2007 Goals

Done deal… 2006 is over!  You can be proud of any accomplishments that you made, but now It’s time to think about 2007.  So if you weren’t happy about the progress that you made last year, what are you going to do to change it this year? 

First things first… let’s get a brand new set of goals for this year, even if they are based on last year’s goals.  Right off the top, I’m sure about 80% of you said “I want to lose weight and tone up”, right?  That’s admirable, but it’s not a real good goal.  As I mentioned before, goals should be SMART… which means Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time Bound.  Applying this guideline to our goals, a better way of stating part of everyone’s favorite goal would be “I would like to lose 25 pounds of fat by June 1^st.  

• Specific – Yes.  Lose fat weight.  A standard and popular goal.  It's also important to note that we are not just talking about weight.  Fat weight also means inches from your waistline, hips, etc...  Losing actual body fat is more important than losing weight due to the health benefits.  If you drop body fat (inches) but don't lose any weight... this means you gained muscle and still have a lot to be proud of!

• Measureable – Yes.  25 pounds.  A good goal, although keep in mind that other goals such as toning could skew your results due to muscle weighing more than fat.

• Attainable -  Absolutely.  A safe weight loss amount is 1-2 pounds per week.

• Realistic – With no major “eating holidays” between now and then, why not?

• Time Bound – June 1^st is 6 months away or roughly 21 weeks.

Once you are satisfied with your long term goals (macrocycles), you will want to break them into smaller time chunks such as 3-4 months (mesocycles), as well as weeks and days (microcycles).  These short term goals start to get more specific with the “how” goals as opposed to the long term “what” goals. 

Short term goals should be stated like “I will perform 30 minutes of cardiovascular (aerobic) exercise 3 times this week maintaining an average heart rate of 70% of my max.  Another one would be “I will perform a total body resistance workout (weight training, bands, bodyweight, etc..) 3 times this week.  Nutrition type goals should include portion control, reduction of empty calories (sweets, fats) and all around smart eating. 

With 3,500 calories equating to roughly a pound of body fat, that’s roughly a 500 calorie per day deficit that you want to create in order to drop a pound a week.  That deficit can be easily created though a combination of diet and exercise changes (ie. 250 calories from nutrition changes and 250 calories burned through exercise). 

Now write them down!  Tell your friends and significant others.  In addition to soliciting moral support in striving to reach and exceed your goals, you will most certainly inspire others to do the same!

Measure your progress... but not too much.  Personally, I believe you can weigh your self first thing in the morning maybe once a week and have your body composition (%fat / % lean) checked every 3-6 months.  A personal trainer is a good resource to assist you in body composition measurements, goal setting, and prescribing a comprehensive workout that will ensure progress towards your goals.  Due to frequent fluctuations, you don't want to get unnecessarily frustrated with little variations here and there. 

If you have BIG goals in mind... do yourself a favor and take a "before" picture!  Then put the picture away until you reach your goal.  Results are a powerful motivator and will give you a reason to keep going and never look back! 

Now that you have your goals... it's time to buckle down and focus on them.  Excuses are too easy to come by, but if you are serious about reaching your goals, strong mental focus is key.  Don't look for excuses why you can't workout one day... find an alternative workout that fits your schedule and do it.  It's all about priorities and the bottom line is that YOU need to decide how important these goals are to you.  Desire, dedication and perseverance are key ingredients in the recipe for success!

The Search for Fitness

It's a brand new year, so I figured I should mix it up a little.  Here's a mental exercise to clear some of the cobwebs and help you gear up for 2007.  Find all the fitness words listed in the box below.  Enjoy!
 

A R U J G N I N I A R T B E R R A L U C S A V O I D R A C E O G K A T W S M H T Y P N N S Y R N X B S A E P T A O O A I K T J I E D A R I O H T I M S D E I N N R O L M N M E T R T K K T S T O I M O U H N A O A M I A R N B I I I E P T R F N F M A R I E T T A N J I D R C Q T G X U I T L I Z A A Y E E E A E O R S T N V D W L H P D T L Q T L H K Z I F N S S R V F R U M O T I V A T I O N R A F N M L I F E S T Y L E C X V S L A O G S E S U C X E O N R

PERFORMANCE FITNESS TRAINING GOALS HEARTRATE CARDIOVASCULAR MOTIVATION INTENSITY ABDOMINALS WARMUP

RESISTANCE HEALTH HYDRATION NUTRITION FLEXIBILITY LIFESTYLE POTENTIAL CONDITIONING NOEXCUSES

Elite Bodyweight Exercise of the Month!

1 Leg Dead Lift

Summary:
It's no secret that there has recently been a move in the fitness industry to incorporate more stability (balance) training into regular workouts.  The 1 leg deadlift is an advanced exercise that works your lower body in addition to incorporating balance training.  Having to balance on one foot during this exercise helps to strengthen the muscles surrounding your ankle in addition to the benefits of toning your thighs and butt.

Target: 
Thighs and butt (quadriceps and gluteals)

Count:  2 count

Description:  Starting position standing with legs shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent, then raise one leg off the ground behind you.  Slowly lower your body until your working thigh is parallel with the floor ( I like to touch my fingertips to the ground).  Your up leg should raise as a counter balance as you bend forward at the torso.  Pause then push back up.

Why Body Composition v.s. Weight?

So in the previous article, I stressed the importance of looking at body composition rather than total weight.  Many people get hung up on those numbers on the scale if they don’t move or even increase.  The scale is the enemy!  The numbers reflected are not a good representation of body composition or percentage of body fat v.s. lean weight and will not accurately report your progress... especially if you are working out like you should be.  Percentage body fat in addition to standard circumference measurements will paint a better picture of your progress (more).

Let’s look at an example:  A 35 year old, 220 pound man with 25% body fat (or 75% lean weight).  Since we know this information we also know that 25% of 220 lbs. is 55 lbs of body fat (165 lbs lean mass).  For a 35 year old man, an ideal body fat percentage is 11% to 14%.  If this man has a goal of 12% body fat, we know that he needs to lose roughly 28 lbs of fat.  At 1-2 lbs per week, a realistic goal would be 14 – 28 weeks (in which case the longer time frame would be more realistic due to an anticipated gain in muscle mass).

So in 6 months our guy gets on the scale and he weighs 200 lbs even.  If we went purely by weight, this would seem that he came up short of his goal.  However, when the body composition measurements are performed again, he is reported at 12% body fat.  What this means is that he lost the 28 lbs of fat and packed on 8 lbs of muscle.

Now be honest... would you really care if you looked great in the bathing suit, but weighed a few more pounds?
 

How Much is on Your Plate?

It's Go Time!

Happy New Year and may you get everything you want out of yourself in 2007.  Find a way to make it happen!

For prior issues of this newsletter go to www.todayfitness.net/news.  

Good Luck!

Pete Mazzeo, CPT
pmazzeo@todayfitness.net

"To Succeed... you need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you. - Tony Dorsett"