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Per my previous post - time to talk about program structure and design.  Everyone who enters a gym has their own unique goals based on their body type, lifestyle and work schedule.  While conducting the initial evaluation, the personal trainer (PT) should be talking to you to understand how you’ve been training, any areas of concern, any injuries, certain things you can’t do, etc…  All of these details will help the PT when designing your program.  It’s much better to know that type of information up front instead of learning about it after the program is designed and you’re getting ready to do the exercise for the first time.

What you should understand is you’re paying a PT to design a program custom made for your specific needs – that’s the point/purpose of hiring a personal trainer and essentially what personal training means.

Probably one of the most sought after goals clients have is to tone up, lose body fat and drop weight – those 3 goals essentially go hand-in-hand.  The various types of training that exist to meet those goals are limitless; a good personal trainer can be pretty creative with exercise in maximizing results.  Since a client will generally have a one hour session 2-3 times per week, it’s incumbent upon the PT to provide the client with the best program that will maximize results in that rather short period of time.  In order to make that possible, the PT should have knowledge with regard to the human body (physiological effects, biomechanics, kinesiology, etc…) and how it works relative to the client’s lifestyle.  You can’t just take cookie-cutter workouts and expect them to work for everyone.

Here’s a general example of what I’m referring to when I talk about custom made program designs; I’ll use 3 of my clients as an example.

• 3 clients, 3 different body types, 3 different lifestyles but the SAME goal; all 3 of their programs are different and use a variety of different types of exercise.  One client does more cardio than the others.  Once client lifts heavier weights and has less rest in between sets.  One client has an injury and can’t do many of the traditional exercises that most people take for granted.  Some of the training that is incorporated into their program designs are interval training, supersets, drop sets and core conditioning, to name a few.  I can’t take one workout and make it work for all three, even though they all have the same goal.  Having just described all of this too, more than likely this will change very quickly as they become more conditioned and their endurance increases.

In the next few posts we can discuss some of the methods of training I mentioned above: supersets, interval training and core conditioning.  Some of you are probably wondering what those are.

Here are a couple of tips:

• If you have a good trainer, he or she will explain the importance of diet & nutrition as they will work in synergy with your training program.  You can work as hard as you possibly can in the gym but when and what you eat will make or break all the hard work.
• Don’t be afraid to ask the personal trainer questions.  Make he or she answer your questions in a manner you understand.  Too many times, I see personal trainers try to talk around the questions and use big words to make you think they know what they’re talking about.  Chances are, if they can’t explain it to you in a way you can understand it then they probably don’t really understand it themselves.

It’s getting to be that time of the year, Spring and Summer, when everyone wants to be in better shape, or a little healthier.  The New Year’s resolution is over and some have fallen off the initial “push” to start the new year off right.  It’s tough to join a gym and have a goal in mind only to realize you’re not sure how to achieve it.  For example: losing body fat, gaining muscle, improving endurance, etc…  Well, there’s a lot to understand when it comes to the human anatomy.  You’ve got to know how it works in order to achieve maximum results.

For those of you who may be discouraged about your results so far, or haven’t taken that first step in joining a gym because you might be a little intimidated – there is hope!  It’s still a new year and there’s plenty of time…the hot weather might pretty much be here already in New Orleans but you can still look and feel better by summer! You can still join a gym and most gyms offer a free initial evaluation with a certified personal trainer (PT) when you sign up for  a membership.  If you weren’t told about that, you may want to ask.

An initial evaluation is a one-on-one session with a PT and usually takes about an hour to complete.  The evaluation will cover a basic overview of your lifestyle, health, diet and a couple of tests to gauge your current strength and endurance.  Generally, the personal trainer will take your blood pressure, your weight, ask you to perform a sit & reach test (for flexibility), and measure your body composition (lean mass & fat).  The strength test may include an exercise to determine muscular strength and sit-ups (or crunches) to measure muscular endurance.

