How can I maintain my fitness while I am traveling?

Training for any event or just keeping in shape is challenging at the best of times. And, whether you're working out to stay fit or training for an Iron distance triathlon, finding time and the fitness resources while you're on the road is especially challenging.

For example, when you are traveling for business, a family vacation or when mother nature does not play ball, you may face some of the following obstacles:

• The hotel you are staying in does not have a decent fitness facility (or one at all!).
• Your vacation destination is "family-focused" with little time to maintain your training.
• You feel lost without your instructor, coach, trainer or workout buddy.
• You may be training for a road race and little or no road.
• You may be surrounded by excessive food and alcohol and find the temptation a huge drag on your diet.
  

To maintain your strength training, cardio training, flexibility training or your healthy eating habits, you need fitness and training to go! MyPypeline provides the solution to all of these training challenges -- challenges that face millions of fitness enthusiasts every day -- all at the click of a mouse.

mypypeline.com delivers high quality training content directly to your laptop. So you can workout in your hotel room in front of your laptop, or download it to your iPod or your mobile device and take it outside. Get your workouts on the fly while on vacation or add "get workout iPod videos" to your vacation preparation list.

You now have, at your fingertips, an expert personal trainer, cycling instructor, yoga instructor and training coach - 24/7.

Choose from titles ranging from cycling, interval sessions that can be completed on a stationary bike or an indoor trainer, to 45 minute, personal trainer led strength training workouts. How about a stretching or Yoga session to help you unwind after a long flight or a hard day of meetings.

And if you want to "stick to the program" while you're away, MyPypeline has a program for you, from 5km beginner runner to Ironman veteran as well as programs for fitness buffs like Beach Ready or Skinny Jeans. And there is no shortage of good nutrition information that you can get on the go. Watch one of these quick videos and find the discipline you need to confidently confront the buffet!

Something else to consider is equipment. When away from home you may not have the correct exercise equipment available to you. I have seen it so many times. All of the gear we take for granted, is back home in our basements or home gyms.

Since you're packing for the trip anyway, why not pack the very functional MyPypeline Fit Kit. It comes in a stylish, study bag and has five pieces of equipment: Swiss ball, medicine ball, yoga mat, resistance band and massaging foam roller and an exercise DVD. All for one great low price!

Today, technology impacts every aspect of our lives. We stay in touch while we're on vacation, we work while on the road -- so why not embrace new technologies to stay fit while on the go? mypypeline.com will help you understand the 1-2-3's of download and streaming videos.

A few workout videos on your iPod will help you maintain that hard earned conditioning and fitness, and you'll train or stay fit safely and consistently while you're away.

Do you know your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)?

To drop body mass, the simple equation of calories out must exceed calories in is a very well known one to almost all of us. It has been around for ever, and contrary to popular belief and some advertising, it remains the easiest way to have a balanced eating plan for life.

The only real barrier I have found people struggle with when talking calories in and out is how many do I need to be eating?

The America College of Sports Medicines' (ACSM) general guidelines recommend that caloric intake not drop below 1500 calories per day for females and 1800 calories per day for males. They also recommend that gradual caloric reductions of around 500 calories, will lead to a safe and steady loss of weight.

All this talk about calories raises the question of how many calories should I be eating in day?

This has question has a 2 part answer:

1. Your body requires a certain number of calories to function throughout a day, and this known as your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).
2. Depending on your daily activity level i.e. do you walk for 1 hour 4 times per week, or perhaps you are training for a marathon, your body requires additional energy (calories).

Let's start by looking at your BMR. It can be calculated using a very simple and pretty accurate formula known as the Harris - Benedict Formula.

If you are Imperial, use Equation 1, and if you are Metric, use Equation 2:

Females: Equation 1:
BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)

Males: Equation 1:
BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)

Females: Equation 2:
BMR = 655 + (9.6 x weight in kilograms) + (1.8 x height in centimeters) - (4.7 x age in years)

Males: Equation 2:
BMR = 66 + (13.7 x weight in kilograms) + (5 x height in centimeters) - (6.8 x age in years)

This will calculates the minimum number of calories you need to eat every day. It might seem like a lot, but trust me, 2000 calories gets used up very fast if you are not careful.

