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The Weekly Burn

Easy Ways to Get a Summer Ready Body

The Weekly Burn / By
If you’re like me, you’re starting to feel that itch that summer is coming. That means emerging from what may seem like a long hibernation, shedding our winter layers and maybe the last few winter pounds as we ready our physique for the summer season.

Regular workouts will go a long way in helping you go into the summer feeling healthy and confident. But if you’re feeling crunched for time or just want to rev up your results, here are a few tips to consider that will get you and your body summer ready in no time.

Get Off Your Butt – Research published in the New York Times says that a whopping 80% of Americans have sedentary jobs that require little or no physical activity. If you have one of those jobs you could find yourself sitting behind a desk upwards of 8 hours a day. To counteract that, look for opportunities to get up and move. Consider walking for 20 minutes once or twice during the day. There are probably some tasks you can accomplish while standing as well. Some innovative workplaces are even offering standing desks to encourage employees to move more.

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How to Cut Out Processed Foods

The Weekly Burn / By
At Synergy we are huge proponents of an integrated approach to exercise. Each of our small group training classes is a mix of cardio and strength training moves that have been proven to help people change their body composition and replace fat with healthy, lean muscle. But we also know that there’s more to getting fit and healthy than just working out. That’s why we also help many members get better results by changing the way they eat.
The thing we see so often with members in our nutritional counseling sessions is that many of them are consuming an over abundance of processed foods. These are foods that come in a bag, box or a can. The reason these foods are troublesome is they are usually loaded with additives, sodium and sugar to enhance their flavor, artificial preservatives to lengthen their shelf life and unhealthy fats. Research has proven time and again that these ingredients are linked to serious health issues like obesity, diabetes, heart disease and even certain types of cancer. So, while popping a frozen dinner in the microwave may be convenient, you’re really doing yourself a disservice even when you eat those that are marketed as “healthy.”

It’s not hard to cut processed foods out of your diet.

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Want to Get Into Running?

The Weekly Burn / By
Have you ever looked at a friend’s post on social media about a race they’ve just finished or a terrific run they’ve had and thought, “I wish I could do that?” Running is one of the most effective cardio workouts you can do, but while many take to it naturally, many others struggle to build up the stamina and endurance that running requires. If you’re in the latter group, don’t despair! As long as you don’t have a physical injury or medical condition that’s holding you back, just about anybody can run.
Training for a 5k race is a great way to get your feet wet and see if you enjoy running. There are several websites and apps that you can download to help you through the process, the most popular of which is Couch to 5k. The approach most of these programs suggest is pretty consistent. As a newcomer to the sport of running, it’s best to start off slow. We mean that literally and figuratively. Running injuries are fairly common among inexperienced runners. So start with a slow pace and be careful not to let an over-zealous approach stop you even before you even get to the starting line.

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If you don’t write it down, a goal is just a dream…

The Weekly Burn / By
Earlier this month, Synergy member Lori Unver set a goal for herself to lose 10 pounds by May 15th. She already had all the tools she needed to be successful. Lori was consistent with her small group training workouts and together we tweaked her nutrition plan to support her efforts. But perhaps the most important thing she did to ensure her success did not involve changing her diet or even breaking a sweat. She took her goal and the tactics she would need to achieve it and she wrote them down.
There is research to support that the mere act of putting your goals in writing increases the chances that you’ll actually achieve them dramatically. In fact, a study from the Dominican University in California revealed that you are 42% more likely to hit your goals if you write them down. Dr. Gail Matthews who ran the study says, “The likelihood that you’ll transform your desires into reality goes up even further if you share your written goals with a friend who believes in your ability to succeed.”

What accounts for the difference?

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Break Out of Your Workout Rut

The Weekly Burn / By
The month of February is prime time for losing your workout mojo. Studies show that by February the majority of people who resolved to get fit for New Years have already fallen off the wagon. And, even those who stay in shape year round can find it hard to stay motivated during the doldrums of late winter.
If you’re finding it hard to keep moving forward consider these ways to break out of your slump.
  • Switch things up. Do you always do the same workout routine or always use the same machines at the gym? Try something new. We keep each small group training session at Synergy varied to help prevent your brain from getting bored and to keep your muscles feeling challenged. If you’re working out on your own, try out some different exercises to target your muscle groups. For example, if you always do tricep extensions, switch to dips or close grip push ups for a change. If you only do the elliptical, try the recumbent bike or the stepper instead.
  • Find a Buddy. Research has shown that people who workout with a friend or a partner stick to their plans and achieve their goals more than those who go it alone.

