Gotta love my job. Like doctors, lawyers and financial advisers, when people find out what I do they always have questions. Which can be a pretty cool thing in certain settings. So I thought I’d touch on a few of the most common things I get asked.

OK first…………the disclaimer. Most of this is just my opinion or what I have seen and has worked for me. Everyone is a bit different so it’s always a good idea to talk to a doctor and/or a nutritionist about anything that may be specific to you.

The following points cover a broad spectrum so be forewarned their going to be a bit random! One of my fave and most often asked (also was covered by Laura earlier fyi) :

What do YOU eat?

Again this is where a nutritionist is going to be your best bet but I’ll touch on a few of my favorite things and why.

Eggs – Probably one of the most perfect sources of protein you can get. One of the best things about it is that it also works as an appetite suppressant by making you feel full longer. What I like to have is one whole egg with two egg whites along with….

Oatmeal – Oatmeal is awesome because it’s easy and fills you up. More importantly it helps keep your insulin levels at more of a steady state level. To make it even better I add….

Cinnamon – I’m not exactly sure why it works, but cinnamon works great as an appetite suppressant also.

Do spicy foods increase my metabolism?

The jury is still out on this one I think. I’ve read studies that go either way. My take on it? All I know is that when I eat things that are hot my nose runs and I begin to sweat. So somethings gotta be going on.

How much water should I drink?

You’ve probably heard you should drink enough water so that when you go to the bathroom is looks like light lemonade. That’s a good rule of thumb. But here’s a few of my thoughts. Most people are usually a bit dehydrated. So what does your body do? It tells you that you are hungry. Why? Because it knows that if you eat something chances are you’ll drink something with it. So my suggestion to you would be to drink at least one glass of water before you eat anything. To make it even better, make it ice water. The thought is that since it’s cold your body will have to work to warm it up. Will this make a big difference? Ehhhh, probably about as much as eating spicy food but it sure can’t hurt.

What’s the deal with caffeine?

For me personally, I’m a big fan. Of course anything can be over done. I like it as a pre and post workout supplement. The studies that I’ve read have stated that not only will it act as a stimulant to help you through a workout but it also causes glycogen to be released into your blood stream. This way it will give you increased fuel for the workout, a means for transporting nutrients to muscle cells after a workout and give you a head start of fat burning.

When is the best time to work out?

This one can go in so many different directions. For a lot of you that would be whenever you can. Now with that said, is there a better time than another. My opinion, that depends on you. Morning person? Evening person? Working out first thing in the morning gets it over with and out of the way and can also get you primed up for the rest of your day. But man is getting up at 5am hard. Some studies have suggested that around 1:30 to 3:30 may be ideal. You’ve had lunch so you’ll have fuel to burn and it seems that this time of day may be when your pain tolerance is at it’s highest. But this also usually the time when people feel a drop in energy. With most people’s work schedules the evening is the most viable option. It can be a good time because you can release some of the stress of the day through a workout. But this is also the time of day people just want to get home to unwind. So long story short……pick a time that you will stick to and remain dedicated to.

So there you have it, just a few of the more common questions we get. Of course these are just the beginning of the many questions you may have. As the get more specific the more you need to seek the advice of a professional. Hope this helps and encourages you in your health pursuits!

Doug Hammond
Fitness Coach
Raising The Barr Fitness

Success has, like many things in this world, become diluted by media in how it is obtained.  It is far too often displayed as a “Point A to Point B” scheme that we must follow precisely to achieve what the world has deemed “successful.”

Examples that come to mind are the late night TV ads that say,  “I was 400lbs! Now I weigh 160! SUCCESS!” without any additional verbal information other than they took a blue pill.

Or “Use the newest innovation in workout technology! THE RACK! and you’ll be RIPPED IN WEEKS WITH JUST 10 SIMPLE EXERCISES!”  Which, by the way, if you haven’t seen The Rack commercial, it’s hilarious.  But, I digress.

The reality of success, in anything you do, is RARELY an over night process.

The ugly truth is that success looks less like a continual two-point linear graph we use to draw in math class with our straight edge and more like a connect-the-dots picture done by a 2 year old.  There are loops and lines, points are missed, some are connected more than once, some might even drift off the page for a bit, BUT the ending is still SUCCESS!

The first time I took a Jiu-Jitsu class I knew I WANTED TO SUCCEED in this art.  Now, of course, it wasn’t a magical switch that I flipped and suddenly became successful at it.

I use to come home late into the night after training, with bruises in places I didn’t even know could GET bruised!  I would get my behind kicked CONSTANTLY by stronger and faster guys.

I failed HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of times.

There are were even moments when I considered just giving up because it was too hard.  BUT I DIDN’T. I learned from those moments when I failed, to multiply my successes.  Each failure gave me an opportunity to look into myself and see what I was lacking.

Failure is a mirror.  It shows you all of your flaws.  What you do with those flaws is what determines if you succeed or not.

In 2009 I had torn my ACL, Medial Meniscus, Lateral Meniscus, and sprained my MCL (In Engish, I destroyed my knee.)  I had to get major reconstructive surgery, was on crutches for several months, had physical therapy 3 times a week for 6 months, and was even told by my doctor that the likelihood of me ever returning to Jiu-Jitsu was near impossible. 

THIS WAS NOT PART OF MY SUCCESS PLAN!! 

I felt like I had taken 2 steps forward and mile step back.  But I KEPT GOING and I will always remember the first day back in training after a full year of recovering.  I left with a bruise on my forehead, a bloody nose, a jammed finger, a stubbed toe and had my butt kicked by everyone in there.

