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Mar
31
Schedule Your Exercise
Filed Under Motivation, Time Management, Work Out | 6 Comments
How many times have you canceled your workouts because you were going out? How many times have you cut them short because of some social appointment? Have you ever gotten in your car to drive to the gym and then decide that you simply have something else to do or somewhere else to be? If you have, then you’re not alone.
I used to do this on a regular basis. It was never intentional, I simply have a busy life and things would pile up. I had appointments, meetings, friends to see, family to have dinner with and in the middle of it all, my workouts were relegated to a lower priority. I knew that I needed to work out but when faced with the choice of going to the gym or going to hang out with friends, I always chose to avoid the gym.
Then I discovered a quick and simple method to avoid this problem, my calendar.
Schedule It!
I’ve been using calendars for years. I have one for work through Microsoft Outlook and one for personal activities on Google Calendar. Because I hate forgetting appointments, I put every single activity on these calendars. Meetings, dinners, conference calls, movies with friends, they all go on my calendars. That way I avoid scheduling conflicts where I accidentally book myself for two different events at the same time plus I can set reminders. These reminders pop up ahead of the event and remind me that I need to do something.
Unfortunately, even though I’ve been using calendars for years, I never thought to actually schedule my workouts. The gym was something I did in my spare time, right? So I just assumed I would find some time for it everyday. Well, guess what? I didn’t. Until that is, I started seeing the gym as an important activity that I shouldn’t avoid, and that’s when I started scheduling it.
Gym Appointments
If you don’t use any kind of calendar, I would recommend starting. It’s a very useful organizational tool that comes in quite handy in all areas of your life. I use Google Calendar which you can get a free account for right here. Because it’s online, I can see my schedule from any computer. Google Calendar also allows me to share my calendar with other people. So I can put appointments on it which my wife sees. For you readers out there in a relationship, giving each other visibility into our calendars has been one of the best relationship tools my wife and I found! But since this is a fitness blog and not a relationship blog, I’ll stick to telling you about my scheduled workouts. 
Schedule a recurring appointment. This is an appointment that occurs multiple times. Any calendar will let you do this. You can set something up like “every weekday between 3 and 4:30pm” or “every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday between noon and 1pm.” Whateveryour gym schedule is, set it up with a specific time and day. Now just follow this schedule.
Stick To Your Schedule
You have no idea how much this little tip helped me. Putting my workouts on my calendar increased my success rate (the percentage of times I was supposed to be at the gym and actually went) from somewhere in the 50% to above 95%. I still miss the occasional workout but it’s usually due to serious issues.
Extra Tips
- Think about letting people know about your gym time - Some people will respect gym time and some will not. I have my gym time on my calendar as “Personal Quality Control”. My wife and friends know what this is and they respect that. I’m also honest with those coworkers who ask about it and I let them know that this time is important to me. I have no problem meeting with them during this time but they better wear their gym clothes to this meeting and be ready to sweat. Everyone else simply sees an appointment on my schedule and assumes that they shouldn’t schedule meetings for this time.
- Add others to your gym appointments - One of the best benefits of a gym partner is the extra incentive to actually show up. It’s easy to skip the occasional workout when it’s just you. It’s not so easy when someone else is counting on you to show up. So schedule you gym appointments and then see if anyone else wants to go with you.
- Don’t forget the commute time - Make sure your gym appointment includes enough time to get to and from the gym.
- Not too late - Late night workouts will sometimes cause sleep issues. Try to finish your workouts two to three hours before your bed time.
- Make it regular - Try not to change your workout schedule too often. A regular day and time really helps you get into the gym habit.
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Your workout time is just as important as any other meeting. In fact, it may be more important than most since I can’t think of too many conference calls I’ve attended lately that can prolong and improve my life. Why not treat it like the important appointment it is and get it on your schedule?
UPDATE - One of my readers sent me in a link to the schedule application they like to use. I looked at it and it seems like it has some neat features. So I figured I would add a link to it here.
