Photo © MissingHailstone

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and many people are concerned as to what they should get their loved ones.

I want to help out those who celebrate the holiday by offering suggestions on fitness-related gift ideas.

Gifts for Her:

• Females love to get new workout clothes! I know it helps me with my motivation in the gym. My favorite brands are Nike, Under Armour, and Lululemon Athletica. (Price range: depending if you hit any sales, expect to spend $25+)
• I am obsessed with my digital food scale! When I prepare my meals every Sunday, my scale helps me determine my perfect portions. I have the EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale. (Price: $24 on www.amazon.com)
• A purchase I’ve been longing to make is Apple’s iPod 6^th generation nano! Those things are the coolest! You can even wear them as a watch, but they are ideal for clipping on your tank top or sports bra and listening to your favorite tunes while working out. (Price: starts at $129)

 Gifts for Him:

• Make it personal and customize your own energy bars or shakes! Check out YouBars (Prices vary)
• Choose from any BeachBody products like P90X, P90X2, and Insanity! All great at-home workout programs that provide amazing results.
• The next time your man complains of sore muscles, hand him a Dr. Cool & Dr. Hot bag! Head over to Uncommon Goods! (Price: $16)

Nibble on This

If you’re thinking along the lines of chocolate, opt for a darker chocolate as it lowers high blood pressure and contains potent antioxidants. Sweet!

Happy Valentine’s Day to all you lovebirds!

Tip #1: Pack for the Plane

So, the airlines say to arrive two hours ahead of time for your flight. Although, I always end up with about an hour and a half time to kill; like my mother always says, it’s better to be safe than sorry. There aren’t many options of things to do while waiting for your flight or while in the air, which leaves many of us reading, listening to music, or people watching to pass the time.  It seems like, as I look around, everyone is also eating, myself included! While the airport has come a long way with variety and options, let’s face it…everything is overpriced and the truly healthy options are limited. You may not be able to get your liquids through security, however, feel free to pack as many snacks as you like. For my ten hours in the air from Philly to Hawaii, I was sure to pack a good number of mini meals/snacks in order to avoid eating somewhere like Sbarro or committing the ultimate sin…PLANE FOOD! Try some of these awesome ideas to keep you satisfied

1. Emerald 100 calorie pack almonds: With varieties like dry roasted, cinnamon and sugar, dark chocolate cocoa, these snack packs are already portion controlled and portable.  Each pack is an excellent source of Vitamin E, sodium-free and contains fiber and protein to help keep you satisfied.

2. Just add water- protein powder and instant oatmeal: If you want a quick mini meal without a mess, just ask the flight attendant or the nearest Starbucks for a cup of either hot or cold water.  Stir one scoop of protein powder in with cold water or shake into a bottle of spring water to help satisfy you and strengthen your willpower for other high calorie snacks.  To warm your bones on a cool flight, add one cup of hot water to instant oatmeal for a low-calorie nosh in a variety of flavors.  The thought of putting on my bikini in January was enough to help me grab for my oatmeal while they were passing out the warm chocolate chip cookies on my flight! Try this mental image travel tip when you get a craving!

3. Apple: Your mother might say “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” but my motto is “an apple a day keeps your hunger at bay.” Enough said,  keep a few apples in your carry one to fight off hunger.  They contain a ton of nutrients, fiber, and are one of the easiest fruits to travel with since they aren’t messy, don’t bruise easily, and keep well.

Bring Your Gear

Most hotels these days have pretty decent fitness facilities, but if you don’t pack your sneakers, how are you going to break a sweat!?  Make packing your gear a priority and don’t forget about your other gym essentials.  Mine include my ipod and hair ties, but maybe yours is a knee brace or Under Armour.  Whatever it is, don’t give yourself an excuse not be active, or most likely, you’ll use it!

