3 Things Your Denver Personal Trainer Should Do

Like real estate, it is very easy to enter the personal training industry.  With this being said, you never know what type of experience you'll get or what you should expect.  While I always hope people choose me as their personal trainer in Denver, I am always thankful when people support my industry in one way or another. 

To ensure your have a positive experience, consider these points when considering a Denver personal trainer.

1.)  Your Denver personal trainer should train his or her clients one-on-one (at least most of the time).  Group instructors have different skillsets and focuses than Denver personal trainers.  While classes are great and affordable, they aren't customized to your weight loss and physical needs.  Most importantly, you won't have the individual attention needed to identify weaknesses, imbalances, or an asymmetry of the body.  A Denver personal trainer who meets personal training clients one-on-one regularly will have a trained eye for these things and won't be distracted by other clients.

2.)  Your personal trainer in Denver should recommend whole nutrition-whole foods for your whole body.  Any Denver personal trainer that sells or recommends nutritional supplements is a red flag.  Unless you've had medical testing to determine a deficiency in your body, you do not need any supplements (contrary to what anyone tells you).  Eating a food in its whole form is always the best approach.  Supplements are highly processed and strip the needed phytonutrients found in whole foods which help the body with absorption and digestion.  Don't let someone interested in commission sales tell you otherwise.

3.)  Your Denver personal trainer should practice what he or she preaches.  Why trust someone if they're not doing it themselves?  Hire a weight loss trainer that believes in his or her philosophy and lives it by example.

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DENVER PERSONAL TRAINING STUDIO

Michael offers personal training to Denver residents who want to meet at the 2460 W 26th Ave studio….or in their homes throughout LoHi (80206), LoDo (80202), RiNo (80216), Washington Park (80209), Cherry Creek (80206, 80209, 80243, 80246, 80231), Highlands (80202, 80211, 80212), and Capitol Hill (80203, 80218). Michael also offers experiences with a personal trainer in Cheesman Park (80218, 80206), Jefferson Park (80211), and Sloan's Lake (80204, 80212).

The Future of Personal Training

Nearly 10 years ago, I started my Denver personal training business with the intent of helping personal training clients understand themselves and others.  Fast forward to 2014 and I'm proud to have been the mentor of unbelievable people from all walks of life who not only can brag about successful weight loss but a total life transformation.  I have no doubt that my experience so far in this industry is symbolic of the future of personal training in Denver.  

After all, Denver personal trainers are no longer focused on the rudimentary, circus acts of fitness.  There is a growing trend to look beyond the movement and examine the lifestyle of Chicago personal training clients.  This change not only diversifies the weight loss experience but also prepares the clients for long term success-no matter what their fitness goals are.

Furthermore, with the integration of non-supplement practice, the nutritional advice has returned to its roots with Chicago personal trainers.  Now clients are benefiting from new consul on simple, all-natural options and choices and learning new ways to support their weight loss.

No matter which path you choose for weight loss, never hesitate to ask someone for help.  Luckily, we have a growing field of personal trainers in Denver who are waiting for your questions.

New Weight Loss Salads

Recipes are endless online!  How do you know which salad recipes will help lose weight while meeting with a personal trainer though?  Read this blog as a start.  

Choosing ingredients:

I'm assuming that your personal trainer is guiding you with Dr. Fuhrman's philosophy:  Eat nutritionally dense meals!  Many personal training clients automatically turn to salads as a first step.  If you're like me, you'll be burned out on a bowl of lettuce by day 3.  To liven up your plate of veggies, choose 1 ingredient from each category to create a new combination every day.  Keep your calorie count around 300.

• Lettuce (lettuce doesn't need to be the main part of the salad): Romaine, watercress, endive, spinach, mixed greens, oak leaf, red leaf, green leaf, iceberg

• Vegetables: Celery, beets, carrots, cauliflower, mushrooms, green beans, red onion, sauteed brussels sprouts, zucchini

• Tomatoes: Beefsteak, cherry, grape, currant, heirloom, pear-shaped, purple, plum

• Fruits: Apples, oranges, pears, grapes, raisins, craisins, strawberries, bananas, pineapple

• Nuts: Peanuts, almonds, cashews, Brazilian nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts

• Meats/Seafood: Cooked chicken, tuna, cooked lean beef, crab, shrimp, cooked lean pork

• Beans: Black, kidney, white northern, pinto

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DENVER PERSONAL TRAINING STUDIO

Michael offers personal training to Denver residents who want to meet at the 2460 W 26th Ave studio….or in their homes throughout LoHi (80206), LoDo (80202), RiNo (80216), Washington Park (80209), Cherry Creek (80206, 80209, 80243, 80246, 80231), Highlands (80202, 80211, 80212), and Capitol Hill (80203, 80218). Michael also offers experiences with a personal trainer in Cheesman Park (80218, 80206), Jefferson Park (80211), and Sloan's Lake (80204, 80212).

