EXERCISE. The fun part! The part where you get to change your body and mold it into whatever you want. Exciting, right?! Weights, machines, bands, kettlebells, bodyweight, inside, outside, with a buddy or by yourself--the possibilities are endless! But, more is NOT better--do not overtrain! A total body workout two times a week is all you need. What that means is an exercise per bodypart--legs (you can do several different types of exercises for the different parts of your legs), back, chest, shoulders, biceps (front of arm), triceps (back of arm) and abs. You need a day of rest in between--don't work the same muscle two days in a row. Muscles grow during the rest time, not when you are working out. When you workout, you are actually breaking down the muscle and it builds back up bigger and stronger. (I need to mention here that it is impossible for women to turn into men. Working out does not change your physiology. Apples can't turn into oranges!) You can also do it three days a week but that is enough. You want to get in, get out and get on with your day. The problem I see in the gym is that people spend more time yapping than working out. "I've been at the gym for 2 hours." Doing what? If you are really working out, you won't be in there that long. A total body workout shouldn't take more than 45 minutes. An exercise per body part, three sets of no more than 15 reps with about 30 seconds in between--use a stop watch. By the time you get to the last set, the last few reps should be hard. If you can blow through 20+ reps, you aren't using enough weight/resistance. A rule of thumb I use is on a scale of 1 - 10, work about level 7. Focus on the muscle you are working, if you don't feel it in that muscle--you are doing it wrong. Your goal is what determines the number of reps and weight/resistance used. If you are trying to build, you will use heavier weights with fewer reps. If you just want to tone, go for lighter weight and reps from 10 - 15. Form is key people. Let me say that again--FORM is key. If you are new to the workout scene--hire a personal trainer to get you started. If your form isn't good, you will end up hurting yourself and then not be able to workout. Who wants that? After you get your form down, you will be able to build your exercise repertoire. Start out with a routine and then after a month, change it up--get some new exercises. I will show people a routine and they do it for a month then come back and get a new one and again, and again. You don't have to have a trainer with you the whole time. Get a workout and do it and then come back and change it up. Most of my clients over the years only come to the gym because I am there waiting on them. Whatever motivation you need, use it. And joining a gym isn't enough--you do actually have to go...
Just like with cardio, you have to change up your workouts--the exercises, the number of sets, number of reps, amount of weight/resistance, speed of reps. You can't just go in and do the same thing every time and expect results. That is why I suggest you do a routine for a month and then change it up. After you get some experience, you will have enough exercises in your library to be able to change it up every time. And, how do you know what you did last time if you don't keep track of it and WRITE IT DOWN?! I have YEARS worth of workout books. I write EVERYthing down. In your little notebook, you can note your weight, notes about how you feel--like a sore elbow, headache, etc.--because all of that affects your workout. Write down your weight, reps, sets--you can make notes to go up in weight for next time. Write it down!
ABS. I have to add this section in here. Everyone wants a "six pack". Guess what? You already have it--you just have to uncover it. Abs are muscles like all the others. Doing 900 ab exercises won't get it for you. You have to burn the fat off to get to them. One exercise for abs per workout is plenty. If you are doing them right--you won't be able to do that many. And, adding weight just makes your abs bigger...it will build them out--make them thicker. Just like your biceps grow, your abs will get bigger too. Just keep that in mind...
And one more thing... I want to add a few comments about being sore. I have been lifting myself since 1983. I get sore after EVERY workout--still. Sometimes more than others but always sore. If you don't get a little sore, you aren't pushing yourself. The whole point of working out is to make a change in your body. If you are just going to the gym and going through the motions, you are wasting your time. Go to the gym, be focused, get in, get out and make it count.
Change your body, change your life!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Look Good Naked - Part 2
CARDIO. Cardio, cardio, cardio... Sorry guys. It's a MUST. Have to do it to burn fat. People always ask what cardio is best. "Whatever you will do" is the answer. It doesn't matter what you do, it's that you do it. Nike says it best--"Just do it!". Ideally, weight bearing exercises would be best because it engages your body more. Anyone that knows me knows that I don't run--except to the bathroom. Well, there was that one time at the beach... The morning after I turned 42. I was on my morning walk on the beach and I saw some storm clouds in the distance but I thought I could beat it. I was FAR from the condo and it started pouring. POURING. So, I decided to run back. OMG! When I finally got back to the room, my brother asked what had happened to me. I told him he almost lost me. I swear to God, I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Right there, on my birthday trip at the beach...I thought my heart was going to explode only hours after my 42nd birthday. It was then that I decided that I would NEVER do that again. So, I walk... Getting ready for shows, I do two hours of cardio every day. Yes--TWO HOURS, EVERY DAY. No exceptions. I realize that most people don't have that kind of time. (Remember what I said about bodybuilding being all about you and sacrifice? It is not real world...) Anyway, you need to start out slow if you haven't been doing anything at all. Twenty minutes a day and build up. You might need to try it three days a week at first and increase your time and number of days as you go. People again seem to have the all or nothing mentality with cardio too. If you have been sitting on the couch watching the tube--don't think you are going to run out the door every day next week and do cardio. You are setting yourself up for failure. Make a commitment to do it and start slow--twenty minutes, three days a week. Just like changing your diet, adding cardio to your life is a lifestyle change. Take it one day at a time...
