Tuesday Bootcamp Workout and Stretch Routine

Hi Internets!

So today I'm going to write down the bootcamp workout I gave the girls at lunch today and their stretch routine that they are going to do tomorrow and Friday as part of their training. I like my clients to stretch as much as possible outside of class so they can keep better form when performing exercises.

I appologize about my blogging absence D:

Set Up:

• Upper Body, Lower Body, Cardio


• 40 seconds per station, around twice before a 2 minute break then performed 2 more times before abdominals.


• Goal: form and working above 80% of maximum effort.

Exercises:

1. Forward Alternating Lunge Curl Press


2. Medicine Ball Alternating Push Ups


3. Lateral Box Shuffle


4. Bent Over K-Bell Rows (switch half time)


5. In Out Squat Jumps


6. 1 Burpie to 6 Mountain Climbers

Abdominal Circuit:

1. 25 second 4 point plank


2. 25 second double crunch (heels to floor then knees to chest with crunch)


3. 25 second toe touch


4. 25 second Russian twist


5. 25 seconds reverse crunch


6. 25 second flutter kick

1 minute break then repeat 3 times....wooo hoo

Stretch Routine: (I'll try and convince my fiancé to take pictures of me tonight while climbing)

1. Cobra to Extended Childs Pose: Hold each pose for 20 seconds repeat three times


2. Spine Twist: Start with legs in the air, knees bent, extend arms out to side. Keeping both shoulders on the mat drop the knees to one side keeping feet stacked. Hold each side for 20 seconds and repeat 3 times.


3. Hamstring Stretch: One leg straight and down, one leg straight and up, press the heel to the ceiling and grasp your leg behind the thigh (not knee) keeping both shoulders on the ground. Hold for 20 seconds.


4. Hip Opener: In the same position as the previous stretch drop the leg out to the side away from your body. Hold for 20 seconds


5. Repeat 3 + 4, 3 times on each leg.


6. Hip Opener # 2: Starting on hands and knees extend one leg out behind you. Take the other leg in front of you with your knee bent at 90 degrees. Move forward onto the bent leg keeping your back straight: Hold for 20 seconds, repeat 3 times on each leg.

Pictures will help. Stay tuned for those.

Any questions or comments always appreciated.

Byn

Pre Workout Nutrition: Sorting Out the Confusion

Hello Internets!

I’ll start by apologizing for the delay in this week’s blog post. A combination of a busy and blog-blocked Byn equals delayed-ness in posting.

However, one of my clients has sparked my writing topic this week by asking a question I have heard a lot over the years, “What should I eat before coming to work out with you, why and when?”



Is it time to eat yet?!

This question is usually spurred after a first session or a wicked hard high intensity workout. Why? Because this is when we notice most how nutrition affects our performance when being active.  If we don’t eat properly for the workload we are about to ask our bodies to handle, we can easily go from a superstar to a wet piece of gym towel in minutes.

This often leaves us feeling out of shape and frustrated, which is less than motivating! So, if this scenario sounds familiar to you, try some of these tips to improve your workouts DESPITE your fitness level.

Tip #1: Do NOT eat within the hour before a workout

This is something I learned from my exercise physiology professor, and it has changed my workouts (specifically when I go climbing).  It can seem counterintuitive at first glance and I often get perplexed looks when I preach this all important concept.

When and What You Eat is Important

It is true that we need fuel to exercise, but eating within the hour before starting to be active is setting your body up for metabolic failure.

What we need during exercise is to have level blood sugar so our cells get what they need. If you eat, say, 30 minutes before working out your body will spike in insulin levels to deal with the blood sugar rise.  This is bad because when you start exercising you are in a hypoglycemic state, as insulin tells all the sugar to go into your cells to be used or stored. This leaves you feeling sluggish, light headed and weak.

Now, the beautiful thing about exercise is that it suppresses insulin release due to two hormones called norepinephrine and epinephrine. So it is ok to eat once you have begun to exercise, as insulin will not be released and you will not become hypoglycemic.

