Another successful Body Balance Challenge has wrapped up recently, and as always, the participants acheived some amazing transformations. I am still surprised by what can happen in only 8 weeks. It isn’t just the numbers, it’s also the mindset and habits, the improved perspectives – just awesome!

Seeing such improvements is so inspiring, so naturally I wanted to share them with you.

These are the average results for the entire group:

Grand Prize winner: Amy Pasquerelli.

Amy received $700 for her accomplishment, and a completely new perspective.

“BBC has changed me drastically both physically and emotionally.”

Amy Before

Amy 8 weeks Later

 Amy’s Results:

1rst Runner Up: Shelley Delaney won 4 personal training sessions with Spectrum

Beth Before

Beth 8 Weeks Later

And finally, Maureen Foster won the “Super Woman” award. Not only did she lose 7.89 lbs of fat, but she didn’t lose any muscle at all. What is even more impressive is that she had already lost a significant amount of fat, increased strength, and most importantly reduced her pain levels. Maureen started exercising and changing her diet back in September. BBC gave her another push beyond her already amazing improvements.

Congratulations to all of our our BBCr’s Nice work! You are all an inspiration.

Now it’s your turn!

By July 4th, you can completely transform your health and enjoy the summer. The deadline for the next BBC is April 18th. We can only take 15 participants, so sign up now at www.beverlybodybalancechallenge.com

Succeeding with fitness goals comes down to 2 basic things: consistently exercising/eating well and doing the proper exercise program correctly.

As simple as this sounds, it seems like people have been baffled about how to solve these issues. I’m proud to say that feel quite sure we’ve “cracked the commitment code” at Spectrum.

There are  many people that exercise, but fail to get results because they aren’t doing the proper program, performing their program properly, or both. These people that are simply misinformed because of bogus fads and solutions spewed all over. With some knowledge and guidance, they learn a proper program best suited to their needs and how to perform it properly to get results. These people then flourish.

But there is a huge group of people that this doesn’t work for. I suspect that this applies to most people. If not you, then likely someone you know well.

Knowing vs Doing

Plenty people know what they should do. They want to get healthier. They read all of the books, purchase the products, and may even seek professional guidance.

Their problem isn’t knowledge. In fact, they are quite knowledgeable. They read blogs, magazines, books and research. They have learned to filter the B.S. from the truth, and can even recite the evidence on par with a fitness expert.

Their problem isn’t motivation. They genuinely want to be healthy and fit. They have demonstrated characteristics of high motivation in nearly all aspects of their life.

The more experience I have in working with patients and clients the more I realize that the most important and difficult aspect of achieving results is getting patients and clients to commit and comply with their care. I’ve lectured to hundreds of professionals throughout the country, and just returned from another seminar tour in LA. The professionals I speak to all point to the same problem – patient compliance.

Speaking to therapists in Anaheim last weekend

The problem is translating the fleeting motivation to be healthy and fit to a long term habit of eating well and exercising. For any moment, most can rationally commit to a three month commitment to exercise 4 days a week. However,when the moment comes to actually go to the gym, the ability to act on that each day is much more difficult. The daily trials of our busy lives or injuries often intervene before exercising regularly becomes a habit. “Life just get’s in the way”, as many people say.

So how do you translate the desire to get healthy and fit to compliance with regular, daily action to change your diet and exercise? And please, spare me the “we’re just all lazy” line of thinking. That’s simply not true for the majority of people. Ironically, this line of thinking is, well, lazy. You have to look at it a little deeper. People who have run businesses,raised families, fought wars, and mastered a craft still struggle from the same issue of making exercise a habit. Clearly, they aren’t lazy. Something else is going on.

The Bridge From Goal to Habit

Fortunately, I’m not the first one to wonder why people don’t commit to taking action on something they know is beneficial for them. This issue has been studied extensively in the field of economics. In fact, they even have a term for people wanting to do something in the future but failing to do so when the future becomes the present called “dynamic inconsistency” (Laibson 1997). This dynamic inconsistency is observed when people fail to save or invest money, even though they set out a plan to do so seeking the clear financial long term rewards.

In reviewing the research, it is clear that people need help conquering this dynamic inconsistency. What people need is a bridge from goal to habit. They need resources to translate intent to action. And action means not just for a little bit, but for the long term until it becomes an engrained habit. One study showed that habits can take up to 254 days to form (Lally et al. (2009). Studies also say that the longer you do something, the more likely you will default to keep doing it (Goldhaber-Fiebert et al. 2010). So when life circumstances come up that throw you off your routine, you will eventually default to going right back to your routine.

This is what we want if we expect to achieve a healthy fit body for the long term. We want not only a clear goal, but the support and guidance that will move us along the path to get to the goal until the actions are so engrained that they become habit.

I see this scenario play out all to often: People have a clear goal and the commitment, and begin acting towards the goal. They see results, feel great, and then something goes wrong. Their workout partner moves away. Their job changes. A family member gets sick.They get injured. If any one of these scenarios happens during the habit formation phase, then the wheels come off and they crash and burn. They default to their old habits because their new “healthy habits” were in the fledgling phase. You know what happens next. They stop exercising, they regain the weight, and with that comes the negative connotations that they are lazy, have bad genes, or simply are fitness failures.

