Health

When Not to Trust Your Trainer

in Diet, Fitness, Health, Uncategorized by

how-to-spot-a-bad-personal-trainer

 

I AM NOT A DOCTOR.

The amount of times I am asked about how to treat a chronic pain, (most likely induced by over-exercising), astounds me. It’s also a little humbling, as it makes me realize how much people trust me with their bodies.

Here’s a typical conversation I’ll have with someone who approaches me in the gym or after a class:

Exerciser: Hey Amy, for a few weeks, I’ve had this pain in my shoulder every time I bench press, and it’s not getting any better.

Me: You’ve been in pain for a few weeks, and you’re still working out?

Exerciser: Of course!

Me: Have you been to the doctor? You may need an MRI…at the very least it’s best to stop bench pressing until you can get a doctor’s appointment…

Exerciser: Oh no, I can’t stop benching!

Me: 

polar_face_palm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you are in chronic pain, and you continue the activity which causes that specific pain, be prepared to pay the price, which could include prolonged periods of rest and possibly surgery.

As a personal trainer I am qualified to create a workout plan for you, demonstrate and supervise you performing said workout plan, suggest some dietary adjustments to optimize your workout plan, and tag you in Instagram videos of people doing ridiculous exercises like this:

But I will not, at any time, attempt to treat a medical condition or injury without you first consulting a doctor. Any trainer or instructor who dispenses medical advice, or attempts to treat a medical condition or injury, is operating out of their scope of practice and is behaving irresponsibly. 

There are some trainers out there with some very advanced degrees that may include physical therapy. But even they can’t see what’s going on inside of you if you haven’t had an X-ray or MRI. So if something has been bothering you for a while, go get one, ok? As someone who has spent over 10 weeks in a walking boot due to an ignored pain in her foot, I can tell you this much: a little early detection goes a long a way.

photo (18) Perhaps a quick visit to the doctor before running my 8th half marathon would have kept me out of this beauty.

 

 

 

 

 

This also goes for the dispensing of nutrition plans. Believe it or not, your personal trainer–unless they have attained a higher degree in dietetics–is not qualified to put you on a diet. We can suggest ways in which you can make your diet more nutritious, and can help you to devise methods of calorie imbalance that may either gain or lose you weight, but this does not include putting you on a specific plan like paleo, vegetarianism, etc.

It should be obvious that this also goes for anyone out there giving out (0r in some cases selling) diet plans. But just in case, you should be aware that the following are NOT QUALIFIED to put you on a diet:

Got a question? Leave me a comment at facebook.com/blitzyourbody or on Twitter @AmyBlitz1. You can also email me at [email protected]!

The Myth of Holiday Weight Gain

in Diet, Fitness, Health, Uncategorized by

santa-abs

Ahhh…the holidays. Seems like just yesterday us fitness professionals were posting things like “get your abs ready for summer!” and now look at us, advising you on how to navigate the holidays without gaining the “usual 7-10 pounds”.

First, let me clear up one point. The average person does NOT gain 7-10 pounds over the holidays. That’s just fitness industry malarky. Malarky I tell ya! The average person MAY put on 1-2 extra pounds that they will probably lose once they resume their normal eating pattern. Our bodies love to maintain status quo. Just like I’ve warned, a drastic low-calorie diet will cause your body to crave fatty foods and make you put some weight back on. On the other hand,  a diet that includes a little Piecaken will cause your body to adjust in a similar way, preventing you from gaining too much weight.

 

piecaken-3

It’s a cake with pies baked in it. It both frightens and fascinates me.

 

And if you regularly work out, you most likely won’t even have to worry about the one extra pound. When you weight train, there’s a chance the extra calories from your holiday indulgences will go towards muscle growth. Biceps for Christmas, anyone?

Work out for 20 minutes, feel good all day

What can be annoying during the holidays is the utter lack of time to get any exercise done. This is why I’ve created a quick little 20 minute workout that you can do anywhere, any time and feel like a champion. And I mean anywhere. I only picked exercises that  fit on a yoga mat, which is about all the space I have in my apartment to workout.

http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-photos-d-snowman-lifting-weights-render-image42752678

 

 

 

 

 

20 Minute Holiday Workout

1:00-3:00 Warm up with with a circuit of jumping jacks, inch worms, and butt-kicks. Do at least 5 warm up push-ups.

3:00-4:00 Forward lunges in place

4:00-4:30 Push-ups

4:30-5:00 Plank

5:00-6:00 Alternating side lunges

6:00-6:30 Side plank with hip drops-right side

6:30-7:00 Side plank with hip drops-left side

7:00-8:00 Lunge jumps (see video below)

8:00-8:30 V-Ups

The V-Up. My eyes are closed but you get the point

A V-Up. I like to do them with my eyes closed, as you can see here

 

8:30-9:00 Mountain climbers

9:00-10:00 In and Out Squat jumps (see video)

10:00-17:00 Repeat minutes 3-10

17:00-18:00 Leg raises

18:00-19:00 Superman

19:00-20:00 Stretch

 

Here’s a quick video just to show you the jumping exercises. For lunge jumps, take the time to sink down low, then spring up and change feet quickly. Both squat jumps and lunge jumps should end in a soft landing.


Let me know if you try this workout at facebook.com/blitzyourbody

Instagram @blitzyourbody

Twitter @AmyBlitz1

You can also always email me with questions @[email protected]!

 

But if We Can’t Eat Red Meat, What Will Become of the Paleo Diet?

in Diet, Health, Healthy, Media, Uncategorized by

There was BIG NEWS Monday about the IARC and World Health Organization’s report about red and processed meat causing cancer. It wasn’t the most shocking news, as we’ve be warned for years that eating red and processed meat could lead to future health issues. In other words, uh-duh!

Still, seeing the bold headlines was a little upsetting, especially since I had bacon with my Sunday brunch.

But meat lovers, don’t despair! While a simple glance at a headline may initially convince you that your next BLT is going to give you cancer, a little further reading clears up the finer points of this study. True, these types of studies are meant to tell us if something causes cancer, but they don’t describe how potent they are as cancer causing agents. Here’s a handy info graphic to give you some perspective on cause vs. risk.

151026-Tobacco-vs-Meat-TWITTER

 So yes, a steady diet of red meat and sausage will probably damage your health, however you can still enjoy these foods in moderate amounts and be fine.  For more information, this article from Cancer Research UK explains it further. 

So, what will become of the Paleo diet if we can’t eat bacon and grass-fed beef with abandon?  The modern cavemen are already firing back. One of their arguments is that the WHO didn’t test grass-fed beef vs. “MacDonald’s beef”. Unfortunately for them, the evidence shows that it’s the naturally occurring chemicals in meat and how our bodies process them that increase the risk of cancer. This is not to say that the quality of our protein doesn’t matter. It’s in relation to this bowel cancer study that the grass-fed beef vs. corn-fed beef difference is irrelevant.

What do you think of the WHO findings? Will this change how you eat at all? Or are you in the “Oh, well, everything causes cancer” camp?

Let me know on Facebook @blitzyourbody!