Lunchtime Fitness

Many people have difficulty getting to a gym, walking, running or workingout at home in the morning or evening due to child, family or work obligations. These reasons are certaily legitimate. But you won't do yourself or your family any favors by caring for them and making money while neglecting your health.

Larger corporate environments often offer ftiness facilities. Sadly, these facilities generally are underutilized. And with the seemingly weekly opening of a new gym in every area, there is sure to be a gym located within 5 minutes of your worksite.

So what if you did your workouts during the lunch hour? Have you considered it? Have you ever asked your employer? You could start the workday 1/2 hour earlier or extend it 1 or 1/2 hour at the end of the day. When I used to workout at lunch time I found several advantages:

• Travelling to work at "off rush hour times" was less stressful and I got there more quickly with fewer cars on the road.
• I got more work done with fewer distractions while the office was less populated.
• The lunctime crowd seemed less social so the workout went faster (this is a plus and a minus).
• You won't be lured to fattening lunh environments. Take your own food and eat at your desk or work station when you finish the workout.

In addition to going to a gym you could walk (by yourself or without others) or ride a bike. I used to take my bike to work when I worked in a location that had a shower in one of the men's rooms. The "Tow Path" in Princeton, NJ was my favorite place to ride. It was picturesque and I felt great in the environment. The point, make it fun, think outside the box, just ask the boss, be creative and find a way to do it. Your family and employer will work with you and you'll be a good fitness role model for your kids and co-workers.

John Hudome, DCH

"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."

6 Ideas for Developing a Supportive Workout Group

There's power in groups. You already know this at some level. But have you really considered it? When you're in a larege group, like a ball park or stadium, do you feel the energy? Smaller groups have an energy also. That's why developing a peer group or group of people you talk to at the gym, or park or school track is important. Wherever you workout, talk to people. The support you receive and the added interest and good vibes will only serve to motivate you more.

Here are some tips on group develpoment at gym, park or any workout location:

1. Make eye contact with people. Others want to talk. Eye contact invites them into your world.
2. Say "hello" and introduce yourself.
3. Ask people what routine they're doing or what they're working on today.
4. When leaving, ask them if you'll see them tomorrow.
5. Talk to people about interests other than workingout and fitness.
6. Talk to and get to know staff at your fitness location.

Becoming part of the "scene" at your fitness location will make being there (and looking good) more important to you. It will be more a part of your life. It's like the theme song to Cheers goes: "You wanna be where everybody knows your name." Wouldn't it have been nice if it were the gym that Norm walked into and everybody shouted "Norm?" Not nearly as funny, but a whole lot healthier. So do it. you'll soon find people asking about your weekend and where you were yesterday because they missed you. Getting to the gym or fitness location will be all that much easier. It will be a part of your life. And it happens more quickly than you might think.

John Hudome, DCH

"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."

How to Prevent "Workout Burnout"

Lots of people start to workout. And lots of people stop working out. Many of the ones who stop suffer "Workout Burnout." Here are some suggestions for preventing Workout Burnout.

1. Set Goals. These should inspire you. Once you reach them, set new ones.
2. Vary your routine. Change it up every 4-6 weeks. Hire a trainer if you don't know how to do this.
3. Add FUN to your routines and workouts. Do group activities on your own, with neighbors or at your gym.
4. Take a break from working out; but only for 3, 4 or 5 days. Sometimes an intentional vacation from your gym or routine can be just what your body needs.

These may seem obvious but many people don't know how to keep it fresh.

John Hudome, DCH

"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."

How to Stay on Course on the Weekend

I hear a lot of people say, "I do well all week and then... the weekend." Too many people fall off their program on weekends. You can stay on you program and have fun on the weekend. Follow these guidelines and you'll be fine.

1. Plan your eating as you do during the week. Be sure to have access to smart choices.
2. Pick a cheat day. Pick one day on the weekend when you'll have just one thing that isn't part of your program. Such as, a muffin or bagel at breakfast; popcorn at the movies; or pizza or a sandwich (burger) for dinner. You can't "cheat" the whole weekend or all day. But a "cheat day" with one "off the program" item is a good idea. My trainer taught me this years ago and he's right.
3. Keep the picture of your desired outcome (that hot body) with you throughout the weekend. Make all of your choices based on the outcome.
4. Log your food into a jounal. I use www.fitday.com and I love it (This doesn't work for Mac users. Look around, there is one.). It's fast, easy and quite educational. Stay aware of just what your intake is.

Good luck and have a great weekend. Remember, the ultimate reward is getting to walk around and live it that great body.