And I remember thinking, “You know, IT COULD ALWAYS BE WORSE!”

Your Journey to success in fitness, no matter your goal, will NEVER be a clear and painless road.

You’re going to have setbacks.

You’re going to feel fatter than you did yesterday.

You’re going to mess up. 

YOU’RE GOING TO FAIL.

But those failures are what build a strong foundation.  We must CHOOSE to use our failures for progress.

We often associate failure with losing, but this isn’t the case.  Just because you failed this time DOESN’T MEAN YOU’RE OUT OF THE RACE!

Get up, dust yourself off, and GO!

Daniel Woods
Fitness Coach
Raising The Barr Fitness

Feedback is a simple concept to grasp but can sometimes be a difficult behavior to put into practice. However, open communication, including feedback, from client to trainer is imperative to a healthy training environment and relationship.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines the word as “The return of information about the result of a process or activity; an evaluative response.”

The purpose for giving feedback is to improve the situation and/or performance. That’s a good thing.

What you get out of your sessions depends largely on communication. I imagine the men reading this are already having a harder time breathing. We need your participation but you can relax. It is the job of your personal trainer to ask the right questions and encourage open conversation. It is also our responsibility to constantly monitor behavior during exercise and receive feedback in that way. Few clients have an amazing poker face and are hard to read. The other extreme case is the client who talks and whines so much it’s hard to decipher what’s real!

What it comes down to is this:

• We need to know how you are feeling during and after exercise.
• We need to know if you have questions or struggles or pains.
• We need to know if you are not sure of what you are doing or where you should ‘feel’ the work.
• We also need to know if what you are doing doesn’t feel challenging enough. (Men, sharing means caring so wipe the beads of sweat from your brow.)

We also want and need to know the positives:

• We need to know when walking up stairs feel easier.
• We want to know when picking up your child/grandchild is no longer a struggle.
• We love hearing when your mac-daddy workout gave you more energy throughout the day rather than zapped it all.
• We need to know when your nutrition is so spot-on that all you craved for dinner last night was brussel sprouts & tilapia.
• We want to know when you feel good! So on, and so forth.

We encourage this type of relationship and healthy rapport so we can personalize your workouts to best fit your needs. That’s why it’s called ‘personal’ training after all!

Feedback is the path to a positive training experience which leads to your goals being met. That is what both the trainer and client desire! We need to know you and what motivates you. Which means we need you to talk to us, communicate with us. Again guys, relax, it’s not that bad!

Laura Thompson
Fitness Coach
Raising The Barr Fitness

Seriously?!

No really I mean it.

Are you seriously concerned about your health?

I would assume so since you are reading a blog on a fitness website.  I’m not going to “guilt” you into anything and if it’s not something you can budget there is no reason to compromise your financial health.  But in regards to the later, I would challenge you to add up all the money you spend on going out to eat and drink and see how it compares.

So why do people get personal trainers?

I’ll give you a few reasons… some good, some not so much.  I’ll also give you few ways to see if you are getting a reputable one.

So here are the reasons starting with the BAD ones first:

• Social status – Simply put these clients like telling their friends they have  a personal trainer like the Hollywood stars do.  Now this isn’t always a bad thing necessarily.  For example, if someone says you look great and your response is “Thanks, my trainer has been kicking my butt!” But what irks a trainer is when a client hires them but doesn’t work. Instead they use their sessions to socialize.   Most good trainers will soon replace these types of clients.
• The trainer is hot -  Don’t go there… EVER.  Just sayin!
• To fix all your problems -  I get it.  We do have the term “personal” in our title and there is some truth to that.  But we do not have the expertise of a psychiatrist, doctor, accountant, etc.   So relying on a trainer for that type of thing can only get both of you in trouble

Now for the GOOD reasons:

• Accountability -  This is the number one reason most of my clients give me.  They look at it as an investment that they don’t want to waste.  These are my guys and gals that get the best results.  They have to show up even when they don’t want to and would normally skip it.  This simply equates to consistency, consistency, consistency.
• Motivation –  And I’m not talking about the screaming in your face kind.  The kind that gives you confidence knowing that someone is in your corner and knows what they are doing.  Which leads me to……..
• Expertise -  So you don’t go off and be done broke yo-self.  Also, if you’ve been working out on your own and haven’t really gotten the results you wanted, now you can find out why and how to fix yo-self!

So when you decide to invest in a personal trainer, how do you know if you are getting a good one?  First things first, I’d check out the place where you’ll be working out.  Is it a place you feel comfortable in and where you want to spend time?  After that, try to get a vibe about the personality of the staff.

Now onto the trainer.  More than likely they will interview you to see what your needs are.  If not…….run!  So if they are asking you questions and you are going to be paying them money, maybe you should interview them as well.

Here are a few of the things I would suggest asking:

1. How long have you been a personal trainer?  They do not have to have been a personal trainer long to be good but that should lead you to other questions.
2. Are you certified and with who (or is it whom? anyway)?  ACSM, ACE, NASM, NSCA are some of the more well known organizations (and most respected).
3. Do you specialize in any particular area?  Some trainers may excel at rehab and recovery.  Some sports performance.  Most will be proficient in strength and conditioning training.
4. Last but not least, do you feel you have rapport with the trainer.  After all they’re gonna be the one who will see you at your worst and celebrate with you when you’ve done your best.