If your hotel or the place you are staying doesn’t provide access to a gym, think ahead.  Easily portable workout equipment include resistance bands or a workout DVD.  Take advantage of the great outdoors and take a walk, jog, or swim.   Utilize the website walkjogrun.net to create a mapped out route no matter what part of the country you’re in.

Start the Day with a Good Breakfast

Watching your intake 100% is hard for anyone, and frankly, I don’t recommend it.  Not giving yourself a little leeway, can often set you up for an all or nothing mentality  Practice moderation and make sure you are active.  Starting the day with a good, healthy, and satisfying breakfast can help you stay on track with good choices and moderation throughout the day.  Packing extra protein powder, fruit and instant oatmeal is a good idea for easy foods you can make in your room, but another good option could actually be the hotel continental breakfast.  Loading up on muffins and danishes isn’t your best bet, but opting for hard-boiled eggs/egg whites, a whole-grain cereal mixed with low-fat yogurt or fruit with cottage cheese can help you stay energized and satisfied throughout the morning and are all fairly common continental breakfast choices.

Find a Grocery Store

Whenever possible, when I reach my location I like to find a grocery store and stock up on some healthy foods for my hotel room.  Some of the items you could find in my mini-fridge/drawers right now include apples, bananas, low-fat Greek yogurt, green pepper slices, Kashi Banana Chocolate Chip Soft n’ Chewy bars (you MUST try these, so good! And contain 1/2 serving fruit & 1/2 serving vegetable each!), and Bumble-bee Lemon & Pepper tuna medley with crackers. Like I said earlier, I’m not a saint when it comes to avoiding all sweet and sinful foods, but at least being prepared with healthy and tasty snacks help me find a happy median.

Use these tips next time you travel and have a happy and healthy vacation!

If you’re like me, you get bored easily with your routine if you’re following the same plan over and over. I have a great workout you can try that will change all that!

High Rep Sets

For two weeks, I am switching up my routine drastically by doing high rep sets – reps of 40 for four sets! If you’re a beginner, I definitely wouldn’t recommend this to you.

Why am I doing this? I want to work my slow twitch muscle fibers (also referred to as Type I). Because I’m so used to doing 10-15 reps, my slow twitch muscle fibers rarely come into play. Hitting about 35 reps or more will cause hypertrophic stimulus of the slow twitch fibers.

Slow muscles are more efficient at using oxygen to generate more fuel, which is commonly known as ATP, for continuous, extended muscle contractions over a long period of time. They fire slower than fast twitch and can go for a long time before they fatigue. This is why slow twitch fibers are great for helping marathon runners or cyclists for hours.

Other benefits of doing high rep sets are increased strength, vascularity, muscle fullness, and muscle endurance.

How It’s Done

You still want to use the same weight you’d use when you normally do 12-15 reps. When you hit failure, it’s ok to rest at the starting position, but do not put the weight down. You can proceed with a few reps at a time until you make your way to 40 reps.

I try to maintain the same tempo throughout the entire set. Of course the last few reps, I’d say the last five, are going to be the hardest. This is all fundamental in working those slow twitch muscle fibers!

For my first workout of this regimen, I focused on my glutes and hamstrings. Because I really enjoy circuit training, I went from one exercise to the next until I finished one whole set. I let myself rest for a minute and repeated that another three times for a total of four sets.

Sample Routine

Here’s what I threw together for my 40 rep sets:

• Lying Hamstring Curl
• Glute Kickback
• Straight-legged Deadlift with Barbell
• Fire Hydrant
• Seated Hamstring Curl
• Sumo Squat
• Dumbbell Glute Bridge
• Single-legged Bosu Bridge

Interestingly, the worst thing you can do when you develop osteoarthritis or osteoporosis is to become less active. An abundance of research has demonstrated that resistance training is effective for both delaying the effects of osteoporosis and osteoporosis, as well as alleviating and reducing the effects of current bone conditions.

