London Personal Trainer Give 7 Vital Father's Day Tips

Though Father’s Day should be a time for celebrating what our father’s have sacrificed to allow us to lead the lives of our dreams, to me it’s more of a loud awakening.

Look, I hate to be a downer, but someone has to say something already.

Our father’s are now in the worst shape of their lives, many suffering from a very scary condition called Metabolic Syndrome X.





One of the main indicators of someone who has metabolic disorder is abdominal obesity, as clearly demonstrated in the picture above. The scary part is that many of our father’s look just like this!

Please read below for an excellent description of Metabolic Syndrome from www.MedicineNet.com:

What is metabolic syndrome?

An association between certain metabolic disorders and cardiovascular disease has been known since the 1940s. In the 1980s this association became more clearly defined and the term metabolic syndrome (also known as syndrome X or the dysmetabolic syndrome) was coined to designate a cluster of metabolic risk factors that come together in a single individual. In more current times, the term metabolic syndrome is found throughout medical literature and in the lay press as well. There are slight differences in the criteria of diagnosis - depending on which authority is quoted. Regardless, the concept of a clustering of risks factors leading to cardiovascular disease is well accepted.

The main features of metabolic syndrome include insulin resistance, hypertension (high blood pressure), cholesterol abnormalities, and an increased risk for clotting. Patients are most often overweight or obese.

Insulin resistance refers to the diminished ability of cells to respond to the action of insulin in promoting the transport of the sugar glucose, from blood into muscles and other tissues. Because of the central role that insulin resistance plays in the metabolic syndrome, a separate article is devoted to insulin resistance.

How is metabolic syndrome defined?

The definition of metabolic syndrome depends on which group of experts is doing the defining. Based on the guidelines from the 2001 National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel (ATP III), any three of the following traits in the same individual meet the criteria for the metabolic syndrome:

1. Abdominal obesity: a waist circumference over 102 cm (40 in) in men and over 88 cm (35 inches) in women.

2. Serum triglycerides 150 mg/dl or above.

3. HDL cholesterol 40mg/dl or lower in men and 50mg/dl or lower in women.

4. Blood pressure of 130/85 or more.

5. Fasting blood glucose of 110 mg/dl or above. (Some groups say 100mg/dl)

The World Health Organization (WHO) has slightly different criteria for the metabolic syndrome:

1. High insulin levels, an elevated fasting blood glucose or an elevated post meal glucose alone with at least 2 of the following criteria:

2. Abdominal obesity as defined by a waist to hip ratio of greater than 0.9, a body mass index of at least 30 kg/m2 or a waist measurement over 37 inches.

3. Cholesterol panel showing a triglyceride level of at least 150 mg/dl or an HDL cholesterol lower than 35 mg/dl.

4. Blood pressure of 140/90 or above (or on treatment for high blood pressure).

And though Metabolic Syndrome affects more women than men, there is certainly no shortage of men 40 years and older who have that “deadly beer gut” that literally makes them a ticking time bomb for a slew of serious medical conditions.

But there is good news amongst this frightening reality: The most common cause of metabolic disorder is of course a vicious combination of a lack of exercise and poor diet.

See below for the top 7 fitness tips to help save our father’s lives:

1.) Avoid the Molson's

It’s no doubt why our dads have more of a keg for a midsection than a six-pack. See below for the best way I know of explaining how harmful alcohol can be on your body make up:

How Alcohol Makes You Fat

-Alcohol first passes through the esophagus as it travels to your stomach.

-From there, 20% of the alcohol is absorbed immediately by your bloodstream.

-The remaining alcohol travels to your intestines and is absorbed from there.

-The alcohol in your bloodstream then travels directly to your liver. It is here that
the body breaks the alcohol down, something that is absolutely essential since
alcohol is toxic to the body.

-Alcohol brakes down into acetate and acetaldehyde which IMMEDIATELY
signals to your body to stop burning fat. Even worse, another waste product of
alcohol, acetyl CoA, actually starts to make more body fat.


If you booze, you WON’T lose fat!

What Does this Mean?

-Your body can only effectively process 0.5 to 1 ounce of alcohol per hour

-How much damage? A 12-ounce beer contains about 0.6 ounces of alcohol. If
you consumed 5 of these, your body would be inhibited from fat burning for up to
6 hours. This is aside from the fact that your body will actually be storing fat
during these 6 hours! The more you drink, the longer your body is inhibited from
burning fat in addition to a greater fat build up from excess acetyl CoA. As you
can see, one day of binge drinking can set you back days if not a full week when
it comes to fat loss!