For example, say you have a volleyball game at 6. You ate lunch at 12 and now its 5… and you’re starving. If you wait until you are already playing volleyball to eat that granola bar and banana your blood sugar will stay much more level than if you eat it on your way to the game… causing you to play better.

A note of caution with this…  I would not recommend downing a banana right after the warm up before an intense circuit training class. What you eat is important as well…

Tip #2: Choose Appropriate Food Depending on Your Impending Workout  

As afore mentioned, eating a banana right after a crazy warm up (*cough* Bobby*) and right before an impending ass kicking is probably gonna make you vomit. So –what- you eat is also as important as when you eat it.

I don’t recommend falling into the volleyball scenario mentioned above, but hey life happens. So if you do find yourself staring down an over-enthusiastic trainer holding a sledge hammer with an empty stomach, reach for something that will digest very quickly and is bulk free.

There are several options you can choose from, including glucose gels to energy drinks. These are a quick fix and I do not suggest falling into a habit of using them on a regular basis, but keep some with you incase crap hits the fan and you have a Bootcamp at 5. 

Gels often don’t taste the greatest, but I prefer them to energy drinks as they often contain less sugar, for example try Clif Bar energy shots. Gatorade has come out with a new line of pre- during and post- workout nutrition. I haven’t tried these supplements myself but those are another possibility to avoid puke-age. DO NOT drink energy drinks… they are not the same thing… they are very very bad for you.

The goal, however, is to eat 2 to 3 hours before your workout. What you should eat should depend on what you are about to do. I am a fan of high intensity training, and for this you want to make sure you have a low fat, high carbohydrate meal with some protein.

Some examples could include;

·         Banana and half a class of orange juice with 8 almonds: The banana and orange juice is light, quick digesting and high in potassium which will allow you to avoid cramping and keep you going through those burpies.

·         Small Chicken Salad with Fruit in it: This is a good choice for 3 hours before. Two hours may be pushing it as the roughage may not sit well. It really depends how your body handles food. For me, I have to stay away from too much roughage if I want to avoid heart burn, but some people it doesn’t bother them. Make sure to have fruit (i.e. grapes, blueberries, strawberries) for those quick digesting carbohydrates that will help you last longer.

·         Fat Free Yogurt and Berries: You’re probably getting the idea that fruit is a good thing before a workout. Fat free yogurt is a great paring because you’ll be getting some protein, which is important to maintain your blood sugar and is very very light.

·         1 Piece of 12 grain Toast/ 1 Tbs of Peanut Butter and 1 Banana: This is my favourite pre-workout meal not only because I’m addicted to peanut butter but my body handles it very well.

·         Apple and a Handful of Walnuts

So as you can see, you’re eating light, nutritious foods with something quick digesting.  The most important thing is to listen what your body is telling you. If you eat an apple and walnuts 3 hours before and you feel like you have 0 energy to finish a class, re-evaluate and try something different.

Tip #3: Please Drink Water

This can either be the easiest or hardest thing for people to do in my experience. You either hate drinking water because you were raised on pop and Sunny D or you don’t mind drinking it, well at least that’s what I have found.

Drinking plain and simple water before exercise is very important for performance, which a lot of people don’t realize. Most of us think that we just need to drink during a workout, when we are sweating. However, if you go into a workout dehydrated your body will be struggling to keep up with your crazy fitness instructor, personal trainer, workout program, workout partner… you get the idea.

So how much water should you drink? Simply put, you need 2-3 cups 2 hours before a work out and ½ to 1 cup directly before a workout. There’s no playing around with this one… that’s what you need. So drink that water!

I find putting stickers on my water bottle helps…



Mmmmm Water!



That’s it for this week! My regular followers may have noticed a lack of vlog action. I hang my head in shame as this regular vlogging thing seems to be harder than I first anticipated…mainly the editing.

I’m not giving up though! There will be more to come, I promise.

