Home fitness equipment is a great investment. Exercising in the privacy of your home offers both easy access and stability to your daily work out. Unfortunately, most newbie exercises make big mistakes when purchasing their first piece of fitness equipment. The first mistake fitness equipment buyers make is to purchase a machine with too many features.
First of all more features means more money. In the case of fitness equipment more money does not mean better quality. Many of the electronic features fitness equipments offers are never used or used very rarely. This is because most people can not figure out how to accurately use the computer and give up. The basic fitness equipment attributes are all that you need. Just like buying a car or a piece of furniture check for building quality. Ask yourself is the equipment well put together, sturdy, durable, and stable. Good construction combined with a quiet machine are the only real qualities you need to look for in a treadmill. The same is true for all fitness equipment.
Make sure you try out the equipment before buying it. The first place to start is a gym, buy a month membership and go in and see what you like and hate. Once you find a piece of fitness equipment you are interested in then go out to several stores and try their machines. Make sure you wear your exercise clothes and exercise shoes. Most fitness machines look great just sitting them, turn it on and use for a good twenty minutes. Weight machines should be used for at least 20 repetitions. Do not be afraid to try something out of your price range. Have fun when you go out looking, see what the high end equipment offers and what features you can do without and then purchase your fitness equipment accordingly.
If you are beginner in the exercise world, do not buy something complicated or hard to use or setup. You will not use, and you have wasted your money. Many of the high end fitness equipment require the coordination of upper and lower bodies which can be quite overwhelming for people who are less experienced with exercise routines. Do not be afraid to ask questions. Do not be afraid to ask for an information sheet and inquire about all costs. Look for discounts and sales. Many fitness equipment sellers will offer to put together your new fitness equipment and deliver it for you no extra cost or a small fee – let them! For an extra hundred you will not have the headache of assembly and you will make sure the piece of equipment is put together correctly.
Hey all, hope everyone is enjoying their Saturdays! Any big plans for the Superbowl tomorrow? I’m not a huge football fan – but I do love any excuse to make some good eats. I think Ryan is gonna make some chicken wings and I’m gonna make a chili for the game tomorrow. I’m pretty sure the boy loves it because its the one day of the year I will actually sit down and watch a football game with him.
Dinner last night was great – we made Buffalo Chicken Salad for dinner. We made a few changes to the recipes from here and here. I told Ryan it was involved hot sauce and Michael Smith – and the kid was SOLD – he adores Michael Smith and his crazy Canadian east-coaster ways. I mainly just think he’s freakishly tall – but still, his recipes = awesome, and very boy friendly.
Here are some picci’s:
Note the giant Blockbuster Video bowl with Scary Movie advertised on the side – yes, its THAT old.
After dinner, we did end up going to Boston Pizza for a couple hours I had a Bellini and a Peach Fuzzberry drink – both we’re yummy, and the bellini was surprisingly strong Ryan got two Scooners, 1 Keiths and 1 Rickards. I had never seen a scooner before I hit the Boston Pizza in Toronto – but they look like this…
I guess they are “manly”, because they are the closest to drinking from a keg that boys will get in a civilized restaurant. We also shared the spinach and artichoke dip, and some sweet potato fries as apps. They were yummy – but as I looked over the menu – they were honestly the only two remotely healthy appetizers on there. And I’m sure the spinach dip wasn’t that healthy anyways. I love the fact that you can make healthy appetizers at home, but it bothers me that that section of the menu usually gets completely forgotten when restaurants “healthify” their menu’s. Oh well – maybe times will change soon.
Today, we got up early and the boy asked if I wanted to hit one of the branches of the gym we belong too – that’s right downtown. Usually we drive to the one that’s about 5 minutes away – but I thought I’d give this one a go. It was actually kind of good because we got in a bit of a warm-up walking to and from the C-Train station. I was actually really impressed with the gym, its on the top floor of a building and is all windows (which is great, since evidently this city is perpetually sunny). The cardio theatre here was WAYY better than the other club – more machines and felt way less cramped. I think I’ll probably start going to that one. The other one we’ve been going to is in the basement of a local mall – and I hate the fact that you can’t see outside. SUN is my friend. Anyways, I ran a quick 2.5 miles on the treadmill in about 27 minutes. Not my fastest ever – but I’m still trying to build back my endurance. I followed this with 20 minutes of weights focusing on my legs.