The Carrot or the Stick?

What is needed are strategies to build these healthy habits. Fortunately, if we look at the research of behavior change and commitment, and expand our view beyond just the fitness realm and look into the world of economics and business, we see some clear solutions.

As mentioned previously, incentives are proven tactic to help facilitate action. Financial rewards are the most common example, Disincentives can be significant motivators as well. Imagine if you had to give $300 to your most reviled political candidate’s re-election campaign if you failed to hit your goal.

However accountability is valuable as well. Studies have shown that those who are held accountable to their goals by reporting on their progress to a coach are 33% more likely to reach their goals versus simply just writing them down. In fact, reporting to a coach has found to be even more effective than financial rewards in changing healthy behaviors (Long JA et al 2012).

Of course, education is critical as well. Studies found that the more someone understands how and why to do their exercise, the more likely they will stay with their program ((Medina-Miraplex. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2009).

Coaching, the BTN workout, and a little help from your friends

And supervision is critical. Studies on exercise compliance reveal that supervised exercise is critical for proper performance and learning an exercise program (Medina-Miraplex. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2009). Furthermore, those who are supervised work out harder and achieve better results.

However, I contend that there is a hidden benefit of a coach. Remember how we identified the “life circumstances” issue that knock us off of our rhythm as we attempt to form a new habit? Well a good coach plans for this, and accordingly establishes a version of a BTN workout that allows you to hold your ground until life let’s you get back to your regular plan. We’ve used a similar approach with our maintenance diet plan which is part of our BBC program. This has been a key factor in keeping our clients fit in spite of major life obstacles, and is the reason I have never missed more than a week of workouts in over 20 years. That includes when I was laid up and unable to walk for weeks after my surgery this summer.

Finally, social support is critical. This seems the basis behind the success of programs such as AA.

The Spectrum C.A.R.E.S System

What if an exercise and nutrition approach focused on these tenants? Rather than being fascinated with the latest “insanity”, exercise until you puke (ie cross fit), or stretching in a sauna to release toxins (yeah – that happens)  hot yoga fad, fitness professional should be focused on how to get people committed to exercise until it becomes a life long habit.

We have enough research and experience to tell us what needs to be done.

And at Spectrum we have recently figured out how to pull all of these elements together in our C.A.R.E.S program, which we released at no extra charge to all of our clients last week.

The CARES program takes accountability and support to a whole new level. CARES stands for Commitment, Accountability, Results, Education, and Social Support. Each of these concepts are vital to success, yet are not emphasized adequately by most to achieve true behavior modification and form lifelong habits.

To my knowledge, no fitness company is doing this. I believe this will be a major game changer in the fitness world. Say goodbye to failed commitments, and hello to healthy and balanced habits that are here to stay. If you want to join in on the revolution, come in for a free consult, and hop on board. It’s about time you get the results you want and deserve – for good!

Anti-aging is a weird term. It’s like anti-air, or anti-water. How can you be against it?
Why do we think we can fight aging?

The anti-aging logic is flawed, and preventing aging is futile.
That won’t stop researchers and product developers from aggressively pursuing”anti-aging” genes
or pills. Certainly the appetite for such cures will remain strong and ready to be exploited.

Instead, I think it is much more productive to focus on improving the quality of life.
We need to focus on adding life to years, not just years to life. This mindset shift leads us to proven solutions to living a better life.

90yr old Effie Nielson squats 80lbs, deadlifts 135lbs, benches 50, and can do 10 pushups. She weighs 105 lbs

Haven’t we done a good job by increasing life expectancy?

Advances in providing better nutrition and promoting lifestyle modifications have helped increase life expectancy, but clearly
medical advancements have had a tremendous impact on increasing life expectancy. Treatment of infections, traumas, and organ transplants are just some examples of medical advances that have significantly improved life expectancy. From 1900 to 2007, life expectancy rose from 49.2 years to 77.9. This is a huge accomplishment to be proud of. But successfully increasing life expectancy has overshadowed 2 major problems: A lack of effectiveness in treating chronic conditions and the quality of life has not necessarily improved.

Increasing life expectancy was mostly related to decreased peri-natal deaths and infectious disease. So these increases were mostly due to treating conditions that affected younger people. If we move from analyzing our impact on improving life expectancy from treating acute infections to chronic diseases, we would have to look at different life expectancy figures. The way to do this is to see how much the life expectancy increased for those living past 65 years old. In the last century, a person older than 65 increased life expectancy by only 6 years. In the last 20 years, the life expectancy for those older than 65 has increased only 1 year. Clearly our impact on extending life in the face of chronic conditions is less impressive

More years, not better years.

An alarming trend is clear when analyzing research about the aging process. Over the last several decades, while the number of years someone can expect to live has increased, the number of “quality years” has not. In fact, the number of years someone can expect to live without significant loss of function and disease has actually decreased! This is exemplified by a recent study showing that the Length of life with disease and mobility functional loss has increased between 1998 and 2008. (Crimmons, et al. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci (2011) 66B (1): 75-86.). We are living longer, but not better.

A key term we must understand in addressing this issue is Morbidity, which is defined in relation to aging as the existence of disease or medical condition and the burden or functional disability it causes. So morbidity is living with high blood pressure and high blood sugar requiring medical management and not being able to ascend stairs, get on and off the toilet independently or travel.

