Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I use a Personal Trainer and how do I pick one?

Five great reasons to use a Personal Trainer. You’ll learn to work smarter, not harder. You’ll learn to identify obstacles and create strategies for overcoming them. You’ll see positive results more quickly. Your workouts will be fun, yet challenging. You’ll have someone to cheer you on and hold you accountable.

When choosing a Personal Trainer, always make sure that the trainer is certified by an accredited organization. Ask many questions. The more sessions you buy, the less money you’ll spend per session. Best of all; cut the cost by training with your friends or family.

I really want to get in shape but haven’t worked out in years. How do I start?

First, realize that a time-consuming, strenuous workout 7 days a week isn’t necessary to get results. Walking 3-4 times/week for 20-30 minutes will get you started. After 2 weeks, an exercise ball can be added twice a week. After a month, add other aerobic activities (bicycling, jogging, or stairs at the mall). Be sure to record your progress with measurements at the beginning and monthly thereafter. Use a tape measure on upper arms, chest, waist, hips, & thighs. Most importantly, when eating, ask yourself “Does this nourish my body?” If it does, eat it; if it doesn’t, don’t eat it!

How important is it to drink water & how much water do I need?

Over the years, research has produced varying recommendations; however, your water needs depend on many factors. These include your health, how active you are and where you live. Though no single rule fits everyone, knowing more about your body's need for fluids will help you estimate how much water to drink each day. Water makes up 55% to 75% of your total body weight. A 10% reduction of water in your body can make you sick, and a loss of 20% can mean death. Increased activity, hot weather and alcohol or caffeine consumption will increase the body’s need for water. A minimum of eight glasses a day is usually advised for sedentary people. If you’re drinking water during the day and not feeling thirsty, you’re probably fine. Remember to drink more water if you’re exercising, if it’s hot, or if you’re ill.

Should I take vitamins?

That's a good question. Our food supply isn't what it used to be; crop quality has suffered with increased pollution. The nutrient content of foods is affected by the chemicals used to produce larger crops. Many of the foods we eat are shipped while they’re still maturing. These immature fruits and veggies lack the vitamins and minerals we need for a healthy body. Government RDA standards only give a guideline for maintaining our survival, not for providing optimal health. Daily stress depletes the body’s nutrients, and even with a diet rich in organic produce, supplementation is vital. The search for high-quality, reasonably priced vitamins can prove difficult. Often, vitamins found in drug and chain stores are not the highest quality and are not absorbed into the body. Thorough research is available for all high-quality supplements. If no research is available, it’s best not to buy it.

Why do I need to take vitamins?

Our food supply isn’t what it used to be. Crop quality suffers due to increased pollution. Chemical use for increasing output; soil improvement and decreasing critter damage has also decreased nutrient content. Many out of season crops are shipped still maturing. Immature fruit and vegetables also lack quality nutrients. Even with a fresh, organic diet, supplementation is necessary. Government RDA standards only give a guideline for maintaining survival, not optimal health. Additionally, daily stress increases the body’s need for nutrients. Searching for high quality, reasonably priced vitamins can be daunting at best. Vitamins found in drug and chain stores are not high quality and will not be absorbed into the body. They pass through almost completely intact and end up in our sewer system. Thorough research is available for all high quality products, if there is no information available, don’t buy it.

I’ve heard that not getting enough sleep will cause me to gain weight, is that true?

When you don't get enough sleep, you may feel confused, irritable, fatigued and less alert. Lack of sleep also affects your energy level and your mental and social functioning. Additionally, there are a number of research studies that all support the thesis that too little sleep leads to weight gain. How that happens is still unclear, but there are hormonal changes that are affected with sleep loss that affect appetite and eating. Between seven and eight hours seems to be a fairly magical number for sleep duration according to these studies. People who report getting between seven and eight hours of sleep are the ones who appear to have the lowest risk of weight gain.

I'm trying to lose weight, and I've been having difficulty eating: either I eat too many calories or too few.

