Category: Sweat

I’m going to be honest with you. I’ve never met someone who successfully lost the last 10 pounds and then told me their life was different because of it.

That’s the big fairy tale. There’s this idea that losing weight changes you in some way other than the obvious physical change. People are tricked into thinking that emotional weight disappears when physical weight disappears. That stress evaporates. That fat cells are replaced by happiness cells.

That’s not how it works. Of all the factors that impact happiness, changing your physical body is one of the least influential. In fact, making that a goal is often detrimental to happiness. There’s an enormous cost to success in that paradigm. Time. Attention. Sacrifice. Obsession.

The reason weight loss slows down as you approach that “last 10 pounds” area is because your weight is normalizing and you’re very close to your body fat set point. This is a body fat percentage that your body is biologically programmed to defend. In other words, it’s not really supposed to go lower than that.

If you want to go lower you have to force it. That’s not something I help people do because it’s antithetical to having a body AND LIFE you love. If you insist on pushing, you can easily end up with a body you love and a life you hate.

Happiness can’t be achieved that way. It can’t be achieved through weight loss at all. It’s achieved through other relevant factors, some of which I talked about in 8 Critical Vitamins You Can’t Afford to Be Deficient In.

If you’re still not convinced, here’s some additional insights into what losing the last 10 pounds can cost you:

– It will require cutting calories when the body doesn’t need to cut calories. This is a huge stressor on the body and will eventually degrade your health.

– It will take away from what you’re able to invest in your spouse, kids, and family. You’re going to have to commit to a large amount of exercise, a no-frills diet, and an unhealthy level of obsession.

– Instead of doing things you love, you’ll have to do things according to a very specific plan. There will be very little spontaneity in your life.

– It depletes your margin—the extra room in your life that keeps you from falling off the edge of the stress cliff. Life without margin is an unhappy life.

– It will affect your social life. You will lose friends. You will lose opportunities to connect. You will have a hard time nurturing relationships.

– You won’t be able to relax. All the work required to lose the last 10 pounds is required to maintain that result. You’ll be stuck in an endless cycle and your worth will be tied up in your weight and the ability to maintain your new persona.

If you change your perspective and let go of this arbitrary goal, you can be happy now. That’s what I want for you and what I hope you want for yourself. Stop obsessing over weight and start focusing on nourishment, health, energy, vibrance, mood, and love.

By changing your perspective, you can stop worrying about the last 10 pounds of physical weight and focus on losing the last 10 pounds of emotional weight. You can dramatically change your relationship with food, body, and self. That’s a mission to be proud of. And that is how you arrive at a place of true happiness.

There is an old saying that tomorrow holds the promise of a new start. However, you have to start for that saying to hold true.

As a 300 pound woman, tomorrow was my favorite time to restart my diet. I frequently told my friends, family, and myself, “I will start my diet tomorrow.” The sad reality was that hundreds of tomorrows came and went without me taking the steps necessary to drop the 150 pounds that I needed to lose.

Putting off your diet until tomorrow is a common behavior. You may feel overwhelmed by the prospect of starting a new weight loss program and make excuses as to why waiting for another day to begin is better.

I’m going to be really honest with you and share my three go-to excuses for not starting a diet. I used these for over a decade until I finally quit waiting until tomorrow to start. I wonder if you can identify with any of them.

1. A Holiday is Near

Holidays were one of my favorite excuses for putting off my diet.  My rationale for waiting until after the holiday had passed is that I did not want to watch what I ate during the celebration. So instead of starting my diet near or on the holiday, I waited until the holiday is over.

Well, I was supposed to start once the holiday was over. Instead, I kept right on eating because another holiday was coming up.

The rebuttal to this excuse is simple. Holidays occur regularly whether it is Christmas, Halloween, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, or Memorial Day. And your birthday? It comes every year on the same day!

If you do not learn how to control your food choices over a holiday while you are successfully losing weight, you will never be able to control you food choices once you reach your goal weight.  

Believe me, I know.

2. I Was Tired of Trying

If you have tried to lose weight before but failed, putting off your diet is understandable. I often felt burned out, frustrated by my utter lack of progress, or just tired of being different than my friends.

I can understand this excuse because I had tried to lose weight hundreds of times before I finally had success. The key to putting this excuse to rest and starting your diet today is to honestly review your reasons for losing weight.

Ask yourself these questions:  

·      Do you feel good about yourself at your current weight?

·      Has your doctor told you to lose weight?

·      Do you have the energy required to do the physical things in your life? (ie: chase after your young children, walk for long periods of time, get things accomplished in your professional life.)

And the most important question:

Are you are more tired of trying or more tired of carrying around extra weight?