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Mar
30
Spent most of yesterday moving furniture and then ran 8 miles as part of my marathon training. Today, I’m taking it easy! Our bodies need a break at least once a week and I’m very careful not to overtrain. Every Sunday I sit back and try to keep physical activities to a minimum. That gives my body time to repair and recharge ahead of another full week.
Luckily, typing on the computer is pretty easy, so here are some articles from this week that I thought you might find useful.
From the Time’s Online is an article about the connection between bad diet and acne. I guess some people might find this a bit superficial and think that good health is about more than just looks, but I think whatever gets you motivated is good. So if the thought of clearer skin gets you to eat better that’s great.
@The Time’s Online
From the New Zealand Herald comes an article about the benefits of the Brazil Nut. Like many other nuts, this one is another great snack option, plus it gives a nice dose of Selenium, a nutrient our bodies need. Just keep in mind the article’s warning. Too much of a good thing can be bad and the Brazil nut’s Selenium can be toxic if you eat too much of it.
@The New Zealand Herald
From Fox News we get this article about partners and how they can sometimes sabotage our best planned efforts to get fit. Fox overdoes things a bit with this article but they do have a valid point. In many cases, our efforts to change our lives can alarm our partners. They don’t know what’s going on, they don’t understand why we’re changing our lives and they’re afraid of being left behind. Take the time to explain your efforts to those you love. You might find that you can turn them from an obstacle into a support structure.
@Fox News
Here are two videos from the Consumer Reports site that were brought to my attention by a reader. I found them fascinating even though they were a bit too short. Take a quick look. The first one is about diet surprises and the second one is about diet ratings. Good information in both and a good reminder to me to renew my consumer reports subscription. By the way, the videos are hosted outside the Consumer Reports website I believe.
@Consumer Reports
And, if the acne story didn’t motivate you to be fitter, how about this article from the Los Angeles Times detailing a recent study that revealed a connection between belly fat and dementia. Yes, I’m talking to all you guys who occasionally make jokes about their huge beer bellies. You may want to rethink your lifestyle.
@The Los Angeles Times
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Mar
28
Reader Q&A - Are Peanuts Healthy?
Filed Under Eating Healthy, Snacks | Leave a Comment
This question comes in from TR in Florida. TR wants to know if peanuts are a healthy snack option.
The Upside of Peanuts
Peanuts can be an excellent snack. They contain healthy fats as well as a good amount of fiber and protein. A small amount of peanuts can actually fill you up for a considerable amount of time.
The Downside of Peanuts
Although they are healthy, peanuts do pack a good amount of calories in for their small size. A single cup of peanuts can have around 900 calories in it. That’s almost 2 big macs!
The Healthy Way To Eat Peanuts
- Moderation is key - Try to eat less than 30 peanuts in a single sittin. That’s 30 individual peanuts, not 30 shells which can each contain 2 to 3 peanuts.
- Eat the raw varieties - I’m not a raw food fanatic, but in the case of peanuts, raw is better. Roasted is not too bad but definitely stay away from salted and glazed varieties.
- Get them in the shell - Why in the shell? Because shelling the peanuts yourself will force you to eat slower and that will fill you up before you eat too many of them. It will also make you more aware of how many you’re eating.
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Yes TR, peanuts are an excellent snack option. Just snack in moderation and try to stay away from peanuts that have been overly prepared or processed.
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Mar
26
I got a lot of good feedback from readers about my last healthy meal post so I thought I turn it into an irregular series of sorts and occasionally post up ideas for more healthy, easy and cheap meals. The healthy part is obvious, but I’m also trying to show people that healthy eating doesn’t have to mean spending a lot of time or money.
One of the emails I got contained a meal idea from another Trader Joe’s shopper and I thought I would use that for this next post. So thank you Joe R. for your email and here’s Joe’s chili recipe.
The Ingredients
- One can of Trader Joe’s chili. I buy the vegetarian kind but feel free to substitute a brand with some meat if you want. Try to stay away from the all meat kinds.
- One bell pepper. Joe recommended the green kind for this but I’m still a secret fan of the yellow peppers. Recipe works fine either way.
- One half cucumber.
- One quarter large onion.
