Katy, TX Personal Training Facility

If you are looking for the best personal trainer in Katy, definitely take a look at Medical Fitness Pros. They have a team of educated staff members who have been in the business for years. They have an interesting specialty with their personal training, in that, they work with a variety of medical conditions. Having been in the business for years, it's expected that a personal trainer can help their clients lose weight. It's not hard to help improve someone's nutrition and exercise program and watch them drop 10 or 20 pounds. The hard part is when someone comes in with back pain, knee pain, or shoulder pain and wants to lose 20 or 30 pounds. This is when you really test the abilities of a personal trainer.

Katy Personal Training Facility

The facility they are in does not make you feel overwhelmed when you walk in. It's comfortable and a friendly atmosphere. The staff is great and so are the personal training clients that work out there. They offer one-on-one personal training as well as small group personal training, so you can find a program that will work for you. As far as I know, there is not another facility in Katy that even comes close to offering what they do. There are some workout facilities, but none with the level of medical expertise that the staff possesses.

Katy Personal Training Exercise

If you are considering hiring a personal trainer in Katy or Cinco Ranch, you should definitely make the time to visit Medical Fitness Pros. You can feel safe knowing they understand the right exercise program for you. I know they also coordinate with your physician when they are developing an exercise program for you, and that is head and shoulders above what anyone else is doing in the Katy or Cinco Ranch area.

Medical Fitness Pros Location

Medical Fitness Pros is located at 2004 S. Mason Rd, between Highland Knolls and Cinco Ranch Blvd. You can call them at 281-500-6055 or visit their Medical Fitness Pros website.

5 Ways to Guarantee New Year's Resolution Success

Now that the New Year is here, there is a good chance that your New Year's Resolution is weight loss. If you want to lose weight, here are 5 tips that will guarantee Katy residents' success in their weight loss goals.

1. Decide on a goal - Take the time to write out your personal goals. Write out how much weight you want to lose and how long you expect it to take you. Don't skip this step.
2. Devise a plan - Your plan should be specific. Without a specific plan, you are just randomly trying things hoping something works. It doesn't just happen that way. You have to write out your weekly and monthly requirements to achieve your goal. Your plan will include components of the next 3 steps.
3. Nutrition - Most people hate to hear this, but nutrition is the most important step if you plan to lose weight this year. Follow a specific nutrition plan that you can stick with for longer than 3 months. You want a lifestyle adjustment, not a quick weight loss plan.
4. Cardiovascular - You have to include cardiovascular training into your program. The program should include some aspects of an interval based program that will help you burn fat fast and reduce the amount of time you spend doing it.
5. Strength Training - If you plan on losing fat fast, strength training must be included. By building muscle, you will increase metabolism, therefore resulting in faster weight loss.
   

If your weight loss plan is missing any of these components, contact me so I can help you get all of the steps in place to lose your belly fat this year. As a personal trainer for almost 12 years now, I have helped hundreds of people lose weight. If you are determined to see weight loss results, contact me. I will take the guess work out of your program and ensure that this year is the year you lose weight, once and for all.

The Advanced Aging of Our Children

This is the very reason we are seeing heart attacks happening at an earlier and earlier age.

Obesity is aging our children before their time.

The Association Press reported that studies presented last week at an American Heart Association conference found about a third of American children are overweight, and one-fifth are obese.

In a sense, that’s old news.

But what made one study depressingly newsworthy was the conclusion by researchers at Children’s Hospital in Kansas City that obese children as young as 10 had the arteries of 45-year-olds.Want more depressing news?

Another study by researchers at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Australia tied childhood obesity to abnormal enlargement of the left atrium, one of the chambers of the heart. The AP reported enlargement is a known risk factor for heart disease, stroke and heart rhythm problems. One researcher said he saw a clear link between rising weight and size of the left atrium.

Still not convinced about the danger of obesity?

A study by the Australian National University in Canberra found impairment in the heart’s ability to relax between beats in children who were overweight or obese.

Earlier research found more rigid arteries in such children — a possible sign of plaque deposits starting to form.

