As a fitness trainer, I believe a large portion of my job is to help others find what motivates them. Last week I had the privilege of working alongside Julie Yuhas at the Joint Base McGuire/ Dix/ Lakehurst Fitness Center. Julie is a former athletic trainer, current Beach Body coach, group fitness instructor, and a top-notch health educator. You can visit her site at www.freak4fitness.com Julie recently wrote this short blog on motivation and fitness that I would like to share, as I hope to further explore the meaning of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in my upcoming blogs.

“What is the secret to motivation? It can vary so much from person to person, year to year, even day to day! Sure it helps to use the buddy system. When you have someone to hold you accountable, it’s harder to make excuses as to why you can’t complete your daily workout. Goals are great motivators! You want to get back into those skinny jeans, run a 1/2 marathon, decrease your body fat percentage….. It may help to put up a picture of yourself from a time when you didn’t like the way you look and felt. Society motivates us. Emotional responses motivate us. The common factor to these is they tend to be extrinsic factors. 

The only way to stay on a fit and healthy path is to make the motivation intrinsic! Until your workout routine and healthy diet become habit, a regular part of your day, you are not going to be inclined to stick with it. Nothing speaks louder to you than your own voice. It needs to say, ‘I can do this!’,  ‘I GET to work out today!’,  ‘I’m doing this for me!’, ‘This is who I am!’ Once you hear those things coming from within, you are definitely on a long term path to success!”

I try to challenge myself in my daily workouts as often as I can; if I find a new method of exercise, I’ll give it a shot at least once.  Just yesterday I discovered the Tabata Protocol training.  I decided to try it out today with my friend Julie; basically, we did two cycles and ended up sweating as though we had been on an elliptical for 45 minutes.  It really was a great workout!

                                                    
Here’s how it works - the original Tabata Protocol requires the following:
·       5 minutes of warm-up

·       8 intervals of 20 seconds all-out intensity exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest·   

    2 minutes cool-down

I used an incline of 10 and a resistance of 15 for the 8 intervals. My warm up and cool down were only lower on the resistance.

I have to say I really liked it. I was exhausted after the short workout.. and although it was short it was by no means easy.

What should I eat? When should I eat? How much should I eat? 

Working out is great for your body! (duh!)

Whether you are strength training or doing cardiovascular training, you are on the right path to improving your health. 

But don’t stop there.

What you put (or avoid putting) into your body contributes to how your exercising effects your body.

Let’s just get to the bottom line: after you workout….EAT. You won’t lose the weight or get the body you want by not eating, so STOP starving yourselves.

Yes, what you eat is important and, of course, what types of foods you eat will help you create a healthier you. However, if it comes to you having a pop tart in the car while taking your kids to the doctor right after a workout, for goodness sake do not starve; eat the damned pop tart (why you even have the pop tart in your car in the first place…well that is another blog)

Now if you are ready and willing to really step up your game and embrace healthier eating here are some general guidelines to eating healthy after a workout:

1.       Drink plenty of water (I am sure you already know this, but not everyone remembers or does so) You should drink anywhere between 20 oz. – 24 oz. of water for every 1 lb of body weight you lose during exercise.  Drink this water within 2 hours of completing your exercise. So, if you weight yourself before and after and lost 2lbs, you would drink 40-48 oz. of water.

2.       Eat (something) as soon as possible after your workout, ideally within 15- 30 minutes.

3.       You should consume somewhere between 0.25-0.4 grams of carbohydrates per pound of your body weight (a 175lb person would shoot for between 40-70 grams). However if your goal is to lose weight should use your target body weight instead of their current body weight when doing this calculation.

4.       Incorporate plenty of protein immediately for recovery, and try to maintain a steady intake throughout the day.  You should eat .3 grams of protein per each pound of your body weight.

5.       What about fat? Avoid them immediately after your workout and try to only eat unsaturated fats for your larger post workout meal.

Wow….so now what does that all mean and how do you do this?

 First thing is first what can you eat/drink immediately after your workout?

Here are a few ideas:

·         Protein shake- Whey protein and milk (I use almond milk - it tastes better than you would imagine); you can also add some fresh fruit (I enjoy bananas the most).

·         Nuts and fruit

·         Cereal and milk 

·         Chocolate milk (low-fat)

Next you need to eat a full meal within two hours of finishing your workout.

My personal choices:

1.  Mixed veggies and chicken – you will need around 4oz of boneless chicken, sweet potato, and vegetables with olive oil. The chicken will serve as the source of protein while the vegetables supply the body with fiber and carbohydrates- I always add (a lot of) garlic to my chicken, but that is up to you.

2. Egg omelet plus avocado – eggs also contain a lot of protein. To make the meal perfect, you can add some vegetables into the omelet. The avocado will be the source of monounsaturated fat (a good fat) and fiber. If you don’t have avocado, you can substitute it with apple on the side.  Cook the eggs with a little olive oil and avoid using butter. (May I recommend if you do add avocado you wait to add it to the eggs after it is cooked and only warm avocado-it is gross hot).

3. The 3 S meal – you will need sweet potato, spinach, and salmon. Salmon will serve as the source of protein. Your body can get some minerals and vitamins from spinach while sweet potato contains the carbohydrates.

4. Brown rice, tuna, and veggies – This si a quick meal-a can of drained tuna can work wonders and provide your body with protein. The tuna also contains vitamins B6 and B12. The carbohydrates and fiber will come from the veggies (or a bed of spinach) and the brown rice.