So, do you really need a personal trainer?  I would say YES!  Everybody can and will benefit from having an expert guide them in a structured environment to the result they desire.  And one of the greatest reasons why you need a personal trainer, is because of the knowledge you gain and habits you create that equip you to maintain the health, fitness and body transformation result you achieve.

Doug Hammond
Fitness Coach
Raising The Barr Fitness

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

This is a favorite scripture of mine and it is very applicable to anyone who may question what the Bible says about how we should treat our bodies.

As another year begins, many people set “New Year’s Resolutions” in hopes of finally turning that corner to a new and healthier lifestyle.

Finding the motivation to continue past January with your renewed commitment can sometimes be a struggle.  However, when in doubt, look to scripture to find your answer.

God states that our bodies are a “temple of the Holy Spirit” and that we were “bought with a price” and we should “glorify God” in our bodies.  I think God wants us to maximize our potential spiritually and physically.

Leading a life where regular exercise and healthy eating habits is present is pleasing to our spiritual father in heaven. Our bodies are not our own…

Life is a gift!

We are only here for a short time so lets make sure that our time spent on earth lasts as long as possible. So when you hit that wall, step back, say a prayer for increased strength and determination, and push on through!

In Christ,

Brett Watkins
Fitness Coach
Raising The Barr Fitness

In order for you to succeed in just about anything nowadays requires some form of investment. For the most part there are 3 main ingredients that must go in for anything good to come out. Those three are the following in order of importance:

Money:
We live in a world where money makes the world go round so it must play a role in your success. Naturally if you invest in stocks you must put in MONEY to make MONEY. The same can be said for most things in life.

For example, if I wanted to be a famous pianist I wouldn’t just bang on some rocks. I’d have to first purchase a piano with MONEY, as well as invest in some lessons from a teacher so I can progress in the right direction. We can see the parallels in fitness almost everyday.

The fact of the matter is most people spend money to get in the gym and the people that actually GO typically have no idea what they are doing in there!! They must have guidance FIRST to have any clue as to what direction they are headed so a teacher MUST be involved. And again this almost always requires money.

BUT the good news is that this is all an INVESTMENT!

So money must come out SOMEWHERE right? Until you’ve seen the medical expenses of unhealthy people as they get older, you sometimes feel like you’re spending too much on your fitness. But in reality the money you are spending now, in the long run by taking care of your body, is small in comparison to what it will cost you if you don’t keep it in top shape!

So we must be willing to invest MONEY into our HEALTH STOCK!

Time:
Time is the second most important part of your investment. If you aren’t willing to make the sacrifice of time then the money you’re investing is immediately WASTED!

When investing in stocks very rarely do you see any kind of profit in a small amount of time. Same thing is true about exercise. You must be willing to sacrifice time spent doing others things to experience any kind of progression.

Time is a major factor in success. Sacrifice time NOW so that when you’re older you can have more time to enjoy life on this earth!

Effort:
Finally, there stands one element that holds this whole scheme together. Without it, money is wasted and time is pointless.

EFFORT!!!

If you show up to your workouts every day and never give it 100% then you are only cheating yourself.  You can dump all the money in the world into fitness and spend years upon years being involved in fitness in some way, but if you don’t put the effort needed to see success then all is for naught. It’s the only true way to grow.

What does effort look like?

It’s not just going 100% in the gym, but 100% OUTSIDE the gym as well.

Your eating habits, your drinking and smoking habits, and of course, stress habits all are included in this word “EFFORT.”

You must be willing to give it all to get it all! If you’re not willing then the results you seek will always just be out of reach.

So…

GO HARD!

INVEST IN YOUR HEALTH ALL THE WAY!

Daniel Woods
Fitness Coach
Raising The Barr Fitness

Let’s talk about the posterior chain. Heard of it? The posterior chain is made up of all the muscles, tendons and ligaments that run down your backside. For the purpose of this blog, posterior chain refers to the muscles of the back, glutes, and hamstring specifically.

They are given the name “posterior” because they run down your backside. These are the muscles that will make a pair of jeans look fantastic!

Men, I’m going to pick on you for a bit. In a typical gym you won’t have to search hard to find a man doing the ‘beach workout’. This includes chest, biceps, abdominals and quadriceps (if we’re lucky).

These are the prominent anterior muscles of the body, aka ‘mirror muscles’. Guys, there is a whole nother half to your body. Please, for the love of all things health and fitness do something different!

Question (males and females): Why is it important to work your backside?

Answer: Form, function, balance, injury prevention, strength, power, posture. Now these will have different ranks and different scales for different people, but each is important in overall fitness.

Strengthening anterior muscles alone will create a forward tilt of the pelvis and forward hunch of the shoulders. Working the opposing muscles of the backside will stretch and lengthen the anterior muscles while strengthening the posterior crafting a strong, elegant and proper posture.

Muscular imbalance is something we often see in the training world for multiple reasons. And it should be the first issue addressed when beginning a strength training regimen.

As trainers, the most common pains we hear of are knees, low backs and shoulders. More often than not, these ailments can be relieved with intentional strengthening of weaker muscles groups (typically posterior) and stretching of stronger antagonistic muscles (typically anterior). As muscular imbalance is corrected, pain should noticeably decrease if not disappear entirely.

The glutes and hamstrings are more powerful than the quadriceps and have a higher ratio of fast-twitch muscle fibers, leading to greater strength and power. These backside muscles were designed to support us in a squatting position.