According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the best way to exercise for bone health is to perform persistent resistance training exercises. Here are a few tips on how to keep your bones healthier later into your life:

1. Weight-Bearing Exercises Reign Supreme

Like muscles, bones adapt to increases in load and intensity of exercise. When an increased load is placed on the bone, it adapts by becoming stronger and denser so that it can handle future loads of that degree. To force the bone to adapt in the most efficient manner, exercises that bear the entire weight of the body are best. Choose to job instead of cycle, or to do pushups versus using the incline press.

2. Free Weights are Better Than Machines

As a rule, free weights are superior to exercise machines because they force the bones to bear more body weight. You can imagine that performing an overhead press with a bar places a much greater load on the axial skeleton than performing the same exercise on a machine. Free weights have the added effect of targeting the smaller, stabilizer muscles within a given exercise, which can prevent stress on the joints and osteoarthritic conditions later on. Of course, if you suffer from severe osteoarthritis, machines may help you perform certain exercises through controlled ranges of motions without stressing the joints too much. Talk with your physical therapist about what exercises you are capable of performing.

3. Progressively Overload Your Bones

Also similar to muscles, they become stagnant when they are not sufficiently stimulated. Your bones will stop adapting if you stop exercising. Progressively increase the load of your exercises by about 10 percent each week to keep your bones healthy and strong. You will also need to allow for sufficient rest between exercise sessions, and to take a week of exercise off from time to time to allow your body to recover.

4. Calcium and Vitamin D

You’ve probably heard that calcium and vitamin D are crucial for maintaining bone health. It remains true that these micronutrients play the most direct role in preventing bone pores later in life. Calcium helps form the structure of bones and the body uses vitamin D to metabolize and absorb calcium. The best sources of calcium are milk and dairy products, as well as green leafy vegetables. You can get nearly all the vitamin D you need from sun exposure, but vitamin D also exists in fish and eggs.

When you’re thinking about your health and fitness resolutions for 2012, here are some things to think about before you race towards your goals and burn out before the finish line. In my ten years of experience as a fitness trainer and wellness coach, I can say with certainty that less is sometimes more when it comes to your fitness goals and health!

Be Realistic

If you have big plans for your fitness and health goals this year such as losing weight, be realistic. When clients come to me saying they want to lose 50 pounds in two months, I look at them and smile, and say, how about losing 1 to 2 pounds per week. Not only will this goal be easier for you to achieve, it’s healthier too!

When the body loses weight too fast you’re actually losing muscle and water instead of fat. Severe and quick weight loss will leave you feeling tired and sluggish, while healthy weight loss invigorates your mind and energizes your body. If your goal is to try and lose a large amount of weight in a short amount of time, you will burn out before you reach your goal, and, you will gain all of your weight back within a month after stopping your crash diet or whatever it was that slopped off the weight quickly. Losing weight too fast put’s undue pressure on the heart as well and should be avoided. If you set your goals to realistic standards such as losing 1 to 2 pounds of fat per week, instead of 50 pounds in 2 months, you will reach the finish line and accomplish the goals you have set out to achieve!

Eliminate Processed Foods

You don’t have to starve yourself this year to get in shape! In fact, crash diets, shakes, and not eating enough calories will cause weight gain and muscle loss in the long run. Here is what you should do instead… avoid buying processed foods! What are processed foods? Processed foods are anything that does not come from Mother Earth, for example, soda, candy, and anything pre-packaged is considered processed. Next time you shop for food, avoid these ingredients; high-fructose corn syrup, artificially sweetened foods, and foods that say enriched or refined.

Cutting out processed foods does not mean eating less or forcing tasteless food into your mouth. Fortunately, when we eat real food that has not been processed, we can eat more of it. Real foods such as, fruits and veggies from the farmers market, grass fed beef, and cheeses that don’t have the label Kraft, give our bodies nutrients that we need and keep us feeling full longer than processed foods, thus, making our unhealthy caloric intake less.

