Over and over again, I hear how busy moms (and dads) are – and how difficult it is to try to fit in some time to exercise. It occurred to me that there IS time…you just need to see it. Here are three opportunities our peer group has identified:

First, if your child(ren) is(are) on the after-school-activity circuit…soccer, t-ball, baseball, dance class, etc…you may constantly be on the road. “I feel like all I am is a taxi cab” seems to be a common comment. I say, “That’s perfect! What a great opportunity to exercise yourself!”

If you have an hour with nothing to do but wait for your child’s activity to be over…DO SOMETHING WITH IT. Our children go to Tumblebus once a week – which is a great program that builds self-confidence and enhances physical and motor development in children. It’s a gym on wheels with bars, beam, vault, ropes, rings, zip line and monkey bars inside (for children ages 2-10; for more information call 985-725-0143 or email thetumblebus@bellsouth.net).

During that hour, parents must stay on site – so, a few of us decided to jog around the parking lot and up the local street. We’ve turned an hour of sitting in our cars doing nothing into a 30-minute cardio session followed by a round of push-ups. Kids exercise; moms exercise.

Another great “family time” option is just going for a walk around your neighborhood. Bring the dog, have the kids ride a bike, skip, jump rope, bounce a ball, tell a story about every green thing they see…whatever it takes, just walk out the front door.

The last idea came from a former colleague of mine who moved to New Orleans from up North. He was so excited to have a swimming pool he could use most days of the year. Every night after work and school, he and his daughters would hop in the pool for 30-45 minutes of swimming time. He would do laps while they played and talked. If you’re lucky enough to have a pool – go for it! Make it a habit and embrace these hot summers with a cold splash.
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Alison Soileau is currently the owner of Self Confidence LLC, and is a District Manager/Independent Consultant with Arbonne International, a 30-year-old international health and wellness company. Experience includes 11 years with Ochsner Health System. Alison is the mother of 5-year-old twins, Cole & Cassidy…who led her to gain and then lose over 80 pounds…through diet, nutrition and exercise.

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 almost feels like we are rotating between world class races and music festivals from one weekend to the next.  With French Quarter Fest coming to an end today – it’s time for a race…so next Sunday, New Orleans will host the Ochsner 70.3 Ironman.  Last year, the race broke a world record for being the largest 70.3 in the world. What do we mean by 70.3?!?  Well, this race is definitely not a walk in the park; it’s a grueling combination of a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike and a 13.1 mile run = 70.3 miles.  The race will start at the UNO Research and Technology Park and end in Jackson Square. The award ceremony will be held at Woldenberg Park.

(Click on images for larger image)

Swim 1.2 Miles

Bike 56 Miles

Run 13.1 Miles

I couldn’t confirm the race was sold out, only 3,000 participants are allowed, but registration for the race is closed. This is the kind of race that requires a lot of preparation.  You don’t wake-up in the morning and decide to run an Ironman.  You need to train properly and invest the money in the right equipment…normally getting a racing bike is the biggest expense.

New Orleans will once again host a list of world class athletes for this event: Last year’s champions, Brent McMahon (a former Canadian Olympian) and Natscha Badmann of Switzerland are returning. Also, Australian Chris McCormack (who has won 11 Ironman titles and been named Triathlete of the Year four times) will make a repeat visit. Other seasoned pros signed on include Rasmus Henning from Denmark and U.S. racers Andy Potts and Joanna Zeiger.

Also, just like the other race events – there is going to be an Expo two days prior to the race.  The Health and Fitness Expo will feature a wide variety of multi-sport products, apparel, as well as healthy lifestyle goods and services. The expo is being held at the Hilton New Orleans on Friday April 16th, 10am-6:30pm and Saturday April 17th, 9am-7pm.

Time to wrap things up on the home workout portion of the affordable workouts in New Orleans blog series.  Saving money is almost synonymous with proper prior preparation. Just like you’ll save money by cooking your own meals and taking your lunch in from home to work – in order to get an adequate workout at home, it will require solid proper prior preparation.

For a quick review…in the last post on this topic, we discussed establishing structure by: setting a workout schedule, establishing your home gym, ensuring your write out your weekly workout plan, investing in the proper equipment you will need, setting realistic goals and including activities like walking, running and biking into your routine.

Do It Yourself (DIY) Routines

If you aren’t ready to invest the time in creating your own routines – the best thing to do is to get the right home workout video series.  An example of a great workout series we discussed in the past is P90X. Between paying for the DVDs and the equipment you’ll need – the cost will be approximately $300.