Preparation
Slice up all the vegetables into small pieces. By small I mean no larger than a 1/4 inch. Dump everything into a pot with the chili and stir thoroughly. Now heat the whole thing up until the chili starts bubbling a bit. Keep stirring as you heat it up to make sure everything is getting warm. Note, I tried to heat this up with a microwave and it didn’t come up quite as good but still very tasty.
That’s it, once the whole thing is warm, put it in a bowl and eat.
Total Preparation TimeFrom beginning to end, this took about 15 minutes. Most of that time was spent heating. If you use the microwave you can turn this into a 10 minute meal.
Total Cost
Can of chili is anywhere from $1 to $3 depending on type and where you buy it. Vegetables cost another $2 or so at the local produce store. So total cost is somewhere around $3.
Calories
Calories for this meal are around 450 with the chili contributing most of that. The can of chili had around 350 calories. Nutrient mix was great with the chili having 14g of fiber and 16g of protein. Add in the veggies and you have a well balanced meal.
What Didn’t We Do?
Notice a few things about this meal.
- No dinner roll - No need for bread. It’s nothing more than empty calories.
- No dressing - Instead of eating the vegetables as a separate salad which needs dressing, we mixed them into the main course.
- Less meat - I picked a vegetarian chili, but you could have done one that contained some meat. Just stay away from the all meat brands.
- No sodas - As usual, we didn’t choose to add any drinks to our meal other than water.
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Ok, canned chili doesn’t sound like a healthy meal but when you toss in some veggies, it’s actually not that bad. Would it have been better if I had made the whole thing from scratch? Sure, but I don’t have time for that so this was the next best thing.
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Mar
24
The 20% Rule
Filed Under Work Out | Leave a Comment
On Friday I shared with you a little trick for measuring when you’re working out too hard while doing cardio. But what about weight lifting? How do we know when we’re working out too hard, not hard enough or just right? Well, for that, we have the 20% rule.
What Is The 20% Rule?
The 20% rule says that if you can do 20% more reps then you are then you’re not working out hard enough. If you can only less than 80% of the reps you planned on doing then you’re working out too hard.
What Does That Mean?
Let’s take the average person who does 10 reps per set. 20% of that is 2. Well, if you planned on doing 10 reps but you can easily an extra 20% (12 reps) then you’re probably not working out hard enough. Maybe you need to rest less between sets, increase the weight or work on your form. Whatever it is, you should increase the difficulty. On the other hand, if you planned on doing 10 reps but you can barely do 8 and no more, then you’re probably working out too hard. Perhaps you should rest more between sets or lower the weight you’re using.
What If I Do More Than 10 Reps?
Some people don’t do 10 reps only per set. For example, I notice that most women prefer to use lighter weights and do 15 or 20 reps per set. No problem, the 20% rule still works. If you aim for 15 reps than you should be able to do between 12 and 18 reps. That’s 20% on either side. If you’re aiming for 20 reps then you should be able to do between 16 and 24 reps. Again, that’s 20% on either side.
Does It Work For 5 Reps Too?
Sure, just aim for 5, which means between 4 and 6 reps.
Use For Improvement
The 20% rule is a great way to see if you’re ready to improve your workout. If you get to a point where you can easily do 20% more reps than you planned for, then you clearly need to increase your weight. The opposite is also true, if you’re wondering if it’s time to increase the weight you work out with, try doing 20% extra reps. If you could easily do it, then yes, you’re ready to add a bit of weight to your workout.
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Always have a goal in mind. Know how many reps you’re planning to do and aim towards that number. Just keep in mind that your body doesn’t operate at the same level 100% of the time. Sometimes it needs a bit more rest and sometimes a bit less. So aim for 100% but be ready to do somewhere between 80% and 120%. If you find yourself consistently outside those limits, perhaps you need to change something.
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Mar
23
Weekend Roundup - Ouch Edition!
Filed Under Weekend Roundup | Leave a Comment
Wow, I forgot how painful long runs. I ran 7.5 miles yesterday as part of my marathon training and my legs are really feeling it. I have to say, shoes are key if you’re going to run long distances. You don’t need expensive ones but you do need good ones.
