DESIGNING BETTER LIVING THROUGH STRENGTH
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a personal training blog

From the category archives:

Fat Loss

The Role of Exercise in Fat Loss.

June 27, 2008

Just a quick note to clear up any confusion -
When on a fat loss program, it’s the diet that causes you to lose fat.
Primarily, exercise (strength training) prevents the loss of muscle tissue while your body is burning fat tissue for energy.  If you’re a beginner, you’ll probably even gain muscle while losing fat.
Exercise can [...]

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300 Calories.

June 23, 2008

Another great tool in fat loss is being able to guesstimate the number of calories in a given portion size of food.  For some individuals, counting calories and portioning food is a must, but I think it’s helpful for most people to have at least some idea of how much they’re eating. 
Some time ago I [...]

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When There’s No Time To Exercise…

June 10, 2008

…you have to make time. Or break “the rules.” Or both.
Ways to make time for exercise:
1. Make it a recurring appointment on your calendar. That way you’re less likely to miss it in the future.  Making it a meeting you’re accountable for will do wonders for you actually doing it.
2. Get up a [...]

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Track Your Diet Online.

June 4, 2008

While I extoll the benefits of keeping a food journal and believe that good ol’ pen and paper are sufficient, it’s a pain for most people.
Interestingly enough, keeping an online food journal seems less so. Most of the food journals I look over are quickly “scribbled” emails from clients (Blackberry syndrome) or Microsoft Word [...]

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How to Test Yourself.

May 29, 2008

Benchmark yourself.
That’s right; hold yourself to your progress.  What I’m asking you to do is to test yourself.  Not in the Marines’ “Everyday you don’t test yourself is a day wasted sir!” way, but by performing a workout that tests your current ability against your past ability.
The athletes reading this post are all slapping their foreheads [...]

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Three Indicators That You Need a New Personal Trainer.

May 27, 2008

1. You’re talked to instead of guided.
As in, instead of telling you to brace your abdominals while military pressing, they’re telling you about housebreaking their new puppy, or (insert random non-exercise related topic here).
Edit: Not to be confused with friendly banter between exercises, as in when resting. But when “under load”, it’s time to [...]

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On Exercise and Fitness Books.

May 22, 2008

Here’s your homework for today: Go to Seth Godin’s blog, read this post, and substitute “exercise book” or “fitness book” everywhere you see “business book.”
A million people didn’t buy Body For Life because Bill Phillips came up with some incredible secret workout; Body For Life sold millions because of the inspirational power of hundreds of [...]

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Additions or Subtractions?

April 8, 2008

Subtractions – definitely subtractions.
As in, which is more important to diet success: The good foods you add to your diet, or the bad foods you stop eating?
Don’t get me wrong; it’s excellent that you’ve started eating salads and adding fish oil to your diet.  But do you really think that the fat-burning effects of DHA [...]

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Gary Taubes.

March 9, 2008

I finally got around to watching the entirety of this video. If you don’t know who Gary Taubes is, he’s a science journalist who wrote my favorite book of the last 10 years, Good Calories, Bad Calories. In my opinion, this book is required reading for any health or medical professional (regardless of [...]

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Focus on Actions, Not Outcomes.

February 27, 2008

What’s the most harrowing moment of your day?
For many of my clients, it’s that sobering moment when they step on the scale (or when the skinfold calipers are drawn) and their efforts are quantified.  The culmination of a week’s worth (or whatever the timeframe may be) of grit, determination, and effort is encapsulated in the relative [...]

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