In terms of calories, if you're not eating enough, your body may go into a "storage" mode. The moment your body thinks it’s not getting enough food, it will horde the calories and store the fat. It thinks it’s starving! Your body will also slow down its metabolism because it thinks a "fasting state" may be close, and it will want to preserve as much energy as possible. The key is to eat nutrient-dense food to fuel your body. I would not recommend eating fewer than 1,500 calories/day. Make sure good carbs make up 50%, protein 35%, and fat 15% of your overall calorie intake.

I hardly eat anything why am I not losing weight?

Regardless of whether you are exercising or not, your body needs food. Think of your body as a car with an engine that needs fuel. If you don’t give it fuel, it won’t run. Without food your metabolism (internal engine) starts acting up and your body thinks it’s starving. When you do finally eat, your body stores much of the food as body fat and waits for the next “famine”. The best solution is to eat at least five meals a day: three moderately-sized meals and two to three snacks. By providing your body with a consistent and frequent supply of the right number of calories, its need to store fat is reduced. Your metabolism will run smoother, and you will be much happier with your body!

What’s the difference between good carbs and bad carbs?

Carbohydrates are divided into two groups: simple and complex. Simple carbs, sometimes called simple sugars, include fructose (fruit sugar), sucrose (table sugar), and lactose (milk sugar) and several other sugars. Fruits are one of the richest natural sources of simple carbohydrates. Complex carbs are also made up of sugars, but the sugar molecules are strung together to form longer, more complex chains. Complex carbs include fiber and starches. Foods rich in complex carbs include vegetables, whole grains, peas, and beans. Good carbs are complex, unrefined, natural, and/or high fiber foods. Bad carbs are highly refined and processed foods and high sugar foods with very little fiber.

What is the Glycemic Index?

The Glycemic Index is a scale that ranks carbohydrate-rich foods by how much they raise blood glucose. When you eat food that contains carbohydrates, the sugar from the food breaks down during digestion and gives you energy. After you eat, your blood glucose level rises, and the speed at which the food is able to increase the blood glucose level is called the “glycemic response.” Foods that raise blood glucose levels quickly have a higher Glycemic Index (GI) than foods that raise blood glucose levels slowly. Most low GI foods are a healthy choice, as they are usually low in calories and fat and high in fiber, nutrients, and antioxidants.

For every pound of muscle you build, how many extra calories does your body burn a day?

Studies have estimated that for each pound of muscle that you add to your body, you burn an additional 35 to 50 calories per day. An extra 10 pounds of muscle will burn approximately 350 to 500 calories a day or an extra pound of fat every 7 to 10 days, without making any other changes. In another study, researchers found that regular weight training boosts basal metabolic rate by about 15%. This is because muscle is “metabolically active” and burns more calories than other body tissue even when you're not moving. Training with weights just 3 times a week for around 20 minutes is enough to build muscle. Not only will you be burning more calories, you’ll look better whatever your weight.

I can’t lose the extra weight on my hips and thighs, why?

When you lose body fat, you lose it from all areas of your body. When someone says, "I want to lose fat in my hips and thighs," this triggers thoughts of spot reducing. Reducing fat from one specific area on your body just doesn’t happen. Focus on burning calories with aerobic exercise and you will start decreasing body fat from all areas.

For specifically firming up your rear and thighs, I recommend weight training. Start with squats and lunges for three sets of 12-15 repetitions each using an empty bar. Add weight as you get stronger. This will truly firm up this area because lean muscle is hard and body fat is soft. Concentrate on weight training to build muscle and aerobic exercise to drop excess body fat.

Should I eat before or after exercising? 

The answer to the question is “both.” While a pre-exercise meal can ensure that adequate energy is available for optimal performance, a post-exercise meal is critical to recovery and improves ones ability to train consistently. A small pre-workout meal (1-2 hours prior) should consist of some low glycemic (sugar) carbohydrates and a quality protein. An example is a half cup of rolled oats with a scoop of protein powder or a hard-boiled egg. This will provide a sustained carb source for energy through a workout and a quality protein source to support muscle repair and growth. A post-exercise meal should be eaten within two hours of a workout and consist of a 4:1 combo of carbohydrates and protein. An example is a fruit smoothie with a scoop of protein powder.