Shawn Achor and the Five Habits

Recently, one of my personal training clients sent me the email below about Shawn Achor and the five habits we should incorporate in our lives.  Take a read and begin transforming more than your physical self.

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The author on the PBS special I saw was Shawn Achor.  He spoke about how we process the world, re-wiring your brain, and changing your mindset, the impacts on our physical and mental bodies, and positive psychology and the human potential of the brain.  Check out Achor’s five habits:

1.       The 3 Gratitudes – Write or say three new things you are grateful for each day for 21 days. Be specific and no repeats.

2.       The Doubler – For two minutes a day (for 21 days again), write down all the details of something meaningful and positive that happened the day before.  The theory is that by “reliving” the experience, you get double the joyful mojo.

3.       The Fun Fifteen –Add 15 mindful minutes of fun physical activity. The key word is fun.

4.       The Ripple Effect – Consciously add three smiles a day-releases dopamine.

5.       Charge Your Battery – Reconnect to your social support network i.e. friends and family. For the next few days, take two minutes to write a positive note to someone in your support system.

Personal Training Focus: Are Spray-On Sunscreens Safe?

A recent NY Times blog post asked "Are Spray-On Sunscreens Safe?"......and the answer seems to be "undetermined".  As you seek the most optimal health while meeting with a personal trainer, you may want to rethink your use of sprays.  What are you inhaling as you spray and is it a detriment to your health?  Some studies have shown that some of the ingredients are possibly carcinogenic to humans.  

Although evidence isn't conclusive either direction, you should make a careful consideration when exposing your respiratory system to anything airborne.  If your goal is to achieve the best health, you don't want to ingest or inhale anything that the body would consider a toxin.  In most extreme cases, people have developed cancer.  This is a chance not worth taking.

Instead, use natural suntan lotions or limit your sun exposure.  Always remember that personal training is more than exercise-it's about your body's response to your environment too.  Begin examining the effect of the sprays you use in your life.

Beginning Your Experience with a Personal Trainer

Welcome to the beginning of the new you! It really doesn’t get more simple than this-literally. This personal training experience has been made to simplify you to understand you. Your goal achievement starts with observing your patterns-the trends of your life. No pictures…nothing fancy about this fitness experience. It’s meant to get to the root of you-the basic foundation of your movement and decisions. Whether trying to lose 5 or 40 lbs, TRUE SUSTAINABLE WEIGHT LOSS SUCCESS always starts with observation.

Begin your weight loss journey now, but first read the following things you might say while completing the first 4-5 week process with your personal trainer:

*I thought going to a personal trainer meant jumping around like I’m in a circus to achieve my goals.  (Exercise is the smallest part of this process. If you want true change, it requires a change outside of the gym.)

*Writing down what I’m eating is not fun….I mean I really hate it.
(Recording your food stinks. It’s not fun. But……..brushing your teeth isn’t fun either…….and we do this twice per day. It’s all about the value you assign to the task.)

*Should I write down that I drank a bottle of wine on Saturday and ate a bag of Pringles?
(Tell us everything!!! The more we know about your choices, the more we can suggest! Don’t lie please.)

*Observations, Cues, Problem Solving Approach, blah, blah, blah……
(Understanding what you do on autopilot is the key to your success. You can’t reinforce new habits unless you understand the old ones.)

*Why can’t my personal trainer just tell me what to do? Worksheets are for 1st graders.
(We’re trying to frame a new thought process and it takes structure-sometimes in the form of a workbook.)

*I don’t need to do this (writing down what I'm eating)!
(Maybe not but I GUARANTEE everybody benefits from this process in 1 form or another. Try it for 1 month….you might be surprised.)

Don’t psych yourself out! Try it and see what happens…….
 

What's the stress about?

My personal training clients in Denver may give you a variety of answers when you ask them how they destress: run, meditate, walk the dog, meet with a personal trainer, eat endless plates of pasta at Olive Garden, etc.  No matter the method there tends to be a theme:  a reward system.  This can be especially useful and motivating when making yourself feel better after long hours behind a desk.  Who doesn't want to work for a reward (especially if it's for chocolate)?

Well, the problem is too many.  While being satisfied with the extrinsic rewards like a beer can be rewarding in the short term, you'll eventually feel unsatisfied and search for the next best thing.