Processed food is nothing more than empty calories and has been linked to diseases such as, cancer, diabetes, and coronary heart disease.  If its flavor you’re craving, believe me, real food has more flavor than processed foods do, it’s just familiarizing your taste buds to them. Carrots for a snake, Dark chocolate for desert, and Fresh fish from the market, are all excellent foods you should add into your diet this year! And remember to start small, baby steps—if you are used to only eating processed foods, eliminate them over a period of time, incorporating real foods into your diet in-between the processed junk, and eventually the good stuff will win out, you’ll feel better, look better, and never look back!

Lifestyle Change versus Bullet Trains

Instead of treating this New Year as a bullet train to reach all of your health and fitness goals within the first few months, how about easing up on the accelerator and slowly incorporating your goals as life long, or lifestyle changes instead? Be patient with yourself this year, and don’t have the over used attitude and phrase, “all or nothing.” Most of my clients who rush into a diet or new workout routine too quickly always give up before they reach their destinations. If you look at your fitness goals as mere Lifestyle changes, things you incorporate into your life naturally and with ease, you’re sure to reach them all. Don’t tell yourself that you have to do this or that, don’t think of your health as a task but rather, think of it as something you can enjoy, like you’re favorite television series or novel. Many people feel like working out and eating healthy is a nuisance, a job that has to be done in-between real life and work. However, if you slowly begin to incorporate healthy lifestyle changes into your busy schedule, it will no longer feel like a chore, but instead, a part of who you are, a piece of the puzzle helping to create  the final masterpiece, your life!

Happy 2012!

So there you have it, a few pointers to make your health and fitness goals become a reality this year and for the rest of your lives.  If you need more suggestions on this topic or have some of your own, I would love to hear from you! Happy 2012!

Being the health enthusiast that I am, I had a lot of questions about the world of fitness in France. How would I get my workouts in? Where would I get my workouts in? Would I still be able to personal train and teach Pilates on the other side of the world?  Would taking dance classes be feasible, and would the French look at me like I was a lunatic if I decided to wake up at 6am and go for a run before my studies… (that’s a yes!) Where were the gyms, and would I be able to afford a gym membership, did gyms even exist in France? To some this might sound shallow and absurd, but to those of you who enjoy preserving your health and staying active, I’m sure you can relate.

Unlike the United States, health clubs are very expensive in France and all over Western Europe for that matter. If you’re a gym rat and plan to vacation or move to France or Western Europe anytime soon, I advise you to start getting excited about working out in the great outdoors. Living in the South of France will push you to enjoy your workouts in nature for many reasons, being economic is one of them!

While I enjoyed, hiking, biking and jogging in the open air in the Unites States, I always had the constant pull to just, “go to the gym” out of convienience. Think about it? How many times do you opt to go run on the treadmill after work instead of running outside? I bet ninety percent of you chose the inside workout version. In France, I don’t have this luxury, or crutch rather, and I have been forced to get outdoors and take in the nutritious vitamins of the sun while sweating to a new hill and grassy park each day.

Sometimes, exercising outside on your own can feel like a burden, especially when the weather get’s lousy.  After living in France for five months however, having no other choice but to burn calories outside, I can assure you that exercising under the open sky has just as many benefits as the gym and in some cases more! Below are three excellent examples of workouts you can do on your own outdoors, or in a group for free, or at least for very inexpensive. Lose your attachment to the gym from time to time and let the international workout of the outdoors help you climb to the top of the mountain in reaching your fitness goals!

Running with ambiance

In France, everyone runs because the gyms are pricey and running outdoors is free.  The popular and celebrated Paris Marathon is another incentive for both serious and casual runners alike to get out there and move. I found a “beau,” (beautiful) park in Aix-en-provence that is perfect for doing running circuits. One lap around the park is a little over one mile. On days when I want to get strict cardio in, I will run four laps around the park keeping a steady pace, staying within my  heart rate zone that burns fat, (aerobic workout).

