What is exercise at a moderate intensity???

So I'm sure you have heard that when you workout it is important to at least be at a moderate intensity. Well...what is moderate intensity supposed to feel like? It's a tad subjective since one person's perceived intensity level will be different from another. Check out my little video explaining what moderate intensity is and how to know whether you are there. 

Recap:

Clues to know you are exercising at a moderate level:

1.) You breathing quickens, but you're not out of breath

2.) You develop a light sweat after about 10 minutes of activity

3.) The Talk-Sing Method - you can carry on a conversation but cannot sing.

So there you there. Now you know how to see the signs of whether you are at the minimum level required to gain the health benefits from fitness. Now...take it up a notch :)

Happy health!

EE

Fish Fry Fridays and other Lenten Practices

Happy Ash Wednesday!

It’s the first day of Lent today and for all you non-Catholics, it’s a 40 day period where most Catholics sacrifice something during this season. Popular choices include sodas, candies, beer, or even sex. It doesn’t have to be a food or anything, but I’m not really going to dive into that side of the Catholic tradition, since that’s not the focus of this posting. Go google Catholic tradition and theology on your own time.

Fridays are a significant time since Catholics are asked to abstain from eating meat like beef, pork, or chicken during the Lenten Season. It all relates back to sacrifice during this period. The one meat exception is fish since that was considered a poor man’s meal. So, many many many Long John Silver’s and Captain D’s will be flooded with good little meat-abstaining Catholics munching down on their sin-free meals.. And what is available at these fast food chains? Fried everything! Fried fish, french fries, hush puppies…fried babies!!!! Well..not the babies but the fried fish is a definite. Although eating fish is a common Lenten tradition to practice on Fridays…eating it fried is a stroke waiting to happen.

I can hear the fried fish loving Catholics now…”But I can’t eat meat on Fridays! It’s forbidden!!!”  And you don’t have to eat meat, but it’s better to avoid the fried crap.

Grilling or baking fish is a healthy option, as well as making tuna salads (just don’t get crazy with the mayonnaise).

Other proteins include beans, soy, and tofu. Since I am a good little Catholic I will predominately eat tuna, organic peanut butter and banana sandwiches, rice and black beans, or have an egg white omelets during those days.  There are a ton of healthy options you can choose from that doesn’t involve clogging your arteries or expanding your waist line.

So go forth my children and eat … but don’t get crazy

Happy Lent!

EE

Happy Registered Dietitians Day!

So today is Registered Dietitians Day! What does that mean to you if you're a non-RD? Well..nothing. It probably means nothing if you are an RD too. BUT! You could at least eat healthy today. Avoid fast food, sodas, and sugary snacks. Eat an apple, have a sandwich, and serve yourself only once at your favorite (but foul) buffet restaurant.The least you could is respect all the hard work they do in educating the public and have a yogurt or piece of string cheese instead of that snickers bar you have in your desk drawer.

HAPPY RD DAY EVERYONE!

EE

Keep it Real...For Real

Soooo....

Want to lose weight? Want to get bigger? Want to have a six pack?

That’s totally cool and doable. But I’m gonna ask you what you are doing to get there?

No excuses. If you have excuses than you’re not serious about reaching your goal.

If you hear yourself say, “I’ve tried but I don’t get anywhere” or “I don’t understand why I don’t lose weight. I don’t even eat that much.”

Yeah…I don’t believe you. You’re lying to yourself. That might make me sound like a total douche, but it’s true.

The magic formula for weight loss is this…now write it down so you remember:

Eat less. Move more.

I am 100% serious. You CANNOT expect to lose weight if you are taking in high amounts of calories. You know those severely obese people you see on TV that a crew has to come in to knock down a wall just to get them out of the house? They can weigh around 800 pounds or more. It takes a lot of calories to sustain that weight. So how does that translate to you? It takes calories to maintain  the weight you are at now. That means if you weigh 180lbs and you are trying to lose 20 pounds, you need to stop intaking those calories that keep you at 180lbs. Cut back on serving sizes and watch your drinkable calories. Also, workout. That can mean going for a walk, jogging, weight lifting, or doing a workout video at home. I don’t care what you decide but just pick something.

No more delusion. If you want to change your body you have to put some work into it. Period. If you want it that badly, you will find a way to make it happen. It's not going to be easy. If it was that simple, you would have done it a long time ago. You CAN do it. Just find your internal motivation to get there.

