I don’t have any children, but I coach a children’s fitness camp. I get parents involved in the activities and everyone loves it. It brings children and parents closer while also helping them get in shape. In today’s hectic world, let’s step back, catch our breath and have fun training with the family.

Set a team goal

When a family begins a training endeavour, as a team, it must set short obtainable goals. Everyone in the family should assist in defining the goal. Make it fun. For example, a goal you could set is that by the next school holiday, you will all go to the beach wearing swimsuits. The goals you set should be family-oriented so everyone has some stake in it. You can also make the goals more challenging; recruit your family for a 10km run. Enter as a team to help each other achieve the family’s goal. Either way, define a goal that each family member will work for and have fun doing.

Prepare for the gala

After a goal is set, decide the appropriate steps to achieve it. The first step is preparation. Hold a family or team meeting on the first day of every week. This is important because it encourages everyone to participate in the team’s goals and progress. It also helps keep everyone excited about the training. Besides it makes for quality family time. Now that your goal is defined, what are the steps needed for preparation? First, there is equipment. Maybe you can spend a day shopping together for running shoes, gym gear or even workout equipment. Again, such an activity is family-oriented, goal-based and makes for quality family time.

Then, you’ll need to develop a proper training menu; basically, figure out what you will be eating in preparation for the event. This should consist of high-protein meals often accompanied with protein shakes. Make the shakes fun for children. Add fruits, ice-cream or whipped cream… treat it like a dessert so they’ll not complain and even want more!

Get down to the job

Now comes the time to train. I’ll explain my points using the example of the family running the 10km. It’s great to run or jog as a family. At first, everyone should maintain the same pace and encourage each other. The stronger family members must support the others and not just look after themselves. Remember, the family is only as strong as each member. Make sure you perform a light stretch before and a more intense stretch after you run. Also, every family member is required to bring his or her water because proper hydration is crucial.

As in all team sports, expectations run high but often there are times when individuals cannot hold their end up, letting the team down. A fun rule to adopt is that of imposing penalties or fines. If a family member is late for practice, or does not participate in meetings or a session, enforce a policy of fines or penalties. For instance, Rs 10 fine for missed practice. Use the collected money at the end of the event for a family night out. You can also enforce a penalty policy. Say you miss a workout. Then you as a penalty, you have to take up one other family member’s chores. Make it fun but also let the defaulting family members know that they are letting the team down.

Get into action

Race day! The strongest family member [the one everyone has decided in your earlier meetings] will run the bulk of the 10km. The rest of the team can divide itself by allocating different responsibilities to each family member. The young ones in your family can just run as much as they are capable of running, then take up the responsibility of cheering on the other runners. They can supply other water, energy bars or drinks. The idea is to keep everyone actively involved throughout the event.

Evaluate your performance

Recovery and evaluation are the next steps in the process. After the event, make sure everyone recovers properly with plenty of rest, refills body fluids and maintains a healthy diet. At the next team meeting, evaluate your family’s performance. It’s good to be honest with each other, as it will only strengthen your bond. Offer some advice to each member to help him or her perform better the next time. Remember this is supposed to be a fun, family bonding event, so don’t be too harsh in your criticism.

Then it’s back to another team meeting to establish your next goal. If your first exercise is successful, try something that involves travelling as a team. A swimming trip to a warm beach is an option. Always make it fun and involve the whole family because like it’s said: the family that plays together, stays together!

This was first published in the May 2009 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

The post Fitness with your folks appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Are you stuck?

How do we recognise when it’s time for us to change our training programme? First, we need to identify if we are getting the desired results. If you are not getting the results you feel you’ve earned, then it’s probably time to change your routine. Also, if you are coming to the gym with a defeatist attitude and just “going through the motions,” this is a definite sign that it’s time to break your training plateau.

How do I change my programme?

Try new timings

Well, there are a number of ways to start. First, you can actually change the time at which you train. If you usually go to the gym every day after work, try getting to the gym before work. A new setting, new environment and new schedule can often motivate you to overcome your plateau in your training.