You will regularly hear my cues of “weight in your heels”, “sit in a chair”, “hips back”, “don’t let your knees travel forwards of your toes”, “chest up, abdominals tight”, and “engage those cheeks!”.All of those things promote the ‘hip hinge’ position that forces the posterior chain to do the work. A squatting/lunging/lowering exercise should not begin with a bend of the knees it should begin with a hinge of the hips.

A few of my favorite posterior dominant exercises are kettlebell swings, deadlifts, squats of all sorts, hip extensions and sprinting. Physique, form and function will improve when these exercises are performed properly.

You see people looking at you as you are walking towards them from the front right? If you want them to keep looking as you walk on by, TRAIN THE BACKSIDE!

Yours truly & crazily,

Laura Jane Thompson

Fitness Trainer

Raising The Barr Fitness

Turkey Day is quickly approaching!  So I chose a topic that has probably been addressed here but thought it was worth another look.

One of the things that has the biggest impact on our quest to lose fat and gain muscle strength is insulin.  We’re all familiar with insulin.  Unfortunately it’s probably because we know of someone with diabetes or we’re scared of developing it ourselves.  With that type of PR it would be easy to think of insulin as a bad thing.  Instead, if we are smart about it, it can actually be a boost to our efforts.

Simply put, insulin is a transporter.  It transports carbohydrates, amino acids and fats into the cells.  The cells we’re most concerned with are muscle cells and fat cells.  The goal is to make the muscle cells as sensitive to insulin as possible allowing for the nutrients to replenish both the muscle cell and our energy, and at the same time make the fat cells insensitive.

So how do we do that? 

Well I’m sure it won’t come as a surprise to you that it’s diet and exercise.

I’ll address exercise first because it’s the least complex.  The best way to make muscle cells respond to insulin is through high intensity strength training and cardio work.  These workouts should alternatingly occur 5 to 6 days a week and last between 20 minutes to 1 hour.   The higher the intensity the shorter the workout, generally speaking, but you can do higher intensity workouts for longer duration as you become more adapted to higher intensity exercise.

High intensity workouts have your muscle cells screaming for  an insulin spike thus keeping it away from your  fat cells.  Obviously, not exercising at all produces the exact opposite, which is increased fat cell sensitivity leading to fat gain.

Now onto the diet.  What and when you eat plays a huge factor on insulin levels.  The Glycemic Index measures how easily a food raises blood sugar levels.  A more important measure would be the Insulin Index.

The insulin index measures how a food affects your insulin levels.  For the most part both indexes mirror each other.  But there are a few exceptions.  For example, skim milk has a low GI number but a high Insulin Index number.  What this means is that while milk doesn’t significantly raise blood sugar levels it does raise your insulin response.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing depending on when you ingest it, like after a workout would be a great time.  Just before bed……..not so much.

This is a very in depth topic…too in depth for this post. To try to cover all the pieces would be difficult and confusing.  So if you have any questions or want to know more feel free to shoot us an email or ask one of the coaches here at Raising The Barr Fitness.

And oh yeah…Happy Thanksgiving!

Doug Hammond
Fitness Coach
Raising The Barr Fitness

If you’ve ever done any kind of recreational or competitive running you’ve heard of the term “Runner’s High.”  This “high” is thought to be a mystical experience where pain ceases to exist and you have developed a supernatural second wind to continue on at normal or an even more intense pace.

The good news is that it really DOES exist and you don’t have to RUN to experience it!  Any exercise at a high enough intensity for a unset amount of time can trigger this experience thanks to a natural hormone in the body known as an endorphin.

The science behind endorphins is simple.  They are produced by both the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus in the brain during high emotional or physical exertion.  Once the endorphins are released they bind to neuro-receptors within the body that act like a natural morphine.

Pain tolerance increases, stress hormones decrease, and spatial awareness is heightened when under the influence of endorphins.  The physiological timing of endorphin release varies from person to person.  Some people can trigger it in a simple 10 minute jog while others require a significantly higher level of intensity to active release.

Endorphins are the reason we can be 100 burpees deep into a workout and suddenly find the energy to survive 100 more.  They are the reason a boxer can be on the verge of losing and ignore the pain of all the punches he’s endured to win a fight.  They are why a man could be in an accident and lose his arm yet find the energy to pick it up and drive to the hospital to get it reattached.  (True Story)  It’s why we can get so mad or so upset that everything blurs together into a strange euphoria.

Whatever the reason our bodies trigger endorphins, we may not even know that they’ve truly kicked in until after the moment has passed and you realize what you’ve done.  So remember, as you’re working hard and pushing yourself, if you get to a point where you feel like you can’t go on from exhaustion chances are you’re about to experience an endorphin pump!

ENJOY!

PLAY HARD, LIVE HARD, REST EASY!

Daniel Woods
Fitness Coach
Raising The Barr Fitness

For this blog I want to share with you all what I ate to prepare for the Tri-Fitness challenge. This competition requires you to be in peak condition physically and aesthetically. I wanted to lose body fat while maintaining or increasing lean muscle tissue. Sound like a familiar goal? As far as working out, I increased from 4 to 5 days a week of training. The results I achieved were 80-90% about nutrition. And yes, I practice what I preach. So here are meals I typically ate the last 4-5 weeks of contest prep:

• Homemade turkey burger (no bread, just patty). Spinach salad with sunflower seeds & fresh squeezed lemon juice.
• Shredded chicken with black beans & salsa. Side of broccoli.
• Nut crusted baked chicken with roasted vegetables.
• Sliced steak over broccoli slaw with balsamic vinegar.
• Sauteed cod seasoned with Tony’s (just a dash) with steamed or roasted veggies.
• My new fave! Scallops & brussel sprouts cooked with onions, evoo, lemon juice & pepper.
• Tuna Salad with roasted red peppers, capers, mustard and non-fat cottage cheese.
• Eggs. All day, any kind of way.
• Quinoa with black beans, tomatoes, cilantro and lime juice.

