New Year’s resolutions are one of those traditions that are supposed to be good for you and that oftentimes are not. But the truth of the matter is that for most people, making an unrealistic New Year’s resolutions generally sets you up for failure.

If you want to make a New Year’s resolution that you’re actually going to keep, one strategy you can use is to make a resolution that doesn’t put all the pressure to go through with it or to reach the goal on you. This is particularly true if your New Year’s resolution is about staying physically fit.

Tip #1 – Don’t wait until January 1^st

First, if you make a New Year’s resolution to get in better shape, start right away! Be sensible about your holiday eating and drinking habits. There is absolutely nothing wrong with not taking a second plate at a holiday dinner party. In fact, you might be able to cut out 1,000 calories from your evening just by skipping that second serving.

There’s also nothing wrong with having something to eat before you go to a big feast. You don’t have to tell anyone you did it but, if you can sneak in an apple, some fruit or some healthy high-fiber food, it’ll be a lot easier to avoid overindulging when you’re at the dinner table.

Tip #2 – Plan ahead

Planning ahead to deal with the temptations of the holidays really can make a difference. For example, you’ll probably be aware of the fact that your time is going to be much more limited when the holidays come around. To combat the temptation to forgo your usual workout routine, go ahead and plan on cutting back on the time and/or intensity.

If you can maintain your weight over the holidays, a resolution to get in better shape when the New Year comes around will be much more likely to be one that you can keep.  And remember that it’s tougher to lose weight than to gain it so don’t put yourself behind just be struggling through the holidays.

Tip #3 – Make gradual changes

You might consider turning your New Year’s resolution into something you can do gradually. For example, instead of resolving to get in better shape, instead commit to attending a Boot Camp. If you do this, the entire process of getting and staying in shape is something that you’re going to get assistance with via our personal trainers. This means you don’t have all of the pressure to figure out what kind of workouts you’re going to do, how you’re going to change your eating habits and so forth put on you.

Attending a boot camp is not a hard resolution to keep and it can also be much more productive than trying to diet or exercise on your own.  And because boot camps take place throughout the year, making a small change like getting into a routine can result in a big change to your waistline or lifestyle.

When people say that they gained a bit of weight over the holidays, they’re not alone. On average, Americans gain between 8 and 12 pounds between the holidays of Thanksgiving and New Year’s.

Unfortunately, we all know that it’s much harder to lose weight than to gain it – especially during the holidays. The best strategy is to maintain your current weight over the holidays, which already has you ahead of the game come January.

Tip #1 – Start by taking the edge off

The first thing that you’ll need to eliminate is the pressure to overeat. One strategy you can use to accomplish this is to make certain that you eat good for you food before you take off for the party. Having a full belly makes it a lot easier to avoid indulging in fatty foods, high carb foods and the other junk foods that tend to be served at parties.

Also, remember that tons of calories are ‘hidden’ in the wine, gravy, bread and butter, cheese and salad dressing which are oftentimes available at parties, well, the good parties at least!

Tip #2 – Use exercise to fight the blues

The days are getting darker around this time of year and it’s easier to get depressed. Exercise will not only help you to maintain your weight, it will also help you to fight off depression.

If you’re not enrolled in any races or other fitness related activity over the winter months, you don’t have to worry about maintaining an intense training schedule. In fact, it’s okay to lighten it up – cut down your exercise period from  a full hour to a half-hour, for example.  Instead of shooting for 4-6 days/week, do 3-or 4 days/week.

Tip #3 – Remember to drink your water

Another good strategy that may help your appetite is to drink more water instead of eating junk food full of empty calories. It will give you a feeling of being full and will prevent you from getting so ravenous that you are tempted to indulge in the worst food that the holidays have to offer.

A few parting words of advice

During the holiday season it’s important to keep your morale up when it comes to eating and weight, but the availability of large quantities of bad, fattening food and the increased hours of darkness during the holidays can make that very difficult.

Stick to your exercise schedule, adopt smart strategies to keep yourself from overeating and you will not only keep your weight down, you’ll also avoid falling victim to the winter blues. You’ll be surprised at how much a good workout can do for burning off holiday stress and the blah feeling that comes with the dark days.