Examining your reasons for losing weight can help you get motivated to begin your diet today. Make a list of 10 reasons you want to lose weight and refer to it frequently.

3. Money As an Issue

We never had much money when we were first married. I often used the money excuse as a reason to put off my diet because I wanted to join Weight Watchers or try a commercial program but could not come up with the funds.

Funny how I did not have money for a $9.00 Weight Watcher meeting but I spent the same amount or more each week at McDonald’s. Kinda telling of where my priorities were and that lack of money was an imagined excuse, not a legitimate reason.

Money can be an excuse for not beginning your diet today if you think the only way to lose weight is to pay a program fee or join a group. While those are legitimate ways to lose weight, you do not have to do either. You can lose weight on your own, for free, using information from the Internet, borrowing books from the library, or joining a free program in your community.

Take money out of the equation and you have lost that excuse for putting off your diet until tomorrow. Websites that offer healthy and free weight loss plans include Sparkpeople, MyFitnessPal, and ChooseMyPlate from the United States Department of Agriculture.

For me, it was always tomorrow until the moment when I finally declared that tomorrow was too far away. I started my final weight loss effort in 1997 and lost 158 pounds by the following year. Put your excuses aside and begin your weight loss effort today.

I was at Disney recently on a day they were having a big marathon. I couldn’t get over all the people with Kinesio Tape all over their bodies. People walked around all day long with stripes of vibrant colors on their legs, back, shoulders and arms. Was this crazy colored tape a real treatment or more of a fashion statement I wondered?

Since any type of sport or fitness activity is admired, fitness trends and styles have always been well received. People enjoy identifying with sports. Whether it’s wearing workout clothes or the newest fitness accessory, I really can’t imagine Kinesio Tape being any different.

While Kinesio Tape is supposed to help people with injuries, would it be as popular if it were clear and no one could see you wearing it? Or is it a fun way to show off your fit lifestyle and show everyone just how tough you really are. In a sense, it’s like saying, “I have pain but I’m not letting it stop me”. But, does it really have a purpose besides its Beastmode label appeal?

How It Works

Kinesio tape is basically an elastic tape that is applied to the skin using the Kenesio Taping Method. This therapeutic taping method is supposed to alleviate pain and facilitate lymphatic drainage by microscopically lifting the skin.

Though athletic trainers have been taping people for years to protect joints and prevent injury, this tape is thinner and more elastic than conventional tape. The application, from what I understand, is also different, allowing for greater mobility and skin traction. The skin traction is believed to promote elevation of the epidermis and reduce pressure on the affected area.

You aren’t supposed to just stick the tape wherever you want, however. There is a method to the taping madness. An experienced taper would decide what level of tension would generate an appropriate level of traction on the skin. They would need to know exactly where to place the tape to get the greatest effect.

When I started researching the topic, I called my friend, Dr. Jennifer Stepanek, (who is also my Chiropractor) to ask for her professional opinion. She explained it best saying, “when applied correctly, (key word “correctly”) Kinesio Tape allows for proper movement and provides support in the right direction to prevent injuries in athletes or to lift the skin away from the fascia, allowing for increased circulation.” She also mentioned it could possibly create increased sensory input in injured tissue which can expedite healing. It totally made sense to me and sounded like a pretty reasonable modality.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any real solid scientific evidence Kinesio Tape actually worked. All of the clinical studies I found came up with insufficient evidence to back the theory. Out of the 10 research papers that were published in the journal of Sports Medicine, there wasn’t enough evidence to support the tape’s use for pain relief and there were inconsistent results for range of motion too.

While plenty of people reported positive affects, it seemed unclear if they were founded. Experts have suggested there may be a placebo effect using the tape and they even say we shouldn’t discount that. I mean, if you feel like you have less pain, isn’t that a good thing?

While studies may not have given me the evidence I wanted, my friend did say she got mostly good results in her patients, but like any modality, some feel no benefit. She also said she had personally uses the tape and has experienced pain relief herself.

Pros and Cons

I have to admit, I got some Kinesio tape after I sprained my ankle earlier this year. I had it for about two or three months before I actually used it, simply because I had no clue how to tape an injury.

I had to Google how-to videos to learn how to use the stuff and, even then, I wasn’t really sure if I was doing it right. The guy in the video was clearly very proficient with the tape and moved so fast I really couldn’t follow him.

He also used terminology I wasn’t familiar with. Instead of saying “start by sticking the tape here”, he used clinical KT talk like “place your anchor using no tension at the (insert fancy long anatomical name here)” and continued swiftly through the application. I had to back up the video about 100 times to see if my application looked like his.