As always, questions, comments and suggestions make me VERY happy!

Stay Strong

Byn

Why Are You Making Me Do This: Anaerobic Training is Awesome!

Hola Interwebs!

Not Fun... But Worth It!

I’m so super excited because for 2 weeks now I have had requests for my blog topics. That means you all are reading and want more. It makes me so happy I could explode!!!! However, this feeling of impending explosion could also be due to too much caffeine consumption this afternoon.

 Today’s topic is all about anaerobic training. That horrible high intensity, chest burning, back sweating, heart rate pumping, “I’m gonna puke” exercise I know you all love.

I’m a huge believer of the benefits of anaerobic training (eliciting fear in all those that train with Byn),

those of which I will discuss in a moment, but first things first….

What the Potatoes is Anaerobic Training?!

In the world of exercise, scientists have come up with two different training terms: Anaerobic and Aerobic Training. Without writing a novel, what these words refer two is the predominant energy supplying metabolic system in dominance during a given physical activity.

Aerobic training occurs when you are doing cardiovascular activity below 80% of your V02max*. This means you are not exerting your maximum effort, but you are still working. I tell my clients when trying to stay in their aerobic zone to work at a level 6 or 7 out of 10, with 10 being all out effort, like sprinting. During aerobic training your body is using metabolic systems that require oxygen to produce energy (Think aer = air!).

 Now, it is important to understand that our metabolic systems work on a scale, not an on-off switch.  This means when you are sprinting, although your anaerobic systems are dominant, your aerobic systems are still making some energy even though they are not dominant at the time.

Aerobic training has been traditionally used as the #1 type of training for improving our cardiovascular (CV) system (e.g. your heart and lungs). However, as you will see later in this post, recent research is challenging our previous conceptions in regards to what is the best type of training for CV health.

Anaerobic Training, which is the topic of this post, occurs when you are exerting all out (or near all out) effort while exercising. I tell my clients to work at a level 8 or higher out of 10, which essentially is at a level that is less than fun! Some common names for anaerobic training in the fitness world include (but are not limited to) Fartlek, Interval, High Intensity Interval and Sprint Training.

Now, at high intensity exercise the dominant energy making systems in our body do not require oxygen to work. However, because this type of training is much more energy demanding we unfortunately do not last as long as we would during aerobic training.

So why train anaerobically if it sucks so much, we can’t do it as long and it….sucks? Good question internets!

*V02max: a measure of how hard your cardiovascular system is working during exercise.  For example, if you are working at 100% of your V02max you are exerting maximal effort.

Why Should I Put Myself Through Anaerobic Training?

Because I said so….

Seriously though, there is a whole bunch of benefits from this training that the wonderful exercise physiologists have been uncovering in the last 10-20 years.

So I don’t ramble on and on I’m going to break the benefits down into the following;

A.      Physiological Benefits

B.      Metabolic Benefits

C.      Performance Benefits

So you think I’m not talking out of my well toned butt, I will be providing the names of the researchers and resources I retrieved this information from. For you phys kids out there, if you want the full articles just let me know.

Part A: Physiological Benefits of Anaerobic Training

When talking physiology, there are many different things researchers look for to see if a type of training is beneficial.  These include important metabolic enzymes, membrane transporters and pH .

Enzymes: 

Without boring you with too much exercise physiology, anaerobic training (e.g. sprint interval training) has been shown to increase the amount of key metabolic enzymes required for energy production (Iaia et al., 2007; MacDougall et al.. 1998).

Now what does this mean? Well, essentially the more enzymes you have the more energy you can make during exercise through important chemical reactions. This means you will be able to work harder, longer and stronger.

The exciting thing is though, anaerobic training does not only increase anaerobic enzymes like PFK, it also increases key enzymes used is AEROBIC exercise, like citrate synthetase. This is important because not only will this help you perform better in short, high intensity exercises, but longer lasting exercises like running or biking…cool huh! I think so.