This is not difficult, not expensive, not boring, not bland and got the job done! Email laura@bestjacksonpersonaltrainer.com for specific recipes. If this sounds like too much work, talk to us about Meal Movement!

Laura Thompson
Fitness Coach
Raising The Barr Fitness

Hey, I’m Doug…….the new guy! So being the new guy and this being my first blog I thought I would introduce myself and touch on the significance of change.

My bio will be posted on RTB’s website soon so I won’t bore you with too many details. I grew up in Brandon so I guess you could say I’ve really just returned home. What my bio I won’t tell you is that I’ve moved here from Los Angeles where I was a trainer and pursued acting. So if you want to hear any stories feel free to ask! After having lived in LA for 5 years, moving back here was a bit of a change. They say moving and changing jobs are two of the most stressful situations. Fortunately for me I had worked with Clint in the past. I know of his dedication and I’m more than comfortable with his philosophy. So having someone here I knew made all the difference in the world.

I bring all of this up because making a life-style change and joining a gym takes a lot of courage and dedication. Especially around this time of the year. So for those of you coming to RTB, congratulations! With that being said I would encourage you to be THAT person to help a friend or family member to make a positive change in their lives. Regardless of what area its in, it always has a huge impact when we extend a hand.

Thanks for taking the time and I look forward to working with ya!

Unless you live under a rock, Bruce Lee needs no introduction.  Some say he was one of the most genetically gifted people of our time, but the wise ones recognize it was a combination of genetics and a work ethic that would put ALL OF US to shame.

Bruce Lee lived and breathed his passions and sought them without restraint.  There is a book, The Art of Expressing the Human Body, that has a great section about the authors experience of having Bruce Lee as his personal trainer.

“Bruce had me up to three miles a day, really at a good pace. We’d run the three miles in twenty-one or twenty-two minutes. Just under eight minutes a mile [Note: when running on his own in 1968, Lee would get his time down to six-and-a half minutes per mile]. So this morning he said to me “We’re going to go five.” I said, “Bruce, I can’t go five. I’m a helluva lot older than you are, and I can’t do five.” He said, “When we get to three, we’ll shift gears and it’s only two more and you’ll do it.” I said “Okay, hell, I’ll go for it.” So we get to three, we go into the fourth mile and I’m okay for three or four minutes, and then I really begin to give out. I’m tired, my heart’s pounding, I can’t go any more and so I say to him, “Bruce if I run any more,” –and we’re still running-”if I run any more I’m liable to have a heart attack and die.” He said, “Then die.” It made me so mad that I went the full five miles. Afterward I went to the shower and then I wanted to talk to him about it. I said, you know, “Why did you say that?” He said, “Because you might as well be dead. Seriously, if you always put limits on what you can do, physical or anything else, it’ll spread over into the rest of your life. It’ll spread into your work, into your morality, into your entire being. There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. If it kills you, it kills you. A man must constantly exceed his level.”

If this doesn’t hit you right in the gut with guilt from all the times you said, “I CAN’T” then you are beyond help!

Let this be your guide for the next few weeks as you continue to train hard and work hard.  You will run into plateaus that will make you feel like quitting.

“YOU MUST GO BEYOND THEM.”

If you don’t at least ATTEMPT to break your “limits” then YOU ARE DEAD, your progress has stopped, and your efforts are futile.

You can’t do a pullup? LIES! You haven’t trained hard enough to do one.

You can’t do a real pushup? LIES! Smash through your plateau!

Do you physically want to be where you are 1 year from now?  I hope not.  DON’T SETTLE, “a man must constantly exceed his level.”  Imagine your capability if you could perform without limits!  Release your negative thoughts and actions.  PROVE YOURSELF WRONG!  Always adapting, always changing, always growing.  “Be Water, My Friends.”

Daniel Woods
Fitness Coach
Raising The Barr Fitness

Fitness professionals are constantly asked
“what should I eat?”

I love this question because it means the individual realizes that health & fitness is LARGELY based off what one puts in their body. Fueling your body for a workout & for life in general is a full-time process.

Our biggest source of energy comes directly from the foods we eat.

Food = Energy.

The best way to keep energy levels high (no matter the time you workout) is to eat small meals throughout the day. In these meals/snacks you always want to combine a protein and a carbohydrate. The optimal timing of meals around a workout varies by individual. Ideally, you should to eat 1-2 hours pre-workout and within an hour afterwards.

Pre-workout nutrition is necessary for muscle strength, better endurance, increased energy and it can help you burn more calories and fat as well as improve concentration levels. During an intense workout your muscles are broken down in order to build back stronger.

Post-workout nutrition is important to replenish the body and help repair muscle fibers. For these reasons it is commonly said that pre-workout meals should favor the carbohydrates and post-workout meals should favor proteins.

As long as you are eating sufficient amounts of both together, and from quality sources, you are doing well.

If you feel you are slacking in your workouts or having a hard time recovering post-workout, please talk to your trainer! You are doing hard work and we want you to fuel your body properly to get the results you are working for. If stress and/or time constraints are an issue we have great products we can offer to help you along the way.