I’m sure the point of the short video was to show how fast and easily it could be applied, but I needed a slow-mo version and more clear normal definitions of what the heck he was doing. As a result, I was never really sure if the tension I was using was the “right” tension, or if my placement was accurate as well.

So, for me, the main con is that it takes a certain level of skill and understanding of how to correctly apply the tape to get the most benefit out of it. The pro is, even if you apply it incorrectly, I don’t think it can hurt you. Unlike some fitness trends that may be harmful, there really is no risk with Kinesio Tape that I know of.

Fit or Flop?

This was a hard one for me. I like solid evidence, but after doing my research I came up pretty empty handed. I would be inclined to say the jury is still out on this one, however, some experts made a very valid point that changed my mind saying an effective placebo could make all the difference between success and failure.

Athletes wear it when they aren’t even injured, hoping it may have a preventive or enhancing effect. The fact that athletes think it’s beneficial, could help in a psychological way. Since every one of us feel we need all the help we can get, maybe we are just a little sticky tape away from gaining the confidence we need to keep on keeping on.

There’s always a new fitness trend that is the talk of the office. In the’70s, it was Jazzercise. In the’80s, everyone was putting on their Reebok pumps and taking aerobics classes—dressed like someone out of Flashdance.
Step aerobics started sweeping the nation in the’90s. Even my husband took step—and eventually started teaching it. He was no dummy. Taking a step class was a great way to meet girls when he was single (and his crush on the instructor kept him coming back for more).
The trends seem to change about every 10 years. TaeBo was the next in line in the’90s, which got bumped out of the top spot in the 2000s for street dancing hip-hop classes. Finally, in 2010, Zumba took the world by storm (but since I have two left feet, I couldn’t tell you why because I never could follow the routines).
What is the trend today? What fitness fads should we expect to see this year? None! The trend in the American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) top fitness trends of 2015 seems to not include any fads at all. For the first time in the fitness business, there is no trending fitness gimmick, fitness class or new workout in the top list of fitness trends. On the contrary, the list only includes tried and true traditional fitness training.
Here is a recap of what’s trending in fitness according to the American College of Sports Medicine.

1. Bodyweight Training

Top on the list was bodyweight training. I was stoked to see this since I personally use bodyweight training as a foundational principle with my clients. Bodyweight exercises include pushups, situps, pull-ups, burpees, mountain climbers, jumping jacks, planks, bridges, squats, and lunges. Bodyweight exercise is all about going back to the basics. Plus, they can be done anywhere, and are incredibly effective in both strengthening and burning calories.

2. HIIT

Next on the list, in the number two spot, was high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Basically, HIIT is a method of training that uses a sequence of short bursts of intense activity followed by a short period of rest or recovery (try our at-home HIIT videos here!)
Like bodyweight exercises, HIIT is nothing new either. Even if it’s relatively new to most of the world, this style of training has been around for many years. Athletic coaches started using this training method for sprint drills in the ’70s.
Another popular form of HIIT you may have heard of is Tabata. Professor Izumi Tabata introduced this version of HIIT in 1996, which uses 20 seconds of intense training followed by 10 seconds of rest. Since you can do more work in less time with high-intensity training, no wonder this style of training made it to the top. No one has time for those lengthy 2-hour workouts of the ’90s.

3. Educated, Certified and Experienced Fitness Professionals

People want to make the most of their time or money. Most people are more educated consumers and they expect their fitness professional to be more educated too. Whether they are following a fitness pro online, hiring a trainer or taking a group fitness class, there is a greater demand for qualified fitness professionals, which has held the top three spot for two years running.
It’s no longer enough to just be a fitness enthusiast who likes to teach aerobics and entertain their clients for an hour. People want an educated fitness professional to get them results that last. This means there will be even more educational programs, classes, certifications and courses available for people who want to make fitness more than just a hobby.

4. Strength Training

Strength training has always been top on the list, and it still is today. Strength training is the foundation of fitness. It will forever be used by all types of people at all different fitness levels – from athletes to patients rehabilitating an injury. Strength training, which typically uses weight machines or free weights, has been proven to not only increase muscle strength, but it strengthens the joints and bones as well.
For this reason, strength training is a great way to reduce the risk of injury and improve quality of life. Of course, strength training sculpts pretty muscle and increases the metabolism too, but the benefits to strength training are really too long to even list here, so I doubt very seriously you’ll ever see this drop out of the top 10 list.