When I want to change things up a bit and get a more intense, (anaerobic) workout that challenges my strength and endurance, I will jog half way around the park at a light pace and then when I get to the hill, I will sprint to the top. I do this 5 to ten times depending on how intense I want my workout to be for the day.  There is a grassy patch in the park that stretches about the length of a football field. When I want to work on increasing my speed, I will sprint to one end and rest initially for 60 seconds.  I will sprint ten times back and forth and each time I get to the end of one side of the field, my rest time will decrease 5 seconds so that by the last sprint you only have ten seconds to rest. This is an excellent way to work on your (anaerobic threshold), the threshold your body utilizes when burning energy, (without oxygen), it helps increase speed, agility and explosive movements used in sports such as boxing, the long jump, and sprints performed in track and field, for example.

If you don’t like running on your own and need a group to motivate you, there are plenty of running clubs you can join both in France and the USA that are very cheap for the year. This is an excellent way to get inspiration from a running coach and other runners. The running groups range in level from those just starting out to those who run semi professionally, you can always find a running group to suit your particular running needs.

Take a class in the park

Are you sick of taking overcrowded classes in your local gym? Is it packed, sweaty and smelly? How about trying a motivating or tranquil group exercise class in the park!! In Aix-en-Provence you can choose from a variety of classes to take in the park ranging from boot camp, to yoga, to Thai chi! Because the classes are taught outdoors and the teachers don’t have the overhead of a gym to pay for, most of the classes are very cheap and some you can even find for free.

I was teaching a Pilates class once a week at ten Euros per class, 5 Euros for students which is a steal if you’re used to paying for classes that normally range from 15 to 35 dollars per class. Not only will your wallet thank you for choosing a class in the park, but your body and mind will too. The invigorating scents of the fresh air, the warmth of the sun, and the stillness of nature will push your mind and body to new heights, forcing you to be focused, calm and energized, depending on what class you choose to take.

Stretching under the trees

As everyone knows, or should know, stretching is one of the most important exercises anyone can do before and after a workout. It’s important to get your muscles warmed up and stretched out before you begin your workout, and of course, afterwards, it’s imperative to stretch out all those muscles you tightened up.

I like to think of the muscles as a hose. The more kinked up and twisted a hose gets, the less likely it is to work efficiently, and eventually the hose will break if you don’t untangle it and you will have to buy a new one. Much like muscles, it’s important to stretch for at least 15 minutes after working out, stretching all of the major muscles used, and holding the stretches for at least 30 seconds without bouncing, but instead,  holding a static stretch so the muscles get time to elongate. If a person goes too long without stretching, eventually they will tear or strain a muscle or tendon.

Many of the people I personal train despise stretching and don’t have the patience for it. Stretching is meant to be done in a tranquil and quiet setting that feels safe and exudes peaceful energy. What better place to find all of this than the outdoors! Find a nearby park, a grassy knoll, even your backyard under a tree to stretch. When you stretch outside in the calming ease of nature, your mind is able to turn off from the stresses of the day. You can use the outdoors as your stretching sanctuary to not only open up your tight muscles and joints, but also, to slow down and take moment to breath and meditate in a place that’s not over crowded like a gym or gym classes. Stretching is a time to unwind and let go of stress, what better way to do this than heading outside to your favorite peaceful spot.

Enjoy!

I hope this article helped some of you gym crazed individuals expand your workouts to the great outdoors. Remember, working out outside is not only better for your peace of mind, but it’s more of a challenge on your body too. When we work out outside we use many more muscles than when simply going to the gym and hopping on the treadmill or spin bike. The outdoors has grades, inclines and surfaces our body’s muscles are not used to, thus the workouts become more intense, we burn more calories and tone up quicker.

