WOMEN VS. THE SCALES by Anthony Noud

 Why is it that women are constantly battling with the scales and weighing themselves? Cue the morning ritual at 6:32 am sharp, naked, after going to the bathroom, making sure the scales are facing east whilst “thinking light thoughts” every single day, with the result determining whether or not today will be a good day, a fat day, a commited day or the day you just give up on your dream of a lean, toned, healthy body. As I have come to discover, this is obviously important business.

As a part of any initial consultation whether it be for training or diet I always ask women what the number one goal for their body is. 95% of the time they say “I want to lose x kilos so I then weigh xxkg”. My response is always the same, “why!?”

The conversation could then play out a number of ways but this is the general story:

“Ok so why do you want to lose 11 kilos Esmerelda?”

“I’m not really sure I just think that’s how much I have to lose as according to the BMI thing I should weigh xx kilos.”

“Have you ever weighed 11kg less than you do now?”

“No”

Just quickly, BMI (body mass index) testing is outdated and has various deficiencies as a measure of bodyfat and obesity. BMI does not reflect changes that occur with aging, between sexes nor does it account for muscle mass. For example I am currently at 8.7% (caliper tested) bodyfat however according to the BMI equation I am on the cusp between overweight and obese.

So put very bluntly, whether or not you are working from a “magical number” in your head as a goal or have been given an inaccurate BMI target, you have no idea what BMI is and why it says you must weigh xx kilos, which, in turn means, you have no real idea why you want to weigh xxkg, nor do you even know if it is physically possible! (and if it is, it was back in high school, after you had a horrific flu, didn’t eat or drink for 3 weeks and all the feng shui in the universe was working in your favour that day you stepped on the almighty scales of fortune).

Lets just stop and think for a moment, what does that number on the scale ACTUALLY mean? Does is really give us a good indication of how healthy, fat, thin or how fit or unfit you are? Your weight on the scales is obviously the combined total of all your bits; your bones, organs and organ systems- circulatory, respiratory, digestive, urinary and reproductive organs just to name a few. There is also blood, connective tissues, cartilage, ligaments, fluids (h20 and all other), MUSCLE and FAT. 

Out of all of the above the two that we, as everyday health conscious gym-goers really want to control, are muscle and you guessed it FAT.  If I carry more fat am I going to weigh more? Yes, obviously. If I hold more muscle am I going to weigh more also? Well derr. And doesn’t muscle weigh more than fat??

RUBBISH! Lets debunk that myth right now. The weight of muscle vs fat is of no real relevance whatsoever. 5kg of muscle is going to weigh the exact same amount as 5kg of fat….FIVE KILOGRAMS!! What IS different is the way you will look, feel and how healthy you will be, depending on which you choose to carry.

Muscle is heavier by VOLUME than fat. The way you LOOK carrying 5kg of muscle as opposed to carrying 5kg of fat is what actually matters.

A woman weighing 65kg with 19% bodyfat will look much smaller (and be much healthier) than a woman at 65kg with 35% bodyfat. They weigh the same, yet the composition is different. Because muscle is more dense than fat, the person with less fat and more muscle will look smaller.

Just this week Esmerelda and I did a re-assessment of her body composition, taking weights and measurements (cm’s @ bust, waist, hip, thigh and arm) as well as a bodyfat pinch test (skinfold mm’s @ tricep, suprailiac, abs and thigh). It had been a period of 3 months since our last “official” check in. The results were interesting to say the least.

Initially Esmerelda came in at 21% bodyfat, weighing 53.3kg, so she wasn’t a big girl by any stretch, size 10 fairly lean without any really defining features. After 3 months of 2x weekly weights sessions with me, Esmerelda is now looking and feeling better than she ever has before. Her arms are lean and toned, she is shapely around the shoulders with taut triceps, her bum sits higher above leaner defined thighs and her midsection is flatter with the old love handles nowhere to be seen.  Do you think it came as a shock to her when she got on the scales and the reading was 55.4kg! SHE HAD PUT ON OVER 2KGS!!

After laughing out loud, I figured I should try and calm my now hysterical client down a little. We took her measurements and sure enough they had gone down in all the right places - waist, hips, and arms. And up in the right places also; bum (this was a personal goal for Esmerelda) and her flexed arm reading. This didn’t mean anything to the now distraught Ezzy, “cause the scales don’t lie!” 