Ideally, you want intrinsic rewards-feelings of purpose or accomplishment from your job.  Why is this important?  Because you're worried about distressing.  When doing this, you should consider the root of your stress first.  It will determine how you destress! 

How Do You Feed Your Kids When They Don't Weigh the Same?

Losing weight while you personal train in Denver means more than jumping on a bike.  It truly takes a lifestyle change for you and the people around you.  After all, we do live in the midwest and every special event in our lives includes food and alcohol.  

During these personal training experiences, I meet a lot of parent-clients who are also concerned about the eating habits of their kids.  Interestingly, many parents are faced with a challenge:  How do you feed your kids at the same table when they don't weigh the same?  

Initially, your thought may be to tailor a special diet for weight loss for the heavier kid but, ideally, you may want to reconsider this.  For the sake of fairness (and not feeling like an overweight outsider), the best approach is feeding your kids the same thing (as today's NY Times article Ask Well: Feeding Heavy and Thin Kids Together mentions).  

You can take this one step further by teaching your kids to stop when they're no longer hungry....or only eating when they're hungry.  Most importantly, you want to help your kids shape a healthy emotional association food and approach the table based on needs not wants.  

Making this effort will help you kids achieve a lifetime of good health and great choices as they become more independent.

Try this Watermelon and Tomato Salsa Recipe While You Lose Weight!

My personal training clients are always looking for new weight loss recipes.  You can never go wrong by choosing ingredients that are fruits, vegetables, beans, seeds, and legumes.  Finding a tasty combination to keep you on your track to weight loss and looking fabulous is the tough part, though. 

I recommend googling the terms "fast recipes" and begin experimenting to see what you like.  Cooking is a science after all!  The NY Times recently posted a quick and delicious recipe for Watermelon and Tomato Salsa.  This is a great refreshing summer recipe that won't upset your personal trainer and will keep the waistline tight! 

Should I hire a personal trainer?

Considering the current trends, you'll be left out if you don't at least have a gym membership.  Is this enough to be considered healthy?  I think you know the answer to that.  Gyms oversell their fitness memberships because they know that nearly 67% of their fitness members won't show up.

What does this mean?  The toughest part of fitness is accountability.  With so many personal and professional pulls, most people don't have the time or energy to research the best nutrition or exercises.  Maybe they'll try a couple of things in the gym on their own.  Eventually, though, they'll be bored, injured, or frustrated by lack of results after a couple of weeks without anyone there to be accountable to.

Hiring a personal trainer in Denver will not only help you discover the proper exercise and nutrition for you, but he or she will also identify any dysfunctional movements, asymmetries, or challenges to your success.  Most importantly, the personal trainer will keep you accountable to someone (which increases your rate of success).

Quit wasting your time meddling with uncertainties or wasting your membership and hire a personal trainer today!

How Do I Increase My Activity Levels Outside of my Personal Training Sessions?

While you will benefit from your personal training sessions, they are not enough to constitute a healthy lifestyle.  In fact, most personal training clients train an average of twice per week, far below the recommended daily activity.  

With this being said, it's the little things you incorporate into your lifestyle that will make the difference.  For instance, try the following tips to bring more fitness to your Chicago lifestyle:

-Walk to the train instead of taking the bus.

-Ride your bike to and from work.

-Walk to and from the restaurant over the weekend.

Check out ChooseMyPlate.gov for more great ways to increase your physical activity outside of your fitness sessions!

How do I lose weight in the office?

My personal training clients are always looking for ways to lose weight outside of the personal trainer's studio.  Besides actively taking advantage of the Denver parks, there are several things you can incorporate into your workday.  Try these tips to burn calories at the office.  Your personal trainer will be pleased!

1.  Run or walk the stairs for 20-30 minutes on your lunch break.

2.  Take a stroll around the office once every 45 minutes. Pretend you need to talk to someone about something important (e.g., a TPS report) or refill your water bottle (only fill it halfway each time and force yourself to get up more). Be consistent and frequent!

3.  Perform seated marches at your desk. Push your chair away from your desk (for leg clearance). While sitting upright, lift one leg at a time for 6-8 seconds (alternate). Repeat 10 times.

4.  Find a place to stand and work on your project. Naturally, your heart rate will drop while sitting. Stand up and work on a project!

5.  Dance with your boss. Please check with your human resources department before taking any action. 

What's the Secret to Weight Loss While Personal Training?

What's the secret to weight loss while personal training in Denver?  Although the answer can vary depending on your body type, activity levels, and more, there are several changes in everyone's diet that can contribute to weight loss success when working with a Denver personal trainer.  

