What's More Important Cardio or Weights and Should You Do it Twice a Day?

I had lunch with an old friend yesterday. By old I mean a friend I’ve know since grade school, god knows we’re so far from old. We talked about work. He teaches film at Columbia and is in the process of making his first feature film. We moved onto friends, some soon to be married, some soon to be divorced and one in the middle of a very public scandal (more on that later). Toward the end of our meal, my friend said he had a nutrition question for me. I had to laugh because this was the last person I ever thought I'd be talking shop with. This was a friend for whom “green” in high school didn’t refer to kale, a friend who spent more time in the pubs one summer at Oxford than in class, you know the type.

My friend mentioned he had put on a few pounds and he and his brother have been debating something lately. He had started to run but his brother suggested he lift weights instead. He said:

You have to settle this, what’s better for weight loss cardio or weights?*

The cop out answer is they are both important and to a certain extent that’s true. However, if I have a client who wants to lost weight and start an exercise routine initially I would encourage a cardio-heavy regime. Cardio will give a faster initial result. After some weight loss and the cardio routine is established weights can be integrated. Once at a comfortable weight I would put more exercise “eggs” in the strength-training basket. If weight isn’t as much a concern I think a cardio/yoga or a cardio/barre class (the latter more so for women) compliment each other nicely. I told my friend to keep running but not too increase mileage too quickly or his appetite would go through the roof.  There’s such a thing as marathon munchies too. And as long as I mentioned food, let's be clear that exercise alone does not produce results. 

I then asked my friend how his girlfriend was doing. He said she was doing well and, as a teacher, enjoying her summer off. “She would’ve come to lunch but she’s on this twice a day yoga kick, isn’t that a little much?” I told him I didn’t think so. Many of my triathlete clients do an AM and a PM workout. I don’t think everyone needs two hours a day of exercise but a “doubleheader” once a week is a good way to ratchet up results. This double header can be two yoga classes, one hour of cardio and one hour of strength or simply a longer cardio (such as a run or a bike ride).

Lunch ended and I walked back to my office. I thought about how times had changed. Instead of concerts, we were now talking cardio. I also though about my friend’s comment about our classmate involved in the scandal (that may have something to do with phone tapping). “How funny is it that this is the same person who always wanted to be an archaeologist?” Maybe it’s not that surprising, he’s just doing a different type of digging now.

Are you more of a cardio person or do you prefer strength training? Ever do a double header? Is it funny how people can suddenly have an interest in exercise or nutrition? Does that mean that person is old?

*I hold no degree in exercise physiology so this post is the equivalent of a trainer or physical therapist giving nutrition advice which I loathe. Know that I am aware my opinion means absolutely nothing. 

There Are Bad Foods and Bad Kids Too

This "wonderful child" isn't anyone I know

I know there are some people who think all children are wonderful. After nine-plus years of parenting and plenty of play dates I know this is not true. There was one child who expressed his disappointment at having to leave our house by biting my babysitter when she tried to comfort him. There were others who not only played “army” but concocted battle scenarios with such detail I know I will be reading about them one day and not in a good way. All children “have their moments” but some are just not good.

There’s a food equivalent of all “all children are wonderful” and this is a belief system that holds there are no bad foods. I’ve questioned this one for a while but felt validated to read a recent Jane Brody article. The article focuses on the habits of 120,877 health professionals followed for 12 to 20 years. Periodically the subjects answered in depth questions about their eating, exercise, sleep, alcohol and television habits. Participants weren’t obese at the study’s start but steadily gained an average of 16.8 pounds in 20 years. One of the lead researchers, Dr Mozaffarian a cardiologist and epidemiologist had this to say about the results:

“There are good foods and bad foods, and the advice should be to eat the good foods more and the bad foods less. The notion that it’s O.K. to eat everything in moderation is just an excuse to eat whatever you want.”             

In this study foods that contributed to greatest weight gain were French Fries, potato chips, sugar-sweetened drinks, red meat, processed meat, other forms of potatoes, sweets and desserts and refined grains.  My bad food list, not solely concerned with weight, would include artificial sweeteners and anything artificially sweetened (diet soda topping this list), bagels, bottled salad dressings, foods using dyes, TVP and products using processed soy and factory farmed meat.

Many people have items on my list and the items from the study’s findings they eat. Lest people accuse me of advocating dietary perfection, I will confess that I adore a crispy French fry and really enjoy chocolate (and not only the dark kind). Having said this, when I consume these foods I am aware they are a deviation from my healthy diet and know they are bad (if the criteria has to do with health) foods. We need to move away from the Pollyannaish food thinking.