-What’s the worst-case scenario? Mixing alcohol with sugary beverages
promotes even further fat gain due to the resulting insulin surge that triggers fat
storage (e.g. regular beer or cocktails mixed with regular soda and/or fruit juice)

The Bottom Line

If you want to be lean, you must minimize ALCOHOL consumption!

If you must drink:

a.) Choose wine or hard liquor and “light” beer
b.) Limit alcohol consumption to 1-2 days per week with a 1-2 drink per day max

References:

Campbell and Volek, “TNT Diet: Targeted Nutrition Tactics”

2.) If you don't work the lower body, the wind will blow you over!!!

Most dads just want to do the typical guy workout that emphasizes the upper body only. If you are going for the Johnny Bravo look where you are built up top with chicken legs for wheels, then keep doing what you’re doing.


However, it is important to note that strong, muscular legs are the key to torching your gut. After all, the majority of your body’s muscle mass, and thus metabolism, is contained within your lower body. Not working your legs is like going to a gun fight without a gun, and here’s why:

a.) Training your whole body (legs included) not only helps you burn more calories each workout, it also maximally depletes your body’s glycogen stores (the sugar in your muscles) to allow for more total body fat burning

b.) The more lean muscle mass you have in your lower body the more calories your body will be burning 24-7-365 outside of your workouts

c.) Whenever you work your legs you generate the largest increases in natural growth hormone levels which translates into more total body muscle and less ugly, unwanted body fat

So if you want better abs, you better start training those legs! This can be easily accomplished with 2-3 total body workouts per week that train your upper body, lower body, and core within the same workout.

3.) Do something besides bench presses and curls

Look- I get why guys don’t want to train their legs. Unless you are wearing a speedo, no one is going to see them! So there is simply not as much motivation to put the time and effort into your lower body as there is for your upper body which is always on full display at the beach or poolside. But an impressive set of wheels can get just as many people noticing!





Nothing beats a little a full chest and popping bi’s!



However, if you are trying to develop a really nice upper body, you need to start going outside the realm of bench presses and curls. Don’t forget, you do have muscles behind your body also!

In fact, your lats (the wings that extend from your arm pit to the bottom of your rib cage) are the biggest muscles in your upper body and when developed they really help promote that V-shaped torso that both makes your waist look smaller and your wife happy ;)




Bruce Lee- The Cobra Himself

Start doing at least the same amount of pulling as pushing (if not more) unless you want to end up like the Hunchback of Notre Dame.


Lastly, only do isolation movements like bicep curls if you have extra time after your main workout. Compound movements like rows and pull-ups work your biceps just as hard and since they allow for the use of heavier loads, they also provide a better growth stimulus to maximize results in minimal time.

4.) Don’t eat like those idiots from NutriSystem

Here’s my take on how NutriSystem was created:

“I’ve got an idea for an incredible product and marketing campaign:

Let’s gather a group of genetically gifted former professional athletes that have put on some pounds since ending their playing days. We’ll have them all get their asses kicked by top personal trainers while following a restricted calorie diet so we lean them out real nicely.

But then we lie to the overweight male coach potato consumer and tell them that they got these results from eating the same food they are currently eating- you know, pizza, lasagna, sweets, etc. Except we’ll make the meals the size of a dime so they can still technically eat what they want and lose weight at the same time.

To make it even better, we’ll pre-package all of their meals for them to buy from us so these lazy bastards don’t have to do anything besides nuke it up and eat it!

We’ll make millions!”



Laces Out Dan!

Well, that’s exactly what has happened- thousands of sports-loving, TSN-watching dads have been swindled to buy into this gimmick that you can eat whatever you want and still lose weight without exercise- because Dan Marino did it!

Look- if you honestly think you can keep eating the same foods that got you that gut in the first place, then I’m not sure how much more I can help you. And yes, there is portion control within the system, but to me it’s a like a big terd versus a small terd… IT’S STILL A TERD!

Accept the fact that you need some expert fitness advice

One of my superstar clients lost over 25 lbs of fat. He’s a busy PhD student and father of 2 in his 30’s and he spent the last 15 years doing everything wrong from both a training and nutrition perspective until he met me. I interviewed him one time and asked him what his best advice was for people that are in the same position today as he was before he transformed himself and this is what he said:

“What you don’t know will hurt you, but what you think you know will KILL you!”