The key is nutrition, and Dr. Fuhrman provides the nutritional tool you need for a life change.  Check out his book Eat for Health.  It provides the structure and recipes you need for a transformation.

Please note that I believe there can be a contradiction when personal trainers in Denver are profiting from the products they recommend.  Rest assured that I don't benefit from Dr. Fuhrman's books, and I truly believe in his philosophy.

Reebok Checklight Creates a New Helmet to Detect Concussions

Over the last several years, a hot topic during my personal training sessions in Denver has been the increase in detected concussions in sports (especially hockey and football).  Without a doubt, my Denver personal training clients who are parents worry about the effect of sports on their children.

Luckily, parents, athletes, and fans are now aware of the tremendous effects of concussions that include nausea, dizziness, loss of consciousness, and possibly brain damage.  Although this is promising, many athletes don't always realize they have one since most concussions don't lead to loss of consciousness.

Fortunately, increased awareness of these symptoms has led to enhanced safety measures, including mandatory 7-day rest periods or rule changes.  Is this enough, though?  Reebok doesn't think so.  Recently, they produced the Reebok Checklight.  A high-tech tool for detecting any force placed onto the athlete's helmet.  Although this won't lessen the blow, it will certainly alert the player of this force and help professionals determine the player's ability to continue playing.  Check out the NY Times Check Your Head for more about it. 

Top 3 Reasons to Hire a Personal Trainer in Denver

Many people are frustrated with the weight loss process.  What better way to overcome this than to hire a personal trainer!  Here are the top 3 reasons why most people hire a personal trainer:

3.  Conflicting information online:  It's incredibly tough to decipher between what's credible and what's not online.  A personal trainer in Chicago can help you sift through this overload of information and help you create a fitness structure that makes sense for your body.

2.  It's hard to watch yourself.  Even if you understand the basic mechanics of fitness, you can still fall prey to distraction.  A personal trainer will not only identify any asymmetry, weakness, or dysfunction in your movement, but they will also provide the tools to correct this problem.

1.  Accountability.  Many of my personal training clients wouldn't go to the gym unless it were scheduled.  Hiring a personal trainer forces them to schedule time for workouts every week and, most importantly, encourages them to stick to their goals.  After all, personal training clients know that someone will be asking them about their efforts outside of the gym.

Is Weight Watchers a healthy way to lose weight in Chicago?

Dr. Fuhrman has proven to be a leader in the weight loss industry and always offers interesting commentary on the weight loss programs in the media.  From the Mediterranean Diet to the Paleo Diet, he usually offers a scientifically backed opinion on the diets.

Recently, Dr. Fuhrman broke down the new Weight Watchers point system in his article Weight Watchers focuses on weight, not health.  You might be surprised to learn that this popular system is actually unhealthy.  Anyone meeting with a personal trainer in Chicago for weight loss or just has a general interest in the subject should definitely read it.

What are easy strategies for weight loss in Chicago?

While meeting with your personal trainer, there are a number strategies that you will employ in and outside of the fitness gym to lose weight.   While you may feel overwhelmed  with these new fitness and dietary strategies at first, they will collectively aid you in your path to a new you.

As a personal trainer, I especially know the challenges for this change.  After all, the core of most functions and events include eating and drinking in the Midwestern culture.

The Dietary Guidelines offer several great suggestions for your initial step for weight loss:

- Choose smaller portion sizes (contributes to weight loss).

- People who eat at fast food or quick restaurants more than once per week are at high risk for weight gain and obesity.   Reduce your frequency.

 - Increase your intake of vegetables and fruit (especially high fiber choices) for a lower body weight.

- Decrease your intake of sugar-sweetened beverages. 

Adapt these easy weight loss strategies to heighten your personal training experience in Chicago today!

Personal Training for Your Child's Brain?

We always discuss personal training our bodies to increase our levels of fitness.  Can we personal train our brains too?  Changing our mindset takes more than changing the way you think.  It also requires a neural switch.  Without being too complicated, our thoughts and feelings have neural pinnings.  When we change, these change too (especially during any learning process).

This isn't anymore important than during the young ages of brain development.  Doctors now are linking brain development and behavior more closely.  In fact, the recent NY Times article Training Young Brains to Behave explains how you can personal train your child's brain to behave more appropriately.

Personal Training Before Getting Pregnant

Looking for reasons to hire a personal trainer before getting pregnant?  A recent NY Times article Overweight and Pregnant describes the risks of being obese while pregnant.  Some of the risks include gestational diabetes, hypertension and pre-eclampsia to miscarriage, and premature birth.  Read this article and change your lifestyle today!