Currently, I think I may have lost my better half – his coworkers recruiting him into meeting them at work today and stealing the boardroom to play video games. Like how this is even allowed, I have no idea. I want to work for this company. Anyways, he left to go meet them at 1, its now after 4:30 and he hasn’t been seen or heard from – despite the fact he told me he was only gonna go for like an hour. Pfft – I didn’t believe that for a second. Boys + Video Games = 2nd home.
We are planning to go out for dinner later – so hopefully he shows up by then.
What do you usually order as an appetizer at pubs? What do you think is the healthiest choice?
As soon as I start thinking about getting fitter my body rebels and decides to find an illness to partake of!
I don’t usually get ill, but I seem to remember when I was cycling to work every day in my last job I appeared to pick up all sorts of niggling sniffles.
Normally, these things don’t bother me too much and I can get on with things, however, once I start getting headaches that’s my weak point. I can’t think or do anything with a pounding head.
Is there a link between me getting fitter and me getting sicker? Is it a re-adjustment phase because my body is ‘going through changes’? Who knows? I don’t!
For now though I’m just trying to get some rest, but I’m still trying to watch my intake of food, especially soft drinks. I could go for diet versions, but I tend to like the ‘full fat’ versions so the watered down stuff isn’t so appealing! Instead I’ve gone for juices, although I’ll probably read something that advises against drinking those tomorrow!
I’m determined to drop as much of my jiggly stuff as possible to become a lean, mean, running machine in time for the Cardiff Half Marathon in October.
It is time for me to get back into better climbing shape, and since I have a good little hill nearby I don’t have an excuse not to get out and ride. I am referring to Sepulveda Blvd. Here is a little history of Sepulveda Boulevard, taken from Wikepedia:
Sepulveda Boulevard is a street in Los Angeles, California, which stretches some 42.8 miles (about 69 km) from Rinaldi Street at the north end of the San Fernando Valley to the city limits of Hermosa Beach, where it “jumps” 1.3 miles (2.1 km) east and continues on to Long Beach. It generally runs north-south, passing underneath two of the runways of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). It is the longest street in the city and county of Los Angeles.
Sepulveda Boulevard is named for the Sepulveda family of San Pedro, California. The termination of Sepulveda is on a part of the Sepulveda family ranch, Rancho Palos Verdes, which consisted of 31,619 acres (127.96 km2) of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The original grantee of the King of Spain was Jose Dolores Sepulveda. When he was killed in an Indian uprising just above Santa Barbara in 1824, the rancho went to his oldest son, Juan Capistrano Sepulveda.
This concludes today history lesson. The portion of Sepulveda I am referring to is close to my home and I usually get onto it near Wilshire Boulevard.
Sepulveda runs parallel to the I-405 freeway, cresting the Santa Monica mountains
The distance to the top from my jump-on spot is about 4.7 miles and offers just shy of 1000 feet elevation gain, a perfect spot for hill repeats, which I did yesterday. I was on my third uphill leg, when I spotted a rider ahead in the distance. Feeling some fatigue in my legs I welcomed the sight as it helped me focus and set a mental goal of catching the rider. I made slow progress catching up, but eventually did halfway up. It is my custom to announce myself when passing and to offer a friendly greeting, in this case it was a “good morning, how are you doing?”.
In return I got: “not bad for an old man!”
Me: “yeah, same here”, as I passed by, “have a good ride!” But, before I knew it he was back at my side.
He: “you know, I had to see how old you were, I am 70″
Me: “well, in that case I am a youngster, I am only 52″
He: “yeah, I thought so, but you are riding strong for your age”
At this point we were entering a section with about an 8% grade, I remained in bigger gears, standing in my pedals, trying to maintain a slow but steady cadence. My exertion level at a point where it is hard for me to form complete sentences. At the contrary, my newfound riding buddy is seated, pedaling with ease, and has no problems talking.
