Run a business with strength, definition, and cardio health: Dwayne Wimmer shows you how

My Most Ignored Meal of the Day

 A “Speed Up Your Metabolism” article in Women’s Health magazine caught my eye the other day as I was flipping through the current issue. My metabolism could definitely benefit from a little boost so I kept reading.

 Of course, the first tip I didn’t do: eat a good breakfast. I’ve read a 100 times how breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But I’m not a morning person. At all. I can barely get myself out of bed, showered and to work on time every day. Adding time in to make a healthy breakfast would require getting up even earlier, which I’m not so sure I could do.

 Until I read this fact: according to a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology, volunteers who reported regularly skipping breakfast had 4.5 times the risk of obesity as those who took the time to eat. That statistic made it suddenly more appealing to lose some precious sleep time to prepare breakfast.

 So I’m going to try to not be so much of a night owl and get to bed earlier so I can get up earlier and get some breakfast time in. (There was also an article in the magazine that stressed the importance of getting eight hours of sleep a night—another thing that I never do.)

Beware, co-workers, I may be extra cranky from sleep deprivation the next few weeks. At least, now, I’ll have an excuse for my crankiness!

Parting Thought:

"You've got to say, I think that if I keep working at this and want it badly enough I can have it. It's called perseverance." - Lee Iacocca

If you don’t have something nice to say . . .

I’m a few weeks into working out at Vertex and eating healthier and I’m feeling good. I’ve lost a few pounds; averaging about a pound or two a week (although I know not to be too worried about what the scale says because I’m gaining muscle through the strength training).

 I’ve been through the weight loss process before so I know it’s not instantaneous. It took time to put the weight on and it’s definitely going to take time to get the weight off. Rational thinking like this, however, doesn’t always work for me. I want it to show right now that I’ve been really working hard. I want to fit back into the jeans I used to love to wear before my weight shot up—tonight! I want people to start noticing today that my body is changing.

 I’m learning that along with will power and determination you also have to have patience when it comes to weight loss. As much as I want it to, the weight is not just going to fall off of me. I just have to keep working hard and eating right and patiently wait to see the results that I’m dying to see.

 In the meantime, I’ll find solace in the little things like when a friend sent me a text message saying that she saw pictures of me on Facebook and thought my face looked like it had thinned out. So even though I’m not trying to lose weight in my face, I’ll take that compliment for now and be happy with it. Which brings me to another point—if you know a person who is working out and trying to lose weight pay them a compliment. Even if it’s just a “keep up the good work” a few kind words of encouragement can go a long way when you’re on the long road of weight loss.

Parting Thought:

If you don't have confidence, you'll always find a way not to win. — Carl Lewis

If I needed something to keep me motivated in continuing working out and eating right I got a dose of it this week—actually a double dose.

The first reality check came when I went to get measured for a bridesmaid’s dress for my brother’s November wedding. I give credit to my future sister-in-law for picking a dress that I may actually be able to wear more than once. Unfortunately the chiffon gown isn’t very forgiving in some of my problem areas (although by November I’m hoping those problem areas are a distant memory). The bridal shop is small and I, of course, picked an afternoon to go when the shop was packed with brides and high school girls looking for prom dresses. I tried on the sample dress and then I was supposed to wait patiently for the woman to come back and measure me. Well, what was supposed to be a few minutes of waiting turned out to be 20, so I walked up to the front of the store to remind them I was still back there. To my horror she decided to measure me right there in front of the whole store. She measured my bust first (actually this was the only measurement I wished was bigger), next came the waist (yes, I cringed when this number was said out loud to the assistant who was writing the numbers down) and finally the measuring tape went to the hips. This was the number that really made me want to run on a treadmill for 24 hours straight. One of the stick-thin high school prom girls gave me a raised eyebrow look as she walked by (I swear I didn’t imagine it) and I wanted to scream, “Enjoy being a size 2 now sweetheart it won’t last forever.” I kept my composure and refrained. I left feeling larger than life, but I swore that when I go back in two months to pick up my dress I’m going to ask the woman to take my measurements again—and those numbers, I promise you, will be lower.