Membrane Transporters:

I tried to draw a diagram in paint to help me explain this, but it was horrible so no drawing for you! Imagine a muscle, to help you with this get a steak from your freezer and put it in front of you. Now, on the surface of each muscle fiber (which are the little lines you can see in the steak) are cells.

If we get even smaller (use your right brain here people), on the surface of each sack like muscle cell are membranes and on the membranes are transporters, which are like doors that let things in and out of the cells.

Every cell in our body has a variety of different membrane transporters, and for myocytes (or muscle cells) a really important transporter is the sodium-potassium transporter (Na⁺-K⁺ Transporters).

These doors help our muscles contract, which help us move and physiologists think one of the major reasons we fatigue (or get tired) during exercise is because these transporters can’t keep up with the contraction demand we are putting on our muscles.

Well, anaerobic training increases the number of these Na⁺-K⁺ Transporters (Iaia et al., 2007; MacDougall et al.. 1998), which allows muscle cells to keep up with the demand being placed on them during exercise. This helps you last longer, work harder, faster and stronger!

pH

pH refers to the amount of hydrogen ions in a given system, like our body. Most people know (if you didn’t don’t worry now you do), that exercise causes our bodies to become more acidic (i.e greater concentration of hydrogen ions)

Some trainers will refer to this as lactic acid build up, this is a misconception as it’s not lactic acid itself that is causing the body to be acidic, but hydrogen ions (H⁺), which is one of the byproducts of metabolism.

The problem with too much hydrogen in your system is that is causes everything to mess up from your enzymes, to your transporters and proteins. So, theoretically when we get acidic, like during high intensity exercise, we get tired because our bodies aren’t working efficiently.

Those that have completed an anaerobic training protocol have been found to have a better post exercise pH than control groups AND aerobic training groups after exercise (MacDougall, 1998). Physiologists aren’t 100% why this is happening (it’s not because of buffering apparently phys kids).

So, anaerobic training allows your body to have less hydrogen ions post exercise, which means your body is coping with the stress of exercise more effectively.

Part B: Metabolic Benefits

The metabolic benefits of anaerobic training are highly correlated to the benefits discussed in Part A. Anaerobic training causes your body to work more efficiently metabolically during and post exercise, which as aforementioned, allows you to work harder.

Now the ability to work harder lets you burn more calories while you’re working out. This will ultimately lead to an increase in fat loss if your diet is sound, because the higher the caloric deficit your body is in, the more fat you metabolize.

Don’t get me wrong, aerobic training will also burn calories. However, anaerobic training has been shown to burn up to twice the amount of calories in much less time then aerobic training (ACSM). For example, if you go for a 45 minute run at the same pace you would burn the same, if not less calories than 25 minutes of high intensity interval training. If you’re like me, time is an issue when working out. So I would much rather burn a whole bunch of calories in 25 minutes than 45 minutes

Part C: Performance

Anaerobic training has been shown to have a direct correlation to increases in performance in a variety of activities from running to biking to swimming. There are many reasons for this (a lot of them are mentioned above), but I think not only does anaerobic training help people physiologically but also psychologically.

Train hard for mind and body!

From personal experience, the more high intensity training I do, the better I can cope with high stress situations during performance. I attribute this to being “used” to being uncomfortable during my training which translates over to other activities.

For example, I rock climb, and rock climbing requires a huge amount of relaxation when your body is under a lot of physical stress. I find my high intensity training on the treadmill or bike is a perfect and controlled environment to practice relaxing my mind when I am really uncomfortable so that I can do it when it counts.

I may be biased, as I always think “mind over matter”, but I think this is one of the key benefits anaerobic training has in regard to performance… it makes you mentally tough.

Examples of Anaerobic Training

There are lots of ways you can anaerobically train, all you need is the basic format and a little imagination. Generally, interval training consists of;

●      High intensity intervals over 80% of you maximum effort.

●      Intervals lasting 30seconds-2minutes

●      Rest periods the same amount of time as the intervals or longer.

