Friday, March 29, 2013
Change is a Choice
When you keep looking forward as opposed to looking backward, the 'Change' sign is always visible. - Kathy Laucius
WooHoo-I'm so excited for my 'The Time is Now' client. JC weighed in yesterday with a 3 lb weight loss in 9 days. Again, this is NOT the 'Biggest Loser'. We are not working out 5 hours/day or creating a huge caloric deficit. We are creating a lifestyle change. How did he do this? Very simple:
1) NUTRITION: This has to be Numero Uno peeps. If you've ever tried to out-train a bad diet, then you know this first hand. The extra cardio & strength sets may get you by for a while, but eventually the food choices you make will wreak havoc with your goals. JC had some business associates in town & had to spend some time dining out, but he made the best choices he could & remembered the big picture- CHANGE!
2) EXERCISE: This week I focused on 2 conditioning workouts in the weight room. We did body part splits with drop sets and super sets.
Tuesday: Back/Chest - all exercises performed were drop sets. We used the heavier weight for the first set of 10 reps & dropped the weight 15% for the second set at 10 reps -total of 3 sets. We used the following exercises:
*Back: Assisted Chin Ups, Lateral Pulldowns, Seated Row & Close Grip Pulldowns.
*Chest: Incline bench Chest Press, Flat Bench Chest Fly's and Pullovers
*Legs: All supersets - squats with walking lunges and Leg Extensions with Leg Curls
Thursday: Shoulders/Bi's/Tri's with 5 minute cardio bursts in between each set of exercises.
*Shoulders: 3 sets of Cybex Shoulder press for 20 reps and 3 sets of front/side/rear delt raises-total of 30 reps.
*Biceps: Superset: EZ Bar Curl - 21 reps ( 3/3/3 position: 7 at the top, 7 in the middle, 7 from the bottom) along with 3 sets of hammer curls for 10 reps.
*Finished Biceps with Triceps:
Preacher curls (10reps) superset with tricep dips (20 reps)
Concentration curls (10 each arm) superset with cable pushdowns (12 reps)
So- last week we focused on total body workouts with short rest periods ( alternating between upper body/lower body). This week we focused on conditioning using body part splits. Again, it's all about keeping the body guessing & asking for more!
Cardio- 5x/week. Mix of HIT & moderate cardio
3) MENTAL: Anyone who has ever set out on a fitness journey knows that it's 10% physical and 90% mental. If your head isn't in the game, then it really doesn't matter how strong or energetic you are....you will never achieve your goals if you let your doubts get in the way. I see JC's confidence rising as he's almost to the halfway point of his goal - to lose 20 lbs in 10 weeks.
But, I will tell you from experience, toward the end of this the finish line will seem like miles away. So, now more than ever as you get closer & closer to your goals, focus & determination must stay high.
Thanks for following along! Have a great weekend!
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Sweat IS Fat Crying! Update #1 on my local 'The Time is Now' client.
Sweat IS Fat Crying! Update #1 on my local 'The Time is Now' client.
Well, it turns out that a little bit of (extra) hard work at the gym along with making good choices at the dinner table has turned into a lot of fat crying for my client, JC.
Today was our first weigh-in after 2 weeks of starting the challenge. As you recall, JC has challenged himself to lose 20 lbs in 10 weeks. 2 weeks have passed and I'm happy to report that JC has...drum roll please....LOST 6 LBS! Our first weigh-in exactly 2 weeks ago was 230 lbs- today he weighed in at 224 lbs!
And to understand the magnitude of this, JC lost a whole week of gym time due to Spring Break vacation. He relied on some swimming & stairs to supplement his workouts but nothing compares to a week in the gym with weights & access to cardio equipment. He also had to rely on his own willpower to make good food choices and not let "vacation mentality" set in. WOW- the willpower factor alone is an A+++!
I asked him what he thought made the most impact these past 2 weeks & he admits that the food choices had to be key when lack of exercise was inevitable.
He's back in the gym and this is our plan for the week:
1) Supplements started today - see previous blog post for list.
2) Weight training 2x/week. Today we focused on total body with very short rest periods in between sets. By doing this, he kept his heart rate elevated for most of the workout. We will workout again on Friday & although the exercises will be different, we will keep the same mentality for the workouts - short rest periods!
3) Cardio 5x/week: On non-training days, JC will do 30 minutes of HIT (high intensity training) using the eliptical machine. He will vary his workout....one day will be 3 minutes high/1 minute low. Another day will be 1 minute high/1 minute low. The point is to keep the body guessing all week. On weight training days, he will do 30 minutes of low impact cardio immediately following our session.