Once that’s all complete, the PT will give you the results of all that information.  What kind of results?  You’ll find out where you are at on a health scale of “Poor, Fair, Average, Good or Excellent”.  You’ll be able to hear the recommendations for training the PT may have in mind for you based on those results.  At that time, the PT may be able to explain a couple of tips about a creating a balanced program that may help in achieving the results you want.  Then it’s time to decide.

At this point, some people feel comfortable enough to move on by themselves; they may have just needed to get some extra motivation by seeing where they stood from a health perspective.  If you’re thinking about going solo, always remember, if you have any questions about an exercise or how to use a machine, don’t hesitate to ask a PT – they should have no problem helping you.   Others may be ready to take the step in having a PT train them.  If you select to work with a personal trainer – he or she will use your evaluation to establish a structured program to guide you towards your goals.  We’ll get into program structure and design in the next post.

Since my initial post when I mentioned I’d be doing the Greater Gulf States Bodybuilding Championships this year, it’s been a while since I’ve written anything.  A lot has happened over the past month and as a result, a lot is going on now.  For those of you who know me, bodybuilding is a huge passion of mine and I’m continually pursuing my passion, trying to make improvements each year.  I’d like to talk personally about a couple of things that many of you may not know.  I’m like all other bodybuilders in the sense that training, diet, sleep and supplementation are a constant thought and focus everyday.  Where I’m different than most bodybuilders is the fact that I have somewhat of an entrepreneurial spirit, which comes from my fiancee who is a true entrepreneur.  Together, we are constantly trying to think of ways to maximize and leverage our skills, both online and offline, to better ourselves and our community.

What happens when you try to do that?  Stress!

I’m currently in a full-time job that requires a lot of mental focus – reading, writing, conference calls, video conferences, etc…  It’s the nature of the beast in an office environment.  Like most people, I’m not quite cut out for that type of workspace so I’ve been looking for ways to get out of that and still be able to support myself.  Each day when I get out of my full-time job, it’s time to hit the weights, grocery shop, cook my food and contribute to Be Fit NOLA, and our other fitness endeavors, as much as possible.  There are truly not enough hours in the day.  It’s always been a goal of mine to be employed in the health & fitness industry full-time – that’s a goal I’ve never forgotten and it’s ingrained in my mind which is why I’m doing everything I’m doing right now.

The unfortunate part about this hectic life I’m currently living is the stress that comes with it.  As you know, stress is not something beneficial for anyone, especially a bodybuilder.  I recognize this stress and I try my hardest to keep myself focused, organized and settled but sometimes things can get a little overwhelming; I’m sure many  of you can relate to that piece.  In bodybuilding, you’ve got to be on your “game” because your competitors are working just as hard, if not harder than you are.  In my mind, I always think that my intensity in the gym is never high enough so I’m always pushing myself to the max.

As you can probably tell by everything I’ve written up to this point, things will gradually reach a boiling point, or point of exhaustion.  When this happens, I try to take some down time.  I know my body pretty well and it will tell me when I need to take a break.  I’ve been going non-stop for years, both in the Marine Corps and in Iraq.  It has, in a sense, become a way of life for me.  I’m getting older now though and I’m getting to the point where I’m ready to begin toning it down a notch and benefiting from all the years of hard work I’ve put in – I can finally see that light at the end of the tunnel which is a great feeling.

Being in New Orleans has become a blessing in disguise for me because of the exponential opportunities that exist here.  I plan on taking advantage of that!  I’m still in off-season training right now and I’m still on par to compete this summer at the Greater Gulf States.  I have one last trip next week with the Marine Corps before I can fully settle into a more subtle routine where I can focus better on my diet and training giving myself some much needed consistency.

Keep an eye on me as I’ll begin to reveal my upcoming plans and my continued pursuit of bodybuilding!