This isn’t just a matter of personal health. It’s a public health issue, too. Overweight adults are more prone to Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. The cost to society to treat these conditions is staggering, and it’s only going to grow as the number of obese Americans increases.Some people can’t help it. They have weight problems and other health issues because of their genes. They are not what they eat; they are what they’ve had passed down to them from their ancestors.

However, many children are overweight and obese because, like far too many adults, they are eating too much — and too much of the wrong kind of food — and exercising too little.

It’s not a matter of growing out of baby fat. When it comes to obesity, child is father to the man. The news service reported research increasingly shows that fat children become fat adults, and with that come higher risks for many health problems.

For these children, it’s about eating the right kind of food and exercising. And it wouldn’t hurt if their parents joined the regimen, either.

Overweight and obese children and adults must take this condition seriously. For them, it really is a matter of life and death.

Source: TimesOnline.com

Your Brain and Body Start Slowing Down at 40

Everything goes downhill at 40!

Now the good news: The article states that we lose some of the insulation around the brain's wiring system and this causes our body and brain to start slowing down. However, if you keep active, and treat high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, this helps with brain health. The more physically and mentally active you are, the more likely your brain health will last for a longer period of time.

Read More Here

5 Daily Steps to Sanity

Researchers have come up with a list of 5 things that should be done every day that will help you stay happy and sane. They include:

Steps to happiness

1. Connect - Developing relationships with family, friends, colleagues and neighbours will enrich your life and bring you support.
2. Be active - Sports, hobbies such as gardening or dancing, or just a daily stroll will make you feel good and maintain mobility and fitness.
3. Be Curious - Noting the beauty of everyday moments as well as the unusual and reflecting on them helps you to appreciate what matters to you.
4. Learn - Fixing a bike, learning an instrument, cooking – the challenge and satisfaction brings fun and confidence.
5. Give - Helping friends and strangers links your happiness to a wider community and is very rewarding.

Read More.....

Workout Videos for your home

If you like a lot of variety and you would like to workout at home, I found a great website that will help you do just that. My Pypeline is a great website for accessing and downloading videos that you can use anytime you want. It is probably cheaper than joining a gym and you can repeat or select a new workout whenever you want. The great thing is that it is on your schedule. Use it whenever you want.

Are you "blocked" from losing weight?

Dallas Morning News published an article that showed that those who had the hardest time losing weight had more "mental roadblocks".

"Overall, the overweight and obese women told of more perceived obstacles than their slimmer counterparts. They were more likely to feel self-conscious about how they looked while exercising, felt they lacked self-discipline, hated to fail so didn't try, had minor aches and pains and felt too overweight to exercise."

The Key to Long Term Weight Loss

The USA Today did a story on what the differences are between those who lose weight permanently and those who never seem to reach their goals. The key habits among successful dieters:

• Are physically active for about an hour a day, burning about 2,600 calories a week with exercise.
• Do high-intensity activity, such as jogging, aerobics, biking, for about 70 minutes a week.
• Are highly restrained eaters who are always aware of calories.
• Are less likely to binge or overeat for emotional or environmental reasons than obese people.
• Have fewer TVs than heavier people.

The Key to Losing Weight and Keep it Off

Exercise Holds Key to Keeping Weight Off

Ramp Up Your Workouts to Shed Pounds, Keep Them Off, Study Shows

By Kelley ColihanWebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Article Highlights:
1. The Key to Long Term Weight Loss is working out 55 minutes a day, 5 days a week
2. Women who did this kept 10% of their weight off or more
3. Women who made their leisure activity, more active, kept the weight off more

