With the holidays coming up I want to give you all some guidance in order to avoid losing all of the progress you have gained from your hard work.  Since many people travel during the holidays or are unable to visit our studio or a gym, I want to make sure you know of some simple things you can do to stay healthy and remain unscathed by the craziness of the holidays.  Here is a quick 20 minute workout, including the warm-up and finisher.  Additionally, here are a few simple tips to make the temptations of the holidays a little easier to deal with!

The Workout

Warm-up

Body Weight Squats – 10 Reps

Perform squats with perfect form, keeping the weight on your heels and reaching back with your hips.

Spiderman Lunge + Rotation – 5 Reps each side

In a push-up position step one foot up by your same sided hand and take the arm from that same side and rotate up to the sky, replace the hand to the ground and repeat on the other side.

Plank Walk Out – 10 Reps

Beginning from a pushup position, walk your hands out in front of you while still keeping your core tight and back flat; then walk back and repeat.

Jumping Jacks – 20 Reps

Exercises – 30sec/30sec x 4 rounds

Plank Jacks

In a push-up position focus on keeping your back flat and your core (abs) tight while hopping in and out with your feet, like the leg motion from a jumping jack. For lower intensity step out and in with one foot at a time.

Squat Jumps

Like in the warm-up, do a squat with perfect form and use as much force as possible on the way up in order to jump.  Try to land softly by first landing on your toes with your knees slightly bent.  As you land move right into the next squat for the next repetition.  For a Lower intensity simply do the body weight squats from the warm-up quickly.

 

 

Row to Press

For this exercise you will need a small suitcase, bag, or other item that has some weight to it (a small child is acceptable for some additional family bonding during the holidays).  Start this exercise by holding your item with a slight knee bend and reaching back with your hips so that your chest is facing the ground (keep your shoulders back so that you do not hunch over).  Once in this position pull the item up to your chest keeping your elbows tight to your body and squeezing your shoulder blades together.  At this point stand up by squeezing your glutes and press the suitcase to the sky.  From here lower the weight and return to the starting position by again reaching back with your hips and repeat.

Finisher– 3 sets of 5 reps

Squat-Walkout-Push-Up- Rotation (L&R)-Walk back

This exercise may sound complicated, but I assure you it is not.  Begin with your normal body weight squat.  When you reach the bottom position of the squat, place your hands on the ground and walk out into a push-up position and perform one push-up.  Once you have completed the push-up rotate to one side by raising that hand up in the air keeping your core tight, try to rotate your hips and shoulders evenly.  To help with this movement allow your feet to rotate on the ground. Repeat this rotation on the other side and then simply walk back with your hands while trying to keep your legs straight as long as you can and stand up.  Once you are standing, perform your next repetition.

Tips to Resist Temptations

1. Don’t Go Hungry– Try to eat something healthy and high in protein before going to a get together.  By going to a party hungry you are asking for trouble when it comes to sweets and unhealthy food choices.
2. Keep Temptation Out of the House– The easiest way to avoid unhealthy things is to simply not have them around to tempt you.
3. Stay Hydrated-Try to keep a glass or bottle of water with you so that you don’t fall into drinking the wrong things that add useless calories to your diet.
4. Don’t Be Afraid to Say No– At a party or get together people often consume extra food simply because someone else offered it.  Little by little it all adds up.  No one will be upset if you turn down some of your Great Aunt Ruthie’s famous pie.
5. Have a Plan-Try to plan out what you will eat and when you will be eating it.  And don’t be afraid to have one of your guilty holiday pleasures included in that.  Stay strong and reward yourself with something small for doing so, but just don’t let it get out of control.
6. Brush Your Teeth After Each Time you Eat-This sounds weird but it will help to avoid overeating or eating when you aren’t hungry.   Seriously, who wants to eat something with a clean and minty fresh mouth?

I hope this workout and these tips make staying healthy during the holidays a little bit easier.  If you have any questions about the workout or are looking for any additional holiday tips please request a Free Consultation.  We sit down and discuss your personal health and wellness goals, and together we decide if our program is a good fit for you!  The average person gains between 5-10 pounds over the holidays!  We can help you prevent this unwanted gain!

