The Religious Nerd

Going to the gym in January sucks.  I signed up for a membership at my local community gym in January with all kinds of plans for improvement in 2014.  I was one of hundreds in my local community who had a new found resolve to get fit.  Millions of fatty’s and porkers across the country pile into gyms in January with all sorts of ambitious aspirations about the “new and better them”. The parking lot is packed, the machines are all taken, and you have to wait to get to use your favorite machines, sauna, hot tub, or pool.

But then February (Valentines Day?)  rolls around and the herd thins out.  Machines are available, parking spots are open, and the fatty’s are nowhere to be seen.  They are back at home on the couch eating chips and ice cream surfing Netflix to their hearts content.

Why?

Because getting fit is hard work! Getting fit is physically and emotionally exhausting because it requires drastic changes in behavior and a tremendous amount of commitment.  I’ve quit before.  I’ve gotten fit and then gotten fat.  When fat, I’ve tried to get on a fitness regiment only to find myself polishing off a quart of Ben and Jerry’s in one sitting two weeks later.  It can be a frustrating process, especially if you have let yourself go and have a seemingly insurmountable amount of work ahead.

But guess what, you can do it! You can get fit in 2015 and become the healthier you.  I have a few suggestions – that if followed – will help you get results and increase the likelihood that you will stay committed to fitness throughout all of 2015, if not the rest of your life.  These suggestions are very practical and don’t require you to spend thousands of dollars or get on ridiculous diets that set you up for failure.

Technology Is Your Friend:  I can’t recommend this enough, download the MyFitnessPal app onto your smartphone or desktop immediately and start plugging in data.  MyFitnessPal excels in it’s ability to track your nutritional and exercise data.  For example, you can plug in everything you ate throughout the day and calculate the amount of calories you consumed, how many grams of protein, fat, or carbohydrates, how much sugar you are consuming, and determine whether or not you’re getting enough of the key vitamins, and electrolytes.  The app also allows you to track how much water you drink during the day.  Proper hydration is an essential component of any successful fitness plan, and if you don’t consume enough water, you won’t make the fitness gains you’re working so hard towards, and can potentially do damage to your body as well.

You might be thinking “who cares about all of this data” or “I’m only 22, I can eat whatever I want”.  Before you know it you’ll hit 30 and be the size of a parade float, or 40 and size of a Geo Metro with a variety of medical problems that could have been prevented if you had taken better care of yourself when younger.

The MyFitnessPal app may seem intimidating or tedious at first, however, after logging entries for a week or so, you will quickly discover that the app is very easy to use and only requires a couple of minutes of effort on your part each day.  For example, if you eat similar foods every week the app remembers those foods and allows you to quickly input them.  The app functions the same way for any exercises you have completed in the past.  It gives you a list of your most recent exercises and allows you to input them quickly.  The app calculates your BMR which gives you an idea of how many calories you need to consume in a day.  If you tell the app you want to lose 1 pound a week, it adjusts the recommended daily calorie consumption accordingly, leaving you with one number to try to hit every day.  The app does all of the math for you, and provides you with all of the data needed to make smart decisions regarding your diet. Proper nutrition is critical.  You must take care of your body if you want to function well.

What about fitness watches? Fitbit, Jawbone, Microsoft Band, and a whole plethora of fitness watch options are available in an extremely congested market that is fighting to receive your money. These products are neat –  and useful for some – but in my opinion, largely unnecessary for most people.  For one, the main function of these products is the ability to count steps. Most people already own a smartphone that is capable of counting steps.  Newer phones contain additional sensors that can measure heart rate and track GPS.  As I write this article, very few fitness watches include GPS functionality, with the exception of the new Fitbit Surge device that is set for release early next year.  Sure, there are “Smart watches” that do GPS, but those devices don’t really do anything your smartphone can’t do already, plus some of them require a data plan to function.

If you’re set on buying a fitness watch, Consider the Pivotal Tracker 1, available for preorder on Amazon.com for $15. A potential downside to this product being that you can’t connect it to the MyFitnessPal App, whereas Fitbit and Jawbone products work well with the MyFitnessPal app.