July 28, 2008 -- How much do you have to work out in order to lose weight and keep it off? The answer is hotly debated among people who study weight loss.
A new study says that obese and overweight women need to cut calories and exercise 275 minutes a week more than their baseline physical activity -- or at least 55 minutes a day, five days a week to lose weight and keep it off.
The research was led by John M. Jakicic, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh, and colleagues.
They tracked 201 overweight and obese women over a two-year period; 170 women completed the study.
At the start, all of the participants were sedentary. They were randomly assigned to one of four groups based on how much and how intensely they exercised and how many calories they burned.
The participants were told to eat or drink no more than 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day. Researchers tracked them by talking to them on the phone and having face-to-face talks.
Participants were encouraged to spread the exercise out over five days during a week, done in at least 10-minute chunks. The women were given treadmills to use at home and taught to monitor their own heart rates.
At the end of the two-year study, women who had lost 10% or more of their initial body weight reported that they had done more physical activity compared with those who did not lose as much weight.
After six months, women in all four groups had lost an average of 8% to 10% of their initial body weight. But the hard part was keeping that weight off. Most of them regained the weight.
Biggest Losers
Nearly 25% of the participants managed to keep 10% or more of their original body weight off over the two years.
Those women exercised about 275 minutes a week more over their baseline activity levels.
They also got the most support, completing the most telephone calls from researchers, and said they participated in more eating behaviors recommended for weight control than those who gained the weight back.
Those who lost and kept off the weight also increased their leisure time physical activity, doing things like taking the stairs and moving about more at home and work.
A couple of limitations the study authors note are that diet alone was not included as one of the options and that the participants themselves reported what physical activity they did and how well they did it.
The study authors conclude that a relatively high level of physical activity is needed to lose weight and keep it off.
These results are likely to add fuel to the debate over how much is needed to lose pounds and keep them from creeping back.
General recommendations are for 30 minutes a day, or 150 minutes a week, of moderately intense activity most days of the week. But the debate rages on over a magic formula for sustaining weight loss.
The findings are published in the July 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Source: http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20080728/exercise-holds-key-to-keeping-weight-off

My thoughts.....if you seek to do the minimum, expect minimum results. If you truly desire to make a lifestyle change and see long lasting results, you will change your life's style. Desire to achieve more. Find a personal trainer or nutrition coach that will help you. If that doesn't work, find an accountability partner that is more disciplined and better shape than you are in that can hold you accountable. If you find someone who is struggling with the same things you are, it will be hard to hold each other accountable. Make up your mind to change your life and don't look back. If you want it bad enough, you will achieve it.

Fat Loss Secrets - Revealed - Newsletter from June 15th

Those of you who know me real well, know that I don't sit still very long. I've been working hard, and I have some things I really want to share with you. I've been really struggling for a while with the fact that people can be active and just not lose weight very easily. On March 14th of last year I wrote on my blog that I was determined to find what it will take for more people to lose weight. Well, I've been researching, and I've stumbled upon something that I never expected. Many of things that we talk about in the fitness industry is wrong. At least that's the way it appears right now. I really don't know how to say it any other way. There is research that completely contradicts some of the beliefs we hold dear to. Let me give you some examples:

• Low Carbohydrate vs. Low Fat diets. Which one really works the best?
• Aerobic Exercise. If you do aerobic cardio 5 days a week for 6 months, how many pounds can you really expect to lose?
• Calories in, Calories out. If 2 people consume the same number of calories and burn off the same number of calories, could they expect to see the same results?
• Either lose fat or gain muscle. Can you lose fat and gain muscle at the same time?
• Spot Reducing. Is it possible to lost bodyfat in just one part of the body?
• Fishy Results. Can eating more fish show a significant change in your waistline?
• Supplements. Are they a big waste of time, or do certain supplements really give you better results?
• "Fat Burning" Zone. This one will probably get me in trouble, so let me present it with the research to back it up.
• Strength Training vs. Aerobics. Which one will help you lose weight the fastest?
• EPOC. Don't know what it is? It could have a major role in your results.
  

I realize that some of the things I am going to say in the upcoming e-mails may contradict things that I have told people in the past. However, I am willing to open my eyes to new research results as long as they are credible studies. That's why each e-mail will only cover one topic, explained in full, and have sources to back up everything I am saying. So I apologize that I'm not giving you the answers to all of the topics above, but I have to do this the right way.
In the meantime, have a great week, and watch for my next e-mail.