Take care and Happy Holidays!

Week after week we work with individuals who want to know exactly the foods to eat, the best exercises to do and all the hidden secrets to losing weight, having more energy and overall good health!  Then I get the perplexed look from the individual when I say, “Any program works.”

No really, anything works…if you take action, stay motivated, persist through the desire to quit, remove triggers that create impulsive behavior, and stop sabotaging a perfectly good plan!

So we have created a Free Presentation for Indianapolis people who want solutions!  The presentation will be held at Transformation Fitness and Wellness, 2505 N Delaware St, Indianapolis, IN 46205 this Wednesday, Nov. 20th at 7pm!  If you want to know all the secrets on how to lose weight and feel great I encourage you Sign Up for this Free Presentation it has a $199 value!

In our talk we will be going through the 7 Essential Success Attitudes and Beliefs That Make Change Possible.

This Free Presentation will be fast paced, upbeat and leave you ready to conquer the world!  Come with your mind open and questions ready.  One question can lead to a solution.  One new fact or piece of evidence can change a belief.

                Here are the 7 Essential Success Attitudes and Beliefs That Make Change Possible:

1.)    POSSIBILITY: It’s Achievable

2.)    CAPABILITY: I Am Able

3.)    NECESSITY: I Must Achieve It

4.)    WORTHINESS: I Deserve It

5.)    DESIRE: I Want It

6.)    EXPECTATION: I Expect It

7.)    WILLINGNESS: I Am Willing

                We are going to dissect the Success Attitudes and Beliefs and correlate them to your very life.  How many times have you tried to change and have failed?  Failing is not an option any more.

Here is a great quote from Dr. Wayne Dyer:

“WHEN you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

                So I am going to challenge you to learn and think like a lean person, you will then increase your chances of becoming one.  Your attitude matters and it is your perspective or unique way of looking at things.  Our world is the same, but we each experience it differently through own filters of perception.

We must reframe our words because this will then change the way we think, feel and act.  Then we reframe meanings.  Failing to most people is a negative event, but it could be one step closer to the right answer.  Reframing can help you eliminate excuses by shifting your thoughts toward personal responsibility, possibility, choice, and win-win scenarios.  We will talk through some examples on Wednesday, Sign Up Now!

So I want you to start believing in you.  Beliefs are not facts.  They are only interpretations or value judgments you make about yourself, your experiences, and the world around you.

I hope I have inspired you to come to our Free Presentation!  Please sign up and let us know you are coming and we look forward to seeing you there!

Take care,

Arin Lindauer, Owner Transformation Fitness and Wellness

317-927-9689

Several of our Indianapolis clients struggle with making healthy choices when dining out.

If there’s one massive mistake that’s more likely to sabotage your program than any other, it’s making bad choices at restaurants.  In study after study, the more frequently you are eating in restaurants correlates to higher body fat.  It all makes sense when you look at how things have changed in the past several decades.  Most portions that are served in restaurants are triple the recommended amount and the calories that are add to foods to make them taste a specific way has become a norm for most chefs.  This makes it very difficult for consumers to make appropriate choices when dinning out.

In 1955, Americans spent 19 percent of their food budget on meals prepared outside the home.  Today that number has more than doubled to 41 percent.  The number of people now overweight has more than doubled with it.  Obesity has tripled.  According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, $222 billion is spent every year at restaurants and $118 billion of that at fast-food restaurants.

 

The big problem: high-calorie meals, in part thanks to increasing portion sizes.  Many typical restaurants meals contain 1,000 calories or more in the main course alone.  If you include an appetizer and dessert, that could add 1,000 or more.

One slice of cheesecake for dessert can set you back 700 calories.  Cheese nachos or fried mozzarella sticks have about 800 calories.  The “normal” servings, that is.  According to a report in Men’s Health magazine, the worst nachos could easily fall in the 1,200- to 1,500-calorie range.  Imagine if you had appetizers, fries, dessert, and drinks with that.