This clearly tells us that rather than seeking methods to prolong life, which we have succeeded at, we should instead focus on improving the quality of these years. This does not mean that we give up on efforts to prolong life, but rather increase the emphasis on the need to address morbidity, especially considering the simplicity and effectiveness of strategies available to do so. The questions that this raises are: how do we reduce morbidity and is there evidence that this is possible?

The compression of morbidity

It is inevitable that we will succumb to disease and disability as we near death. There will usually be some morbidity leaning up to mortality. If it was within your control, would you rather choose to be ill and unable to function for  several years as you slowly die, or have normal function before briefly falling ill for a few months before dying? I’m sure we would all strive towards the later scenario.

This concept is referred to as the compression of morbidity: shortening the inevitable decline of function that proceeds death to months as opposed to years. Interestingly, there is some great research to suggest that this is certainly possible.

Is the compression of morbidity possible?

Recent research has found that we can significantly reduce morbidity

Hubert HB, Bloch DA, Oehlert JW, Fries JF. Lifestyle habits and compression of morbidity. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2002 Jun;57(6):M347-51. This study was performed at Stanford involving 418 adults over 12 years. Those who had less risk factors for disease lived more years without morbidity.

Several other studies support this concept. I recently wrote here about how strength can be improved in older men to levels similar to men half their age with proper training in 12 weeks. Other studies have seen that people can retain 100% of their muscle mass and strength from age 40 through their 80s with exercise! (Wrobelski, A. et al. The Phys and Sports Med, Sept 2011) Countless studies show how exercise plays a dramatic role in reducing morbidity. One particular study looked examined lifestyle habits of older adults who lived passed 85 and had no disability prior to death. The most significant variable associated with living without disability was level of physical activity after 65. Those who were physically active had a two-fold increased likelihood of dying without a disability. (Levielle, et al. Am. J. Epidemiol. (1999) 149 (7): 654-664)

What about those we are already very frail and deconditioned? Are they “too far gone” to reap the benefits reported on exercise to reduce disability? I sadly come across the perception held by many patients and worse by clinicians that the most frail elderly are not capable of benefiting from exercise interventions to reduce disability. Good thing there’s research to lend some insight. Researchers from Tufts showed that not only did frail older adults benefit from exercise, they actually benefited the most! They had higher improvements in strength and function. Guess what type of exercise yielded these results? That’s right – high intensity resistance training. (Fiatarone, MA, et al. N Engl J Med 1994; 330:1769-1775)

Clearly, reducing morbidity is possible and should be a major emphasis for health care policy and how we elect to take care of our selves. It is something that we should focus on whether we are young and in shape or older and deconditioned.

How do we do this?

Enhancing strength is the simplest route to reducing morbidity. Strength has been linked to mortality in older adults. It is the most important variable in reducing falls, preventing sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass), preventing osteoporosis – all conditions that plague us as we age and contribute to mortality. Resistance training has shown to be a vital treatment for preventing and managing osteoarthritis, improves glucose metabolism (the basis of type 2 diabetes), and reduces the risk or heart disease. As the most effective exercise for fat loss, it helps in managing obesity. It is the primary or one of the most effective treatments for addressing the most common causes of death (CAD, stroke, obesity) or morbidity (falls, sarcopenia, osteoporosis), especially in older adults. And considering it’s role in pain management and improving mood, it should be clear that resistance training is especially important if adding life to years is something you are interested in. If there is one thing to do to improve the quality of life as we age, strength training would be it.

Unfortunately, many people are unaware as to what strength training is. Some assume that doing dumbbell curls, balancing on a swiss ball, or doing leg extensions at the gym constitutes and effective strength training program. Many are confused about how much weight, how many sets and repetitions, how many exercises, etc are best. Others have no idea how to do their program safely and effectively. It usually boils down to two issues:

1. how to design a proper program (ie the dosage: what to do, how much, when, etc) and

2. instruction (how to do it, providing cueing and feedback, etc).

Everyone needs help with these two issues, from professional athletes to the morbidly deconditioned and everyone in between. Some need less than others, but they will all need assessment, program design, instruction, and accountability. And that is exactly what we do at Spectrum. I am passionate about making sure people realize this so they receive the proven benefits a proper program can provide them. That’s why I offer a free consultation to those who are serious about optimizing their health. Click here to get started.

If you want to see some videos of some of our older clients showing some examples what proper strength training looks like, check this out.

Death to the anti-aging movement?

It seems to make more sense to focus on a proven strategy that is right under our nose to dramatically improve our quality of life, rather that hold out for hope that someone will be able to defy the cellular mechanism of aging. Although researchers seems to have found that aging occurs because cells begin to die faster than they can regenerate ( cell senescence), no one has determined how or if that can be changed. I’m sure the riddle will involve a relation between lifestyle variables amongst other things having an impact on the cellular mechanisms of aging.

In the meantime, it seems dangerous to ignore the tenant of the compression of morbidity. Ask anyone who is near the end of the life span – they will tell you the same.