The retort to any acknowledgement that all foods don’t fit is that deprivation leads to disordered eating and eating disorders. With all due respect to eating disorders and the struggle ED individuals endure, we are not a deprived nation.  Telling people they can have fries and chips and hot dogs and soda “in moderation” is akin to telling the “wonderful” boy above he can bite every so often.

As important as it is to acknowledge that certain foods lead to weight gain thereby affecting our health, that isn’t the only message. When I meet with a new client I first focus on what needs to be added to their diets. “Eat more fruits and vegetables” suffers from vagueness.  Dietary advice needs to encourage people to snack on sliced watermelon in the summer, roast Brussels sprouts in the winter and bake some French fries. It’s not dietary doom and deprivation but honesty and inspiration that’s needed.  We cannot wait for people to be ill or obese to embrace significant behavioral changes, the writing is on the wall we just have to read it.

Do you agree or disagree there are bad foods? If you agree, what foods would you add to the unhealthy list? What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to children’s behavior? Or do you think all children are wonderful?
The winner of our Travel Snack Bundle is Erin from The Healthy Apron, thank you to everyone for entering and for spreading the word about our new store.

NYC Trainers' Top Toners

Memorial Day is a week from today. Last week I presented my tried and true Pre Beach Tips. The only exercise mention was to exit the elliptical or ratchet up your cardio. For today’s post. I contacted some friends of Foodtrainers for their advice. These exercise gurus are at the top of their field. We asked each of them for their #1 Pre-Beach move. Try doing each of these daily.

Brynn Jinnett is the owner of Refine Method in NYC. My clients rave about Brynn.  Brynn is a Harvard-educated, former NYC ballet dancer. Her clients have included Kelly Ripa, Ivanka Trump and Barbara Walters. She suggests:

Half-Kneeling Resistance Band Chop:

 Attach a medium weight resistance band to a high sturdy object, such as a door or tree. Assume a half kneeling stance with your right foot forward and left shoulder in line with the band. Grab the band with two hands and tighten your abs and gluts. Keeping your hips still, chop the band diagonally down to your right hip and then slowly release back to your starting position. Your shoulders will follow the movement of the band, but your lower back and hips will remain stable. Perform 10-12 chops and then switch to the other side.

Gigi Barlowe-Marsh is a fantastic NYC based trainer. Gigi and her chef husband John Marsh are also the founders of my favorite chocolaty snacks The Real Bar.  Gigi selected:

Squat Push Press with Medicine Ball

This squat push press with a medicine ball works the gluts, quads, hams, shoulders, triceps, and can be cardiovascular if done with intensity. It is a well rounded, full body exercise that can be done with a 6 to 12 pound medicine ball depending on your strength and ability. 

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a medicine ball (or other object if you don't one) in front of chest with elbows bent next to body. Squat down, keeping weight over heels and ball in front of chest.Stand up explosively, extending arms overhead; keep elbows close to ears. Do 10 to 12 reps

Genevieve Morritt’s clients adore her. She’s more than a trainer she’s a support system (with a killer sense of humor). Genevieve said "2 tiny muscle groups that can spruced up before you hit the beach are adductors and abductors. Jane Fonda is back."

Side-Lying Hip Abduction

Who doesn’t want a quick inner thigh spruce? This modified leg lift works the gluteus medius responsible for the lift at the top of the glut in a way that squats can’t. Do two sets until you feel the burn! Runners, this will provide your hip stabilizers with a fine-tuning to increase speed.  

This is not Genevieve in the photo

Amie Hoff is a Fitness consultant who developed FitKit. Fit Kit is great for travel and Fit Kit Golf is the perfect father’s day present. Amie is launching FitKit50+ next month that focuses on balance, stability and coordination. An avid athlete Amie is about to do a century ride with Team and Training in California in honor of her sister (go Amie!).

Squat Jump with Clap
Stand in squat position with butt back, knees behind the toes. Jump up with explosive move and clap feet together. Bend legs as you jump for more challenge. This move is great because it works every muscle in your legs, even inner thigh. And the added bonus is it gets your heart rate up which makes it a great calorie torcher.

These are great exercises and exercise you can do away from home as well. If I had to choose pre beach exercise I would probably suggest the old reliable push up or plank pose though I liked something Brynn said, “You can't out-train a bad diet; mindful eating is the best training move out there. Another trainer friend calls it the Table Push-Away.”

