Doctor Dumbbell

Some people seem to think that you can get fit in a day or a week. For a lucky few, they can get away with just doing a few sessions before noticeable changes start to happen. For most however, this is not the case. The only way to get the long term benefits that regular exercise provides is to develop Exercise Persistence and make it become a habit.

“The beginning of a habit is like an invisible thread, but every time we repeat the act we strengthen the strand, add to it another filament, until it becomes a great cable and binds us to the act.” –Orison Swett Marden

The key to making a habit form is persistence and there are certain things that need to happen within you if you are to make your January resolution last throughout the year and beyond, and not just for the month.

The first thing needed is definiteness of purpose. This is basically the reason why you are exercising. It could be to feel fitter, lose weight, fit into clothes, to take part in an event; whatever it is, you should keep this in mind if you want to develop Exercise Persistence.

The next thing is desire. How much does your goal matter to you? How much do you want the result you are looking for? If you want the outcome enough, you will find the motivation to start exercising comes a lot easier. If the short term desire of the TV, sofa, junk food and a warm house is stronger then the desire to achieve your exercise goals you may struggle. This is why you should keep your fitness goals at the front of your mind at all times.

Definite plans are also required if a habit is to be formed, and it is best to record these on paper somewhere and review occasionally. By having a plan to stick to you stay focussed and are likely to attempt at least, to stick to it. Deciding that you will stick to an exercise plan of three times a week has a stronger purpose than just deciding to exercise when you feel like it.

So you have a definite purpose to exercise, the desire to achieve results and some accurate plans, the next thing needed to develop Exercise Persistence is self-reliance. This is the belief in your ability to achieve your goals. If the task seems too big and you don’t think you can get there it is likely that you will give up. As you start to exercise regularly it is important to monitor your progress in some way. If you are looking for physical benefits I would recommend regular Health MOT’s or fitness tests as these will highlight the improvements in your body, increasing your belief in your ability to get results, inspiring persistence.

If you are to develop Exercise Persistence you will also require accurate knowledge. Guessing at training techniques and hoping that you get results may destroy persistence as the results may never come. Books, magazines, TV, the internet; the information streams are vast. Personal trainers can be considered expensive, yet the knowledge you will gain even from booking a few sessions could be valuable in helping you to be more persistent and achieving your goals - money well spent!

Having empathy and understanding from others will help you with support. This cooperation with others can help you through the tough times and keep you focussed when you lose sight of your goals. It could be friends, family, training partners, exercise professionals; whoever it is, find someone that will support you on your journey towards Exercise Persistence.

In summary, if you want to develop Exercise Persistence, set some goals that are especially important to you, develop a weekly exercise plan, and find out your benchmarks. Then, find knowledge on the best techniques for you, enlist the support of helpers and monitor progress regularly. By January 2011 you will be practicing Exercise Persistence and be a healthier, happier person as a result.

The Wii has brought physical activity to the computer game generation. The experience and interface has the game player moving in a way that no other computer game has managed previously.

The Wii was launched on 8th December 2006 in the UK. Have we seen a change in the nation’s health since then? Is there any group that has improved their health? Have people improved other aspects of their lifestyle since becoming Wii users? Does average Wii use equate to thirty minutes of moderate activity a day?

There is no doubt that a Wii is fun. I am not normally interested in computer games but the Wii is different. It seems to me that skills are more transferable. What I mean is, that I was never very good at using a keyboard or joystick. When I play the tennis game on Wii I use the controller in a similar way to a tennis racket. But I get the feel of playing tennis without actually having to learn how to grip the racket or run around very much. It is easier to get going.

The television commercials that I have seen portray the Wii as a family console. Everyone gets involved. In the same way that a family might play Frisbee in the park after a picnic, they might now head for the Wii after Sunday lunch.

All in all, I feel that it’s important to keep the Wii labelled as a game console. Not fitness (or sports) equipment. It’s great fun but my childhood is filled with memories of grabbing a tennis racket and hitting a ball against a wall for hours. Or heading for the park with friends to find a game of football. Sometimes we would go to White City Stadium and try the high jump or shot put. Those actual (rather than virtual) experiences set up a love for sport and exercise that I just can’t shake!

