Exercise for the BUSY!

A recent topic was posted to us and we got around to providing our answer :   Skip to the bottom if you don't have time to read a long post !

Eating well, exercising, and overall keeping healthy for "the busy" person (aka the person who doesn't want to or can't spend hours at the gym or hours cooking healthy food.) What tips do you have to stay healthy, busy style!! =)


For instance, in the beginning of the week I have been pre-chopping (in my food processer) the veggies I like to have on my salad so when I want one I just take the precut / premixed stuff and save myself 5-10 of prep time each time I want to eat a salad


Time savers like that but with exercising, too.



This was the topic posed to us on our Facebook page. First of all, GREAT NEWS you do not have to spend hours at the gym or hours cooking healthy to be healthy. Start with 30 minutes a week.  Then an hour, then 2. Find what works to you but make it habit.  Below, we will give a few quick tips on how to maximize your time in the gym, and then the rest of the post will be more in depth and give more of our opinions.



TIPS TO ACHIEVE RESULTS FOR THOSE THAT HAVE LIMITED TIME:



1.) Go to the gym to get work done, period.

You are not at the gym to watch TV, you are not at the gym to make friends, or make small talk. You are not at the gym to talk about last night’s game, TV show or party. You are not at the gym to talk about your workout routine, especially the one you don’t have time for! You are at the gym to get in a workout and get results. This tip alone can make your 60 minute workout last only 40 minutes.



2.) Training Economy.

This simply means utilizing exercises that get the best results in the shortest time possible. Squats, deadlifts, presses, kettlebell swings, lunges, burpees, pull-ups, push-ups, dips, and rows are all preferable movements with regards to training economy, compared to a triceps kickback or a leg extension. You will get more out of a heavy set of deadlifts than any three isolation exercises combined. That is economical! The whole idea here is to get the most bang for buck in regards to exercise selection.


3.) Get off the treadmill.

Did I list the treadmill or steady state cardio exercise as an economical training plan? No, absolutely not. You already are limited for time, so the last thing you want to be doing is walking on a treadmill to “lose fat”, because three times a week of 1 hour on the treadmill is NOT GOING TO WORK. It is not as effective as weightlifting or interval training, so why waste your precious time doing it? There are hundreds of studies showing that steady state cardio is not as effective as weight training or interval training in regards to fat loss, so why do it? I could link to those studies but you don’t have the time to read them because you are busy, right?


4.) Hire a coach

You already have a time strapped week, every week. With that said, you don’t have the time or likely the knowledge to create a workout routine that will give you the results you are looking for in the time you have. So why not pay for a trainer to help you along the way? At Crossfit Binghamton, we offer remote program design where we have a consultation, during which we get to know you, your schedule, and your workout history and ability. We then create a program we give to you on a weekly basis to complete at a gym or home of your choice.


Think about how much you pay monthly for your cell phone, cable, internet, coffee ordered out, alcohol, lunches eaten out, cigarettes, gambling, and movie rentals. Also, don’t forget hair stylists, manicures, pedicures, massage, spa treatments, or any other indulgences.



Now if you are willing to pay for all those things before paying a gym membership or hiring a coach/trainer, you are prioritizing all those things over your own health and wellness goals. I am not judging based on this, but that is a simple fact. If your health and wellness is a priority, then be willing to pay for it just like you would for a service or consultation or advice in any number of fields.


5.) Join Crossfit Binghamton –

Well, we did write this post right? So we clearly believe in the product and service we offer. Our classes last only 1 hour and involve a full warm-up , a workout that is scaled to each individual’s ability level and a cool down. We utilize, coach and teach the most economical exercises on a daily basis. We have a comprehensive program design based on the knowledge we have attained over numerous years of coaching clients as well as attending certifications and seminars from some of the best minds across the country. Most importantly, we have a FUN group class where you are not alone on your fitness journey and can share the experience with others. Fitness can become an enjoyable part of your life and not another task on your very full “to-do” list!