5. Personal Training

The next big trend on ACSM’s list is personal training. Why? Look at the top trends so far. You don’t see Zumba or Spinning up there. You don’t see the elliptical on the list either. All the top trends include an endless list of exercises, which require instruction (at least, at first).
Past trends, like Zumba, came with a leader to guide you through the workout. Today’s trends are not a specific workout regimen or routine, they are traditional exercises. It’s about going back to the basics—going back to what is proven. While most people know how to do a squat or a sit up, they don’t really know how to put exercises together to be most effective. That’s where personal trainers come in.
A personal trainer not only makes sure you are doing the workout correctly. They put the exercises together in the right order, at the right weight and at the correct pace for you to get the most benefit. Getting personal training shouldn’t be just about getting a good workout, you should also be getting a good education.

6. Exercise and Weight Loss

The final trend I want to share is the trend of making sure you are not just workout out correctly, but eat correctly too. As I said before, consumers have gotten smart. They realize they can’t get the best results with exercise alone. People understand they can throw away an entire workout on a high-calorie latte. So, as a result, they are more apt to search for a program that includes both fitness training and diet support. As I always say, “it’s not enough to be strong in the gym. If you really want results, you need to learn to be strong in the kitchen too.”
So what are the rest of ACSM’s top trends?
Yoga made the No. 7 spot, followed by fitness programs for older adults at No. 8. Right behind programs for seniors was functional training, finishing with group personal training.
Can you believe it? I just named off the top 10 trends of 2015 and there was no fad workout like Zumba, which plummeted to the No. 34 spot on the list of ACSM’s 39 choices. Other trends that dropped on the list was unmonitored fitness facilities (24-hour access gyms), Pilates, water workouts, stability ball training, online training, mixed martial arts, Bowka and, sadly, physician referrals.
It seems we’ve gone in full circle. We’ve danced, twisted, kicked, punched, stepped, peddled, bounced, jumped and jived our way through the last 50 years, but we’ve returned to pure unadulterated exercise—no gimmicks, no trademarks, no pricey fitness devices, no frills.
While there will always be a fun new fad popping up in every gym, they will always come and go—but the tried and true (and less gimmicky) fitness basics seems to be a trend that is here to stay.

Ask any long-time runner how they manage maintain a regular and diligent workout schedule without losing motivation, and most will admit to experiencing some degree of burnout at one point or another. Make no mistake, running is a great way to stay in shape, lose weight, and improve your overall health. But it can also be an incredibly demanding form of exercise that can take its toll both mentally and physically. When extreme fatigue and lethargy begins to set in it can result in runner’s burnout, which can sometimes take weeks or even months to shake.
If you’ve found yourself lacking the motivation to lace up your running shoes lately, or can’t seem to summon up the enthusiasm needed to head out for a run, than perhaps you’re experiencing a bit of burnout yourself. Here are some simple ways to get your groove back, and run with strength and conviction once again.
Change It Up!
Let’s face it, runners are definitely creatures of habit. We usually run the same set of routes, maintain a set workout routine, and often even go for a run at the exact same time each day. Sticking to a regimented schedule is typically a good thing when it comes to exercise, but it can also lead to boredom and a lack of enthusiasm. When that happens, almost anyone will start to feel burnt out.
Add a little spice to your personal running routine by mixing in some different routes in a new part of town. Better yet, get off the road altogether and run a trail in a nearby park instead. Don’t be afraid to shift the time of day that you run as well, as you may find it gives you a completely fresh perspective on the world around you. The point is, if you change up your stale routine, you may find yourself more engaged with your running workouts once again.
Leave the Watch at Home
Many runners wear watches that keep track of their pace, heart rate, and distance covered. That data can be vitally important when training for a race, but crunching those numbers can become an all-consuming obsession at times too. We all want to beat our fastest times, and as a result we end up pushing ourselves harder than we need to.
Give yourself a break from the hardcore training and leave the watch at home on occasion. This will allow you to run a natural pace without constantly watching your time and distance. It may also remind you of why you fell in love with the sport in the first place, because when you’re off the clock the pure joy of running can return.
Cross Train
Sometimes runners stay motivated out of the irrational fear that if they take time off, they’ll start to gain weight or lose some of the level of fitness that they worked so hard to achieve. Cross training can help alleviate those issues, while still allowing us to take a break from running at the same time.
They say variety is the spice of life, and by simply adding a bit of cycling, swimming, yoga, or other exercises to your routine you’ll manage to break up the monotony that comes with running on a constant basis. This change in activities can help stave off burnout quite nicely, and you may even find that when you do start to run again, it will be with a renewed sense of zest as well.
Take a Rest Day… or Week!
No matter how hard you train, each and every one of us should be taking a rest day or two during our normal weekly workout schedule. Not only do those days off give you a break from the grind, they also allow nagging injuries to heal and give you a chance to recharge your batteries too.
But on occasion it is also okay to take a rest week. That isn’t to say that you don’t exercise at all during that time period, just that you step away from the running schedule and do other things instead. Use the time off to revitalize the legs and get a boost to your spirit. Relax, take it easy, and savor some down time. Chances are you’ve earned it, and you’re likely to return to your normal schedule with renewed vigor.
Perhaps the most important step in avoiding burnout is to learning to recognize the warning signs ahead of time. That way you can take steps to avoid it before it become a significant problem. But if you do start to feel those feelings coming on, recognize that it is a common problem for runners. Don’t be afraid to relax, step away from workout routine, and get some rest. Chances are it will help you get your mojo back, and you’ll be eager to start running again soon.