Finding Motivation While Personal Training in Chicago

When people meet with a Chicago personal trainer, they have made the important first step: A commitment to a path of personal fitness and optimal health.  While this step is necessary, it isn't the toughest part of a personal training experience.  The biggest challenge is staying motivated.  Your personal trainer will certainly do his or her best to motivate you while you're in the personal training studio.  The rest is up to you.

As a personal trainer in Chicago, I excel at motivating myself but I must admit that it can be a struggle just as much for me.  Maybe it isn’t my fault. It isn’t the right time. I don’t have enough money. I’ll do it tomorrow. These are examples of “excu-sease”-or the disease of excuses. I don’t suffer from this disease because I prefer to call my excuses “reasons”-making my excuses “legitimate excuses”. This is a true confession of a personal trainer that doesn’t feel a dire love for personal fitness 24 hours a day or an insatiable need to eat the driest vegetables.

Although I have these faults as a personal trainer (I’m human!), I motivate myself to exercise six days a week, eat vegetables -at least 8 servings per day, and value the least chemically processed foods.

Why do I complete these tasks but am resilient to others? Why do I preach healthy living, but am unwilling to floss each night? Ironically, the simplest tasks in life take years before they are habit. These are my steps:

Step One:  People remind me of my responsibility for action. These people include, but are not limited to, my girlfriend, my doctor, my father, my accountant and others who share their unsolicited opinions.

Step Two:  I find justification to continue not doing what I need to do (insert excuse here______________). Usually, the excuses begin with the following exaggerated statements: “I am too .....” or “I am very ...”.

Step Three:  I complete the task, but in short spurts. This step is an example of the “not completely giving in” or “I’ll try just a little and see what happens” syndromes.

Step Four:  I a.) realize the importance of this action and institute it as part of my foundation of daily living or b.) return to Step One.

Realizing your steps, or approach, is the first and easiest part.  Putting your goal into action is another.  I’ve witnessed many clients who know what they need to do but can’t push themselves to do it.  I can personally relate to this.

My dentist, Dr. Gamalinda, explains the need to floss on each checkup. In fact, his suggestions are pleads. In the first 3 visits, Dr. Gamalinda asks me to floss once or twice a week (a modest request). Although I understand the health benefits of flossing, I am still unmotivated to floss.

When I finally buy floss, I talk myself out of it each night. I think “I’ll just do it later”-which isn’t realistic since I jump in bed after brushing my teeth-or “I don’t have enough time”- even though flossing takes approximately 2 out of the 1440 minutes in a day.  I am a health professional and can’t complete this healthy task for my body.

Day after day, I talk myself out of flossing but eventually I stop and ask “Am I doing everything to be my best self?”  I realize the shortcuts I create living my life-eating on the run, avoiding important work projects with busy work, etc.  I also realize how often I sacrifice my physical and mental self while trying to create the perfect career, workout, and relationship.  Within time, I see how my self-talk affects my behavior too (especially dining out-justifying the experience as special and extending my dietary boundaries).  Why would I sabotage myself? Is it a life script? Out of habit?

Sometimes we wish we would just do what we need to do.  It isn’t until we experience an “aha” moment-a moment of clarity.   If we knew what it takes to automatically find this moment of clarity, would we achieve greater things every day?  I think so. Finding this mental clarity is different for everyone and requires observation and reflection. We must observe our behaviors (and intentions) and their effects. Discover our innate and fostered tendencies. Find out why we’re impulsive in many situations or why we turn right when we tell ourselves to turn left.

Our mind is our friend and also our greatest enemy. Over time our experiences create a hard -wired script for action (or in my case of flossing, avoidance).  We depend on this script when multitasking-especially when we drive, think about work, and eating a sandwich….at the same time.  We rely on our bodies to continue motion without thinking about it.

Unfortunately, this reliance on our mental script can reinforce bad habits and make them very difficult to break.  Despite your willingness to quit smoking or eat less, your mind continues to fall back on what it knows best based on past decisions.  When you’re stressed, you nibble on candy bars.  When confronted with a decision in a relationship, you take a step back.

We need to examine the root of our behavior and the underlying influences.  Do we believe we can improve ourselves?  Do we have the confidence to take control over our bodies?  Is insecurity leading to avoidance?  Observing, reflecting, and adapting habitually may be the key to overcoming our hurdles.  

With this being said, I no longer think I need to put everything else before my body.  I take the time to take care of the little things (including flossing) to better myself.  Now, I need to figure out why I never listen to my girlfriend.  And you should too!