When your body get’s used to the same old routine at the gym you plateau, the outdoors forces us to push past this plateau  by getting creative with our workouts and often it inspires us to work out harder because of the fresh air and sun. Now that the winter is upon us, don’t let that stop you from working out outdoors. Running in the cold is a great way to raise your cardiovascular stamina, just remember to stretch, stretch, stretch, especially when it’s chilly. So, next time you think about heading to the gym for that familiar workout you have done hundreds of times before, think about the benefits of the international workout  and toss the cardio machines aside for a run in the park, or the suggestions I listed above and enjoy!

1. Keep it Simple

When if comes to lifting weights, you don’t need to overcomplicate matters — at least, not at first. Once you become an advanced lifter, you can focus on more difficult lifts and rep/set schemes, but for now, simplicity is your goal. Focus on lifts that target your major muscle groups first, such as your chest, back, and legs. You can then narrow your program down to smaller, stabilizer muscles. Here are some easy lifts for each major area of the body:

Chest: Bench press, incline press, decline press, pushups

Back: Seated row, bench pull, cable row, lat pulldowns

Legs: Leg press, squats, knee extensions, hamstring curls, calf raises

Arms: Biceps curls, triceps pushdowns, shoulder raises, dips

Abs/Core: situps, weighted crunches, Russian twists, back extensions

2. Aim for Balance

Hit each of these areas of the body every time you go to the gym to promote balance. When you get some experience, you’ll want to focus on one are of the body during one session and then allow one to two days of rest while your focus on other areas. But for now, pick one or two exercises for each major area each session. If you focus only on your chest muscles, for example, it’s easy to develop a hunched posture that places excessive pressure on the thoracic spine.

3. Warm Up and Cool Down

Always start your workout with at least 10 minutes of cardio before you lift to get your heart rate and body temperature up. Mix up the cardio as well. Jog one day, bike another, and row on the third. I can’t tell you how many people I see in the gym who don’t warm up before working out, only to complain of nagging tweaks and aches in their bodies later on. You know you’re sufficiently warmed up if there is sweat dripping down your forehead.

Also, cool down following a lifting session by stretching. This helps initiate the recovery process and can improve the elasticity of your muscles. Perform about two to three separate static (holding the position in one place) stretches for each major body area. Hold stretches for a minimum of 10 seconds and repeat.

4. Use Machines

I never recommend machines to anyone except absolute beginners, but for safety and learning purposes, start out only using these helpful pieces of equipment. Machines typically have pictures of the muscle groups they target, making exercise selection fairly simple, and they come with a significantly lower risk of injury. If you want serious results, you’ll have to forget about machines later on, however.

5. Progress Slowly

There’s no need to rush it. Focus on the quality of your lifts versus how much you are lifting or how fast you are progressing. Start out by performing two, nonconsecutive weightlifting sessions each week. For the first month, focus on very light weights and don’t worry about increasing the load. Just perform each lift slowly and with an even tempo, making sure to use a full range of motion.

First Week Program

Here’s a sample program to get you started for your first week:

Session 1

10 minute jog on treadmill

5 minutes of dynamic stretching (arm circles, leg swings, windmills, toe touches, torso rotations)

3 sets of 10 reps of: bench press, lat pulldowns, leg press, dips

10 minutes of static stretching

Notes: allow 2 minutes of rest between sets, 3-5 minutes between exercises. Use about 50-60 percent of your maximal load for each lift.

Session 2

15 minute elliptical

5 minutes of dynamic stretching

3 X 10: Incline press, seated row, squats, decline press, calf raises, weighted crunches

10 minutes of static stretching

Notes: allow 2 minutes of rest between sets, 3-5 minutes between exercises. Use about 50-60 percent of your maximal load for each lift.