What are your favorite exercises? Will you try these? How about the Table Push-Away?

Second Annual Pre-Beach Tips:

Last year (on 5/17 funny enough) I answered my college friend M's plea for help with some Pre Beach Tips. It turns she wasn’t the only one in need of a “reducing routine” and the post was one of the post popular I’ve done.Rather than reposting last year’s advice I spruced things up for the 2011 version.

Let’s face it, clothing can camouflage. Tummy troubles? Enter the empire waist.  Large “hind quarters”, try a longer jacket. There are even dolman sleeves for untoned upper arms. Just about any part can be concealed or improved with the right outfit; you’ve seen the makeover shows you know what I mean. Memorial Day is on its way and soon many of us will be donning bathing suits for summer. While the magazines will tell you there’s a correct suit for your shape, they are pacifying you in the hopes that you buy them. The truth is there’s no secrecy in a swimsuit. Your shape is your shape and it will soon be out for everyone to see (sarongs only do so much). Cue the horror movie music.

Many of my clients roll their eyes at me when I talk wellness. They aren’t convinced they have to go to great lengths to improve their energy level. However, when I say the “s” word, reminding them swimsuit season is soon, they listen to what I have to say.

If you’re like them, here are 10 “scared skinny” swimsuit tips:

Pretend You are Brooklyn

Chances are, as you read this you aren’t actually Brooklyn Decker (of Sports Illustrated swimsuit fame). However, carry yourself as though you are.  In an interview, Helen Mirrin was asked, “what’s sexy”? Her answer “confidence.”  If you’ve seen her, in her 60’s, rock a bikini you know that’s the case. Confidence has nothing to do with size or age and if you aren’t bubbling over in “I am amazing-ness” no problem, fake it

Blast the Bloat

Sodium and potassium work in a balance. My favorite high-potassium de-bloaters are oranges, avocados, and cantaloupe. While these de-bloaters are easy to find, my "secret weapon" is Rodial tummy tuck sticks. They are rich in green clay, fennel seeds, and prebiotic fiber to help eliminate toxins and flatten bellies.

 Go Gluten free

While I don’t what to minimize the severity of Celiac disease, the majority of those on GF diets aren’t celiacs.  Some have GI issues, others dermatologic concerns improved by eliminating gluten. The reason some lose weight on GF regimes is simple, many foods with gluten aren’t healthy. Breads, muffins, cookies and cakes aren’t exactly ingredients for skinny jeans. I tell my clients bagels are not for thin people and it’s true. The reason every fad diet is l lower carb is simple, it works.

 Exit the Elliptical.

Ever seen a friend you haven’t seen in a while and they look great, amazing, lean and just different? When you ask how they did it or what they changed did they ever say they started to use the Precor? Or that they’ve been walking? Hold your emails and comments I am not saying these forms of exercise are useless. You want to raise your good cholesterol, ease your way into exercise, de-stress…that’s different. You want to feel less lumpy in a swimsuit, we need more. Run, spin, use the stair climber (looks like staircase), jump rope or whatever form of exercise you hate or feel is “too hard.” Do this 6 days a week (aren’t I nice?) for 45-60 minutes. Do it in your swimsuit for bonus points.


Make like Kate

In my opinion one of the best things about Osama’s exit was that we no longer had to hear about “the wedding”.  The Kate Middleton love fest was a little hard to handle: the dress, the poise, the love she and William share, enough!  Want to know Kate’s secret? Why she looked so elegant and regal? It’s her posture. Her posture is friggin' perfect. Shoulders back, gut (especially for those of us who have one) sucked in and you’re instantly thinner.

Kick Cocktails to the Curb

What would a short-term goal be without some good old-fashioned sacrifice and self-deprivation? Skip the 3 Cs: Canned foods (soups, beans), Carbonated beverages (Diet Coke aka liquid nastiness included), and Cocktails until you feel prepped for the pool.

Done Toning? Try Tanning

We’re in the home stretch and there’s a chance all the cardio in the world isn’t going to “cure” us. There will still be some bumps and lumps but we know one thing for sure, as with ice cream- when it comes to beach bodies chocolate beats vanilla.  The Baywatch cast first showed us, now DWTS is continuing the tanning trend, try it and you’ll see.

Minimize Tush to Chair Time

Sure, you may go to the gym and that’s great- congratulations. Guess what? That doesn’t excuse you to sit for the rest of the day. When you’re on the phone? Walk and Talk. Watching TV? Perfect time for plank. At the computer? Standing beats sitting. Treat it like a game and visualize your tush taking up more and more space every time you sit, are you standing as you read this?