An important component of the process is to take into account physical activity over and above your regular daily activities.

The table below, along with your calculated BMR value, will help you to determine your total daily calorie needs.

So let us say that your BMR is 1979 calories, and you are moderately active (BMR X 1.55), then your recommended Caloric intake per day should be just abov 3000 calories (3067).

Let us say that you are eating roughly this number of calories every day, but feel you would like to drop a few pounds, following the ACSM's guidelines, we can reduce our caloric intake by 500 calories, leaving us with a daily calorie allowance of 2567 calories.

Over the course of 12 weeks, we could potentially lose 8 - 12 pounds of mass (for arguments sake), because 1 pound of fat contains 3500 calories.

This slow and progressive approach to weight loss, as opposed to the "I lost 67 pounds in 8 weeks" approach, will allow your body to adapt to the reduction in weight, it will allow you to get sufficient calories into your body allowing it to function effectively at work and play and it will ensure the weight you have lost, remains lost.

So get calculating!

Need help? Sign up on mypypeline.com for Free, find me as a friend and I will send you a free Calorie Counting Calendar to go on your fridge.

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James Greenwood holds a post graduate degree in Exercise Science, and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA. He is the resident health and fitness expert at mypypeline.com, and has starred in a number of general fitness and multi-sport specific fitness videos. And if that isn't enough, James is level 1 Triathlon Coach and a competitive multi-sport athlete currently training for Ironman Canada 2009. James will not accept your excuses. He believes that you can be fitter and healthier today.

How hard are you really training?

So you just finished your training session for the day and it was a toughie. In fact, you might go so far as to say it was one of the hardest yet.

But how hard was it really? Were you pushed to the limit throughout the session? Did you give 100% all the way through, or were you cruising at 70% ?

Recent research into exercisers perception of how hard they are working during exercise vs how hard they are actually working has come up with some interesting results.

The most interesting finding of all was that the majority of the participants felt they had trained at a higher intensity level than they actually had i.e their perception of their exercise intensity was actually below their actual level of exertion.

So is there a simple way in which we can get an idea of how hard we are exercising if we tend to overestimate? And of course there is - well, there a few ways, but I will briefly look at the heart rate monitor and the Borg scale of perceived exertion.

The heart rate monitor is a device that was originally used in the laboratory setting during research. It then moved into the world of athletes (and predominantly endurance athletes) and today forms the foundation of any number of non-performance based exercise, health and wellness programs.

A chest strap picks up and transmits your hearts beats to the watch / wrist unit, in real time, and has over the years proven to be an extremely simple and cheap way of monitoring and controlling training intensity.

The harder you work, the faster the heart beats, the higher the heart rate goes.

By using very simple predictive equations one can set up different training intensity zones, which will guide your exercise sessions' level of intensity.

For more on Heart Rate monitored training and using a heart rate monitor in training watch this short video.

The second method, specially for those technophobes out there, is making use of a simple Scale of Perceived Exertion, which utilizes a subjective assessment of how hard you are working in relation to a set 14 point scale.

Interestingly this method has been proven time and again to be a great way to quanitfy exercise intensity, and is to this day used in research laboratories all over the world.

No matter how you decide to get your training intensity, make sure your program always has a balance between hard and easy sessions (a hard training should be followed by an easy day), and that you are regularly working the body through the range of exercise intensities, as opposed to always training at the same intensity.

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James Greenwood holds a post graduate degree in Exercise Science, and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA. He is the resident health and fitness expert at mypypeline.com, and has starred in a number of general fitness and multi-sport specific fitness videos. And if that isn't enough, James is level 1 Triathlon Coach and a competitive multi-sport athlete currently training for Ironman Canada 2009. James will not accept your excuses. He believes that you can be fitter and healthier today.