Good luck and kick ass!

EE

Strength Training Book

I know so many dudes and ladies who want to get into weight lifting but just are unsure of what exercises to do with free weights. This is one of my favorite fitness related books. It's called Strength Training Anatomy by Frederic Delavier. It does an amazing job of breaking up body muscles and the exercises that hit each one. Delavier has great illustrations as well. It's the perfect resource for individuals of all fitness levels.

Check it out.

EE

Planning your Resistance Program

So weight lifting is an awesome way of helping you look good naked! And of course there are all those health benefits like increased metabolism, stronger bones, blah, blah blah, but ultimately you look good! There’s a couple of things to consider when you are creating your weight training program: figure out what you are hoping to achieve from the workout and how many days a week you can lift.

Do you want to get toned up? increase strength? increase muscle mass?

Here are some frequently asked questions that I have seen over my years as a health educator and trainer:

*What’s a Rep?

A ‘rep’ is a repetition. It is the number of times you execute an exercise.  

*What’s a Set?

A set is a number of reps. For example, 5-10.

A person might do 3 sets of 12 reps each. So for one set the person will perform the exercise 12 times. Rest. And repeat until all 3 sets have been completed.

*How much weight do I use? 

This is a very popular question and my answer is, it depends. You want the weight to be comfortably-challenging at all times, meaning you won’t lose proper form or injure your body. But the resistance will not be easy either. You want to fatigue your muscles at the end of every set at your predetermined reps.  Say you are doing bicep curls and you plan to perform 10 reps for every set. At the end of every set, your biceps should be so tired that you cannot do more than 10 reps. If you can, the weight is not challenging enough and you should increase weight.


I just want to tone.I don’t want to get huge. I want to get huge. I just want to be healthy. 
I hear these waaaaay too much so here’s the break down below to help guide you.

When you lift a muscle you need at least 24 hours of rest before you lift again. You don’t want to do the same routine every single day without rest. When you lift you essentially tear the muscle. For the muscle to build up it has to “scar up” and heal. If you never let it have a chance to heal, your wanted results will be delayed.
That’s some basic information for you. If you come up with any other questions please post a question OR email me at exerciseeric@gmail.com

EE

Are the dog days over…?

Probably not. LOL. But if you can start making a change towards something you really want and take those realistic, logical, and achievable steps to get there, those dog days might feel a little less heavy.

My point? Every January, the majority of Americans vow to make a change for the better. A lot of times these goals relate to  health and fitness.  Whether it’s to get off that cholesterol medication, or increase cardiovascular health to keep up with the grandkids or even just look good naked, all goals are valid and achievable. But so many fall off in a month.

My gym is always packed in January with New Year Rezies. It annoys me because that means I have to wait for my machine or treadmill or someone takes my favorite bike in Spin class.  Now I would be more excited about the new people if they became regulars instead of a January nuisance.

When you want something you gotta work at it. I know it’s cliché and lame of me to say, but, if you want to look good naked you have to do things that will help you look good naked (besides turning the lights off).  You can’t give up after a month because you’re not seeing changes fast enough or start going back to eating fast food every other day cause “you don’t have time.” If you want to see results you have to sacrifice some things, whether that means sodas, time, sleep, or even your favorite television program.

The only way you achieve goals is through hard work and consistency. You can’t expect to get that six pack by sitting at home drinking your favorite beer or even Starbucks drink.

You can do it, if that’s what you want. You get what you put into it.

Now stop reading my blog full of awesomeness and go workout!

EE

Is your eggo preggo?

Congrats on getting knocked up (or sorry that you did)!  So now what? Now you have two people to take care of instead of one, and that little one inside now trumps what you want. So taking care of your body physically is part of it. It’s even better if you were regularly active before the pregnancy just so that you’d be going into this journey stronger, but starting up after is okay too.

A lot of preggos have asked me if it’s okay to exercise. I of course say yes BUT (big butt – but nothing like the one you’re going to get in the last trimester. Oh relax! I’m kidding…but you know it’s true).

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist recommends 30 minutes of exercise  during pregnancy. Back in the day it was said that a pregnant woman’s heart rate shouldn’t exceed 140 beats per minute during exercise, but that’s the old recommendation.

