Are you sedentary?

We live in a very fast paced competitive world. Many people are stuck at a desk for 8 or so hours per day. Others are stuck in a car for a majority of the day. Are you sedentary?

Lets start off with a description of a sedentary life: Somebody who is sedentary is a person who is involved in little or no regular physical activity. Majority of the day spent seated and inactive. Quite often, people who follow this type of lifestyle also have poor eating habits.

Why is sedentary bad? Being sedentary is the leading cause of osteoperosis, arthritis, depression, coronary heart disease, and it has been known (along with poor diet) to lead to certain cancers, Type II Diabetes, obesity, back and/or neck pain, elevated cholesterol and high blood pressure. So basically living a sedentary life is a quick path to an early grave, or many years of illness and unhappiness.

I understand that life it tough at times. There are many financial strains and time restrictions. How do you avoid a sedentary life? There are a few answers, and they may not fit for everybody, but a few tips that often help are;

-go for family walks at least 4 times a week
-join a team and get serious about that sport
-avoid elevators and moving stairs, climb the good old fashioned stairs
-park a few blocks away from work, or take the bus at a farther stop
-go to the park and play games like tag with your children
-if you are stuck in an office all day, eat your lunch and then enjoy a walk around the block with a few colleagues.

These are not the only ways, and perhaps not as great as trying to hit the gym or pool a few times a week, but it will help without a doubt. Do not forget that diet plays a HUGE roll as well.

If you are stuck being sedentary and know the risks and want to change, please feel free to ask me for tips. There is always a solution.

www.twitter.com/trainwithoz

Swimming to lose weight?

So the debate goes on... can you lose weight by swimming?

I have heard so many theories and explanations that it makes me laugh. I will share a few;
- you cannot lose weight swimming because you don't sweat
- yes, you lose weight because your muscles work harder to make you float
- no because you are not on your feet

I am sure there are millions more, but that is the general idea of how people react to this topic. I want to answer this question for you, and explain my answer.

Losing weight is a math game, if more calories are being spent than being put in, you will lose weight. How you burn those calories can play a role, but in general calories out greater than calories in = weight loss, plain and simple.

If you take an average 155 - 165lb male, and make him do laps (frontstroke) at a moderate pace, he will burn roughly 560 calories per hour. That same individual can burn up to 705 doing extremely intense breaststroke for an hour. SO as you can see, swimming is efficient at burning calories.

Swimming is perhaps the single best cardio exercise (as in helping your heart) since your heart has to pump blood to every muscle group and all extremities at the same time. If you are looking for a fun exercise to help lower cholesterol, help lower blood pressure, lower your resting heart rate, and simply to feel good, swimming is a very safe bet.

It is not at the top of my list as a weight loss workout, but I would never turn anybody away from doing it. There are millions of people who have taken on swimming, and altered their diets and have lost immense amounts of weight.

Personally, swimming is part of my overall training routine. I do laps for about 30minutes once a week. I rotate between breast and front strokes, and added to my clean diet and other workouts, it is for sure helping my weight management and my overall health.

So, to sum it all up, so long as your diet is clean, and you are swimming at a moderate to rigorous pace, YES, swimming can benefit you in your weight loss journey.

Please feel free to follow me on twitter @trainwithoz or via my website www.mytraineroz.com

STOP counting calories

That's it!!! I have had it!!! Who has the time and patience to count calories? Why would anybody want to live that way? Same goes for Weight Watchers... why constantly worry about a point system. Point systems are for sports and statistics!

I have been down the road of counting calories, been there done that, saw little results. I have found a good balance that is easy to follow, will lead to better health, and help in your fitness results too! It is called moderation, variation, and portion control.

Previous generations never counted calories. In the 1800s, people ate when they were hungry or when food was available. It is ever since we have become obsessed with our health and weight that we have become sicker and more obese!

So what is the solution? Simple: Food. Like grandma used to make!

Breakfast and lunch should be complete meals about the size of a dinner plate. It should contain lean protein, essential fats, fibre, fruits and/or veggies and whole grains.

Supper should be smaller and be equal parts lean protein and veggies (steamed or as a salad).

Snack on fruits, vegetables and nuts between meals and drink plenty of water.

If you want to lose weight slightly lower the portion size, and be more active. If you want to gain muscle eat a few more complex carbs and more protein, and of course modify your workouts. If you want better health, stick to this plan.

I highly recommend you include the following into your meals at LEAST once a week,but the more the merrier;
Broccoli
Salmon
Steel Cut Oatmeal (organic preferably)
Onions and garlic
Maitaki and Shitaki mushrooms
colorful peppers
Spinach
Tilapia or Pangasius
Chick Peas and Lentils

That is a great start to a healthy lifestyle and you will NEVER have to worry about calories EVER again!