Ever said, “I’d love to get in shape, but I travel too much?” If so, this guide is for you! Today we’re gonna teach you exactly how to get fit no matter what type of business trip you’re on. We’ll cover:
It’s time to get you a specific action plan that you can take with you on your next trip. This is the philosophy we teach to all of our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Clients. Many travel quite a bit, so having “worldwide accountability” and a specific plan for travel has been a game-changer for these Rebels. Are you trying to learn a new exercise, lose weight, or build muscle, but find doing it on the road a challenge? Let us help you – click below to learn more.
5 Travel Workouts You Can Do AnywhereWithout access to your favorite gym, it can seem like you are doomed to remain sedentary until you get back home. Have no fear! These 5 workouts you can do anywhere and at anytime! #1) THE 20-MINUTE HOTEL ROOM WORKOUT Set the alarm clock to 15 minutes from now and see how many circuits you can do!
Click right here for more advanced hotel workouts you can try. #2) BEGINNER BODYWEIGHT WORKOUT No gym required for this workout! If you have a body, you can do this circuit! If you’re a brain floating in a jar, email me. I’ll think of a workaround for you.
Run through this circuit three times. If you don’t have milk in the hotel room for the rows, find something of roughly the same weight with a good handle. Your luggage might work perfectly. Throughout the world, you’re often never that far away from a playground or a park. Get a workout in there!
4) ADVANCED BODYWEIGHT EXERCISES CIRCUIT Was that Beginner Bodyweight Workout too easy for you? Then try out this more advanced circuit!
This is Nerd Fitness. There’s no way I’m going to miss including a nerdy-themed workout.
How to Eat Healthy While TravelingHere’s what I do specifically while traveling: #1) Skip meals strategically. I know that if I skip breakfast, it means I can eat a slightly larger lunch and have an extra drink with dinner and STILL come in under my daily calorie expenditure. #2) Prepare for bad meals. I love me a good steak dinner with a side of mac and cheese and sweet potato fries and dessert and a few beers. When I’m on vacation or celebrating, that sounds like heaven to me. However, I know if I always eat like that, I’m going to pack on lots of weight. So I plan ahead for a big meal so that I can enjoy it guilt-free, and not see the scale budge. I eat protein and veggies for lunch, strategically undereating so that I can overeat for dinner – and not gain weight in the long run. #3) Never eat 2 bad meals in a row. We have a big “never two in a row” rule at Nerd Fitness. Believe it or not, even being healthy just 50% of the time carries with it the tremendous potential for weight loss and a healthier life. So, if you eat a bad lunch, follow it up with a healthy dinner. Eat too much pizza for dinner? Cool! Make your breakfast healthy. This is NOT “100% or nothing.” Every decision counts, every meal counts, so any decision where you are SLIIIIIGHTLY healthier than you would have been otherwise is a win in my book. If you’re interested in the Nerd Fitness philosophy on proper diet, make sure you read our article “How to Start Eating Healthy,” which will teach you how to build a plate like this: Curious about my default diet these days? You can read all about it right here. And here is the specific diet I followed – while traveling frequently – to lose 22 pounds sustainably. Here are some other strategies for healthy eating on the road. #1) Ask your hotel for a mini-fridge. Fill it with your own healthy snacks – just make sure they don’t charge you for taking out the other foods! Fruit, sliced veggies, and some deli meat will provide you with some sustenance until you can order a proper meal. Here is a post with some ideas for healthy snacks you can buy and store in your room. #2) Travel with a cooler. If you know the hotel can’t accommodate a mini-fridge, or you’re on a road trip, no problem! Bring a mini-cooler or cooler bag. If you use a bag, it’ll fold up for easy packing. Is it weird to travel with a cooler? Sure. But we embrace weird around these parts. #3) Bring non-perishable snacks with you. I’ve eaten almonds forgotten in a backpack, months later, and lived to tell the tale. Lots of dry food like nuts and jerky won’t spoil anytime soon, so store some in your travel bag. Munching some beef jerky is a much better idea than the pizza in the airport terminal. Here are some good almonds to purchase, and here’s some recommended beef jerky for you to try out. #4) Focus on protein and fiber. When choosing meals or snacks, make sure the foods you pick are full of protein and fiber.[1] This will help keep you full, so you’re not tempted to eat the donuts waiting for you at your work conference. What are protein and fiber-rich foods? Hard-boiled eggs will store well, and can be bought at many convenience stores. That’s a good protein source. Deli meat, jerky, and nuts will also do the trick for your protein requirements. Fiber-rich foods? Fruits and vegetables for the win. Always bring an apple with you. #5) All is not lost if you order fast food. There’s a common belief amongst our coaching clients, that the moment you step foot in a fast food store, you lost. You made a terrible decision by even walking in. Might as well order whatever, because you already failed. This is 100% not true. What you order will make all the difference. For example, I eat a chicken bowl from Chipotle almost every day. To the point that it’s weird.[2] Why? Because it’s healthier than anything I’m realistically going to make at lunchtime, given my schedule. Remember, what you order is more important than where you order from. Let’s dive into that last point a little more. What Are Some Healthy Fast Food Options?Let’s outline an entire day’s worth of eating, provided by a drive-thru window (we cover this in our fast food article). Most of these can also be found at your average airport terminal. #1) BREAKFAST: Location: Starbucks
Location: Dunkin’ Donuts
#2) LUNCH: Location: McDonald’s
Location: Subway
#3) DINNER: Location: Boston Market
Location: Chipotle
The above should help give you some ideas on what to order when you’re depending on fast food. Want some more ideas? Check out our guide on healthy fast food. How Do I Eat a Healthy Continental Breakfast?So your room comes with a free complimentary breakfast. Might as well take advantage of it! Go ahead and load up on these:
Alright, prioritize the above on your plate. Plus, minimize:
The above advice should get you started on loading up properly at a breakfast buffet. How To Make Staying Fit A Priority on the RoadIf you are trying to get healthy but need to travel frequently, I want you to make exercise your constant. I don’t know if you were a Lost fan, but my favorite episode, “The Constant,” involved a character named Desmond who had to find the one “constant” in his life in order to stay sane. Something Desmond could focus on as his mind traveled through time. You had to be there. I’ve traveled quite a bit over the years: sightseeing countries, sleeping on buses, exploring temples, and visiting a new town seemingly every other day. During all this chaos: exercise became my constant. I knew that without a doubt, no matter where I was or what I was doing, every other day I would find a way to work out – no excuses. I might have had to add in an extra day between workouts maybe a handful of times. What I’m trying to say is this: if you are serious about prioritizing your health, even while traveling, then start treating exercise like YOUR constant. Make it a reliable, consistent thing in your schedule, no matter where you are in the world. No matter what. Sound difficult? Start by asking yourself the following: “If I HAD to still get my workouts in, even if I am traveling or on vacation, how would I do it?” Most answers will be something like this:
This is the most important question you can ask yourself before your trip: “How do I make this work for me?” Then, structure your environment and schedule to make it happen:
Again, ask yourself – what if you HAD to work out, no matter what. How would you get it done? What would you need to change? And then do whatever you can to make it your constant. How to Overcome Jet Lag (and other tips)We need to address a few final points: sleep, jet lag, and hydration. All of these are going to impact your ability to follow the advice above. #1) SLEEP. When I’m sleep-deprived, I often don’t have the energy to exercise…when the reality is that exercise is often the thing that will give me energy (foreshadowing). Also, if you’re lacking on shuteye, you’ll get hungrier.[3] When you’re sleep-deprived, your brain sends signals for more energy, which means more calories. This is troublesome if you’re trying to hold out until you can order a nutritious chicken salad. Two good tools to help with this are earplugs and an eye mask. Some hotels have a way of being bright and noisy. #2) HOW TO DEAL WITH JET LAG. Even being able to go to sleep, is going to assume you are not suffering terribly from “jet lag.” Jet lag is the phenomenon of traveling from one time zone to another, but still being stuck in the former time. For example, you fly from New York to London. It was night when you left New York. It is now morning in London. You may or may not have slept on the plane. What time is it? Your body can have some serious trouble getting back on track, because our circadian rhythms (our biological clock) is thrown off from the geographic change. My solution: work out (click here for that section). Studies have shown that a good sweat can help change your circadian rhythm, which might help you adjust to the local time.[4] If you’re able to, work out as soon as you get settled to help combat jet lag. I’ve personally found this to be super helpful in adjusting to the local time. #3) STAY PROPERLY HYDRATED Air travel dehydrates you.[5] The cabin’s air is environmentally controlled, with lower moisture than you find here on the ground.
Yeah…that 10-20% is less than the Sahara desert. That’s pretty dry… On top of that, the pressurization of the cabin itself causes you to expel H2O. Something something, physics. Something something, less water. The low humidity and pressurized environment create a perfect scenario for you to lose lots of water. And if you’re dehydrated, it can make you tired, which can go back to that whole hunger and calories thing. Above All Else, Preserve Momentum While Traveling!Whatever you’re currently working on improving in your life, you can continue working on that while traveling. You only fall off the wagon if you resign yourself to the fact that it’s impossible to stay fit while traveling! Why not have the opposite mindset, and ask “How do I make this work for me?” Millions of people manage to stay healthy despite a hectic travel schedule, and I want the same for you. Here are some final tips to help you while traveling:
Pick your battles. Plan ahead. Make eating a priority. If you want any help as you head out on the road, I got you boo. Here’s how Nerd Fitness can help you get in shape while you travel: #1) Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program: a coaching program for busy people to help them make better food choices, stay accountable, and get healthier, permanently. Lots of our clients travel full-time, and their coach is one of the few constants they have every day. You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you. Just click on the image below for more details: #2) If you want a roadmap for getting in shape on the road, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app will help you exercise and eat better, all while you build your very own superhero…no matter where on Earth you are! Interested? Try your free trial right here: #3) Join The Rebellion! We have a free email newsletter that we send out twice per week, full of tips and tricks to help you get healthy, get strong, and have fun doing so. I’ll also send you tons of free guides that you can use to start leveling up your life too:
Download our free weight loss guide
THE NERD FITNESS DIET: 10 Levels to Change Your Life
Alright, that’s about it for this guide. Now, your turn: Do you travel for work? Do you upcoming vacation this summer? What struggles do you have while on the road? What kind of questions do you have about staying in shape and traveling? Leave a question in the comments and I’ll help in any way that I can. -Steve ### All photo citations can be read right here: Backpacker, Decathlon, Good Party, Newtonmas, Apples, Model Train Display, Califonia Dreamin, Angry Hulk, Dirt Bike.
Footnotes ( returns to text)
The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/how-to-stay-in-shape-while-traveling/
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It’s time to learn about The CICO (“calories in, calories out”) Diet! You probably have questions like: Steve, does CICO work? Will counting calories help me lose weight? Okay, what the hell IS a calorie? Well my friend, you’ve arrived at the right place! I’ve been writing about this stuff for 12 years, and our team of coaches help their Online Coaching clients with all types of diets (including CICO). We are really flippin’ good at it! Here’s what we’ll cover to answer the question: “What is CICO?”