Learning to ride a bike is one of those rites of passage that most of us went through as a kid. Figuring out how to balance on just two wheels seemed like quite an accomplishment at the time, often coming after plenty of painful trial and error. But our bikes would eventually become our most prized possessions; providing endless hours of fun while giving us our first tastes of true independence.
We didn’t know it at the time, but learning to ride also provided us with a skill that could lead to a much happier and healthier lifestyle too. It turns out that riding a bike is a great way to exercise and burn calories, even as an adult. Whether you’re on a stationary bike indoors, or a road bike outside, here are five ways that cycling can help you to achieve your fitness goals.

1. Lose Weight

Cycling is a great way to lose weight, with riders burning as many as 500 calories or more per hour. To do that you’ll need to maintain a quick pace, and a high cadence, which is the number of revolutions that the crank on your bike makes in any given minute. By constantly pedaling, and rotating that chain, your body will achieve an elevated heart rate and burn calories at a surprising rate. A nice, leisurely bike ride is good for when you want to take it easy, but if your goal is to shed some pounds, you’ll need to work hard.

2. Improved Cardio

In addition to burning plenty of calories, keeping a high cadence will also work the lungs and heart as well. That leads to better levels of cardiovascular fitness, which translates into all kinds of benefits, including increased stamina, reduced risk of heart disease, a longer lifespan, and better energy levels.

3. Build Lean Muscles

Everyone knows that cycling is great for the leg muscles, but did you know that it can tone the muscle throughout the rest of your body too? Riding a bike is an excellent all-around workout that actually works the arms, chest, back, and shoulders along with the calves and thighs. This is particularly true while climbing hills, so don’t avoid those parts of your riding routes as they are often the most beneficial.

4. It’s Low-Impact With High Returns

As already mentioned above, cycling is a great way to burn a lot of calories and lose weight, But, it also happens to be a low-impact sport, meaning it puts much less stress on your joints than some other types of exercise. This makes riding a bike a great change of pace for runners, or athletes who are recovering from an injury. It also makes cycling a good option for cross training too, as it allows your body to recover from more high-impact activities, while still providing a tremendous workout.

5. A Stronger Immune System

Regular exercise can provide a significant boost to your immune system, helping you stave off such ailments as the flu or even the common cold. Riding your bike a few times a week can help contribute to improved immunity from these types of viruses, while also helping to create a lifestyle that is healthier in general.
Obviously cycling provides undeniable health benefits, which has helped to make it a popular activity for those looking to improve their overall levels of fitness. But riding a bike also happens to be a lot of fun too. We knew this as kids, and we can still appreciate those same exhilarating feelings of speed and freedom today. If you haven’t hopped on a bike in awhile, perhaps now is the time. You may discover that you not only still enjoy it, but it makes you a healthier person too.

The hotter the summer gets, the less clothing you want to wear – and the first thing to go are sleeves. But, are your arms ready for their big reveal?

While there are a lot of body parts you can cover – the arms are not one of them if you really want to stay cool. Many women shutter at the thought of wearing a sleeveless top or strapless dress. They immediately think of sagging underarms that jiggle, and continue to wave even after you stop waving.

So how do you combat the flab? Do you do weights or cardio? Is the problem excess fat or loose muscle? Well, in my experience, there are three important factors that play a big role in getting the arms you’ve always wanted.

Attack the Fat with Full Body Cardio

If you suffer from arm flab, it’s important to understand the flab is a result of excess body fat. Since you can’t target the fat loss in only one specific area, you will need to lose body fat all over your body if you want to lose the fat on your arms.

While you can burn a lot of calories running or doing other weight bearing cardiovascular exercises, you can tone your arms and burn fat at the same time if you choose the right cardio.

Here are 10 body toning and fat burning exercises to try.