John Hudome, DCH

"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."

5 Steps to Eating Right at Work

Whether it's just an excuse or a reality of life, many people find eating correctly at work to present difficulty. I am continually told by clients that they just can't maintain good nutrition at the work-place. Here is what I recommend for getting the nutritional results you're looking for.

1. Plan on eating 3 or 4 meals a day at work.
2. Shop once a week for your work-place foods. I do this on Sunday. Buy enough for 3 meals for 5 days (assuming you work 5 days). You may want to buy even more. Many nights when I arrive home I microwave a meal at home also. I just don't have the time to cook every night.
3. Purchase inexpensive plastic containers at the supermarket (glad or similar) in which to place individual meals.
4. Cook the food one day or evening. Once again, I do this on Sunday afternoon. It takes me about 60 to 90 minutes, including cleanup. It' common for me to cook 2-3 lbs. of salmon, cod, tilapea, or flounder; 6-8 pork chops, 6-8 chicken breasts; 6-8 yams and brocolli, asparagus and various squash. Between my oven, stove and patio grill, there's a lot cooking all at once.
5. Pack the individual containers in the refridgerator and your food is ready for the week. And yes, my food keeps that long. I don't know if your's will, but mine does. I pack 3 or 4 meals every morning as I leave for the gym (I also take some fruit along). You may want to purchase an inexpensive portable cooler if you have fears about food storage, etc.

If you eat out due to meetings or other requirements, learn how to order correctly in restaurants. They will make your food the way you want it, just ask.

This system works for me and I've been doing it for years. I have plenty of food. I eat a variety of foods including, seafood, poultry, lean pork, yams, veggies, rice and more. This never seems to grow tired for me. I clean as I cook so the after prep dish and pan cleaning is minimal. I wash the empty containers immediately upon walking in the door of my home at night. I could probably do them at work, but I don't. If have any questions, comments or additions to these recommendations, leave a comment. I want to hear and I want to learn.

John Hudome, DCH

"Workout and eat (and live and play) as if your life depended on it."

How to Eliminate Snacking

I hear it all the time, "if I could just stop the snacking." Many people workout and eat pretty well during the day. Then they go home. And oh baby, that's when the trouble starts. After dinner, they snack the night away. Here are some sure fire tips to help you eliminate snacking once and for all.

• Eat many small meals, about 5 or 6 a day. Eating so often will keep you full.
• Elmininate the word "snack" from your vocabulary. Have a small meal in the evening so that it replaces what used to be a "snack."
• Don't stock your shelves with "snack foods." Non- smokers don't have cigatettes in the cabinets and non-druggies don't have a stash of heroin "just in case." Get rid of it and stop buying it. Buy some new clothes for your thin body instead.
• Drink plenty of water. During your withdrawal period (2-7 days) you will crave carb/salt/sugar loaded foods because that's what snacks are. Drink water. This craving will pass.
• Once weaned off, if the urge strikes or necessity presents itself (birthday party, etc.), have a tiny taste and walk away. Literally, walk away from the table or step into the other room.
• Set an "end time" for all evening eating, 8:00 or 9:00 PM would be a good idea.

Break the snacking cycle. Your body will love you for it and you'll love your body. You'll see your results explode, not your waste (OK, I know it's waist) line.

John Hudome, DCH

"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."

Feeling GREAT about your body lasts longer!

So which lasts longer, the feeling you get from making great choices and having the body you want, or eating that fattening muffin (or whatever, you get the idea)? Well? The body, of course. And let's face it, if you're committed to your goals, the pleasure of that muffin will pass quickly only to be replaced with guilt.

Moral of the story, think of how you'll feel later. Think of how badly you'll feel after the muffin. Think of how good you'll feel if you choose the smart choice. Think of how good that wonderful body feels. Imagine walking around in that all day!

John Hudome, DCH
"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."

It's really about the "Feelings" attached to the goals.

I've written before about Motivation being about keeping the "Outcome" or goal clearly focused in your mind's eye. This will cotinually cause your choices to be driven by that goal, that picture. There's an additional component that may also be helpful. The "Feeling" that you will get when you achieve the outcome or goal is also key. It's extremely helpful to remember how good looking like that is going to feel. How will your body feel? How proud will you be? What will having that body do for your confidence? How healthy will you feel? How comfortable will your clothes feel? How much fun will it be to get complements about how you look?