What Is the CICO Diet plan?“CICO” stands for “Calories In, Calories Out.” The CICO Diet is a weight-loss strategy where the participant tries to tip the balance of what they eat (calories in) against what they burn (calories out). That’s pretty much it. It doesn’t really matter what food you eat, because there are no restrictions on any specific food groups with CICO. It also doesn’t matter what exercise you do (if any). As long as you get the equation right, and the calories you eat are lower than the calories you burn on a daily basis, you’re good to go. The CICO Diet is really simple and has helped quite a few people lose weight. This is likely why the CICO Diet has grown in popularity in the subreddit r/loseit. Is Losing Weight Really About Calories?Yes. Losing weight actually does come down to burning more calories than you consume. It’s about as close to fact as we can get in nutrition science.[1] As we address in our guide How to Lose Weight (The 5 Rules of Weight Loss), our bodies obey the Laws of Conservation of Energy and Thermodynamics:
With this knowledge, it makes sense to design a diet specifically around this principle: match the calories you eat (in), with the calories you expend (out). No other food rules need to apply:
As long as you meet your calorie goal, you can forget about the rules of any specific diet. This appeals to me personally, because I’ve created my own guidelines for how to eat, and I don’t pledge allegiance to any particular dieting strategy. Because I’m a mind-reader, I know your next question is likely… Does Calorie Counting Work? (CICO and Weight Loss)In principle, CICO works. In practice, it becomes a little more complicated. Okay, fine, A LOT more complicated. That’s because a lot of things influence “calories in.” Ditto for “calories out.” Let’s break some of this down. Here are some of the things that impact “Calories In:”
Oh, and all of the above assumes we’re actually tracking calories accurately. Which pretty much nobody does. Ever. But I’ll get to that shortly. And remember, this is only half of the equation. Here are some of the things that impact “Calories Out:”
This is only scratching the surface on what determines “calories in, calories out.”[7] The important thing to consider here is that none of the above invalidate the basic premise of an energy deficit being necessary for weight loss. These factors will just influence one end of the equation or the other. For example, let’s chat about protein and CICO:
Read our guide “How much protein should I eat?” for more on this subject. To recap this section: from a biological perspective, eating fewer calories than you burn is 100% necessary for weight loss. But all sorts of things impact the amount of calories we eat and the amount of calories we expend. The Problem With CICO (Humans Are Bad Estimators)The majority of the problems people have with CICO is that it allows nutrient-deficient food to enter the diet, only limiting “how much.” They’ll argue that people should be eating fruits and vegetables, lean protein, avoiding processed foods, and blah blah blah… We all know this. You don’t need someone else telling you to eat your veggies. This isn’t the problem with CICO. The problem with CICO is it’s really hard to estimate “calories in” and “calories out.” Like, REALLY hard. We humans are TERRIBLE at it. Take “calories in” or how much we eat: people generally UNDERestimate how many calories they consume by about 30-40%.[11] Even dieticians, who are specifically trained in nutrition science, underestimated how much they eat.[12] “That may be true Steve, but don’t worry about me. I read the label on everything I buy so I know exactly how many calories I’m eating.” Well, are you aware that the FDA allows a 20% leeway on total calories identified on packages?[13] Meaning that 100 calorie drink of Orange Juice might actually be 120? If you’re a food manufacturer, which way are you going to lean towards? Especially when you know people might scrutinize the calories of your nutrition label in an effort to lose weight. This isn’t just paranoia: this study found that packaged snack food generally contains MORE calories in it than advertised.[14] Yeah…and remember, this is only half of the equation. It’s about to get even worse. People are also really bad at estimating “calories out.” When folks self-assess how many calories they burned by exercising, they’re generally WAY OFF, by as much as 50%![15] Oh, and those fitness trackers we wear? They’ve been shown to be inaccurate, some by up to 90%![16] That’s why we made this infographic on tracking “calories out”: This is the main problem with CICO: we’re stuck with educated guesses for “calories in” and “calories out.” So we underestimate the calories we eat by 40%. And then we overestimate how many calories we burn by 50%. No WONDER we think our metabolism is broken if we can’t lose weight! Ugh. Heck, even how many calories you need a day (your baseline or Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is an estimate, something we acknowledge in our calorie calculator, which you can play with right here: THE NERD FITNESS CALORIE CALCULATOR
In summary: balancing “calories in against calories out” is really all quite messy when you get right down to it. Does that make all this hopeless? Not even remotely. But it does give us some context if you can’t seem to lose weight. Tips for Sustainable Weight Loss (Next Steps)This post is not made to dissuade you from trying The CICO Diet. I actually encourage everyone to track their food and calories for one week, because it’s often an eye-opening experience on how much they’re truly eating. If possible, take a few days and use a cheap food scale instead of just eyeballing it. You’ll be shocked an actual portion sizes of some foods! When it comes to sustainable weight loss, here at Nerd Fitness, we encourage two paths:
Both of these strategies can dramatically – and positively – influence “calories in” and “calories out” respectively. In our Guide to Healthy Eating, we explain why every website tells you to eat vegetables (which we also tell you): vegetables are full of nutrients, contain lots of fiber to keep you full, and are generally low in calories. Eating lots of vegetables, or “real food,” will help you naturally lower “calories in.” How about another example to think about? Here are 200 calories of a blueberry muffin: Compare it to 200 calories of broccoli (Thanks to wiseGEEK): Which one do you think you’re likely to accidentally overeat for your calorie allotment? Right. For our other strategy, our Strength Training 101 series explains why growing strong is important for fat loss: Building muscle takes a lot of calories (and so does maintaining it). In other words, a stronger version of yourself will require more calories: This will naturally raises your “calories out.” The trick with it all is the “make small tiny changes” bit. We’ve seen over and over that small steps (eating one new vegetable a week, a simple bodyweight workout) create momentum. Over time, these small changes are the keys to permanently getting healthy. The entire Nerd Fitness Coaching program is based on this premise. So what should you do now? Pick a small change and get going! Here are some options for a healthy new habit:
The most important thing you can do now: start! The exact “small tiny change” doesn’t matter so much, just pick one you feel comfortable with and get going! Once that habit becomes sustainable, pick a new one! And so on and so on… We’ve seen it time and time again here that this is the true path towards success. Boom! Still here? Want some more guidance? An exact plan to follow on where to go next? Alright, you got it, but only because you’ve been nice this whole time. #1) Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program: a coaching program for busy people to help them make better food choices, stay accountable, and get healthier, permanently. You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you. Just click on the image below for more details: #2) If you want a roadmap for getting in shape, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app will help you exercise and eat better, all while you build your very own superhero. Interested? Try your free trial right here: #3) Join The Rebellion! We have a free email newsletter that we send out twice per week, full of tips and tricks to help you get healthy, get strong, and have fun doing so. I’ll also send you tons of free guides that you can use to start leveling up your life too:
Download our free weight loss guide
THE NERD FITNESS DIET: 10 Levels to Change Your Life
Alright, I think that about does it for this article. Now, your turn: What are your thoughts on The CICO Diet? Do you have a strategy for balancing “calories in” and “calories out”? Think I’ve got it all totally wrong? Let me know in the comments! -Steve PS: Make sure you read the rest of our content on sustainable weight loss: ### GIF Source: Millhouse, Barney Thumbs Up, Joker, A Beautiful Mind, Leo “duh,” Photo Source: A Surprise Performance Appraisal, Against the Current, There is always a bigger fish, Dim Sum Trike, miam miam,
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The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/what-is-the-cico-diet-how-to-count-calories-for-weight-loss/ There’s no gentle way to say this – training with injuries SUCKS! The most important thing you can do now is to let yourself heal. However, depending on your injury, there might be quite a few ways to stay active while also recovering. We do this all the time in our Online Coaching Program. We’ll build workouts for clients who are dealing with pre-existing injuries, so they can make the most of their recovery time. Today, we’ll share these same tips with you. Here’s what we’ll cover:
REAL QUICK: If you’re worried about hurting yourself while lifting, I would encourage you to check out our guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know. We cover all you need to begin a strength training practice, from equipment, starting weight recommendations, and proper form techniques to prevent injuries. You can grab it for free when you join the Rebellion below!
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
NOTE: I am not a doctor (in fact, I’m not even wearing pants right now). You should really seek medical attention for any injury you receive.
Step 1: Preventing Injuries in the First Place (Warming-Up)Now, it should go without saying: the best way to handle an injury is to prevent it in the first place. So always start your training with a dynamic warm-up. Studies have shown that a brief warm-up before your workout can help prevent injuries.[1] Here’s why: You can think of your muscles like rubber bands: Should you start your workout by immediately lifting heavy weights or sprinting really fast, those cold, unstretched rubber bands can get pulled apart very quickly. They can then get snapped or pulled out of shape. Ouch. That’s why every workout should start with a warm-up. We are such big believers of this, that when we program workouts through our Online Coaching Program, we ALWAYS kick it off with a warm-up. It’s one of the tools in our kit to help clients stay injury-free. What’s that? You don’t know how to warm up? No prob. Here’s a beginner warm-up routine you can try: If you want more, check out The 15 Best Warm-Up Exercises & Routines to Prevent Injury. Step 2: When Should I See a Doctor After an Injury?As Coach Jim mentions in the video above, the FIRST thing to do after an injury is to seek a professional. All the internet advice in the world won’t take the place of a single session with a doctor or physical therapist. After you get hurt, really the best thing you can do is have the injury examined by someone who knows what they’re doing. I will say, that not all doctors are created equal… …but that’s not another article. Next, we need to get your headspace in proper order (even if you don’t have a head injury) Step 3: How to Mentally Deal With InjuriesThe SECOND thing to do right after an injury: realize it’s going to affect you mentally…just as much, if not more than physically. So be prepared! There are numerous studies showing the different negative emotional reactions that people have when injured.[2] But just from the School of the Obvious – if you’ve ever had an injury – you know how it puts you in a bad mood. What may help, is recognizing and reframing negative thoughts, like with some quiet meditation or journaling. Or even seeing a therapist or sports psychologist Just make sure you don’t overlook the mental aspects of recovery. Step 4: Testing Movement Around the InjuryAfter you’ve seen a doctor and prepared for the mental battle ahead, I want you to test all movements. And by test, I mean work through as much of the range of motion of an exercise as possible with zero additional resistance and without feeling any pain. That means if your shoulder bothers you, just see if you can extend your arms all the way above your head. Do this before you even consider doing a push press or shoulder press. After that, make sure to test movements that you don’t suspect will be a problem. A shoulder injury could very well make box jump sessions impossible, due to the arm swing involved in the movement. Try out each movement cautiously! Something to keep in mind: just because you have pain with a push movement, does not necessarily mean you will have pain with a pull movement. I have had a shoulder injury where dips and push-ups were out of the question…but pull-ups were fine. And that is why you should test all movements – you may have more training options than you expect. Then again, your injury may limit movement more than you realize. Last time I’m going to say it – test. Step 5: How to Make the Most Of Your Recovery (Sleep and Nutrition)Next, rest. And by rest, I mean completely stop doing movements that cause you pain until you are healed. If you feel any pain during your test (especially joint pain), then you should abandon that movement until the injury heals. You cannot “suck it up” and just grind through joint pain without hindering healing at best… …and causing further damage at worst. Along with rest, a recovery regimen to accelerate healing should be considered. Ideally, this would be done under the care of a physician. I have been to the doc for injuries in the past and have found that those that use “Sports” in the title of their practice (Sports Medicine, Sports Therapy) do their damnedest to keep you active. Here are two often overlooked components of recovery: Sleep and nutrition are always important when it comes to fitness. But for the swiftest recovery from an injury, you need to get your food intake and sleep schedule dialed in extra tight.
If you want to do everything within your control to sway the healing forces in your favor, be extra diligent with your sleep and eats. Step 6: Staying Active While InjuredIf your doctor has okayed it, stay active any way you can. This is often the opposite of what many people will do – which is to completely stop using the injured area. We want to move pain-free, of course, but any light movement is often going to be more beneficial than just stopping movement altogether – as it gets the blood flowing through the area and helps recovery.[3] This might mean lowering the weights used, doing an assisted or even unweighted variation of an exercise. Like by busting out a resistance band: But if you can still safely move the injured area without causing added pain or setbacks – then it’s often a good idea to do so. If that’s not an option, consider different ways to move while injured:
Let’s dive into this point a little more. Step 7: Getting Creative While Working Out With an InjuryMy dear friend, it’s time to get creative. When you get injured, start thinking outside of the box to find the opportunity in the obstacle. A shoulder injury may make back squats incredibly painful. But holding the bar for a front squat instead could feel fine… …and perhaps it just so happens that you have neglected the front squat lately. So instead, try to look at an injury as an opportunity for you to focus on a weakness. Strengthen your weaknesses, become more well-rounded, and better equipped to deal with rigorous activity. That’s how you become “antifragile.” But enough of the generalities. You want some specific recommendations on how to train around your injuries… Here are some tips for training around common injuries: #1) Training with Lower Back PainIf you have any lower back pain, forgo any spinal loading. Period. That means no squats for sure. But it also means no deadlifts. It also means using no additional resistance in any movement where your shoulders should be higher than your hips. That pretty much limits you to the bench press as far as free weights go, which you’re gonna want to make sure you do correctly. You could also spend your recovery time exploring various bodyweight exercises. #2) Training with an Injured WristWrist pain is most commonly complained about when doing the traditional push-up: You might be able to alleviate this pain by using push-up bars and even (believe it or not) knuckle push-ups. This is because you might be dealing with a flexibility issue and not an actual injury. Front squats and power cleans done with the Olympic rack position may also lead to complaints of wrist pain. To eliminate wrist pain in the front squat, try the more common crossed-arm rack position: For the power clean, concentrate on getting the bar on top of the front of your front deltoids (shoulders) – if the bar is touching your throat, you are getting there. Here are 15 wrist mobility exercises for more help here. #3) How to Train with a Knee InjuryKnee pain typically comes in a fitness setting as the result of one of three things:
Knee issues can be especially frustrating for those trying to lose weight because exercises involving squatting, lunging, and jumping are ideal for accelerating fat loss. In this situation, I typically recommend a kettlebell swing as my first alternative option. A properly executed swing does not involve much bending of the knee. In my experience, most people who cannot squat can handle swings without screwing up any preexisting knee conditions. If you’re trying to lose weight, another option you could try is boxing drills: However, it is important to work slowly at first to be sure that the twisting necessary for generating punching power from the hips does not aggravate the knee condition. #4) Can I Lift with a Hurt Elbow?You’re out of luck on this one, unfortunately. Sorry. Nearly any upper body exercise, push or pull, will hinder your recovery time. Instead, focus on lower bodywork such as barbell squats, sprinting, and lunges. #5) Can I Exercise with an Injured Ankle?Avoid any high-impact movements with a hurt ankle. And all that means is do not jump. But other movements that involve more subtle ankle movement such as squats may also have to be put on the back burner as you heal. It is possible (likely?) that you may have to focus on upper body movements and use seated versions of movements such as rows and overhead presses instead of standing. This will help let your ankle heal. #6) What Should I Do With Shoulder and/or Hip Pain?Test, test, test. These ball and socket joints can be the most unpredictable when it comes to training options. Start slow, start light, and back off the second you feel any pain. MOVING FORWARD WITH AN INJURY (Next Steps)Injuries are always frustrating when they happen. But I don’t know anyone with any significant amount of training time under their belt who hasn’t had to deal with one. When injured:
If you want any more help along your journey, you know we’re here for you. Here are three ways that Nerd Fitness can help you level up. #1) Our Online Coaching Program: a coaching program for busy people to help them make better food choices, stay accountable, and get healthier, permanently. They can build you a custom program so you can grow strong, to hopefully prevent you from getting injured in the first place. Plus, they can do form checks to help make sure you’re doing all your training correctly. You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you. Just click on the image below for more details: #2) If you want a roadmap for getting in shape, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app will help you exercise and eat better, all while you build your very own superhero. Interested? Try your free trial right here: #3) Join the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion. Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our Rebel Starter Kit, which includes all of our “work out at home” guides, our Strength Training 101 eBook, and much more!
