Archive for exercise
Exercise Training: Happy Memorial Day
Posted by: | CommentsAre you cooking out or barbecue (ing) today? They are both one and the same. Have a Happy Memorial Day!!!
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Certified Nutrition and Weight Management Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
Exercise Training: are you a MILF?
Posted by: | CommentsAsk yourself are you a MILF? Get your mind out of the gutter, until I tell you my definition of a MILF because it ain’t the version you might be thinkin’ of!
Man, “She must workout!”
I can count on one finger the number of women I see who have kids, and are in shape. I definitely take notice when I do see a MILF. I saw one just the other day, and she had three little kids in tow like duffle bags with her. The first thing came to my mind was, “she must workout!” You can really tell when someone puts an effort into their body, because it shows in their appearance and personality. She definitely had a “glow” about her and I don’t think it was from her being pregnant again! On the flip side, you can also tell when someone doesn’t take care of their body. I have seen the same type of woman, on the same day who instead of 30 looks 50 and is carrying around a ton of extra luggage and it ain’t kids! So, what makes one different from the other?
When Do I do Me?
I grew up amongst all women since my father was never around. I think this has helped me see things differently from the average male. One thing I noticed as a teenager was my mom was great at taking care of me, but bad at taking care of herself. She was at all my basketball games, band rehearsals, and awards ceremonies but she never took time to “do her”. I have spoken to many women regarding fitness and they neglect themselves for their kids and don’t take any “me time” and it shows.You have to dedicate time to yourself because the neglection you feel on the inside starts showing on the outside. What does that mean? You might be surprised, but whatever you are going through on the “inside” usually manifests itself on the “outside”. The majority of the time gaining weight is more of an emotional issue, than it is a physical one. Women seem to have more emotional issues as a result of the pressure placed on them in society to “be this or be that”, men just don’t seem to care or if they do, they let it roll off their backs like water on a duck. So why all the Emotion?
Emotional Rollercoasters
I read somewhere where men are more in their “heads” and women are more in their “hearts”. I think this is why women seem to be more susceptible to emotional eating. I am not saying men can’t do this, but because women are more emotional than men here in lies my theory. I’ll back that up by saying I have spoken to countless women who eat when they are worried, frustrated or having problems in their relationship. They rely on food for comfort. I am a guy, so I can tell you men just grab a six pack and watch the game. We say,” the hell with it” and life goes on. I guess it could be a curse but then again women are much better at expressing their emotions than men. I am certain this is why we are considered the Yin and Yang. If both sexes were the same in how we saw things and reacted to them, it would be screwed up! It’s nice having differences, but women go through some things a man will never experience.
I’m Preeeegggnant!
If you are married and have a spouse, these are words you might “wanna hear”. If you are getting ready to give birth to a child, but gave birth to a deadbeat dead also, then you have my sympathy. I won’t pretend to know anything about pregnancy, but what I do know is it changes your body. That is a fact. You can get your body back if you are willing to put in the time and effort to do it. This is the key. Are you willing to put in the time and effort? Many women seem to give up and accept the bodily change which comes along with pregnancy and before you know it, it gets way out of hand. I believe the saying goes like this,“ its easy to eat pieces of an elephant than eat the whole thing at one time”. I ‘ll put this in layman’s terms meaning its easier to deal with something before it gets out of hand. I have seen women who let it get way out of hand and then they are discouraged by the obstacle set before them. Nip it in the bud quick before it gets crazy.
The MILF on my terms
There isn’t any woman who is genetically gifted over another woman. There isn’t any woman who has more hormones or less hormones than any other. The women who takes consistent action such as eating right, exercise, and understanding nutrition can always get her “pre baby body” back. How bad do you want it? You need to make up your mind and then go for it. So are you a MOTHER I’D LIKE TO BE FIT?
Coming Soon —– FOURWOMENONLY.INFO
I will address the issues women go through in their quest to get fit such as pregnancy, diets, and crazy myths that just ain’t true!
Darren McDuffie
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Certified Nutrition and Weight Management Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
Exercise Training: Is your “why” big enough?
Posted by: | CommentsAs a personal trainer, you realize its hard to keep people personally accountable for their own success. You also realize why most people fail not only in losing weight, but also in life. I attribute the failure to not having goals. I believe very strongly in having goals. Why? Goals hold you personally accountable for your success. Now, I used to be just like you, yes you who is reading this. I was never sold on the power of goals and thought it was all “bull shizzle” until two years ago. I thought writing stuff down was for nerds or those success obsessed people like Carlton Banks on the Fresh Prince. Yup, I said the Fresh Prince… I happened to have liked that show! I still watch it when the reruns come on.
Two years ago, I was far from where I wanted to be financially, socially, and professionally. I was looking for a change and it needed to come like yesterday. I began frantically searching for answers and even thought about giving in to one of those get quick rich schemes. You know the ones I am talking about, right? Have you seen those Acai Berry detox ads? Yup, I thought about selling those and it was the only “legal” way I thought I could make money. I could think of several other ways to earn quick cash, but I decided I didn’t want to spend my life being afraid to drop the soap in the shower. If you are a bit slow, that was a reference on going to prison. I am not built for jail and I know that about myself, so the quick cash was never an option. I remember hoping, wishing, and praying something would change and then it finally did. Have you ever heard the saying, “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear?” That’s exactly what happened to me. I came across a small book and it told you how to get anything you want in life, as long as you aren’t manipulating anyone, to get it. It’s a simple formula. All you need to do is write your goal down and pick a definite date you want to have it. I did it and things started to change for the better.