What motivates you?

I recently read an abstract from a research paper published by the National Bereau of Economic Research, looking at the "outcomes in a program that offers financial reward for weight loss.

The jist of the study was that researchers looked at 2,407 employees in 17 work sites taking part in a year long health promotion program. The goal of this program was to see how much weight employees would lose using different means of motivation.

Participants were divided into 3 groups:

Group 1 received a steady quarterly financial reward for weight loss
Group 2 were required to post a bond and at the end of the year it would be refunded only if a certain amount of weight loss was achieved.
Group 3 The Control Group received no financial incentives for their achievements.

I know what you are all thinking, because I thought exactly the same thing: "If my employer offered me $ for weight loss, I would drop another 10 pounds, no problem". I weigh 165lbs right now, so it might not be the best idea for me. But I am sure we could all buy into earning money for weight loss.

Furthermore, if I gave money to my boss, and could only get the money back if I lost some weight, you better believe I would drop the necessary pounds, with out a second thought.

If I were in the Control group, the only motivation to lose weight might be to be the biggest loser in the group, but aside from that I would not be especially inspired compared with the other 2 groups.

So here is the kicker, on average, the group receiving quarterly financial reward fir weight loss, on average dropped only 1.4 pounds. Great effort team - I am sure your employer was super pleased not to have to drop a whole lot of money.

The group who had posted the refundable bond dropped on average 3.6 pounds. A little better, but not exactly earth shattering. I wonder if they got their money back after such a dismal performance.

The abstract contained no information on the Control group, so I assume they did not fair much better than the other 2 groups.

I found this interesting because in this financially driven world in which we live, with the world wide economic crises in full swing, and the explosion in obesity, I had assumed that the results would have been completely opposite.

And once again, the old adage "assume nothing" is still 100% true.

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James Greenwood holds a post graduate degree in Exercise Science, and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA. He is the resident health and fitness expert at mypypeline.com, and has starred in a number of general fitness and multi-sport specific fitness videos. And if that isn't enough, James is level 1 Triathlon Coach and a competitive multi-sport athlete currently training for Ironman Canada 2009. James will not accept your excuses. He believes that you can be fitter and healthier today.

Take responsibility for YOU!

Generally, I am not a big "ranter" about the things in the world that get on my nerves, frustrate and even make me angry.

The reason being that most of the things that get on my nerves, frustrate and make me angry are outside of my control and beyond my sphere of influence.

For more than 10 years I have had the pleasure of training, and working with, individuals from all walks of life and all athletic backgrounds.

Throughout those 10 years, when it comes to improving overall health, achieving weight loss and gaining physical fitness through exercise and training, there has always been a fairly large number of the participants who did not show any personal responsibility for the process of reaching their communicated goals. And that really annoyed me.

"I want to look like (insert body beautiful persons name here). I don't however, want to have to stop drinking, eating out, working 20 hour days, missing 1 in 3 workouts etc, etc."

"I want to run a marathon! I can only commit 4 hours to training per week, I keep forgetting to buy new running shoes, I will be away on vacation for the summer and cannot guarentee I will hit all the training."

You get the picture.

A common trait that I did identify in the most successful participants was a high level of personal responsibility.

They did not expect an overnight miracle to occur (there is no magic pill - sorry folks). They were prepared to work hard and consistently to achieve their goals (there is no secret to being fitter, thinner - just hard work and consistency). They did not attempt to aportion blame onto something or someone else for their current state (it is your body - you are responsible for it).

Instead, they were prepared to put the time and effort into the the process.

They were always on time, if not early, for their sessions. They did what was asked of them, to the best of their ability, without complaining or any drama. And they stayed the course - they followed through with the program until their goals were achieved, making no excuses.

These individuals recognized that the only secret to getting fitter and healthier is that there is no secret! They had a plan and goals, they followed the plan, worked hard and were consistent with their actions, and guess what? They realized their goals.

