A Healthy Breakfast

A healthy breakfast is the cornerstone of a great nutrition plan.  Given the busy lifestyle that most of us maintain these days, finding 10-20 minutes in the morning can be daunting. I say getting up a little earlier is a small investment of time that will pay off huge down the road as far as energy levels and overall health.  So while we work towards making time to eat a healthy breakfast daily there will inevitably be those times when there is no time. Luckily there are some creative ways to still get a healthy breakfast in the middle of a time crunch. One way only takes five minutes.  Fix yourself a bowl of old fashioned oats, not the instant kind thats loaded with added sugar,  in the microwave which takes five minutes.  When its done throw in a scoop of either chocolate or vanilla protein powder.  This is a suitable combination of complex carbs and easily digestible protein that will stick with you for 2-3 hours until your morning snack. Another way is to hard boil and peel some eggs the night before.  Put the peeled eggs in a tupperware and stick them in the fridge so they are ready to go in the morning. While you are getting ready for the day you can grab a couple eggs and a piece of fruit for a complete breakfast.  By having the right items in your fridge you can be prepared to eat well in almost any situation.  Remember food is fuel and the last thing we want to do is start the day on an empty tank.

Is your desk trying to kill you?

By Amy Wunsch MSPT

There are 11 factors to consider when setting up your desk to be the most ergonomically healthy work space. One of these factors is the "finish" on the surface. If your desk has a glossy or reflective surface, you could be at risk for spinal degeneration and even paralysis. Let me explain.

A "shiny" desk reflects the glare form your computer screen, desk lamp and indoor and outdoor (window) lighting. The additional glare from these sources causes eye strain and fatigue, forcing you to squint and thrust your head forward to better see your computer monitor. This forward head position compresses all 7 cervical vertebra. Compression like this can be the cause of headaches, neck pain, shoulder pain, spinal degeneration and like I said before, even lead to paralysis.

So the question is... Is it time for a new desk?

I'd like to share with you the remaining 10 Factors to Consider When Setting Up your Desk as well as The 11 Factors to Consider When Setting Up Your Chair and The 11 Factors to Consider When Setting Up Your Work Station.

Join me tomorrow at Results Fitness in Newhall, Saturday the 18th of February at 1:30 pm for the first of a FREE 3 part seminar series designed to make you feel better behind the desk immediately! Space is limited, so call 661-799-7900 or respond directly to this email to reserve your spot.

See you there!

BLT's!

BLT's! Bites, licks, and tastes, can derail even the best nutrition plans.  When journaling your meals, be aware of any BLT's you are having.  A few BLT's throughout the day can really add up.

Imagine if every time you pass by the candy dish at work you have just a few M&M's; if you walk by that dish just 4 times a day, every day for a week, having just two or three M&M's each time you pass, that would add up to an extra 200 calories each week, amounting to an extra 5 pounds of weight gain per year.  So, when you are feeding your kids, cooking dinner, or walking by the candy dish at work, stay focused on your goals and eliminate those BLT's from your day.

An Emergency Kit... For Your Grumbly Tummy!

By Cody Bartosh

Sometimes it's tough to get in all the right nutrition in a day. Especially if time and/or money is short. This is what leads us to "lazy cheats" or finding the easy way out by running through McDonald's or Taco Bell. Or by skipping a meal entirely and forgoing any nutrition what so ever!

Just like you prepare an earthquake kit at home, or a first aid kit and extra set of clothes for the car (you do do that right...?) you can save yourself from a lazy cheat, mid-day fatigue and sabotaged goals by preparing this simple and inexpensive emergency nutrition kit.

All you need is 10 minutes, and a few choice items.

Here's the list;

- A bag of raw, unsalted nuts (almonds, walnuts and pistachios are great!)
- Some low sodium Jerky (turkey jerky rocks!)
- A bag of dried fruit (No sugar added)
- 2 bottles of water

And while you're at, it toss a couple of multi-vitamins in there as well, just in case you miss them in the morning.

Put 3 kits together. One for home (to grab in a hurry), one for the car and one for the office. You can pack them in little coolers, a big zip-lock bag or just a plain grocery bag.

The big secret to nutritional success is being prepared, especially in an emergency!

Cheers!

Why Stretch?