The National Restaurant association report that the average person eats out 4.2 times per week.  With that frequency, if you chose any of these “calorie bombs” each time you ate out, it would completely undermine every nutritious homemade meal you ate and everything you did in the gym all week long.  Of course I realize that telling people they can’t eat in restaurants won’t make me very popular, so my more moderate suggestion is simply to keep restaurant eating to a minimum.

One of the characteristics I’ve discovered in the majority of lean people is that they prefer to keep tighter control over their nutritional intake by making most of their own meals.  If the national average is four restaurant meals per week and you don’t want an average person’s body, then don’t do what average people do.  Do what lean people do.  Keep restaurant dining to once or twice per week and make the right choices when you’re there.

Regardless of how often you dine out, you have to educate yourself about the nutritional value or restaurant food and have a plan beforehand.  For the sake of simplicity, I’ve condensed a list that can help you with eating out.

• Start with low-calorie salads instead of high-calorie appetizers.

• Avoid deep-fried foods such as French fries, onion rings, and calamari.

• Ask the wait staff not to leave the bread basket.

• Ask your server if you’re not sure how something is prepared, especially about extra sauces, oil, butter, or other hidden calories.

• Look up menus and calorie information online and make a healthy choice in advance.

• If you don’t know how many calories are in a dish, don’t eat it.

• Choose grilled chicken or fish for lean protein.

• Choose lean sirloins or filets and get nine- to twelve-ounce cuts or smaller.

• Order steamed vegetables as side dishes.

• Order dry baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, or brown rice as sides or part of the main course.

• Order fresh fruit for dessert.

• Split a traditional dessert with a companion.

• Don’t clean off your plate – take a doggie bag home with you.

• Eat only until you are 80 percent full.  Never stuff yourself.

• Don’t eat at buffets.

 

If you’re an Indianapolis resident who would like help with nutrition or you need some guidance with your fitness try out the Free Consultation.

What is one simple, single, easy-to-do activity you can do, day in and day out, that will have the greatest impact on your health?

Today I want to share with you some of my favorite insights from the book, “The Slight Edge” by Jeff Olson.

Every day, we talk to clients who want to make changes. They want to see success. They want to change their appearance and their health.  We get excited with them as they get into our system of Nutrition Support, Resistance Training, Cardiovascular Training, Flexibility and Accountability, and they start to see results. 

But what happens when the workouts alone are not enough?  That’s why we coach our clients through nutrition and cardio changes in addition to the workouts they complete in our studio.

When a client first starts exercising, they will always feel better and start to see immediate changes in their body.  Then we have to make even more changes.

***WARNING*** I want this blog post to hit home…

There will come a point when you need to get back outside your comfort zone and make yourself uncomfortable.

On it’s own, working out will not generally provide the results our clients are looking for.

So let’s work through this…

 The Slight Edge and Your Health

“Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.” –Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Your health is the single most important item you possess.  Yet it is the most blatantly ignored.  Being healthy is one of the most basic practices needed in everyone’s life—and there is no area of life where the principles outlined in “The Slight Edge” are more vividly in operation, working either for you or against you.

 Every day we have an opportunity to make changes and work new habits into our lives; yet we continually say,
“I’ll start tomorrow.”

It is the small insignificant things you do EVERY DAY that will add up to the ultimate dream.

A race is not won only at the finish line.  A race is won through all the preparation, through each mile, through each mental battle fought BEFORE you get to the finish line.

We make nutrition decisions based on the idea that, “What’s this one meal going to hurt, really? I can always just eat better at the next meal.” My friends, the “next meal” is here.

We get one chance at this life, and it is time to start doing the small, seemingly insignificant things NOW that will build your life up to the finish line.

“The truth is, what you do matters. What you do today matters. What you do every day matters. Successful people just do the things that seem to make no difference in the act of doing them and they do them over and over and over until the compound effect kicks in.”

-Jeff Olson

The condition of your health will circle around to touch almost everything else in your life.  If you feel better, the chances are you are sleeping better, you are able to get more accomplished, and you ultimately get the promotion, job, and house… whatever your goal is!

Starting any new habit is exciting… then it loses it’s thrill and feels like a chore or an obligation.  There will always be circumstances and rivaling situations lurking around the corner to try to throw you off track.  Stay firm in your commitment and diligent in your efforts.