He: “riding is good, been doing it for the past 30 years, picked it up before my first Ironman when I was 44″
Me: “wow”
He: “I was primarily a runner before, did some marathons…..”.
By the time we reached the top, I knew he was George, married twice, widowed now, lives in Sherman Oaks, has no children, a description of his first Nike running shoes, the weight, model, make and setup of his first steel bike; I also know now that the recommended food intake for long distance runners in the 70’s was steak and eggs and that he loves to hang out at the beach because of the pretty girls. In return he learned my name and the fact that I can grunt! All the while he was seated, spinning upwards with ease, no hint of exertion in his voice.
As we reached the top I hit the lap button on my Garmin out of habit, but didn’t pay attention to it until later at home. George pulled me up the hill shaving over a minute off my best prior lap time. We parted at the top as he was heading down on the valley side and I returned the opposite way.
Me: “you know George, you were right”
He: ” about what?”
Me: “you are not bad for an old man!”
If all goes as planned George and I will ride sometimes next week – I am planning on brining an oxygen tank for me!
I resolved this year to lose some weight and maybe have better more toned body. So I’ve been slacking January – eating all I want, and not caring for my body. Bad. I decided it’s time to get started before it’s too late. Because of my crazy working hours, I don’t really have time to go to the park for a run/walk. And I cannot commit myself spending hours hitting the gym because I just don’t have the time. So my last resort is workout videos.
I’ve been scouring high and low looking for the perfect video and I found it – Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. I’ve read so many good reviews about it and I decided to buy it last week. Basically it’s a simple 20-minute workouts which I can easily squeeze in my schedule. It consists of 2 minutes of warm up, three 6 minutes workout circuits and 2 minutes of cool down. There are 3 levels of intensity that you can choose based on your own capabilities. What’s cool about it is that Jillian Michaels devised this 3-2-1 interval system (3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of card and 1 minute of abs) which is the best and the fastest way to get the body you want.
The first day I started this workout, I was really in a bad shape. I was panting and cursing and I paused the DVD several times for water even though I’m not supposed to. Because I’m not used to working out with hand weights, I hurt my arms real bad. I was so sore afterwards but I managed to finish the workouts. Her routines are simple and easy to follow. She also varies each routines so you don’t get bored.
So anyway, I’m coming to a week of doing it everyday and I cannot tell you how happy I am with my body. My body adapts easily to the workouts and I’m starting to see changes. My arms are definitely toner than before and I can feel my body changing. I feel much more energetic and I’m not panting anymore like I did on my Day 1. I actually look forward each day to my workout time. I’m still in Level 1 intensity but I’m sure I’ll move up to Level 2 anytime soon. So in conclusion, I am definitely recommend this DVD to everyone. It’s a money well spent.
The most important part of any weight loss program is the diet. Whether you spend an hour a day at the gym, have a great metabolism (in which case I hate you), burn an extra 500 calories a day, etc, you will not succeed eating garbage. I use the word garbage, because that is exactly what you are eating. If your diet were as easy as calories in and calories out, there would be very few fat people. Why is it that every year the obesity rate goes up, yet we spend more money on the weight loss industry than in history. Think about that. Think about all the books, pills, infomercials for abs-this’ and diets that allow you to eat anything you want and still lose weight. (Really? I can eat pizza and drink beer and lose weight?) The industry is exploding, and so are the people. Guess what? It is not your fault. The food industry has made you fat by making you eat things you should not be eating, and you had no idea you were eating. Bastards!
According to the CDC, in 1995 15.9 percent of the population was Obese. In 2008, 26.7 percent of the population is considered obese. I am not talking about the 36.5 percent of the population that is over-weight; I am talking about nearly 1/3 of the population being obese! How can that be? We spend more money than ever on diet foods, gyms, etc. We read the literature, go on the newest diets, etc. How is it that things are getting worse when the tools we have seem to be more prevalent?