If you think about it, everyone sells feelings. Regardless of what you think your product is, you sell feelings. You buy a cup of coffee because of how you feel when you drink it, or after you drink it. You may buy it in a place when you feel good about sitting. I'm in a coffee house as I write this. I feel great when I'm here. If you purchase an expensive automobile, you probably feel great while driving it. Or maybe you feel totally safe while in it. If it's an envirnomentally friendly car, you may derive good feelings from knowing you're contributing to the health of the planet. Whatever it is you certainly get a "feel good" from achieving whatever it is you are doing.

Do you get it? Does this make sense? Your visualization is important and when you combine it with how having that outcome or goal makes you feel, you'll be unstopable. Go for it. Push yourself. You'll never know how much you have if you don't push it.

John Hudome, DCH
"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."

Concerns About Supplements

We see advertisements for supplements continually. Television, print ads, radio and posters in gyms are promoting supplements as the way to a beautiful body. I'm concerned about the extent of this and the extent of the use I see around me.

From the outset, let me disclose the supplements that I use. I take an Omega 3, Zinc, Vitamin D, Glucosamin and occasionally Whey Protein Powder. I don't want anyone to come back later and say, "wait a minute I know he uses supplements." All of these are nutiritional supplements and the Glucosamin was recommended by two physicians. They are not performance enhancers. I concsider them as food supplements.

So what's my concern? I'm concerned that too many people, especially younger people, think that they can achieve what they want with a pill or powder instead of hard work. Achieving what you want in life takes effort and maybe a little luck, but that's for another day. We live in a "fast food" society. Where has that gotten us? Obese city, that's where. I see overwheight guys in my gym using Creatine and getting fatter by the week. People don't know what the heck they're doing. They see an ad with a fitness model in it and they presume that he got his body using that supplement. In most cases, he didn't.

At the end of the day, you are more than just your results. Get good advice from medical and fitness professionals as to what you need to take, if anything, to assist you in achieving your goals. Some supplements are great. Some can hurt you. Some are a waste of your money. Do your research. Become educated.

John Hudome, DCH
"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."

Come Out and Play!

The weather is changing here on the East Coast. It's warming up. So I've noticed more people outside walking, running, roller-blading, playing baseball and just hanging out. The city has a fresh buzz. The point? Get outside. Change-up your workout routine by taking it out of the gym or the house. Do something new and different. Or maybe just do something that you haven't done since it got so cold last winter.

Have fun. Get outside. Mix it up and keep it fresh.

John Hudome, DCH
"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."

Re-Dedicate to Your Fitness Goals

I'm hoping you had a great holiday. I also hope that you ate well and stayed on course. If you did, GREAT. Give yourself a big pat on the back and a hug. You deserve it. Keep up the good work. If you strayed a little (or a lot), it's OK. It's a new day. Start NOW!

Take some time today or this evening to remember what your goals are. Remember what body you want. Remember how you want to feel. Remember how good it feels to do the right things. Remember how good success feels.

Now, picture yourself having already achieved those fitness goals. Make that image so bright and beautiful that it's totally undeniable. Make it sound so fantastic that the sounds lift you ever closer every day to the realization of that goal. Feel just what it feels like to alreday have those goals in every cell of your body. Keep that memory inside so that your unconscious mind can remember it whenever it needs to make a workout or nutritional decision. You'll be there in no time.

Re-Dedicate to Your Fitness Goals. Your body will thank you and you'll love the body you get. You can have what you want. Get to it, one day at a time.

John Hudome, DCH
"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."

Reward Yourself!

Ok, so how's it going? How's what going? Your holiday eating, how's it going? Hopefully, you've thought about my last blog and you prepared, planned and ate in moderation. And since the day isn't over, you can do well from this point forward.

Motivation is really nothing more than propelling yourself toward your goals. In this case, toward your fitness and healthy lifestyle goals. Too many people whom I meet think that food is their only choice for rewarding themselves. Isn't that great body you want a reward also? Isn't it an even longer lasting, more satisfying reward? I think so. Therefore, everytime you may consider eating anything today, picture that body that you are striving to achieve. THAT is the reward. You deserve it. You can have it. And you can feel GREAT about it. Reward yourself with a great body.

John Hudome, DCH
"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."

P.S. Take a walk before dinner or at some time during the day. Move that body.

3 Secrets to Successful Holiday Eating!

So here we are, another holiday weekend. Whether this is a religious event or just a social holiday, the weekend calls for visiting. And that usually means eating. For some, it means lots of eating. If your holiday began Wednesday, you're already experiencing it and I'm sorry that I didn't wirte this for you sooner.