Use us! We are here for you!

Laura Thompson
Fitness Coach
Raising The Barr Fitness

The never ending repeat of those P90X informercials has inspired you to exercise once again. Jillian Michaels in your face attitude on “The Biggest Loser” has motivated you to get off the couch and get moving. You decided to join the gym, again, for the umpteenth time, in hopes of sticking with it long enough to validate the monthly dues.  Through all of this, you begin to ask yourself, “What’s the trick for sticking with an exercise program?”

I hear this question a lot. People assume that since I am in the fitness profession that I know some secret way to make it easy. Gosh, I wish I did!

Unfortunately, there is no trick. Even the greatest athletes struggle with motivation.  During my time as a professional strength and conditioning coach for the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team, I was always trying to find ways to motivate my players to exercise and eat right.  I would explain to them that eating right, exercising and staying healthy went a long way in achieving success. Their bodies were their livelihood so staying healthy was vital to success.

The problem with motivation is that many of us believe it’s something that will come to us if we wait long enough… that someday we’ll wake up and finally want to exercise. Rather than believe in that fantasy, maybe we’d be better off by realizing that motivation is something we create, not something we wait for.

When do you get excited about exercise? For me, it’s usually right after I’ve made the decision to do it at some future time. Just deciding to exercise makes me feel good… almost like I’ve already done something. My experience is not unique just to me. The problem, with most people, happens when it comes to follow through and their motivation has suddenly disappeared. If that sounds like you, maybe it’s time to focus your attention on what’s important. Deciding to exercise is important, but it’s what you do to follow through that really matters. Setting goals is easy but achieving them is the real battle.

Instead of trying to overhaul your life overnight, break your ambitious goals into manageable, smaller goals and take on one small goal a week. For example, if your larger goal is to have more stamina and better muscle definition by summer, your weekly goals for the coming month might look something like this.

1)     Add 5 minutes to your cardio workouts

2)     Make a point to use deep breathing techniques during workouts

3)     Walk up the two flights of stairs at work instead of taking the elevator

4)     Meet with a personal trainer to create a strength training plan

Make things easier on yourself! Start with easiest changes first and work up to the more challenging tasks. By the end of the month, you’ll have made at least 4 important health changes and you’ll feel even more motivated to continue to make other changes needed to reach your goal.  Change isn’t always easy, find what motivates you and ride that momentum into a new and healthier you!

In fitness,

Brett Watkins
Fitness Coach
Raising The Barr Fitness

In my lifetime, as short as it may be compared to most of my readers, I’ve have the wonderful privilege to work with many successful people.  Some are prestigious professors at state universities, while others are self-owned business millionaires, full-time bloggers, award winning chemists and nuclear engineers.

I’ve also had the privilege to work with the opposite end of the spectrum, where success was a hassle they didn’t want to bother obtaining.  Both groups have taught me not only about what it takes to be successful in business but also what it takes to be successful in my own fitness goals.  These are what I consider to be “The 3 H’s of Successful People.”

1) HUSTLE

Although this may be one of the most over used words by coaches of little league teams everywhere, this term speaks VOLUMES to our psychological desires to pursue our goals.

Webster defines it as “the action of making strenuous efforts to obtain something”, the key word being STRENUOUS. Not “when you feel like it”, not “on your good days”, not “when you have time.”

One of my favorite authors once wrote, “Hustle isn’t just doing the things you love all the time.  Hustle is doing the things you don’t enjoy sometimes to earn the right to do the things you love.”

Success in fitness isn’t about always doing the exercises you enjoy or eating right on the days you FEEL like trying.  Success comes from accepting the task in front of you and going after it as hard as you can, AT ALL TIMES.  Fill in the blanks. “Do I want ________? Then I have to _______.”

Do I want to be lean and in shape?  Then I have to eat right and train hard.  PERIOD. NO EXCUSES. NO EXCEPTIONS. “But tomorrow I’ll have more time!” HUSTLE!

2)HARD WORK

This is one that we sometimes overlook, intentionally or not. I’m not referring to the hard work we deal with DURING exercise, however.  I’m referring to the hard work we set in front of us as a goal.  ANYONE CAN RUN A 5K,  IT’S HARD WORK TO RUN A MARATHON.

The fact of the matter is, we as people are TERRIFIED TO FAIL! So we often short change a vital part of ourselves by not putting the REAL goal in front of us.  Personally, I want to be the best trainer in the world!  I also want to be one of the best black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu!

Do those goals terrify me? ABSOLUTELY!  I’ve put A LOT of hard work ahead of me.

But you know what scares me even more? NOT TRYING.  I’d rather fall short of a seemingly impossible goal any day then defeat a false goal I’ve created to PROTECT MY PRIDE.  Every day I wake up with the motivation that lights a fire under me to run hard after my goals!  So stop lying to yourself.  “I want to lose 15lbs.”  You want to lose 40lbs and run 5 miles non-stop before the year is over!  STOP CHEATING YOURSELF AND PUT SOME HARD WORK IN FRONT OF YOU!

3)HEART

This is the big kahuna.  Without it, all else will fail. The scariest part is  that YOU CAN’T TRAIN HEART.

Most of us have seen the Rocky movies, so I’m not ashamed to admit that as a kid I use to get misty eyed when Rocky would take a beating for 12 rounds against a monstrous opponent that was bigger, stronger, and faster. But in the final few rounds he’d turn this switch on and become an unstoppable being, taking every punch the villain threw and would knock them out with the final ounce of his energy! 