Simply put, vitamin E is a group of various fat soluble compounds that, when ingested, exhibit antioxidant effects; this family of compounds consist of tocopherols and tocotrienols.  Some of the primary roles of vitamin E include the prevention of oxidative stress, supporting healthy skin and protecting against bladder cancer.  Some studies have shown vitamin E to be part of a preventative program to help protect against prostate cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

Vitamin E seems to be most notable for its ability to help prevent oxidative stress, which essentially means, damage to cells, tissues and organs.  Another way of describing this is vitamin E helps to neutralize potentially damaging free radicals in the human body.  Free radicals are always going to be present in the body; it’s something that just naturally happens because of the way we live and the environment we are in.  It’s important to be able to effectively reduce those free radicals so you can maintain a healthier lifestyle.

You’ll be able to find vitamin E in many foods.  There are a variety of sources vitamin E is founds in, but most recognizably you’ll see it in fruits, vegetables and nuts.  These include:

• greens (mustard, chard. collard & turnip)
• bell peppers
• tomatoes
• broccoli
• kiwi
• blueberries
• kiwi
• peanut butter
• almonds
• sunflower seeds

Unlike other vitamins, it’s more difficult to determine if someone is deficient in vitamin E and there is a lot of controversial research regarding this topic.  Generally, when someone is low in this vitamin it is due to malabsorption which stems from poor digestive health.  Another area of focus for vitamin E deficiency stems from something called peripheral neuropathy; this is where someone experiences problems with circulation in their extremities.

By incorporating vitamin E into your diet you’ll be able to help protect your skin from UV light and help prevent damage to your cells from free radicals.  If you are experiencing issues with digestive health, having liver or gallbladder problems, or experience numbing in your extremities, you could very well be deficient in vitamin E.  As with all other vitamins, there are huge health benefits from consuming enough vitamin E in your daily diet.

Coming off of a successful bodybuilding season in 2009, I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to compete in the 2010 season because of everything on my plate – a full time job, Be Fit NOLA, training and a limited budget.  However, after much thought and encouragement from Ann and others in the community, I’ve decided I’m going to train for and compete in the 2010 Greater Gulf States Bodybuilding Championships – 26 June 2010.  Ann knows what to expect this time around with the competition prep and she’s pushing me to go forth and make it happen.

Usually when I have a thought about doing something I tend to only put forward 50% effort and I can be easily distracted; in this case that thought was competing.  I knew I wanted to compete but I wasn’t sure about being able to do it.  That thought became a reality when I made the decision to commit to it; this forces me to adjust my schedule and make it happen.

Now that the decision has been made, it’s time to start buckling down on diet, training and outside activities.  Since deciding to compete this year, I’ve developed my nutrition and training program for the rest of this off-season.  My precontest program will come into play about 8-9 weeks out, depending on my conditioning around 3 months out from the show.  Similar to my show last year, I’ll be writing about my training, diet, supplementation, etc… leading up to the competition.  This took a little extra effort last year to do but it was well worth it because it allowed me to communicate with others about my contest prep and it also allowed people to follow someone who was in preparation for a bodybuilding competition.  In New Orleans, there is no one doing this so I hope I’m able to shed some positive light and give good insight to others interested in bodybuilding.

For those of you who don’t know me, I just returned from Iraq last year and moved to New Orleans with my fiancee, Ann.  The New Orleans culture was a big shock to me but I’ve come to embrace this city because of its unique culture and what it has to offer.  While I was in the process of making my transition back into a “normal” environment, I met some great folks around the city who helped me get situated in the bodybuilding community.  I hope to continue to meet more great people and highlight bodybuilding, as well as health & fitness in the Greater New Orleans area.

Please follow me as I prepare to battle some great local New Orleanians in what I will call an unforgetable 2010 bodybuilding season in New Orleans!

Have you had your sun for the week?

Vitamin D – the vitamin hormone – is also referred to as the sunshine vitamin.  UVB rays from the sun, when exposed for brief periods, initiate vitamin D production in the skin, which is why some consider it to be more of a hormone than a vitamin.  However, by definition, it’s  a vitamin and a hormone.  The suggested exposure to direct sunlight, in terms of vitamin D production, is approximately 3-4 times per week at an interval of 15 minutes.  However, this exposure to the sun doesn’t allow the body to produce all the vitamin D the body needs; therefore, the rest must come from diet and supplements.