Seek out a fitness expert like busy dad Michael did and get life-changing results!

Dads- quit being so stubborn. It doesn’t make you any less of a man to hire a personal trainer or join a boot camp because your wife and her lady friends do it. In reality, your wife (and women in general) are simply smarter than you because they effectively outsource their fitness needs to an expert whereby you try to re-invent the wheel on your own with little to no results.

If you want to lose your gut, follow the lead of the ladies ;)

6.) Make the time for a 5-minute warm-up

You simply can’t afford to NOT warm-up. It’s like pushing the pedal to the medal in the dead of winter in your frozen car- things just don’t work right and you’re not going anywhere.


A cold body, like a cold car, doesn’t run on all cylinders

It only takes about 3-5 minutes to lengthen your muscles and lubricate your joints to best prevent injury and ready your body for a more effective workout, so don’t skip the warm-up!

Below is a great 5-minute body weight warm-up we use in our boot camps:

Alternate between 50 s of work and 10 seconds of rest for each exercise in the following warm-up circuit:

1- Stationary Running
2- Jumping Jacks
3- Lunge, Reach and Twist (left leg)
4- Lunge, Reach and Twist (right leg)
5- Push-up Walkouts

7.) The “no pain-no gain” attitude will leave you a sour, crippled, and cranky old man

The “no pain, no gain” attitude is quite likely the most abused practice in fitness. Pain is a good thing as long as it’s the right type of pain as summarized below:

When exercise BURNS YOUR MUSCLES that’s a good pain- this means you are pushing past your comfort zone to inspire change, working with intensity to torch calories and build muscle, and burning sugar so your body can burn fat for hours and hours after your workout.

When exercise HURTS YOUR JOINTS that’s a bad pain- it means you are quickly wearing down the structural integrity of your joints and will soon be unable to do anything without pain or stiffness. This is most often caused by a combination of using too heavy of loads, poor exercise form and technique, strength imbalances, and lack of mobility and/or flexibility- more reason to heed Tip#5 and seek professional help!

I have worked with too many dads who have beaten their bodies down and nothing’s more depressing than a dad who can’t play with his kids or participate in recreational activities with his buddies. Do yourself and your family a favor and stop being so stubborn when it comes to exercise. Exercise doesn’t have to hurt to get results and nobody wants another grumpy AND injured old man ;)



Happy Father’s Day! I love you Dad and miss you very much. You mean everything to me ;)

Yours in Health!

Amir


Amir Rasinlic is a local London, Ontario personal trainer and fitness boot camp instructor. Today he reveals 7 Father’s day fitness tips to whip your dads back into shape.

Camper of the Week

So yesterday was the conclusion of the December Round One Bootcamp and we ended it with a few bangs, bangs on the heavy bags that is.:)
So the camper of the month is Becci Benett. Becci showed determination and consistency as she showed up for every one of the 15 sessions over the last 5 weeks of camp. She worked hard during each session and is well on her way to reaching some of her fitness goals. Congratulations Becci!

Also, it is important to mention that the camper to display the best attitude and consistency over the last 13weeks of Round One Bootcamp is Joe Van Steinburg. Joe has only missed one class the last 13 weeks and has constantly challenged himself along the way with a little bit of prodding:). He is to be commended for his tenacity and hard work over those 13 weeks. Wish Joe luck as he will take some time off from Round One Bootcamp to pursue some of his other fitness goals. Awesome work Joe.

Enjoy the holidays everyone and get ready for a great 2009!

Top Three Reasons to have a coach

It's been over three weeks and I have been following coaching assignments on a daily basis and it's been tough and at times easy to put aside and do something else. Some of you might have known this, but I hired my own online nutrition/fitness coach to help keep me obtain my fitness and health goals. Now some of you may ask why I would need a coach since I'm a Certified Personal Trainer and know what to do? Well, here are some of my reasons.....

1) Accountability
This is the key reason why I hired a coach. With my busy lifestyle of teaching and running bootcamp I found my own workout were suffering and I wasn't following what I preached. I hated that, so I did something about it and found the best online coach to keep me accountable. It's to easy not to do the things you should be doing so my coach keep me on track

2) Motivation
I have had to post my pics online where I pretty much bare all. It really challenges and brings forth your insecurities that we all have with our bodies. I am using those "before" pics as my motivation. Every two weeks I take more pics and post again for all to see and judge. I like that and need that to keep me motivated.

