by Kim Miller | Aug 8, 2015 | Totally Tone Tuesday, Uncategorized
Can I do the things I need to do throughout the day without getting too tired?If your answer was no to that question last week, I suggested that you would need to up your strength in the weight department. But here’s the thing you may be wondering…what does “too tired mean?” It’s often easy to assess when a muscle cannot do any more exercise like when you are in a gym and you can barely do one more rep because you are too tired.
But to assess whether you are strong enough on a daily basis to do what you need to do, may be a little more complicated. Below are several things that will tip you off that you are not in as good of shape as you need to be:
– You are prone to injury.
– You are not sleeping well.
– You no longer desire to do the things that you once enjoyed doing.
– You find yourself looking for movement shortcuts.
– Your enjoyment mainly comes through eating instead of a multitude of outlets.
* all of the above can be a condition of others health problems not related to strength. I tell my clients to check things out with a doctor, but if these areas above improve with me training them than their lack of overall strength was one of the missing links to feeling good.
Can I move in various positions without feeling strain?
If your answer was no last week then you gotta increase your flex, called range of motion or ROM for short. But here’s the thing here: losing our ROM happens so slowly and progressively that we barely notice it until one day, we bend over to pick up a pen off the floor and we can barely get back up! Scary right?
Here are 5 activities you should be able to do without strain.
1. Pick up a pen off the floor with no strain.
2. March in place with a high knee lift for 1 minute with no strain.
3. Stay in a half squat position for one minute/full squat for those in athletics with no strain.
4. Raise your arms up overhead while standing against a wall with no strain.
5. Get up off of a floor from a supine( on back) position to a standing position in less than 7 seconds/3 seconds for those in athletics.
Do I feel balanced in various activities throughout the day?
If your answer was no last week then you gotta increase your leg strength and increase your balance.
Here are 3 activities you should be able to do with good form:
1. Pick up a pen off the floor while feeling balanced.
2. March in place with a high knee lift for 1 minute.
3. Stay in a half squat position for one minute/full squat for those in athletics.
4. Get up off of a floor from a supine( on back) position to a standing position in less than 7 seconds/3 seconds for those in athletics.
5. Balance on one leg with eyes closed for 30 seconds/ one minute for those in athletics.
by Kim Miller | Aug 8, 2015 | Totally Tone Tuesday, Uncategorized
Should Women Train Differently than Men For Muscle Tone?
Weightlifting is the secret weapon in the battle of fat loss. Not only does it burn calories when you do it, the muscle it stimulates burns calories while you sleep. If that is not enough, muscle also represents every desired curve women want on their bodies; a tight stomach, firm arms, firm thighs, etc. Achieving those goals is not just about removing fat; it’s about stimulating muscle.The muscle physiology of men and women is virtually identical. Yes, women have less testosterone and, on average, less muscle per pound of body weight, but the techniques to improve muscle tone, add muscle mass and increase functional strength are all identical. The best chest exercise for a man is also the best chest exercise for a woman, and so on.It seems women’s magazines are the worst offenders in this area of telling women they need to train differently. How many times have you seen a photo of a flawlessly beautiful model with a 22-inch waist holding a pink 2-pound dumbbell? That dumbbell did not give her that body. It can’t. The truth is a light weight like that will never, ever force a change in your body. You tone, shape and build a muscle by forcing it to perform exercises near the maximum limit of its ability. There is no other way.
How To Get Results In the Gym?
If you want results in the gym that will transform the look of your body you need to lift what are – for you – really heavy weights.
It’s important though that you build up to that capacity as it is usually the tendons and ligaments that need to adapt to the increased weight rather than the muscle.
Lift Heavy Weights but be smart and patient making sure that your body adapts over time to the increased weight amounts. When you visit the gym try some of your favorite exercises with a weight that is so heavy you can only perform 5 or 6 repetitions. That’s a good starting place to discover what you are really capable of and what it will take to deliver changes you can see in the mirror.
Get Out of The Mindset
If you get out of the mindset that you need to lift light weights and implement lots of repetitions because you are over 50, you will sculpt your body so much better! But be smart. Build up to the heavier weights and know that toning results come through challenging the body to lift heavier weights than what you are used to using. And women know that if you want to sculpt your body, we basically should be training the same way that educated in the gym men train – heavier weights that produce fatigue in the muscles at a low repetition range such as 5-6 reps at least once a week for increased muscle shape. And no pink dumb bells, unless of course they weigh at least 10 lbs!
by Kim Miller | Aug 8, 2015 | Totally Tone Tuesday, Uncategorized
In work as in life we create a sense of balance by understanding what we want and what we don’t, what we need and do not need.
We prioritize by wanting less of one thing and more of something else.
Less overwhelm and more progress. Fewer things to react to and more results.
Less busyness and more time. Fewer restrictions and more choices.
The irony is that we spend a lot our time on things that won’t get us to where we want to go whether it is on becoming more fit and energized or losing weight and keeping it off.
We often prioritize the things we say we don’t want to keep doing.
The trick to getting the results you want is to align your actions with the results you want.
Do you want better strength because you enjoy golf so much and still want to improve and have more fun?
Do you want better flexibility in your body because it’s nice to be able to hang out playing with your kids and grandkids and have more fun?
Do you want better balance because you are aware of the problems associated with falling and being laid up for a long period of time and having no fun?
Are you motivated to take the time to understand where you want to go?
Are you motivated to create the must do list that’s going to get you there?
Are you motivated to do more of what’s on the list and less of what’s not?