Get your Nerd Fitness Starter Kit
Alright, I think that about does it for today’s articles. Now, I want to hear from you! Do you have an injury that is preventing you from training? Do you have any tips and tricks to keep moving while still recovering? Did you seek advice from a doctor who gave you good information? Let us know in the comments! -Steve ### All photo sources can be found right here: January 27, 2009-22.05, Rugby Player, ©Rattanachai Singtrangarn/123RF.COM, Going to bed, Morning run with the FitbitBatman, Runners
Footnotes ( returns to text)
The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/injuries/ Let’s start training with resistance bands! Whether you got exercise bands in the mail from Amazon during quarantine, or they’ve been sitting in your closet since the 80s, you’ve finally decided it’s time to learn how to use the darn things. Either way, you’re in the right place! That’s because we specialize in home workouts. Our Coaches build custom training programs for whatever equipment you might have available (or even “no equipment”). If you have a set of resistance bands, today we’ll show you how to put them to good use. Here’s what we’ll cover in this guide:
It’s time to join the Resistance…
…band movement.[1] The Nerd Fitness Resistance Band Workout (With Video Tutorial)After you watch the video above (featuring Matt Shortis, a lead trainer in our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program), here’s a quick recap with the repetitions of the workout here: RESISTANCE BAND WARM-UP:
THE NERD FITNESS RESISTANCE BAND WORKOUT:
This Beginner Resistance Band Workout is what’s called a circuit (you can learn all about circuit training here). That’s just a fancy term for doing a workout like so:
Your long-term goal should be to do 3 full circuits back to back for a complete workout. If you can only go through it once or twice, that’s okay too! And if you need to take a break at any time between sets or after a circuit, do it! You do you. Whatever you do, don’t skip your warm-up. Even if you don’t do the sequence above, make sure you get your heart rate up a little before jumping in. Here’s another short sequence you can do to warm up: Next, let’s go over each move covered in our resistance band workout (and warm-up) in detail. The 10 Best Resistance Band ExercisesHere’s each exercise covered in the Beginner Resistance Band Workout: #1) BAND OVER AND BACK
Tip from Coach Matt: If it’s too difficult to keep your arms straight, loosen and widen your grip on the band so it becomes less taut. #2) OVERHEAD BAND PULL-APART
Tip from Coach Matt: Resist the urge to have the resistance band “snap” you back up. Do this by slowly controlling the movement. #3) HORIZONTAL BAND PULL APART
Tip from Coach Matt: Make sure you stand up straight during this movement. Over time this exercise will help improve your posture. #4) BAND SQUATS
Tip from Coach Matt: If this seems too easy, you could use two exercise bands, increasing the resistance. #5) BAND OVERHEAD PRESS
Tip from Coach Matt: Stand up straight and push up as tall as you can. Reach high during the movement and try to take up space. #6) BAND DEADLIFT
Tip from Coach Matt: Make sure you pull with your arms during the movement, which will engage your back. #7) BAND ONE-ARM ROW
Tip from Coach Matt: Keep your chest up and tall. You want the band to pull with your arm, not your entire body (resist the urge to rotate your torso). #8) HIGH TO LOW BAND ROW
Tip from Coach Matt: Keep your chest up, towards the anchor point of the resistance band. #9) SINGLE-ARM BAND CHEST PRESS
Tip from Coach Matt: Make sure the band has some tension in it during the start. You want resistance from the band during the entire movement. #10) PALLOF PRESS
Tip from Coach Matt: The point of this exercise is to feel it along the obliques (side torso), so make sure there’s enough tension in the band during the entire movement. What Are the Best Resistance Bands? (Types and Product Recommendation)In the Resistance Band Workout above, Coach Matt showed you how to handle two types of resistance bands: loop bands and tube bands. Let’s go over these and other resistance bands you may come across. #1) Loop Bands Much like the name would suggest, loop resistance bands consist of one single band formed in a loop. They don’t have handles and are more strap-like than chord-like. Not only can you use these in the exercises covered above but you can also use them to help perform bodyweight exercises like assisted pull-ups or assisted bodyweight dips. You can check out our guide The 42 Best Bodyweight Exercises for more on this topic. At the time of this writing, there were still some loop bands available for purchase online. #2) Tube Bands Tube resistance bands will often have handles or carabiners at the end (which you can attach a handle or anchor to). You might also hear these called “fit tubes.” As Coach Matt showed you, every exercise in our Resistance Band Workout can be done with a tube band, so they’re ideal for creating a home gym. The other cool thing about these bands: you can attach two of them to the same anchor and handle, increasing the amount of resistance. There’s really nothing stopping you from doing a third band either, which means they can really help increase your strength. Tube bands can still be ordered online, so you might be able to add them to your arsenal. #3) Mini-Bands (Circle Bands) Mini-bands are like loop bands, but smaller, thinner, and wider. They are often used for lateral movements, by placing them above your knees or ankles. This offers more resistance to the movement, further activating your hips and glutes. They aren’t quite as versatile as the loop or tube bands, but then again, they aren’t completely sold out either. #4) Therapy Bands Therapy bands are long (up to 6 or 7 feet) and thin, almost like a sheet. They do not loop, although they can be tied together to form a loop. Like the name would suggest, therapy bands are often found in rehabilitation centers, used to help strengthen muscle after someone has gone through an injury. They’re generally “light” on the resistance offered, making them ideal for someone looking for a low-impact exercise. Therapy bands offered by Hoocan have received good reviews and can still be sent to your home. #5) Figure 8 Bands No surprise here: these bands look like a figure 8, with handles on top and bottom. These bands are great for many of the pull-apart exercises we covered earlier, and can also be used like the mini-bands to activate your hips and glutes, by placing each leg through one of the loops. At the time of publication, SPRI still had some of these bands available. How to Use Resistance Bands (5 Tips and Tricks)Let’s discuss a few tips so you can make the most of your resistance band workout. #1) Do not use the band if you notice cracks or tears. Seriously, just buy another one. You do not want a resistance band snapping on you while in use. #2) If you need more resistance, add another band. The tube resistance bands with carabiners are great for this because you can pretty much always add another band between your handle and anchor. #3) When anchoring your bands to a door, make sure the door pulls away from you. You don’t want to accidentally force the door open, which could result in injury or hurt feelings. #4) Maintain band tension throughout the exercise. When starting every exercise covered here, you want a little tension at the start of the movement. This will help keep your muscles engaged during the entire exercise. #5) Be careful what you anchor your bands to. While a band may fit around a tree, the rough surface could wear down your band, causing it to snap. Check the surface, and if your bands come with anchors, use those. How to Do Assisted Exercises with a Resistance BandIn the video above, Coach Matt walks you through using a resistance band to do pull-ups. It’s not the only exercise where a band might prove helpful. Here are some “assisted” exercises where a resistance band may prove helpful: #1) Assisted Dips: #2) Assisted Chin-ups: Just like the pull-up above, but your palms face you. Can You Lose Weight With Resistance Bands? (Weight Loss 101)If you’re trying to lose weight, a few resistance bands and the workout routine above could be a great part of the plan. The other part of the plan should be your nutrition! As we lay out in our Coaching Program, throughout Nerd Fitness Prime, and our massive guide on “Healthy Eating,” we believe that nutrition is 80-90% of the equation for weight loss. No joke. It’s by far the biggest factor for success. So will you lose weight training with resistance bands? Maybe! If you fix your diet AND begin to incorporate our resistance band routine a few times per week, you’ll find yourself building muscle, losing fat, and getting stronger! So how do you fix your diet? Great question. Whether you choose to follow a Keto Diet, Paleo Diet, Mediterranean Diet, or something like Intermittent Fasting, the best path will be up to your goals, your situation, and your habits. Here are some basic tips though (as we cover in The 5 Rules of Weight Loss):
Those tips should get you started, but if you want more specific instruction and guidance, check out the NF Coaching Program – Your Coach will build a routine tailored to your individual needs and what equipment you have available: When Should I Do a Resistance Band Workout? (Next Steps)The only question left to answer here is this: when should you do your resistance band workout? As I discuss in our guide, How to Build Your Own Workout Routine, I generally recommend newbies complete a full-body workout two to three times a week. When we say “full-body,” we want a sequence that will hit the following:
As you see, the Resistance Band Workout covers all these, so feel free to run through this sequence a few times a week. Just make sure you don’t train on consecutive days (you build muscle while resting). On your “rest days,” you can look into doing some active recovery, yoga, or fun movement. If you can only get yourself to work out once a week, that’s okay! Let that become normal, then we can brainstorm ways to squeeze in an extra day. Building the habit of working out is our goal today. We can worry about maximizing “gainz” down the road. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about maximizing gainz. Now the only thing left to do is start! Here are some options for next steps with Nerd Fitness: Option #1) If you want a professional coach in your pocket, who can do video form checks, provide feedback, and adjust your workouts based on the equipment you have available, check out our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program! For example, let’s say you find yourself stuck indoors during a pandemic, and you want somebody to custom-build you a workout program based on the equipment and furniture you have. That’s where an online coach is a game-changer! Personally, I’ve been working with the same online coach since 2015 and it’s changed my life. You can learn more by clicking on the box below: Option #2) If you want an exact roadmap for getting fit, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally). Plus, we have Missions specifically designed to help you train with your resistance bands! Try your free trial right here: Option #3) Become part of the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion. Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our Rebel Starter Kit, which includes all of our “work out from home” guides.
Get your Nerd Fitness Starter Kit
Alright, I want to hear from you and your experience with Exercise Bands! Do you rock resistance bands in your workout? Any band exercises that I’m missing? Any product recommendations that need to be shared? Let me know in the comments! -Steve P.S. If you are trying to stay in shape while your gym is closed, check out:
P.P.S. Because I have to: ### PHOTO SOURCE: Loop Bands, Tube Bands, Mini-bands, Therapy Bands, Figure 8, The road to rehabilitation, Exercise with bands, Exercise and sunglasses, Home Sweet Home, Sunset. GIF SOURCE: Mini-Band,
The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/the-ultimate-resistance-band-workout-how-to-train-with-exercise-bands/ Strength training will change your life. If you want to lose weight, gain muscle, and/or just look and feel better, strength training will do just that.[1] In this comprehensive series, we’re going to cover EVERYTHING you need to know about getting strong. By the way, hi. I’m Staci Ardison, Senior Coach for Team NF, with a 455 pound deadlift, and strength training has changed my life. Here’s that deadlift by the way (at a bodyweight of 150 lbs): I help men and women get strong with our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program, and in addition to this strength series, I’d love for our team to help you get strong too: In this introduction to Strength and Resistance Training, we’ll cover:
This is also quite a lot to absorb, so we’ve combined this article along with the rest of our strength articles into a “Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know” guide. Grab it free when you join the Rebellion by putting your email in the box below.