If you are not a member of my newsletter yet, sign up at the top, right hand corner of my blog. I will never sell or give away your e-mail address and you will only receive tips from my newsletter 1-4 times a month.

The Top 9 Fitness Myths

Take a look at the Top 9 Fitness Myths according to WebMD. They make some great points that are good to know.

This is Stupidity at it's Finest!

Health Economist, Eric Finkelstein, published a book this month, "The Fattening of America", in which he states that obesity is not a "lifestyle choice". He states that it's expected that an advancing nation would cause more people to become overweight. He goes so far as to state that, "the side effects of obesity aren't as nasty as they use to be."

Wait one second.

Children today have a lower life expectancy than their parents. More people are having health complications than ever before due to obesity. Diabetics are losing limbs, younger people are having heart attacks, and more and more people die every day of diseases that are preventable if they will just lose their weight.

Based on what I just stated, I have no idea how he could think that obesity is not a "nasty" thing. He goes on to say that people don't chose to be obese. That if they had the choice, they would chose to be thinner.

"But you can't say if you quit going to the drive-through, exercise more and eat more vegetables, you'll lose weight. There are so many more factors involved."

Let me just say that if I had a choice to be in shape without having to exercise, eat all of my fruits and vegetables, and avoiding the drive-through restaurants, I would. However, every day I make a conscious effort to work hard to stay in the shape I want to be in.

"If you knew that you could be what society considers normal, why would you not choose to do that?" English told AFP.

I guess he doesn't realize that "normal" today means watching tv, playing on the computer, not exercising, eating out often, and gaining weight on a consistent basis.

I'm done talking about the article. It makes my blood boil just thinking about it.

What has happened to us? Have we really gotten this lazy? Well, it only cost us our life. It's amazing how we have so much money to spend, and we waste it on things that eventually kill us.

Take a look at this graph so you can see what I mean.

As a nation, we have so much money. And we think that all of this money will buy us better medicine and technology, and allow us to live longer. After looking at the chart, do you have any second thoughts?

Good news for Women in Menopause

A new article suggest that exercise eases some menopause symptoms. If you have an interests in reading the article, I've provided the link. I think it just goes to show that exercise is a great thing for you. Don't keep waiting around, start today!

Overweight Kids are at a Higher Risk of Developing Heart Disease

This may or may not seem like common sense, but it's important none the less. If a child is overweight they are automatically at a higher risk of developing heart disease.

Did you know that the children that are born today have a lower life expectancy than their parents?

I'll let that sink in. You can read more of this story when you get a chance.

Houston is among the top Walk Friendly cities in the United States

It's interesting how we always hear that Houston was one of the fattest cities in the United States, but here is something a little easier to swallow. Houston was #21 on the most Pedestrian Friendly cities in the US.


METRO-AREA RANKINGSA Brookings Institution survey ranks the 30 biggest metropolitan areas according to the number of "walkable urban places" relative to the area's population:
1. Washington
2. Boston
3. San Francisco
4. Denver
5. Portland, Ore.
6. Seattle
7. Chicago
8. Miami
9. Pittsburgh
10. New York
11. San Diego
12. Los Angeles
13. Philadelphia
14. Atlanta
15. Baltimore
16. St. Louis
17. Minneapolis
18. Detroit
19. Columbus, Ohio
20. Las Vegas
21. Houston
22. San Antonio
23. Kansas City, Mo.
24. Orlando, Fla.
25. Dallas
26. Phoenix
27. Sacramento, Calif.
28. Cincinnati
29. Cleveland
30. Tampa, Fla.
— Associated Press


More Information

The Facts About Weight Loss Products and Programs

I've recently started a mission. I want to find the best way to lose weight and keep it off. Now I know the basics, "Those who eat healthier and incorporate strength training and cardiovascular exercise into their normal routine, have the best long term results." I know this, and you may know this, but there's something missing. I can't completely put my finger on it, but I know there is more to it. I know there is a psychological/behavioral aspect as well. I am determined to find what it's going to take to really help people lose weight. I mean serious, long lasting weight loss that really affects other people's lives. So if you read this, give me feedback. What is it that makes the big difference? Where's the lightbulb? I'm ready to see some lives changed. I'm tired of some people being successful, and others not. I want a 90% or higher success rate in people achieving their goals and their lives.