There is no magic weight-loss pill… no substitute for hard work, physical activity and a balanced, healthy diet within your calorie-range. However, the most important part of all of this is that you make it a lifestyle, meaning that physical activity and diet are a consistent and harmonious part of each and every week of the year. It’s not too late to change last year’s bad habits of dieting, slacking off, and then playing catch up. Use some of the tips below to help you stay motivated all year ’round:

Schedule in Work-outs

In the beginning of each week, take a look at your calender and jot in work outs that realistically fit into your schedule.  I find that fitting in workouts in the mornings help me stay consistent, because by the latter part of the day, other things like a shopping trip or happy hour may stray me away from my commitment.  On the flip side, some of my clients who have problems with late-night eating find that an evening workout helps them fight eating out of boredom during the 7-10pm hours.   If you get an hour lunch break, consider a forty minute mid-day session with a quick protein shake or bar for lunch.  Find out what time of day will work for you, and put it on your calendar.  Towards the end of the week, set aside a time for a “make-up” workout, in case life throws you a curve-ball.

Join a class or running group

Including other people into your work out will help hold you accountable.  Look into if your gym or community center offers group exercise classes like spinning, Zumba, or Pilates.  A lot of areas are beginning running clubs like  http://www.westchesterrunningclub.com/. Not only will this help you regularize your weekly schedule for work outs, but it will also make working out a social part of your day.  Becoming a “regular” in a class or running club will have others asking you where you were if you decide to skip out on a workout.

Reward Yourself for a Job Well Done

Nothing motivates people more than rewards!! Sure, you may say that your fresh-n-fly hot body is the best reward you could ask for…but realistically,in this day and age people like instant gratification.  Since we already know that it takes consistency for weight loss, I want you to alter your instant gratification mindset into a short-term/long-term reward mindset.  Set yourself one to three weekly short-term goals that will help you on your way to your long-term goal.  Good examples of some starter weekly goals could be including four hours of exercise, logging a food journal daily, or packing lunch for work instead of eating out.  If you comply to your weekly goals, reward yourself!! The key to good rewards is making them something that will motivate you to continue with your good habits for the next week.  For example, if you made it to the gym for four hours, buy yourself a few new songs on i-tunes or a magazine that you can only listen to/read while working out.  Maybe you will treat yourself to buying new spices/herbs to encourage more in-home cooking,  Long-term goal rewards should be larger, but with the same general concept.  Maybe one full month of on-track work outs could mean a new pair of running shoes or buying a wok to make new home-made cuisine.

1. Garmin Forerunner 910XT

Why: It’s really, really cool. With all the features of its predecessors, the 910 XT is sleeker, smaller, and has a number of additional functions the previous versions don’t. Most of the previous GPS watches were incredibly bulky, making the watch awkward and annoying — especially if you plan to wear it when not working out. Plus, may people complained that sweat around the wrist caused the watch to malfunction (something I know firsthand from paddling). Apparently the 910XT no longer has that problem, and its barometric altimeter can help improve the mapping data during ascents/descents. Plus, the swim mapping features can be transferred to the kayak stroke — which is perfect for me. At a retail price of $449, however, this is not a cheap toy.

2. A Juicer

Why: Anyone who’s read my posts knows I’m not really into fad diets, but I’ve seen variations of the juice-diet work firsthand. My sister, my sister’s boyfriend, and my mom have all lost over 20 lbs. on juice diets, and have never looked or felt better. I’ve had the juice blends, and they’re quite tasty. If you’re looking for a quick and convenient way to pack an amazing amount of nutrients into a small, low-calorie meal, I highly recommend “juicing.” Juicers range from about $75-$200.

3. Vibram Five Fingers Bikilla LS Shoes

Why: I’ve begun to see these shoes more and more in gyms and on local trails and running routes. Designed to mimc the barefoot marathon runners of Kenya and Ethiopia, I’ve known many people who swear by these and will never return to regular running shoes. Evidently barefoot running, when executed properly, is better for the foot’s natural arch and curvature and many people say these shoes are substantially more comfortable than more traditional versions. Vibram’s latest version was recently named one of the top fitness products of 2011 by Health.com. You can generally find these for under $100.