There aren’t an abundance of foods that contain vitamin D, but there a variety of  food sources such as cod liver oil, eggs, fish, fortified milk, orange juice and yogurt.  You’ll find fish, the skin and liver oils, to be one of the best sources.  In foods there are two types of vitamin D: 1) D2 (ergocalciferol) which is most commonly added to foods and 2) D3 (cholecalciferol.)  In vegetables, vitamin D is low so if you choose to get vitamin D from a vegetable source than you’re better off eating dark green leafy vegetables.  Also, vitamin D is considered to be a stable compound which means that storing foods with vitamin D for long periods of time won’t significantly reduce the level of vitamin D in the product.    The recommended daily allowance for vitamin D is between 200 – 400 I.U.

Of all the benefits vitamin D brings to the table, probably the most notable is it’s ability to aid in calcium absorption; this assistance with calcium absorption helps with maintenance and normal development of healthy teeth and bones.  Vitamin D also helps maintain the proper balance of calcium and phosphorus in the blood.  Someone who has an insufficient level of vitamin D can have their bones become brittle, thin and misshapen.  On the other hand, having plenty of vitamin D can help prevent diseases like rickets (found in children) and osteomalacia (found in adults.)  Combined with calcium, vitamin D can also prevent the elderly from osteoporosis.

• Rickets – Rickets is a disorder caused by a lack of vitamin D, calcium, or phosphate. It leads to softening and weakening of the bones.
• Osteomalacia – is softening of the bones due to a lack of vitamin D or a problem with the body’s ability to break down and use this vitamin.
• Osteoporosis – is a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break. If not prevented or if left untreated, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks. These broken bones, also known as fractures, occur typically in the hip, spine, and wrist.

Make sure you get out into the sun a few times a week to get natural vitamin D stimulation and add vitamin D-rich foods to your diet.  If that’s not enough, try to use vitamin D supplements such as pills you can buy in just about any store.  Your body will reap the benefits!

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Since posting my initial bodybuilding blog I’ve been doing a lot of research on bodybuilding in New Orleans and throughout the rest of Louisiana hoping to find new and updated information to share with everyone.  Well, there isn’t much information available on the internet despite there being a great bodybuilding community.  What I find is bodybuilding, similar to health and fitness in New Orleans, gets overlooked because no one has taken the lead on educating others on the available resources in the area.  I’m going to put some focus on highlighting bodybuilding, events, meetings, seminars, etc… to help connect athletes so they are informed.

One good place to start out is the Louisiana National Physique Committee (NPC), where you can view the 2010 calendar of upcoming events.  Luke Tesvich, Louisiana NPC Chairman, tries to keep everyone informed on NPC related events; you’ll find this site informative because it lists different athlete meetings, as well as, the competitions and seminars for the region.  On Facebook, a gentlemen named Allen Wess Coon has taken the initiative to try to provide motivational content through a group called Louisiana Muscle.  This is all excellent stuff and it’s a great starting point to get bodybuilding going again in the GNO.  Below are a couple of key dates to mark in your calendar this year:

2010 Bodybuilding, Figure, Bikini & Wheelchair Championship events:

• May 22^nd Shreveport NPC Optimum Classic
• June 19^th Baton Rouge NPC Red Stick Classic
• June 26^th Metairie NPC Greater Gulf States
• July 10^th Lafayette NPC Louisiana State

Above I mentioned “getting bodybuilding going again”; there was a much stronger presence years ago and dated back into the 1960s.   I was fascinated to find out Boyer Coe, a bodybuilding superstar in the Arnold Schwarzenegger days, was a Louisiana native from Lake Charles.  Boyer’s bodybuilding titles include: Teen Mr. America, Junior Mr. USA, Junior Mr. America, Mr. America, Mr. Universe, Mr. International, Pro Mr. World, Grand Prix Champion and IFBB Weider Hall of Fame member.

