What Happened to the Spa?

Circumstances beyond our control can impact our lives in powerful ways.  This guest post by personal trainer and writer, Julie Lombardo, highlights the real passion and dedication that many fitness professionals bring to the profession...

Tonight I need to communicate important news to all of you. 

A few nights ago, the owners of The Spa Center (not the actual name) announced they would close the facility indefinitely.  At 10:30 p.m. that night, the seven of us who were still there hugged each other, promised to stay in touch, and write letters of recommendation. My boss hugged us and thanked us for the years of hard work.

The details were sketchy, at best. With 40+ employees and mounting costs to repair and maintain the facility, the financial strain on the owners was simply too great. Employee paychecks were bouncing,

Don't look now but, you're soaking in it!

“Is there anything I can do for you?” I asked my younger brother, sympathetically, as he lie on the couch; his back “out” again.  “Yes,” he said, “can you pick me up a big bag of Epsom salts?”   

I was impressed that my normally non-compliant brother, who I’ve had to practically beg to do the exercises I taught him-that would help rehabilitate his back, would make the effort to run a bath.  But, I guess pain can be a powerful motivator. 

Top Ten Reasons You’re Not Seeing a Change in Your Body (that have nothing to do with exercise) -Part II

When it comes to not getting the results we expect from exercise, sometimes we mistake our “reasons” (not recognizing them for what they are) for excuses.  Then we blame everyone around us for things not working out as we’d planned.  Excuse it seems, has no better friend than exercise.

Just because you put on your shorts and tennis shoes, drive to the gym, park and walk through the door, doesn’t mean the muscle will start growing or the fat will melt off automagically.  Are you really giving it all you got?  You’re not trying to be an Olympic athlete or anything-so what’s it going to take…killing yourself, you ask?  But, is that really what’s going on?  Are you really making the most of your time in the gym?  Are you being honest with yourself when it comes to how you’ve been eating?  Ah ha!  Self-deception rears its ugly head…it’s O.K., it’s easy to do.
 

Last issue, in Part I, we discussed The Top Ten Reasons You're Not Seeing a Change in Your Body (that have nothing to do with exercise.) Below are the next five on the countdown (Part II)...Get past all ten excuses and see your results soar! 

5.  I don’t really know what I’m doing and I can’t afford to work with a personal trainer- If you believe this, 

Top Ten Reasons You’re Not Seeing a Change in Your Body (that have nothing to do with exercise) -Part I

Yesterday, while driving home from a seminar in an unfamiliar area, I noticed a commercial building with a huge sign that said No Excuses Fitness along the side of it.  Great name for a gym!

When it comes to not getting the results we expect from exercise, sometimes we mistake our “reasons” (not recognizing them for what they are), for excuses.  Then we blame everyone around us for things not working out as we’d planned.  Excuse it seems, has no better friend than exercise.

Just because you put on your shorts and tennis shoes,

Ditching the Numbers Game for Fat Loss

Today's guest post is by my friend, JJ Virgin, nutritionist, author and media personality.  Below, JJ talks about one of our favorite topics: The calories in/ calories out fat loss model...

The government has a new mathematical formula for weight loss. And it’s completely bogus.

You know those articles Cosmo and other women’s magazines frequently run that explain to lose one pound each week, you should cut 500 calories a day? The author then presents various ways to reduce calories, including switching to diet soda and choosing “light” products.

Well, a new government-based study conducted by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and published in the journal Lancet says if you cut 250 calories daily, you can lose 25 pounds over three years. And trimming just 10 calories each day helps you lose one pound over three years.

When Exercise Science Turns Mystical

My boyfriend and I were recently invited by a massage therapist we know to attend a three hour seminar on myofascial release technique (MFR.)  We were really looking forward to it as we are both big believers in the benefits of MFR and were anxious to learn some new techniques. The Myofascial Release Center hosted this training at The Awareness Center-for Kundalini Yoga and Meditation.  That should’ve been my first clue.  While I have only a vague understanding of Kundalini Yoga-and Chakras, (coupled with just a passing knowledge of Iyengar and restorative yoga styles), I should have realized I might have signed on for more than I bargained for.

 

The requirement of a yoga mat and a blanket, were not consistent with what I imagined the necessary equipment for MFR work would be. But I placed my mat near the front of the room and did some stretching to kill time as the other participants arrived.

Are Whole Grains Really Healthier?

You’ve undoubtedly heard that refined wheat and other processed foods are unhealthy.  But what about the “good kind of wheat,” the kind found in whole grains?  What are the benefits of whole grains compared with their sinister relatives…refined grains? 

Since the food pyramid was first developed in the 1970’s, it has emphasized carbohydrates while the American public has gotten consistently more and more obese. In January of this year, The US government released the most recent revisions to its dietary guidelines. The USDA Food Pyramid, now known as MyPyramid (it now encourages personalized recommendations that adjust for activity level, gender, and other variables), reflects the government's recommendations for the consumption of grains and other foods.

The recommendations for grains now include division into 2 subgroups, whole grains and refined grains.  Guidelines include eating 6 servings of grains per day with half of those servings coming from the so-called “whole” grain group. Their guidelines define a serving as, 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal, or ½ cup of cooked rice, cooked pasta, or cooked cereal. These examples can be considered a one ounce equivalent or, one serving from the grains group-and we are told to eat 6 servings a day?