Two Deep Breaths and Belief

Two Deep Breaths and Belief

Do you believe?

Some people believe in magic, some in God, some in ghosts. Some believe this is the year their team will win the Super Bowl. Some people believe this is the week they’ll win the lottery.

But that’s not what I’m talking about.

I want to know if you believe in yourself.

After 5 years as a personal trainer I can tell you that many people don’t believe in themselves. They begin a lot of sentences like this….

“I can’t…”

I can’t lose weight.
I can’t find time to workout.
I can’t jog.

This may be you. This may be someone you know.

As a trainer it is my job to get the most out of my client’s potential. The best way to do this is to make them BELIEVE in themselves. The process can be slow.

Some people think they “can’t do pushups.” We give them a version of a pushup they can do. Some people think they “can’t walk briskly for 10 minutes.” We get them to walk for 11 minutes, then 12, then 15. Some people think they “can’t lift a 10 lb dumbbell” because “Jillian only has me use 3 lb weights on her DVD.” Then we have them pick up 5 lb dumbbells, then 8, then 10, etc.

Why don’t they believe in themselves? They don’t believe because they’ve never tried it before or they tried it once and failed. So how do you begin to believe?

The first step is TAKE TWO DEEP BREATHS. Really, this works. Breathing can help you calm down, clear your head, and refocus on what you need to do.

If you are ready to start minute 11 of your walk and you are tired and think you can’t go on, stop and take two deep breaths and continue.

Two weekends ago a group of 8 of my boot campers did a 5K Mud Run. The run was over a hilly course and featured 8 obstacles including scaling a 5 foot wall, climbing over an 8 foot high cargo net and Army crawling through several deep mud pits.

Before the event I heard…

“I can’t run 5k.”
“I can’t scale that wall.”
“I can’t trudge through the mud.”

Yet every one of us tried. Every one of us finished. And most of us are ready to do another one.

Every one of us knew it would be tough but with two deep breaths and a belief that we could do it we finished. Now all of the sudden “I can’t” is replaced with “I did.”

I’m Going Paleo – What, Why and How?

Your reaction to me saying “I’m going paleo” probably falls into one of four categories.

“Really, that’s interesting, tell me more.”

“Why would you want to do that?”

“What or where is a paleo?”

“Who cares?”

This series of blog posts are aimed at all of you. The “who cares” contingent probably won’t read for long but might learn something when they do read. The rest are likely to have your questions answered while you learn about the how’s and whys of choosing to eat paleo.

I will be learning along with you, in real time, while experiencing what if any impact it has on my health, strength, mood, endurance, stress, speed, outlook on life and many other factors. My intent is to share with you what it means to eat paleo, from shopping to cooking to the inevitable 'cheating'. I hope you enjoy the read and, if it is right for you, join me.

Let’s get the first question out of the way. What is paleo?

It is a way of eating that mimics our hunter-gatherer ancestors based on the notion that humans have, over the millenia, genetically adapted to eating meats, fish, vegetables and fruits. Our modern diet, just a blip on the historical timeline, based primarily on grains, legumes, dairy products, processed foods and refined sugars predispose us to sickness. Basically, our bodies are used to us eating like a caveman/cavewoman so we should do so.

Why am I choosing to go paleo?

In February I will be going to the C.R.A.S.H. B World Indoor Rowing Championships in Boston. My goal is a top 100 finish in the Open category and a top 10 in the Masters Division.

Primarily paleo is an experiment for me. Some of the fittest people I know are strict paleo followers. They choose it to stay lean and fit but they probably would be that way anyway given the amount of effort they put into their workouts. More importantly to me, eating paleo improves their results. Whether it is strength, cardio capacity, or race times…by most measures they get better, stronger and faster.

I believe eating paleo will give me greater capacity to go faster and finish better at the event. As a by-product, I want to see and feel the health benefits of paleo eating.

In upcoming posts I'll discuss my pre-paleo nutrition and let you know how I got started. This isn't the first attempt, just the first serious attempt at "going paleo". Wish me luck.

The Push Away Diet

The Dukan Diet

The Atkins Diet

South Beach

Nutrisystem

The Zone

and now....The Push Away Diet

What's the difference between them. It's simple. The last one works for everyone and lasts a lifetime. The secret...before you feel full push yourself away from the table.

You can't buy a book about the Push Away Diet. You can't download an app for it. The diet is just a way of being.

I read this approach from Mike Boyle, one of the foremost authorities on strength training and nutrition in the industry. Here's how you do it (borrowing liberally from a blog by my colleagues Chris and Kara Mohr):

1. Get out of the habit of cleaning your plate. Always leave some food on it.

2. When you eat out, ask for half of your meal to be put in a doggy bag BEFORE they serve the meal to you.

3. At a party or social gathering, don't stand around at the buffet, grill, or kitchen.

Three simple steps. Start today.

Do you need motivtation? Accountability? Some one to nudge you? Claim your complimentary fitness consultation and evaluation (an $87 value) today. Visit our website to sign up.

Be well,

Paul

Paul Dziewisz
Active Personal Fitness
www.ActivePersonal Fitness.com
267.626.7478
"You give us the effort...we'll get you the results."

Oh no, this is going to be my toughest client yet

It can be unsettling when a routine doctor visit produces a stern warning. That's what happened last week. The problem: the patient is overweight. The doctor said "overweight", I heard "chubby". The patient needs to lose 2 pounds and he's not happy about it.