Group exercise classes have been quite popular for some time. There are definitely some great things about group exercise classes, some bad things, and some down right horrible things about group classes. I’m going to steer clear of bashing the horrible things about group exercise, as they are quite obvious.

What might not be so apparent are the good and bad things about such classes you should consider. I won’t give you my thoughts based on just the physiological principles, but also the perspectives that hundreds of non-fitness folks share with me every day. Another often overlooked point is how you can determine determine if you are a good fit for group exercise classes.That’s what I’ll discuss today.

The good things about Group Fitness Classes

1. You feel less like an ass: Some people don’t like being the focus of attention; singled out to have their weaknesses exposed. They prefer to blend into the background, more passively acclimate to the situation until they reach a certain comfort level. Also, when you are trying something new, it might feel good to look around and see others are in the same situation you are, equally clueless but eager to learn. Dance lessons, ski lessons, and cooking classes are other common examples of this.

2. It costs less: This is a no-brainer. Many people look at the price tag of one-to-one services and group services and clearly they see group training as much less expensive.

3. There’s not so much of a commitment: Similar to #1, group classes let you lurk in the shadows. If you don’t show up, you don’t need to cancel, pay a fee, or feel bad for standing someone up.

4. You don’t have to think much: Sometimes it’s nice to simply do what someone says and follow their lead. No planning or brain effort needed – just follow along. This is was pointed out to me by one of my clients years back – sometimes it’s good to shut the brain down and just go.

5. Social support: Having a group of peers around you pushing, sweating, and giving signs of encouragement is huge. This is especially true for athletes, as the team culture pushes them to higher levels. This is also a proven benefit of support groups as well.

The bad things about Group Fitness Classes

1. Difficult environment to learn: People have different learning styles and learn at different paces. Some like things explained to them first: “This is what we are doing, this is why. Here’s the right way and the wrong way”. This is often followed by demonstration, then a chance to do it yourself, followed by feedback and tweaking. I am a classic example of someone who needs this learning style. I use this method often when teaching others, which I call the “tell, show, do, review” strategy.

The other issue is that the goal of most classes is to push the pace and challenge the most fit in the room. This often leaves the less fit or more timid in the dust.

Finally, there is usually a lot of noise and distractions (the smelly dude next to you, why is that lady still wearing rainbow leg warmers, etc) which can make learning how to do a program properly next to impossible.

2. Hard to individualize your plan

Many of us have unique needs. If you are very strong and fit, you often need specialized techniques to push you. Conversely, if you are very de-conditioned, you need extensive modifications of your plan to make it suitable for your needs. Others have injuries which keep rearing their ugly heads with little understanding as why, and still others need extensive monitoring due to certain conditions. Finally, some need planning that extends beyond sets and reps, but more about strategy and scheduling. For example, and executive with 3 kids and frequently travels may need more help with planing a training routine that fits their crazy schedule than anything else.

3. Bias towards aerobics

For some reason, group classes have been heavily resembled aerobic dance competitions or solid gold performances. There is nothing wrong with that, unless you need to preserve muscle mass to increase metabolism or simply are not a good dancer. Yes, I know that there are these muscle pump classes and power yoga classes (which is like jumbo shrimp or gentle football) but they are still mostly aerobic classes. Again, there’s nothing wrong with this, as long as you are also doing real resistance training in addition.

4. There’s not so much of a commitment: Yes, this was also sited as a good thing, but you can see how it would be a bad thing as well. Let’s face it, we all have some issues with commitment (if not big fitness gyms would all go under – you don’t really think big gyms do well if all their members show up, do you?). But when we have to commit, we tend to see good things happen. And the reality is that long term health results require commitment.

5. Individual accountability: Social accountability is great, but we must also cultivate individual accountability. This means 2 things: 1. Being accountable to only your unique  goals and 2. cultivating the sense of being accountable to yourself, not to some group.

Can you get all the good and none of the bad?

This is a question I’ve pondered fro quite some time. At Spectrum, we are known most for our core 1 to 1 services, but we do have small group and workshop based training as well. Our goal is to always innovate so we can provide the best services for various needs. That has forced me to consider whether we can provide all the good aspects of group training while avoiding the bad aspects.

I’m now convinced that we can, based on our skill in scaling exercise according to diverse needs, and our teaching abilities. I talk more about this in a related post about bootcamps. Accordingly, we have developed our SmartFit Program which starts next week. This program is unlike anything available. If you want to see how we combined all the benefits of group training and more, while avoiding the negatives, then you’ll want to check this out.

Is group exercise right for you?

There are a few things you need to ask yourself to determine if group training is right for you:

1.  Do you strongly prefer one-to-one instruction and have failed at group approaches?
2.  Are you incredibly shy and don’t like to ask questions in a group?
3.  Do you have very unique needs? (i.e. want to compete in a unique sport event, have an injury that has not been properly assessed and managed, have a cardiac condition that requires constant monitoring, are very distracted in group settings?)

If you said yes to the above issues, than group fitness classes might not be for you. Otherwise, a proper group exercise program may be exactly what you need.

Not sure if they are right for you? You can always request a consultation with us, and we can help you determine if group classes are a good option or not.

Here’s to more of the good  and less of the bad in group fitness classes!

It seems that there still exists some confusion about injuries in young athletes.