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A Food Diary Makeover

The Weekly Burn / By
This week’s newsletter was inspired by a Synergy member experience. In an effort to lose weight, this member was on a diet of 1,500 calories per day. After an initial weight loss of about 20 pounds, she found herself at a plateau. Although she was keeping up with her small group training sessions at Synergy and kept a meticulous food diary to ensure she did not exceed 1,500 calories per day, her weight loss seemed to have stopped.
To try to understand why she had plateaued, we sat down and reviewed her food diary together. It was detailed and tracked each meal and snack she was having over the course of the day. And while it was clear she was not “cheating” or taking in more calories, I noticed that the majority of the food she was eating was processed or packaged. Her diet was seriously lacking in whole, natural food.

So, to help her make a transition to a healthier whole food diet, we decided she would start by just changing her breakfast. From then on she had eggs and fruit instead of her usual processed breakfast of a bagel or cereal.

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Eat These Carbs Every Day!

The Weekly Burn / By
Are you one of those people who has been conditioned to believe that carbs are bad for you? If you are, you’re not alone. For years the media has molded our perception of carbohydrates leading us to think that if you want to lose weight or get fit you should avoid them at all cost. But, carbohydrates are the number one, most important source of energy for your body. They are essential. And in fact, eating certain carbs is critical to losing weight.
The truth is, you should avoid certain types of carbs if you want to slim down. But, there are actually some carbs that you should definitely not avoid – in fact, you should embrace them!
First, let’s cover the carbs that should be on your list of foods to steer away from.
  • Refined, white flour, and processed carbs like bagels, breads, muffins and other baked goods
  • White pasta, white rice and white flour foods
  • Candy, sweets and sugary treats
  • Sugary drinks like soda, juices and blended coffee drinks
You’re probably not surprised to see any of those items on the “avoid”

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Are You Sabotaging Yourself?

The Weekly Burn / By
This week’s topic was spurred by a member question. After successfully finishing up the 7 week Maintain Don’t Gain Holiday Challenge she wondered, “Why do people sabotage themselves after they’ve hit a fitness or weight-loss goal?” We think lots of people encounter this same issue and it’s a common challenge among the fitness crowd.
Here’s a typical example of self sabotage as it relates to fitness or weight loss. Maybe your goal is to drop 10 pounds over the course of two months. For those two months you are consistent with your exercise and adhere to a strictly healthy diet. At the end, you step on the scale and BAM! You’ve hit your target. You’re 10 pounds lighter and feel confident and proud. Maybe at that point you’re feeling a bit too confident and you start to think, “I achieved my goal and I deserve a reward.” Since you’ve been dieting, your reward is probably some kind of food you’d been staying away from. And that triggers the self-sabotaging spiral of making poor choices and the guilt that inevitably goes with it.

According to health and wellness coach, Jason Christoff the reason people self-sabotage is nearly always the same.

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Eat as Much as You Want of these Foods

The Weekly Burn / By
When people think of dieting, most assume it means eating very small amounts of food. While it’s true you should only eat small amounts of certain foods like sweets and treats, there are some foods – a lot of foods actually – that you can go hog wild on without spoiling your health and fitness progress.
What determines whether you can eat a certain food without restraint? There are a few factors:
  • Volume: Some foods are made mostly of water or contain a lot of air which increases their volume without adding calories. High volume foods help fill you up quickly.
  • Protein: Studies have proven over and over that protein is more filling than fat or carbs.
  • Fiber: Natural fiber in food makes you feel full when you eat it and also slows down food as it moves through your digestive system. This keeps you feeling satisfied long after you’ve finished eating.
Based on this criteria, here are some foods you can fill up on with no regrets.
Citrus fruits like oranges, tangerines and grapefruit are high in water content and full of fiber.

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5 Reasons to Stay Hydrated

The Weekly Burn / By

Most people know in general that drinking water is good for you. Since our bodies are made of mostly water, good hydration is critical to maintaining healthy digestion, circulation, and even body temperature. In some respects, water is even more important than food. Humans can go without food for weeks, but can only go three days without water. But aside from the essential life functions it supports, water plays a pivotal role in fitness too.

  • When you are dehydrated, even just a little bit, it leads to fatigue and actually makes your muscles weaker. This can make even your regular workouts seem more challenging and cause you to tire more quickly. If your hydration is off, even just by 1.5%, you’ll feel it.
  • Water can help energize you for a workout even more than caffeine can. Studies have shown that the number one symptom of dehydration is fatigue. And nothing kills your motivation to work out more than that. So, if you’re feeling too tired to exercise reach for a bottle of water and give your body some time to absorb it. Chances are, a little re-hydration will give you the second wind you need to blast through your workout.

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