Archive for exercise
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
Exercise Training: “Kick Start the Summer Giveaway”
Posted by: | CommentsSummer is almost here! Got any vacation plans? I hope you do. One thing I know you could use on your vacation are some new “kicks”. You know what kicks are right? They are shoes! I would like to invite you to participate in Watch Your Trainer’s very first giveaway, “Kick Start the Summer. I’ll be giving away a brand new pair of Pumas for you to enjoy. I have been a fan of the Puma brand every since my breakdancing days a long time ago. For the record, I don’t breakdance anymore and some of the things I use to do would land me in the hospital if I tried to do them now. Anyways… Puma fell off the map for a bit but now they are back with a bang! I own a pair now and wanted to share my favorites with you if you win the giveaway.
Giveaway ends Monday, May 31st. I’ll announce the winner on the blog. You must do the following to be eligible to win.
Mandatory:
- Become an e-mail subscriber to Watch Your Trainer by using the form in the sidebar. Leave me a comment stating you subscribed.
- Already a subscriber? Choose any of the other additional entry options below. Leave a comment letting me know you are already a subscriber and which entry option you used.
- Become a fan on The Watch your Trainer Blog Facebook page (find the link on the right sidebar.)
- Follow deek67 on Twitter.
- Leave a comment on why you would like to win the Pumas
- Tweet this giveaway. Copy and paste “@deek67 Watch Your Trainer Giveaway! http://watchyourtrainerblog.com/pumagiveaway/” Then come back and leave a direct link to your tweet. (Go to your Twitter account, click on the words when your tweet was sent (ie. 5 seconds ago) and copy and paste that link in comments.) This can be done daily with a maximum of one tweet per day.
- Share this giveaway on Facebook, Delicious, Digg, Stumble Upon or any of the other social networking sites. Leave a comment with your name and a link to the “share.” You can do this daily as well. Let’s get the word out!
- Write a post on your blog linking to this giveaway – Good for three entries. Leave this comment twice so you get both entries!
This giveaway is not redeemable for cash and open to US residents only. Good luck!
You could win a pair of shoes similar to these.
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: Is Walking Enough?
Posted by: | CommentsI live in paradise. South Florida is warm almost all year round and its a great place to live if you are health conscious like I am. One of the things I notice in my neighborhood every morning before I head to work are people walking. I see them walking along the street, walking in the parks, walking everywhere. Get the picture? I had a thought the other day and I wanted to share it with you. Is walking enough? What do you think?
The body can adapt to exercise very quickly. You have to vary the stimulus on your body over time to see results. If you are walking at the same pace every day, chances are you aren’t varying the stimulus enough to see greater results. I see most “walkers” going the same pace all the time and over a period of weeks they still look the same. There is no fat loss and there is no overall improvement in cardiovascular health. Walking at the same pace every day is just “maintenance” at best, but at least it is exercise. If you want to vary the stimulus on the body, then walk a further distance and vary your walking speed or even your weight. How can you vary your weight when you walk? You can carry a set of dumbbells or even buy a weight vest to increase your weight. You might also try varying your walking elevation by walking up hills or if on a treadmill changing the incline. Walking is enough if all you want to maintain is your present levels of fitness, but if you want to improve you need to add something to it. Until next time, 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