Some think that injuries are due to bad luck, or just the inherent stress of sports. Others believe that poor training or a lack of conditioning is to blame, while others believe this is simply a problem for older or more elite athletes to deal with, as kids don’t have to worry about serious injuries.

So what is the deal?

Let’s get to the bottom of this, so we can focus on the overall objective, which is to allow kids to maximize their potential, be safe, and have a blast playing the games we all love!

My clinical and training experience tells me clearly that injuries are largely preventable, and often attributed to:

1. inadequate training, or being unprepared for the demands of the sport
2. poor training, in which the training itself causes or contributes to injury which is really a travesty.
3. Improper rest and recovery due to too little sleep, poor nutrition, or doing too much sport (think year around baseball)
4. Improper response to early warning signs of injury. This is perhaps the biggest issue. Most problems give you more than fair warning before they rear their ugly heads. Think of the young pitcher throwing across his body, stepping with the lead leg in an open position, lacking sufficient shoulder rotation and most importantly complaining of PAIN = hello shoulder and elbow growth plate damage. Or, the girls whose knees collapse inward during a squat or jump stop. That signals a high risk for a complete ACL rupture.

I can go on and on. I’m not trying to scare you – but these issues are serious and can be easily identified and corrected with trained eyes assessing the issue and designing the right intervention. Simple concept, but often ignored.

So what can we do about this? Does conditioning play a roll in preventing injuries in young athletes? Lets look at some research and expert opinion about some common issues regarding the role of youth conditioning and injury prevention:

Is there any proof that resistance training is safe for young athletes?

“There is no current evidence to support the misconceptions that children need androgens (i.e. must be post-puberty) for strength gain, or lose flexibility with training.”
- Lyle J. Micheli, MD, Boston Children’s Hospital, JAAOS, 2001

“Experimental training protocols with weights and resistance machines and with supervision and low instructor/participant ratios are relatively safe and do not negatively impact growth and maturation of pre- and early-pubertal youth.”
-Malina, Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, 2006

Are Injuries in young athletes really a big problem?

Injuries in young athletes are increasing

“ I am seeing four times as many overuse injuries in youth sports than five years ago and more kids are having surgery for chronic sports injuries.”
-Dr James Andrews, regarded as the world foremost expert of orthopedics surgery and dysfunction of the shoulder and elbow in baseball pitchers.

Overuse injuries are the most common

Nearly half of all sports injuries to middle-and high-school students, are due to overuse.
-NSCA

30% to 50% of all pediatric sports injuries are due to overuse
-SAFE Kids USA

Overuse injuries are more devastating

“Athletes who had overuse injuries lost 54% more time from training and competition than those who had acute injuries.”

“In some cases, the damage is permanent, increasing the risk that the athletes—some of them as young as 9—will suffer crippling arthritis or require extensive surgery as they get older.”
-Difiori, Physician and Sports Medicine

Is Proper conditioning the solution?

“50% of overuse injuries in children and adolescents are preventable.”
- The American College of Sports Medicine

“Most overuse injuries can be prevented with proper conditioning and training”.
- Dr. John P. Difirori, Physician and Sports Medicine, ‘99

“Young athletes need proper training for sports. They should be encouraged to train for the sport rather than expecting the sport itself to get them into shape. Many injuries can be prevented if youths follow a regular conditioning program.”
- American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons

“Cross-training in moderation throughout the year is recommended to prevent any one area of the body from becoming overworked and stressed and to help maintain overall fitness levels.”
-American Academy of Pediatrics

“Risk factors identified for overuse injuries include inflexibility, muscle imbalance,Prior injury Inadequate conditioning Anatomic malalignment, low self-esteem, Too-rapid training progression and/or inadequate rest, and incorrect sport technique”
- Difiori, Physician and Sports Medicine

Hopefully, for the sake of the safety and healthy of young athletes, it is clear now that proper conditioning really can prevent many disabling injuries. Of course, no injuries are completely preventable. But we would be ignoring the evidence and opinions of experts by not taking proactive steps shown to reduce the risk of injuries.

Trained professionals focusing on teaching athletes, not just yelling at them and pointing them from station to station, are required to ensure young athletes achieve the benefits of conditioning. Trainers who focus on teaching kids how to push to improve performance and distinguish this hard work from the unnecessary risks and warnings of injury are something every athlete should have. I’m proud to say that our team of Physical Therapists, Athletic Trainers, and Nutritionists at Spectrum Fitness Consulting has developed the skills and program required to provide such an experience for young athletes.

See for yourself by scheduling a free consultation or simply call 978-927-2065. Please call soon, as we keep our program small to provide the level of supervision that is need to do this right. Our programs generate a lot of interest, so call in advance to get the times slots that are best for you. Our Winter -Spring session starts on January 16th, and we have a few openings available. If you would like to download a registration form, you can download one here.

In conversations with hundreds of people on the topic of aging, it seems that the consensus amongst those not in the fitness industry is that people inherently become weak as they age. Some recent research calls into question whether this is true.

It is true that people will tend to lose approximately 5-10% of their muscle mass every decade after the age of 40, and that rate significantly increases after 65 years old.

Countless studies have proven that much of this muscle and strength loss can be prevented with resistance training. This is true of all types of older adults, whether they are master athletes or previously sedentary.

