Marine Update

Many of you know my son, Ryan, is a Marine. Many of you have also wished him and I well as he serves our country and as I persevered to get through boot camp in the spring. I certainly appreciate that very much! I just wanted to let you all know that he got his first promotion last week and is now a PFC! He is so pleased and tells me his goal is to get a perfect PFT and move up to Lance Corporal within the next 3 months. He is in aviation candidate school and has to qualify physicially to be able to be part of an air crew before he can even attend the technical school. He must be able to swim with his 75 pound pack on, swim 1 mile, as well as do 36 laps in their pool utilizing a variety of strokes in less than 80 minutes. Every day he spends 4-5 hours swimming and also runs 8 miles per day in the Pensacola sand. Although I am having a hard time adjusting to being a Marine Mom, he is an inspiration to me. How tired must he be at lap 26, 28 or 33? But he continues on to finish. I think about that when I am at the gym after a long hard day of work and feel tired on my last 10 minutes of the elliptical and want to stop. I think of his persistance and convince myself, "Hey if he can do that, I can certainly spend a little more time on the elliptical trainer to burn more calories." It's all about perspective.

When is the best time to exercise?

I have many patients ask me, “What is the best time to exercise, in the morning or at night?” Well, there are two schools of thought on that. Some experts think it is better to exercise in the morning because you will burn more calories during the day. Also if you include it into your morning regiment as you get ready for the day, you will always get your work out in. On the other hand, some experts feel it is better to exercise later in the day because it will burn the calories and carbs you ate during the day. In addition, if you exercise after work, it will help release the stress from the day resulting in less stress hormones being produced and consequently less belly fat. The only downside from exercising at the end of the day is that you may be too tired and decide to skip it. So, if you decide to wait until the end of the day, do not make any excuses and get it in whether it is a walk, a gym routine, class or at home regiment. In actuality, you should exercise when it fits into your schedule. I have some patients that have a hybrid: they exercise a little in the morning or at lunchtime and then workout again when they get home at night. The point of exercise is to burn calories, tone the body and increase metabolism and you will receive that benefit regardless of the time of day.

Remember it is best to get a mixture of both cardio and weight resistance training. You want to efficiently burn the calories with cardio by working within your target heart rate zone. Don’t go above it or you could burn precious muscle away. Also it is extremely effective to do some sort of resistance training, whether it is weight machines at the gym, dumb bells or bands. Resistance training will increase lean muscle mass causing an increase in metabolism. The lean muscle in your body burns many more calories than fat cells. Doing some sort of resistance training every other day will help you burn more calories, burn fat and sculpt the muscles. For women, I recommend lighter weights and more repetitions for definition without the bulk. Bulk will add weight to you. If you have ever seen women in the gym on the adductor leg machines using 150 pounds of weight and their thighs have muscle but are huge…that is why.

For those of you that see me weekly, you know I love to work out and I love weight training. It’s one of my personal interests. Last year, I felt stuck with my own routines and felt my progress was limited on muscle development. So, I decided to study to become certified personal trainer to help myself and to hopefully pass on information to help our patients. I usually do my workouts after work at about 8:00 PM or so as it helps me to release the stress from the day (and from working with Dr. Posner all day, just kidding)…For me, there are no excuses, after work I must immediately do my workout. I may not want to as I may feel tired from working the last 12 or 13 hours, but all I remember is how I feel after I am done and my car is on autopilot to the gym. As women, weight training can seriously give us the greatest boost in metabolism and it doesn’t matter at what age we start. We can reap the benefits at any age.

Can we lose weight when we are older?

We have a number of patients in the program that are above 50 in age and most ask on their first visit, Am I too old to lose weight? The answer is NO! You can absolutely lose weight if you want to. A recent study by NIH showed that people in their 50's and 60's can lose weight if they put their mind to it.

The year-long study followed healthy 50- to 60-year olds with a body mass index of between 23 and 30, placing them at the high end of normal weight or overweight. Both those who dieted and those who exercised lost a significant amount of weight. However, those who exercised maintained their strength and muscle mass and increased aerobic capacity and those who dieted lost muscle mass, strength and aerobic capacity.