Now for the time prioritization part. I’ll keep this short and sweet. There are 168 hours in every week. Subtract how much you work and how much you sleep from those 168 hours. Most I have talked to in the Broome County area will have between 50 and 75 hours left from that. What you do with those hours is your choice. If your health and wellness is a priority, you will schedule time for exercise. Remember, efficient training only takes a small portion of that time. Smart training and nutrition can yield results in as little as two, 60 minute sessions a week.

If you still can’t find time for it, try this- Instead of saying, “I don’t have time to exercise”, tell yourself, “Exercise and my health are not priorities for me right now.” If that doesn’t resonate well with you, then maybe it is time to reevaluate how you prioritize your time. YOU have the power to change this! Take back control of your free time, and do something for yourself.  


Our recommendation to those starting their fitness journey is not to go from doing nothing to 6 days a week of exercise. This isn’t smart progressive approach and it isn’t practical. Our recommendation if time is short, is for small changes to be made to your schedule. So our recommendation is to start with two days a week. Once you have established you can handle 2 days a week, think of adding a third day, etc., This allows for a habit to be formed and this new appointment to be part of your weekly schedule. The best formula for this is to think of your weekly workout times for the upcoming week on Sunday. For example, the next week I know I will train on Monday at 9 a.m., Tuesday at 9 a.m. and Wednesday at 5 a.m. I will rest on Thursday and train at 5 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. on Saturday and rest again on Sunday. This takes planning in other areas of your life to make sure you can devote this time to training. A typical 9-5 M-F worker can plan their week in many different ways. They could train early before work on Monday, after work on Wednesday and then again on Saturday when they have additional free time.



Summary:


Workout time is workout time, not social hour. You are there to workout. Utilize smart training economy and utilize exercises that utilize multiple muscle groups. Get off the treadmill. Steady state cardio doesn’t work as well as other forms of training. Hire a coach. Let someone with more knowledge in regards to exercise than yourself lay out a plan choosing exercise selection and work/rest periods to MAXIMIZE the time you do have in order to get your best results. Join Crossfit Binghamton. We are a community of diverse individuals with diverse fitness backgrounds. Our common thread is we all want to live a healthier lifestyle. The first time you lift a heavy weight or complete a difficult workout with a group cheering you on is not something you will every forget. Make exercise a fun part of your day and get results.

Beginners Guide to Nutrition and Nutrition/Lifestyle consultation offer

Nutrition:

 First off everyone’s nutritional needs and practices will be different. UNDERSTAND THAT LAST STATEMENT. The first thing to establish is your goals. Are you eating for performance or for weight loss? Are you eating for weight gain and to gain strength? This all matters when you decide how to eat.

Second, solid nutrition practices are a daily habit, not some fad diet or something you do for a few months at a time. Eating well is a lifetime pursuit, just like fitness is. It takes practice, some tweaking and guidance. At Crossfit Binghamton we have seen clients successfully make tweaks to their diet and improve their nutrition and most importantly their understanding of nutrition greatly over time.

In our OPINION, small changes in your nutrition is the way to go when you are attempting to lose weight or fat. The reason for this is if you overhaul your whole diet and go from eating like shit all the time to eating completely clean, this is unlikely to be sustainable in the LONG TERM. And the long term is what we are looking to make changes to.  If you aren’t the type that is capable of making small changes, then by all means try something extreme like a detox, a fast or a 30-day paleo challenge.  Questions about this stuff?  Ask us.  For some it works, but for the rest we make the following suggestions and hope to see you implement them over time.

For fat loss and optimal leanness.

1.) Drink more water. I don’t know how much water you drink now but good chance it is not enough. Get a water bottle, fill it, and bring it to work. Finish and refill that bottle of water 3-5 times daily.   Also, drink 12-16 ounces of water immediately upon waking.

2.) Stop drinking soda.  Non-negotiable point. Need more proof use Google.

3.) Eat a quality breakfast. No cereal, no bagels, no toast. Meat/eggs and healthy fats. This change alone from cereal to meat/eggs and healthy fats can make a huge difference.

Just to show the variety of options I’ll list a few:

Meats:

Lean ground beef

Lean ground turkey

Eggs

Venison

Bison

Salmon

Fats:

Cashews

Almonds

Macadamia nuts

Hazelnuts

Brazil Nuts

Olive Oil – very small amount

Coconut Oil- very small amount

The fats should be limited but do not skip these and replace with anything. For the nuts, 1 handful is good. For the meats, eat a normal sized portion.