Second, review your training environment. The gym should provide a fun and friendly atmosphere. And going to the gym every day at the same time, you probably train with the same people all the time. You need to break the monotony. So when you change your training time, you become open to meeting new people, some of whom may share your same goals. You may get a new training partner as well. This can be great motivating factor to breaking plateaus. Look for someone who’s motivated enough that you feel will push you even harder.

Shake up your schedule

Now you’ve changed your training time and picked up a new training partner, what else can you do to break your training plateaus? Basically change your whole training regimen. And I mean change it!

The exercises you’re used to doing last, you should now do them first. You should probably do your weaker muscles first as well. Basically, you need to totally reverse your current training programme. A simplest way to do that is to totally switch the exercises once you’ve established what muscles you are going to train on what days. That means, if you worked out your chest by doing the bench press every Monday as per your old programme, then in the new programme, do the dumbbell bench press or chest machine or even push ups on Friday.

Vary your intensity

Not only should you change the training exercises and the days you train, but also vary your repetition scheme. If you are used to doing 3 – 4 sets of 12 reps, try altering it. Do super-high reps with lighter weights—25 reps for 4 sets [please make sure you’re using weight that you can lift for 25 repetitions without causing potential injury]. You could even change to super-low reps with heavier weight, say 3 – 4 sets 3 – 6 reps. Again, exercise caution when training with heavier weight. Remember, proper form and techniques must be applied, or else you will not get good results even with this.

Basically, what you’re doing with all this changing of schedule, time, weights and schemes is shocking the muscles to bring out a desired positive response in your overall fitness and physique.

Add the something else

So now that you have totally revised your time and programme, why not add something new and dynamic to your training. As silly or crazy as it may sound, try something you never thought you would ever do. A perfect example, especially for the men, is to try an aerobics class. Or better yet, a yoga class. Or even take it to a whole different level with a dance class. All these forms of exercise are amazing for you and since they are all new, they will challenge you to new levels of fitness. When it comes to experimenting, don’t quit. Often when it comes to aerobics, yoga or dance, you can often feel silly or embarrassed. Please don’t! Just stay focused, give it a try and have fun.

As for women, this can be a great time for you to try working out with weights. And no, it won’t make you look huge. I’ve been training for over 30 years, and I know how hard it is to put on muscle. So please, don’t think that after one workout with weights you’ll look like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Weight training is great for women; not only are you developing long and lean muscles and getting stronger, but you are also burning fat, as it takes a lot of calories to feed a muscle. Lastly, women also need to recognise that weight training promotes bone density. This is the only form of exercise that does this. When you begin to enter your formative years, enter it with a strong skeletal structure because you trained with weights.

So now just about every aspect of your current training programme has been modified to achieve new goals and break old plateaus. The last component would be to switch your cardiovascular training. Again, if you use the treadmill every day, alter it. Hop on the Stairmaster or the stationary bike. Also, encourage yourself to try new classes like spinning or a boot camp.

This was first published in the February 2010 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

The post Shock your body appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Good habits when planning your workouts

Once you decide to begin a training regime, formulate a solid game plan. First, identify your goal. Decide on a short, obtainable goal that you can achieve in a short time span. This will help you establish good habits in goal setting as well as in formulating a workout strategy.

Challenge yourself: Once you identify your goal, decide on the best way to achieve it. The key is in challenging yourself by asking: how can I achieve my goal? What can I accomplish by achieving my goal? What is the end result? If you are successful in achieving your goals, you’ve established a pattern of good habits.

Examine your ways: Make mental notes of these. For example, once again, ask yourself: did I select a good goal? Did I do everything in my power to achieve my goal? Was I prepared to challenge myself? What were the high and low points when I set out to achieve my goal? These questions will help you establish good habits in formulating a game plan.

Good habits when achieving your goal

You’ve established a solid game plan and along the way, you begin to establish good habits. Now, you have to prepare yourself to achieve your goal. I believe in mental preparation to achieve perfection.

Visualise: See yourself achieving your goals; make it a daily habit. Think about wearing that new suit or that new bathing suit next summer. Before I go to bed every night, I envision what I want to accomplish. This makes me motivated and mentally prepared to take on any challenges I see—or for that matter, even the ones I don’t. This habit will serve you not only in working out, but also in handling real life experiences.