And now, on to some useful articles from this week.
This article from Reuters is short but sweet. It talks about how more people are staying away from silly celeb diets like the cabbage soup diet or the maple syrup diet. Instead, they’re starting to see healthy eating as a permanent lifestyle change. That’s good news. On the other hand, the article also mentions that most people only stick to their new diets for an average of 78.6 days. Ouch!
@Reuters
And if you thought your nutritionist was a miracle worker, wait until you hear about these folks working at various zoos. They have to come up with diet and exercise plans for everything from snakes and birds to tigers and elephants. This article is more amusing than useful but I did think some of the changes they talked about were interesting. Note that even for animals the basic rules don’t change. Move around more and eat less junk.
@The Associated Press
The following article from the Los Angeles Chronicle talks about the impact of diet on testosterone and what that could mean for weight and muscle gain. There’s too much information to be summarized here so I recommend just clicking on the link and reading the article for yourself. Keep in mind that this is one study among many and feel free to research the topic on your own, but it’s interesting food for thought, especially for vegetarians like myself.
@The Los Angeles Chronicle
And while we’re on the topic of the impact on diet on your body, here’s another article from Reuters talking about the impact of a vegan diet on arthritis. Again, keep in mind that this is one study among many and I would recommend further research (and a discussion with your doctor) before making any drastic changes to your diet, but both this and the previous article show that diet has much more of an impact than just on your waistline.
@Reuters
And let’s finish things up on a slightly less serious but still very useful note with this article from the Daily Mail. It talks about some historical diets and which ones worked. Oddly enough, the diet that worked best was the one that forced you to chew your food exactly 32 times before swallowing. Sounds stupid? Well, when you think about it, it’s actually pretty smart. This diet forced you to be very aware of what you’re eating and to eat it very slowly, both of these are very good tips. That said, I wouldn’t recommend this diet but still, one can always learn a lesson by looking at history.
@The Daily Mail
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Mar
21
Note, the following information is for cardio sessions, not resistance training.
One of the most common questions I get is “am I working out too hard?” or the opposite “am I working out hard enough?” Usually, people will tell me how fast they run, how long they swim or what resistance level they turn the elliptical machine up to and ask me if that’s the right difficulty level for them. Unfortunately, that’s just not enough information for me to answer that question.
Heart Rate
Ideally, cardio exercise should keep your heart rate somewhere between 60% and 80% of max. Anything less and you’re not really working out very hard. Anything more and you’re placing too much strain on your body.
What’s My Max Heart Rate?
A rough estimate of your max heart rate is 220 minus your age. So for me, being 34, my max heart rate is 186. That means that if I want to keep my workout between 60 and 80%, I should keep it somewhere between 111 and 148.
But How The Heck Do I Measure That While Exercising?
Yah, that’s the problem. It’s a little hard to measure heart rate while exercising. You either need to stop and measure it yourself or you need to hold on to some handle or device that will measure heart rate for you. Both of these options interrupt your workout and can actually get a bit dangerous. In fact, the only time I ever fell off a treadmill is because I was trying to measure my heart rate while running. Seems a bit funny now (ok, it seems a lot funny now) but it was quite painful back then.
So What’s The Alternative
Here’s a slightly less scientific but more practical approach. Try saying the following sentence while exercising. “Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow.”
- Were you able to say that without any problems at all and with a normal sounding voice? If so, you’re probably not working hard enough.
- Did you have issues saying that sentence and needed to gasp for breath between every word? If so, you’re probably working too hard.
- Could you say the sentence but had to pause midway for a quick breath? If so, you’re probably working at the right level.
In general, you should be able to talk while exercising but not hold a normal conversation. If you can hold a normal conversation then you’re not working out hard enough. If you’re completely unable to talk or need to breath between every word and you’re straining for every breath, you’re working out too hard.
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You shouldn’t feel like you’re about to die when you work out. However, you also shouldn’t feel like you’re taking a leisurely stroll. Aim for somewhere in between.
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