This breakfast will sustain you throughout the day and leaving you feeling full.  For a more through look at this read : http://www.charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/270/The_Meat_and_Nut_Breakfast.aspx

4.) Lower the amount and eventually eliminate bread from your diet. If you currently eat a foot long sub every day, start ripping off chunks of the bread so you are eating less bread each time. Eventually get to the point of not eating any.

5.) Get a minimum of 7.5 hours of sleep per night. What happens when you don’t get enough sleep is nasty.  “But I can’t, I’m so busy.” If you think you are so busy write down how you spend your time daily. Do it for a week. Make changes to your schedule and your habits to allow for better sleep. I understand some are legitimately busy and that’s good, but certain sacrifices and changes need to be made if you are serious about your health and wellness goals.

6.) Clean up your carb sources. Bread is a no. If you love it, great keep eating it- just don’t expect optimal results. When transitioning, we can allow small amounts of rice, quinoa, and all fruits and vegetables. When fine-tuning is needed, we cut the rice and quinoa as well as reduce fruit.

7.) Bring your lunch to work. This is an easy one. If you bring your lunch to work make it a healthy lunch.  Options are any variety of salad with meat. Vegetables with meat. An apple with meat and some nuts. You are starting to get the idea here, but if you bring your lunch you won’t eat the pizza that a co-worker brought or run over to Taco-Bell etc, etc.,

In the past few months I have used all the following ingredients on a salad, so I don’t want to hear that there is no variety.

Spinach

Romaine Lettuce

Kale

Spring Mix

Carrots

Cucumber

Radish

Tomatoes

Beets

Blueberries

Raspberries

Olives

Any color pepper

Sauerkraut

Broccoli

Mushrooms

Now don’t screw up your otherwise perfect salad by putting gobs of blue cheese on it. Sprinkle olive oil or balsamic or Stone Ground Dijon Mustard on your salad and enjoy.  Savor the taste of the fruits and vegetables you put on your salad.

8.) Introduce yourself to some vegetables. There are so many good vegetables in the perimeter of the grocery store that people tend to just skip over. Get yourself a variety of vegetables and cook them all on Sunday (or any non-busy day). Now when you go to make meals you have a nice stable of vegetables to choose from.

9.) Don’t beat yourself if you aren’t perfect with your nutrition. A couple beers here or a sandwich there isn’t going to suddenly send you off the tracks. The idea is to eat good MOST of the time. Eating well all the time is obviously best but if you can improve your meal quality and have things under control an occasional indulgence is not a bad thing. In fact, many have found that allowing oneself a meal or two a week that isn’t perfect helps to allow them to continue to eat healthy the rest of the week.

I look at it like this: If right now 50% of the food you eat is good and the other 50% bad, then there is room for improvement. If we can move that to 90% good food and 10% bad, your nutrional profile has greatly improved and you WILL see success.

How Crossfit Binghamton Can Help You:  Nutrition/Lifestyle Consultation 

We understand losing weight and making changes to your nutrition and lifestyle can be extremely challenging.  Sometimes people just need a little bit of help to get started in the right direction. With that in mind, we are offering a nutrition/lifestyle consultation to anyone that is interested. The consultation will consist of a 1-hour sit down and discussion of goals and then specific nutritional practices and specific lifestyle practices to implement to achieve those goals. The cost for this service will be $50. 

We expect the slots for these to fill quickly and want to get everyone on track to successfully reach their goals, so contact us immediately to set up your nutrition/lifestyle consultation. This offer is extended to those currently outside of our gym community as well.

Get on track and started today! 

Email: patskinner15@hotmail.com

       mandyjskinner@yahoo.com  

   

Training Vs. Testing

Disclaimer:  I love Crossfit.  It has turned fitness into a sport and at the same time turned millions onto a fitness program. It is my belief that the main site or Crossfit.com is an excellent tool for attracting newcomers to Crossfit. I do not believe it is long term program to follow every day for 3 days on and 1 day off.  I believe it can get people started and enjoying Crossfit.  However, for long-term fitness I believe there is a MUCH better way to approach things.  (Which is what we are all after anyways, right?  It doesn’t help to be fit for a short period of time; we want to be fit for the duration of our lives.)