I then measured her bodyfat percentage using skinfold calipers and as expected, her bodyfat had dropped to 16.76%!! (picture a super athletic fit, strong woman, someone that you can tell works out alot J) Again, this didn’t mean much to Esmerelda so I tried a different approach…

Do you feel stronger?  “Yes definitely,”

Do you feel leaner? “Yes,”

Do you notice it in your clothes? “Yes, I had to get new work pants,”

Are other people commenting on your new body?

“Yes, people are always telling me how much better I look and my husband won’t leave me alone,”

Ok, so how does this new (larger) number on the scale affect how you look and feel right now?

 “Well, um I suppose it doesn’t.”

LADIES this is my call to you to STOP weighing yourselves religiously! Particularly if it has any sort of negative effect on your mindset or goals. Sure, for clients with +15kg of fat to lose a representation of weight will have some merit. However, weighing yourself daily will rarely serve any useful purpose. FACT: the weight of a large glass of water is 648grams. This alone will obviously alter your weight reading, yet has no part to play in how you look. Take into account your menstrual cycle (which again affects your weight), the food you eat, time of day, and so on and the number on the scale becomes more and more blurred.

Instead, go by how you feel and look in the mirror, take measurements, take fortnightly photos, use your clothes and how they fit and feel as a guide to how you are progressing with your goals. Body composition is the only really accurate guide when it comes to how you will look. This can be done by getting your bodyfat percentage tested, the only real viable option being skinfold calipers, with pinches taken by the same person each time.

When was the last time the assistant in your favourite clothing store asked how much you weigh when helping you choose something? Or when did you last hear someone comment “She’s hot, she must be a 52kg girl”?. How much you WEIGH (within reason) plays no significant role in how you feel, look, what you wear or how you live on a day to day basis. My advice is to forget the scales, if you must, once a week at the ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM should you weigh yourself and even then this should only be used as a secondary indicator, following your clothing, mirror, and measurements. Not only will you have a clearer representation of yourself but you will no longer have to battle with the dreaded weigh in.

If you are currently battling with the scales and not seeing results come and see myself or one of our trainers at http://www.purehealthclubs.com.au

With specific meal plans and workout schedules tailored to you and your personal goals, as well as regular body fat caliper testing- measuring and tracking progress, I guarantee you can achieve your best body ever…a truly EXQUISITE PHYSIQUE.

Contact me: anthony@purehealthcubs.com.au

WEIGHT TRAINING FOR WOMEN

I was speaking with a client (let’s call her Bec) yesterday that I have been working with now for months and months.  Bec is stronger, fitter, leaner, more toned and looks better than ever before - she actually pulls off her favourite size 8 black dress from when she was 18 BETTER than what she did then.

Bec was retelling a conversation she had with a colleague regarding women and weight training - the old “doing heavy weights makes women bulky” chestnut.  I am often surprised by how many people (even trainers) still believe this to be true.  I am here to tell you that as a woman, working out with weights, including the heavier ones, WILL NOT make you look bulky!

FACT

Females do NOT and CANNOT produce as much testosterone as males (the main hormone responsible for increasing muscle mass). So, straight off the bat, no matter how dedicated, determined or how much wonder-woman like strength you possess, your genetics and hormones simply will NOT allow you to grow into a bulky, man like beefcake, or anything close for that matter. But what about those freak show looking ladies I see on tv in bodybuilding competitions I hear you ask?

FACT

They are on Anabolic Steroids! They have also meticulously dieted and deprived themselves of every ounce of fat to within an inch of their lives to appear more muscular and, within a week either side of the photos being taken they appear as fuller much more feminine physiques. Bodies like that are NOT created by accident, nor by simply working out with weights on a daily basis!

As a female heavy weight training will not only tone your body, giving you a more athletic and attractive shape eg: lift your bum, build nice lines and shape  your shoulders/arms/back/legs/stomach EVERYWHERE as well as FIRMING all of these areas - think flabby thighs to slender, toned thighs and legs that look awesome in a killer pair of those high heels you ladies like to wear. J

It is a proven fact that working out with hard and heavy weights (the harder the better) actually increases your EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) more than cardio!! What this means is that AFTER exercise (on your way home, to bed WHATEVER you are doing after you train) your metabolism is increased as it repairs cells, returns hormone and carb levels to normal, and returns your body to its resting state, you are burning many more calories than you normally would. This is commonly referred to as the “after burn”.

If its not enough that heavy weight training will help you burn extra “bonus” calories after you train, working out with weights builds muscle (well duh?) but by adding lean muscle to your body you will automatically increase and speed up your metabolism for every minute of every day from that moment on (as long as you maintain the muscle) – yes EVEN while you are asleep!