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
What are the Benefits of Strength Training?Life is EASIER when you’re strong:
Plus, whether you’re 100 lbs overweight or just need to lose the last 15, strength training is one of the most effective ways to burn fat and build muscle.[2] Let’s get the long term benefits out of the way: building strength has been shown to: #1) Halt and even reverse sarcopenia: As we age our skeletal muscle deteriorates, which is a condition known as sarcopenia. Strength training has been found to reduce the negative effects of sarcopenia allowing us to maintain an independent lifestyle (and out of a nursing home) and live longer.[3] #2) Prevent disease and degenerative conditions:[4] Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. Strength training helps correct issues relating to cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and inactivity – all factors for heart disease. Cardiologists are even starting to recommend strength training for people who have suffered a heart attack as little as three weeks after the attack.[4] #3) Improve the quality of life for people with: arthritis,[5] osteoporosis,[6] Parkinson’s Disease,[7] Down Syndrome,[8] lymphedema,[9] fibromyalgia,[10] who have recently had a stroke,[11] have had a spinal cord injury,[12] cancer survivors[13] and clinical depression.[14] Clinical exercise physiologists working with these special populations listed above strongly recommend incorporating strength training to slow down the progression of their disease or disorder, decrease their risk for other comorbidities, and decrease their risk for premature mortality.[15] Now, in addition to making life easier LATER, strength training has a lot of great benefits right now:
In addition to physical improvements, strength training will make you healthier: #1) Strength training increases bone density, builds a stronger heart, reduces your resting blood pressure, improves blood flow, halts muscle loss, helps control blood sugar, improves cholesterol levels, and improves your balance and coordination.[22] This is all great news because this will decrease your risk of developing conditions such as osteoporosis, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. #2) Strength training will make you FEEL better: Not only will you find yourself with more energy and confidence, less stress and anxiety,[23] and a better overall mood,[24] but you’ll actually begin to think better (resistance training has been proven to help increase cognitive function[25]). You may be asking how this is possible? Strength training allows for neurogenesis and neuroplasticity to take place, which is the process of creating new neural pathways in the brain. Plus, strength training also allows for certain neurotransmitters (e.g., dopamine) to be released that plays a role in brain health.[26] And while training too close to bedtime can be a bad idea, exercising earlier in the day has been proven to help prevent sleep apnea and insomnia.[27] I even improved my posture from strength training – when I started lifting, I was 5’4”. Now I’m 5’5.5”.[28] This is also a major concern for today because of prolonged cell phone use, which finds people constantly tilting their head forward and down resulting in neck pain and faulty posture.[29] #3) Last but not least, strength training is fun! Whether you are looking for the most effective 20-30 minute workout (to stay fit and look great naked), or are looking for a competitive sport that you can really get into, strength training can help you meet your goals.[30] It’s easy and fun to see progress as you strength train, almost like leveling up (“You gained 100xp and +1 STR with your deadlift today”). If you’re looking to improve in other areas (a sport, traditional cardio, or an activity like rock climbing), strength training is an easy choice! Strength training will help keep you injury free too.[31] We have coaching clients from 18 to 80+, and we work on strength training with practically every single one of them due to just how many benefits it provides! We’d love to work with you too: Who SHOULDN’T strength train?Trying to be balanced, I wanted to find studies of a single group of people who should not strength train. But then I found studies on how strength training can be beneficial for paraplegics.[32] I also found studies that show the benefits for children and adolescents.[33] I next found plenty of studies that explain the benefits of strength training for pregnant women.[34] Oh, and if you think you’re too old, I promise that you are not. And thus I’ve decided, not knowing you, you should probably strength train. IMPORTANT CAVEAT: if you do fall into any of these special populations (e.g., paraplegics, children, pregnant women, etc.) it is imperative that you work with a qualified professional (e.g., clinical exercise physiologist, strength and conditioning coach, etc.). These qualified professionals will perform a risk stratification and pre-assessments so they can start you off with the perfect training program that will improve your physical and mental health, and will decrease your risk for injury and prevent your condition from progressing to a more severe state. Oh, and if you are already injured, you should check with a doctor[35] or physical therapist before strength training. Long story short: EVERYBODY should strength train. Robots too…probably. It’s what we’re genetically designed to do: move around, push, pull, jump, and carry things. What Is Strength Training? The Basics You Need to Know.“Strength training” of any kind can be explained by two things:
That’s strength training! If you want seven different ways to achieve progressive overload, watch this video: All this means if you do 10 squats and 10 knee push-ups right now, you have completed a strength training workout. Feel free to do this right now to give yourself a quick win. And we’re back! So what’s actually happening to our bodies when we strength train? Let’s get on our magic school bus and learn about the wonders of muscles! Here’s what you need to know your muscles and strength training: We’ve got 642 muscles in our bodies (but who’s counting), and they all work together to help our bodies move, stand, and exist. When you bend your arm, your biceps contract and your triceps do the opposite (elongate) in order to let your elbow bend. Every muscle in your body works alongside other muscles to let you move and do things. In this particular example, the biceps is known as the agonist muscle and the triceps is the antagonist Strength training starts when you move your bodyweight (doing 10 push-ups), or pick up a weight (a 100 pound deadlift) that is beyond what your body is normally used to. In other words, you push your muscles outside of their comfort zone. They “break down” and tear slightly during this workout, and then over the next 24-48 hours they rebuild themselves stronger and more resilient.[37] This is the foundation of strength training, and it’s called hypertrophy, in which the individual muscle fibers packed into your muscles are growing larger in size.[38] There are a few types of hypertrophy,[39] which you can nerd out about here (don’t worry, this won’t be on the quiz):
“Staci, what does this mean for me?” You might be wondering. We cover exact strategies in our “How many sets and reps?” guide, but here’s what you need to know: Strength train based on your goals! If you are building your own workout:
Please note: each of these rep ranges are NOT exclusive – when you train in a higher rep range you’re not JUST getting size, you’re also getting strength. And if you get really strong, it can also help you with size and endurance. Don’t forget that no matter HOW you train, nutrition will be responsible for 90% of your results. Three quick points (which we cover in more detail throughout the rest of this series): #1) “How often should I work out?” For a basic strength program, working out 3-4 days a week is plenty.[40] This is one of those situations where more is not necessarily better. #2) Recovery: The general rule is to wait 48 hours before working the same muscle group again. For example, if you trained your biceps and triceps today, then you should wait 48 hours before hitting them again. However, recovery is different for everyone depending on many different factors such as what the actual workout is, how old you are, your sleep quality, diet, and other recovery elements (such as massage, including the popular massage guns, foam rolling, and stretching).[41] #3) Soreness after a workout: The day after an intense strength training workout – or 2 days after – you’re going to be VERY sore. This is called “Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness(DOMS)”. It’s a normal part of the process of repairing your muscles from the damage to the fibers you created while exercising. More recently, research evidence has found that the eccentric part of a lift, or the part of the lift in which the muscles are lengthening and stretching, produces the greatest degree of soreness.[42] Expect to be more sore after doing an exercise for the first few workouts. As your muscles get used to that movement (and adapt to being put under stress), they will get less and less sore every time. If you are sore, don’t skip the next workout! That’s because:
This increases blood flow to the muscles and helps them heal.[43] You can check out our Guide for Active Recovery for some tips on how to do that. Already overwhelmed and just want to be told what to do? I hear you. It’s why we created our coaching program: Can I strength train to lose weight?We get questions relating to weight loss and strength training all the time, and it’s a BIG part of this entire Strength 101 series. Let me quickly address it here: Fat and muscle are two different things – one can’t transform into the other. We all have plenty of muscle right now (otherwise we wouldn’t be able to move, walk, sit up, etc.), the muscle is just hiding underneath a layer of body fat. In order for us to lose weight and look better, we want to do two things:
And luckily, both of those things happen simultaneously through strength training! So NO, you don’t need to lose weight first before you start strength training. You will lose weight BY strength training (and keep the muscle you have). You do NOT need to do hours of cardio for weight loss – weight loss is 90% a result of your nutrition. So honestly, you don’t need to ever set foot on a treadmill again (unless you WANT to). Strength training will help you lose weight and look better IF you do two key things for effective weight loss:
As we cover in our “Why can’t I lose weight” article (full of fun Harry Potter references), combining a caloric deficit and strength training is magic:[44]
Just by doing those two things (get strong, reduce calories), all sorts of wizardry and witchcraft takes place in your body:
Yeah, you’re hearing me correctly. Lose the body fat that sits on top of your muscles and you’ll make your muscles tighter and denser = look better without clothes on. So how do you put this into practice?
Oh, what’s that? You just want somebody to tell you exactly how to train for your body, and how to eat for your goals? Fine! Check out our 1-on-1 Coaching Program – it’s helped thousands of people lose weight through strength training – and proper nutrition. We work with you on habit building and lifestyle design to actually get stuff done! Am I Too Old to Strength Train?As we cover in our “am I too old to strength train” article, no – you are not. I promise. I cited dozens of studies above that show strength training is beneficial for people of all ages. And even for the frail elderly, studies have shown that drastic results are possible in just 10 weeks of weightlifting (for both men and women in their 70s through their 90s).[48] In fact, weight training has also been shown to delay Alzheimer’s and stave off dementia.[49] As mentioned earlier, strength training allows for neurogenesis and neuroplasticity to take place, which is the process of creating new neural pathways in the brian. And, strength training also allows for the dopamine (i.e., neurotransmitter) to be released that plays a role in brain health.[50] Research has also shown that older adults can safely engage in higher-intensity strength training resulting in improvements in strength, body composition, disease status, and independent lifestyle.[51] So, if you think you might be “too old,” you’re probably the exact type of person that SHOULD be strength training! Team NF’s Steve’s gramma is 89 and she strength trains. You are not too old! We have plenty of coaching clients who are retired and just STARTING to strength train now in their 50s or 60s+. In fact one of our coaches, Kerry, is certified as a Functioning Aging Specialist, and you better believe she has her clients strength training! By the way, if you are 90+ and reading Nerd Fitness, please email us at [email protected] – I’d love to hear from you ? Will Lifting Weights Make Me Bulky?No (unless you are TRYING to get bulky). Let me first address this from a women’s point of view, then I’ll get to the men. “Fear of bulk” is one of the biggest myths surrounding women and strength training and it makes me a sad panda. The images of “bulky” women that you are conjuring up are from bodybuilding magazines. When I started strength training, I didn’t get bulky, I got lean: And I’m just one example. We have hundreds of examples here at Nerd Fitness. These are women who strength trained to get strong and lean, not bulky. Like Leslie, who lost 100 pounds by getting strong: Or Christina, who got strong as hell, lost 31 total inches, and now crushes sets of pull-ups! That “bulky” look in women does not happen by mistake or overnight – we simply do not have the hormones necessary to get there on our own. To achieve this look, women have to eat incredible amounts of food and consume incredible amounts of drugs. When we strength train normally, without these supplements, we end up looking like athletes. And for the men: if your fear is getting too bulky, you can rest easy. Steve, creator of Nerd Fitness, has spent his entire life trying to get “too bulky.” It was only after fixing his diet (and hiring an online coach) that he went from Steve Rogers to Captain America. That’s right, strength training is only 10% of the “slim down or bulk up” equation. The other 90% is nutrition and total calories consumed.