Good habits to recover after your workout

You need to realise how the body recovers, repairs and develops. The best way to recover is by getting enough sleep.

Stay active: You need to establish good habits that will help you sleep soundly throughout the night. One of the habits I follow to get sound rest, is to exhaust myself throughout the day. If I go a day without doing anything physical—basically lying on the couch and watching TV or sitting at the computer—I have done nothing for my body to recover from. This will lead to poor sleep. So, I stay active throughout the day.

Take naps: This is another good habit. By this, I do not mean to recommend taking unnecessary naps. Too much sleep in the day can definitely affect your sleep and pretty much ruin your chance at recovery. But short naps, really help.

Get enough sleep: Try to get 7 – 8 hours of quality sleep, daily—our body needs that much for optimum performance, according to recent research.

Sleep and wake-up early: Following a regular sleep pattern is good for recovery. I am in the habit of going to bed early, waking up early and attacking the day.

The good habit of making a commitment to yourself

Make yourself a priority in your life. We all tend to take care of those around us, but who’s going to take care of you?

Make a daily checklist of things that will commit to doing during the day and include ‘you’ in the checklist. This good habit keeps me focused, motivated, active, honest, dedicated and determined to succeed.

This was first published in the December 2009 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

The post A Hollywood trainer’s best gym habits appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

1 Be positive! Always. Of course, this is much easier said than done, but try this. Think of all the positive aspects or occurrences in your life—graduating, getting that great job, crossing the finish line—anything that you’ve done with a strong sense of accomplishment and write them all down. Now paste these accomplishments where you can see them daily [bathroom mirror, computer and so on].

On days when your mind is telling you to stay in bed, eat junk food or even skip workout, reflect on those notes you have posted. These accomplishments will fuel you and motivate you to overcome any mental block your mind will throw at you.

2 Refuse to quit. This too is a lot easier said than done, but tell yourself daily that you refuse to quit. When you are struggling to get motivated, tell yourself, “I refuse to quit!” When you feel that the hard work is not worth it, tell yourself, “I refuse to quit!”

Your mental block may be strong, your mind can be stronger. So, “refuse to quit!”

3 Train your mind as well as your body. Ancient Greeks firmly believed in the ‘strong mind, strong body’ theory, which holds good even today.

So train your mind to enjoy exercise and to challenge yourself in the gym. Use the power of positive thinking to get the best result while you are working out. Read up on training as well as research motivational quotes and speeches.

Strategise your workout routine in your head prior to hitting the gym. Know what machines and weights you will successfully before you hit the gym.

Just like all your training equipment, use your brain as a valuable tool to get the fitness you want.

4 Set short, obtainable goals. Once you set a short, obtainable goal, make up your mind and accomplish it. Focus on your goal and do not let any mental blocks prevent that goal from happening. When it comes to training, short goals are great. They keep you motivated and focused. And once you achieve your goal, you feel confident to set another goal, and another, and another…

5 Challenge yourself. Firmly decide that every time you are in the gym, you are going to challenge and push yourself harder than the previous workout. The challenges can range from lifting more weights, improving running time, running longer or training even harder.

6 Compete with your gym buddies. It’s time to stop chatting about work, family or the new aerobics instructor with your gym buddies and time to really challenge each other in the gym. Arrange for friendly, but intense competitions amongst yourselves. Honestly, I believe there is nothing better than a little friendly competition. The competition will keep your mind focused on you and your competition, rather than on your mental block.

7 Stop with the negativity. Who wants to hang around a negative person? Better yet, who wants to train with a negative person? Hopefully, nobody does! Negativity can release the flood gates of mental blocks. Never has negativity helped anyone achieve their goals. So stop with the negativity.

The next time you feel like throwing in the towel, reflect on everything we’ve discussed. I’m sure you’ll overcome your mental blocks and achieve a happy and healthy lifestyle.

This was first published in the October 2009 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

The post 7 ways around mental blocks appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Fat deposits

There are many areas we’d love to bounce back from and the first has to be fat—we so want to get rid of the fat deposits. Every one has a different genetic code or make up which determines fat deposition in the body. Further, where you’ll gather fat also depends on your gender. Men usually find their fat in the belly and lower back. Women’s fat tends to deposit around the hips, buttocks and thighs. The bad news regarding fat is, you can’t ‘spot reduce’ [Spot reduction means targetting your fat deposits and directly train for them to disappear]. For example, if you have belly fat, you can’t do 100 sit-ups a day and expect it to disappear. Your body doesn’t function in that manner. The good news is that you can lose the unwanted fat with proper nutrition and sound training—dedicated cardio vascular training.