You need some good shoes--walking shoes or running shoes. You need the support they provide. And you need some good socks too. I recommend Thorlos. They are more expensive but they definitely help in the blister department. I walk outside whenever possible. I prefer being alone with my thoughts and nature and sometimes--most of the time--with my music. I listen to techno because it has a good beat and keeps me moving. At the gym, I either do the treadmill or ride the bike. I have tried the elliptical but I'm a spaze. I can't do the arms when I'm doing it and my feet go to sleep so I have to stop and reverse. They have this thing called a StairMaster. It is a product from hell so I never do that one...
Here's the thing about cardio. Besides having to do it, you need to change it up. If you always go to the gym and get on the bike for 20 minutes at level three, it won't keep working for you. You need to change up the time, the speed, the incline, the course, the method... Change is good. Movement is good. So, get up off your butt and just do it!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
So...you want to look good naked--now what?
Every time I hear that commercial on the radio I think--"Yes! Yes, I DO want to look good naked!" Well, guess what? You have to DO something! It doesn't come in a bottle or a pill, if it did--we would all look great. There is no substitution for work. Period. It just doesn't work like that. Sorry. But the good news is that it can be done. But, it will take some changes and work on your part. There is just no way around it. And unfortunately, the older we get the more work we have to do... Three main things to think about--diet, cardio and exercise. Diet is listed first because it is by far the most important one on the list. If you change your diet and do nothing else, you will see changes in your body.
DIET. I am not talking about going on a diet. If you go ON a diet then at some point you go OFF the diet. I'm talking about changing your diet. It is all about choices. Making better choices to get you where you want to be--no matter where that is. First of all, you have to eat! If you don't eat, your metabolism slows down. Think about your body like a fireplace. If you have a fire and someone is there putting wood on it all the time--your house stays warm. If not, the fire goes out and your house gets cold. Ta da! Simple as that. In order to keep your metabolism going, you have to keep fueling the fire. If you don't eat but once a day, your body goes into starvation mode and will hold on to everything you eat regardless of what it is. (For the life of me, I don't know how people make it on one meal a day!) Obviously you are going to try to start eating better--better quality food and more frequently. The more you give your body something to do, the more it will burn for you. That is the point--have your body working for you all the time. The cleaner you eat, the better--and faster--your body will respond. No fried foods, cut out the sodas (liquid calories!), sweets, breads. The closer to nature you eat, the better. Translation--stuff you can pick out of a garden or off a tree/vine. The more natural it is, the better it will be for you. No processed foods. I'm not saying that you can't have a cookie from time to time but you just can't eat crap all the time and expect to get the results you want. Make changes and choices. With that being said, this is not an all or nothing deal. If you have a piece of cake at the office birthday party, so what? Just don't have two... Since this is going to be a lifestyle change for most people, do it one meal at a time. If you have only been eating once a day, it is totally unrealistic to think you are going to start eating 5 times a day. Start slowly--two meals a day, three meals a day, etc. Eventually you would really try to eat 6 times a day. I know that sounds like a lot but, remember the fireplace... And, when you start eating more frequently you will eat smaller portions just because you will not be able to eat a ton each time. I consider every time you eat to be a meal even if it isn't steak, potato and salad. Example: breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack, dinner and then another small something before bed. At first, you will have to make yourself eat more. But eventually, it will just be a way of life. Trust me! Snacks can be fruit, nuts, yogurt, etc. Nuts you want to be as unprocessed as possible--not honey roasted, dry roasted, etc. Remember as close to nature as you can get. Another thing to consider is portion size. When you go out to eat these days, mostly your entree is two meals. I always cut it in half and take home another meal for later. If you think about your plate--divide it in half and you want protein on one side and everything else on the other. For example, you have some chicken and then to go with it maybe some potatoes, pinto beans and corn. Since I'm from the south I kinda like the word "piles". So, you want your piles of potatoes, beans and corn to be roughly equal to the amount of chicken. Does that make sense? You don't have to count ANYthing. Just start being aware of what you are putting in your body. Make better choices to get you to where you want to be. Is that bag of cheetos gonna help you look good naked? I don't think so--pick up an apple instead. Protein is a big part of this too. Your body needs protein to build muscle--we will get to the muscle building later. Basically protein is meat--chicken, beef, pork, seafood--and dairy. There are vegetable proteins too but generally speaking, protein is your piece of meat. Try to have protein at every meal. I recommend 30 grams of protein at each meal but for now, just try to get some protein in at each meal. After you have cleaned up your diet, you won't want to eat the crappy foods again. They will make you feel bad when you eat them. Sweets will be too sweet and the feeling you get after eating crap just isn't worth it. I promise!