“My focus is on running/basketball/quidditch and I need to stay slim! How do I strength train for this scenario?” Studies have shown that strength training increases the endurance of your muscles.[54] In fact, resistance training and weight training not only help to tune up an out of shape nervous system and increase the activation of motor units within your muscles, but also helps increase their overall endurance. More specifically, strength training can result in improvements in how much force muscles can generate and also how much fatigue they can resist leading to better exercise economy.[55] Want to run your first 5K? Strength training will keep you injury free. One of our coaching clients, Aylette, used strength training to keep her injury free and she recently one a triathlon! If you’re worried about getting too big, remember: there are many types of strength training (and alternate forms of strength training like acro yoga and rock climbing!), and size and strength don’t always go hand in hand. I Don’t like Gyms. Can I Still Strength Train?You don’t ever have to set foot in a gym if you don’t want to. Sure, gyms are great, as long as you join the right gym. And we can also teach you how to train in a gym so you avoid that “lost sheep” feeling. But they aren’t for everybody! You can get really strong as hell doing just bodyweight exercises at home. Remember how I talked about “progressive overload” earlier? That applies to bodyweight training too. You just have to constantly increase the challenge your muscles face. Like moving from our Beginner Bodyweight Workout to our Advanced Bodyweight Workout. And then advancing to handstands and even gymnastic ring muscle-ups. You just have to keep challenging your muscles and get strong as heck. Look at any gymnast, male or female – those physiques are built through bodyweight training! To progress in bodyweight exercises, you need to start, so you have something to advance from. You can begin by trying our beginner bodyweight routine RIGHT NOW: Do you know how to properly build a workout routine that has bodyweight exercises that properly scale up as you get stronger? It’s super fun building your own program, but many people just want to follow a plan that they know is aligned with their goals. If you hate gyms and still want to get strong, let us help! How to Start Strength Training Today: Next StepsIf you’re ready to start, fantastic. We’d recommend a simple program to get your feet wet.[56] You know, to learn the movements, build some confidence and prove to yourself that you can DO this! If you want to take the Next Step, here’s how Team Nerd Fitness (that’s us!) can help you: 1) Work with a professional Yoda! If you want confidence that you’re following a program that is tailor-made for your busy life, situation, and goals, check out our popular 1-on-1 Coaching Program. You’ll work with a certified NF instructor who will get to know you better than you know yourself, keep you accountable, and help you reach your goals. 2) Join our amazing free community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion! It’s free to join, and we provide you with free goodies like our Strength Training 101 ebook when you sign up:
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
3) Read ALL of the other amazing resources on Nerd Fitness. We’ve published millions of words over 800+ articles at Nerd Fitness that you can read, but these are the guides that will be the most helpful to you on your journey:
I don’t care which next step you pick, as long as you PICK a plan that works for you
Congratulations: You just made it through the first class of Strength Training 101! What big questions do you have about strength training? Has strength training worked for you? How else can Team Nerd Fitness help you? Now go pick up something heavy! -Staci PS – Please read part two, “5 Strength Training Workouts for Beginners! PPS: Be sure to check out the rest of Strength Training 101 series too:
### Photo Source: Stepan Popov © 123RF.com, LEGO one arm, LYT, lego bench press, Belly, Wizard, Not Happy, Free Weights, acrobat
Footnotes ( returns to text)
The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/strength-training-101/
But what if you can’t do a pull-up yet? The answer: read this ultimate guide on getting your first pull–up ASAP! We have helped hundreds of Online Coaching Clients get their first pull-up, and we’ll cover our exact strategies below! As part of our Strength Training 101 series, we give you an exact plan to follow leading you to your very first full pull-up:
If you can already do a pull-up (woot!), you might want to check out our article on proper pull-up form, although we’ll cover a lot of the same material here. Let’s do this thang.
Tips on How to Start Doing Pull-UpsIn the video above, Coach Jim walks you through the exact progression system we use with our coaching clients who want to get their first pull-up (or chin-up). Before we get into exercises to progress into a pull-up, let’s chat about some general strategies. Consider the following three points when attempting to get your first chin-up or pull-up: #1) This should hopefully be obvious, but the more you weigh, the more you have to lift in order to complete a pull-up. If you’re truly serious about completing a pull-up, start by getting your diet under control. As we say here at Nerd Fitness, 80-90% of weight loss comes down to what you eat (#4 in the Rules of the Rebellion). Here are some resources to help you with weight loss:
#2) MAKE YOUR “PULL” EXERCISES A PRIORITY. A lot of people do every other exercise before doing any back-related exercises, if they do any at all. After warming up properly, your first exercise should always be the stuff that you want to work on the most – in this case, it’ll be your back muscles. Until you get your first pull-up done, focus on the back exercises detailed in the levels and workouts in this guide. #3) The progression we outline is a path that works for most people, but does NOT need to be followed to a T. We give sample sets and reps and when to move up, but if you feel like you can progress sooner or want to try doing full pull-ups sooner than we recommend, that’s OKAY. This is the slower progression method, where some people will want to do fewer reps and progress to the next levels sooner – that’s okay. We recommend moving up to the next level when you can do 3 sets of 8 reps of a particular exercise. If you want the accelerated path, move on up as faster as you can do 3 sets of 5 reps. You do you boo. Want someone to build you a custom made progression plan for doing your first pull-up? Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program will do just that, plus your coach can review your movements through our app so you’ll know your training correctly and safely. Level 1 Pull-up Workout: Bent Over Dumbbell RowsWe’re going to start with bent-over dumbbell rows, the most basic of back exercises, in case you’re starting from ABSOLUTELY square one. Level 1 Pull-up Workout:
What weight should you start out with initially? Whatever allows you to get to at least 5 reps a set. Once you can do 3 sets of 8 reps (each arm), it’s time to pick up a heavier dumbbell. This will allow you to get stronger and stronger. Make sure you give yourself at least 48 hours until you do the Level 1 Dumbbell Rows again, so you can include these dumbbell rows for your workouts on:
As soon as you can do 3 sets of 8 reps, it’s time to move up to a heavier dumbbell.
Want help designing your own workout routine? I’ve got two options for you. The first is to head over to “Build Your Own Workout Routine” and get your hands dirty. Our guide will walk you through building a full-body exercise program in 10 simple steps. The second is to have a Nerd Fitness Coach do all the heavy lifting for you (not really, you still have to lift stuff), by having them build you a tailor-made workout routine: Level 2 Pull-Up Workout: Inverted Bodyweight RowsBodyweight rows are the PERFECT precursor to pull-ups – they work the same muscles, and have you lifting your own bodyweight, just at a different angle. For this level, we’ll provide you with two options: You can also make adjustments. OPTION A: IF YOU HAVE ACCESS TO A GYM OR WANT TO JOIN A GYM: You can follow the rest of this workout as part of our 6-Level Gym workout guide, which will help you go from total gym newbie to pull-up progressing badass! At your gym, find your Smith Machine and set the bar at about chest height. A higher bar makes the exercise easier to start: And as you get stronger, you can set the bar lower: Here’s a whole post I did on inverted bodyweight rows. Here’s how to do an inverted bodyweight row (here is a video demonstration with gymnastic rings, but you can start with a bar as displayed in the images below).
If you need to make the exercise less challenging, bend your knees and put your feet flat on the ground: Level 2 sample workout routine:
(And then go underhand, overhand, underhand the following week) As soon as you’re doing bodyweight rows where your body is at a 45-degree angle or lower, you can progress to Level 3. OPTION B: IF YOU DON’T HAVE ACCESS TO A GYM FOR INVERTED ROWS: You have 4 paths here: 1) Purchase a door frame pull-up bar, hang a pair of gymnastic rings from them. And then follow the same advice as above!
2) Use your kitchen table for rows (BE CAREFUL): 3) Do inverted rows between a couple chairs, as we walk you through in How to Do Pull-ups Without a Bar: 4) Move up to Level 3 and progress with caution there. If you are struggling with rows, you’re not sure you’re doing them correctly, or you’re not sure how to progress to the next level, check out our 1-on-1 coaching program. It’s the type of program that helped single mom Leslie lose 100+ pounds and start training with gymnastic rings and handstands! Level 3 Pull-Up Workout: Assisted Pull-UpsOkay! It’s time to get to ACTUAL pull-ups here! Personally, I don’t like using the assisted pull-up machine in a gym as it doesn’t give you the full feeling of a pull-up, but it’s certainly better than nothing. Instead, I recommend doing one of these alternatives: #1) Assisted Pull-ups with chair Either one foot or two on the chair, depending on your needs. Your feet are ONLY there for support, use your upper body as much as possible. You can also use a box or similar sized object for the same result: #2)Assisted Pull-ups with exercise band: You can get different types of exercise bands with different levels of strength, or a variety pack for easy progression. Put your foot in the exercise band and pull yourself up. #3) Assisted pull-ups with a partner: Have a friend hold your feet behind you and help you complete each rep. Have them use the least amount of help possible to get you through your workouts. Here’s how to do an assisted pull-up:
For another reference, Coach Jim and Staci show you how to do a variation of assisted chin-up right here: This is probably the TOUGHEST level before getting your pull-ups. If you get stuck on “assisted pull-ups” and “assisted chin-ups”, you’re not alone. This is where most people get stuck. We work hand-in-hand with people like you to get them their first pull-up in our Online Coaching Program. If you don’t know how to fit these movements into your workouts, or you just want somebody to give you the exact workout to follow every day, we got you! Finally, a workout that includes Level 3 pull-up exercises
This will help you ramp up to Level 4. Level 4 Pull-Up Workout: Top holds and Bar HangsAlright, so we’ve started off great! We’re working those pulling muscles and assisted variations – but an actual chin-up might feel miles (or kilometers) away. What should we do now? How about we work on holding onto the bar!?! Before we work on doing full range, unassisted chin-ups or pull-ups, it’s really helpful to be strong and confident in holding unassisted parts of the movement. This is definitely something that you want to first do assisted. We’ll then work to transfer more weight – bit by bit over several workouts – off our feet and onto our arms until we’re holding ourselves unassisted at the top. Using a band is a good option for assisted chin-ups, but using a box, bench, or another sturdy object will be a better option here. It will allow you to shift that weight onto your arms a little easier. That said, if all you have is a band for this exercise then that’s ok! Look to use thinner and thinner bands, while lifting the feet and knees up a bit to further reduce assistance (as the band won’t be stretched as far). #2) On the other side of the movement, we have the Bar Hang…which is pretty much what it sounds like too! To perform a bar hang:
To further supercharge this exercise: once you are hanging unassisted, work on retracting your shoulders down away from your ears. Like so: And so: This small movement is TOUGH (and you can even practice it assisted) but getting strong here will set your shoulders in an even better position for your first chin-up/pull-up. We’ll look to hang from the bar (assisted or unassisted) for a total time of 30 seconds to 1 minute. At first this time may be broken up into several sets (e.g., 10 seconds, 10 seconds, 10 seconds), but you should eventually work up to one full set. So how should we integrate either of these into our training? #1) For the Top Holds, do this at the start of your workout (after your warm-up) for 3 sets of 5 seconds. Make sure you give it your all! Really squeeze the muscles tight and put as much weight on the arms as possible! With all that effort, you’ll want to give yourself 30 seconds to a minute rest in-between. I know that sounds like a lot for just 5 seconds of work – but if you were working hard enough, you’ll need it! #2) For the Bar Hang, do this at the end of your workout for 30 seconds to a minute. Again, look to complete this in as few sets as possible, while making the exercise as challenging as possible. Move from assisted to unassisted, with the shoulders retracted downwards. If you have to take a break during the bar hang time, then take enough rest so that the next hold is productive. Here Are the Exercises You Can Include for Your Level 4 Workout Routine: Monday:
Wednesday:
Friday –
When you’re able to perform the Top Holds and Bar Hangs unassisted, then it’s time to move to the next level!!! LEVEL 4.5 PULL-UP WORKOUT: (THE HIDDEN LEVEL)What’s this??? Secret hidden exercises? I just wanted to bring your attention to a great addition to any of these workouts – especially as things really ramp up. Ready for it? It’s . . . the front plank! The front plank (or any of your favorite midsection stabilization exercises) is a great exercise to do, should holding a Top Hold or a Bar Hang prove tough. If you haven’t already felt it during the the previous pull-up workouts – your middle needs to be involved too! During a pull-up or chin-of, if we squeeze through the midsection and glutes, the nearby muscles are able to contract stronger through a phenomenon known as muscle irradiation. Besides sounding like something the Fantastic Four encountered in space, this cool “trick” can helps engaged nearby muscles in the midsection, including those big back muscles that pull us up! You can see muscle irradiation for yourself if you’ve ever been asked to flex your biceps for someone. You’ll instinctually squeeze your hand tight, because it helps the biceps engage stronger! If needed, throw in some front planks work near the end of your workout. You can even start on your knees: Look to hold 30 seconds to one minute of total time. Alright, back to our regularly schedule programming! Level 5 Pull-Up Workout: Negative Pull-UpsOkay! We are now DANGEROUSLY close to getting our first pull-up! The big step at this level is doing a negative pull-up:
WARNING: This can be very dangerous if you’re very overweight, which is why I’d recommend moving slowly through steps 1-3 first. However, once you have a decent amount of back strength (which you got from Levels 1, 2, and 3), doing negatives is a great way to build arm and back strength. You have two options for negative pull-ups:
You don’t need to lower yourself so slowly that one repetition destroys you…lower yourself at a controlled speed – Counting to “three Mississippi” during the movement is a good tempo. Here are the exercises you can include for your Level 5 Workout Routine: Monday:
Wednesday:
Friday:
Once you’re doing all of the negative repetitions in each exercise…you’re ready to do a pull-up. As you’ll see above, we’re giving you the “pull” exercises if you are building your own workout. If you want a good beginner gym workout program, these movements will fit in perfectly. Alternatively, we can do all of the heavy lifting for you (well, not ALL the heavy lifting) – we’ll create a specific workout so all you have to do is log into your NF Coaching App each morning and do the workout your coach prescribed! Level 6 – Doing Your First Pull-up or Chin-up
OH BOY! My dear Rebel, it’s time for a… At this point you have two options: A chin-up is when you grab the bar with an underhand grip with your palms facing towards you. Many find chin-ups slightly easier than… A pull-up is when you grab the bar with your palms facing away from you. Seeing as this is a pull-up guide… HOW TO DO A PULL-UP, STEP-BY-STEP:
We cover all of this and more in our post “How to Do a Proper Pull-Up,” but the above will get you started Depending on your weight, your level of fitness and strength, and how far along you are in these progressions, you might be able to start with even more than one pull-up. At this point, you can be a full Gym Class Hero by following a Gym Workout with these movements in there for your “pull” exercises: Level 6 routine weekly schedule: Monday:
Wednesday:
Friday:
Congratulations! You’re now doing pull-ups. Make sure you watch that video above to make sure you’re doing pull-ups with proper form. Nearly everybody does them incorrectly, with bad form. Want to make sure you have proper form with your pull-ups? Check out our 1-on-1 Coaching program! Our spiffy mobile app lets you send video of your pull-ups directly to your coach, who will provide feedback so you can perfect your technique. They’ll also build a workout program that’s custom to your situation, which will have you doing sets of 10 pull-ups in NO time! Level 7 – Advanced Pull-up MovesOnce you’re able to do 3 sets of 10 pull-ups or chin-ups, you have a few options: OPTION #1: Continue to get better at doing more reps – 3 sets of 12, 3 sets of 15, 4 sets of 20, etc. OPTION #2: Start doing other types of pull-ups WIDE GRIP PULL-UPS (grab the bar WAY out with both hands): SIDE TO SIDE PULL-UPS RING PULL-UPS TOWEL PULL-UPS (Great for grip strength) OPTION #3) Add weight with a weight belt and do weighted pull-ups or weighted chin-ups: Personally, my favorite thing to do in a gym is weighted pull-ups; if you’re at this level and interested in doing so, here’s what you need to do:
Here’s how to incorporate these Level 6 exercises into your gym workout routine:
Where do you go from here? How about working towards one of the most impressive exercises of all time? The MUSCLE UP (warning: uber advanced)!