So you should be eating three sensible meals a day with regular snack breaks consisting of fruits and nuts. You should also be training your entire body efficiently 3 – 5 days a week and performing cardiovascular training at least 3 – 5 days a week. This approach will definitely help you beat the stubborn fat and bounce back in shape.

Also read » Exercises to shed fat

Inflexibility

The second area of concern is loss of flexibility. Again, years of neglect make the body tight and prone to injury. But your body can be forgiving, if you just pump some life back into it. Stretching is a fantastic way to regain your flexibility. Simple basic stretches performed every morning when you wake up and about 30 minutes before sleeping will work wonders on your flexibility. Just stay consistent and you’ll be amazed at how fast your flexibility comes back, at any age.

Also read » Maximize Your Workouts: The Power of Stretching During and After Exercise

Poor stamina

Another area we need our bodies to bounce back from is the general loss of stamina. Every day we perform tasks that require stamina like walking your pet, or carrying groceries. And it’s definitely disappointing when you get exhausted doing such simple things.

Again, the body can rebound. You can increase your lung capacity and improve your heart rate with simple cardio vascular training. If you’re just beginning, then plan smart. Start with an easy walk first thing in the morning to spike your metabolism. It’ll get your blood flowing and open up your lungs. I’d recommend an easy walk of at least 30 minutes a day. This will dramatically improve your overall stamina and condition. When you are ready for a little more challenge, crank it up and go for a 30-minute jog. As you progress with your conditioning, you may want to invest in a heart rate monitor, which can be purchased in any sporting goods store. A heart rate monitor will tell you exactly how much you should be running or jogging. It allows you to perform cardio training in your target heart rate so you’ll be more efficient at burning fat and improving your endurance level.

Also read » Master Del Pe’s stamina superchargers

Flabby muscles

Ok, so now we’re getting our stamina back. But what about those flabby muscles? I love it when people tell me their muscle turned to fat. Actually muscle is muscle and it always will be muscle. Your unused muscle hasn’t turned to fat, hiding under the fat! What should you do? Start a resistance-training programme, immediately.

Resistance training can be any form of training that involves your ability to resist opposing force—from free weights, weight machines, to kettle bells, and more. Resistance training involves a series of movements in which you train every muscle in your body to get stronger, fuller, leaner and tighter! Remember, it takes a lot of calories to feed a muscle so you’ll be getting in better shape with resistance training. Also­—and this goes for you women— it is very hard to put on muscle so don’t think that once you begin a resistance training programme, you’ll get a build like a body builder. It just won’t happen.

So plan your workout programme accordingly and remember to check your ego at the door. In other words, don’t show up at the gym the first day and try to lift the world. Train at least 3 – 5 days a week and make sure you train every body part [chest, back, shoulders, arms and legs].

Also read » Bodyweight as resistance

Inertia

The last and the biggest thing that affects your fitness levels is lack of motivation… it is the single most powerful of all the above. What has stopped you from keeping in shape till now? Is it lack of willpower, laziness, family? Are you too busy? Well these may sound like good reasons, but honestly, they are just excuses. As a coach and trainer, I expect and demand a 100 per cent effort all the time and that should be your new approach. In order to start and then maintain your training, you need to be constantly motivated. Unfortunately, I cannot be at your door at 4:00 am every day to motivate you [but be careful, it might just happen], so you need to motivate yourself. How?

Set a goal. You should set a short time frame to obtain an achievable goal.  Don’t expect to build the Taj in a day. Instead, aim for something small such as being able to fit into those pants in the back of your closet. Short, obtainable goals will keep you motivated.

Also read » Recharge your resolve

Challenge yourself daily. When performing resistance training, always try to improve on your weight capacity. When walking or jogging, try to improve on your time. Also, challenge yourself at home to be a better family member and at work, to be a better boss or employee. Constantly challenging yourself will definitely keep your motivation strong.