Blame has become a popular way to divert responsibility. "It is the fast food companies' fault that I am overweight". "There is not enough time to do my daily exercise". "I have the worst genetics!" And there are a million more just like these ones.

Lets get down to nuts and bolts: YOU are in control of YOUR body, what YOU put into it, and what YOU do with it is completely up to YOU. No one else! YOU are god in the world of YOUR body! No one else!

And now YOU know!

So why not make a start by asking for help? Ask a friend who is physically active to give you some guidance. How about a co-worker or your spouse? Speak with a professional such as Personal Trainer or a medical health care professional.

Oh, and when you ask for help, keep in mind that the onus is not on the trainer or the dietitian to get you into shape. They are their to motivate, guide and help you to stay the course to better heath and fitness.

The only person who has the power to realize your goals and aspirations is YOU.

IT IS ALL UP TO YOU!

Mypypeline.com is committed to helping you to achieve the health and fitness goals you have in mind through a comprehensive range of health, fitness and exercise content, ranging from training programs to single exercise videos. Our workouts are easy to use, do anywhere, anytime and extremely affordable.

All it requires is that you make a decision to commit, without excuses and with out reservation.

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James Greenwood holds a post graduate degree in Exercise Science, and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA. He is the resident health and fitness expert at mypypeline.com, and has starred in a number of general fitness and multi-sport specific fitness videos. And if that isn't enough, James is level 1 Triathlon Coach and a competitive multi-sport athlete currently training for Ironman Canada 2009. James will not accept your excuses. He believes that you can be fitter and healthier today.

Keep those bones fracture free.

Loss of bone density is a common occurrence in human beings as we begin to age. The good news is that there are a number of easy to implement guidelines that can help you to keep your bones strong and healthy well into old age.

Osteoperosis starts earlier in life than you might expect. When we hit about 35 years of age, our bones begin to lose density, and from age 50, 1 in 4 adults have osteoperosis.

This reduction in bone density and bone strength, leads to brittle bones and an increased risk of bone fracture. Obviously the ability to recovery from a fractured bone is reduced if the individual suffers from osteoperosis.

Interestingly, the greatest cause of death in the elderly is as a result of falling and breaking bones.

The outlook is not all bleak though.

Let's begin by looking at a few factors that have been shown to increase an individuals risk of being affected by osteoperosis:

1. Cigarette smoking
   
2. Alcohol consumption
3. More than 4 cups of tea, coffee or cola per day
   
4. Population group - Asian or Northern European
5. Women are at greater risk than men

Research has shown that teenage girls who consume soft drinks on a regular basis are up to 3 times more likely to osteoperosis than those who do not.

So what steps could we take to reduce, if not avoid, the affects of osteoperosis as we get older?

1. Prevention - research has shown that children who are physically active on a regular basis, tend to have better bone densities later on in life, than those who are not.
   
   Avoiding excessive amounts of caffeine, carbonated drinks and smoking can all help you maintain good bone health.
   
   
2. Physical activity - being physically active at all stages of life is essential in developing and maintaining good bone density, but also the abilities that will help to avoid situations where bone injuries occur (balance, co-ordination, reaction time).
   
   Weight bearing activities are the best for maintaining and improving bone strength, and activities such as Strength / Resistance training, Walking, Hiking and running are all easy to do, and very effective.
   
   
3. Nutrition and Supplementation - Calcium and Vitamin D have been identified as the 2 major role players in developing and maintaining good bone health.
   
   Foods such as dairy and some vegetables are rich in Calcium, while milk and some fish oils contain Vitamin D.
   
   For adults >50 years of age: 1000mg of Calcium and 400 International Units of Vitamin D
   For adults <50>: 1500mg of Calcium and 800 International units of Vitamin D.
   
   In the Northern Hemisphere, because of the reduced amount of sun light we get through the Fall, Winter and even Spring, supplementation of Calcium and Vitamin D becomes even more important.

Do not leave the health of your bones till you are older. By following a healthy and active lifestyle, supplementing your diet (if necessary) and steering clear of factors that negatively impact on your bones resilience and health, you can keep those bones fracture free.