The area of fitness is filled with myths that many people take on face value as true. But when it comes to exercise and wellness, it is important to understand the facts to ensure optimal health.  These are some of the most common myths about fitness and the truth behind them.

Myth 1: The more the better.

Truth: Most of us tend to think that the more of anything we do the better it is for us. This is not necessarily the case with exercise. As far as repetitions and amount of weight is concerned, it is quality not quantity that counts the most. In other words, it isn’t how many reps of a particular exercise you do but the form and intensity at which you work muscles that get the desired result. With weight training, for example, the more you focus on the muscle(s) that are working (by lifting the weights in a slow and controlled manner through the entire range of motion), the more you will feel the muscle(s) working and the quicker you will see a change in your body.

Myth 2: Warming up before exercise is not necessary.

Truth: There is a heated debate among fitness professionals in regard to this topic. Many feel that there is no truth to it and others, like those working at CFC, feel it is extremely important. CFC trainers agree that warming up and stretching before and after your workout will help prevent injuries and alleviate muscle soreness. The purpose of warming up is to increase blood flow to the muscles and joints. It also increases the blood flow to extremities, increases core body temperature, lubricates joints and basically prepares the body for more intense activities. Any client will tell you that stretching is extremely important to his/her ability to function in the morning. Additionally, our evening clients who sit at their desk all day will tell you that the warm ups are equally important.

Myth 3: Weight/resistance training will create bulky muscles.

Truth: Weight training is one of the best ways for someone to look leaner, more sculpted and toned. In order to get large bulky muscles, one has to train a certain way with weights.  It takes an incredible amount of weight and specific training make muscles grow larger.  A body builder type typically hits the weights 8-12 times per week. We at CFC encourage our clients to incorporate resistance training only three times a week. The purpose of resistance training is to help protect against and prevent injuries and tone muscles, making them stronger and more lean while also helping to prevent osteoporosis. The extra muscle also helps to burn excess body fat by increasing metabolism, even when you are resting!

Myth 4: If you exercise, you can eat whatever you want.

Truth: Many of our clients jokingly tell us that they exercise with us so that they can eat whatever they want. Unfortunately, I think, most of them are not joking. Think about it this way: a 150 pound person running a 10 minute mile for 30 minutes burns about 360 calories. 1 Piña Colada has 245 calories, 1 serving of nachos (6-8 nachos) is 345 calories.  You are what you eat; nothing can change that. If your goal is to lose weight, then you should be eating smaller meals more often. Your goal should be to eat about four or five smaller meals per day.

Myth 5: Your metabolism slows down once you hit 30.

Truth: False! Actually, hundreds of research studies have shown that the slow down in metabolism is due to a loss of muscle tissue. And the loss of muscle tissue is directly related to a lack of hard physical activity!

Myth 6: If you want to reduce the fat on the back of your arms, you should do a lot of tricep exercises.

Truth: Sorry, but there is no such thing as ‘spot reduction!’ Fat is located underneath the skin evenly through out the entire body. Fat is reduced through out the body in equal measures. Areas with a higher amount of fat will show results at a slower rate because there is more of it to lose.

Myth 7: Running is bad for your knees.

Truth: There are many factors that cause pain in the knees. The most common cause of knee pain is a muscle imbalance in the quadriceps. This imbalance causes the knee joint to be pulled in a direction in which it isn’t designed to be pulled. Running is the easiest activity to blame for this imbalance, but there are many factors that can contribute to knee pain including: old worn out running shoes, hard running surface, and bad form while running. All these causes are actually the fault of the client; they are not caused by running. If certain precautions are taken, your knee can get better if you listen to your body and to your trainer. In time, and with the right training, you can rid yourself of knee pain and continue to run into retirement!

Author Bio:

Tom Kalka is the President and CEO of Custom Fitness Concepts in Virginia and has been providing exercise advice and guidance to his clients for more than 14 years. Contact Tom today for more information about removing these and other fitness myths from your personal training programs.

Just about everyone knows that the things we eat affect how we look – whether or not you are have a regular exercise program.   However, figuring out how to manage your diet with the goal of losing weight can be an entirely different matter.

Having a basic understanding of how your digestive system works, and the role that your stomach plays in the process, is important if you want to make progress.