So How Much Strength Can Older Adults Regain?

The issue has been solved about preventing muscle loss. But until recently, no one has looked at how much can be regained relative to younger adults. Essentially, can older adults who undergo supervised training regain strength and muscle mass that compares to younger men? Let’s look at some recent research on the topic:

Candow, et al JSCR, 25 (2) 2011

The researchers trained a group of older men 60-71yrs old with a supervised heavy resistance training program 3 times a week for 22 weeks. At the end of the study they measured muscle size and strength. Not surprisingly, they all gained muscle and strength. What was surprising was how much.

They compared the average strength levels and muscle size achieved by the older adults to the average strength and muscle size of a group of younger men 18-31 years old who were all physically active but not involved in resistance training. The results showed that there was not a significant difference in the muscle size or strength in the older men after supervised training compared to the younger men!

This means that older men can expect to attain the same amount of strength and muscle with a supervised training program as younger, physically active men!

Is it really that important to be stronger?

Research has shown a very strong correlation between strength and death from all causes: essentially, stronger older men have a lower risk of dying from all causes (Ruiz, et al.  BMJ July 2008;337:a439).

Strength is a the most important factor in fall prevention, and is also related to the performance of activities of daily living, balance, and walking  ( American Geriatrics Society; British Geriatrics Society and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Panel on Falls Prevention. Journal of the American geriatrics society, Vol. 49, 2001, pp. 664-72. Speechley, M. Canadian journal on aging, 2005.)

So the evidence is clear: being strong is important, more so for older adults.

Why Strength Training Is MORE important for Older Adults

In addition to the above evidence, increasing strength is significantly more important for older adults (anyone older than 60 and yes, that includes you Mom, Dad, Mary if you are reading . Simply put, strength is like money. The less you have, the more important it is. If a fit 35 year old  loses 50% of their strength, while they will struggle with high level strength, they can still perform all of their daily functions with little issue. If a 75 year old loses 20% of their strength, that might be the difference between living independently and needing assisted living.

Can you do it?

Getting stronger is certainly something you can do.  No matter your injuries, pain, age, weight, diseases, or time constraints – you can respond very well to strength training. The research is clear on this, and I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Here are some examples from Spectrum clients that you should check out:

Ralph in his early 80s:

Jolyne in her early 70s:

Peter in his 80s:

Go here to learn what to do and how to get started.

It’s no wonder that obesity trends are on the rise, preventable diseases running rampant, and children are succumbing to diseases and injuries at increasing rates that were previously seen only in adults. Painful conditions like low back pain have reached epidemic proportions as well.

We are being deceived all the time about what is healthy, how to relieve pain and how to get fit. The medical community, fitness community, government policies, “fitness gurus” – they are all at least partially to blame. But this wouldn’t be so if there was an underlying belief that we are all personally responsible to seek the truth. Instead we are drawn to talk shows, infomercials, fads, and reality shows to get answers, and rarely question the same old advice that fails to get results.

People actually take her seriously?

Prevention is Everywhere, Results…Not So Much!

All these devastating conditions are on the rise in spite of advances in pharmaceutical, surgical, and  imaging sciences, as well as a flourishing multi-billion dollar fitness industry. How can this be?

The Cure for Misinformation

Whether you are an exercise newbie or a fitness freak, you likely are weighed down by a healthy dose of misinformation. In fact, the more time you’ve spent in a gym or a clinic, the more you are being weighed down by misnformation about fat loss, injury prevention, rehabilitation, and performance enhancement. The reason why this country are going in the wrong direction towards improving health is because of misinformation. We are being fed irrelevant and inaccurate information.

Knowledge is the key

Researchers wanted to know the most important factor for determining long term compliance to an exercise program.  They discovered that the most important factor was…

KNOWLEDGE!

The more the subjects knew about how and why to do their exercise program, the more likely they would comply.

I would imagine the same would relate to nutrition.

Expose the Fallacies, Get the Facts

If you want to take an active role in seeking the true solution to improving your health and fitness and you believe that people should seek out the truth from credible sources, not just listen to the loudest, glitziest, and simplest fad of the week, then I can help. And if you think you know someone who has had the wool pulled over their eyes - please send this to them. (these people are easy to spot – they go to the gym, always have aches and pains, or have dozens of tapes and fitness gadgets in their home).

In effort to tell people the truth about getting healthy and fit based on research, experience, and common sense, I am hosting a seminar at the Spectrum Fitness Consulting Studio, titled, “Fitness Facts and Fallacies” on Thursday, July 21rst, from 6-7:30pm. Admission is $25 if you register after July 14th. If you register before July 14th, registration is only $15.

Here are some of the issues we address – see if you can distinguish fact from fallacy:

• Eating late causes more fat gain
• Cardio is the best way to burn fat
• Eating eggs increases cholesterol
• Resistance training machines are safer than free weights
• 60 minutes  of exercise/day most days of the week is best for health and fat loss
• Fat intake is associated with stroke and heart disease
• Strong abs prevent back injuries
• Eating small, frequent meals is best for fat loss
• Food is not addictive
• Most fitness trainers teach safe exercise
• More fat is burned at moderate intensities, known as the fat burn zone
• Rapid fat loss is less effective in the long run

Attend for Free!