Look for inspiration in others. Motivation can come from anywhere. Not just at trainers and coaches, but look for inspiring stories throughout the world or just in your community. Every year in Boston, there is a man who pushes his handicapped son in the Boston Marathon in his wheelchair. He has been doing it for 67 years.

Motivate yourself to be a role model for others. Most of us now have a family of our own. The best motivation is to lead by example. My dad still has a great motivating influence on me. Even at 43, I’m challenging myself every day to be better in all aspects of my life and this is because my Dad is the same way. He is my role model and my motivating force. Be that motivating force for your family and friends.

This was first published in the June 2009 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

The post Bounce back to fitness appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Diet dos

One of the most important rules to remember is that we get energy from food. No matter what your level of fitness is or what your age is, consume high protein, moderate carbohydrates and moderate fat meals. There are many caffeine-based, energy boosting sports drinks available. You must eat properly to get the maximum benefits out of them. If you believe you can get energy on coffee and Red Bull alone, you’ll see your training and your physique suffer. So, before you begin any exercise eat smart and sensible.

Out of the box

If you are not the gym type and rather exercise outside or at home, I recommend brisk walks and jogs to boost your energy. Prior to any form of training, you must warm up properly for at least 5-15 minutes. It could be a simple walk or a spin on the bike, anything you like.

After you feel your muscles warmed up and ready to train, get started for some energy boost.

You can challenge yourself in a variety of ways. If you like to jog for say 20-30 minutes, then after every 2-5 minutes stop jogging, do a set of push-ups, a set of sit-ups, immediately after. Choose a number you want to achieve. I jog for 10 minutes, stop, do 25 push-ups, 25 sit-ups resume jogging. I want to perform at least 100 push-ups and 100 sit-ups. Set your own definite goals and really try hard to reach them. This will not only increase your energy, but also will make you stronger and develop your muscles.

If you really want to boost your energy levels while jogging/walking, aside from push-ups and sit-ups, jog backwards for a short period. Of course, be sure to turn your head so you don’t risk an injury or a collision.

A shot in the arm

Another fantastic method to get in better shape and increase energy is to imply the HIT Method of training. HIT stands for high intensity training. It involves getting your heart to pump at maximum levels, then slowing down. This is repeated throughout the training. This technique is not only amazing for increasing energy but also for burning fat.

So if you are a jogger and want to try the HIT technique, start jogging for a lap, then on the second lap, break into a sprint for half the distance. After you have sprinted half a lap, briskly walk the second half of the lap. Now as you approach your third lap, you can jog or sprint for half the lap, then walk. It depends on your levels of fitness. You can also use the HIT technique in a gym on a treadmill. Set the treadmill for a speed at which you can jog for 30 seconds, then pick up speed and sprint for 30 seconds, then drop your speed again so you can walk for 30 seconds. Repeat as often as you can or until you are fully fatigued. I use the HIT Method and it helps me achieve fantastic results.

Super sets

Now if you are an avid gym user, a great technique for that energy boost and fat burn is super sets. Use super sets when exercising with weights using compound movements with multiple body parts. This may sound confusing but it is very basic. Often we train one to two body parts in each workout session. If you were to incorporate super sets, you would be training the two body parts at the same time. This gives you more of a muscle pump and definitely increases your heart and lung capacity making it an energy boosting exercise.

A sample super set workout for arms could be; performing standing strict barbell biceps curls for 15 repetitions then immediately going into a triceps exercise like the standing overhead triceps press [French Press] for 15 repetitions without a rest in between exercises. A normal routine would look like this: strict biceps curls, four sets of 15 reps with a minute rest; a French press for four sets of 15 reps each. Super sets force you to work both the triceps and biceps for two continual sets of 15 reps each. After you performed both sets this is when you take a good 45–60 second rest. As your strength and condition improve, you can even cut down your rest period to 30–45 seconds.

You can perform super sets in any gym training routine. Every body part can be effectively trained using super sets. Often super sets are used when you find you do not have enough time to train in the gym or you really want to burn that body fat and boost your energy. Stay Strong!

This article was first published in Feb 2009 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

The post Exercises to boost energy appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.