A closer look at the stomach

The stomach is made of smooth muscle fibers, a type of muscle that contracts involuntarily. When you eat, your stomach receives signals to contract, which allow it to push the food into the intestines so that it can work its way through the rest of the digestive system.

Normally, your stomach is about the size of your clenched fist. When you overeat, your stomach is able to stretch to accommodate the food, and it will eventually contract back to its normal size.

However, when you overeat on a frequent basis, your stomach expends too much energy on expanding and contracting. This leads to less efficient functioning, and may even cause your metabolism to slow down.

Smaller, More Frequent Meals Are Key

For this reason, the ideal diet for weight loss and fitness is comprised of smaller meals eaten frequently throughout the day. Smaller meals do not result in stretching of the stomach while eating frequently keeps the stomach and digestive system working constantly. This will result in a more efficient digestive system and optimally performing metabolism.

If you have recently started a workout regimen, it can be frustrating to keep going if you don’t feel like you are seeing any results. One reason that you might not be seeing the results you want is that your diet is undoing all the work you are putting in during your workouts.

The stomach plays an important role in the body’s digestive system; however, it is just one part of this system.  By understanding how it functions, you may better understand why your eating habits are ruining your weight loss goals.

2 Great Tips for Eating Better:

1. Size consistency.
   Try to eat similar sized meals each time you eat, rather than having a big dinner or breakfast.
2. Consistent timing.
   Eat at the same time every day. Your body will well to a routine, while eating sporadically can stimulate the body to hold on to calories.

Effects of overeating

When you regularly overeat, your body struggles to work efficiently.  This can ultimately cause your metabolism to slow down – a factor that does not help if your goal is to lose weight.

• Read our previous blog post with more great tips for managing your eating habits.

Understanding the link between nutrition and fitness

Diet and nutrition are an important part of becoming more fit and losing weight, if that is part of your health and fitness goals. Whether you need to lose weight or just improve your overall health, smart nutrition is essential if you want to live a longer, healthier life.

There are some concepts out there regarding nutrition, diet, and exercise that do more harm than good when they are followed. Get these ideas out of your head and you will be that much closer to the body you want:

Myth #1:  If you exercise, you can eat whatever you want.

Although most people understand that this can never be entirely true, more of the clients we see than you might think truly do believe that working out gives them the freedom to make poor nutritional choices.

The idea that the time you put in at the gym or with a personal trainer can offset terrible choices at the dinner table or when out with friends just does not make sense when you look at it practically. A person who weighs 150 pounds burns only 360 calories during 30 minutes of running at a speed of 6 miles per hour.

It may feel like an incredible amount of effort, but that amount of running will barely burn off the calories in a single pina colada. So think carefully about what you choose to eat so that the effort you put in when you work out pays off, or else you will see little results for a great deal of effort.

Myth #2: Your metabolism slows down once you turn thirty.

Studies indicate that metabolisms slow down because of a loss of muscle mass. Working out and weight training is proven to increase muscle mass, meaning that your metabolism does not have to slow down simply because you are getting older.

Finding the right balance of nutrition and portion control

Most people understand that diet and exercise go hand in hand for healthier living, weight loss, and overall fitness. However, many people have mistaken conceptions about what eating for health and weight loss truly means.

In its simplest form, weight loss is an equation – if you burn more calories than you take in, your body will turn to its own fat stores for energy, resulting in weight loss. But in reality, the practice of smarter eating is largely misunderstood by many fitness training clients.

Less is not necessarily the goal

There are two important things to keep in mind when trying to eat smarter and improve fitness: do not skip meals, and cut out some carbohydrates when you can.

- Skipping meals is a shortcut that inevitably backfires. Although eating fewer calories can help you lose weight, skipping meals confuses your body and results in a slower metabolism. The best choice is to eat many small meals throughout the day. Aim for four to five balanced, small meals to keep your metabolism operating at maximum capacity.

- Eliminate some of the carbs from your diet. Carb-free diets are much like skipping meals, a shortcut that will not pay off over a lifetime of fitness and good health. However, an ounce of carbohydrates has more calories than an ounce of protein, so eliminating some of this calorie-dense food group from your diet will help you lower your overall calorie intake.

Better nutrition fuels fitness

Get smart about diet and nutrition and you will see better results from your fitness program. Choose healthy foods and eat regularly and your workouts will start to pay off in a big way!