THAT IS HEART!

I’m not asking you to step into a boxing ring and fight somebody, but I am asking you to look deep down in yourself and really see if you have that switch.  The truth is, WE ALL HAVE THAT SWITCH! Some of us have just never flipped it!  Heart never shows up when the going is easy.  True heart shows up when the odds are stacked against you!  When you’re worn down and KNOW you can’t go on but there’s still time left on the clock.  But nobody can teach you to turn it on-only you can make it happen.  We will always find moments in our lives where we are the underdog, and where the odds don’t look good and failure is almost inevitable.

“I can’t do anymore!  I have no more energy!” HAVE HEART!

These 3 H’s, though similar, are all very different in their own ways.  Learning to combine them will make you an unstoppable force in both your life and your fitness!

“NOTHING IN THIS WORLD THAT’S WORTH HAVING COMES EASY”

Daniel Woods
Fitness Coach
Raising The Barr Fitness

Breathing is mindless right? Not necessarily.

Continuous airflow through your lungs is crucial for healthy, effective exercise. During any exercise, it’s important that you focus on always moving air in and out of your body efficiently.

If you hold your breath, especially during intense exercise, your blood pressure spikes and intra-abdominal pressure increases. You could be putting yourself at risk for a hernia or blood vessel strain. Proper breathing will also help prevent dizziness and uncharacteristic shortness of breath during all forms of exercise.

To decrease these risks, focus on breathing deeply all the time – during workouts and in your daily activities.

“Practicing regular, mindful breathing can be calming and energizing and can even help with stress-related health problems ranging from panic attacks to digestive disorders.”
Andrew Weil, M.D.

Tips on breathing properly during exercise

• During cardiovascular training
  • Focus on taking deep breaths
  • Establish a comfortable breathing pattern
  • For example, use a 3:2 ratio of breath in to breath out when running.  This means you inhale for 3 steps and exhale for the 2 steps following and repeat.  This breathing pattern takes practice to master, so have patience!
• During resistance and strength training
  • Exhale on the exertion or the “grunt” phase of the exercise,
  • Inhale on the relaxation phase of the exercise,
  • Most importantly remember to breathe continuously!

Good breathing technique when exercising ensures you get the most out of your performance and remain safe. And that’s what we want for you. Breathe intentionally, breathe deeply, and breathe continuously.

Now go do something!

Laura Thompson
Fitness Coach
Raising The Barr Fitness

Summer is the perfect time to go outside and have fun.  It’s one of my favorite times of year because there are so many outdoor activities to choose from. Everything is more fun outside, whether you’re swimming, running or cycling. But the summer heat can be a problem if you’re not careful, particularly here in Mississippi with its extreme heat and humidity.

Throughout my career as an athlete and avid exerciser, I have learned a few things about exercising in the heat. For me the biggest problems were staying hydrated and maintaining my body’s electrolytes and salt. When you sweat, your body loses not only water, but electrolytes and salt, too. This delicate balance of water and electrolytes is crucial to keep your body functioning properly.

If you don’t drink enough water, you can get dehydrated and suffer from light-headedness and nausea. If not recognized, dehydration can even lead to kidney failure and or, in extreme cases, death. However, if you drink too much water without replenishing your electrolytes, you can experience hyponatremia. This can lead to confusion, nausea, muscle cramps, seizures or even death in extreme cases.

You may not be playing baseball in the summer heat, but there are some things to keep in mind when it comes to exercising in the heat:

• The time of day is important. Unless you are training for an event that takes place in the daytime heat, avoid exercising from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It’s the hottest part of the day.  Generally, the early morning is the best time to work out, especially if it’s going to be a scorcher that day.
• Wear loose, light-colored clothing. The lighter color will help reflect heat, and cotton material will help the evaporation of sweat.  You may also want to try specially designed moisture wicking fabric that are designed to keep you dry, comfortable and cool
• Sunscreen is a must. I use SPF 30 just to be safe. It’s important to protect your skin. You can get burned and suffer sun damage to your skin even on cloudy days.
• Stay hydrated. Before you go out, drink a glass or two of water. Carry a bottle of water or even a hydration puck such as the CamelBak. Take a drink every 15 minutes, even when you are not thirsty. When you are done with your workout, have a few more glasses of water.
• Replenish your electrolyte and salt intake while exercising. I like to drink a Powerade or Gatorade to keep my system in check.
• If you can, choose shaded trails or pathways that keep you out of the sun.
• Most importantly, listen to your body. Stop immediately if you’re feeling dizzy, faint or nauseous.

In Fitness,

Brett Watkins
Fitness Coach
Raising The Barr Fitness

One of the most over looked, brushed aside concepts in the art of exercise and nutrition is the glorious REST day.  As we get deeper into our training and see major changes in our body’s composition, we often get into this mindset that more MUST be better in terms of our exercising and cardio.  Unfortunately, this concept will almost always lead to the dreaded experience known as “Overtraining Syndrome.”

Now, until you have actually experienced Overtraining Syndrome you will never truly understand why it is SO important to avoid it at all costs.  Well, what IS Overtraining Syndrome?  Overtraining Syndrome, as defined by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, is “a physical, behavioral, and emotional condition that occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual’s exercise exceeds their recovery capacity. They cease making progress, and can even begin to lose strength and fitness.”