As you can see, there is a history to Louisiana and bodybuilding so it’s a goal of Be Fit NOLA to revitalize that and to bring some NOLA swagger back to the industry.  There is so much that can be done online to increase visibility and awareness for Louisiana bodybuilding.  I’ll continue to do research and share what I find.  I encourage everyone to do some searching too and share your findings and thoughts on how to highlight the bodybuilding community that exists in the Greater New Orleans area now.  We’d also like to begin an interview series with local bodybuilders so they can get the recognition they deserve for all their hard work.  If you’d like to be interviewed, let us know!

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is one of the most talked about and most recognized vitamins of the 13 essential vitamins.  Like other vitamins, the body does not produce vitamin C, nor does it store it. It’s important to get your daily allowance of vitamin C through foods rich in vitamin C and/or by taking vitamin C supplements.

Vitamin C Foods (a few):

• Oranges
• Kiwifruit
• Bell Peppers
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Grapefruit

You’ll find Vitamin C at the top of virtually any list pertaining to immune health. Extensive research is available and has gone into exploring the benefits and impact of Vitamin C. The ability for Vitamin C to cure the disease scurvy was discovered by a Scottish surgeon in the British Royal Navy, James Lind.  In 1753, Dr. Lind wrote his findings from an experiment where he fed sailors citrus fruit everyday during a long sea journey – none of the sailors got scurvy which was very common during that time period on long journeys at sea.

Vitamin C is a very good antioxidant and does a great job at protecting the body against pollutants and free radicals, which is allegedly how vitamin C boosts immune health.  In addition to immune health, vitamin C helps regulate tissue growth & repair, healthy gums, enhance iron absorption, protect from infection and may help reduce cholesterol and high blood pressure.

As I mentioned above, there has been extensive research about vitamin C but it does turnout that the studies have mixed results.  You see, some studies argue vitamin C does little to help boost the average person’s immune system.  However, if you’re an active person who stresses the human body, such as an athlete, than taking vitamin C shows significant increases in immune system health.  Vitamin C and its immune boosting properties are arguable at this point; however, the majority of studies show positive immune health by taking the recommended daily allowance.  I can personally say vitamin C works for me; I notice a big difference if I don’t take it.

No matter what, there is no debating that you need vitamin C (you don’t want to end up with scurvy) so if you can’t get your recommended dose from food, fruits and vegetables; vitamin C is thankfully a relatively cheap vitamin to purchase and it can be bought at nearly any store that sells vitamins, supplements, groceries, etc.

Having talked about some of the benefits, it’s important for people to understand vitamin C is not a cure-all for diseases and physical problems; this seems to be big misunderstanding.  Part of this confusion stems from its reported prevention of degenerative and cardiovascular diseases.  Although vitamin C may help prevent these diseases, the reliability on just vitamin C to do this is not valid.  Generally, vitamin C, among other vitamins and nutrients, work synergistically to prevent such diseases.  There are great articles to research about different diseases and physical problems where vitamin C can potentially be of benefit.

The recommended dose is 200 – 350 milligrams per day; smokers and people who consume alcohol need to consume more vitamin C.  For people who take vitamin C supplements, the best practice is to evenly space them out over the course of a day.  Just like with many other vitamins and supplements, your body will rid them through urine therefore; you’ll be wasting money by taking more than you need at one given time.

Let us know if you take vitamin C and what kind of results you get from it.

Big Easy…Bourbon St…Bodybuilding…   What?   Bodybuilding?  Yep, New Orleans has a bodybuilding scene not to mention a large and diverse health & fitness community.  As a matter of fact, each year New Orleans (Metairie) hosts a National Physique Committee (NPC), National Qualifiying Bodybuilding competition, the Greater Gulf States.  Last year in 2009, the special guest poser was Dexter Jackson; Dexter Jackson is a former Mr. Olympia.  To those of you who don’t know what being Mr. Olympia means; it’s the title for being the #1 bodybuilder in the world.

