I love looking back at how the fitness trends have shifted in the last year. I know, I’m a nerd. But you certainly can see what is HOT, what is NOT, and where we are heading in terms of fitness and fat loss.
Each year new research and studies come out where we learn how to do things better, more effectively and more efficiently, when it comes fat loss. And, yeah, we learn about some crazy, silly fitness bombs too (raise your hand if you bought a shake weight???)
Based on the research from 2010/2011, I can tell you where were heading as we leap into 2012. Oh, and be sure to take notes, as fat loss has never been easier! We know so much more now than we did a few years ago. TONS of myths have been debunked in the last year or so, making it easy to tell you EXACTLY what works and what doesn’t.
Here’s what you’re going to see more of (and less of, in some instances):
1. It’s all about HIIT
HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. This is a means of cardio exercise that takes much less time than traditional cardio (20 minutes vs 60 minutes) and gives you better results (up to 9 TIMES the fat loss.) Research has shown over and over that this means of cardio is far superior to steady state cardio (slogging it out and a medium intensity for a long period of time.) It has also proven to be the most effective kind of cardio for BURNING BELLY FAT.
HIIT programs incorporate a work period (typically 10 seconds – 3 minutes), followed by a rest period (typically 10 seconds – 1 minute.) 20 minutes of this type of cardio will get you better results than steady state walking, jogging, ellipticalling. Here is one of our favorite HIIT workouts you can do at home with little to no equipment.
The KEY with HIIT training is to work your tail off when you’re in the “work” phase and then let your rest be true rest, where you do little do nothing for the given rest period. This allows you to work HARD each and every work phase. The intensity in the work phase dictates the success (read: metabolic impact/caloric burn) of the workout. So work = WORK, not a light jog…
2. Bye Bye Baby Weights
I have to say, I couldn’t be more pleased to see that women are slowly, but surely, retiring their 3-5 pound dumbbells in favor of heavier weights. As a result we have some really strong women who are lean and mean. Lifting heavy does not mean bulking up. For decades women have pussyfooted around the weight room, afraid of bulging biceps and thick thighs. We are now seeing an entire generation of women who are proudly lift HEAVY and they look beautiful. While I’m not always the biggest CrossFit fan, I really (and gratefully) attribute this shift in acceptance to CrossFit. They have been showing us that women can lift heavy and look totally hot.
STRONG IS THE NEW SEXY.
My clients who opt for heavier weights build more muscle mass, which means they burn more calories and fat at rest, which means they are LEANER. So, make a promise to yourself that you will lift as heavy as possible in the new year. In fact, if you can do more that 12 reps of an exercise with a given weight, UP THE WEIGHT. Promise me, ok?!
NOTE: This is how hard it is to bulk up – first, you must lift so heavy that you can only get 4-6 reps per set of each exercise. So the weights are extremely heavy. Additionally, you must significantly increase your caloric intake of large quantities of protein, eaten round the clock. Hilary Swank had to “bulk up” for the movie Million Dollar Baby. The only way she could do this was to get up in the middle of the night and drink egg whites. Yes, it’s that grueling (and gross) to bulk up.
3. Home Workouts
I’ll be honest here, gyms are struggling. Big time. People are opting for a different kind of exercise experience these days, based on what’s most convenient and effective for them. For moms that means many of you are working out at home instead of paying for a gym membership you never use. I mean, let’s be honest, how long does it take to pack a bag, drive to the gym, find parking, drop kids off at Kid’s Club, change clothes, workout, grab your gym bag, grab your kids, walk to the car, drive home? And now you see why gyms make a KILLING off moms. They pay and pay and pay and NEVER show up.
A few years ago this started to change and it’s going to keep evolving as we head into 2012. We aren’t going to the gym. We are working out with basic, minimal equipment at home where there we don’t have to worry about driving, parking, childcare. I would estimate the average trip to the gym takes AT LEAST an hour, usually more (not including showering). At home you can get it done in a fraction of that time, 15-20 minutes, if you know how to really maximize your workout time.