Our new app, Nerd Fitness Journey, not only has an adventure to get you your first pull-up, but we’ll also show you exactly how to do cool bodyweight tricks like the muscle-up too. No guesswork needed here, just jump into the app and follow the missions and workouts for the day. You can try your free trial TODAY, right here: Lift Yourself Up (A Life With Pull-Ups)No matter your starting point, you CAN do pull-ups. And you WILL do pull-ups with this guide. You don’t need to follow the progression above exactly – it’s merely one path that you can take in order to reach the promised land…where the pull-ups flow like wine and the women instinctively flock like the Salmon of Capistrano. Just ask Christina, who can now do multiple sets of pull-ups – her story is incredible: Or Bronwyn, who lost 50+ lbs and now does chin-ups with her daughter on her back! For people looking for the next step, we’ve built 3 options that might float your boat: 1) If you are somebody that wants to get results like the women above and follow a tailor-made pull-up strength program designed around their life and goals, check out our popular 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program. You’ll work with our certified NF instructors who will get to know you better than you know yourself, check your form, and program your workouts and nutrition for you. #2) Exercising at home and need a plan to follow? Check out Nerd Fitness Journey! Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally). We even have an awesome adventure to help you get your first pull-up! Try your free trial right here: 3) Join our free community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion, and we’ll send you our free Strength 101 Guide, which you can get when you sign up in the box below:
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
Follow the path that works for your schedule, your experience, and your level of comfort with this movement – there’s no shame in going slowly and progressing safely. And if you’re gung ho about pull-ups, ready for negatives and trying to squirm for that first rep, feel free to go for it. Just be safe. When you DO finally do a pull-up, I want to be the first to know – email me at [email protected] and tell me about it! For the Rebellion, -Steve PS: Check out our other three articles on pull-ups:
PPS: Want to learn more? Read the rest of the Strength Training 101 series:
### Photo Souce: Muscles that Move the Humerus The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/do-a-pull-up/ All of us have plenty of stress in our lives. After the last year we’ve had, your stress level may have quadrupled. If you find yourself responding by “stress eating,” know that you are not alone. One of the top issues faced by clients in our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program is emotional or stress eating. After 2020 being all 2020 like (and 2021 having its own challenges), these episodes have only increased. Today, we’re going to show you exactly how we address emotional eating with our clients, including when it’s – GASP – actually okay to stress eat. Here’s what we’ll cover in today’s guide:
What Is Stress Eating? (A Video from NF Kitchen)The above video from Coach Justin comes from the Nerd Fitness Prime “Mindset” video series. Justin covers three important lessons I want to highlight, but before we do that, we should ask ourselves a question: “What exactly is stress eating?” Stress eating is consuming food in response to negative emotions like fear, anger, or sadness. When we stress eat, food is being used to solve a problem. Now, unless we’re actually hungry, it’s likely a problem that food itself isn’t meant to solve. That’s stress or emotional eating. Here’s what compounds the whole problem: stress eating itself can make us feel guilty. We often feel terrible once our spoon hits the bottom of the pint of ice cream. This can drive more negative emotions, which can trigger even more stress eating. And the pattern continues. We’ll talk about ways to break this cycle in a moment, but before we do, we need to create some tools to identify it in the first place. What Causes Stress Eating? (Lesson #1: Playing Detective)You may have been surprised in our video above when Coach Justin gives permission to stress eat. Counterintuitive and seemingly counterproductive, I know. But this is going to be important for two reasons. How to Approach Stress Eating Step #1: we need to curb the guilty feelings about stress or emotional eating. I started this guide off by highlighting the frequency of stress eating amongst our Online Coaching clients. You are not the only one struggling with this. Most humans do. And robots with human-like emotions and taste buds We’ll come back to this idea again, because ending the shame of emotional eating will be critical for moving forward. How to Approach Stress Eating Step #1: allowing ourselves to stress eat will help us learn why we do it. We’re going to be playing detective here, to see if we can piece apart your actions and routines. At the end of the day, our lives are a cumulation of habits. Stress eating is one such habit. So let’s learn about it! To do so, we’re gonna need to record some Emotional Eating Notes. During an episode of stress eating, it’s important to ask ourselves:
Ideally, we’ll start to ask yourself these questions:
The purpose of these Emotional Eating Notes? To look for patterns! Perhaps you’ll notice some of the following:
We’re looking for patterns to help us understand what drives our stress eating. The most important thing about this process: withholding judgment. We’re looking at our notes for clues into our psyche. Whatever we captured is okay. If you order pizza every Thursday after talking with your overbearing mom (of course, she means well), step one is to recognize it. Oftentimes, this awareness step alone can help shift behavior. “Oh, I’m reaching for a beer like I normally do after ending my workday. Typical Me.” After creating some notes on what spurs our emotional eating, it’s time to think about some alternatives for coping with stress. How Do I Stop Mindless Eating? (Lesson #2: The Stress Response Menu)After documenting what sets off our stress eating, we need to formulate a plan on what to do when our anxiety rises. That means it’s time to build…a Stress Response Menu! Our Stress Response Menu will be a list of actions or activities you can do to de-stress outside of eating. Ideally, you’ll do them before an eating episode, but they can be done during or after the fact too. In other words, if you only realized you were stress eating when your hand reaches the bottom of the Doritos bag, no problem, you can do your stress response activity right then. The purpose of the Stress Response Menu is to reward yourself with a small moment of self-love, whenever your anxiety levels are too much. Here are some ideas for activities to place on your Stress Response Menu:
The more the activity from your Stress Response Menu can match your personal goals, the better. In other words, if you’re trying to build muscle, some push-ups might be the perfect de-stresser. Just make sure it’s something you won’t dread doing. A combination of a “de-stressor” and a “reward.” This is important, as Coach Justin mentions that many of his clients only reward themselves with food. The self-love they practice only takes place in the kitchen. Our menu above will help us develop some more options, not solely based on food. To make the most of your Stress Response Menu: #1) Make the activities short and easy. You should feel confident that you can do every item on your list. So avoid activities that will take longer than 10 minutes to complete. Also, set yourself up for success by hacking your Batcave:
Don’t set yourself up for failure by picking overly complicated or burdensome activities. #2) Place your Stress Response Menu somewhere visible. Once you make your list, print it out and place it in your kitchen or pantry (or wherever you typically stress eat). You could also write out a couple of your favorite activities and attach them to your refrigerator. If it’s right in front of you, it’ll be harder to ignore (however, it’s okay to ignore it from time to time, as we aren’t striving for perfection). Just please don’t write it and then stick the list in the junk drawer that opens to another dimension. You never can find anything in that drawer. #3)Track your usage of the Stress Response Menu. This will help us in two ways:
For the first point, Coach Justin has his clients keep a “Jar of Awesome.” Every time they have a small win in the day, like taking five deep breaths instead of chugging soda, they place a marble or small token in a jar. After a while, the jar will have a decent amount of marbles or “small wins” in it. This will then stand as a visual reminder of all the progress being made, proof of their ongoing wins. How Common Is Stress Eating? (Lesson #3: Learning Self-Compassion)The American Psychological Association has found that about a third of Americans respond to stress with food.[1] This research was done BEFORE our global pandemic. So if you find yourself binging in response to the stress of our global pandemic, know that you are not alone here. Our coaching clients, and the NF Coaches themselves, have all found themselves turning to food and alcohol for comfort during quarantine. Heck, recently I mindlessly devoured an entire tub of Animal Crackers too. It was only when the bag was gone did I understand what just happened. Many of us, even fitness “experts,” are prone to stress eating. Now, don’t take this as a free pass to stress eat. If the behavior goes against your goals, it’s something we want to work towards improving. But there’s a reason they call it “comfort food.” Food can often be used to make us happier, pandemic or no pandemic. And we’re all emotional bags of meat of this floating hunk of space rock, and we’re doing the best we can. So give yourself a bit of a break, my friend. You’re here, you’re reading, and you’re trying. That’s great! This will bring me to my last point with our handy guide: Is It Okay to Stress Eat? (Next Steps)There are times when food is the perfect response to stress. It’s something Coach Justin mentions in his video. “Stress eating” might be appropriate if:
The important thing here? “We are making a choice.” We are choosing to deal with stress or anxiety with food. By making it an intentional activity, we can remove the guilt around emotional eating. Food can be fine as a reward, as long as it’s us controlling the behavior, and not the food itself. In addition, if we can recognize the action (or plan for it), we can then adjust our calories before and after and not go off the rails. (You can calculate your recommended total daily calorie intake here, by the way!) If it seems like you aren’t quite there yet, start with your Emotional Eating Notes and your Stress Response Menu. Even just the process of taking notes on specific episodes of stress eating may be enough to slow down the behavior. Remember, no matter what happens:
You are not a bad person (unless you’re a Death Eater, but come on, you know what side you’re on). If you need any help along the way, we are here for you. We have three specific paths to continue with Nerd Fitness: #1) Our Online Coaching program: a coaching program for busy people to help them make better food choices, stay accountable, and get healthier, permanently. As I said before, “stress eating” is the number one issued faced by our coaching clients, so we know exactly how to help recognize and address the habit. You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you:
#2) If you want an exact blueprint leveling up your nutrition, check out Nerd Fitness Journey! Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally). If you follow our Mindset missions, you’ll learn to de-stress while earning XP! Sah-weeeet. Try your free trial right here: #3) Join the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion. Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our Rebel Starter Kit, which includes all of our “work out at home” guides, the Nerd Fitness Diet Cheat Sheet, and much more!