Actions are easy to do, and easy not to do.

If we DO  the thing, each and every day, the powers of momentum, the confidence we gain with each day of completion, and finally, the formation of a habit will make “the thing” far easier to DO than NOT to do! And far more beneficial to our lives.

So I have an exercise I want you to do.  Take some time to write down what your dreams are for your health, what is the price you are willing to pay, what is your plan, and lastly what is one simple daily discipline that will help you reach that goal!

 

My dreams for my health (Specific, vivid and with a timeline):

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Price to pay:

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Plan to Start:

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

One simple daily discipline:

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

You can do it! And just know if you need professional help our team is here for you!  Contact us at 317-927-9689 or request a Free Consultation today! It’s a small thing you can do, that could make a big change! Remember, small things are easy to do, but also easy not to do!

The Stretches You Need Most

 

A while back someone made the comment to me, “You stretch more than any guy I’ve ever seen.” I thought this was very arbitrary because I work in a gym and in my downtime I stretch. So I shrugged and went back to stretching. Then the question was asked, “Why do you stretch so much?” This threw me off a little bit. I had to pause and think. A whirlwind of follow up questions and answers flew through my head, each more useless than the next.  Why should I stretch? Why would I stretch? I’m not a gymnast, what would I gain by doing the splits? It looks ridiculous. It is uncomfortable. It makes me sweat. It makes my muscles feel like jelly. Most of all, it hurts. In the end, my answer was simple, “because I am tight.”

 

The human body is designed to be in motion. It is a machine, and its design is perfect. It is an intricate system of levers and muscles that must be maintained and taken care of. It must be fed the right fuel, its joints must be lubricated, and most importantly it must be ready and able to perform whatever duties are asked of it on a daily basis. If not, the body may become like the last washing machine you owned – you know the one I’m talking about. The leg broke, it started wobbling, and when you skipped a cycle one week and decided to save time by washing the lights and the darks together, it keeled over and died. Sad story, but it happens. And unlike the replaceable washing machine, you only get one body.

But enough about domestic appliances.

The fact is that your muscles, my muscles, and everyone else’s muscles are all very tight. The more you work out, the tighter you get, and it causes problems. Most often these problems show up in the form of pain and most of the time we block this pain out and keep moving on. As time goes on, the magnificent and perfectly designed machine that is your body will compensate for that pain. All of a sudden, it’s, “BAM! Stress fracture.” Or maybe it’s, “BAM! Now I can’t run because I have I.T. Band Syndrome.” The road to recovery from these injuries is long, and for me – all too familiar and unpleasant.

The remedy? Address your tightness, accept your limitations, and stretch your muscles.

Recently, I had a conversation with someone here at the studio about stretching. The comment that was made was something to the effect of “I didn’t know how tight I was until I took a couple of yoga classes.” I realized that although that is a general statement, it applies to you, me, and everyone else. So, I have compiled a short list of stretches that you need. They address the most common aches and pains and are very simple to do. And here they are:

Hip Flexor Stretch:

Among other reasons, you have tight hip flexors because:

a)      You sit a lot. Or for long periods at a time.

b)      You are a runner, and spend minimal time stretching this area. Runners are notoriously weak in the hip and core muscles.

c)       You have tight hip flexors. (As your mother might have told you when you asked a question that she couldn’t answer, “Some things just are the way they are, honey!”) Stretch and feel better.

Begin in this position. Lean forward with your hips while keeping your torso completely upright. The stretch should be felt in the front of the hip of the leg that is down. For a much better and more beneficial stretch, maintain this position and raise both hands above your head and look at the ceiling. Hold 30 seconds minimum.

Hamstring and lower back stretch:

Ever had Lower back pain? Chances are it hurts because it is really tight. You should stretch it.

Stand with feet together and then touch your toes. If you can’t touch your toes, then grab your ankles, calves, or whatever else you can and hang on. Hold for 30 – 60 seconds and repeat until it loosens up. For a much better stretch, stand with your toes on the stairs and your heels hanging off. Again, bend down and hold.