The goal of dieters was to reduce their calorie consumption by 16 percent for the first three months, and by 20 percent the next nine months. With regard to exercise, the goal of the exercisers was to burn 16 percent more calories the first three months, increasing to 20 percent the next nine months.

Both groups lost between 9 and 10 percent of their total body weight. Those who exercised engaged in 60 minutes of cardiovascular activity six times a week, such as a brisk three- to four-mile walk. Those exercisers who worked out for 90 minutes a day took off more pounds, around 15 to 20 percent of their body weight.

Those who dieted lost muscle mass while those who exercised did not. This is because exercisers routinely challenged their muscles, which prevented muscle tissue from degrading. Dieters didn't work their muscles as vigorously as those who exercised. The study concluded that those who want to lose weight should engage in increased exercise with caloric restriction instead of just counting calories alone.

And just to let you know, our oldest patient in the program was 86 and she lost 20 pounds!

WEIGHT LOSS AND EXERCISE

I was out running around Burke Lake Park the other day and paid attention to the faces of people who were running by me in the opposite direction. (I didn't mean people running past me because they were faster than me, so please stop the age jokes going through your mind). For a number of people, there was a look of anguish on their faces. It was hot, humid, and not easy to run in this environment. I started thinking about other venues in which you see people, and my first thought was that you almost NEVER see a look of anguish on the face of a person at a restaurant. Everyone appears to be happy, smiling, enjoying the moment.

Point here is that the reason why so many people avoid exercise is because it is not really a "fun" activity. We know it is healthy for us, will help in our weight loss efforts, and globally produces more energy, but while we are doing the exercise, it is not all that much fun. Least you doubt that statement, next time you are at a gym, look around and you will see most people with IPODS, headsets, watching tv, etc...all meant to distract themselves from the activity being performed. Now think of a restaurant...no one seems to want to be distracted from that activity.

For me, when I am playing tennis, I do not realize that I am "exercising" because I am into the competition, enjoying the activity (if I win), etc. Running for me is much more boring and I constantly seek diversion through listening to music or watching a sports event on TV.

Try to find activities that are not things you loathe. For instance, a number of people despise running on a treadmill. Obviously, if that was the only exercise available to them, they will find every excuse in the book why NOT to do it: "I have been working so many hours on the job." "The kids are so busy with soccer." "My knees hurt when I run." For those people who hate running, explore other activities that burn calories that you may find more fun. Certainly during the summer, swimming is a great sport. Hiking, rowing boats, "boot camps" that personal trainers run may all be activities that you will find more fun. Everyone of course is different, so individually, if you are not exercising at all right now, explore the activities that will allow your heart rate to go up, yet you enjoy doing that activity.

Goal-Setting Is the First Step to Fitness Success

If you haven’t set goals for yourself, now’s the time to start. Research shows that people who set fitness goals are more likely to stick with their exercise routines and perform at a higher level than those who don’t. This simple process can invigorate your program whether you’re new to working out or simply want to tweak you current fitness objectives.
So why spend time setting goals? First, because it works. Setting goals also helps keep you motivated, especially at the beginning of a fitness program. Goals help us adhere to the exercise program and once we’ve succeed, even if it’s just a little, it motivates us throughout the program.

Goals should be realistic, for instance, look at your body type, fitness level, your available time to exercise and don’t forget your food intake. As you’re setting your goals, remember to make them specific and measurable. An objective of "I want to run two miles under 25 minutes" is more effective than "I want to increase my running speed." This way, you have a way of measuring and tracking your success. Define your goal so you have a way of measuring it.
Often we focus on the overall achievements we’re aiming for, but don’t forget to break down that goal into smaller objectives that you’ll work toward over time. If you want to increase your bench press max by 50 pounds, break that into segments—increase your max by 10 pounds in six weeks, and build from there. Hitting those smaller goals helps keep you motivated to reach the larger ones.