The moral of this story is you need a goal. I see far too many people without a weight loss goal. How many pounds do you want to lose and by when? Goals are only achieved when you have a big enough “why” attached to it. Why do you really want to lose weight? Do you want to look better or feel better? What is your why? Once you figure out why you want to lose weight then write it down and hold yourself personally accountable. The “why” will keep you going and when it is strong enough will also help you succeed. If you don’t know where you are going, how do you know when you have arrived? This is the main reason people give up because they don’t have a concrete, measurable goal. See you on the lean side.
Darren McDuffie
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Certified Nutrition and Weight Management Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
Exercise Training: Can You handle Your Truth?
Posted by: | CommentsHave you ever seen the movie a “Few Good Men?”. In that movie there is a famous scene in which Jack Nicholson tells Tom Cruise’s character,“ You can’t handle the truth”! Do you think you can handle the truth when it stares you in the face?
Before I start training my clients, I go through an assessment with them and part of it is taking pictures. I take the pictures for two reasons. I want them to use the pictures for motivation when they lose sight of why they are training and the second is for them to really see how they look to other people. Do you know how you look? You might say,”yeah I do” but I can tell you, you really don’t. Many of us never come to grips that we are really overweight until we are able to see it through the eyes of others.
Once I am done with the client’s assessment, I put a package together and part of the package includes the clients pictures. I take pictures from the front, side, and back. I want to show all the angles, so they can get a good view of how they look. Before I start the first session with them, I go over the packet and more often times than not, the first thing they want to do is look at the pictures. “Do I really look like that?”, they ask. Then they say, “ I look disgusting”. I like to call this, the moment of truth. It is the first time they are looking through the eyes of others and are really seeing what people see everyday. I also think it is the first time they come to realize I need help and can’t do this alone. Can you handle your truth when its staring right at you?
I had an interesting conversation with a friend who wanted me to talk to his mother about losing weight. He’s a bit concerned about his mother’s health and thought it might do some good for me to talk to her. I didn’t refuse to talk to her, but I told him it probably wouldn’t help because she’s not ready for her truth. Its easy to walk around in denial whether than face the truth head on and realize you have to make a change. The truth forces you to take a good hard look at yourself, but its always easier and more comfortable to lie. Lying takes no effort, but the truth requires accountability and change. Human beings are resistant to change and accustomed to habit. It is in change where you find your truth unless you are willing to keep living the lie. Until next time, see you on the lean side. Enjoy the clip below!!!
Darren McDuffie
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Certified Nutrition and Weight Management Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
Exercise Training: Do I really need a gym?
Posted by: | CommentsHere’s a thought. Do you really need a gym to get into shape? Think about it for a moment. Let it really sink in before you answer. I’ll answer it for you and here it is, “no”, you don’t really need a gym to get into shape. If you were like me a few years ago, I always thought I needed a gym to get into shape. I remember going onto Mapquest getting directions to gyms in towns and cities I was unfamiliar with, just to satisfy my urge to stay fit. If you don’t know what MapQuest is, its a website dedicated to giving you turn by turn directions to your destination. I can tell you Mapquest can be a good thing sometimes and other times it can be totally off the mark. I use to always think Mapquest was “spot on” until I ended up in someone’s “hood” in the middle of a known drug spot! Its an eye opener when people you don’t know swarm your car thinking you are looking to buy drugs. I am an intimidating figure at 6’7 and 200 something odd pounds, but the people who swarmed my car made me look as gentle as a lamb. After that experience, I knew it had to be a better way to get my workout “fix”.
If you had an experience like mine, you quickly come up with alternatives. One of those alternatives I found was bodyweight exercises. What are these? It’s just like the name sounds, you are using your bodyweight to create resistance and burn fat. I am sure you remember those push ups you did in your high school gym class, right? Well, push ups are one of the best exercises you can do for your chest and arms to build muscle. If you want to get a full body workout, trying adding some bodyweight squats and lunges into your routine. There are host of different exercises you can do with your bodyweight. See…you can get great results at home without the gym and it can be done right in your hotel room with no equipment.
I am still convinced some of you think you still need a gym to work out and that is ok… to each his own. I realize some people go to the gym to get fit and feel better, but some just go to socialize. I have had my choice words with the “socializers” when I was a member of the gym. It was these people who made a 30-45 minute workout turn into a hour and 30 minute workout by sitting on the machines talking when others are wanting to use them. I hated that! Oh… and while I am on my little soapbox talking about the “socializers”, how about the cell phone junkie? The cell phone junkie is the person who walks on the treadmill right beside you and for 30 minutes they talk on their phone for the whole damn 30 minutes about anything and everything. When I say everything, I do mean everything and nothing is left sacred during their conversation. I don’t miss those days at all. I feel much better and am getting better results working out at home. If you’re tired of the socializers, the cell phone junkie, or the high cost of gym memberships make the transition to “home fitness”. I can tell you it works! If you are working out at home now, I wanna here from you. See you on the lean side.
PS– Have you registered for the “Kick Start the Summer” Giveaway? You can win a free pair of Puma workout shoes! Click on the pic for the contest rules.
Kick Start the Summer Giveaway
Darren McDuffie
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Certified Nutrition and Weight Management Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