4. A Lifetime Supply of MET-Rx Bars

Why: I tend to favor “real” food, such as roasted seeds, nuts, and fruit slices to boost my energy during long workouts, but I’ve also used MET-Rx bars for years. As I’ve posted in prior articles, you don’t need nearly as much protein to balance the protein cell degeneration cycle following a workout as nutrition suppliers would have you believe, and carbohydrates are probably more important both during and following a workout. Therefore, high-protein bars aren’t of much value, in my opinion. But I’ve always thought the classic MET-Rx bars have the best flavor and consistency of any workout bar on the market — much more easily dissolvable than the rubbery Power Bar. I recommend these if you don’t have time to prepare a real snack for your workout or training. The classic MET-Rx bar was also named Askmen.com’s top-rated fitness bar in 2011. The chocolate chip cookie dough flavor is my favorite, and a box is about $20.

5. A GoProHD Camera

Why: Ok, this isn’t really a fitness product, but it’s still a really fun toy. The world’s leading sports action camera, the GoPro is ideal for the extreme sports athlete who wants to recapture and relive their physical heroics. So why am I interested in it? Well, I am a kayaker and I’ve found that stopping to pull out a camera from my waterproof compartment is a bit of a hassle. Plus, most waterproof cameras take pretty poor pictures. While the GoProHD cannot match that of a really good non-waterproof camera, it’s close. Plus, with a camera mounted on either my boat or my person, I always feel inspired to work out harder and venture into areas I wouldn’t normally go. This may work for you, too. Like the Garmin, it’s pricey at just under $300.

There’s my list. I’d love to hear about your favorite fitness products as well. And if you’d like to know where you can send me gifts, please send me a message.

Circadian Rhythms

Circadian rhythms are the mental, physical, and behavioral changes that revolve around the 24-hour cycle of our daily lives. Similar to the concept of the “biological clock,” our circadian rhythms are primarily influenced by light cues. All living organisms have circadian rhythms, including people, primates, pets, and plants. Circadian rhythms can affect our body’s sleep cycles, hormone levels, body temperature, and a number of other physiological processes.

Effects on Exercise

In their review, Weipeng, Newton, and McGuigan (2011) found that circadian rhythms can influence your exercise results in a variety of ways. Perhaps the most significant finding was that enhanced exercise performance typically occurred in subjects during the early evening hours. These researchers also found that individual hormones, specifically testosterone and the stress hormone, cortisol, had their own natural circadian rhythms. Past research has shown a direct relationship between these hormones and exercise, with higher levels of testosterone boosting exercise performance, and cortisol hindering it.

Circadian rhythms were also significantly related to body temperature. Past research has demonstrated that prolonged warmups that allow the body to reach higher temperatures resulted in increased power output and decreased fatigue during exercise.

Finally, while Weipeng and colleagues did not discuss the issue of light, other research (e.g., Leproult et al., 1997) has demonstrated that increased lighting can enhance exercise performance, although this finding was significantly related to the amount of exposure time.

What This Means for You

Most people already know that warming up before exercising is wise, as it can prevent injuries. However, increasing body temperature appears to have a hormonal effect that can have you working out longer and harder than you ever thought possible. While each person has his or her own chronotype, or a specific, innate, time of day at which they function best, your hormonal profile is likely to be more conducive to optimal exercise performance during the twilight hours of the day, under bright lights, and after a sufficient warm-up.

If you’re a morning exerciser and find yourself in a lull, try working out in the evening. If you never warm-up before you hit the weights, make sure to get that body temperature up first. Finally, get plenty of sleep. Your body’s master clock, known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus, controls the production of melatonin, the chemical that makes you feel sleepy. The SCN is located just above the optic nerve, which receives information about the amount of light coming in. When under dim lights, you are more likely to feel sleepy than when under the bright neon lights in the gym. The amount of sleep you receive has a significant effect on your hormone levels, which can be the difference between a good workout day and a bad one.