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For more information on keeping your bones fracture free, watch Dr. Rhonda Louw as she goes into more detail on the topic of bone health.

If you are not sure what to do in the exercise department, why not try one of our Strength training sessions, or take one of exercise programs - for FREE.

• Beginner Session
• Intermediate Session
• Advanced Session
• Exercise programs
  

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James Greenwood holds a post graduate degree in Exercise Science, and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA. He is the resident health and fitness expert at mypypeline.com, and has starred in a number of general fitness and multi-sport specific fitness videos. And if that isn't enough, James is level 1 Triathlon Coach and a competitive multi-sport athlete currently training for Ironman Canada 2009. James will not accept your excuses. He believes that you can be fitter and healthier today.

What does it take to lose a pound of body weight?

At first glance this questions seems to be a pretty straight forward one, one that should have a pretty straight forward answer.

Unfortunately, as with all things related to our bodies, there is no such thing.

The fact that we are not all created equal, and that every single one of our bodies functions ina slightly different way to everyone else, means that there are no hard and fast rules that will deliver the answers and results you are looking for.

Instead, there are guidelines and generalizations that will arm you with the insight and understanding necessary to realize the weight loss you are looking for.

Lets begin with a well known "rule of thumb": if you reduce you caloric intake by 3500 calories, you should lose a pound of body weight.

There are exceptions to this rule of thumb, and this “rule” assumes that all the weight that has been lost is adipose tissue (fat mass).

The generalization of this "rule" is: If you create a 3500 calorie deficit in one week and you lose 100% body fat, you will lose one pound of body mass.

This translates in a reduction of 500 calories per day, for 7 days.

Before you get all fired up about the prospect of shedding pounds by the dozen, let's keep in mind that Lean body mass (muscle mass) can easily be lost along with body fat mass.

Not what we want to have happen, so when we talk about weight lost, we must assume that there has been some lean body tissue (muscle) loss, which shows that the 3 500 calorie “rule” is perhaps a slight oversimplification of things.

If we look the energy we can gain from fat versus muscle, it is intersting to note that 1 pound of fat is worth 3500 calories of energy, while 1 pound of muscle yields only around 600 calories.

Interesting!

The amount of lean body mass lost is based on the individuals’ initial body fat percentage, and size of their caloric deficit. Individuals with a higher lean body mass tend to lose more lean body mass and retain more fat when compared to those who have a greater fat mass at the start of the weight loss process.

Individuals with greater percentages body fat tend to lose more body fat and retain more lean tissue than their leaner counterparts, which explains why obese people can tolerate more aggressive, low calorie diets than those individuals who are leaner at the start of the process.

It is very important to keep in mind that very aggressive low calorie diets tend to erode lean body mass to a greater degree than more conservative diets - especially in individuals with already low percentages of body fat.

Furthermore: losing lean body mass shows as a greater loss on the scale than fat loss i.e. if you lose lean body mass, the scale shows that you lost more weight than if you lose purely fat mass.

Being able to incorporate some sort of body composition evaluation into your dieting program will allow you to assess what component of your body composition is being reduced, and ensure you are actually winning the battle.

Another interesting fact is that it has been shown that weight loss tends to slow down over the duration of a diet (known as the plateau). There a number of reasons for this occurring, including:

• decreased metabolic activity as a result of the reduced caloric intake
• a relaxing of the diet compliance
• both.

By incorporating Strength training into your program and sufficient protein into your nutrient intake (both to maintain Lean Body mass), you will be taking steps to ensure you maintain your lean body mass, and progressively reduce fat mass.

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James Greenwood holds a post graduate degree in Exercise Science, and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA. He is the resident health and fitness expert at mypypeline.com, and has starred in a number of general fitness and multi-sport specific fitness videos. And if that isn't enough, James is level 1 Triathlon Coach and a competitive multi-sport athlete currently training for Ironman Canada 2009. James will not accept your excuses. He believes that you can be fitter and healthier today.