4) Meals: JC will be following a 40% protein /30% carb /30% fat ratio. The main focus is to get the starchy carbs in before dinner & keep the vegetable content high. He is also focusing on lean protein choices as well as the "good" fats to keep him full. ** If anyone wants more info on meal plans, please contact me kathy.laucius@yahoo.com
Soooo- the message for this week is regardless of the time you may have for exercise, so much can be accomplished with good food choices & portion control - Thanks for following along!
Monday, March 18, 2013
The Time Is Now!
Yes- as promised- I am introducing ' The Time is Now' client. 'JC' is a 49 year old male. His goal is to lose 20 lbs in 10 weeks. Instead of explaining who he is, my client has taken the time to write his own introduction:
I have been working with Kathy for over 2 years. From the beginning, my
main goal was to preserve muscle mass and maintain my current weight of
225-230. I enjoy the weight training as I tend to maintain muscle mass
fairly easy. Some may even call my body type "thick". Kathy & I work well
together in the weight room & her knowledge of weight training has kept me
accountable & keeps me on my workout schedule. But now, I would like to lean out with adding more to my workouts & work toward a healthier eating pattern.
I also have a crazy world full of commitments. I am married with 3
kids who have different interests. I run a business & find myself traveling
at times. I know this is the world of most of you but with those factors, I
refuse to fall victim to the " I don't have time to workout" excuse. I call
BS on it! One thing I have learned is that the best thing you can do for
YOU is to set the appointment with yourself to workout on a weekly basis.
It's on my calendar & I stick with it religiously.
But, like many, I still struggle with eating right and finding the extra
time for cardio workouts. I hunt things...not run for them. So, Kathy
challenged me to add some accountability to my comfort zone and we set a
goal to lose 20 lbs in 10 weeks. I would like to turn up the notch on all
levels and I am excited for the challenge!
I am excited but a bit intimidated "putting it out there" for all to see.
But, I do feel this will motivate me and keep me accountable to my goal of
leaning out, maintaining muscle mass & a general feeling of better health.
So...let the fun begin!
Currently, JC is weight training 2x/week. He admits he has not been consistent with cardio or a meal plan. Every week we will evaluate & make changes. So, instead of throwing a bunch of hard core ideals at him, I am moving forward with some baby steps for the first 2 weeks. I have always been a firm believer that we must crawl before we walk when it comes to changing habits- therefore giving us the basis for long term success. This has been the current plan since Wednesday, March 6:
-Weight training 2x/week
-Cardio- 30-45 minutes/day for 5 days. After 2 weeks of building endurance, I will add interval training to his routine.
-Meal Plan: Two goals for the first 2 weeks: Cut out all processed foods & keep a food journal for accountability. Once we understand the basic eating patterns, we can come up with a plan that JC knows he can follow because it's HIS plan, not made for another client.
-Supplements: At this time, JC doesn't take any supplements. This week he will be adding the following:
*Men's multi vitamin
*Scivation Xtend- amino acids to be taken pre/post workout as well as before cardio on non training days.
*Arginine/Orthinine - pre/post workout "pump"
Tomorrow we will do our first official weigh-in. JC is coming off a week of Spring Break so he had to modify his workouts with swimming & stair climbs. His access to his own food was limited but he made the best of it. So...we shall see tomorrow!
Hope you enjoy following along with this client as he challenges himself to go the extra mile to see the extra results he's looking for!
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Everyone starts from somewhere!
Hey-I’m not the first person to get in shape or learn how to eat right. As most famous last words will include “I just wish I knew then what I know now”. But, the good news is that it’s never too late to embark on a healthy lifestyle. I didn’t discover weight training until I was in my 30’s, became certified as a personal trainer and finally learned how to eat right. At the age of 40, I stepped on stage for 4 figure competitions, earning my right to compete at the national level and did just that at the ripe age of 42.
I counted up the number of diets I've been on since I was a teenager - SIX commercial diet programs and countless other wasted tricks - all a big waste of time until I learned the power was within myself- not a diet. Once I learned to pick clean foods (not processed junk), watch my portions and give my body exercise, I realized this wasn't rocket science. This is a commitment to my life.
So, by adding the blog feature to my website, my goal is to help motivate, inspire, educate and whatever else comes to mind.
Now for the exciting news! One of my local clients has agreed to have his own weight loss journey documented by me for the next 8 weeks. We started the program 10 days ago so I will update everything that has taken place since the beginning. I will post his own letter of introduction with current stats and program. Each week we will update with the workouts, meal plans and challenges/obstacles he's faced for the week. Let's face it, this journey doesn't always go as planned or without several obstacles along the way!
I hope you will subscribe to the blog and share with your friends!
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