If you want to truly create your own routine…than you can do so for free or very little money with websites like:

Exercise TV: What I like about Exercise TV is that they will put a workout routine together for you and break it down from day to day. I’m a little hesitant to say that following their guidelines is enough…but it’s certainly a good start.

yogadownload.com: Yogadownload.com is a great way for you to include yoga to your DIY routines. Many of the 20 minute workouts are free to download and the cost to download longer videos is very inexpensive.

Don’t Weight To Lose YouTube Channel: Our own local motivator Jacques Courseault created a series of workout videos that you can do with just using a resistance band – which counts as resistance training.

SparksPeople YouTube Channel: To be honest, there are a lot of various workout channels on YouTube – so if you take the time to check them out; you’ll be able to line up the workouts you need to put a good routine together for FREE.

Creating your DIY Routines

1. Watch and Tag Videos – watch a lot of videos of various lengths to know exactly what the video will require of you, the intensity of the workouts and whether or not you would enjoy doing the workout(s). Tag all the videos accordingly, i.e. high intensity cardio, yoga routine, low intensity cardio, bicep, shoulder and back workout…etc.  You might actually want to use a bookmarking site to do this.

2. Mix and Match – Start planning your routines by mix and matching your videos.  If you are trying to lose weight, than you need to be doing 40-60 minutes of cardio…preferably 5 times a week and resistance training 3 times a week. Remember…add going for a walk, run or long bike ride in your routines.

Example One Week DIY Routine:

Monday – 3 miles run/walk (depending on your level of fitness), abs workout video

Tuesday – (2) 20 minutes workout videos medium intensity and arms and back resistance workout

Wednesday – Rest Day

Thursday – 1 hour of yoga video and abs workout video

Friday – Bike ride and shoulders resistance workout

Saturday – Rest Day

Sunday – (2) 25 minutes workout videos ((1) high intensity (1) low intensity) and calves, legs resistance workout, abs workout

Yes…I know – that is a lot of planning!! But that’s what it takes to save money by working out at home.

How many of you hate going to the gym because it’s too crowded, your intimated, or you don’t want to get stuck in a long term contract that you can’t get out of?? If you hate running on a treadmill like a hamster on a wheel, outdoor fitness boot camp might be for you. I know I would much rather be outside exercising and enjoying the beautiful New Orleans’ weather.  This is what outdoor fitness boot camps provide.

Fitness boot camps take fitness out of the gym and into our local parks and green spaces. At XLR8 Fitness Boot Camp we are outdoors jumping hurdles, running agility ladders, and meeting new friends who all have one purpose in mind; to get healthy.

A common misconception about boot camps comes from the words “BOOT CAMP”. People think “Am I going to get screamed at?” This is very far from the truth. There is no reason to be scared; you won’t find any screaming drill sergeants!!  You will find a support system with instructors who have an optimistic outlook that says, despite the odds and challenges of leading a healthy lifestyle, the future is promising. Some boot camps are for women only, but other boot camps, like our boot camp is designed for men and women of all fitness levels.

As a boot camp instructor/owner, most of the questions I get are from people who are new to fitness – they feel like they will hold the group back. The thing to know about boot camp is although it’s considered “group exercise” – the majority of boot camps are designed for you to be able to go at your own pace. Believe me, you can put your mind at ease, no one is watching or judging you…other people are worrying about their own ability to perform the best they can.  You do as many repetitions as you can within the amount of time, whether it be 3 or 30. Boot camp instructors are there to motivate you to do your personal best.

So I know you are wondering what types of things do we do in a  boot camp class. Each class is an hour in length. There are no two workouts that are the same.

Workouts include:

cardiovascular, muscular endurance, strength training with dumbbells and body bars. We also take campers through group challenges, partner resistance, medicine ball drills, agility hurdles and ladders, plyometrics and obstacle courses. Tons of repetitions will tone the muscles and the fast pace drills will keep your heart pumping.

RESULT = a serious workout and great calorie burner.

If you are looking for something that reaches Beyond the Gym to get motivated and inspired – you might really want to consider trying out one of the boot camps being offered around town.

When choosing a boot camp here are somethings to keep in mind:

1. Size: Be sure to ask about the size of your class.  If you are not comfortable in large groups and you want to ensure you get more personal attention, I recommend going with a boot camp that limits their class size. You can also check on instructor to student ratio.  It’s possible to have a larger group with multiple instructors.

2. Location: Most boot camps are early in the morning, you do need consider accessibility to where your boot camp class is being held.  A boot camp closer to home will be easier for you to get to…and the distance won’t be an excuse for you to not go.

3. Women or co-ed: Like I already alluded to, some boot camps are co-ed and some are for women only.  If you have a preference one way or the other – this will impact which boot camp you participate in.