If you bring another friend or family member with you, you can both attend for free! Be sure to call Kristine at 978-927-2065 or email at schedule@spectrumfit.net to reserve your spot today, as seating will be limited.

We’ve all been there before. The day is crazy, and freeing yourself to even get to the bathroom seems to defy your schedule constraints. You have a workout planned, but the minutes are slipping away.

It becomes clear that you won’t be getting in your full work out routine as planned. You get frustrated, knowing yet another missed workout is looming, weighing heavily on your conscious knowing that you pledged not to let this happen last time.

Next thing you know, you are swirling in negative emotions, and quickly the thought enters your mind – “screw it, I’m skipping this one today.” Not able to handle the defeat that you’ve surrendered to your chaotic schedule yet again and sacrificed your commitment to your health, the rationalizations poor in…

“I’ve had a bad day, I deserve a break. I’m too stressed to exercise right now. Plus, I can’t possibly get a good work out in during the few moments I have available today.”

Listen, I’ve been there. I’ve been working out avidly since I was 13 years old, and I often experience these same issues. I know those less committed to fitness certainly have the same issues.

So what’s the solution? What’s the right thing to do? Throw in the towel for that day, and promise yourself you will plan better like you did before?

Well sure, that might work for those who have established a consistent pattern of regular exercise for years. You know, the type that exercises at 7am, 5 days per week and is consistently meeting all of their training goals.

But that isn’t the majority of us. Most have only a few select opportunities to get in a good work out. Our margin of error is low. For some, the exercise habit is fragile. Fitness failure is a familiar foe. Goals of losing weight don’t come easy. Injuries are numerous, needing regular intervention to keep them in check. If that sounds like you, then missing a work out is not an option, except under the most extreme of circumstances.

So what do we do? You have 15 minutes, but it isn’t long enough to get any tasks done, or get your complete workout done. Or so you think …

Enter the BTN workout: Better Than Nothing.

Now I’m sure I didn’t invent this work out, but I sure am a huge proponent of it. So here’s what the BTN workout is in a nutshell: Pick three movements that involve large muscles, multiple joints moving, and different movement patterns. Here’s an example: Do a basic dynamic warm-up, then proceed to the following:

1. Lunges
2. Pull downs
3. Pushups

Simply do a 6-12 reps of #1, go immediately to #2 and do 6-12 reps, then to #3 and do 6-12 reps, and rest approximately for as long as it took for you to complete #1-3 (usually 2-3 minutes). Now see how much time you have before you have to rush out the door. If you have a few more minutes, repeat the workout again. Keep doing this until it’s time to get to your mother’s house, go pick up the kids, or get in the shower to get ready for a dinner meeting.

This work out can be progressed (jump squats, pull ups, and clapping push-ups) or regressed (chair squat, band rows, and angled push-ups) to accommodate any fitness level. You will combine the benefits of resistance training and energy system training. Intensity is high, which makes up for the decreased amount of time. By not sacrificing intensity, you are preserving the key quality that dictates effectiveness of any workout, regardless of the type: INTENSITY IS KEY.

You will be focused, because your menu is small and your path is clear. In short, you will be guaranteed that you will get something in that will certainly be better than missing a workout, ruining the delicately forming habit of consistent exercise: CONSISTENCY IS KEY.

Now this workout certainly isn’t optimal. You can’t rely on the BTN to give you results if you regularly employ it in  place of a more well-rounded, comprehensive workout. But life isn’t optimal, and curve balls are always being thrown at us.  We need a contingency plan in our arsenal, or else we are setting ourselves up to fail.

So now you have the BTN workout – consider yourself armed against the looming threat of a missed workout!

Fitness resolutions are en vogue this time of year. You are probably aware of the studies that show over 96% of people who set New Years fitness resolutions fail by February. Pretty discouraging.

I prefer to focus on results, not resolutions. Because results are the things that make people happy and healthy. And nothing is more motivating than seeing results.

I’d like to share with you some amazing results from a couple of our clients.

Rich McElroy
1rst Runner Up, Fall 8-week Body Balance Challenge, and winner of one month of  group training with Spectrum

Background: Owner, My Print and Copy. Struggled with his weight for years. Health problems. Hates most veggies. Loves to go out for dinner and drinks with friends.
Results:

• % body fat Lost: 10.06%
• Fat Loss 33.5 lbs
• Muscle Gain: 5.5 lbs
• Inches Lost: 3 inches from hips, 2.75 from waist
• Quality of life score: increased 31.1%
• Words from Rich: “I am now off my medications. Because of what I’ve achieved these last several weeks, what once seemed overwhelming now seems realistic. I was very apprehensive when I started the BBC, now I’m so happy I did it. If you are thinking about doing the BBC…do it, without hesitation!”

…and, the Grand Champion, Fall 8 week  Body Balance Challenge, & winner of $700…

Caleb  Powers
Background: Owner, Achievexcellence business coaching. Three kids under 5.  For the past 3 years has tried to lose 20-25 pounds to get to his goal weight. Achieved his goal working with Spectrum in 8 weeks
Results:

• Fat Loss: 29.4lbs
• % body fat lost: 11.2%
• Muscle Gain: 6.9lbs
• Inches Lost: 2.75 from hips, 4.25 from waist
• Quality of life score: increased 12.1%
• Words from Caleb: The BBC didn’t take up a great deal of my time, it was simple, and I got great results. I cannot recommend BBC enough! It will change your life.