Get your Nerd Fitness Starter Kit
Alright, I want to hear from you: Have you been stress eating more over the last year? Do you have any tips or tricks to interrupt the pattern? What’s your favorite way to de-stress? Let me know in the comments! -Steve P.S. If you’re struggling to keep a normal routine after the pandemic, check out How to Stay in Shape (Without Leaving the House). ### Photo Source: Plant LEGO, beer5020 © 123RF.com, Programmer, On the couch, LEGO hot dog stand,
Footnotes ( returns to text)
The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/how-to-stop-stress-eating-3-uncommon-tools-for-ending-emotional-eating/ It’s time to learn how to portion control! There are all sorts of “tips” and “tricks” out there, but today we’re going to show you the best method. What makes me so confident? For many of our Online Coaching clients, we create portion control strategies for weight loss that don’t suck. Today, we’ll share them with you too! Here’s what we’ll cover:
Let’s do this thang! What Are 5 Methods for Portion Control?As you might know from our “How to lose weight” guide, the key to sustainable weight loss is getting ourselves to consume fewer calories in a way that doesn’t make us miserable. Because our brains and bodies are complicated emotional disasters, there are some tips and tricks we can implement to protect us from…ourselves:
All of these strategies will work to some extent, and they’re good to keep in mind and also practice. However, nothing will get more consistent results than actually learning the number of calories in the food you eat (Portion Control Tip #5)! This is our number one recommendation for how to lose weight. Study[4] after study[5] after study[6] shows that our bodies obey the laws of thermodynamics and that in order to lose weight, we need to burn more calories than we consume regularly.
However, as we point out in our Calories In, Calories Out guide, determining your exact “calories in” can be a real pain. Not only that, but many people with certain personality traits can become neurotic about tracking every single calorie. They worry if they go 1 calorie over their daily allotment. So, what’s a nerd to do? Unless you’re going to weigh out all your food (something I’ve done before) and be militant about tracking, is it possible to “track” your food with a high level of accuracy without having it take over your life? The answer: yes, by getting darn good at estimating! Portion Sizes: How to Portion Control (The Best Method)You already carry with you the best method for portion control. Your hands! Even if you have robot hands. We’re going to use them to build a healthy plate, as shown above. The “Nerd Fitness Healthy Plate” was originally published in our Guide to Healthy Eating, which was inspired by our friends over at Precision Nutrition. We’re not going to worry about being exact. It’s really hard to be precise anyway.[7] However, using your hands as a tool for portion control provides a “good enough” strategy that can help your food intake: As you can see, we’re going to focus our portion control strategy on:
Each macronutrient will correspond to an area of your hand, to give you a sense of what a proper portion size should be. We’ve learned that using your hand as a guide is the most helpful strategy for portion control:
However, having an intuitive sense of what foods should be eaten in what portions will help you level up your healthy eating. When in doubt, match the food in front of you to your hand and carry on. Let’s break this down a little by talking about protein and veggies. What is the Correct Portion Size Part 1: Protein and VegetablesThe above video is taken from Nerd Fitness Prime, as part of our NF Kitchen series. In it, Coach Lauren and Justin discuss the two most important parts of every meal: protein and vegetables. Here’s something that might seem counterintuitive: our #1 recommendation for portion control isn’t about limiting food. Instead, make sure you get a proper serving of protein and vegetables every time you sit down to eat. In other words, when you begin your healthy eating journey, don’t even worry about nixing any specific food. Just make sure you are leaving plenty of room for protein and vegetables. A serving of protein is about the size and thickness of your palm: Protein can come from any number of sources, including:
Not a meat-eater? Read our massive plant-based guide! A serving of veggies is about the size of your fist: Here’s a quick, non-complete list of veggies that can fill half your plate:
When it comes to learning portion control, start by making sure you eat enough protein and vegetables. How much? As we discuss in our protein guide, when building a plate aim for the following amount of protein:
For vegetables, in practice you can probably eat as much as you can stomach (the fiber will likely slow you down), but aim for about 2 fist fulls at most meals, or about half your plate.[9] Don’t like veggies? I was once like you. Check out 10 ways to make vegetables taste good. Here’s why you should prioritize protein and vegetables if you’re struggling with portion control:
In the video that kicks off this section, Coach Justin makes a great point: aim for a little better than you are today. Meaning if you don’t really plan your meals at all, start by having ONE meal include a good protein source and some veggies. So maybe you make chicken stir-fry this week. Once you have that win under your belt, you can aim for doing a little bit more next week (TWO meals that include protein and veggies). We’ll close out today’s guide with some more ideas on how to get going. Before we get there, we need to talk about what else can go into your healthy plate. What is the Correct Portion Size Part 2: Carbs and FatsAfter making room on your plate for protein and vegetables, what’s next? As Coach Lauren and Justin mention in the Nerd Fitness Prime video above, it’s time to include some healthy carbohydrates and fats! Depending on what fitness camp you find yourself in and your history of “dieting,” eating carbs and fats might make you nervous. But as Coach Lauren points out, they have a purpose on our healthy plate! You just need to portion them out correctly. A serving of carbohydrates is about two hands cupped together: If it’s uncooked, it’s about half the size, so one cupped hand. Examples of healthy carbohydrates:
You also want to make sure you’re including healthy fat in your diet too. Fat is actually the most calorically dense macronutrient, so comparatively it’ll take up less room on your hand. Here is a serving of fat, roughly the size of your thumb! Healthy fat can be found in foods like:
The reason people call it “healthy” is because the fat is unsaturated, although science has recently come around on saturated fat too in the correct amounts.[14] We cover this in detail in our Guide to the Keto Diet. Saturated fats can come from things like:
When it comes to portion control, we need to pay close attention to carbohydrates and fats, because this is where people have the tendency to overeat. However, that doesn’t mean we want to completely ditch both food groups either. Here’s why you need to eat these two macronutrients:
Just be careful here. When we analyze the diets of our coaching clients who can’t seem to lose weight, it’s almost always because they are overeating carbs or fats. If you find yourself in this group, take a look at your hand the next time you sit down to eat:
Remember: you don’t have to get this perfect. You just need to be pretty good most of the time. Even just consciously thinking about if your portion sizes are under or over is a great start. And as long as you are consistent with your measuring techniques, then you can adjust your portions based on your progress! You might also find some special plates or containers helpful when serving yourself. How to Use Portion Control Containers and PlatesOne hack Coach Justin uses is simple Tupperware containers to portion control his meals: You can also use some glass containers too if you want to get fancy: Don’t stress about finding the perfect container that exactly holds each macronutrient you need. The point here is that you have a quick frame of reference for portion sizes:
Again, don’t stress if your container doesn’t fit this description exactly. We’re all working off estimates here, so let’s focus on the big picture. These are some cool glass containers if you’re looking for something to buy. How to Control Portion Sizes When Eating OutAn area of concern when attempting to portion control is dining out. It seems like restaurants serve you twice the amount of food that you need. Here’s what Coach Justin does in the situation: ask for a to-go box as soon as you place your order. Yeah, it’s a little weird, but as soon as you get your food, place half of it in the container. Boom! An extra meal for later. Another thing to consider: restaurants want you to leave feeling full. They often do this by piling on the carbs. Think extra bread, lots of rice, plenty of pasta, etc. So it might make sense to split these portions in two, and you’re set for lunch the next day. Also, if you get hungry after eating only half your meal, no problem. Just eat the other half. Even if you’re still at the restaurant. The point is to consciously think about how much you’re eating. A break halfway through can be used as a decision tree: Should I keep eating? This question alone can help with portion control. One last thing: we know eating out at restaurants is often a family or friend bonding experience, so we’d prefer you ENJOY the night. Food is more than just calories. Just plan for it! If you eat a really large dinner for a celebration, eat slightly smaller portions for the next day or so and your body will be right back on track. How to Portion Control for Weight Loss (Next Steps)In the video above, Coach Lauren and Justin walk you through eating a Nerd Fitness Healthy Plate IRL (In Real Life). It’s all well and good to build a healthy plate at home, but…
Here are some tips from the Coaches for portion control IRL: #1) Sandwich The trick here is to pack in as many vegetables as you can. Yeah, you’re probably not going to get two fist fulls in, but you can squeeze in a lot of spinach, onion, sauerkraut, and tomato (yeah, it’s technically a fruit, whatevs) on your sandwich.
Boom. You now have a turkey sandwich that matches our healthy plate strategy. #2) Chili/Soup This can be a little tougher when everything is mixed together. If you’re making it yourself, perhaps you measure out your hand portions as you cook.
Sure, maybe you’re doing less than two fistfuls of vegetables, and more than a cupped hand of carbs (beans). It doesn’t matter. Again, the point is you’re putting a little thought into proper portions. If you’re eating out and ordering soup or chili, maybe just think of the end product in mind: “After portioning everything out, it should be about two fistfuls of food. So that’s what I’ll eat. Everything else I’ll take home.” #3) Pizza This is a little trickier because pizza is mostly bread (carbs). But Coach Justin has a solution for this. First, he eats something he’s proud of, like a salad. Then he portions out his pizza, which if he uses his hand strategy, would be about two slices: Is it perfect? Nope. Does it help Coach Justin reach his goals and allow him to still enjoy life? Yep! So experiment a little by creating some rough guidelines, see how you feel, and course-correct as you go. Remember, any step you take on leveling up your nutrition is great. If you don’t know where to start, I actually recommend you begin by not worrying about what to take OFF your plate, but instead what to add! Make sure every meal you eat has a healthy protein source and a vegetable. Once you have that dialed in, THEN you can worry about portion controlling your carbs and fat. If you need help along the way, we got you. Here are three ways to continue your journey with Nerd Fitness. #1) Our Online Coaching program: a coaching program for busy people to help them make better food choices, stay accountable, and get healthier, permanently. As I said before, we teach portion control to our clients who struggle with overeating, so we’ll provide a non-judgmental expert to help you reach your goals. You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you: #2) If you want an exact blueprint leveling up your nutrition, check out Nerd Fitness Journey! Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally). If you follow our Nutrition missions, you’ll learn to portion control while earning XP! Sah-weeeet. Try your free trial right here: #3) Join the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion. Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our Rebel Starter Kit, which includes all of our “work out at home” guides, the Nerd Fitness Diet Cheat Sheet, and much more!