4. Cost: Boot camps do vary in cost so ask around and find out what you’ll be getting for what you’ll be paying.

5. Duration: Some boot camps are 4 weeks long, some 6 weeks and some even longer…perhaps a shorter boot camp to try it out is better for you before making a bigger commitment or perhaps you already know you want to commit to losing weight in the next 6 weeks before a big event so you want a longer program.  Who knows! Just know you have options.

6. Read Reviews and Feedback: Do take the time to read reviews on third party sites like Be Fit NOLA to find out what others are saying about the boot camp(s) you are considering.

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Emily Eoffreceived her M.S., in Health and Exercise Science from Louisiana Tech University, as well as, her B.S. in Kinesiology and Health Promotion. She also holds her personal training and group fitness instructor certificates from some of the leading certification programs in the country. As a motivator, role model, and leader, Emily brings nine years of experience in the health and fitness industry to her XLR8 Fitness business.

Core Training – Part Deux

In addition to the 4 layers of abdominals I talked about in my last post, the core consists of other muscles that stabilize the spine, pelvis and shoulder girdle and run the entire length of the torso. Those muscles that create this solid base of support also help shift body weight, transfer energy from the center of the body to the “levers” or limbs and protect the back.

The “Other” Core Muscles

With our 4 layers of abdominal muscles are a handful of other muscles that help the core with its important duties. They are:

Erector Spinae: This group of muscles sounds more like a Transformer toy than the muscles that run along your neck to your lower back.

Multifidus: These spine rotators run under the erector spinae along the vertebrae.

Hip Flexors: 5 muscles make up the hip flexors that are found in front of the pelvis and upper thigh. They are the psoas major, illiacus, recturs femoris, pectinues and sartorius. Often they will tighten up and grip during abdominal exercises when the abs are weak.

Gluteus medius and minimus: The side of the hip houses these are the glute muscles.

Gluteus maximus, hamstrings and piriformis: Well known, this group is located in the back of the thigh and upper thigh leg.

Hip adductors: Otherwise known as inner thigh muscles.

These other core muscles aren’t as sexy to the training community as the 4 ab layers, but they are key to a strong back. In fact, when these muscles are under activated and weak, back pain often presents itself. You can have all the six packs you want, but if your lower back is weak, you’ll find yourself with a swayback posture and low back pain due to the strain on the spine.

The key to core training is training the whole core, not just the abs. Powerful movements of the arms and legs emanate from a strong core. The more stable and strong the core, the harder the levers can work whether during sports performance or in the daily adventure race that is functional fitness. So get to the balancing act of training BOTH sides of your core – front and back!

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Kerrie Ann Frey is the founder and owner of Fit Mom USA, a former stroller exercise-based program that has evolved in to an online presence with fitness, wellness, and nutrition information for all men and women. Her passion for fitness began with credentials including A.C.E. PT and LWMC and grew to include her true love – Pilates. She is West Coast Pilates certified and trains clients in several studios in the New Orleans area.

The Home Workout and Do-It- Yourself (DIY) Routines

I eluded in my first post about Affordable Workouts in New Orleans that working out from home will be affected by your level of experience and motivation.  In regards to your level of experience, for example, for me to workout at home and create my own routines is pretty simple – I have enough knowledge and experience to put together DIY routines that will either provide me with full body workouts or target body parts.  I can also ensure I have plenty of interval training by mixing things up to get maximum results.  However, if you don’t have a full repertoire to rely on; you will need to do more homework, research and experimenting to find out exactly what will work for you.  We’ll gladly help with that!

Second – lets address MOTIVATION. Here are my recommendations to ensure you have and maintain your motivation to workout from home.

Establish Structure

Set your schedule.  Carve out the exact time you plan to workout.  Preferably it’s the same every day.  Let everyone in your life, your family, friends, co-workers…whoever has an impact on your time that from this time to whatever time on these days – that is your workout time. Yes, you should write this in stone.

Create Your Home Gym. Figure out where you are going to workout and buy the equipment you will need (more to come about equipment). Things to consider when selecting a space…if you plan on jumping up and down – you must make sure that you’re on a floor (preferably basement) that can accommodate that without destroying your house. You will likely need a TV or computer in the room.  You will need to de-conflict the use of the room with other members of the household based on yours and their schedules.

Say you plan to use the garage…how will you hold up in the New Orleans summer heat and humidity?!? Is there proper ventilation and cooling?