My dog Lou is a 10-year-old bichon-frise (see pic attached). He's about 14" tall and weighs in a 27 lbs (I'm not sure what his BMI is or if that even matters for dogs). Bichons are normally under 16 lbs but he and his brother Armstrong were always bigger than the rest of the breed. But Armstrong, named after Lance, is the athlete. His 27 lbs is muscle. Lou....not so much...I'll admit he's a little squishy.

We offered all the normal protests:

"He's just big-boned."

"We really don't eat too many treats."

"We watch our portion sizes."

"Maybe that scale is wrong."

But, alas, the vet saw through our excuses. She stood firm. Lose 2 lbs.

The advice from the doctor is pretty straight-forward. You have heard this before. Reduce the number of treats and get in more walks. Basically, reduce calories in and increase calories burned.

I love Lou and I want him around for a long time. As a family member I know he needs my support to get trim.

Here's the plan:

- Reduce his treats to two per day.

- Make sure he is not getting more than his prescribed portion at breakfast and dinner.

- Increase the frequency and length of his walks.

If you have someone in your family who needs your support to make a positive change in their health then step up and help make it easier for them to achieve their goal. We offer in-home personal training programs with male and female trainers. We also conduct a great boot camp in Chalfont for all ability levels. Check us out at www.ActivePersonalFitness.com or call 267.626.7478.

We'll keep you posted on Lou's progress.

Be well,

Paul

Paul Dziewisz

Active Personal Fitness

www.ActivePersonalFitness.com

267.626.7478

"You give us the effort...we'll get you the results."

So you don't want to be overweight

According to research by The NDP Group, a leading market research company, only 24% of households plan all of their dinners in advance while 71% plan some dinners in advance.

That means a majority of you have no idea what you're going to eat until mealtime. Then you get home late, you're rushing to a kid's game, you have an errand to run, etc. and you throw together the quickest meal you can with nothing ready.

So what happens?

You reach into the freezer, pull out the frozen, processed, chicken nuggets with all the calories and sodium and pop it into the microwave. Or worse yet, you order take out. (Actually, I'm not sure which is worse.)

Three actions can help you avoid the extra weight gain from grabbing whatever is available for your meals.

1. Plan - Have a list ready of 10 easy meals you can choose from and determine which night you will have which meal. 10 gives you the opportunity to add variety and change things up.

2. Shop - Go to the grocery store and make sure you have fresh, easily prepared foods on hand.

3. Prepare - Spend some time on Sunday preparing meals ahead of time. All the meals for the week can be created in advance saving you time and still keeping the great flavor.

Plan, shop and prepare will save you time, money and keep your waistline right where you want it.

Be well,

Paul

Paul Dziewisz

Active Personal Fitness

www.ActivePersonalFitness.com

267.626.7478

"You give us the effort...we'll get you the results."

Ladies, you won't look like Arnold

"I don't want to look like a man."

I have heard this statement from every female client I have worked with in 5 years as a personal trainer and group exercise instructor .

After years of using nothing but 5 lbs dumbbells they come to me to help them get lean, toned arms. As soon as I start to introduce 10 and 15 lbs dumbbells I get the look. Then I hear, "I don't want to look like a man."

Here is a short video from CrossFit Obsession.

http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/WOD110606_AllisonNYC_SnatchBalance.wmv

Allison has been CrossFitting for several years. In the video she starts by pressing her body weight (@ 119lbs) over her head using a lift called a snatch balance. By the end of the video she is using over 170lbs.

What "looks like a man" is very subjective. You may think she is too muscular. But I think we can agree she is not muscle bound and certainly does not resemble Arnold. And if you met her in street clothes you would likely say, "I wish I had arms and abs like that." Unless, of course, your arms and abs already look that good.

Take a couple minutes and see the results of hard work and proper technique.

Disclaimer #1: A snatch balance is a highly advanced lift. Do not attempt this lift without professional coaching. The type of exercise is not the point. The point is the amount of weight she is able to lift.

Disclaimer #2: Allison is NOT a client of mine and I am not affiliated with CrossFit Obsession.

Be well,

Paul

Paul Dziewisz

CrossFit Level 1 Instructor

Active Personal Fitness

www.ActivePersonalFitness.com

267.626.7478

The First 5 Bites

Dining out can be a pleasurable experience. No preparation, no cleanup, wonderful food prepared in ways you've never considered. Throw in good conversation and the night is perfect.

A recent trend in dining out can tell us a lot about how we should eat. Tapas-style eateries are increasingly popular. Featuring small plates of creative dishes, these restaurants deliver amazing combinations of foods in small quantities to satisfied patrons. It is common in these popular places to share 4 or 5 dishes with friends over a long, slow eating experience.

So what does this tell us about how we should eat? Grant Achatz, chef at America's best new restaurant Alinea in Chicago, built his restaurant based on "the flavor of the first 5 bites." Research tells us that after the first 5 bites of a food we experience a diminishing taste sensation. Your taste buds grow numb to the flavor you are experiencing. Your food physiologically doesn't taste as good after the first 5 bites. Beginning on bite number 6 you are simply eating for calories, not for flavor and enjoyment.

Lessons for You

• Eat smaller portion sizes and savor the flavor of the 5 bites
• Eat a variety of foods within one meal but only a small amount of each
• Use fresh spices and rubs to bring your food to life with flavor without adding additional calories.
• Eat with family or friends sitting around a table (not on a couch), without a tv blaring in the background and converse. It will slow down your eating and promote proper portion control.
• Learn to cook even if it is just 3 or 4 dishes. It is very hard to lose weight when you are not responsible for the food preparation.

Be well,

Paul

Paul Dziewisz

Active Personal Fitness

www.ActivePersonalFitness.com

267.626.7478

"You give us the effort...we'll get you the results."