Stretching is key to bringing oxygen, blood flow, mobility and flexibility to muscles.  It helps to metabolize by-products for quicker recovery.  If you lack focus, neglect or just go through the motions while stretching, over time you run the risk of injury, bad posture, rounded shoulders, forward chin, tighter hamstrings and tight hip rotators. So, put some time and focus into your stretching and warm-up program.

NYC’S LOSS IS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA’S GAIN: ALWYN AND RACHEL COSGROVE’S RESULTS FITNESS IS CHANGING THE WAY FITNESS IS DONE – AND FACILITY OWNERS AROUND THE WORLD ARE NOW EMULATING THEIR MODEL

By Jonathan Widran

            As hard as it is to believe given the geographic distance, had a certain Gold’s Gym location actually opened in Times Square in the mid-90s, thousands of people in suburban Los Angeles would have missed out on a fitness system so powerful and effective that its very name—Results Fitness--guarantees the industry’s highest standards and remarkably changed bodies and lives.

            Launched in 2000 by Alwyn and Rachel Cosgrove, the multi-faceted Santa Clarita, California based facility has been voted one of the Top 10 Gyms in America by Men’s Health Magazine. The couple’s commitment to their mission of changing the way fitness is achieved has brought over 50 new fitness business owners and coaches from all over the world—including England, Spain, Switzerland and Lebanon—to Results Fitness to learn how to emulate the Cosgroves’ successful system.

            Both Alwyn and Rachel share their unique expertise with the world as successful authors of fitness books. Rachel’s The Female Body Breakthrough: The Revolutionary Strength-Training Plan for Losing Fat and Getting the Body You Want (2009) offers a revolutionary plan that uses a combination of innovative strength training and sensible nutrition. Alwyn has co-authored several books with fitness writer Lou Schuler, including the 2010 work The New Rules of Lifting for Abs: A Myth-Busting Fitness Plan for Men and Women Who Want a Strong Core and a Pain-Free Back – in which the authors debunk ab-training myths while showing readers how to strip off even the most stubborn flab.

            Armed with her physiology degree from UC Santa Barbara, Rachel headed to NYC, where she began building a clientele working as a personal trainer at different chain gyms. She met her future husband at Gold’s Gym, where Alwyn—a native of Scotland with a strong martial arts background, who had also worked in New York for several years—was set to be the new fitness director. When that fell through, they kept their gigs as trainers and eventually went independent.

            Rachel later moved back to her home base of Southern California and Alwyn lived back in Scotland for a time before he headed out to California. The couple got engaged, married in 1999 and – partially out of their growing frustration with conventional gyms they hooked up with in L.A. – opened Results Fitness in 2000.

            “We started to ask ourselves where we wanted to be in five years, and we had become increasingly disenchanted with the current standards in the industry,” says Rachel. “We were sick and tired of clubs where sales numbers were more important than member results, personal training was ridiculously poor and training programs and qualified instruction were almost impossible to find. We also realized that there weren’t many gyms around that offered fitness professionals like ourselves stable, long term careers. We set out to create the solution – and we did.

            “We wanted to provide a place where the standard of fitness training and coaching was higher than what motivated people could get anywhere else,” she adds. “A key factor was creating an aesthetic that was far from the ‘big box gym’ feeling, and we knew any chance we had to be successful would be based on our dedication to superior individualized customer service. The fitness industry is notorious for bad customer service and we wanted to offer a radically different system of programs that would ensure real, standard setting results.”

            The Cosgroves tout the fact that Results Fitness is the only fitness facility in their area where a prospective client can experience before he or she makes a commitment. Seekers can come in and meet one of their fitness coaches and become a member for 21 days to see if their gym is a good fit without any obligation. Before being taken through a workout, those who choose to join are given a Results Fitness Body Blue Print, which details the very specific plans the staff will use to design a program to help each member achieve their individual goals. Every single person who works out there has one of these designed for them.

            During this consultation period, the staff evaluates such factors as the client’s health history, any past injuries, training history and specific starting goals. They also take the client through a range of motion and flexibility tests and the base of the blue print – the Functional Movement Screen, during which clients perform basic movements that determine where their program should start. Any imbalances the client may have that could eventually cause an injury are taken into account before a client joins a general program semi-private training class. If the initial score is too low, the client is given an individual prep program to get him or her ready for the classes.