Write Out Your Weekly Workout Plan. The clearer you are on what you are doing on which day – the more likely you are to stick with it.  If you need to figure out what you’re doing last minute; it won’t take long before you find a reason to do something else.  This is why workout videos come with planners and specific instructions – it’s what helps people stick with the program.  You’re welcome to send me your plan each week!

Have the Proper Equipment: You definitely don’t need to go spend an arm and a leg on home gym equipment.  I recommend you start out with some dumbbells (3 pairs of 3 different weights), a mat, and an resistance band…may be a jump rope, medicine ball and exercise ball.  Eventually you can look into also getting a home pull-up bar and some other things you will come to realize you want. You can find all that you need at either Walmart or Sports Authority. My other recommendation is that you go to the store instead of ordering online…first because shipping for 3 sets of dumbbells is likely to run you an arm and a leg. But also because it will be good for you to see what other equipment is out there.  DO NOT get wrapped up into gimmicks – stick with the basics.

Walking, Running, Biking. Any one of those three or all three are also part of your home workout so don’t forget about them.  Figure out routes and distances that you want to either walk, run or bike.  Plan accordingly if you need to drive to a park to do it.

Set Realistic Goals. Don’t get into a home workout routine expecting crazy results after a week or two.  Look at this as a learning experience and adventure. Set your goals to sticking to your new establish routine.  Take it one day at a time and enjoy it.

This post is getting a little long – in the next post we’ll get into some recommended routines, videos to check-out and basic things to workout by!

Not everyone can afford  to workout at a gym so we’ve had a few people contact us about ways (how, where) to get a good workout in New Orleans without having to go to the gym.  We’re going to spend the next couple of weeks talking about your options. But first, lets address the initial question of “how much exercise is recommended per week”

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Heart Association (AHA) released updated physical activity guidelines in 2007:

Guidelines for healthy adults under age 65

Do moderately intense cardio 30 minutes a day, five days a week Or Do vigorously intense cardio 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week

And

Do eight to 10 strength-training exercises, eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise twice a week.

Moderate-intensity physical activity means working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break a sweat, yet still being able to carry on a conversation. It should be noted that to lose weight or maintain weight loss, 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity may be necessary. The 30-minute recommendation is for the average healthy adult to maintain health and reduce the risk for chronic disease.

As we talk about your affordable workout options – do keep in mind that you’ll have to modify your workout based on your goals.  Also, just like any other type of workouts; you should consult a physician before starting any type of exercise program.

In the next couple of weeks we’ll discuss:

Home Workouts and Do-it-Yourself Workout Routines

The most affordable workout options are home workouts and do-it-yourself workout routines. The tricky part to discussing those options is your ability to carry out the routines will vary based on your level of experience and motivation.

Are you self-motivated?  Can you workout alone? Do you have the space in your home to exercise? Can you afford some basic weights, mat, and workout videos? Do you live in a neighborhood you feel comfortable walking or running in? Do you own a bicycle?

Group Exercise Options

You can join some group exercise programs like Boot Camps, yoga, self-defense/karate, sport clubs or recreational sport teams. You could even start your own group!!

Each areas we discuss will have their pros and cons because unfortunately, that’s the best part of joining a gym – usually you have everything under one roof.

Last night I went to the Trumpet Release Party at Dutch Alley in the French Quarter.  I have started to write a column for the Trumpet – I bring the health and fitness aspect to the theme/topic chosen.  This time, the theme was Crime Prevention.  My column is titled “Don’t Fall Victim to Poor Health and The Inability to Defend Yourself” – I make the correlation between the benefits of learning self-defense to protect yourself and improving your health and fitness level because of all the benefits of taking self-defense courses.  I interviewed David from the site Hertao.com for my column, but I couldn’t include the full interview so I decided to post it here on the Be Fit NOLA blog.

What are the health benefits to weekly self-defense training?  What kind of fitness training can someone get from weekly self-defense training?

David: I’ll answer these two at once since they’re somewhat similar.

Good self defense training provides the same benefits you would get from any exercise program, and more.  Because there are no rules in self defense, you need to learn to use every part of your body…your feet, knees, elbows, hands, etc.  All of the movements require dynamic motion in every direction.  You’ll move forward, backward, left, right, diagonal, ducking, etc.  Some movements will be done slow, and some with explosive power.  You’ll have another person resisting your every move, which provides a great method to develop functional strength.  So good self defense training will provide a whole body workout, improve your cardiovascular health, strength, and help with weight loss.

Q. What would you tell someone who is afraid of getting hurt from learning self-defense techniques?

David: A good instructor should make sure you’re not training above your level of comfort or ability.  But, training in realistic self defense IS different from taking a typical aerobics or Pilates class.  Anyone who tells you it’s not is either not being honest, or they’re not teaching realistic self defense.  You will need to punch, kick, and wrestle with people, and you will get punched and kicked.  You will get bumps and bruises.  But this should all be gradual and at a level you’re comfortable with.