●      Repeated intervals for no longer than 25 minutes.

●      A very good dynamic warm up focusing on major muscle groups and a long (10minute plus) cool down.

●      Lots of water.

Preparation is as important as the training itself

●      A well fueled body: Do not eat within 1.5 hours of doing this training, but make sure to have a meal consisting of a quick digesting carbohydrate (banana) and some protein (nuts).

●      Your game face and a very motivating friend, trainer, music… ect.

My 3 personal favourite ways to anaerobically train are on the treadmill, the spin bike or tabatas using free body weight exercises like burpies!

On Wednesday, I will be demonstrating these three different examples (god help me) in my video blog. So stay tuned for that! I promise I’ll actually do my vlog this week. Last week was kinda of crazy with my new job.

Any questions, comments, suggestions are ALWAYS welcomed!

Stay Strong!

Byn

Your Metabolism and Cool Summer Recipes

Oh Hi There Internets!

Via request of one of my Windsor readers, I’m going to write about nutrition again this week. Specifically, I’m going to give you some quick, easily metabolism boosting recipes that do not require heat to make.  People without air conditioning in Windsor.... you’re welcome in advance.

Before giving you the recipes for this week I’d like to discuss exactly what is meant by metabolism. We silly fitness professionals like to throw this word around a lot sometimes without actually explaining what it is (most of our brains go a mile a minute).

To put a long story short, your metabolism is the amount of energy you use to live. This includes making different essential compounds for your body (anabolism) as well as burning fuels for various chemical reactions (catabolism).

If you could look at your body under a microscope you would see thousands to millions of complex chemical reactions happening all at once. These reactions allow us to move, see, think, digest and much much more...pretty cool eh?

So why is metabolism so important, especially when it comes to weight loss? Well, the more metabolic reactions that occur the more your body burns just existing, which leads to weight loss if you are in a caloric deficit for the day. To learn more about calories and how they contribute to weight loss click here.

A common myth/excuse used by those having difficulty losing weight is they have a slow metabolism. For a healthy person a slow metabolism does not exist (if you have a thyroid condition that’s another story).  So why aren’t you losing weight? Not because you have a slow metabolism, but you are not giving your body what it needs to make more chemical reactions and burn more energy.

Things that will lead to your body being more efficient from a chemical reaction standpoint are;

·         Eating: dieting is probably the worst thing you can do for your metabolism. If you think of a chemical reaction, you need stuff to start with to make a reaction. If you starve your body of the nutrients is needs, the body because less efficient chemically and you burn less energy.

·         Building Muscle: Another common misconception, especially among women, is if they gain muscle they will look bulky. Estrogen prevents us from looking masculine (unless you’re taking steroids), so fear not the dumbbell. The reason you want the most muscle you can have on your body is because this will increase the number of chemical reactions happening, as each muscle fibre needs hundreds of chemical reactions to exist and move.

·         Focusing on Nutritious Foods High in Vitamins: This kind of goes along with the first point. Yes, you need to eat to keep those reactions going, but you also have to be cognisant of what you’re feeding your body. If you eat potato chips all day, yes you are getting enough calories but you are not providing your body with the essential components to fuel these reactions, leading to less caloric burn-age. Vitamins are not only important because your mom says so, but because they help these little worker proteins call enzymes speed up (catalyzed) your metabolic reactions!

·         Drink Water: Drinking lots of water is very important to keep your chemistry going in the right direction. As you know, we are made up of a lot of water, and there is a reason for this, we need to exist... and existing is making sure all those reactions run smoothly and in the right direction. Replenishing water to the body is very very important as metabolic reactions often use a lot of water.

There you go! That’s the quick and dirty on your metabolism. If you’d like to learn more feel free to ask me lots of questions, I will answer them I promise.

Now for the good stuff. Here’s some recipes you can make without heat that will help your body more efficiently. Most (if not all) of the ingredients in the following have been shown to be great for metabolic reactions.

