Trainer Notes: Week Two

We've now completed our second full week of training with Michael here in Delafield and it was another good week. While last week was mainly focused on learning the exercises, routine, and establishing good starting points for resistance levels, this week was focused on progressing and building off of that baseline. When we started last week, we were only completing 1 to 2 sets of each exercise, and not always completing all of the intended repetitions for each. Michael is adapting quickly, however, and this week we finished by completing 3 sets of almost every exercise and completing all of the reps for each. Plus, we made significant improvements in the resistance he could handle for many of the exercises and progressed several others to more challenging levels. During the final workout this week, I think Michael finally got his first real taste of how all of these things combined ramped up the overall intensity of his workout. He was pretty spent at the end and felt the affects when trying to finish with his cardio. As he mentioned today, he was definitely "earning" his weekend off. Next week we will continue to focus on progressing where we can and starting to gradually increase the intensity of each set in the workout. His cardiovascular workouts improved this week also, as he was able to increase his speeds and levels of intensity during challenging interval sets on the elliptical machine. The elliptical has been working well, as it puts very minimal stress and impact on the joints. This helps limit the wear and tear and allows him to recover a little better. We still mix in some treadmill work, but have been mainly using the elliptical. That's a wrap on this week, so hopefully Michael will get a good weekend of recovery and come back charged and ready to improve even more next week. Nice job, Michael! You should be proud of the work you put in this week and the progress you made. We will also be doing the first of our bi-weekly weigh-ins next week, so stay tuned for that.

Fish, My New Meat

So, last night my wife Audrey and I attended a 2-hour class titled, “Read My Lipids,” taught by Advanced Lipidology, Early Detection Center for Heart Disease and Diabetes, in Delafield, WI to learn all about how cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar relate to one-another and heart disease and diabetes. So, why is this important to me now and my fitness transformation?

Although only 37, my family history is littered with heart disease and diabetes, I have high-blood pressure, a waist line over 40 inches, and carry most of my fat in my abdomen. These are all early warning signs that without changing my eating habits and fitness now, I am on a not so pleasant fast-track to a future of heart disease and diabetes.

Needless to say, I want to live a long and healthy fulfilling life. It is going to be hard to stay at a safe distance to most of the foods that I have grown up to love ---deep fried anything, butter, ice cream, hard cheeses, beef, bacon, white flour, white bread...., but it is time to rethink priorities. So, fish has now become the protein staple in our house. The butter has gone, and the once full cheese drawer (it is Wisconsin after all) has made some room for veggies.

Don’t get me wrong, I like fish, but I have always thought of it as fru-fru food unless it has been battered and deep fried with tartar sauce, fries and coleslaw on the side. So, my wife, determined to keep my discerning palette content, has delighted me with fabulous creations like tilapia with pineapple-strawberry-jalapeño salsa and spicy tomato fish stew.

Thoroughly enjoyable, these creations have been delicious, but just don’t have the same primitive satisfaction as gnawing the last bits of juicy meat off a t-bone. However, I have acknowledged my self-created situation, and that I, with the support of my family and the Fitness Together team, am changing my life for the better. So, fish is my new meat.

Meal Plan: Week One

Right now, we have Michael focusing on just two major concepts. One is balancing out the right types and amounts of proteins and carbohydrates at each meal to ensure he is getting the nutrients he needs for proper exercise recovery. This is also to help him avoid consuming too many calories from one particular source. The other is eating 5 - 6 portion controlled meals/day to help stabilize his blood sugar and insulin levels. This will help his body start to recognize food as fuel and energy instead of releasing hormones that would trigger storing the calories as fat. His metabolism will be increasing, allowing him to burn more calories and fat not only during his workouts, but even more during the time his body is recovering from them. Through our nutrition training so far, we've also worked on selecting the right choices for proteins and carbohydrates, and sticking to only eating what's on the plate for meals to avoid "seconds" and overeating.

To help keep frequency in line, and keep it simple, Michael is currently using some meal replacement products between his main meals. He is using a Shaklee "Cinch Meal Bar" one time per day, and one Cinch Shake for the other. These are convenient for him, pre-portioned so they provide the right balance of carbs and protein he needs, and they have been helping him to avoid making poor choices, skipping meals, or hitting up a fast food place. For the main meals we created a list of all of the good food choices that Michael and his wife enjoy and would realistically prepare, cook, and eat. They are working on using this to plan and create their balanced meals. He is food logging so we can check it a few times per week, and so far is doing a very good job. We wanted to avoid giving Michael a designated menu plan that could have foods on it he doesn't enjoy or that would be impractical to purchase and prepare. We also wanted to avoid specific calorie restriction, as this can often be impractical and time consuming to do for every meal, every day. Plus, we are trying to help Michael learn the right concepts and create the right habits that he can realistically continue for the future. This can't just be a quick fix. Coming up in the near future, we will be working on cooking healthier, planning and preparation, reading food labels well, and really getting in touch with hunger and what our body needs. So far, Michael is doing great, is very dedicated to making the changes he needs to, and is working hard at all of it. Also, special thanks to his wife, Audrey for her involvement and support. Well, that's it for this week. Thank you all for supporting Michael, and we'll continue to keep everyone updated on Michael's progress and what we're working on nutritionally.

Trainer Notes: Week One

Well, Michael completed his first full week of training with us here in Delafield. It was a good week, including 3 resistance training workouts followed by moderate cardio, and 2 additional cardiovascular workouts, which focused more on interval and heart rate based training. We've also already completed 2 nutritional sessions. It's been fun getting to know Michael and see the effort he puts forth in his workouts. The first week of an exercise program, as many people have experienced, can be, well...challenging, both physically and mentally. The muscle aches, ongoing soreness, and overall fatigue can make it difficult to convince yourself that you can push through it, it will get better, and you can do this. As Michael mentioned in his video blog, however, even he was surprised that he wasn't cyring in pain or sore for days in a row. This is because most people, and many trainers, often make the mistake of pushing too hard, too fast. Taking in the bigger picture, this only puts people at risk for injury, burnout, and ultimately failure with their exercise program.

For almost everyone, the answer to their "fitness related" problem isn't going to be solved in their first week with workouts that push them to every physical limit. Starting with a focus on safety, making some basic improvements in function, strength, and conditioning level, and a focus on continual progression and appropriate intensity levels will make all of the difference in the end. By focusing on these things, along with the proper structure to his program to focus on good recovery, Michael was still able to work hard during the week, make noticeable progress by the end of the week, but avoid getting the extreme soreness or fatigue. He is already making good improvements even this week so far, and each week he will get stronger, more fit, his body will function better, and he will be less prone to injury. Going forward, we'll keep everyone updated on his progress with his workouts, and be able to go into more detail with what types of workouts and exercises he is doing to help him reach his goals. Thanks for the support, and stay tuned...

Video Blog: Week One

Meet Michael Long

Congratulations! Michael Long
Fitness Together Delafield Contestant

Current Weight: 393 pounds

Goal Weight: 225 pounds

Michael Long is a former non-profit executive with a master of Public Administraion in Non-Profit Management, who is ready to make this change to transform his life. Michael is taking on this transformation with the support of his family and is ready for all the hardwork it is going to take. Stay tuned for updates and videos from Michael on his progress.