Simply setting your goals is not enough. You’ve got to figure out how you’ll achieve them. How often will you train? For how long? When will you go to the gym? How much cardio will you do? How will you modify your diet? The more specific you are with your plan, the better. After you’ve developed your plan, track your progress. The easiest way to do this is with a training log where you record your workouts and other information like your nutritional intake, hours of sleep, and other factors that may affect your training. Check in with your goals occasionally—this may mean sitting down once a week with your training log to perform a mini-review of how you did over the past week. As you review your progress, make appropriate adjustments to your training plan to keep you on track. Once in a while, take a look at the big picture—are you still motivated about your overall objectives? Are your goals still realistic or do they need to be tweaked? Your exercise log will help you review and evaluate your progress. If you’ve hit a plateau, for example, you may find that you need to mix up your routine—or it may be that you’re not getting enough rest between workouts. Your log can also serve as a trophy of sorts—it’s a constant reminder of how far you’ve come and how hard you’ve worked.

And don’t forget to celebrate your achievements! When setting goals, you may also want to build in a reward system for yourself. Made it to the gym four days a week, despite a busy work schedule? Finally hit 225 on the bench press? Treat yourself to a manicure and pedicure at the spa, buy a new book or shoes or 18 rounds on your favorite golf course. Do not reward yourself with food. That too will help keep you motivated. The bottom line is goal-setting should be an integral part of your workout routine if it isn’t already. It makes sense in the business world and in the gym as well. Remember, too, that deciding what you want isn’t enough—you must determine how you’ll get it. People confuse dreams and goals, whereas a dream is a fantasy; a goal is a dream, but has a plan to motivate you and help take you there.

Increase the metabolism with weight training

Everyone who sees me knows what I proponent I am of exercise and weight resistance training. Weight resistance is the quickest way to increase the metabolism and increase lean muscle mass plus it will help tone and tighten the skin. The muscle in our bodies burns many more calories than our fat cells. So the more muscle we have, the more calories our bodies will burn. Also for us, as women, the resistance training is important as we age and help with delaying onset of arthritis and osteoporosis.

Adding in some weight training to your existing exercise routine for 20 minutes, 3-4 days/week can truly make a difference. This can be done at a gym with resistance machines, free weights or resistance bands. If you need a routine to follow at home, I found one that I love: Gilad's Express Workouts are great to help add muscle (not bulk) and strength. There are 15 express workouts each under 10 minutes that you can do whenever you have a few extra minutes to spare. Each workout targets a different area. The 2 DVD set is available online at www.BodiesinmotionwithGilad.com for $29.95 or on Amazon.com for $26.99.

"I Will work it off the next day"

Patients often tell me that they tell themselves if they eat lots of high caloric foods on night they will "work it off the next day". I tell them to be very careful because it is not an equal tradeoff. What do I mean by this? Well..here is an example....i run 5 miles in the morning and my treadmill tells me I have worked off 640 calories...yeas for the old guy Posner! BUT...the other day i was eating at the office some (please dont laugh) girlscout cookies and within 45 seconds ate 300 calories...almost half of what it took me 46 MINUTES to burn off earlier that day. Point being: you can consume lots of calories quickly but it takes long periods of time to burn off those calories.

Think in terms, before you eat a really high caloric food source about how many miles you need to run, treadmill, bicycle etc to burn off the calories that you are about ready to eat...perhaps you mmay think twice about that 800 calorie ice cream sundae and the 1 hour you will need to run to burn this off!

exercise on the weekends

Saturday morning...kids soccer game? trip to Home Depot for gardening supplies?

Have you built time in your schedule for exercise?

Exercise is interesting in that we know that for long-term weight loss, a regular exercise program is essential, yet we find lots of reasons why not to do it. The bottom line is that exercise is not really fun when you are doing it...perhaps playing a tennis match, bicycling in the country, walking a golf course is fun. But, pounding on a treadmill or stairmaster is not exactly fun for most people...least you doubt that, look at people exercising in gyms..they are using IPODs, CD players, etc..doing everything possible to distract themselves from what they are doing.

Try to build in exercise time as part of your weekly schedule...almost like a business appointment. If you do not schedule this time in advance, but rather look at it as: "if i have time, i will exercise", it will never happen. Try to find activities that are not abhorrent to you..some people HATE running, but yet, swimming is fun. Obviously, pick activities that you may find relaxing. For instance, I have much more fun running outside at a park as opposed to a treadmill.

By the way, in the category of "embarrassing moments" for your Doctor, I was running at Burke Lake Park the other day, and heard a sound of something catching up to me from behind. Then , quickly passing me was a young mother jogging while pushing her baby in a carriage. I got dusted by someone pushing a baby! I feel old and slow!~