WATER. I can't talk about changing your diet without talking about water. Many people are walking around dehydrated and don't even know it. After all these years of working with clients of all types, I am still amazed at how many people don't drink water at all or liquids either for that matter. I have been drinking water as my main source of liquids for over 15 years now. I can't do without it and frankly don't know how others do without it either. I always have a bottle of water with me. I don't think you can drink too much water. When you first increase your water intake, you will have to visit the bathroom more frequently but that goes away. Really. So, what I am saying here is that along with changing your diet, you need to increase your water. Get rid of the empty calories in sodas, teas, and other drinks that you might be drinking. If pure water is too hard for you, try some Crystal Light. But drink up! And I would like to add here that diet sodas are bad for you too--that's another discussion... Just drink water!
Ok, I think that is about enough for today. Besides, if I told you everything you need to know now...you wouldn't come back!
Stay tuned for Part 2--cardio.
DIET. I am not talking about going on a diet. If you go ON a diet then at some point you go OFF the diet. I'm talking about changing your diet. It is all about choices. Making better choices to get you where you want to be--no matter where that is. First of all, you have to eat! If you don't eat, your metabolism slows down. Think about your body like a fireplace. If you have a fire and someone is there putting wood on it all the time--your house stays warm. If not, the fire goes out and your house gets cold. Ta da! Simple as that. In order to keep your metabolism going, you have to keep fueling the fire. If you don't eat but once a day, your body goes into starvation mode and will hold on to everything you eat regardless of what it is. (For the life of me, I don't know how people make it on one meal a day!) Obviously you are going to try to start eating better--better quality food and more frequently. The more you give your body something to do, the more it will burn for you. That is the point--have your body working for you all the time. The cleaner you eat, the better--and faster--your body will respond. No fried foods, cut out the sodas (liquid calories!), sweets, breads. The closer to nature you eat, the better. Translation--stuff you can pick out of a garden or off a tree/vine. The more natural it is, the better it will be for you. No processed foods. I'm not saying that you can't have a cookie from time to time but you just can't eat crap all the time and expect to get the results you want. Make changes and choices. With that being said, this is not an all or nothing deal. If you have a piece of cake at the office birthday party, so what? Just don't have two... Since this is going to be a lifestyle change for most people, do it one meal at a time. If you have only been eating once a day, it is totally unrealistic to think you are going to start eating 5 times a day. Start slowly--two meals a day, three meals a day, etc. Eventually you would really try to eat 6 times a day. I know that sounds like a lot but, remember the fireplace... And, when you start eating more frequently you will eat smaller portions just because you will not be able to eat a ton each time. I consider every time you eat to be a meal even if it isn't steak, potato and salad. Example: breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack, dinner and then another small something before bed. At first, you will have to make yourself eat more. But eventually, it will just be a way of life. Trust me! Snacks can be fruit, nuts, yogurt, etc. Nuts you want to be as unprocessed as possible--not honey roasted, dry roasted, etc. Remember as close to nature as you can get. Another thing to consider is portion size. When you go out to eat these days, mostly your entree is two meals. I always cut it in half and take home another meal for later. If you think about your plate--divide it in half and you want protein on one side and everything else on the other. For example, you have some chicken and then to go with it maybe some potatoes, pinto beans and corn. Since I'm from the south I kinda like the word "piles". So, you want your piles of potatoes, beans and corn to be roughly equal to the amount of chicken. Does that make sense? You don't have to count ANYthing. Just start being aware of what you are putting in your body. Make better choices to get you to where you want to be. Is that bag of cheetos gonna help you look good naked? I don't think so--pick up an apple instead. Protein is a big part of this too. Your body needs protein to build muscle--we will get to the muscle building later. Basically protein is meat--chicken, beef, pork, seafood--and dairy. There are vegetable proteins too but generally speaking, protein is your piece of meat. Try to have protein at every meal. I recommend 30 grams of protein at each meal but for now, just try to get some protein in at each meal. After you have cleaned up your diet, you won't want to eat the crappy foods again. They will make you feel bad when you eat them. Sweets will be too sweet and the feeling you get after eating crap just isn't worth it. I promise!