Crazy Diets, Ridiculous Workout Routines, and Expensive Machines Are Your Foe:  Skip the gimmick diets and instead educate yourself as to what changes you need to make to your current diet to become healthier. Gimmick diets that focus on things like eating no carbs, or eating heavy carbs, or eating no fat, or a ton of protein and no carbs, etc, may garner some initial “weight loss” results, but are ultimately untenable weight loss strategies. You will want a diet that has a healthy mix of carbs, protein, and fats because all serve their purpose and are important elements of your overall health. Starving yourself is never a good solution.  Working out on an empty stomach is an awful idea. Your body needs fuel to function properly, so don’t deprive it by participating in behavior that isn’t healthy.  Yes, it can be difficult the first few weeks that you eat less junk food and more fruit and vegetables, but sooner or later it becomes easier, and you will feel healthier.

Speaking of unhealthy, you know that big bowl of ice cream that you eat every night before you go to bed? Covered in Hershey’s syrup (fat free food right?) and doused in whip cream? Or maybe you’re a fan of the salty snacks? Can you polish off an entire can of Pringles in one sitting? Or maybe you’re a big fan of grandpas cough syrup? Been known to kill a six pack or an entire bottle of wine in one sitting? Don’t get me wrong, snacks are divine.  I love me some sweets! But boy oh boy can those snacks sneak up on you. A soda here, a pack of chips there, a delicious candy bar, some whip cream on your coffee, 5 pumps of syrup in your latte, 3-4 Oreo’s, before you know it you’ve consumed 1000 calories of snacks in addition to the three meals that you’ve consumed throughout your day.  Assuming you aren’t working out regularly, those “empty calories” will sneak up on you, as well as your waste band, and your health.

Why not purchase fancy workout machines?  In the long run they are cheaper than gym memberships right?  They are super convenient sitting right in your spare bedroom, basement, or garage right?  Wrong! They are usually big, bulky, and tacky, not to mention it’s only a matter of time before they become glorified dust collectors or clothing hanging devices.  It may seem convenient to have the machine available upon demand in your home, but most people don’t use their machines consistently, and thus the machines just end up taking up space in your home.  Ironically, the people that have machines in their home and use them consistently are people that are already fit and already participate in various fitness regiments, whether they be gym memberships, or long distance running, or a rowing team, etc.  Chances are you won’t get your money’s worth if you purchase exercise machines for your house.  Don’t believe me? Check Craigslist mid-next year and witness all of the practically brand new fitness machines that are available for purchase.  That’s a great time to buy used if you’re one of the few fit folks that actually use machines consistently at your home.

Get a gym membership, AND, figure out ways to incorporate exercise into your daily routine.  “But Brandon, I work all day and have no time for exercise”.  You don’t get a lunch break at work that you could use to go for a walk? Your boss doesn’t allow you to get up from your desk and walk to the break room for some water? You can’t take the stairs instead of using the elevator?  You can’t park towards the back of the parking lot so that you walk further?  If you’re using a step counter, you can use that tool to motivate you to move more during your day.  I quickly learned that I can raise my daily step count by 400 steps simply by doing a loop around the building at work.  I learned I can add 1000 steps by walking somewhere for lunch, as opposed to microwaving something in the lunch room.  There are countless adjustments that you can make to your daily routine that will increase your activity.

I shopped around for gym memberships in my town and quickly learned that they aren’t “basically the same”.  The big guys have a lot of amenities, but generally have higher monthly dues.  If your gym has a pool, you’re paying for it.  Since I don’t care to swim much, I didn’t want to pay for it.  The small gym in my town had all of the cardio equipment, free weights, and machines I wanted, plus a dry sauna.  Going with the small guy cost me $20 less per month and they are only 1 mile away from my house.  If you’re considering joining a gym, shop around, and look carefully at the gym that is closest to your house.  Don’t be pressured into committing to a gym without visiting at least one of their competitors.  As to location, you will be more likely to go to the gym consistently if your gym is fairly close to where you spend most of your time. Maybe you work 50 or 60 hours a week and there is a gym down the street from your office?  Or perhaps there is a gym a few minutes away from your house?  Whatever the case, I guarantee you’re more likely to go consistently if it is convenient and less likely to go consistently if it’s a hassle.