1. Power walking with hand weights

2. Elliptical with handles

3. Ergometer Rowing Machine

4. Swimming Laps (not just playing in the pool)

5. Jump Rope (Try this 10-Minute Jump Rope Workout by FitSugar)

6. Calisthenics (Give this 15-minute full body boot camp workout a whirl)

7. Kickboxing Workout (Like Beach Body’s Turbo Jam)

8. Les Mills Body Pump Class

9. Pound Fit Rocker Workout (a killer new workout using drumsticks)

10. BCx Treadz Full Body Treadmill Training

Firm Up with Resistance Exercise

Next on the list of arm-toning tricks is weight training. Whether you use your own body weight or use free weights, resistance training is the key to beautifully sculpted arms.

Below are a list of arm-shaping upper body exercises in order of hardest (heaviest) to easiest (lightest).

1. Push Ups

2. Pull Ups (or Pull Downs)

3. Shoulder Press

4. Upright Rows

5. Bent Rows

6. Tricep Dips

7. Tricep Extensions

8. Bicep Curls

9. Lateral Raises

10. Rear Delts

Uncover Your Hard Work in the Kitchen

Even if you lift weights in the gym, and burn a ton of calories on the elliptical, you may never see the results if you just replace the calories you burned in the gym with poor food choices. The final secret to defined arms is a clean low-calorie, high-protein diet.

Increasing protein will help rebuild and repair your muscle and a low calorie diet will encourage weight loss. The leaner you are, the more that new tight and tone muscle will show.

Here are 10 diet tips for faster results in the gym.

1. Count calories to learn where all your calories are coming from. Counting calories always proves to be quite an eye opener for most people. Decrease your caloric intake by 500-1000 calories a day if you want to lose weight.

2. Shop healthy. You can’t expect to eat healthy if you don’t shop healthy.

3. Eat 5-6 small snacks and meals a day to keep your metabolism revved and to prevent storing fat.

4. Prepare for success. Prep your food over the weekend so it’s easier to eat healthy during the week. If you fail to plan, you will fail to succeed.

5. Eat your carbs before you hit the weights. If you like carbs, put them to good use. Save your higher carb meals when your body needs fuel the most, like before intense resistance training.

6. Ditch the sugar. Sugar can cause all kinds of inflammatory responses. Reduce body fat and pain by reducing sugar.

7. Limit carbs at night. Carbs are a great fuel source, but you don’t need them to sleep!

8. Eat a high protein meal for dinner. Your body could use the protein as it does most of it’s muscle repair while you sleep.

9. Make treats treats. What do I mean? I mean, a treat should really be a treat, not a daily habit. Sodas, sweets and dinners out should be a special event, not a part of your daily diet regimen.

10. Never give up. Diets can be frustrating, but eating clean is a learning process. Never give up trying to succeed. You will learn something new with every attempt – and get one step closer to a leaner, healthier you with every single try.

Once you are happy with you new lean arms, you can increase your calories to maintain your new weight and keep up with your fitness training – and you’ll never have to worry about going sleeveless again!

So you’re religiously using your FitBit, Jawbone, or your fitness tracking device of choice and think you’re all set because the fitness gods are looking out for you by doing extensive studies on how 10K steps a day will keep you uber-healthy for life?

Not so fast, My Pretty!

The reality is that the rule of 10K steps a day (equivalent to about 5 miles) wasn’t established because of extensive experiments done on distance walking and health. It was actually adopted because of an invention by a Japanese man. In 1965, Dr. Yoshiro Hatano developed an early version of a pedometer called the “manpo-kei,” which means “10,000 steps meter.” Somehow because of its name and translation, 10,000 steps became the gold standard in health and wellness and was adopted by the most popular of fitness tracking devices. Pretty wild, huh?

It’s important to keep in mind that any amount of fitness is awesome and gets you into better shape. And studies have found that the more you track your activity, the more you’ll work to reach your goal…and continue working. The making and tracking of goals and a system of accountability has been the recipe for success in so many areas of business, wellness, and in life. So it’s great to track yourself and move more. However…you can’t just count on 10,000 steps a day to keep yourself healthy and pardon yourself from any more or other forms of exercise. In other words, don’t think “Oh I did my 10,000 steps, now I’m done and can sit on the couch for the rest of the day/night.”

To be completely healthy, your body needs a mix of the essential components of exercise: Strength, cardiovascular, balance, agility, and flexibility are some of the most important. Your body is at its strongest when you include activities that incorporate all of these things in them daily or weekly. Activities like weight training for strength, hiking for cardiovascular health, core training for balance, functional training for agility, and yoga for flexibility.

A great workout schedule for the week would look something like this

Monday Cardiovascular

Tuesday Strength

Wednesday Balance/Agility

Thursday Cardiovascular

Friday Flexibility

Saturday Strength

Of course there are workouts that can include multiple components of exercise in one session. Boxing, interval training, and rebounding can accomplish that.

You overachievers can also opt to do split sessions, where you do two types of exercise in one day–a hike in the morning and strength training in the afternoon, for instance.