Testing is any workout we wish to record or use as a benchmark for progress. Examples are 1RM back squat, 1 mile run or “Fran.”

Training  is essentially all the workouts that are not tests. In training we utilize submaximal efforts, often repeated efforts, to achieve long-term progress.

We utilize testing to measure results and progress. We utilize smart training protocols to improve the results on tests.

If, as part of your workout program, you are constantly asked to “test” you will eventually become burnt out and progress will stall. No matter how varied these tests are, by continually training at the maximum of your capabilities, it will happen.  Some Crossfit training programs have their athletes doing “hero” workouts or 20 minute plus met-con workouts weekly or even daily.  Most new Crossfitters can expect constant improvement regardless of the quality of coaching and training program for 6 to 18 months depending on their level of fitness- 6 months for those with a strong beginning fitness level and 18 months for those coming right off the couch.  Past those timeframes are where a more advanced knowledge of training and fitness comes into play. If you desire your fitness gains to last past 6-18 months  (and who doesn’t? After all we are doing this for lifetime fitness right?), then you must seek out coaching and program design guidance from someone with an exceptional education, understanding, and knowledge of exercise and program design.

Here are two examples to better illustrate my point:

The workout is:

20 minute AMRAP

10 pull-ups
10 front squats @ 95#
10 burpees

For the novice that has pull-ups but generally weak leg strength (many new to Crossfit ), this workout will largely serve as a strengthening workout.  For them 95# front squats for 10 reps serve as difficult and taxing strength work.  Let’s say they get 4 rounds. The stimulus for this workout has been sufficient for strength gains in pull-ups and in front squats because the athlete will need long breaks between movements and reps.

For an intermediate or advanced Crossfit athlete, just looking at this workout should create a feeling of nausea and an understanding that this workout is doing NOTHING to make them stronger or fitter.  It is, in fact, a complete beat down of a workout.  An intermediate to advanced Crossfit athlete may achieve 10-15 rounds on this workout, totaling 150 front squats and 150 pull-ups, maybe even more for an elite athlete.  For someone at this level, strength is not a limiting factor so it is feasible to go through many rounds completely unbroken until the total volume of the workout puts them into a fatigued state.  At this time the athlete is certainly not getting any stronger doing this volume of reps fatigued at such a light weight. This workout would take DAYS to recover from and would inhibit good training for long after. 

This workout can certainly be used as a test for some athletes depending on their goals, but this type of training (long met-con with simple movements, leading to plenty of fatigued based reps and diminishing power) should not be a staple in any strength and conditioning program.  If you recognize this coming from your gym, be very weary as this can be a recipe for disaster in any athletes’ long-term development.

At Crossfit Binghamton, we utilize specific tests to ensure our clients are progressing and structured training to improve strength and conditioning over time.  Our goal is to build you up with smart strength workouts and develop a variety of energy systems through conditioning that will lead to steady progress in work capacity over time.  Learning to dig in deep for a short  ALL OUT effort,  resting, and repeating is critical to the development of an athlete. It has great application for power production, energy system work and is efficient for fat loss.

EACH one of our training sessions at Crossfit Binghamton is carefully thought out and planned with specific adaptions in mind. This isn’t a Crossfit gym where we come up with devious ways to make you suffer during a workout.  Occasionally the training will be painful and difficult, but rest assured with the knowledge that it is training with a specific outcome and objective in mind. We will then test and re-test different things periodically to ensure our athletes are progressing.

As a side note that I know some people are asking, “what if  I only want to look good naked?”  We chase overall physical performance here because looking good naked will follow your performance.  When a female can row an 8:30 2k, squat her bodyweight for reps, and complete Fran in 5 minutes, you better believe she looks good naked!  For males the same concept applies.  To look better, follow a structured training program to perform better.

-Written by Patrick Skinner, Trainer and Co-Owner of CrossFit Binghamton