In 1985, Coke and other products decided to make a cheaper product. They took the pure cane sugar out of their products, and replaced it with the less expensive High Fructose Corn Syrup. The initial result, aside from the fact that the product tasted like crap (try the throwback Pepsi ((made with real sugar)) and compare it to regular Pepsi) was that it was cheap enough to start offering free refills, huge 48 oz containers, etc. What did this mean to the consumer? It meant that instead of drinking 150 calories (12 oz can), people were drinking three times that amount. The long-term results were far worse. You see, our bodies treat HFCS differently than it treats sugar. HFCS goes straight to the liver, and then releases enzymes that tell the body to store fat. It is a fake sweetener! It is unnatural! Our bodies were not built to eat it, nor were they meant to eat the fat-free, overly processed diet foods on the market today.
That’s right, diet foods make you fat. You are eating unnatural products that your body does not know how to process. For example, when you drink a Diet Soda, you will notice it contains no carbs, and no calories, yet lots of artificial ingredients. How can something with that many ingredients have 0 calories? Because it is fake food! When your body tastes the artificial sweeteners in a Diet Soda, it prepares the body for the extra calories by increasing or speeding up your metabolism. It prepares for calories that never come. Over time, your body gets wise to your tricks and stops ramping up the metabolism when it senses sugar being digested. So, the next time you eat real sugar, what happens? Your body thinks you are tricking it with the fake stuff, and treats that piece of cake like a calorie free snack. Not good! This is why we are fat.
Don’t get me wrong, calories do count! If you go eat 3000 calories of all natural anything, you will probably gain weight. That having been said, eating a balanced diet, the same diet you ate when you were a kid, is the way to go. It is time to get back to the basics. Grass Fed Beef, Fresh Organic Vegetables, and a good balance of Carbs, Protein, and Fat. On my next blog, I will get into some specific meal plans.
As of Monday, I have lost 4 pounds, bringing my weight down to 207. I am still a fat tub, but I feel a little better about myself. Going to the gym gets easier every day, but is the least important part of my transformation. As I have said, Diet is more important than exercise. If you are going to cheat, skip the gym!
Our clients come for all sorts of reasons, one of the most common causes of almost every problem whether it be weight loss, sore back, sore neck and shoulders, one leg longer than the other, sore knees, you name it, they all stem from the same thing. BAD POSTURE. Everyone does certain things in their day-to-day activities that favor particular muscles which over time creates muscular imbalances that in later life can cause major problems. The good news is that most of these problems can be fixed by a properly trained Personal Trainer. For more information please contact me. In the meantime, I have included the following information that should help you to turn things around a bit.
Strong Muscles for Proper Posture
Muscles support the spine. A weakness in any of the muscles that support the spine makes it difficult to maintain proper posture. Poor posture is a common cause of back pain due to muscle strain, especially lower back pain.
- Exercises that strengthen and stretch the muscles that support the spine help maintain proper posture.
The back muscles, ligaments & discs are under extra stress when the spine is not in proper alignment. Strong muscles help keep the spine in proper alignment and prevent back pain. Strong muscles also prevent the spine from extending beyond its normal range of motion, which is essential to protecting the ligaments and disks from injury.
Flexible Muscles for Proper Posture
Tight, shortened muscles in the back or buttocks can throw the spine out of alignment and cause back pain. Stretching the back muscles is important for good posture, but other muscles, such as shortened hamstrings (muscles in back of thigh), can also affect spinal alignment.
What is Good Posture?
Many people remember being told ‘Stand up straight’ or ‘Don’t slouch’ when they were children. Like ‘eat your vegetables’, this is still good advice.
The spine, however, is not actually straight. The healthy spine curves inward at the neck, outward at the chest, and inward at the lower back. These two curves balance each other to ensure that the pull of gravity is evenly distributed. If the curves of the spine are increased or decreased the muscles, ligament and joints have to work harder to support the weight of the head and body. This leads to fatigue, strain and back pain.
When standing, the center of the head, the shoulders, center of the body, knees and feet should line up vertically.