It’s also important to try to mix up the types of activities you do that incorporate these components. For example, choose hiking one week for your cardiovascular workout and try spinning the next week. Or do weight training for your strength training the first week and switch to Pilates the next. Studies show that changing your activity often not only keeps your body the healthiest but also ensures program adherence.

In other words, you won’t get bored off your butt and ditch your workout.

10,000 steps a day is great…but it’s only a start. Look past your personal fitness horizon and trample over it by walking more and doing lots of other things…more.

Bored with your normal running routine? Looking for a good way to mix things up and add new challenges? Than why not give trail running a try? Not only is it one of the fastest growing outdoor sports in the world, but it provides some amazing benefits to your overall level of fitness too.

Thanks to the uneven terrain and more difficult trail conditions, trail runners typically end up having a more challenging workout than those who stick to city streets or run indoors on a treadmill. This results in a 10% greater calorie burn over the same distance, which helps to trim fat at a faster rate. Additionally, trail runners typically see improved agility as a result of their training runs, and get a better core workout along the way as well. The fact that they are more engaged with nature brings some additional benefits in the form of stress-relief and greater levels of relaxation too.

Despite the fact that trail running provides a more intense workout, it isn’t particularly difficult to get started with the sport. In fact, if you’re already a runner the adjustments will come fairly easily, and if you’re just starting to run for the first time you’ll be able to pick things up quickly without having to shift away from previous running habits.

Here are some suggestions to help you get going.

Get the Right Shoes

Any runner will tell you that having the right pair of shoes makes all the difference in the level of enjoyment you’ll get from the sport, which in turn helps to keep you motivated for your workouts. This is especially true for trail running, where the demanding trails require a somewhat heavier, more durable shoe to help keep your feet well protected. Unlike running on the streets, trail runners often encounter rock, mud, and even water along their routes. A good shoe will shrug off those challenges and keep you moving at a comfortable pace.

Regular running shoes won’t cut it in that environment for long however, so once you’ve decided trail running is right for you, invest in footwear that is especially made for the sport.

Pick a Trail

Traditionally speaking, trail running is defined as taking place off-road or pavement, but that doesn’t mean it has to be on some incredibly challenging route that takes you deep into rugged, mountainous terrain. Any trail will do, particularly when you’re first getting started.

Look for short, relatively flat routes to begin your trail running routine, and then later expand to longer, more difficult paths. Over time you can mix in elevation changes on hills or mountains to amp up the intensity of your workout and really start burning the calories. But in the beginning it is all about just getting a feel for running on a trail while allowing your body to adapt to the change in environments.

Start Slow

Whenever you start a new workout routine it is important to go slow and ease your way into it. This holds true for beginning trail runners as well, even if they are experienced joggers making the transition over from the road.

Because of the uneven terrain, trail running requires shorter, quicker strides, which will naturally have you running about 20% slower than you would on pavement. This will help you to maintain your balance along the way, and give you a better sense of a connection with the ground. Over time, as you get more accustomed to this style of running, you’ll start to pick up speed again, although it is rare to ever go as fast on a trail as you do on the street.

Be Aware

It is always important for runners to be aware of their surroundings whether they are working out on a trail or on the road.

While trail runners generally don’t have to worry about dealing with traffic, there are other things they need to be extra cautious about instead. For instance, because the trail is uneven, and littered with obstacles, they need to have a greater awareness of surface conditions. Roots, rocks, and mud are just a few of the things you that could cause a stumble or fall, ultimately resulting in an injury. Additionally, depending on your location, wild animals could be more of a concern as well.

Gear Up!

As with most outdoor activities, having the proper gear for trail running can make it a much more enjoyable experience.

For instance, you’ll want technical running clothing that you don’t mind getting muddy, wet, or snagged while out on the trail. Staying hydrated will be important as well, so plan on carrying a water bottle, or better yet a hydration pack. Wearing a pack takes a bit of getting use to at first, but it does allow you to carry an extra layer in case the weather takes a turn for the worse. It also allows you to bring extra items such as a headlamp, cell phone, wallet, or even a snack. Some of those things are simply not needed on a run through your neighborhood, but they could prove very useful on a trail run.

As with most other forms of exercise, trail running gets gradually easier over time. It’s at that point that you’ll not only start to recognize just what a great workout it can be, but how much fun it is too. After all, when the great outdoors becomes your gym, it’s not hard to find the motivation to go.

Sprained ankles. Stress fractures. Strained muscles. These are all of the obvious ailments people may think of when you mention “running injuries”. 

