Fit Britt Now Has Your Fitness Needs!

It has arrived! My online fitness store is up and running!

http://www.myhfpn.com/1073

Check it out if you are in need of any equipment for strength training, flexibility, yoga, weight management, supplementation, etc.
Everything you need to start a home gym!
I'd be happy to make recommendations and get you started with a free program (specific to your needs and goals), based on the equipment you own and purchase (resistance ball, dumbbells, medicine balls, BOSU ball, resistance tubing, kettle bells, etc!).
No matter where you live, I can set you up with a free 14 day trial to the DotFit website, where I can create exercise programs for you, send you videos and articles, and even skype to check your form and your progress!

Indeed, I make a small profit off of every sale on my site, so I certainly appreciate the support!
I hope to highlight certain products for you over the weeks. Many of you know I have been wearing (and LOVING) the ExerSpy arm band so stay tuned for my praise about that soon!

Have a HEALTHY day!
~Fit Britt

Are you doing ENOUGH?

Certainly the amount of physical activity we do is dependent on our fitness/health goals. The American College of Sports Medicine, which sets the guidelines that all other fitness organizations follow, has updated their guidelines for 2010. Here, I share them with you:

For Physical Activity and Health
The recommendation is now 30-60 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity five times per week, or 20 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity three times per week.
Currently, more than 66% of adults are overweight and 32% are obese in the US.
For Cardiorespiratory Training
The intensity should be a combo of moderate (40 - 60% Heart Rate Reserve [HRR]) and vigorous (>60 - 85% HRR). However, if you are extremely deconditioned, start at an intensity of 30 - 40% HRR.
The duration should be at least 30 minutes for moderate intensity, sessions totaling 150 minutes a week. When using a more vigorous intensity, go for at least 20-25 minutes a session, totaling 75 minutes a week.
To promote or maintain weight loss, perform moderate exercise for 50-60 minutes per day with a total of 300 minutes a week.
For Muscular Strength/Endurance Training
2-4 sets are recommended for each muscle group (you can do the same exercise multiple times or do various exercises for that specific body part).
Strength training should be challenging, and you should work to the point of exhaustion with each set. Therefore, a 2-3 minute rest period is suggested between sets. (I still like to alternate body parts so I am working out another group instead of sitting on a bench for a 2 minute break between each exercise).
For older and/or deconditioned adults, start with only one set.
It is important to add in "neuromuscular training:" activities such as balance, agility, and proprioceptive training for at least 2-3 days per week. *this is great to work on your "functional fitness" and become more efficient at performing ADLs (activities of daily living).
For Flexibility Training
Static stretches should be held for 15-60 seconds.
For Special Populations
Pregnant Women: exercise at least 3, preferably all, days of the week. Use an intensity of 40 - 60% HRR, or a RPE (rate of perceived exertion) of 12-14 (on a scale from 6-20). Have our sessions last at least 15-30 minutes per day, for a total of 150 minutes a week.
Hypertensive Clients: There is concern with raising the blood pressure too high while doing vigorous exercise. Utilize an intensity of 40 - 60% HRR. Always remember to continue breathing (don't hold your breath) and limit going from lying to standing quickly (or vice versa) and minimize lifting weight over your head.

Have you ever considered logging your activity to calculate how much you perform in a week? I hope sharing these guidelines will encourage you to evaluate your program and make sure you are doing enough, whatever your goal may be!

Thanks to the May/June 2010 issue of American FITNESS, published by the Aerobic and Fitness Association of America for bringing the new guidelines to our attention, as well as to the American College of Sports Medicine for updating their guidelines and helping us stay on top of our game.

Have a HEALTHY day!
~Fit Britt

Fit Britt Food Fave: Earth Grains Thin Buns

Have you ever tried to substitute your white hamburger buns with wheat? Have you noticed how much thicker the wheat buns are? AND many options are much higher in calories than the white buns... not really sure why they do that!



Well, we just happened upon a new product: Earth Grains Thin Buns. They are great! They are thin (as the name mentions) so you don't end up with bread that is four times as thick as your meat. They are only 100 calories and also contain 5 grams of fiber. We thought they tasted great and could even be used for sandwiches, etc.



http://www.earthgrains.com/Bread.aspx?v=thinBunsWholeWheat


Check it out and let me know what you think!