3) Results
When your paying someone for a service you are really looking for results in the end. My own goals are to decrease my bodyfat to 10% and under and to feel and look more healthy. My online coach has the experience and knowledge that is unsurpassed in the industry. I am learning knew things each day and this in the end will continue to lead to results as long as I apply the new lessons. Action and application is everything when it comes to results!

When you want to give up..think again..

Everyone seems to go through life with ups and downs. We set goals for ouselves and sometimes we lose track of where we started and how far we have come. We need to reward and praise ourselves for the little steps we accomplish towards out goals. Just remember success breeds success and no one ever accomplished anything in this world without belief or fear of making mistakes.

Here's an inspiring quote I found today that inspires me to keep moving forward..


"Every goal that has ever been reached began with just one step ....and the belief that it could be attained.
Dreams realy can come true, but they are most often the result of hard work, determination, and persistence.
When the end of the journey seems impossible to reach, all you need to do is take one more step.
Stay focused on your goal and remember that each small step will bring you a little closer.
When the road becomes hard to travel and it feels as if you'll never rach the end....
Look deep inside your heart and you will find strength you never knew you had."
Jason Blume

5 More Last Minute Gift Ideas

6.) Supplements that Work: Protein Powders, Fish Oil, Multi-Vitamin

I have helped hundreds of people lose thousands of pounds of fat. In my journey, I have found only three supplements to be a mandatory part of the optimal fat loss program: protein powders, fish oil, and multi-vitamin supplements.

Protein powders provide great liquid workout nutrition and a convenient meat alternative for on-the-go snacking. For a protein powder, look for a brand low in sugar and carbohydrates and with a mix of both whey and casein (fast and slow absorbing proteins). I like Metabolic Drive available at https://www.t-nation.com/free_online_store.

Fish oil, or more appropriately entitled an essential fatty acid (EFA) supplement, is critical to providing key omega 3’s to maximize overall health, performance, and body composition. Studies show that krill oil provides the most effective dosing of EFA’s.

A multi-vitamin provides keys vitamins and minerals that are tough to obtain unless your diet is near picture perfect. I don’t know about you, but I like to cover my bases when it comes to my health. Be sure to choose a multi-vitamin supplement that is made from whole foods rather than synthetic materials, in addition to being made specifically for your gender.

7.) Sport-Specific Gift

This one’s pretty basic: if you want to give a great gift to an athlete then get them something unique that compliments their sport, whether it be fitness equipment, apparel, or both.

8.) Fitness Book or Subscription to Fitness Magazine

Everybody need bedtime or bathroom reading! If you have just read a good fitness book that you know a friend or family member would benefit from, hook them up with their own copy. Better yet, people love magazine subscriptions. Personally, I am a big fan of Men’s Health and Women’s Health. These magazines are filled with tons of workout, nutrition, and lifestyle tips catered to each sex and I never miss an issue. I know it sounds funny that I read Women’s Health being a dude, but I work with a lot of women so I need to keep up with the lingo like skinny jeans and muffin-tops, ha ha!

9.) Wireless MP3 Headset- KOSS Tugo

This one’s a bit pricey, but man is it worth the unparalleled listening pleasure and convenience. It’s this simple: drag and drop your workout MP3’s onto the headset using a USB cable and then press play and rock out while you workout. There are no annoying wires to deal with and the headphones are comfortably, yet firmly locked on your head so they never fall off and you never miss a beat.


10.) A Gift Card to a Fitness Boot Camp
Boot camps provide a fun and exciting team environment that guarantee better results than one-on-one personal training for only a third of the cost… it’s a total no-brainer.

Look for a local fitness boot camp with tons of social proof (client testimonials) to make sure they have a solid reputation and a bunch of raving fans of people just like you. Plus, any good boot camp worth its weight offers free trials and money-back guarantees to all newcomers because they are so confident their program works that you’ll more than likely continue after a test-drive, This way there is typically no risk on your part… besides getting you butt kicked, in a good way ;)

So join a fitness boot camp with at least one other friend or family member or buy a boot camp gift card to give to your loved ones. As a boot camp instructor myself, I know firsthand that clients always get better results when they embark on a fitness journey with others.

And if you live in the local London, ON area, come work with us by visiting www.roundonebootcamp.com.