Overtraining is a common problem in weight training, but it can also be experienced by runners and other athletes.  In short, when we train hard, push ourselves, and eat right, but fail to get adequate REST we are sabotaging all of our work!  Lets take a deeper look into how the body reacts to lack of rest.

PHYSIOLOGICAL RAMIFICATIONS

When we exercise we are actually causing small tears in our muscle fibers so that when we REST it allows our body to use the nutritional tools we’ve given it to rebuild them stronger, larger, and more powerful. (Yes, you read that right.  Muscle isn’t BUILT in the gym.  It’s built from REST.)  If we fail to REST adequately, the small tears don’t have time to repair and are further damaged into a state known as MICROTRAUMA.

From this point on it’s a physiological chain reaction of events.  Our body tries to keep up with the repairs it needs to make by using up amino acids faster and in turn pulls the body into a protein-deficient state.  The body then sets itself into a caloric-deficit that releases high levels of cortisol (THE STRESS HORMONE) and begins breaking muscle down for energy.

On top of all this your testosterone levels drop, your immune system begins weakening, you develop chronic muscle soreness, and often times you struggle to fall asleep at the end of the day.  As we lose muscle, we become weaker and all of the hard work we put into the gym for the last few weeks is now NULL AND VOID.  Keep in mind these are just the physical problems you experience.

PERFORMANCE RAMIFCATIONS

Once we are in a full state of overtraining the signs in our performance are almost always a dead give away that we are in trouble.  Suddenly, you can’t run as fast or as hard as you normally could.  You are out of breath quicker and even the lighter weights seem to be a burden to your body.  The reason for this stems from the physiological side of your body.

When you exercise in any form or fashion you have glycogen storage in your muscles that is used for energy to accomplish physical tasks.  When you exercise you deplete your body of glycogen and you must go through a period of REST to regain those glycogen stores.  As you can imagine, if you are overtraining, you don’t have enough time to replenish your glycogen and your body burns out quicker.  You become borderline useless in comparison to your former self.

PSYCHOLOGICAL RAMIFICATIONS

I personally think this is the worst section of results from overtraining.  Feeling tired, having a rough workout, and even struggling with certain movements come and go, but when your body starts sending you into a state of depression it is time to get serious!  Our brain is one highly advanced piece of equipment and has unique ways of telling us when something is wrong or out of the ordinary.  This is the same case when we reach a period of overtraining.  Depression, loss of motivation to workout, loss of the joy of exercise, and even having mood swings are all resulting factors of overtraining.  If we don’t LISTEN to our body’s cries for help, we end up paying for it dearly.

SOLUTIONS

Ok, so if you find yourself reading this blog and thinking “oh man, this is me in a nutshell,” FEAR NOT!  There are solutions to this terrible experience.  The most obvious one, if you haven’t picked up on my subtle hints in this post, is to REST!!!

Good old fashion, 8 hours of sleep will fire just about ANYONE back up into full motion!

However, if you are in a very deep state there are other alternatives that have helped me out in the past.  Contrast baths are wonderful for the muscles if you have the time.  If you don’t know what a contrast bath is, look it up, they are a life saver in tight spots.  My personal favorite is a deep tissue massage!  Now guys I know it sounds girly but trust me on this one, getting those muscles to truly relax is a fantastic experience that I highly recommend.

I strongly suggest you really look deeply at yourself the next time you feel burned out from exercise or find yourself not enjoying the way you look.  Chances are you just might be overtraining! Always remember, TRAIN HARD, EAT RIGHT, REST EASY!!!

Daniel Woods
Fitness Coach
Raising The Barr Fitness

In life we make choices. Sometimes the decision can be easy with quick turnover and fast results. Oftentimes decisions are difficult. They can be life-altering and reaching our desired outcome can be a lengthy process. I want to talk about those type choices and the mindset we should keep when approaching such decisions.

Many times in life we will be faced with the decision of accepting a current condition in its negative state, or choosing to change for the positive. Sounds simple enough, but realistically that isn’t so. For the sake of this discussion let’s say your ‘challenge’ is related to living a healthy lifestyle. My question for you is when you are faced with a challenge, will you choose to change? Will you choose to accept the challenge that you know will bring certain growth and happiness?

The Don’ts

If you say yes, you must keep a mindset that isn’t afraid of success. Don’t “protect” yourself by refusing to give up old habits. Can change be scary? Sure, but don’t allow fear to dictate your life. Change will be much more rewarding than convincing yourself to accept something you do not like. Don’t settle for comfortable, you must embrace the unknown. And don’t wait for the right time. There isn’t one. The best ‘right time’ is either today or some time in the past. Life happens constantly and will continue to do so.

The Do’s

Do be a risk taker. If you give your all to accepting, embracing, and acting upon this change the only option is success and growth. Do be vocal to family and friends about your goals. You will find your support system which will hold you accountable and mostly likely you’ll encourage others to take positive steps as well. You must do what you can do when you can do it. No matter how much or how little it is, on any given day, do something towards reaching your goal. Allow yourself happiness, a rewarding lifestyle, and positive experiences along the way.

Is it always easy? No. In fact change is rarely easy until it becomes habit and second nature. So, pick your poison. You can refuse change, stay the same, and work towards convincing yourself things are fine. Or you can accept the challenge, learn new means, make new habits, and endure a hard workout or two. Let go of comfort and habit for what you know is best for you. One day you will    run out of excuses. The time for change is now. You are worth the effort.

Laura Thompson
Fitness Coach
Raising The Barr Fitness