The "Secrets" are pretty simple: Preparation, Planning and Moderation.

1. Preparation: Be prepared to be offered foods that may noy be the best choices. Think about how you'll say "no." Think ahead about the choices you could make instead.
2. Planning: Plan your workout or exercise. Fitness doesn't always need a holiday. Eat a little before you go to the event so that you're not really hungry. This way, you can eat what you like or want and do so in reasonable portions. Plan your arrival times so that you don't have too much pre-meal munching time.
3. Moderation: Eating right doesn't mean that you can never have things you like or view as "festive." But do so in moderation. A little goes a long way.

Have a great holiday.

John Hudome, DCH "Workout and eat as if your life depended on it"

"Fitness Nutrition Secrets Revealed", a 3 hour seminar.

I am Happy to announce that I will be presenting a seminar with Jim Hart, CFT entitled "Fitness Nutrition Secrets Revealed." Below are the details as we currently have them. I will update the seminar news as we progress closer to the date.

• Title: "Fitness Nutrition Secrets Revealed."
• When: Saturday, May 13, 2006 beginning at 9:30 AM to 12:45 PM
• Where: My office at 2 Eves Drive, Marlton, NJ 08053. We will move to a larger venue in the area if registration becomes to high to handle at the office. But be assured that this will be in the same area and you will receive plenty of notification.
• How to Register: Email to info@johnhudome.com (place "Seminar Registration") in the Title, or telephone to 856.797.8777.
• Presenters: John Hudome, DCH, read more about me at http://johnhudome.com; and Jim Hart, CFT. Jim's site is http://hartbody.com. Jim was named "One of Americ's Top 100 Trainers" by Men's Journal magazine in 2004 nad 2005. Jim believes that you can eat and enjoy food while you achieve the fitness goals thet you want and deserve.
• Cost: $45.00 in advance; $75.00 for 2 or more registering together.

Join us for this exceptional senimar. You'll learn about foods and the choices you make as well as how to use your brain better to make the right choices.

John Hudome, DCH

"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."

Do What You CAN do!

This entry should be somewhat brief. I woke up this morning at my usual 5:16 AM only to find that a toe problem has re-surfaced. I won't bore you with details, but this happens once every year or two. A simple medication for one day relieves it completely and life goes on as usual.

It occured to me that many people whom I meet and do work with in my office find many (if not almost any) excuses to skip a day at the gym (or whatever workout they do). Today, I ordinarily would have done 30 minutes of cardio (since it's a Friday and that's my schedule) after my weight training and before my coffee with a friend. I skipped the cardio due to severe pain and altered the original workout planned for today to something that didn't impact the toe. The point is, you need to think from the position of "what can I do today." Instead of excuses, you'll at least do something. Maybe it's just me but I tend to think that when it comes to fitness, almost anything is better than nothing.

John Hudome, DCH
"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it"

How Did You Get Those Abs?

I get asked this this question regularly. My abs are pretty good and I really enjoy the complement of people asking me, "What did you do to get those abs." I really do mean that I find this quite complementary. And they aren't good by accident. They have been earned and I believe that anyone can do it.

I had asked my trainer this question as well. Like most people, I presumed that the secret to great abs was extra crunches and cardio. And although cardio and crunches are useful, the secret to finely tuned abs is nutrition. That's right, nutrition. Once you've burned your fat to a good level, your nutrition profile will determine how cut you get. Really, it's true.

So here's the formula.

1. Enough cardio so that you trim your fat to a healthy but low level. Consult a fitness professional at your gym to have your body fat tested. Ask for guidelines as to what your body fat percentage ought to be.
2. Do 20 minutes of crunches 2 days a week. Vary the routine each time you do abs. For example: weighted abs on a bench one day; weighted abs on a ball the next time; and unweighted abs on the floor the next time. Use leg raises, hanging leg raises and any abdominal machines that your gym may have on another day. You get the picture, right? Mix it up.
3. NUTRITION. Get some nutritional advice from a professional or from a book. I like the site fitday.com as a tool to monitor my food intake. Fitday helps me to be aware of my fat, protein and carb intake. You need proper balance of these three areas. Some fat is good. That old "no-fat" thing is history. You have to make sure that you eat enough. Eliminate flour and sugar from you diet and eat natural, unprepared foods. Eat junk and you'll look like it.

Remember, your abs are "abdominal muscles." Emphasis on muscles. You need to build them similarly to the way you build other muscles. And in the end, your nutrition will make all the difference in how well they pop. Go for it.

John Hudome, DCH

"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."