Heavy weight training will also make you stronger. I often train women who were previously “cardio queens” – women that are lean and quite fit, but it wasn’t until they started heavy weight training that they noticed they began to feel strong when playing with the kids, working, shopping, climbing into their houses when locked out - a never ending list of day to day activities that all female weight trainers agree help women feel more confident and empowered in their bodies… LITERALLY!

So, is it really any wonder why I am so troubled when I hear the same myth again and again suggesting women and heavy weights = bulk he-women?

I must admit that it was with GREAT pleasure (it actually made my day) to hear Bec finish our conversation yesterday by describing herself as a “total convert” to heavy weights.

See for yourself, These are photos of some of my clients at PURE health clubs that all do predominantly (over 90% of ALL exercise) as HEAVY WEIGHT training. BULKY? MAN-LIKE? I think not, I see toned, feminine, strong and sexy as a better description….decide for yourself!

For more information about what I do feel free to contact me 

anthony@purehealthclubs.com.au

or what WE do

http://www.purehealthclubs.com.au

FAILING TO PLAN = PLANNING TO FAIL

Failing to plan= planning to fail

By Anthony Noud

Sound familiar? You’ve heard this a thousand times before, you must schedule exercise into your day and plan your food to achieve your goals. I know this, because I myself have been through the weight loss journey losing  over 30 kilos of fat!

Sometimes I feel like a broken record, repeating the same things over and over again. Every time I partake in a seminar or talk with clients I worry someone is going to stand up and say, “get some new material!!” because I feel like I’m  saying the same thing over and over, the same thing you read in a hundred different articles a hundred different times…..if you fail to plan then you plan to fail. So why do so many people still struggle with planning their food and exercise into their lives?

On a daily basis I ask my clients…”so what’s for lunch?” or “what’s for dinner?” and have begun to notice some trends. Some will flat out lie to me! (I know, sad but true), But, if you were eating what you say you are, then you wouldn’t have a weight issue. Most people will say something like: “I have no idea” or “I’ll probably just get sushi or something ” or my favourite, “I’ll just get a salad,  that’s what I usually do.” These are the same people who say “ I love my food too much to be on a diet.” For people who love food so much, wouldn’t it make sense to take a second to at least consider what you‘re going to eat and what it’s going to do to help your mind and body?

I have clients of all shapes and sizes and all different lifestyles and professions. Some have sedentary jobs, some travel on a weekly basis and others who have to be in shape or at a certain weight as part of their job. Regardless of work or family commitments, time constraints, travel, or incidental exercise one thing is always constant: clients who are overweight and particularly those frustrated and struggling to lose weight (or constantly fluctuating) are not sticking to any kind of structured meal plan and my leanest, healthiest clients could rattle off exactly what they are going to eat today at the drop of a hat and in most cases have already prepared it themselves.

Some of the most common excuses I hear for eating rubbish food is that “I wasn’t prepared”, “it’s all I could get my hands on” or “work was so busy that I ran out of time to prepare something”.  Without a basic plan of what you should eat on a daily basis you are likely to make poor choices. Eating the wrong foods at the wrong times, opting for unhealthy take away, skipping meals because you don’t have anything prepared all lead to overeating, energy slumps and a general unhealthy lifestyle. Going about your day “hoping” to stumble across healthy food is a plan destined for failure.  Lets face it, how can you have ANY hope of losing weight if you don’t even know when, how much or even what you are eating??

Long hours at work? So busy you can’t remember the last time you had a lunch break? Have to cook for the partner and kids? Or the dreaded “work lunches/dinners and Friday afternoon nibblys?” They are all the same thing, EXCUSES! Prepare all of your meals the day (or days) before and you will actually SAVE TIME (not to mention money) by not having to think of what to eat, leave the office, line up, order and then pay for what is most likely a poor meal choice anyway… and you haven’t even eaten it yet!  

If you’re finding it all a bit daunting because you think it’s too hard, will take too much time to shop and pre-prepare your meals then take five minutes of your time to write down what you think you should eat on an average day. Then, expand this to cover an entire week of meals. My guess is that it looks something like:

Breakfast:       cereal/muesli and milk OR piece of toast with a spread

Morning tea:  piece of fruit (if anything at all)

Lunch:            protein (chicken, ham, tuna etc) and salad (plus or minus bread or a wrap)

Afternoon tea:piece of fruit or biscuits/similar snack food

Dinner:           pasta or rice + meat variation eg;spag bowl, stir fry etc

                        OR

                        Vegetable + meat/fish variation eg; meat and 3 veg,    

Do days 4, 5 and 6 look pretty similar to days 1,2 and 3? Do I hear a resounding yes Anthony they do? This means that at most you have NINE different basic food “items” in your average day and most are repeated throughout the day every single day. When you look at it this way, does it really seem so hard to plan,  purchase and prepare? When you exercise, you break it down, just apply that same principle to planning your meals and you’ll be surprised how easy, simple and quick it is.