Spinach Super Food Salad

Ingredients

·         2 Cups of Spinach/Baby Spinach

·         8-10 Unsalted Almonds

·         ½ cup of Bean Sprouts

·         1 handful of blueberries

·         Cherrie tomatoes

·         2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil

·         Salt

Wash all of the vegetables. In a bowl add the spinach, almonds, bean sprouts, blueberries and cherrie tomatoes. Pour the EVOO on the vegetables and salt. Enjoy!

Body Boosting Shake

Ingredients

·         ½ cup of soy milk (flavoured optional)

·         ½ cup of ice

·         ½ cup of blue berries

·         ½ cup of apples

·         ¼ of grapefruit juice (NOT from concentrate)

·         Whey Protein (optional)

In a blender crush ice. Then add soy milk, blueberries, apples, grapefruit juice and protein. Blend until smooth!

And for those of you with a little more time on your hands

Sprouted Buckwheat Granola (found on fromsadtoraw.com)

Ingredients:

·         Spouted buckwheat

·         Sprouted millet

·         Sprouted amaranth

·         Sprouted quinoa

·         Soaked sesame seeds

·         Soaked flax seeds

·         Soaked currants

·         Soaked yellow raisins

·         Soaked walnuts

·         Freeze-dried Coconut

·         Sprouted pumpkin seeds

·         Sprouted sunflower seeds

·         A little oil of choice (macadamia, almond, olive)

·         Diced Fresh Strawberries

·         Any berry of choice

·         sea salt

·         Vanilla

·         Maple Syrup or Sucanat

Sprout grains for 2 days. Soak seeds for a few hours. Soak Dried Fruit for about 30 minutes  then mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, stirring well with a large spoon. Place a thick layer of about 1/2" on mesh dehydrator sheet.  Dehydrate until crunchy - about 12-14 hours.  Serve with fresh nut milk or soymilk.

So there you go! Stay tuned for Wednesday Vlog where I give you an awesome fat burning circuit!

As always, questions and comments are greatly appreciated.

Stay Strong Internets!

Byn <3

Motivation Vlog!

Hello Internets!

Here is my vlog for this week. It is an extension of Sunday's blog.

Stay Strong!

Byn

The Psychology of Exercise: Self Determination/Motivation

Good Sunday Internets

This week we are going to start to explore the world of the psychology of exercise, motivation, self esteem and behaviour change.

As some of you may know, this topic is what gets me out of bed in the morning (no pun intended). Don’t get me wrong, I love program design, working out and nutrition, but where my passion really lies (or at least at the moment) is why we do what we do and what keeps us doing it.

So there are a lot of theories out there on why people are physically active, why they continue to be physically active and how to get those who are not physically active to start.

For this blog, which I will consider part 1 of many parts to come, I am going to focus on Self Determination. Hopefully this will help some of you understand the underlying processes of becoming and staying motivated while on the journey to living a healthier lifestyle.

Note: there are many many many other theories out there, but I’m just going to touch on this one at the moment because you’ll be reading for 5 years if I carry on.

Motivation Trouble

Self Determination:

This theory is basically the theory of motivation itself. So what is motivation? Well it means a lot of things to a lot of people, but I think we can agree that motivation is when we are influenced either by external (outside) or internal (inside) forces to start, perform and continue doing something, for example running.

So how does one become self determined to exercise? Well that’s an excellent question! A lot of researchers have put a lot of time in to determining the answer to this question. From my readings I’ve come to the conclusion that it seems to be specific to the individual or exercise group. This is not a one size fits all world, especially when it comes to motivational psychology.

However, rather than leave you in the dark about how to become self determined to perform and keep performing your activity of interest, I will give you two important ideas of how to become motivated.

1.       Focus on Aesthetic Goals Initially:  If you have never worked out before, research suggests this is the #1 motivation to start becoming physically active.

 It goes against pretty much everything I believe in when it comes to physical activity, but let’s be honest here, people in general are not (or at least seem not) to be inherently motivated to exercise. If they were we wouldn’t have over 50% of the Canadian population not meeting the daily requirements for physical activity.