 

Pectoral Stretch (Doorway Stretch):

Your chest muscles are tight because:

a)      Gravity is pushing down on your shoulders. Forcing them forward.

b)      You have a natural tendency to “round” your shoulders forward which just basically means that you have a natural poor posture. (Myself included!).

Find a doorway and place your hands on either side of it with your elbows at shoulder level. Step through with your lower body until you feel the stretch in your pectoral (chest) muscles. Hold for 30-60 seconds.

 

Supine Glute Stretch:

Begin by lying flat on your back with one leg crossed over the other. Reach your hands behind the thigh of the leg that is not bent like a pretzel, and pull it toward you. This stretch should be felt in the glute (butt) of the pretzel leg. Hold for a minimum of 30 seconds. Repeat. Switch to the other leg and repeat.

 

If you do these stretches, you will not automatically become an ultra-flexible gymnast. But, you will be better off. And your body will thank you. Pleases always remember to keep in mind that changes do not occur immediately! If your muscles have been tight for a long time, then it may take a long time to loosen up. Take some time today to do them and reap the looser rewards!

*The best times to stretch are when you get up in the morning and before you go to bed at night. Also before and after a workout, but that goes without saying (hopefully).

**Footnote: The foam roller is amazing and should be a part of every person’s stretching, pre, and post workout routine.

 

Squats are possibly the most important exercise we do; some consider the squat the king of all exercises. WHY?

1. It’s a functional exercise that will improve your ability to live a healthy life
2. Everyday movements like getting in and out of a chair, bending down to pick something up, and many other motions rely on squat strength
3. The squat uses a vast number of muscle groups, some of the biggest in the body, and therefore burns a large number of calories ultimately aiding in weight loss

SO why wouldn’t people want to do squats?! Maybe they find that squats hurt or are too difficult to do.  Both pain and difficulty with squats directly relate to form and mobility.  Without proper form the exercise WILL be painful and difficult because there is often too much pressure on certain parts of the body– like the knees or back.  Form is extra hard to maintain for someone who has issues with mobility involving ankles, hips, or even shoulders. Let’s look at the key aspects to proper squat form and some common mistakes and how they can be corrected.

Proper Squat Form

1. Feet shoulder width apart
2. Chest out, shoulders back
3. Weight stays on the heels
4. Back flat
5. Reach back with the hips
6. Knees stay behind toes
7. Lower your body until the top of your thigh is parallel with the ground

 

 

 

Common Mistakes:

Check out your squat position in a mirror. Are you making any of the following mistakes?

1.  Knees Over Toes

This mistake is caused by tight hips and may cause the knee pain that some people experience with squats.Correct this by performing hip mobility exercises and only lowering as far as you are able to keep good form. Focus on reaching back with the hips while keeping your weight on the heels of your feet.

1. 2.  Excessive Hip Bend

   When someone is drastically bent at the hips it is because of poor ankle mobility.  To fix this, perform ankle mobility exercises.  Until ankle mobility is improved perform squats with your ankles elevated in order to maintain good form.  When this mistake goes uncorrected it can cause low back pain.

 

3.  Weight On Toes, Heels Raised Off Ground

This compensation is caused by both tight ankles and hips.  Correct this by performing the suggestions in the two previous mistakes.  This problem is sure to cause knee pan if uncorrected.

 

 

 

 

4.  Shoulders Rounded

This poor positioning is caused by tight chest and shoulder muscle, while also having weak upper back muscles.  In order to correct this, perform pec mobility exercises and strengthening exercises like reverse fly or external rotation at the shoulder.  This positioning can cause back pain.

 

 

5.  Excessive Arch In Back

This situation is cause by not locking in the core for each rep.  To correct this, focus on engaging the abdominals for each rep and perform core stability exercises.  This positioning can cause low back pain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Knees Caving In

This problem is caused by not properly engaging the hips. While performing the squat, focus on engaging your glutes while pushing your knees out to the sides in order to correct this problem.  This situation can cause knee pain.
Squats really are one of the best exercises for you! Use these simple tips to begin squatting pain-free with great mobility, gaining loads of muscle and burning fat!  Get out there, grab some weight, and get low!