What do you think? Do you use a Wii for fitness? Have you got good results?

Following an irregular eating plan may result in a slower metabolic rate, making it more difficult for you to burn calories and lose weight.

A regular eating pattern is having a meal or snack every three to four hours throughout the day, and keeping a similar eating pattern everyday. Easier said then done, I hear you say. Yet with so many benefits, you would be crazy not to at least try to develop a regular eating pattern.

Eating regularly encourages a stable blood sugar level, preventing diabetes; a lower blood cholesterol level, preventing heart disease; and greater energy and concentration levels throughout the day with reduced fatigue.

I once had a personal training client who weighed thirty stone. She used to think that if she went for long periods without eating she was consuming fewer calories. It wasn’t until she kept a food diary that she realised that the longer period she would leave between meals, the more she would eat. So she was actually consuming all of the days’ calories plus more in just one or two meals on days when she skipped meals. She ate less when she began to eat regularly.

With a regular eating pattern you will find it easier to stop eating at the end of a meal, stop you thinking about food in between meals and reduce the temptation of high fat foods.

A recent BBC documentary explored research that demonstrated when we skip breakfast, there is an area of the brain that makes us more likely crave foods high in fat and sugar. Our impulses are designed to ensure we survive but they do not consider the consequences of our actions. That is the job of our conscious minds that we are in control of. You too can take control of your eating habits.

If you want to lose weight and eat healthier, developing a regular eating pattern is a great start. Here are some tips to help you out:

Eat Breakfast: Cereals, toast, fruit, a yogurt, even a cooked breakfast if you must – anything to kick-start your metabolism for the day.
Plan Ahead: Plan your meals and snacks in advance and set aside times to eat.
Choose Healthy Snacks: These can be eaten between meals - crunchy raw vegetables, fresh and dried fruit, crackers, oatcakes, yoghurts, etc.
Keep a Food Diary: People that keep food diaries statistically lose more weight.

Now that I have that little bug bearer off my chest lets talk about how to get a good looking pair of pins!

First, to those women with healthy proportions with natural curves and to those women who are considerably overweight. You cannot spot-reduce fat. That is to say, you cannot burn off fat from the thigh or any other body part just by exercising it. This idea, which is also why so many people waste so much time doing trillions of sit ups in an attempt to get a flat stomach, is based on the erroneous idea that fat can be turned to muscle. But as you have already gathered fat is very different to muscle. They are quite distinct in make up and are utterly incapable of turning from one to the other. But even if you could turn fat to muscle, would you really want to?! Think about it, you would be turning big fat thighs in to big muscular thighs. Hardly a good trade!

So what should you do to get those perfect pins? Most importantly you need to maximise aerobic work to help burn off the fat, and you need to seriously look at your eating habits, particularly women with fuller more voluptuous figures. Do not, however, weight train the legs. I have learned over the years that women with fuller figures already have muscular full shapely looking thighs. The last thing you want to do is add to your already well proportioned figure. I have also come to realise that the fuller figure tends to respond quite well to weight training. Once again, this is not really what you’re looking for. Avoid weight training the legs, they get plenty of work by doing cardiovascular stuff.

Conversely, for women at the other end of the physical spectrum, those women with much less natural shape some serious weight training is the answer. Exercises for the inner and outer thighs, the bum and the thigh will all help to add shape. But remember you spend your entire life using your legs so they can handle quite a beating. Unfortunately most women avoid heavy weight training for fear of building too much muscle.