Q. What self-defense techniques/courses do you recommend?

David: I recommend NOLABJJ for training without weapons, and Crescent City Eskrima for training with weapons.  I would highly recommend some weapons training, as they’ll provide a tremendous advantage for women, smaller men, and anyone against armed attacker(s).  You can also find comprehensive information on self defense awareness and prevention, techniques, training methods, and strategies on my website. (Be sure to check-out David’s webiste – it is FULL of great information)

Q: What can someone expect to gain from a self-defense course?

David: Aside from learning to defense yourself, self defense training should make you healthier, stronger, faster, improve your balance and coordination, reduce stress, increase self confidence, and provide you with a hobby you can pursue for the rest of your life.

Q: In your opinion, do you believe predators are more likely to attack someone who looks out of shape and weak?

David: Sometimes, but it depends on the predator.  Many predators these days, if not most, are teenagers with guns.  They don’t value their life or yours.  So they’re less likely to care or even consider how you look.  They’re simply looking for opportunities.  But if you’re aware of your surroundings and understand how to maintain a favorable distance and position, it’s likely that a predator either won’t have the chance to attack you, or will choose an easier victim.

I hope you will pick-up a Trumpet and read it – it’s packed with great information about all the neighborhoods around the city from the citizens who live there.

Last night Aaron and I went to Nola Fit to workout…it’s a new gym that just opened up on Magazine St. After doing some cardio, I started doing my weight workout.  I’ve been lifting weights for so many years (since high school) that I take quite a few things for granted.  One of those things I take for granted is that many women still have a misconception about weight training.

I overheard a woman telling the guy she was working out with “I don’t want to increase the weight I’m using – I don’t want to get all bulky.”  Her workout partner replied with something along the lines of “Don’t worry about it; women don’t have the genetics to get bulky.”  He sounded a little irritated with her concern and to some extent I share his irritation.

The women you see in fitness magazines that have lean, muscular physiques invest endless hours in the gym and the kitchen to get that way – they also take a variety of supplements (hopefully all legal) to get there.  As you can see in the pictures I included of myself in this post…at one point I was kinda “ripped” and had some “sweetguns” – I can attest to how much hard work, dedication and dieting that went into it.

Women need to stop worrying about the “getting bulky” myth because it’s important they include weights in their workout routines. There are too many benefits to lifting weights to skip making it part of your fitness routine…unfortunately, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, a mere 21 percent of women strength train.

Top Ten Reasons To Add Weight Training to Your Routine

1.  Increasing and Restoring Bone Density - Strength training prevents and fights osteoporosis. In fact, weight lifting for women is one of the best ways to prevent against bone diseases. Weight-lifting exercises monitored by University of Arizona researchers showed that women can maintain and build their bone mass and muscle strength in the hip and spine areas, where most fractures occur from the brittle bone disease of osteoporosis.

2. Burn More Calories: In a study in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, women burned nearly twice as many calories in the two hours after their workout when they lifted 85 percent of their max load for eight reps than when they did more reps (15) at a lower weight (45 percent of their max).

3. Lose Body Fat: Studies performed by Wayne Westcott, PhD, from the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts, found that the average woman who strength trains two to three times a week for two months will gain nearly two pounds of muscle and will lose 3.5 pounds of fat. As your lean muscle increases so does your resting metabolism and you burn more calories all day long. Generally speaking, for each pound of muscle you gain, you burn 35 to 50 more calories each day.

4. Lower Blood Pressure: A study in the journal Circulation found that doing two to three bouts of weight training a week was enough to lower blood pressure.

5. Improved Balance: Strength training helps resolve muscle imbalances and poor posture as well as improving balance as the core is strengthened. This gives you greater coordination.

6. Be Stronger: Studies show that even light weight training can increase a woman’s strength by half.  Who doesn’t want that?  Really makes life easier.

7. Boost Your Confidence and Well Being: Weight training has been shown to improve women’s self confidence and reduce the symptoms of clinical depression. A Harvard study found that 10 weeks of strength training reduced clinical depression symptoms more successfully than standard counseling did

8. Reduce Your Risk Of Injury: Working out increases joint stability and helps you avoid sprains and strains.

9. Lowers Your Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Regular weight training has been shown to improve glucose utilisation by up to 23 percent in just 4 months, reducing your risk of type 2 diabetes.

10. Get Better Sleep and Sex – Just take my word for it

We’ll have future posts on how to get started with your own weight training program.