But like most things in life, there are ailments runners suffer that you often don’t hear or think of, until you yourself are painfully suffering from them. It’s kind of like giving birth: everyone knows that labor and delivery is a painful process, but very few people know the nitty-gritty details of the experience. These types of things that are conveniently left out of movie scenes and blog post recaps, and then you find yourself in the delivery room going “WHAT IS HAPPENING TO MY BODY?” 

Of course, running is no exception. So, want to know some of the gross, unexpected, actual ailments that runners experience besides the obvious? Let me break the bad news to you (and all of the ways you can try and avoid these mishaps):

Chafing.

You’ll never truly realize the pain of chafed, well, anything, until you get in the shower post run, and the hot water hits all of the places that have been rubbed raw during your last run. The pain hits like white lightning, and you’ll likely scream and jump. It’s at that moment you realize that your sports bra dug into your shoulders over the countless miles, or thighs rubbed together one too many times, and you are now missing a few layers of skin. 

And let me tell you, it hurts. 

Next time, you can avoid that pain by lubing up before your run with a product designed to prevent chafing in athletes, like BodyGlide. Pro tip: you can almost never use TOO much lube. Apply liberally, and if it’s a long run and you have spots that are particular sensitive to chafing, consider carrying that lube with you for reapplication. 

Bloody nipples.

I’ll never forget the first time I witnessed a guy with bloody nipples at a race. His white shirt looked like he had run through a crime scene. I was slightly terrified, and then somewhat amused when I learned that men’s nipples often rub raw on their t-shirts over the course of a longer run or race. Women are often spared this atrocity thanks to their sports bras holding everything in place and avoiding the rubbing of the shirt directly on the skin. 

Guys: to avoid this ailment, and perhaps avoid scaring small children, be sure to use some sort of lubrication to prevent chafing. Want even better protection? Some runners use bandaids, medical tape, or products specifically designed for this issue, like Nip Guards, placed over their nipples. 

Blisters.

It starts as a small hot spot, a slight discomfort. Then the pain begins. Before you know it, you are limping simply to try and prevent the raw, fluid filled bubble on your foot that now impedes your every step from getting even worse. What’s worse, blisters seem to get exponentially worse with longer distances. I’ve seen blisters as small as a pencil eraser, and some larger than a half dollar. 

Nothing, I repeat, NOTHING about a blister is fun.

To prevent them? You guessed it: lube those feet! Also be sure to wear shoes that fit, to avoid sliding around in your shoes and causing extra friction. Lastly, wear socks designed for running; they are more likely to wick away sweat and stay dry, as well as less likely to shift around on your foot. 

Trench foot.

This might be one of the gnarliest running ailments I have ever seen, and one I had not heard of until I became more familiar with multi day and off road events. “Trench foot” is a term given to your feet when they essentially start to fall apart during a race, typically because they have become oversaturated. Skin cracks and peels, numbness occurs, and the outer layer of the foot essentially starts to decay. The term was coined after soldiers suffered this ailment while fighting in trench warfare during World War 1. 

In some instances, such as race courses that consistently go through water or mud, maintaining dry feet is nearly impossible. But do your best, change socks if at all possible (for longer distance races) and use a powder such as Anti Monkey Butt (yes, that is really what it is called) to help absorb extra moisture. 

Black & lost toenails.

The constant pounding of your feet on the ground, or the pounding of your toenail against your shoe, can cause blood to pool underneath the toenail. When the blood dries, you are left with a toenail that looks black…and it tends to stay that way for months. And even worse, sometimes that pounding can actually cause the toenail to separate from the nail bed, causing it to fall off completely.

Gross. 

The number one way to prevent these toenail ailments is to make sure your shoes fit properly. That way, the foot will not slide around, causing the toenail to bump against the front of your shoe. Lastly, keep your nails trimmed. The shorter they are, the less likely they are to catch or hit your shoe. 

Mysterious rashes.

You wake up the morning after a long run to an itchy rash on your legs, or maybe on your chest. What the heck is that? Well the answer is: it could be anything. Did you run through the trails or off-road? Maybe you encountered some poison ivy. Or maybe it was a particularly humid day, and you’ve given yourself a heat rash…or worse, some sort of athlete fungus.

Whatever the mystery rash may be, chances are you might be able to avoid it by showering immediately after your run. If you can’t immediately shower, don’t sit around in your sweaty, wet clothes. Change into something clean and dry. 

Now, these ailments are all pretty common, but are not the only ones runners suffer. But if you’ve noticed there tends to be a recurring theme between them all: wear the appropriate clothing and shoes, and take a few preventative minutes to lube up any place that might experience friction. And hopefully, you’ll be spared from these nitty-gritty ailments that your runner friends “forgot” to tell you about when you first started running.