Lean Mean Fighting Machine

Before we get to the actual blog ..... I want to share a picture of my beautiful bride.  We had an exciting day, filled with lots of laughter and love :) Awww

Ok now on to the information....

Our body and mind are the most important systems we own.  We need to listen and be in tune to what is happening in our lives.  Being a personal trainer, I get lots of why questions.  Why does my (elbow/ knee/ back) hurt- why do I feel A or B, why can't I sleep, and why do I have no energy???....My answer to these questions is to be aware of what is going on.  Be your own scientist.  Look at your surroundings, look at the people you are around, what are your habits, and what are you eating???  Which leads us to the focus of this blog...pre-workout energy.  As your own scientist ask yourself, am I eating foods with lots of vitamins and nutrients?  Is it picked from a tree or dug from the ground?  Or are you chomping on empty calories, sugar filled choices that have been constructed in some manufacturing company?  Before you work out think of yourself as a fine tuned machine that needs fuel.  What are you going to do to make this lean, mean, fighting machine run properly?



Jane Fonda
Fine tuned machine

Rock Balboa
Fine tuned machine

                                        











                                       

Here are some pre-workout suggestions to help keep you fueled and energized:
A) An apple, pear, or banana with a table spoon of natural peanut butter
B) A hand full of walnuts or almonds or mix both
C) 1 slice of whole wheat bread with almond butter
If it is not to late in the day, a cup of tea or coffee has been shown to improve cardio vascular performance and help with blood flow.   Also, water is a must!  Drink plenty throughout the day. 
Now, if you are making poor choices all day and then an hour before your workout you decide your going to have an apple and peanut butter, do not expect miracles to happen :)
Bottom line, be true to yourself.  You need sleep and quality nutrition to function properly.  Be aware and make beneficial choices.  Most of the time the answers are right in front of you.
Stay healthy and Live The Healthy Life!!!

Guy Schiavone

 

Power of Habit

Hello Everyone-  I took a little time away from my blog writing in preparation for my upcoming wedding in June!  We are having a low key, back yard wedding and are so looking forward to it! 

This is a review on a book that was suggested to me by one of my clients entitled The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.  Habits influence all aspects of our lives, sometimes helping us and sometimes hurting us.  Habits are the actions we subconsciously repeat on a regular basis.  They can seem automatic.  One of the main themes in the book is what Duhigg refers to as the habit loop.  It consists of three parts- the cue or trigger, the routine, and the reward.  If you want to stop an unhealthy/bad habit or you would like to start a new one-like exercising daily :) you first need to identify the routine.  The routine is the behavior you want to change or create.  Next, you need to find out what the cue for this routine is.  What triggers you to perform the habit?  And finally, what is the reward?  What causes you to repeat the behavior?  The basic premise is to understand what is triggering you to engage in your habit and to reroute the trigger to a more positive outcome. 

Here is an example of a habit loop taken from the book that Duhigg went through himself.  Let's say everyday around 3:00 you get up from your desk and go and buy some chocolate chip cookies from the vending machine and then go visit a co-worker before returning to your desk.  Over the past few months you have realized that you have put on an extra 5 pounds from the new habit you've developed. You decide you want to stop this unhealthy habit before it gets out of control.  What is the habit loop?

The routine- Going to the vending machine and buying cookies, talking with co-workers and then returning to work.

The cue- Ask yourself: Where are you?  What time is it?  What is your emotional state? Who else is around? What action preceded the urge?  In the cookie case, the cue was he was at he desk around 3:00 bored and no one else was around.
The reward-In this insistent it would seem like the obvious reward is the cookies.  However, Charles found out that it was the social interaction after he bought the cookies that he was seeking at three o'clock in afternoon.  He was not hungry but needed a mental/social brake.  Like a scientist he experimented with his 3:00 cue and found out that if he just got up around 3 and walk to a friend's desk to chat for 10 minutes he did not need or want the cookies!  

Here is an example of a habit loop for exercising.  The routine is jogging, the cue is having your running shoes and clothes ready to go, and the reward is the endorphin rush or sense of accomplishment you feel after you have finished your run.

Over all I thought it was a great book and definitely recommend it to you all.  Give it a read and let me know your thoughts.

 

Bye for now and enjoy Living the Healthy Life :)

Guy Schiavone

 

 

Bonus!!!  Here is a link to a write up about Andrea (my soon to be bride) It's about her passion and drive for yoga. She teaches at Roots in Burlington on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 5:45am.  Give it a try!

http://burlington.patch.com/blog_posts/roots-presents-instructors-in-the-spotlight



Home Workout Video

Hey Everyone,

Happy New Year!  The holidays are over and now it's time to get serious about your weight loss/health goals. Enjoy this home workout video that will help burn calories, build strength, and make you feel good about yourself as you start the new year.  Get ready to sweat!    http://youtu.be/4KYZfmr-IZo

Thanks and Happy New Year
Guy Schiavone