We’ll change your life and have you looking better naked this New Year, guaranteed ;)

Oprah can Lose the Weight..Once and for all

So recently Oprah has been in the news again about her weight loss issues. Oprah is probably the most powerful woman in the world with access to the best nutritionists, trainers, chefs and foods in the world. How is it then that she continues to struggle with her weight issues despite all these resources.

Three things that Oprah could do to help her keep her weight off:

1) Plan Ahead
Many people know what types of foods they should be eating from eating more fruits and veggies, lean cuts of meat and more fibre. It's not that they don't know but they fail to plan ahead for the day and week so that they can have easy access to the food they know they should be eating. So have that famous Chef on hand at all times, have him cook those delicious healthy meals and have them ready when needed.

2) Pain of Weight gain
There is a basic theory out there that people move more towards pleasurable things and avoid events or foods that are painful. We have been conditioned in this world by the media to associate pleasure with all the wrong foods. As soon as Oprah can begin to associate more pain with these currently pleasurable foods and experience more pleasure in eating healthy foods then she will improve her weight loss goals.

3) Reward herself for small successes
When someone starts a weight loss goal they tend to look for quick results in terms of how they look in the mirror or what the scale reads. However, people lose sight that eating good foods is more than how they look but is more importantly about your health. You feel better, will have more energy and live a longer more productive life. Oprah needs to pat her self on the back more when she does have a good day and forget the times when she overeats or doesn't eat what she should be. Reward the successes.

London Personal Trainer has 10 Last Minute Gift Ideas for Christmas

If you’ve hit a wall on what to get your friends or family for the holidays, then why not get them a fitness gift. Heck, you could even put some fitness gifts on your own holiday wish list. After all, who doesn’t want to look or perform better? Here is my official top 10 list of the best last minute fitness gifts for 2008:

1.) A Foam Roller

If you’re like most people, you spend a lot of your day planted at a desk. And when you actually do have time to workout, all you usually can fit in is the workout itself. Really, who has time for daily stretching?

Well that’s where a foam roller comes in. It’s a phenomenal corrective self-massage tool that will encourage injury prevention and improve performance. It’s ideal to use for at least five minutes pre-workout to loosen up your muscles and improve the qaulity of the muscle tissue you are getting ready to use. You can also use it post-workout to help promote recovery and regeneration. Plus, a foam roller both kneads out and lengthens your muscle and connective tissues thus alleviating, if not eliminating, nagging aches and pains in your back, knees, hips, shoulders, and elbows.

If you’re going to get a foam roller, get a good one. The cheaper options tend to wear down into a limp noodle for larger individuals after a couple of months. I get all of my foam rollers from Fitness Depot on Exeter Road. They are about $25 for a good roller.

2.) Resistance Bands

Resistance bands are by far the most simple, convenient, and affordable equipment option in the fitness industry. They supply total portability for killer workouts that can be done anywhere. If you are a busy professional who does a lot of traveling, bands are the perfect lightweight training tool to take your workouts with you on the road as they can fit in the smallest of bags without a problem. If you are a busy Mom looking to workout in the comfort of your own home, bands can make this happen too. Bands provide the perfect compliment to your body weight circuit training workouts for added variety, allow for multiple levels of resistance with practically zero transition and set-up time, are easy on the joints, and are fun to use!


3.) A Gift Card to a Sporting Goods Store For Fitness Equipment and Apparel

You can’t beat a sporting goods store like National Sports to get the best fitness equipment and apparel on the market today. I always recommend going with a gift card here because everybody has their own preferences, particularly when it comes to clothing sizes and styles. I also would like to state the fact that I am jealous of the selection of workout gear for females. Men don’t have a million things to choose from and that makes me upset…rant over.

4.) A Gift Card to a healthy grocery store.

Rather then waste money on an overpriced restaurant, why not give a week’s worth of groceries to a 100% organic grocer to a friend or loved one. After all, everybody’s got to eat, but how many of us actually eat the right stuff to support our fitness goals?

5.) A Gift Card to a Massage Therapist

Most of us are crazy busy and super stressed out during the holiday season and nothing eases the tension like a good massage. This is about as can’t miss of a gift as it gets, unless you know someone who doesn’t like to be touched. It’s nice to be pampered on occasion, and though the foam roller I mentioned above can do wonders for the majority of your body, nothing can alleviate tension in your upper back, neck, and head like a good massage therapist!

Check back later this week for the final 5 gift ideas!

P.S. I also want to recognize our bootcamp client of the week- Becci Benett! Becci rarely misses camp and works extremely hard during every session. Keep up the good work!