Work that Water 

      Researchers can debate the amount of water we need to drink for optimal health, but in the meantime, we’ll tell you how much H20 you need to look your best - a lot.We suggest 96 ounces daily of a combination of water with a cup or two of Teas Tea green tea, Zico coconut water, or Hint water mixed in for variety. It’s counterintuitive, but water helps you lose water. And if we’re dehydrated, sometimes we’re tempted to eat when we actually need to drink, so just drink up in the first place.
      
  Enlist a Foodtrainer

      I’ll help you enact these simple steps.  If you’re in NYC and need some accountability, you can find me here. You can also Tweet @Foodtrainers to let me know what you’re plan is to get slimmer for summer. And remember, this may be the perfect time to #TIDEI. (Tweet it don’t eat it).
      
What do you do to get bathing suit ready? Which tip above is the most helpful?  And at the beach are you a Helen Mirrin (full of confidence) or a cover-upper like me?

Workout Reward

It seems rather intuitive that cranking up your exercise helps you lose weight.  After all, if you’re burning more calories and eating the same way that would be the case. The problem that exists, that I refer to as “marathon syndrome” is that for some people feel they deserve a reward for their exercise efforts and that reward is often edible. When I look at food journals, for clients training for a marathon, the day of their long run is usually when I see the pancakes or cookies. And in case you’re tempted to explain this based on appetite, the same workout rewards have been observed with lighter workouts.

The May issue of the Nutrition Action Healthletter, interviews one of my nutrition heroes Dr Brian Wansink. Wansink wrote the book “Mindless Eating” and this interview focused on cues that affect our eating. My post on the connection between color and appetite was an example of one of these cues. Regarding exercise, Wansink summarized an experiment conducted with participants on a retreat. Before dinner, the group was divided in two. One group was told they were headed on a scenic walk around a lake. The other group was told they were going on an exercise walk. Both walks were easy and paced similarly. When they returned and had dinner the “exercise” group ate more. They also estimated they had burned more calories.

Another study, with postmenopausal women, divided participants up in groups and prescribed varying amounts of weight loss. Women doing the most exercise did not lose the most weight. There was more food compensation in this group than the low or medium exercise group.  An association was seen between increased exercise and increased “rewards”.

In some cases it’s not even the exercise but thinking about exercise that can trigger reward behavior On her blog Herbal Water, Dr Ayala discussed a recent study in the journal Appetite.  Participants read a passage about a 30-minute fun walk or a 30-minute exercise walk (not unlike the Wansink experiment). After reading, those who had read the passage and answered questions were presented with snacks and candy. They were allowed to scoop as much as they wanted into bags to take home. Those who had read about exercise scooped 52 percent more. 

If you’re exercising to release stress or for your health, this sense of entitlement may not be a problem. However, if you’re interested in losing weight because Memorial Day is about three weeks away that’s another story. I work with clients on their self-talk. If we can see fitness, leanness or slimming down as the “prize” sometimes we can skip the post-workout pancakes. Another tool is to pre-plan food on more intense workout days to avoid impulsive decisions.  It also should be pointed out that there’s nothing wrong with having a treat as long as it isn’t presented as a workout reward. Love handles aren’t that rewarding.

Do you find yourself feeling exercise entitled? Do you eat differently on workout days? Why do you think there’s this “I ran so therefore I eat” connection? 
Speaking of rewards (ha) the winner of our Sweet Riot giveaway is EA The Spicy RD.

10 Steps to Better Sleep

I don’t want to beat around the bush, there’s no use trying to be eloquent. This week kicked my ass. The measly 1-hour spring ahead paired with single parenting while my husband was carousing  traveling on business in Vegas left me with a perpetual liquor-less hangover.  Yesterday, as I sat with my head on my desk attempting to nap, my computer signaled I had an email. It was Blisstree asking for my top ten sleep tips.  I rattled them off and should really follow my own advice. Here are my sleep suggestions:

1. Caffeine is for a.m. only — that pick-me-up at 4 p.m. will keep you up at night.
2. Don’t work out too close to bedtime.
3. I love a powdered lemon, magnesium supplement called Natural Calm.
4. Eat a carb at dinner. It’s the best time of day to eat carbs, because they help relax you. (Black rice, sweet potatoes, and soba noodles are some favorites of mine.) Everyone loves a pro-carb tip.
5. I also like a supplement that contains chamomile/valerian and turmeric called Zyflamend PM by New Chapter; it’s much better than Tylenol PM.
6. Be careful of dark chocolate as a dessert; the caffeine content can keep some people up during the night.
7. Tart cherries are a good pre-bedtime snack  — the natural melatonin in them will help relax you. Try sour cherry juice and seltzer or thawed frozen cherries.
8. Use lavender in a bath or on pulse points. I use lavender oil by Origins.
9. Screens are not soporific, books are. Screens mean anything with a backlight: TV/laptops/iPad/iPhone.
10. Instead of counting sheep, make a mental food list/diary of what you ate that day. That puts me to sleep immediately.