The last step is a choice that we each have the power to make.
by Kim Miller | Aug 8, 2015 | Totally Tone Tuesday, Uncategorized
Here’s the thing. When it comes to feeling strong, being limber, and having good body balance, it all comes down to personal lifestyle activities. Some people need loads of quadriceps and hamstring strength because they may cycle or others may play golf and need great hip, lower back and core strength. And yet others may not play sports, and simply desire the energy, limberness, and capacity to do whatever is called for in life at any given moment. The bottom line is that strength, limberness and balance all play a crucial role in aging “less fast” than the typical person currently ages.
If you are in this latter group of non sports people then you are in good company. Many people do not play sports yet keep physically fit by doing many smart exercises/practices.
Below are three smart exercises to add to your fitness program:
Leg Strength – Chair Squat.
– Keep back straight
– Keep knees over ankles and not over toes.
– Keep chest high.
– If you have back issues, only go to a three quarter squat and always stretch back prior to implementing.
BodySmart Fit Tip: Thinking these are wimpy girl exercises using that chair? Think again! Vary your pace, number of squats and or sets, to get the desired feel.
A good place to start for beginners: 2 sets of 10 reps with impeccable form. Advance from there.
Fun Notes: Take out your skinny jeans. Men take note too: this is not a woman only exercise! All upper body muscle and skinny legs is no good!
Hamstring Stretch – Back of the Upper Leg
– keep back flat as you lean forward receiving a stretch.
– flex foot towards you to receive a calf stretch as well.
– hold for 30 seconds and repeat two more times.
BodySmart Fit Tip: your range of motion increases as you hold the pose – lean further forward to increase the ROM, but never going to the point of pain. Tight hamstrings often result in a tight lower back. A tight lower back makes movement painful. And painful movement makes us less apt to move, creating the cycle of aging quicker than need be!
Fun Notes: I woke up decrepid last week- tight hamstrings and tight back. It was embarrassing training clients. Here’s the thing: we get stiff from usually one of two things. Either under exercise or over exercise. In my sad defense, I was over exercised and woke up so super tight that picking up the dog that morning set my back on fire. That’s my story and I am sticking with it!
One leg Balance
– you remember this pose from previous newsletters.
– now increase your time to 90 second holds on each leg!
BodySmart Fit Tip: In seeking better balance we gain strength. With this pose, leg strength and core strength is enhanced.
Fun Notes: What is this chick thinking? I do not recommend doing this pose on slippery moss covered rocks.
by Kim Miller | Aug 8, 2015 | Totally Tone Tuesday, Uncategorized
It was a real treat to take our time and focus on everything I write about. One of the things I learned over the years is that it is not necessary to train like a maniac in order to receive the benefits of a fit body that can do what you need it to do. I am not opposed to working like a “maniac” when it is called for, but too often I see people training in quiet desperation thinking they will lose weight because of exercising. Of course exercise is great for all of us, but the intent of why many people exercise is old school thinking: to burn calories, lose weight, or punish oneself for overeating. I want to help people change this kind of thinking.
P.S. The picture above is not me training at the hotel but it motivates me because I cannot imagine someone looking like that and eating well…crap. I imagine she got her muscles from working out , but got her lean body composition from eating like a champ! Which is exactly what today’s news is about.
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One of the concepts that I want people to understand is that fitness is part of health – yes, but that weight maintenance/loss, and being lean is a matter of what you eat.
Think About This
How many people do you know that train in the gym, or run and bike miles daily yet are overweight?
I am not about not exercising. Exercise is extremely important in aging well and changing the physiological responses in the body positively. The problem is that the mindset that many people have regarding movements effects on weight loss is incorrect. The mindset being that exercise will cause us to lose weight is the real reason people are not losing weight. By having this mindset we deny the real reasons we cannot lose weight and obtain the body we desire. The fact is – food matters. What we choose to eat and not eat is extremely important in weight loss. This understanding is so central to being able to lose weight that in my 30 Days to Lean Program, I do not even discuss exercise other than to say… do something you enjoy a few minutes a day. No pressure. Just enjoy.
Awareness is Key
There is a direct correlation in what we eat and how much weight we lose! There is little correlation in how much we exercise and weight loss. It’ s a tough realization for many, but for those who are up to the challenge, it makes all the difference in living well. As one member who lost 24 pounds in 8 weeks said, ” I used to exercise like a nut. 90 minutes everyday in the gym for 20 years, and for that I have gained 20 pounds in 20 years. Now, I am sensible. I eat well and I exercise moderately. I am not deprived and I love my daily eating practices. I do not feel deprived either. And most importantly, no one could have told me I would love my new eating and exercise life. I never believed it myself! The words freeing and liberating come to mind.”
Here’s a Challenge For You.
The next time you go into the gym, take a walk, run, bicycle ride, improve your strength, stretch your body, practice balancing, or implement any of the exercises in the Totally Tone newsletters, exercise not because you are aiming to burn calories and lose weight, but because it is part of being a healthy person. Say to yourself, “This exercise is designed to improve my physical conditioning but it will not cause me to lose weight.” This realization that it is not exercise that will cause one to be trim looking is central to going at the root cause of why one may be overweight. No longer can one use exercise to atone for poor eating practices. Instead one will have to make the needed mind shift that exercise is for conditioning the body and that it is separate from the ability to lose weight.
Food matters not only in bringing health to our bodies, but in ridding the body of excess fat. By de-emphasizing training like a maniac, one can focus on what they eat as a means to transforming their bodies and their lives. You can have the awareness that there is a direct correlation in what you eat and how much weight you lose! Yes, it’ s a tough realization for many, but for those who are up to the challenge it makes all the difference in living well.