The exception to this is small studios and Boot Camps. They will continue to see moms in masses at 5 and 6am – because that is when moms can get away for a quick workout with other moms. In fact, this is when 90% of my local moms attend classes. This sort of group workout is excellent accountability and, dare I say, social fun for many moms.
4. Sugar vs carbs vs grains
This topic is huge and your are going to hear a lot about it in the coming year. Here’s our thinking from the last decade or so:
SUGAR = BAD
COMPLEX CARBS = WHOLE GRAINS = GOOD
However, this is changing. Whole grains are not all equal. In fact, tons of “whole grains” foods are horrible for you, like all the total TRASH cereals that now boast “a good source of whole grains” on them. What the most recent research and science is telling us is that grains, in general, are not well digested, not good for us and not a necessary part of a healthy diet.
I realize I am opening myself up to a tirade of hate mail, but just wait. I promise you that over the next year you will see more and more news on grains and it will reiterate the fact that we don’t need them. We LIKE them and we WANT them, but we do not NEED them. This goes for all grains – yup even your brown rice.
You are probably familiar with the latest trend of going gluten free (good move, if done CORRECTLY, by the way.) People who have eliminated gluten from their diets (gluten is in breads/pastas/cereals/anything with wheat or flour) see a dramatic change in their health, ranging from weight loss, to minimized joint problems, to decreased depression to increased energy to improved general health. Going grain free has similar benefits, but includes saying good bye to non-wheat grains, such as rice.
People who eat grain free (many follow a Paleo diet) stick with the basics: protein, fruits, veggies. Fruits and veggies offer enough carbs to fuel you all day, everyday, even if you’re a marathoner. Yup, no need for the spaghetti feeds, my runner friends.
Getting creative with veggies is the best way to start going grain free. Here are a ton of awesome veggie recipes that even give you grain free substitutes for rice and noodles.
I recently got an email from a Fit Healthy Mom telling me she hit a diet plateau. She cut all grains for 4 days and lost 2.2 pounds. She wanted to know if it’s possible to lose weight that quickly from dropping grains. YES, IT IS! By reducing processed carbs and other grains, you are hugely decreasing how much water (read: bloat) your body holds. So, many people notice a drop in the scale quickly after cutting grains.
5. Fat is your friend
Ok, this isn’t completely breaking news. However, we are seeing more and more women start to understand that fat doesn’t make you fat. Excess sugar (yes, even in the form of whole grains) and calories make you fat. Fat is actually really helpful in helping fill you up, keeping you satisfied and fueling you throughout the day. That said, your fat should come from healthy sources. The fat in a Snickers bar will do little for you. The fat in nuts, nut butters, eggs, wild fish, Greek yogurt, and avocado is awesome!
6. Organic is well worth the price tag
Tons of scary information is coming out DAILY about our food supply. The USDA and FDA have proven time and again they are not trustworthy sources when it comes to feeding out country. Sad, but true. This hugely impacts our meat and dairy supply. Consumers are learning that the only way to protect yourself is buying organic. Know that the words “Natural”, “Select”, “Premium”, “Choice” are meaningless. These are frequently used on meat packaging. There is no regulation on using these on words, so an “All Natural” cut of beef may be all natural because it was raised eating other animal’s excrement and ground up body parts. I’m not trying to make you sick, I’m letting you know the DIRTY TRUTH. Here is more information on this.
There are, however, regulations on labeling a food as “organic”. If you do some research, you’ll see that even this label has some gray are in terms of what is allowed by the USDA, but the regulations are much more strict than on food without such labeling. Because of this, many people, especially moms looking to protect their kids from animal excrement, in-consumable animal parts, dangerous hormones, drugs and pesticides are making the switch to organic meats/dairy/produce. Here is more information on what produce you should buy organic.
BTW, Costco and Trader Joe’s are excellent sources for inexpensive organics. Many mainstream stores are starting to carry their own organic labels as well, which are less expensive.
Hope you took some notes on some what’s to come this year. If you’ve been following Fit Healthy Moms for awhile now, you may already be on top of most of this. Yay!! Note where you can and should make changes over the coming year. Know that small changes over time make big results. Improving yourself and your health by .003% each day will give you 100% improvement over the course of 365 days.
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