COMMON POSTURE ERRORS
Common posture errors of the lower back that cause lower back pain: Swayback - an increase in the natural inward curve of the lower back. Flattened back - a decrease in the natural inward curve of the lower back.
Common posture error of the upper back that cause upper back pain: Rounded or hunched shoulders - an increase in the natural outward curve of the upper back.
Common posture error that causes neck back pain: Head Forward – ears in front of the shoulders, caused by a bent over position or hunching the shoulders.
The Lower Back Posture Errors
The positioning of the pelvis controls the curve of the lower back. The pelvis should be in a neutral position. If the pelvis tilts forward, sway back results (the natural inward curve of the lower back is increased). If the pelvis tilts backward, flattened back results (a decrease in the natural inward curve of the lower back). Control of the pelvis is key in keeping the lower spine in proper alignment and preventing lower back pain.
Like the spine, the pelvis is supported by muscles of the back, and abdomen and buttocks and strengthening these muscles helps maintain good posture and prevent back pain.
SWAY BACK – A Common Posture Error of the Lower Back
When the pelvis tilts forward the lower back arches excessively – sway back. Sway back places extra stress on the ligaments of the spine and leads to back pain. Sway back is more common in a standing position than in a sitting position. Wearing high heels also causes the pelvis to tilt forward and contributes to sway back.
Shortened muscles can also cause swayback. Stretching these muscles and maintaining the pelvis and spine in a neutral position can restore good posture and relieve back pain. Not only can shortened back muscles cause sway back and back pain, but shortened hamstrings (muscles at back of thighs) can contribute to sway back and back pain.
Test for sway back: There should be a slight inward curve to the lower back. To see if your back curves excessively (sway back), stand with your back against a wall, place your feet about 6 inches from the wall. Make sure you head and buttocks are against the wall. If your posture in correct, you will have no more than two inches between the small of your back and the wall. If it is over than this, you have sway back.
*If you have more than 2 inches between the wall and your neck, the muscles in the back of the neck and back need stretching. Don’t be impatient. Lengthening the muscles through stretching exercises must be done gradually to avoid overstretching injuries. Overstretching muscles in the neck and back can result in intense neck and back pain and stiffness.
Sleeping on your stomach shortens the muscles in your back and encourages sway back. Sleeping on your side with the knees bent helps counteract a sway back and can relieve back pain.
FLATTENED BACK – A Common Posture Error of the Lower Back
There should be a slight forward curve to the lower back. Flat back is more likely to be a problem when sitting than when standing. If the pelvis is tilted too far backward, the lower back loses its natural curve, muscles and ligaments are stretched, causing lower back pain.
Upper Back Posture Error
ROUNDED SHOULDERS is a Posture Error of the Upper Back
If your shoulders are rounded you need to stretch the chest muscles and strengthen your upper back muscles. Rounded shoulders are usually the result of slouching. When slouching, the natural forward curve of the neck is also exaggerated, which can result in neck pain as well as upper back pain. It is more common to slouch when sitting. Slouching is often caused by fatigue, especially when sitting in front of a computer.
Slouching also compresses your diaphragm, when leads to shallow breathing. Proper posture allows proper breathing and sufficient oxygen intake. Getting enough oxygen helps to relax muscles and prevents stress from building up in the muscles, especially the muscles of the neck and back. Tense muscles area common cause back pain and neck pain.
Other Posture Error
HEAD FORWARD- A Common Posture Error
The back of ears should be in line with shoulders, chin parallel to floor. Being in a bent over position or slouching causes the head to be too far forward.
When standing or sitting in an upright position the weight of your head (about 15 pounds) is supported by your entire spine, which acts as a pillar for your head.
Poor posture habits such as leaning forward puts the burden of supporting the head on the muscles in the neck. This causes muscle strain and pain in the neck and can even cause headaches.
Once the neck muscles are strained, leaning your head over for even very short periods of times can cause neck pain. Proper posture allows strained neck and back muscles to heal more quickly.
The head is heavy and the muscles of the neck take the entire load when your head is forward, creating neck pain.