Research has shown that the internal motivation (i.e. not aesthetic or external rewards) will come once one has become engaged and continues to work towards initial external goals.

So if you are a new exercise set yourself an obtainable, measurable short term and long term aesthetic goal. Take the steps to first reach that short term goal, and then work towards the long term goal. However, be cognisant of how you start to feel internally about exercise while on your journey. You may find yourself pleasantly surprised.

2.       Focus on Fulfilling Your 3 Psychosocial Needs:  Motivational Psychology researchers have purposed that we have three psychosocial needs that need to be met in order to become motivated to initiate, perform and continue to exercise. These are;

1.       Competency: This need is essentially that we want to interact effectively with our environment. If you think about this from an exercise stand point it makes a lot of sense. You are not going to want to continue to exercise if you feel like you suck at it!

So how do you get to a place where you feel effective and competent in an exercise setting? You get help of course! I find our ego gets in the way sometimes, which makes us hesitant to admit we need help. People will also come up with excuses to mask the fact that they don’t know what they’re doing to protect this ego. For example, “exercise is too expensive”, “I don’t have time” or “I don’t like sweat”.

So drop the excuses, admit you were not born with all the exercise knowledge known to man and get some help! This doesn’t have to be an expensive process. The interwebs has lots of quality information out there if you look for it.

Another good way to feel competent about working out is to join a class! This also does not have to be expensive, as many Universities allow community members to join their classes for very cheap. This way you will have quality instruction to help you to become more comfortable working out.

2.       Relatedness: This is the need to feel part of a group or important to other people. A good fitness instructor will facilitate this within their classes by using techniques such as team building.

However, you can also take charge of your own life and make sure you fulfill this need while being physically active yourself! For example, get your family or friends involved in being physically active. By doing this, you will be more self determined to initiate physical activity and so will your significant others.

You can also find others who are already on the right track if you feel that at this point in your life you are not ready to take charge and step into a leadership role. There are many self determined people within the community that are not fitness instructors or personal trainers that can help. To find them I suggest joining a walking, running, biking, swimming....ect club. Make friends and use them as your leaders on the road to becoming motivated to make healthier lifestyle choices.

3.       Autonomy: This is the third and final need that needs to be fulfilled to become self determined. Autonomy is the desire to be self regulating in one’s own actions.

This also makes a lot of sense when thinking about how to be motivated. Of course you are going to be more motivated to do something if you feel you are in control of what you are doing. Let’s look a little deeper at this need though...

Say you get a personal trainer, which a lot of new exercisers do, and they are very overbearing, which can happen. You choose this trainer because of their no-nonsense, tough love demeanour because that’s what you think you need... someone to kick your butt and take no excuses.



Make Sure Your Trainer Understands Your Needs



However, with a trainer like this you can easily fall into feeling like you don’t have control over your workouts, which has been shown to be de-motivating.

So, when choosing a fitness professional, ask them how they are going to help you fulfill your autonomous need to keep you motivated. If they draw a blank, I suggest moving on.

Now, to fulfill this need without a professional just make sure the activity you are doing is your own idea and you enjoy it. Now, even though you didn’t invent P90X, if you actively choose to do it and enjoy it you are fulfilling you need for autonomy.

On the other hand, if you start running because you think that’s what you are suppose to do, or will lose weight the fastest, but you hate every minute of it, you’re setting yourself up to fall off the wagon again.

So there you go! I hope this post has been enlightening for you. The reason I am writing about psychology is because the more you know, the more you can identify what you do or don’t do, why that is and hopefully try and fix it.

My goal for you this week is to try using the information from this post to become a little more active. You can do this however you want, but purposely target what I’ve been talking about and see how it works for you.

This week’s Vlog will also focus on motivation, so stay tuned for that.

As always, comments, suggestions and questions are very much anticipated and encouraged.

Stay Strong

Byn