So here is a public Information broadcast on behalf of your legs. “To all those women with slim straight up and down figures; YOU DON’T HAVE ENOUGH TESTOSTERONE TO BUILD BIG CHUNKY MUSCULAR LEGS”. Honestly. Trust me. In twenty years of being in this business I have never ever seen it happen. The only women who can are those with fuller figures, those who are considerably overweight, and women on anabolic steroids. So get stuck into some serious weight training. There are lots off different exercises to choose from. My personal favourite is lunges, but there are a number of variations that all have the same affect. Good old fashioned squats, leg extensions and curls are all good options. Where possible use free weights as these engage numerous supporting and stabilising muscles. Sets and repetitions should vary to keep the muscles guessing. But remember that the heavier the weight, the lower the repetition range will be and the more this leans towards strength and muscle building. As already mentioned, the legs are both very strong and have an incredible amount of endurance (we use them every day of our lives) so whatever set and rep range you choose always work them hard and you will reap the rewards.

There are lots of ways to improve your health. These are seven ideas that are simple and effective.
Run. Running is simple. People often say that all you need is a good pair of shoes. I’m not sure. Remember Zola Bud? She ran barefoot and so can you. Your running technique will improve and you will have fewer injuries.  This is as simple as exercise gets: no gym, no shoes, no specialist equipment, no relying on others. Just you and your body.
Breathe! It doesn’t get any simpler than that! I walked up the stairs with a colleague this week. Our offices are on the seventh floor. At a fast pace, I was breathless when I get to the top. My colleague was as well but didn’t want to admit it and was suppressing his breathing.  It then took him twice as long for him to be able to talk normally. Your body needs oxygen, and when you are exercising it needs more.
Hydrate yourself all day, every day. Yes you’ve heard this before but are you doing it? Team up with somebody to have him or her remind you to drink. My wife used to ask me whether I wanted a cup of tea. Now she asks whether I want a glass of water.
Eat smaller portions. We have all got used to portions that are much bigger than we need.  Even people who eat mainly health food can get this one wrong. Then they wonder why they are putting on weight! Secret tip: use a smaller plate.
Build functional strength first. A squat is a good example of an exercise that builds functional strength. If you are short of time or want to keep it really simple then it’s a good one to include.  An abdominal curl (or sit up) is an exercise that does not have much functional relevance so think about whether you need it.
Improve your posture. This gives you an advantage. If you are exercising it means that your lungs can function properly. If you are at work you will make a better impression. If you are on a date you will be more attractive.
Stay balanced. Remember these are tips for health! Too much of anything is not healthy! A Tour de France cyclist is not healthy; an amazing athlete: yes, but not healthy. In fact if you look at the life expectancy of extreme endurance athletes you may be in for a surprise.

Try these seven tips and see how much difference they make to your life

I can’t tell you how many times a week I have to have conversations with women who I find working hard on the leg press, inner and out thigh machine, and free weight squats in an attempt to find a pair of slim thighs.

NEWS FLASH - Give it up. it won’t work!

No really, it wont work. think about it for a minute. If you have curves (doesn’t matter whether the curves are big or not) the chances are its because you have muscular legs. If you’re overweight then you might think that its all fat. IT ISN’T! What do you think would happen to someones thighs if they were to walk around for 5, 10, or 15 years with a rucksack weighing an extra 20lbs? Their thighs would become strong and muscular. And that is exactly what happens to anyone overweight for any length of time. In fact, this also includes women who are not overweight but have natural curves. The fact that a person has natural curves but is not overweight leaves only one other explanation for the presence of the curves - MUSCLE!

So why on earth do you want to add even more muscle by weight training them?! Especially when one considers that curvy women tend to respond quite readily to weight training.

The answer to finding your ‘inner thighs’ is to simply avoid training them altogether. If there is one exercise you must do then try the lung. It’s a fantastic exercise for the quads, hams, glutes (that’s the bum), and calves. But keep the weight very light and reps very high.

But the truth is you don’t really even need to do lunges. Legs get sufficient pounding with all your cardio work (bikes, steppers, runners, climbers, cross trainers etc).

After 20, 30 or more minutes hammering your legs on cardio why then go and spend more time weight training the legs. You will gain much more by spending that time doing either more cardio or focusing your weight training on the muscles of the upper body and core.

So ease up on all that leg training. Your thighs will love you for it