You can keep your meal plan as simple or as complicated as you like and I find each individual is different. Some people prefer an extremely simple yet highly structured “to the gram” approach. Personally I find myself time poor and choose to eat largely the same meal 5 times a day, with similar snacks and dinners day in and day out. This works for me as I only have to cook and pack my meals once a day, and I am confident in the knowledge that every gram is accounted for and has been prepared by me, in line with my personal goals. I can always choose to relax this and have “cheat” meals.

Others can’t fathom the idea of such a strict and repetitive diet. Instead, together we write up a daily, weekly, or even monthly plan for each and every meal they are going to eat. We add as much variety as possible and stick to a daily calorie target. Most people fall somewhere in between and together, we find a happy medium between both extremes where most main meals are similar in nature, and snacks are varied.

Surprise, Surprise…. ALL of the people that follow the plan are either at their goal weight (maintenance) or extremely close to their goal weight. With the common denominator being they all KNOW what they are going to eat next at any time on any given day. Ask the “skinny bitch” in your office or circle of friends what she eats and my bet is that she could tell you exactly what she will have, including a rough idea of portion size.

Modern day shopping makes it even easier with items such as 90 second rice, pre prepared and portioned fresh salads, single serves of just about everything from tuna to bread to cheese all labeled with nutritional advice for each.  You can even get all of your fresh fruit and vegetables delivered to your door via the internet! I am not saying these are your best option but in terms of preparing your own vs. purchasing take away this leaves the “I don’t have time” classic truly null and void.

I understand this article doesn’t cover what you should be eating, from which macronutrient sources nor does it touch on portion sizes. It is simply a call to get your head out the sand and take stock of what you are currently eating, and make a decision to take some responsibility for what goes in your mouth.

In order to get the most from your body you need to be honest about the food you are putting into it. You then need to understand what impact it has on your body. With the right knowledge you can make the right choices.

Take a moment to sit down and THINK about what you are going to eat tomorrow before you queue up for that sushi roll. What’s the worst that could happen? Save time and money? Possibly lose weight and feel healthier? 

Here’s the thing and I know this from my own personal weight loss journey. If you want to lose weight, and I mean deep down honestly are ready to do what you must to shed that layer that for whatever reason you’ve been holding onto, then you have to be brutally honest, at the very least with yourself, about what you eat. You didn’t develop unhealthy eating habits overnight and you’re not going to change them overnight either. But, by planning your meals you have a structure that will help you make those changes and shed that weight.

In conjunction with PURE health clubs http://www.purehealthclubs.com.au I have created the PURE and clean dietary plan that is tailored to each individuals specific sex, height, weight, activity level and desired goals. It outlines exactly what you should be eating, how much of it and when- tailored to your body’s own nutritional requirements.

Whether you are looking to lose a lot of weight, those stubborn last few kilos, or maintain a photoshoot ready physique the PURE and clean dietary plan will work for you.

For more information contact me personally: anthony@purehealthclubs.com.au

INTENSITY COUNTS

INTENSITY COUNTS

In my opinion there are 2 main things (amongst others) that separate those who attain the body they’re after and those who don’t.  The first is an adherence to a specific diet or meal plan (or lack thereof) and the second is their training intensity (or how hard they work in a workout) Today I’d like to discuss the latter, training intensity.

I often hear people in the gym talking about “tough workouts” or “hard sessions” or “barely being able to walk” after said “tough workouts”. However, very rarely do I witness such individuals completing such workouts. I don’t think this is because they are lying or are not working hard, but I tend to think that it is their perception they’ve had a grueling workout that may be a little off kilter.

Can they be blamed for looking at their workout through sweat-coloured glasses? Attend an average group fitness class, bootcamp or better yet 1 on 1 personal training session and you’ll most probably do your stock standard 10-12 reps of a weight that is manageable whilst making sure you’re “keeping your core tight” and really “feeling that burn”. You will then be told what a great job you’ve done and how hard you’re working. Maybe you should reward yourself with a celebratory protein shake/popper/bar on your way home…..better yet why not get take away tonight?...after all you’ve worked so hard for it… haven’t you?