I would love to say I have been a great and healthy eater all my life, but that is not the case. I did not start being interested in my diet until after I became a personal trainer and a lot of encouragement for my mentor.  I lived off of sugary carbs and only ate when I was really really hungry. I thought food choices were not really important, as I am not, nor have I ever been, over-weight. I started to embrace the idea of wellness and how it was not just related to being active and staying fit, but viewing it as a lifestyle.  Six years later and a certification in nutritional counseling, I feel I’m a reliable source; I’m no master but I’m pretty darned good.

 I recently found a quote which sums up my personal thoughts on healthy eating:

To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.”

- La Rochefoucauld

There is a mentality many trainers seem to possess that I just can’t embrace: lifelong clients.

Often trainers get a client while secretly hoping that those clients will stay around for many years, providing a lasting (seemingly never-ending) form of income to the trainer. They meet with the client once or twice a week and give them workouts, varying in form only slightly. The trainer gives them enough of a workout to promote progress and hold the clients interest, making the client only wanting to buy more sessions. By no mean is this uncommon, but I find it unethical.

When I first enrolled at Rowan University my first class was Foundation of Heath Promotion Fitness Management. Here I learned about theories of fitness management and how to help someone create a more fit and healthy lifestyle and this gave me my first impression of how a trainer should behave.

Ideally I was learning how to teach others about their own bodies; I was not being taught how to tell people just enough so they would form a continuous codependent bond with me, creating a life-long clientele.

I can tell you from experience people often think once they have a trainer, they feel they should keep them, quite possibly forever.  I, on the other hand, will tell clients that, as much as I enjoy training them, I don’t want to keep them.  If they need me for that long, I’m not doing my job.Over the years I have made an effort to become more of a health promoter who also trains clients, instead of the stereotypical idea of a personal trainer.

I help clients create goals and I guide and encourage them on their path.  Once their plan is in motion, and they are making steady progress, I tend to explain that my time with them has come to an end. As I give my clients a step by step workout plan, I explain why they are doing each exercise, how it will help them with their progression, and how they can create their own plans.  By employing the old saying of “Give a man to fish and he has food for a day; teach a man to fish and he has food for a lifetime”, I hope that by teaching clients the best way to enhance their health and well-being, they will see the value and refer others to my services.

This may not be the most logical plan when it comes to the business of training clients, but to me it’s the more ethical route.  In the end I know that I’m doing what I think is best for my clients, not for my wallet; that sense of peace allows me to truly love my job.

Do not let the title confuse you or allow you to think it’s some kind of typo: no, I at no point was intending to write a New Year’s Resolution blog.

Why? 

Well, let me first say that according to a 2007 study in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, 50% of Americans make a New Year’s Resolution to begin on the first of the year, and approximately 88% of those individuals will fail in succeeding with their goal.

But why is this rate of failure so great?  In reality, there are several reasons:

1. For many there is a certain amount of pressure associated with starting a resolution on the first of the New Year.  

2. People often want to set a fitness or health goal that centers around their weight or eating habit…and that can be a problem with the overflow of holiday parties reaching into the month of January.  I mean it’s January 10th and I’ve been to three family functions since 2012 began!  Not one of those gatherings featured a low-fat/healthy menu either.  

3. Let’s be honest: How many of us have made a New Year’s resolution at 11:59 after a few too many drinks…

4. More often than not, most make a resolution without having any type of concrete plan to fuel their follow-through. 

There’s an expression that is prevalent in the military and (I’ve come to learn) professional kitchens everywhere: Prior preparation prevents piss poor performance. When you have everything organized and set, your goals are often much easier to accomplish.

Here’s where I can help you formalize your plan.

Step 1: Set a Goal 

•         Make One Resolution: It is recommended that you make only one resolution. Your chances of success increase if you focus your attention on one issue at a time.

•         Choose a Goal That’s Important to You:Without a strong, internal motivation, your resolution is meaningless. Choose a goal that you truly want for yourself not one dictated by family, friends or society.

•         Be Realistic: Don’t set yourself up to fail by setting an unrealistic goal. You’re not going to earn a black belt in a year if you haven’t been physically active since the Nixon administration, but you can start attending martial arts classes on a regular basis.

Step 2: Make a Plan (Now that you’ve got your shiny, New You resolution all picked out, it’s time to make a plan!)

•         Set Short-Term Goals: You didn’t think your single gargantuan resolution was it, did you? You’ve got to break down your larger goal into smaller, achievable goals with measurable results.  If your resolution involves a weight loss plan or fitness regimen, possibly start with a fitness evaluation; how else can you measure something without a start point?

•         Plan for the Obstacles: What might cause you to veer from your plan? Work-related stress? Tension within your family? When something does happen, be ready for it. Think about what’s most likely to trip your plan up. Try to avoid those situations or brainstorm healthy ways to cope with them.  I tend to do Yoga breathing when I am faced with obstacles, this allows me to step back from the situation and reassess.

Step 3: Write It Down 

•         Writing down your resolution and plan of attack is a powerful motivator. The act of writing prevents you from leaving your resolution too vague and forces you to commit to your resolution by externalizing your goal. You’re essentially creating a contract with yourself.  Sometimes setting reminders on your phone to tell you when you should be doing something is extremely helpful.

Step 4: Enlist Some Help 

·         You go to the doctor if you have a cold, the dentist for a tooth ache, why not see an educated and qualified personal trainer (hint: like me!) when you are trying to achieve a fitness goal.

-Crista