My second hit of reality came later in the week at my favorite getaway, Joseph Anthony Retreat Spa and Salon in Glen Mills. I went in for a mini-day of pampering which included a spray tan. I had never had a spray tan there before so I wasn’t sure what to expect. When the girl who was doing my spray tan handed me a bandeau top and bikini bottoms made of the material they make hospital gowns out of I knew I was in trouble. I’m the girl who never takes her cover-up off when I’m on the beach so even the thought of standing in front of one other person in my “faux-bikini” made me wince. When I walked into the spray tan room and saw the three-way mirror that I had to stand in front of while she sprayed my entire body I knew I was really in trouble. I told the girl how uncomfortable I was standing there, and her reply basically was, “Get over it.” So that’s what I did—I thought happy thoughts and tried not to look in the mirror because when you’re wearing what’s essentially a bikini standing in front of a three-way mirror, you’re seeing parts of your body you really don’t want to be seeing—from all angles. The whole process took 20 minutes but it felt like hours. The end result though was totally worth it.  My pale skin was transformed into a natural-looking golden brown, and I swear having color makes you look thinner. I’ll definitely be back to Joseph Anthony for more color and when I do I hope I feel comfortable enough to look in that mirror and feel proud—not nauseous. 

Parting thought:

Change and growth take place when a person has risked himself and dares to become involved with experimenting with his own life.

Bicep Tendonitis of the Shoulder

Bicep Tendonitis: Bicep Tendonitis is an inflammation or irritation of the bicep tendon, which connects the bicep muscle to the shoulder.

Causes: Injuries to the bicep tendons are often caused by repetitive overhead activity. Overuse, aging, and stress can cause the tendon to deteriorate, even if there is no inflammation present.

Symptoms

·      Pain when the arm is overhead or bent

·      Localized tenderness as the tendon passes over the groove in the upper arm.

·      Occasionally, a snapping sound or sensation in the shoulder area.

Management: The first step is to rest the arm and shoulder by temporarily discontinuing any overhead-activity. A physician may recommend ice applications and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen, which can help reduce inflammation. Stretching and progressive strengthening exercises will help strengthen muscle and restore range-of-motion. Overhead activity can be resumed gradually. (American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons)

I have the tendency to expect the worst then become pleasantly surprised when the worst is not as bad as I imagined. 

Such was the case when I had my fitness reality-check conversation with Dwayne the owner of Vertex Fitness. I needed to hear exactly what I needed to do to get the excess “baggage” I was carrying around off me for good.  

What I thought was going to be a long, drawn out lecture on the good, bag and the ugly of working out and weight loss was actually a very short and sweet discussion. Bottom line: Dwayne assured me that I’d reach my goal of losing weight, bring definition to key areas of my body and become physically stronger with two 30-minute strength training sessions at Vertex Fitness. Yes, only 30 minutes is correct. In that half hour of time you work both your upper and lower half of your body through a variety (about 10) of weight machines under the supervision of a personal trainer. Dwayne advises following up the weight training session with 20 minutes of cardio on the treadmill, bike or elliptical machine. So much for having spend hours at the gym to get results.  I was a bit skeptical, but Dwayne’s the expert so I’m listening to him.

The second major part of the equation along with exercising is watching what I’m putting in my mouth. The key to losing weight is burning more calories each day than you take in. It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Radically changing your diet can be daunting in the beginning so Dwayne recommends making small changes at first: eat a third less of what you usually eat; try and cut a few hundred calories from your daily diet; and add in good-for-you foods like fruits and vegetables. “You don’t want to change too much, too fast so that you don’t stick with it,” says Dwayne. I really liked this advice because I’m not a big fan of deprivation.

I walked away from my conversation with Dwayne feeling optimistic that this was something I could do. He’s a pretty upbeat person so it’s hard not to get caught up in his passion for strength training and living a healthier lifestyle. You don’t know until you try and I know I’ll be trying my hardest to get this body to where I want it to be.

Parting Thought

You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be.