            Fulfilling the Cosgroves’ founding mission to be innovative, Results Fitness is on the cutting edge of the industry bringing the hottest fitness craze in North America, Group Coaching Classes, to their facility. Many people strength train with weights while others do cardio or aerobics. Somewhere between these is their group coaching, which allows clients to get the benefits of both.

            The concept is set-up in group class with certified instructors using tools including kettlebells (a weight with a handle on it), sand bags, ropes, medicine balls, TRX’s (suspension training rings) and other fun, different equipment. This type of training is a great way to shake things up and give clients a full body workout (functional exercises using the body, without conventional exercise machines), burn calories and get the metabolism stirring. 

            All the personal training at Results Fitness is done in a semi-private environment, in which each coach works with up to three people at a time. “It’s like private one on one training, but it provides a more social setting and accountability,” Rachel says. “Typical one on one is limited and we get better results with clients this way – plus they have more fun and get to know other members.  We teach people how to better leverage their time, and it’s less expensive. We set up circuits, and for each member we regress or progress the exercise depending on their individual programs within the setting. So if say, squats are difficult for you, in the group, we would give you a variation exercise.”

            Alwyn elaborates further on the psychological background and specific benefits of small group training: “People sometimes assume that in a small group, each participant does the same thing, but a generic program doesn’t serve anyone’s needs. What we do is individualize it but make them part of a dynamic social culture, which guarantees better results. Scientific data says if somebody watches you work out, you will do 30 percent more work. The group setting is about motivation, encouragement and accountability. Rather than isolate people, we’re training them at the same time just with unique specifications. We’re creating a culture of success to help our members do what they need to to, empowering them to succeed even if the coach would leave the setting. Someone comes along on the journey but instills the confidence to do that.

            “The idea of group training occurred to me when I compared fitness coaching to swimming and martial arts, or even physical therapy, medical school training and Weight Watchers – all of which is done in groups,” Alwyn continues. “So in this industry, if we could take what we believe is the best training program in the world and deliver it in such a manner that the results are better, why wouldn’t we do that? It’s a positive experience for everyone. Coaching ultimately is about trust, and relationship between the trainer and the client. The X Factor at Results Fitness is the culture we create and the positive energy that comes out of that.”

            Alwyn comes by his own optimistic spirit naturally, having successfully battled lymphoma from 2004-2008. He is almost five years into a life reborn via a bone marrow transplant. “You’re talking to a guy who is trying to change people’s bodies, who knows the value of life and how fragile it is,” he says. “I can’t afford to be anything but positive.”

            Rachel adds, “We feel as though we have provided a place where fitness coaches could build a great career, and we work with them as a team. Results Fitness grew in clientele and scope because we started getting results for our clients and developed a strong rep for building systems that were strong enough to run without me and Alwyn being hands on with every detail. I knew we had succeeded when we had to step out for months at a time when he was fighting cancer for those four years, and during that time, the business grew. That’s because we were truly changing the way fitness was getting done. One of our other goals is to be the best part of our members’ day, every day.”

            Another of the ways Results Fitness achieves this is by offering a scientific alternative. Using the application of science, their program design specialists develop a customized approach to fitness, health, physique enhancement and well being for each member. These include: Appropriate Cardiovascular Activity; Appropriate Resistance Training; Professional Assistance and Scientific Manipulation of these activities; and providing General Nutrition Guidelines to follow.   

            Alwyn says, “Our clients put their bodies and well being in our hands, and when we’re able to help them break through and solve their problems and help them cultivate a healthier lifestyle, we feel blessed. It’s a responsibility we take very seriously here at Results Fitness, and we are honored that they put their faith in us.”

Low Muscle Mass a Risk Factor for Diabetes?

Here's yet another reason to hoist those heavy weights.  Research from the University of California, Los Angeles, suggest that minimal muscle mass is associated with increased diabetes risk.  They analyzed the data at 13,644 subjects in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III.  After adjusting for details such as age and ethnicity, the researchers found that subjects presenting with greater muscle mass were less likely to have diabetes risk factors.  Specifically, each 10% increase in skeletal muscle mass resulted in an 11% relative reduction in risk of insulin resistance.  Each 10% increase was also associated with a 12% reduction in risk of prediabetes or overt diabetes. 

The study authors concluded, "Across the full range, higher muscle mass (relative to body size) is associated with better insulin sensitivity and lower risk of developing transitional/pre- or overt diabetes.