I want to attach a very good article from the FDA about weight loss products and programs, and the warning signs to look for. I never knew the FDA evaluated this. Take a look. It's a great read!

Take One Step

PBS recently launched a website based off a recent documentary entitled, Take One Step. It talks exclusively about Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), the history, the causes, the warning signs, and how to prevent it. More of us will diet from CVD this year than from anything else. This isn't just men either. Did you realize that more women die from CVD than from 10 types of cancers combined. You are a lot less likely to die from Breast Cancer than you are from CVD. What baffles me is that CVD is preventable. Let me say that again, CVD is PREVENTABLE. Watch your cholesterol, don't smoke, keep your blood pressure low, eat healthy fruits and vegetables, and be active.

We, as Americans, have gotten lazy about so many things. We expect everything to be delivered to us on a platter. I'm just as guilty about this at times. We don't want to take the time to eat right, or exercise, or mow our own yard, or even read our own Bible. We truly are a spoon fed society. If it doesn't involve someone else doing it for us, we often don't do it. I don't know why we've become this, but it has to change. Go visit this website and watch the videos of the show (you don't even have to read it if you don't want to). Take measures to protect your and your family's health. Life is short. You don't have to make it shorter because of a few foolish decisions. Take care of yourself....you'll be glad you did.

New AHA Guidelines

In case you missed this in the news, the American Heart Association recently announced some new important guidelines. Here is a highlight of some of the recent changes:

- Recommended lifestyle changes to help manage blood pressure include weight control, increased physical activity, alcohol moderation, sodium restriction, and an emphasis on eating fresh fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products.
- Besides advising women to quit smoking, the 2007 guidelines recommend counseling, nicotine replacement or other forms of smoking cessation therapy.
- Physical activity recommendations for women who need to lose weight or sustain weight loss have been added – minimum of 60–-90 minutes of moderate-intensity activity (e.g., brisk walking) on most, and preferably all, days of the week.
- The guidelines now encourage all women to reduce saturated fats intake to less than 7 percent of calories if possible.
- Specific guidance on omega-3 fatty acid intake and supplementation recommends eating oily fish at least twice a week, and consider taking a capsule supplement of 850–1000 mg of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) in women with heart disease, two to four grams for women with high triglycerides.
- Hormone replacement therapy and selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) are not recommended to prevent heart disease in women.
- Antioxidant supplements (such as vitamin E, C and beta-carotene) should not be used for primary or secondary prevention of CVD.
- Folic acid should not be used to prevent CVD – a change from the 2004 guidelines that did recommend it be considered for use in certain high-risk women.
- Routine low dose aspirin therapy may be considered in women age 65 or older regardless of CVD risk status, if benefits are likely to outweigh other risks. (Previous guidelines did not recommend aspirin in lower risk or healthy women.)
- The upper dosage of aspirin for high-risk women increases to 325 mg per day rather than 162 mg. This brings the women’s guidelines up to date with other recently published guidelines.

You can read more of this report at the AHA's website.

No Need to Diet and Exercise to Lose Weight

"No need to diet and exercise to lose weight" SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS!!!

What an amazing headline I ran across! Well if you don't have to diet and exercise to lose weight, please tell me how I can do it too! This is revolutionary!

Well, fittingly enough, this story was published in the Oddly Enough section of Reuters. If you have never read the Oddly Enough section of Reuters, you should. There are some pretty crazy stories in there.

Anyway, back to the story....the story simple mentions that there was a controlled study done where one group was on a diet and another group was on a slightly higher calorie diet and exercised too. It turns out both groups lost the same weight. Which means calories in and calories out still rings true. They just found a better way of getting your attention because of the headline.

For me personally, I would rather keep exercising my body and my heart and have a diet that is not torture. Regardless, nutrition is 70-80% of your results no matter what you do. So if you pick anything to change to improve your health, start with your diet.