Why are we so afraid to change? Its the question I ask myself whenever I go to a “commercial gym”. What is a commercial gym, you might be asking? Its the gym you pay a monthly fee to use. I don’t do commercial gyms often but when I do, I always see the same thing. I bet you have seen this and if you haven’t you probably will at some point. Hell… the person I am going to describe might even be you! Here goes… I almost always see the same person doing the same workout they have been doing for months sometimes even years. This same person will inevitably complain about not seeing any results. I usually think “duh”… you are not going to see any results until you change your program and do something different. Why is that?

In case you didn’t know it, your body Will start to adjust to a workout the very first time you do it. This is why your workout actually starts to get easier unless you add more weight, more reps, or sets. I don’t care who you are, this is going to happen. This just doesn’t happen with the weight you lift, it can also happen with your diet. You may need to “tweak” your diet depending on caloric expenditure. You might try to rotate carbs, cutback on carbs, or even add more protein to your diet depending on what you are trying to accomplish. I guess you are getting the picture now, right?

Boooorinnnggg is what I call the same gym routine everyday! Mix it up a little bit. Did you know there aren’t just barbells and dumbells for exercise? You can use resistance bands, sandbags, and tractor tires. All of these methods are unconventional and require your body to adjust and in turn, you get better results. You don’t even have to use barbells or dumbells… what about bodyweight? Yup… those pushups you did in your high school gym class can help you shape a lean frame! There is so much which exists in the fitness world its ashame to waste it on a boring bench press and a barbell curl. I always change my routine and am always looking to challenge myself with something harder and the results are always good. Don’t be afraid to “switch your pitch up” every now and then. Have you changed your routine and got good results? I would like to hear about it. See you on the lean side….Dee

Darren McDuffie
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Nutrition Education and Weight Management Specialist
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

Here is a short video I did while watching the Steelers vs. Dolphins game this past Sunday. The Steelers won by the way!!!! In the video, I talk about why people will fail at their fitness goals and what they can do about it. This can also pertain to everything not just fitness. Enjoy!!!! See you on the lean side!

Darren McDuffie
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Nutrition Education and Weight Management Specialist
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

What’s up? What are your resolutions for 2010? Do you even have any? Resolutions are a clever way to say goals. So let’s rephrase it, ” What are your goals for 2010?” Now… do you have any of those? I would be willing to bet that over half the people reading this post have no clear defined goals for 2010. I hope I’m wrong!

One of the first jobs I had out of college was in sales. For those of you who don’t know anything about sales, it’s a tough career choice. I think of sales as Life 101 as it certainly teaches you how to deal with rejection and overcome ups and downs. I’ll never forget these words from a sales manger I had early in my career, ” If you get into a car to go on a trip, and don’t have any directions chances are you’ll end up anywhere”. Now, just think about that for a second and then think about a time you wanted something so bad you would do anything to get it. How did you accomplish it? Did you get it? I bet you did! Here is where the magic formula lies… when you  focus enough on the “thing” you want, you usually end up getting it. So why don’t most people set goals? Here is what I found scared me away from goals for a number of years and see if anything rings a bell with you:

• It caused me to be committed and accountable- I never wanted to be committed to anything much less be accountable for my actions. It was always better to have an excuse!

• Lazy- why do I have to write anything down? I knew what I wanted in my “head” so there is really no need to write it down

Ever wonder why you see all the reduced rates to join gyms during the month of December and early January? Most people join during this time because their resolution is to get back in shape and lose weight. They start like bats “outta” hell only to quit by mid February less than two months after they joined. This is because they had no well defined goals in mind when they stepped into the gym. Always write your goals down and be specific! What do I mean by that?

• How many pounds do you want to lose? Pick a realistic date to want to lose the weight—deadlines give you something to work for and keep you motivated

• How many days are you going to work out?

• Pick an eating goal—make a commitment to change your diet

See what I mean? When you look in the mirror, the only person responsible in the end for your success is You! Set some written goals and then strive to achieve them, it’s a simple success formula!  What are your goals? I would like to hear them! Feel free to leave me a comment. Until next time… See you on the lean side!!!

In the article “Why Exercise Won‘t Make You Thin”, the author’s main point for why he is not losing any weight is exercise stimulates hunger. He states after exercise he gets hungry. The next question out of my mouth would be, ” What are you eating when you’re hungry?” I would be willing to bet it wouldn’t be considered “clean eating!” I did a blog post a few weeks ago titled ” You can’t out train a bad diet”. Go read this post if you haven’t and you’ll get an understanding of what I am talking about now. Diet and exercise must go hand in hand if you are to accomplish your weigh loss goals. You cannot eat hot dogs, pizza, and wash it down with soda pop and expect to lose weight. If you do this after working out, I promise you you’ll either gain weight or at best maintain the weight you already have. The equation is really quite simple: to lose weight you have to burn more calories than you consume. Those calories need to come from fruits, vegetables, and good carbs!