What about those intense workout DVD programs?  Those do get amazing results for some people.  The people who I know that succeeded with these were either thin to begin with, fit, or had extreme will power.  These DVD programs are intense.  The people in the video have bulging muscles and are in the best shape of their life, and they are out of breath and sweating bullets while doing the very routine they want you to do in your living room.  The problem is you probably aren’t in the best shape of your life and thus struggle tremendously with completing the workout.  You may even injure yourself trying to keep up.  Or at the very least, become discouraged at how hard this fitness thing is and quit, rendering that DVD useless.

Don’t jump from zero to hero in a small amount of time.  Have you ever heard the saying “always consult your physician before starting a new exercise routine” ? There is a reason for that.  Dramatic changes in activity can do harm to a person.  It’s better to slowly transition into exercise routines as opposed to attempting a marathon the second time you’ve stepped onto a tread mill.  If you’re going to do cardio, start with a 10,15, or 20 minute session and slowly progress on up to 25,30,45,60 minute sessions as the weeks fly by.  You will want to be intentional by setting realistic goals for yourself regarding weight loss, strength gains, and being healthier.  Challenge yourself.  Compete with yourself.  Or even better, enlist a friend or family member to workout with you.  Working out with a friend can have huge benefits if it keeps you consistent and challenges you to work harder.  Make sure to drink lots of water and perform stretching as well.

Weight training is a bit different.  What I recommend before beginning any kind of weight training routine is to get your nutrition figured out so that you have plenty of energy while lifting, and proper nutrition immediately after lifting, and solid nutrition in general.  Nutrition and exercise go hand and hand, especially when lifting heavy weights and extensive amounts of cardio.  For example, if your nutrition is off and you do lots of cardio, your body will burn muscle instead of fat!  If your nutrition is off and you go to lift weights, you won’t be able to lift to your potential.

Ladies, please don’t be afraid to lift weights! Cardio mixed with improper nutrition and no strength training isn’t going to get you the results you want.  Trust me, if you mix weights with cardio, and proper nutrition, and you stay committed to it, you’ll be fitting into those pants you wore in college in no time!  If you simply do cardio a couple of times a week and eat poorly, you won’t make much progress.  Lack of progress is probably the main reason people quit working out all together, so don’t set yourself up for failure because you’re intimidated by weights, or because eating healthier is hard (at first).

On top of nutrition, I recommend that you research proper weight lifting techniques.  Improper technique may result in lack of results, or even worse, injury.  There are at least two affordable, high-quality resources available for you that cover weight training techniques. Strength Training Academy costs $13, is packed full of pictures demonstrating proper technique, and includes exercises for all regions of the body. Costco offered this book for purchase last holiday season.  I highly recommend this cheap resource for anyone looking to begin weight training.  If you’re super serious about lifting, check out Arnold Schwarzeneggers exhaustive book The New Enclyclopedia of Modern Body Building, available on Amazon for $20.  This is one impressive book!  One additional book I recommend that you check out is Bigger Leaner Stronger by Michael Matthews, available on Amazon for around $10.  Matthews’ book encouraged me to start lifting heavy weights and to get more serious about putting on muscle mass.  His book is extremely helpful regardless if you’re just getting started or are a veteran weight lifter.

In summary, you can get fit in 2015.  You don’t have to be a fatty forever.  You don’t have to polish off an entire bag of Doritos in one sitting. You can become a healthier you.  I’m convinced that with hard work and dedication you can do it!  I realize that is a ton of information in this article so I will summarize the key points for you again:

• Make a commitment to get fit.
• Don’t become a part of a depressing number of people that give up in February.
• Set realistic goals, and realize it takes time and hard work to make progress.
• Make immediate and permanent changes to your nutrition.
• Use technology to help you make better decisions and stay committed.
• Avoid gimmick diets.
• Get a gym membership close to your house or office.
• Move more during the day.
• Start strength training asap.