Keep your exercise workouts at about a moderate pace. You can gauge your intensity by using the “talk method.” If you can carry a conversation during your workout, you’re most likely at a moderate pace. If you CANNOT speak normally, you might be pushing yourself too hard.

Be reasonable. Just make sure you are cleared by your physician before starting your exercise routine, especially if you have issues with blood pressure, blood sugar, or any medical conditions you might have.

Have fun, sweat it up!

Mazel!

100 Calorie Snacks

I was at the grocery store today and went down the snack aisle and saw a middle aged woman pensively deciding which 100 calorie snack to purchase. I started thinking about conversations I have had with women whom seem to get all excited about these 100 calorie snacks.

The infamous “oh, it’s only 100 calories” quickly comes out as I walk pass them. I wasn’t even going to comment on what they were eating. Honestly, I don’t care what you eat, I just don’t want to hear you complain about how chubby, fat, unhealthy, or tired you are and you can't figure out why as you drink another soda or order a side of large fries. 

I will address the 100 calorie snacks though. For the most part it’s not a bad idea. It gives people an opportunity to control calorie intake of a snack that most over do it on. I will say that eating a piece of fruit is a better choice and can satisfy your hunger just the same. AND if you’re going to snack  on the little 100 calorie bag…just eat one. Seriously. If you start munching on two or three bags at a time, it defeats the purpose of calorie control.

Snacks in between meals help keep your metabolism going and help you from over eating during “normal” meals like lunch and dinner.

It comes down to controlling how much you put in your body and of course your nutrition choices.

EE

The Plate Method

The Plate Method - Keeping it simple.

The foods you put in your body play a big role in your health and body shape. Some foods will provider energy to keep you healthy and strong. And others can cause a great deal of damage. 

Curious what you’re supposed to eat or not to eat? Keep it simple. Follow this technique called the Plate Method. It really focuses on balanced eating and portion control.

It’s super simple. Take a normal sized dinner plate and fill half the plate up with all veggies. Cut the other half into two quarters. Place a lean protein in one quarter and a complex carb in the other. Don’t let the food touch!  It’s all about portion control.

In the vegetable section choose: lettuce, tomato, broccoli, green beans, carrots, mushrooms, spinach, peppers, cucumbers, and salad greens.  Be sure it covers half the plate. These vegetables are considered non-starchy veggies. DO NOT include corn or potatoes.

The protein section is one-fourth of the plate: Pick a nice, clean, lean meat or meat substitute. Chicken, fish, beans, or tofu are great choices. Beef and pork are higher in fat but you can choose theses everyone once in awhile when you like too. Pick sirloin, a round cut, or a pork loin when you do. Remember that “once in a while” means 3-4 times a month.  It’s all about portion control. The size of the meat should not be bigger than 1/4^th of the plate. That’s about the size of a deck of cards.

Lastly, is your carbohydrate section. It will also be 1/4^th of plate. Choose a whole grain carb such as whole-wheat pasta or bread, brown rice, or a baked potato (the size of a mouse).  This is also the section you can serve yourself corn as well.

This method is all about keeping nutrition balanced and watching the portion size you intake.

And remember…don’t go for seconds J

Keep it simple and good luck

~EJ

 (image taken from http://www.tops.org/TOPSTools/images/plate.gif)

HEY NO SLEEVES!!!

Yeah I’m talking to you! Soooo…I’m not a huge fashion expert or anything but one thing that is not okay to wear OUTSIDE the gym setting are sleeveless shirts. Unless you’re perpetually headed to the gym or you’re on a tight budget and can’t afford sleeves, don’t make it a habit to go sleeveless during non-workout activities.

These include but are not limited to:

                                                  

 shopping at the mall

              going to the movie theatre

              date night

               playing the xylophone

               puppet shows

               peeling tomatoes

              etc…

You get the idea.

So show off your bare sexy arms at the gym, cause that’s the only time you won’t look like a total tool.

Ciao!

EE

Welcome my Blog site!

WELCOME!

I'm what you call "cute for an ugly person."

Thanks for stopping by ExerciseEric.Blogspot.com

I want to be a resource over fitness, nutrition, and health related topics.

Shoot me any questions or topics you would like to see on the blog to ExerciseEric@gmail.com

Thanks for stopping by!

EE