I’ll end on this and I said it last post; beware of what you see and hear…always look for facts. For instance, in the article the author tells the story of some friends jogging who complain about losing weight. Guess what they are eating after they finish their run? Muffins! I cannot believe this. Exercise and diet are synergistic catalysts for weight loss, one without the other just won’t work. See you on the lean side…Dee

Click here to read Time Magazine article

Darren McDuffie

Certified Fitness Testing Specialist

Ceritifed Exercise Foundations Specialist

Certified Nutrition Education and Weight Management Specialist

I had to write about this as it struck a nerve with me! Michael Jackson was finally laid to rest a week ago. I happen to be combing the internet and noticed several articles linking  exercise to Michael’s death. I couldn’t believe it! The articles I saw said Michael was pushing himself too much to get into shape for his upcoming tour. How the hell could they blame it on exercise?

Lou Ferrigno who played the Incredible Hulk, was enlisted as a personal trainer for Michael to get him ready for his upcoming tour. Lou claimed Michael couldn’t even lift the lightest of weights and his body was too frail. This was before exercise, what could have been done during exercise that may have contributed to his death? It has been my experience that exercise doesn’t cause death, preexisting conditions do. Most people don’t know or don’t even care to do a physical exam before they exercise. Physical exams are good for detecting hypertension and heart conditions amongst other things. Hypertension and heart condtions can definitely be detrimental when combined with exercise. This is a no brainer! Apparently, MJ had a battery of tests that cleared him to engage in exercise. I wonder what the tests were and furthermore did his physicians know the effects of exercise on the body? You’ll be suprise to know most physicians don’t know what happens to the body when it encounters excercise. From a personal training standpoint, did Lou Ferrigno perform his own tests to make sure Michael was fit for exercise? A good personal trainer’s job is to be a “suspectician” by performing additional tests such as blood pressure and observing the client and noting any changes in heart rate, etc.

I seriously doubt Michael Jackson’s death had anything to do with excersise. I won’t speculate what it may have been… its not my job. I can tell you one thing.. believe half of what you see and none of what you hear. See you on the lean side…Dee

Hey… every now and then I like to go into my movie collection and watch movies I’ve watched before just to past the time. I don’t care how many times you watch the same movie you can always pick up on something you didn’t catch the first time. Well… the other night I watched “Get Rich or Die Tryin” with 50 cent. I love this movie! There is one particular scene which always stands out when I watch it.

50 cent aka Curtis Jackson gets shot as he is going back to his car. The shooter ends up shooting him several times and the final shot ends up going into 50’s jaw. 50 recovers from the gun shot wounds only to have his jaw wired shut. In addition to having  his jaw wired shut, he now has to depend on prescription meds to stop the pain from his gunshot wounds. The scene begins when his girlfriend asks him, “ Is this it… this place, this life”. She then calls him weak and tells him he’s given up. A few minutes pass and then you see the change in 50 cent. He goes to the kitchen and begins to crush the prescriptions and then throws them down the sink! The movie then starts to show him exercising to get back into shape. In the beginning, he can hardly run then he progresses to running and even doing pull ups. This movie inspires me everytime I watch it. It leaves me with two messages when I watch it:

1.    Setbacks happen – How you react to those setbacks will determine if you succeed in fitness or life in general. I have seen many people start diet and exercise programs only to become “weak” and accept that who they are now is all they will ever be. If you have a setback, gather yourself and get up and keep going. Setbacks are temporary… quitting is eternal.

2.    Exercise is progression – Don’t expect to go out on your first day and run two miles. It ain’t gonna happen! Many people get frustrated when they can’t do all the exercises they see in the latest fitness magazine or on a dvd and they give up. You have to stick with it and progress within each session. Remember… the people you see in magazines or on dvds have been doing those exercises for years and chances are they couldn’t do them the first time they tried. Set a goal for yourself to lift more weight or hold a pose longer than you did during the last session, never ever get discouraged. I am willing to bet within a few sessions you will get to the point where you can do the routine.

Until next time, “ Get Fit or Die Tryin”! See you on the lean side…Dee

Darren McDuffie
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Nutrition Education and Weight Management Specialist

Hey… I am busy working on some new stuff for the blog. I thought I would add something fun for today. Remember In Living Color? Hope you enjoy. Live and Laugh Often. See you on the lean side…Dee

Click Here for a Suprise!!!!

What’s up ,Ya’ll! I wanted to drop a bit of knowledge on you. When I first started to get fit, I would go to the gym and have an intense workout and immediately after my workout I would get hungry. I would open up the refrigerator when I got home, and whatever I saw was fair game to eat. I would sometimes eat hotdogs, slices of pizza, or even peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as my post workout meal. Why wasn’t I seeing any transformation in my body? It took me a while to learn my nutrition played a big role in the grand scheme of things.