WATER. I can't talk about changing your diet without talking about water. Many people are walking around dehydrated and don't even know it. After all these years of working with clients of all types, I am still amazed at how many people don't drink water at all or liquids either for that matter. I have been drinking water as my main source of liquids for over 15 years now. I can't do without it and frankly don't know how others do without it either. I always have a bottle of water with me. I don't think you can drink too much water. When you first increase your water intake, you will have to visit the bathroom more frequently but that goes away. Really. So, what I am saying here is that along with changing your diet, you need to increase your water. Get rid of the empty calories in sodas, teas, and other drinks that you might be drinking. If pure water is too hard for you, try some Crystal Light. But drink up! And I would like to add here that diet sodas are bad for you too--that's another discussion... Just drink water!
Ok, I think that is about enough for today. Besides, if I told you everything you need to know now...you wouldn't come back!
Stay tuned for Part 2--cardio.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Thoughts on a Thursday
Hello everyone and welcome to the first installment of my blog....finally. I am slowly catching on to all the cyperspace has to offer. First I want to introduce myself. My name is Suzanne Williams and I am an ACE certified personal trainer in Pelham, AL--that would be Birmingham to you non-natives. I have been lifting myself since 1983 and became certified in 1998 when I started my own training business. I have been a competitive bodybuilder and powerlifter but think I'm done with that. However, I LOVE being onstage so I never say never... Competitive anything is extreme and trying to find a balance is hard for me--not knowing how to be "normal". I mean, I know what to do with myself to get ready for a show but living that way 24/7 is both unrealistic and unhealthy. Being a competitive bodybuilder is anything but normal. Maintaining that "look" is impossible AND live a normal life. Bodybuilding is a very selfish sport. It really is hard to compete and participate in everyday living. It is all about the look you are trying to achieve for a specific day--minutes actually--a day that you spend months getting ready for. The amount of time you spend onstage after all those hours of cardio, diet, working out, practice--discipline--is miniscule compared to the time you spend getting ready. It is a powerful feeling though...walking out onstage for the world to see. Putting yourself out there. The feeling of accomplishment that you did it--or not. Yes, you have help along the way but ultimately it is all about you--you did the cardio, you did the diet, you sacrifice. It is all about you. And for what? A trophy if you are lucky. But the satisfaction that you get is more than words can say... "I did it", but until you have been up there--you have no idea what that means.
So, here I am at almost 44 trying to have balance. I like to eat ice cream sometimes, pizza and beer and love a glass of wine--or two. But, you can't eat like that and look the way I want to. That is where the balance comes into play. How much crap can I eat and cardio do I have to do to maintain the desired look? I struggle with it daily. I'm older now, it is more effort--more cardio, more strict diet. Just how much am I willing to do or not? Yes, I have to admit that getting older does suck in some ways. Everything is harder. When you are young, it all comes so easy. Now I know what my clients have been talking about--this 40 stuff. It just happens. Stuff appears on your body that wasn't there before and you have to work much harder to get rid of it and make better choices to keep it at bay.
This is what my blog is about...making choices, changes and adjustments to be the person you want staring back at you in the mirror--for those of you who dare to peek... Change your body, change your life!
Stay tuned for more and thanks for reading.
Suzanne
So, here I am at almost 44 trying to have balance. I like to eat ice cream sometimes, pizza and beer and love a glass of wine--or two. But, you can't eat like that and look the way I want to. That is where the balance comes into play. How much crap can I eat and cardio do I have to do to maintain the desired look? I struggle with it daily. I'm older now, it is more effort--more cardio, more strict diet. Just how much am I willing to do or not? Yes, I have to admit that getting older does suck in some ways. Everything is harder. When you are young, it all comes so easy. Now I know what my clients have been talking about--this 40 stuff. It just happens. Stuff appears on your body that wasn't there before and you have to work much harder to get rid of it and make better choices to keep it at bay.
This is what my blog is about...making choices, changes and adjustments to be the person you want staring back at you in the mirror--for those of you who dare to peek... Change your body, change your life!
Stay tuned for more and thanks for reading.
Suzanne
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