Fitness!
Matthew
www.3rdChanceFitness.com
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August 15, 2008
Coming soon 3rd Chance Fitness helping you to create health and fitness in your life!
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ay, the teacher looked me in the eye and said…
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