Being a Florida bodybuilder newly relocated to New Orleans, I’ve got to tell you, this was a big culture shock for me because fitness isn’t all around like it is in the Daytona Beach/Orlando/Miami areas.  Having said that though, I’m surprised at the number of gyms, health clubs, fitness centers and personal training/boot camps there are in the Greater New Orleans area.  Believe it or not, there are several 24 hour gyms because people do train hard in this town.

–Most recognizable bodybuilding/fitness facilities I’ve trained at:

• French Riviera
• Snap Fitness
• Elmwood
• New Orleans Athletic Club (NOAC)

While traveling around to all of the GNO gyms, I’ve met some great bodybuilders; (former and present) impressive guys who are dedicated and consistent in pursuing their passion of bodybuilding.  Chances are…if you’re training in the GNO area, you’ll run into someone who is in some type of contest prep for a competition.  Some of you might know Mark Marcev, Luke Tesvich, John Blackwell or Chuck Biggio; these are just a few of the great guys I’ve have the chance to train & pose with, as well as, share my thoughts and discuss the bodybuilding scene with in the area.

One thing I find very interesting is how much we’re approached in the gym.  I’m constantly stopped while I’m training because people are fascinated by the type of physique I have.  It’s not too common to see someone that is conditioned and big so people love to ask a lot of questions.  It’s a humbling feeling for me and as much as I’m “in the zone” training I am more than willing to stop to give someone a quick tip.  If I can be a good role model for the sport and help bring bodybuilding out of the closet here in New Orleans than I’m all for it.  I love to see people motivated about bodybuilding!

This is just one of many posts I’ll write about bodybuilding; bodybuilding is my passion.  Let us know what you think about bodybuilding in New Orleans, what shows you’re training for and any other thoughts you have.

Now, let’s get in there and do this!

Last week I wrote about choosing the right multivitamin and the importance of making sure it’s part of your daily nutritional arsenal.  This week, I’ll begin breaking down each one of the 13 essential vitamins that help make up a multivitamin.  In this post, we’ll discuss Vitamin A, or otherwise referred to as retinol.

Vitamin A is a vitamin that has antioxidant properties and is crucial to your vision, most noticeably recognized for a person’s ability to see clearly at night.  Another factor is eye sight adjustment.  For instance, when you’re outside in the sunlight and you come inside your eyes are forced to make adjustments so you can continue to see clearly; vitamin A has a large role in this function.  Vitamin A also helps in keeping your eyes, skin and mucous membranes moist which makes this vitamin a powerhouse for the body to be able to properly regulate these key functions.  The antioxidant properties I referred to vitamin A having helps the body deal with free radicals which can cause tissue and cell damage.

I’m sure everyone has heard of vitamin A and beta-carotene but I’m not sure everyone understands how they work together.  Most of the vitamin A people get in their foods come from animal-based food but it can also come in from plant-based food (darkly colored vegetables.)  In plant based foods this is through a carotenoid called beta-carotene, which the body then converts into vitamin A.

Vitamin A:

Animal-Based Foods

• Fish
• Milk
• Cheese
• Liver
• Egg Yolks

Plant-Based Foods

• Spinach
• Papaya
• Carrots
• Sweet Potatoes
• Broccoli
• Cantaloupe

To further rave about the benefits of vitamin A… it also helps in the health of bones, teeth, the immune system and is crucial for pregnant women for proper embryonic development.  As you can see, vitamin A is a powerful vitamin and it’s important to understand the complexity a single vitamin can have on your health, both positive and negative.  I encourage you to continue reading about vitamin A because in a blog post; I can just begin to touch on the subject.  If you’re a smoker, someone who is prone to lung cancer and heart disease, you might be able to learn how the addition of this essential vitamin to your diet could tremendously help your health.

Recommended Additional Reading:

Vitamin A (retinol) from the MayoClinic.com

Vitamin A and Carotene Q &A from Ask the Dietitian

Vitamin A Toxicity from eMedicine