The next BBC starts in one week, on Tuesday, January 18th. This winter session is nearly full, so you will need to act quick to reserve your spot.

Go here to sign up.

Resolutions started January 1rst.  Results start January 18th.

Here’s to defying the odds, and finally getting results!

When seeking weight loss, most assume that copious amounts of work on the treadmill, dieting, and maybe resistance training are needed.  However, it makes a lot of sense to question which is most effective: Diet or Exercise?  If we don’t have time, are injured, or simply don’t want to exercise, can we lose weight?

I have plenty of empirical data to tell you what works from seeing hundreds of people achieve results with our approach at Spectrum. But empirical data is not enough to achieve the highest levels of understanding. That’s where some good ‘ole research comes in.

First, let’s answer the question of whether exercise is needed at all to lose weight. the answer is simple: No! You can lose substantial weight without exercise. Here comes the big but…actually two big buts:

1. Weight loss is irrelevant to most people – everyone I speak to wants fat loss and to preserve lean muscle.

2. Losing fat is only part of the goal, and it’s relatively easy. Keeping it off is the real trick.

So is exercise needed for optimal fat loss? Let’s check out the research:

Hunter Et al. Resistance Training Conserves Fat-free Mass and Resting Energy Expenditure Following Weight Loss. Obesity 2008

These researchers looked at 3 groups. Diet only, diet plus aerobics, and diet plus resistance training.

All subjects lost  about 25 pounds. But there were some big differences:

1. The group that did resistance training gained a small amount of muscle

2. The diet and diet+aerobics group lost muscle

3. The resistance training group elevated their resting metabolism

4. The diet and aerobics group lowered their resting metabolism

5. The resistance training group maintained their strength levels, but the diet and diet+aerobics groups did not

In short, the resistance training group lost more fat, gained some muscle, preserved strength, and elevated their metabolism compared to the other groups. Guess who would continue to lose or at least maintain for the long term?

That is why resistance training is so important. But not all resistance training is created equal, and it takes time to learn to do it right. That is why the Beverly Fitness Challenge is such an amazing opportunity.  Click here to learn more.

Here’s another study to clarify the issue of losing fat, and keeping it off:

The role of physical activity in producing and maintaining weight loss. Catenacci* and Wyatt. Nature Clinical Practice Endocrinology & Metabolism (2007)

The authors reviewed dozens of studies, and concluded that although possible to lose significant amount of weight with exercise, it was more common and easier (based on adherence rates) to lose a substantial weight with diet. In regards to maintaining weight loss, it seems like exercise plays a more critical role.

I should note that in my experience, we have seen examples of people losing a substantial amount of fat by diet alone. In two recent cases at Spectrum we used dieting alone because of recent injuries or surgeries that made exercise contraindicated, and both not only lost fat but also maintained muscle. This was likely do to the fact that they were on a specific diet geared towards preserving muscle mass (much like the one responsible for dramatic fat loss in our Body Balance Challenge program), and they had a significant amount of fat to lose. In contrast, we had another client who only needed to lose 15 pounds of fat, and elected not to exercise. Although he lost the fat, he also lost some lean mass. (Now he is convinced he needs to exercise!).So the approach of diet only is  less effective the leaner you are.

Let’s summarize what we know about exercise and weight loss:

1. Exercise is not needed for weight or fat loss

2. Exercise is needed to maintain  weight loss results long term

3. Resistance training will preserve lean mass, strength, and possibly increase metabolism during weight loss

4. Diet plus resistance training is more effective that dieting alone for fat loss

5. Resistance training is more effective and efficient than aerobic training for fat loss and maintaining muscle.

One last point of clarification. Some may selectively read this and decide not to exercise to lose fat. Aside from the obvious health implications and points mentioned above, taking the diet only route is a big mistake. Instead of dieting first, then using exercise to maintain the results, it makes far more sense to begin exercising right away. Why? Because it takes a while to learn how to properly exercise and for tissues to adapt to the stress of exercise. Starting out this way is safer and more effective. Then, when you hit the goal weight, or need more than just diet to continue progress, you are ready to safely deploy the intensity of exercise needed to actually burn calories. A deconditioned or overweight body that suddenly launches into exercise without proper instruction and progression is a disaster waiting to happen.

So here’s your fat loss forever formula:

1. Assess your current status (before pics, measurements, caloric needs based on lean mass, etc)

2. Learn a proper program: diet and exercise, including corrective exercise

3. Take aggressive action on your diet program, modify as needed

4. Learn the how’s and what’s of exercise (what type, how much, technique, progression, etc)

5. Intensify the exercise program

6. Re-asses, celebrate (if you do things right!), modify

7. repeat until you can settle into a maintenance plan.

Hope this helps. The Beverly Fitness Challenge 2010 can be a  great start for you (register now – it starts tomorrow!), OR  go here to book a consultation with me.

Stay tuned for the announcements of the fall Body Balance Challenge winners – simply amazing stuff!