Get your Nerd Fitness Starter Kit
Alright, I want to hear from you: Do you have any tips or tricks for portion control? Do you use the hand strategy that we covered today? What’s your biggest challenge with portion sizes? Let us know in the comments! -Steve PS: If you’re just starting your weight loss journey, make sure you check out: ### Photo Source: Fresh lobster rolls, bean-there-donut-that-40358-2, Taco trike, Peanut/Walnut
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The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/how-to-portion-control-how-to-lose-weight-with-portion-control/ So you’re having trouble working out consistently? I get it. Life is busy and hectic. You probably wear multiple hats in your life. Hopefully, one of them is a pirate hat: If you are having trouble exercising regularly, know that you aren’t alone. Not being able to work out consistently is one of the top issues facing our clients in Nerd Fitness Coaching. Luckily, there are some tips and tricks that help them, which we’ll share with you right now too. Here’s what we’ll cover today:
Step 1: Why You Miss WorkoutsAs I mention in the video above, it’s okay to stumble – everyone misses a workout now and again. Life happens:
These things happen, so don’t freak out whenever you miss a workout. “Wait, wait, wait Jim! I thought this article was about consistency – then you start off saying it’s OK to miss a workout?” What I’m saying is to not beat yourself up over it. I’ll see people be so tough on themselves for one missed workout, that it spirals downward and then they’re doing NO workouts. It’s unnecessary, and it’s not sustainable. Here’s something I remind my clients: If being tough on yourself helped with workout consistency, it would’ve helped by now. So first of all, forgive yourself. Then, I share with them a saying we have here at Nerd Fitness: “Never Two in a Row.” That means aim to not miss two workouts, back to back. It’s a mantra you’ll hear throughout the Rebellion (our community!). Here’s the justification: as I mentioned, missing one workout is nbd. However, two workouts in a row could be the start of a trend. If you’re not careful, after a few missed workouts, you could just stop exercising altogether. That’s the real danger. So we aim to not allow the trend to start in the first place. Takeaway: If you miss a workout, it’s fine. Just try not to miss the next one. Step 2: Building a Workout PlanHere’s a great quote from Benjamin Franklin:
When it comes to working out consistently, we need to define what “consistently” actually means. For that, it’s time to build a workout routine. As Coach Staci mentions in the video above, we want to focus on three key questions when programming our training:
All three questions are important, but we’re going to focus on “when” right now. Determining “when” you’ll train is easily the most important step for working out consistently. That’s why I want you to place your workouts in your calendar! Schedule your workout like it’s the most important meeting of the day! (A reminder that you ARE important!) That’s what I have my clients do in our 1-on-1 Coaching Program. It goes a long way to helping them stick to their workout schedule. So if you plan on training first thing at 8am, have a calendar reminder go off at 7:50am. It’ll make a difference. I promise. What days should be workout days? For that, I have a couple of resources to share with you:
Step 3: Why “All of Nothing” Hurts Workout ConsistencyAnother one of the best things you can do to improve your workout consistency: have a backup plan. Let’s say a pipe bursts at your gym, and it’s closed for the next few days. Does that mean you should stop working out until they resolve their plumbing emergency? It could be a while… No! It just means you’ll have to work out at home, in a nearby playground, or maybe you just focus on long walks for the next few days. That’s why it’s always good to have a backup for any regular emergency, like:
Remember, just because your initial plan falls through, doesn’t mean you have to completely throw in the towel. Or as I jokingly tell my clients, just because one tire goes flat, doesn’t mean you should slash the other three. Just do the best you can to get back on the road. Step 4: The Key to Getting in Regular ExerciseIf I have one single piece of advice on how to get in more daily movement, it would be this: do something you enjoy. Every workout doesn’t have to be a slog. You can schedule things you enjoy, like: If you enjoy the activity, you’ll be WAY more likely to exercise consistently. For more tips here, here are 40 Ways to Exercise (Without Realizing It). Here’s another trick to start enjoying your workouts – do them while listening to some of your favorite music, or a podcast you enjoy. Heck, you can even flip the TV on in the corner and watch your favorite show while you train. We call this “Temptation Bundling” and I’ve seen it help a lot of my clients:
Don’t overlook the power of coupling activities you enjoy with your workouts. Step 5: How to Build Workout AccountabilityAnother strategy we can deploy when improving workout consistency: accountability and support. There’s nothing quite like being accountable to another human being when it comes to exercising regularly. There are a few ways we can create workout accountability: #1) Tell Friends and Family. Share your goals with your loved ones, then let them know the times you’ll be working out. This will help for a couple of reasons:
#2) Join an Online Community. In the 21st century, it’s very easy to find a group of people who are on a similar mission. If you want to exercise regularly, I’d wager you aren’t the only person on the internet working towards that goal. So join a digital community! That way you can get in on some group accountability. We regularly hold group challenges through our app, Nerd Fitness Journey. I’ve been told by countless Rebels that they’re more likely to get their training in if they know everyone else in the community is doing it too. Heck, I did burpees in the snow because everyone in the Rebellion was doing a burpee challenge. If you want to try out some of these experiences, you can sign-up for a free trial to our snazzy new app right here: If you want some next-level accountability, I have to mention the ultimate power-up: hire a coach. It could be a personal trainer in a gym, or you can go digital with an online coach. Either way, having someone you check in with weekly (who will also program your workouts) is one of the best ways to exercise consistently. If you know a coach will ask you about your workouts, you’re going to be more likely to do them. If you’re interested in learning if you’d be a good fit for one of our online coaches, you can click on the big yellow button below: Step 6: The Problems With Exercise and Workout MotivationIn the video above, Rebel Leader Steve outlines the problems with motivation. I think all of my clients should watch the video. That’s because I’ll often hear them say “I need more motivation to workout” or “I’m just not motivated to exercise.” This is the wrong frame of mind. Action creates motivation, not the other way around. For example, let’s imagine a new client. They don’t particularly like working out and they aren’t very motivated to do it. But they do it anyway. Then, after a few weeks of successful workouts, they’ll start to recognize the trend they’ve begun. Our coaching app tracks all the training we assign, so I’ll often see my clients rejoice when they’ve “hit 20 workouts!” It feels good to recognize they’re making progress, which often makes them more motivated to exercise. So they keep working out. The problem: getting started in the first place can be tough. That’s why you should start with ANYTHING that breaks the inertia. Coach Matt breaks it all down for you right here: As a beginner, your first step is the most important. And often the hardest. In our Beginner’s Guide to Starting Your Fitness Journey, we recommend your first workouts be something simple to get started: a walk. It could be a half-mile around the block. Or it could be to the mailbox and back. The exact amount doesn’t matter, but being intentional is. That’s how we work to build consistency. So do a short walk today. Then another one the day after tomorrow. Then a third two days from then. Boom, three workouts in one week, all by just walking. Step 7: How to Find Time to WorkoutI’ll be real with you: no one is sitting around, twiddling their thumbs with time to kill. If you’re going to make time to work out, you’ll need to figure out what activity in your life you can change or eliminate:
This is why scheduling your workouts in your calendar can be so critical – it helps you see what needs to be moved around to get your training done. Also, it’s okay to experiment here. If you create a schedule, and you don’t hit it all, it’s okay. Perhaps you just created an unrealistic schedule. If so, then modify the workout:
Again, we’re not worried about the amount of time here. Instead, we’re concerned about you hitting your workout schedule consistently. It’s okay to scale down to do that. Once you’re rocking and rolling, we can always scale it up if it seems right. If you want some tips on how to gauge your adherence to sticking with your workout schedule, then check out How to Track Your Fitness Progress. Start Working Out ConsistentlyThere you have it, my friend. When it comes to working out consistently, remember to:
That’s it. The most important thing you can do now today: START! Not tomorrow. Not next Monday. Today! If you don’t know what to do, look at the next free spot on your calendar. Then schedule a walk. Then schedule it a couple of days later. Then the following week. BOOM! You just started a plan for working out consistently. As always, if you need any help here, we gotcha. Here are three ways that Nerd Fitness can help you exercise regularly. #1) Our Online Coaching Program: a coaching program for busy people to help them make better food choices, stay accountable, and get healthier, permanently. As I said, this is the ultimate way to build workout accountability. Not only will a NF Coach build your workout, but they’ll check in with you too to make sure you’re able to do it. If you can’t? No problem, they’ll work with you to create a new plan. You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you. Just click on the image below for more details: #2) If you want an exact roadmap for working out consistently, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app tells you exactly what days to exercise, what days to rest, and helps you track it all so you know if it’s working for you. Interested? Try your free trial right here: #3) Join the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion. Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our Rebel Starter Kit, which includes all of our “work out at home” guides, our Strength Training 101 eBook, and much more!
Get your Nerd Fitness Starter Kit
Alright, I want to hear from you now: What’s your biggest issue with working out consistently? What tips helped the most? Are we missing any helpful suggestions for a beginner? Let me know in the comments! -Jim ### Photo Source: Rugby Player, Bruce Emmerling © 123RF.com, Firefighter, Dog Sitter, Bicycle, Toxic, choneschones © 123RF.com, Morning run with the Fitbit The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/how-to-start-working-out-consistently/ So you’ve decided you want to get fit? Great! Now what? There is SOOO much out there, it can be overwhelming. You end up collecting information for weeks…but take zero action. If this sounds like you, we understand. It’s frustrating! No worries though, you’re in the right place to kick it into gear. We’ve helped thousands of beginners get started (and reach their goals!) as part of our online coaching program. Today, I’ll share with you 3 different ways to get things going, that have been tested by nerds just like you. Here’s what we’ll cover:
Let’s jump right in.
How Do Beginners Get Fit?As Coach Matt discusses above, there are three areas we want to focus on when trying to level up your fitness:
When someone joins our coaching program, we often think about developing habits around these three pillars. As I often share with folks when discussing our coaching program:
What’s the first move in each category? Well, there’s no “one-size-fits-all” approach when it comes to fitness. However, if you twist my arm about it, I will admit that there are a few key habits that I generally have my clients start on. These habits can be good for a beginner to experiment with as their “first step” for getting in shape. Let’s go over a few of them now. “Get Fit” Strategy #1: ExerciseWhen people decide they want to get in shape, they often start exercising more. It’s not a bad strategy. What exercise should we start with? Our recommended first step here…is actually a first step. That’s right, a simple walk can be a great way to start exercising. Just put on some shoes and head out the door! Occasionally, I’ll have some clients bulk at this, claiming “That’s not enough! I need to do more!” While it’s great they’re looking for a challenge, I encourage them not to dismiss the power of walking. Here’s why:
In other words, building the habit is the hardest part. Not the exercise itself. So we start with a walk. Maybe we aim for two or three times a week. Don’t overthink this – whatever time you can do right now is good. Whether it’s around the block, or to the mailbox and back – just make sure you set the intention and do something. Plus, the exercise will be good for you too.[1] Some members of the Rebellion – like Tim here – have gotten in great shape by focusing on regular walks. Here’s our Walking for Exercise Guide for more tips to get started. If you already practice a regular walk, then you can explore doing a little bit more of a formal workout. After you start walking consistently, I recommend you try our Beginner Bodyweight Workout: This workout can be done right in your living room, without any extra gym equipment. Also, make sure you also download the Beginner Bodyweight Workout PDF, so you can track your progress and consistency. I’ll send it on over when you join the Nerd Fitness Rebellion in the box below:
Grab Your Beginner Bodyweight Routine Worksheet. No Gym Required!
“Get Fit” Strategy #2: NutritionAh, nutrition. Any claims on proper nutrition will almost always lead to another battle in the ongoing diet wars. Like the Clone Wars, but with more broccoli and fewer spaceships. Folks on the internet can’t stop arguing about “the best” diet. For some it’s Keto. Others Paleo. Or Vegan. Don’t forget about the Mediterranean Diet. When you start googling a bit, you’ll find lots of contradicting information on how to level up your diet. People will claim you should:
Tragic. In our coaching program, we often DON’T start with any “eat and drink less” talk. We actually do the opposite, with “eat and drink MORE” talk. What do we specifically recommend you eat and drink more of?
For our coaching clients trying to get in shape, sometimes we have them start by drinking a glass of water or eating a vegetable at one of their meals. When we start with adding – instead of subtracting – we accomplish a few things:
This is another step that might seem “too easy” or “not enough” right now, but doing them consistently can still prove challenging. And doing these things consistently is what’s going to build long-lasting changes. If you want additional help with these two actions, I have a couple of resources for you:
But if you’re looking for a “Just tell me what to do!” – then have a glass of water or a vegetable at one of your meals. If you’re doing that already – add one of them to another meal. Rinse and repeat. What’s that? You already drink water and have a vegetable with every meal? Well, you can work on having your meals look a bit like this: For more here, check out A Nerd’s Guide to Healthy Eating. “Get Fit” Strategy #3: MindsetWhen people discuss getting fit, it almost always revolves around “diet and exercise.” A big component that’s overlooked is one’s mindset. All the workout and nutritional information in the world won’t help if you’re stressed out and not able to focus on creating habits. That’s why we also work on stress management with our coaching clients. We can start leveling up our mindset by taking one of these steps: #1) Improving Sleep. A good night’s sleep can make everything easier. Conversely, poor sleep consistently can make everything harder. My clients often have success improving their sleep habits by:
#2) Journaling. Grab anything you can write with (even your phone or computer), and write down some reflections from the day. You can focus your journal on:
Your journal is a safe spot for you to get things out of your head and process them, which can quickly reduce stress. Personally, capturing my thoughts at the end of the night helps me put the day behind me. Our minds are for creating ideas, not storing them (h/t David Allen). #3) Meditation. Simply close your eyes and focus on taking a few slow, deep breaths. It sounds almost too easy, but even this quick pause will help you relax and refresh. It’s not about “emptying your mind”, but instead letting any thought that comes into your head leave just as easily. I’ve seen even a brief 5-minute session help some of my clients’ destress after a hectic day. You can read a bit more in A Nerd’s Guide to Meditation. Whichever of these three that you decide for stress management, look to do it consistently several times a week. Just only pick ONE right now. We’ll work on the others down the road. The Key to Getting In Shape: ConsistencyIf you want to take the first step to level up your life, think about habits around the following:
That’s it. Simple habits to have you move more, get proper nutrients, and destress a bit. There’s nothing here that’s going to sound revolutionary. That’s the point. The action itself isn’t challenging. The challenge is doing the action consistently. So yes, the actions we proposed today might appear easy for you to do. If that’s the case, then do them. Once you have these habits locked in, we can work on leveling them up to more complex tasks. Start now, then course-correct later. If you want a roadmap for building one habit on top of each other, I got a few options for you. I’ll share them with you now, because I’m nice like that. Here are three ways to build healthy habits alongside Nerd Fitness. #1) Our Online Coaching Program: a coaching program for busy people to help them make better food choices, stay accountable, and get healthier, permanently. You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you. Just click on the image below for more details: #2) If you want an exact roadmap on how to get in shape, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally). You never have to question the next step. Your next new habit will always be one adventure away. Try your free trial right here: #3) Join the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion. Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our Rebel Starter Kit, which includes all of our “work out at home” guides, an explanation on the 15 Mistakes That Newbies Make, and much more!
Get your Nerd Fitness Starter Kit
Alright, I want to hear from you now: Have you taken your first step to getting fit? If so, what helped the most? If not, what feels like it’s holding you back? Let me know in the comments! -Jim ### Photos from Four Bricks Tall: Into the forest; In 2015, the first woman coach was hired by a Major League Baseball team; Fresh lobster rolls; Violinist Boy; A grape hyacinth
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