For most people, going to the gym is the easy part. The struggle often comes when it’s time to eat. Some are confused as to what to eat and some think they can eat anything, because they are working out. I truly have sympathy for those who are confused as to what to eat, but I don’t have any for those who think they can eat whatever they want especially if they want to lose weight. Have you ever heard the term self- sabotage? This is what the person who eats whatever they want after training hard is doing. I am willing to say 90% of transforming the body  is what you put into it and only 10% is training be it resistance or otherwise! Yes… what you eat makes a big difference.

If you truly want to transform your body, diet plays a big role. I cannot stress this enough to you. For example, abs are all the rage right now. Everyone wants a six pack to show off. You can do a 1000 sets of crunches and all the core work you can imagine, but if you don’t change your diet to lose bodyfat your abs will remained buried and you’ll never see them. Be smart when you train, but be even smarter when you eat because  “You can’t out train a bad diet”!

As a side note, I came across the” You can’t out train a bad diet,” quote while reading Craig Ballantyne’s Turbulence Training blog. Yes… I read other blogs!   Craig has a whole program he calls Turbulence Training. Please click on the Turbulence Training icon to see Craig’s Program. I have personally tried his program anf found it to be quit challenging and effective. There is very little equipment needed and you can do these workouts at home. I have personally used everything on my blog and it all works and this is why it is there. I will not endorse something I have not tried myself. Please feel free to leave comments and/or questions for me. See you on the lean side…. Dee

You can\’t out train a bad diet… See it here

Darren McDuffie
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
Ceritifed Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Nutrition Education and Weight Management Specialist

O Boy…. Michelle Obama’s arms!

I was scrolling through the tv channels and happened to see Michelle Obama and couldn’t help but recognize her arms. This woman’s arms are toned to the max! I wonder what she does for her workouts? It’s got to be something different as her arms are toned and she doesn’t look overly muscular. I am still finding it hard to believe the First Lady even does any type pf strength training.

If I had a dollar for everytime I heard this from a woman, ” I don’t want to lift weights because I might get bulky”, I would be filthy rich! Women tend to shy away from resistance training (weight training) because they think it will cause them to become too muscular. I want to debunk this myth right now! Women cannot get big by pumping iron, it’s possible to get toned but not overly muscular. From a hormonal standpoint, women have 10 to 30 times less of the hormones that cause muscles to grow.If you see a woman who looks as if she’s overly muscular, chances are she’s using steroids. So ladies, don’t be afraid to pick up those weights.

Women who resistance train reap enormous benefits. As women approach 30, they start to lose bone density and become susceptible to osteoporosis. Strength training can help you to stablize those losses and increase bone density. Here are some other benefits:

• Loss of Body Fat

• Gain strength without bulk

• Reduce your risk of heart disease

And the # 1 benefit for women : getting rid of those unsightly “turkey flaps” on the back of their arms ( smile)

I have much respect for Michelle Obama as she is truly the “Fitness First Lady” of America. I am sure her schedule is busy but she finds the time to make fitness a priority. I wish all women would follow her example. Ladies don’t be afraid to pick up those weights and get crackin because sleek, sexy toned arms are waiting for you! See you on the other side….Dee

Darren McDuffie
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Nutrition Education and Weight Management Specialist

Psst….Hey You… Yes you behind the computer screen. Pay attention and listen up because I am going to give you the secret to all this fitness stuff, right now. I’ll tell you how to lose 30 pounds in 3 days and add muscle on top of muscle in no time at all. Are you ready for the secret sauce?

My friend, Kevin Williams coined a phrase he calls the “secret sauce” from the movie “Kung Fu Panda”. In the movie, Po the panda works in a restaurant where his father makes noodles. Po loves the noodles and wonders what makes the noodles taste so good. His father tells him, ” the secret sauce”. He begs his father to tell him what the secret sauce is because he really wants to know the ingredient that makes the noodles so tasty. His father won’t tell him and Po is left to wonder and imagine what the ingredient could be. Po never finds out what the “secret sauce” is until the end of the movie when he fights the villian and sees himself in the mirror and realizes that the “secret sauce” is him. He simply had to believe in himself.

I don’t watch alot of tv but when I do, I always see commercials for the latest, greatest fitness gadget promising to shrink inches or help lose pounds. I can imagine people dialing the number on the screen in hopes that the gadget or supplement would finally get them over the hump to transforming their body. In my quest to becoming fit, I must have tried every gadget or supplement and none of them worked. It wasn’t until I took a look at myself did I realize the key to fitness was me! I had to make changes and I had to believe that those changes would ultimately get me to my goal. Now… that is the real secret sauce! In addition to “Me,” I have provided you with the ingredients to ” the secret sauce”:

2 Cups Discipline– get to the gym… do your workout.. no excuses!

1 Cup of Change— if you’ve done what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you always got!

1/2 Cup of Control— Push back from the table and eat things that are good for you.

By the way, I love cartoons.. think I am going to watch Kung Fu Panda again tonight!!!! lol

I always welcome your comments! See you on the other side…Dee

Darren McDuffie

Certified Fitness Testing Specialist

Ceritifed Exercise Foundations Specialist

Certified Nutrition Education and Weight Management Specialist