Have a great weekend everyone, sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite.
What do you do to assure yourself a good night’s sleep? Did the time change affect you? What time do you go to bed?

Are you an underachiever?

I know, here we are not even a week into this full-of-potential New Year and I come out with a bummer title like that. I’m not here to burst your motivated bubble; my intentions are good. You see, I was in a session on Monday with a client I’ve known for some time. We were setting goals for the year ahead and I was reviewing her food journal. This client is an exercise hater but we’ve made progress in that department. She has worked out with a trainer and managed to get into a routine where she does something about 3 days a week. As I looked over her exercise total,  I saw that she had done 2 25-minute workouts and one for 30 minutes. Few would argue that this is better than nothing.  I looked asked my client if 35 could be the new 25? She said, “it probably could, I just get to 25 minutes and feel I’ve done enough, I have the time though.”

You may call it settling into a routine but I think there are places for all of us where we consistently underachieve. There are certain yoga poses I just don’t do. Some of them I am incapable of going into without serious bodily harm. Others, I don’t do because I never do them. Occasionally I attempt a non-Lauren pose and I am surprised.  Aside from fitness, this same mentality apply to eating. How often you resort to take out when you have ingredients at home you could technically cook? Or do you have a snack after dinner simply because you always have a snack after dinner? Maybe you’re not hungry on a particular day; if you’re on autopilot you may not even notice this.

So while we’re setting lofty goals (did I really say I was writing a book?), think of the details too. Take a minute to file the papers on your desk rather than shuffling them or bring your lunch to work when there are leftovers, stretch after your run, you get it. There’s a difference between cutting yourself a break here and there and consistently copping out. OK having said all this, I should probably start to file and run more than a few miles at a time.

What areas do you see yourself underachieving? Would you call it underachieving?

Will I ever be able to do a headstand in yoga class?

A Walk In the Park

I always joke that I need my workouts to help me distress. It always seems that “mean mommy” makes an appearance on the days when there isn’t time for a run. I had previously chalked this up to the endorphins from exercise, the power of a good sweat and the boost I get from listening to my favorite music. I may have missed that where I do my workout is just as important as whether or not I do it. I marvel at Central Park when I’m running.  When I look around it seems incredible to have such beauty in the middle of a city.  I snapped the photo above during my run today.  Thinking about this post, I focused more on the scenery and less on my speed.

A study conducted in the UK compared a group walking in a shopping mall to another group walking in the park.  After walking in the park 90% of participants claimed increased self esteem, 88% improved mood and 71% felt less tense, these numbers were under 50% in all criteria for the mall walkers. Other research showed people slides depicting scenes from nature and mood was significantly improved.

Here are some of explanations given as to how outside time is beneficial:

Natural and social connections: watching wildlife, evoking good memories, spiritual feelings

Sensory stimulation: colors and sounds, fresh air, enjoyment, escape from pollution, contrasts with urban life, being exposed to the weather

Activity: using manual skills, physically challenging activities such as digging or cycling

Escape from modern life: time to think and reflect, clear the head, get away from pressures and stress.

In terms of exercise, a 1994 study out of the University of Utah compared the 5K times of runners on treadmills, an indoor track and outside. The fastest times were recorded outdoors, the slowest on the treadmill. Runners on the treadmill perceived their workout to be more strenuous than those who ran at the same intensity outside. In fact running outdoors scored higher than the treadmill in the areas of positive engagement, revitalization, tranquility, course satisfaction and lower in the time to exhaustion.

Again, I have to emphasize that while exercising outdoors can be a major mood booster, as little as 5-10 minutes spent outside, even stationary, can make a difference to your stress level and your outlook. Those 10 minutes a day may keep mean mommy (or mean daddy or mean coworker) away.
How will you spend time outside today? Perhaps snap a photo and send it my way. Do you feel being outside is beneficial/believe in "ecotherapy"?