Have a HEALTHY day!

~Fit Britt

Aging, Exercise, and Knowledge

I went to an interesting seminar tonight regarding "The role of muscle strength and function in aging." While I realize that (at least to my knowledge) I probably do not have many followers that fit into the "elderly" category, this will still impact each of us personally some day, and we certainly all have family members that can benefit from this information now.
The audience was an interesting mix of graduate students who study exercise for a living and elderly members from the university and surrounding community. I felt like there were some great points mentioned in the talk, which I will summarize briefly, but what was most eye opening to me was the reaction to the talk by the elderly participants.
Let me start by summarizing some of the key points that I was able to pick up from the presentation:

• As we age, our muscle mass decreases and our fat mass increases
• A lack of muscle mass can certainly lead to debilitation and lack of functionality in activities of daily living
• However, it is not just the amount of muscle we have, but the strength of the muscles that impacts not only our function, but also our health, including the risk of fatality from cancers and other diseases.
• Individuals are able to gain strength at ANY age
• While some [doctors, etc] may recommend supplementing/injecting human growth hormone, this has not shown to increase muscle mass, in fact it has shown a decrease from the control group.
• Testosterone has shown to be effective (in helping to increase muscle strength), but should only be used for men.
• Therefore we are back to the "eat right and exercise" mentality.
• Everyone should be performing resistance training exercises and also getting plenty of protein in their diet (around 1 g of protein per kg of your body weight per day).

So, some of this may be common knowledge... or perhaps it is just common knowledge to those of us who study this for a living. My main take-home message from today's talk comes from the questions that the elderly individuals asked after the presentation. I think they were certainly all convinced that they need to be doing resistance training in order to delay degeneration and extend their lives (and quality of life). However, the first question that was asked was, "Well, what is resistance exercise?" Followed by many questions to include, "what machines should I use, are there certain muscle groups I need to focus on, how many days a week should I do this, and how hard do I need to work?"
I felt that if I were working as an independent personal trainer right now, I probably could have walked out of there with 20+ new clients. There is now a captive group who have no idea what to do. Their questions kept coming, and while I felt that a lot of the exercise students may have been rolling their eyes a bit, to me this was an eye opener. It was interesting for me to realize that this lack of knowledge may be an additional reason why individuals are not exercising. Because it is my lifestyle, sometimes I forget that it may not be common knowledge.
Well the good news is that I am passionate about teaching others what to do, and I'm not the only one. Please know that I am here if you need help designing a program for yourself or for any of your family members (I do have a SeniorFit training certification).
Don't wait until you have lost muscle mass (and gained fat mass) to fix the situation... start today! I would highly advise that when you are putting a new program together or setting a new health goal, you consult a team of health professionals. Consult with your doctor to make sure you are cleared to exercise, and see if you have any limitations. Get at least one personal training session to learn how to safely use the equipment and have a program designed for your interests. And finally, consult a nutritionist to get an individualized nutrition plan for your specific needs (that fits both health concerns and fitness goals).
More than anything, don't be afraid to ask questions! I would be more than happy to answer your questions individually, or write a post for everyone to read about your topic of question.

Have a HEALTHY day!
~ Fit Britt

Lovin the Food Revolution

Did you catch the premiere of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution last night?
Don't worry if you missed it, it really kicks off with a 2-hour event this Friday (the 26th).
Jamie is a British celebrity chef who has started a 'revolution' within the public school system of his homeland, and is spurring one on our side of the pond as well. His challenge is the city labeled "the unhealthiest in America," where more than 50% of the population is OBESE. The town that is also known for "We are MARSHALL;" Huntington, West Virginia.
You'll be amazed to see what is fed in the public school system (pizza for breakfast?) and the guidelines they must abide by (each meal should include TWO grains, each student MUST have milk [good idea, but they all pick high-sugar chocolate or strawberry]).
I encourage you to check it out. It will challenge you to think more about what you serve your family and who you allow to make health/nutrition decisions for your children.

Become part of the revolution!!

Have a HEALTHY day!
~ Fit Britt