Alternatively, you could listen to regular “hardcore discussion” about the latest HIT (high intensity training) methods ranging from “taking every set to failure” or making sure you do your “4 second negatives” on each and every rep. This is all well and good, and some of these methods are even proven to be effective.

However, I witness time and time again through my own experience and that of my clients that training intensity begins in the mind. Any workout style/technique/duration performed without the required level of intensity is going to produce sub optimal results AT BEST!

You can be equipped with the latest and greatest revolutionary “5million ways to perfect abs in 10 days” workout from womens health magazine, backed up by the latest in scientific results proving its effectiveness, yet if you turn up and complete said workout with a, “I’ll go for 10 reps” or “that will do” attitude, believe it or not you’re working well below your potential, and its no surprise that you won’t look like the girl in the magazine demonstrating the workout (and that’s not just because she’s been airbrushed to have abs of steel).

That’s because the girl on the cover didn’t walk in thinking “I’ll just do my regular 3 x 20 reps @ x kg on the leg press today and maybe do a few situps before my yoga class”.

In order for your body to change shape (tone up or lose fat) it has to be forced into handling something that it previously wasn’t capable of, (ie lifting heavier or for more reps, running faster, jumping higher). The degree and rate at which it changes is directly linked to the degree to which it is stressed.

All too often I speak to gym goers who have the same “I’m coming 5 times a week and not seeing results anymore” story. And I always ask, when was the last time you increased your weights? Or are you now doing your pushups on your toes for each set and dropping to your knees only when you simply can’t do another rep?

Without fail each and every person agrees they could be working harder.

In order to achieve average results you need to do something average. Likewise, in order to achieve an AMAZING result you need to do something AMAZING. Each workout should be approached with a clear goal, a target, “working hard” is not a target.

My most successful and interestingly most satisfied clients achieve personal bests in  every exercise they perform almost EVERY workout. They do not approach a workout with a “I must do 10 reps @ 15kg like my program says”. They say “last week I did 10 reps @ 15kg and it nearly killed me, this week my bare minimum is 11 reps @ 15kg…in fact lets go for 12!”

This is definitely the aspect of training that separates the exceptional bodies from the average bodies.

One of the best pieces of advice I got when partaking in a particularly difficult exercise was to “turn your head off”. I regularly repeat this phrase to myself and my clients as a way to push through extremely difficult sets or exercises.

To me this basically means that when you get to that point in a set that the exercise becomes difficult, you’re out of breath, your muscles are aching, shaking and fatiguing, these are all signs that your body is under stress and struggling to cope. Your mind will usually follow with “I can’t continue” or “this hurts” or “just stop for a sec” “this is insane.” All seemingly plausible and great reasons to stop. This is the EXACT second when you must switch your head off and push through the mental pain barrier and continue until you really have nothing left in the tank.

You must learn to be able to push yourself through the talk in your head that tells you to give up or quit to complete those last few reps, to sprint that last 100m as hard as you can. This is when the REAL results come, and not just physically. This attitude and mindset can be transferred and adapted to all areas of your life and as well as helping you to reach your goals, will also improve self esteem and self confidence.

You have commited to turning up for the session, why not commit to giving absolutely everything you have for the session, you’re going to be there anyway. At the completion of your next workout ask yourself, “Could I have worked any harder during that session?” If the answer is yes then commit then and there that NO MATTER WHAT you will push that little bit harder in your next session.

I guarantee that with practice this technique alone, which doesn’t take up any extra time or cost any extra money, will dramatically increase your results and will make you feel happier and more fulfilled about your training. 

Take some time periodically to review your training goals and why you’re committed to them. What does training mean to you personally? Why is it important to you to include this activity in your life? Why is getting the best possible results meaningful to you? Answering these types of questions will reinforce the commitment in your mind, strengthening your resolve. The more intensely you care about the outcome of your workout, the more intensely you will train during that workout.

Visualization is another valuable technique for developing a high intensity attitude. Take a few minutes before your workout to sit somewhere quiet by yourself, close your eyes, get relaxed, and see yourself in your mind’s eye completing your workout, setting new personal bests on every exercise. Picture how you expect to look and feel, in the most vivid detail you can imagine. Once you open your eyes and enter the gym, strive to recreate your vision.

Listening to music or reading something that you find uplifting and motivating can also help you program yourself for a highly intense workout.

Completing successful workouts will provide you with positive memories that you can access to psyche yourself up for future workouts. As they say, “nothing succeeds like success”.