Proper Posture While Sitting
Many people spend much of their workday sitting. Proper posture while sitting is vital for preventing back pain.
Even when maintaining good posture, sitting for prolonged periods of times can tire the back muscles. Take frequent breaks from sitting; take a short walk every half hour to hour, as the human body was not designed to stay in one position for long periods of time.
Also, the discs are under more pressure when sitting than while standing. Having a chair that reclines slightly shifts you weight onto the backrest of the chair; this allows your back muscles to relax, and takes some of the pressure off of the discs.
Adjustable Chairs With Good Back Support Prevent Agonizing Back Pain.
The pelvis should be in a neutral position. Certain chairs cause the pelvis to tilt backward, decreasing the curve of the lower back (flattened back), which places extra stress on the lower back and causes back pain. If you don’t have access to a chair with a good back support, place a small pillow in the small of the back to correct the curve.
Some people try too hard to sit up straight and actually end up tilting their pelvis forward and arching their back. This increase in the curve of the lower back (sway back) also strains the lower back and causes back pain.
When sitting in a chair, the feet should be supported. If the seat is too high for the feet to reach the floor, use a platform to rest your feet on. The knees should be level with or slightly higher than the hips.
Besides lower back pain, neck pain is common when good posture is not maintained while sitting. Make sure your computer monitor isn’t too high of low. You shouldn’t have to tilt your head up or lean forward to see the screen. We often extend our neck to look at a computer screen, sometimes because it is too far away, sometimes out of habit. Looking upward or looking downward or sideways (which is common practice when viewing a document upon a desk) puts excessive strain on the neck and upper back and causes neck and back pain.
The arms should hang at your sides. If your computer keyboard is too high or too far away the arms have to be kept raised or extended, resulting in tense shoulder and upper back muscles and back pain.
The top of the computer screen should be just below eye level. When reading, place the material on an angle; don’t place the reading material flat on a desk or your lap. Leaning your head over for prolonged periods of time is brutal on your neck muscles.
Proper Posture While Lying Down
Lying on side with knees bent – pillow between knees for support:
Lying on your stomach increases the curve of the lower back, leads to shortening of the muscles in your lower back and encourages sway back. Lying on your side with the knees bent helps counteract a sway back and relieves back pain.
If you absolutely must sleep on your stomach, place a pillow under your hips to help support the lower back. However, sleeping on the stomach also can strain the neck and is not advisable.
Lying on back with knees bent – pillow under knees for support:
Lying on the back with straight legs can cause low back pain. If you prefer to sleep on your back, bend your knees slightly and place a pillow under them for support.
Proper Support While Lying – Mattresses and Back Pain
A good mattress will conform to the spine’s natural curves and keep the spine in proper alignment.
When lying on a saggy mattress, the spine is thrown out of alignment. For people suffering from lower back pain, a saggy mattress that causes the lower back to sink into the mattress and can irritate the spinal joints, resulting in more lower back pain upon awakening.
It the mattress is too firm there will be gaps between the inward curves of the body and the mattress that leave parts of the back unsupported, stressing the back and causing and back pain.
The solution is to get a relatively firm mattress with enough cushioning for comfort. (There must be enough cushioning to distribute the weight of the body and eliminate pressure points) If you already own a bed that is overly firm, you can just get a good quality foam topper for your bed.
If you are in reasonable nick the above will help you to keep out of trouble. If you already suffer from postural problems a personal trainer might just be your life saver, we work with an excellent Osteopath who helps us pinpoint the exact problem, we take it from there to bring you back to how you were 10 years ago. If you want to put the pain behind you forever, call me now for a free consultation where I can show how we can provide a life long solution to what you’ve been putting up with for years.
Now is always the best time to get something done, call me now on 0402273595 or email to niddrie@newlevelpersonaltraining.com for more information or to make an appointment.
Note the giant Blockbuster Video bowl with Scary Movie advertised on the side – yes, its THAT old.
Ryan got two Scooners, 1 Keiths and 1 Rickards. I had never seen a scooner before I hit the Boston Pizza in Toronto – but they look like this…
