Fatso to Muscles

There are so many gyms, fitness facilities, and health clubs out there that it is almost comparable to the amount of fast food restaurants there are. Okay, so it’s not that many, but there are quite a few out there to choose from. So you’ve already made the choice to join a health club rather than working out at home. Now the questions are which club, out of the many, would benefit you the most in terms of location, convenience, fees, crowd, cleanliness, size, and equipment wise?

I live in a large metropolitan area where there are quite a few or rather many health clubs within a 5 mile radius from where I live. And with so many clubs out there within that distance, it would be hard to choose which one is the best for you. So I’ve came up with a few things you should consider when choosing a health club to join:

Location

The location is very important. Because the location of where the health club is located can be convenient for you drive to or even walk to from work or from your home. And who wants to go far just to exercise at a health club? I sure don’t, unless they’re paying me to use the their facility and also the cost of gas. And speaking of gas, since gas prices aren’t as high as last year, that doesn’t mean you should go the distance.

I am lucky to live in the county of Los Angeles where there are many health clubs to choose from, and the location to each of them are close by. So going the distance would take time, and you know the saying,”Time is money.” Which brings us to the next thing to consider.

Fees

The amount of money you have to pay is also important when considering a health club to join. Since there are many health clubs especially in big cities, the price of membership won’t be as much.

You should visit the many that are near your area and negotiate the price with them. You can find coupons and discounts on the Internet. Or just wait for their next promotional deal so then you can save. And some promotions are reduction of a joining fee.

One thing you have to watch out for is to make sure you read and understand what the contract says because you could be signing for 3 years of payments. And if you’re in the Military, then you can diffidently get discounts from health clubs.

Some health clubs, usually the non-profit ones, can work with you if your income status is below a number or, in other words, have low-income. And another reason why non-profit health facilities are respected, because they help out the community around them. Also, from my experience, staff and faculty alike seem to be more nicer and down to earth than the profit ones. Because let’s face it, profit health clubs exist because they make profit.

Crowd

Unless you are the very few that either work 3rd shift and have the mornings off, own a business but don’t have to be there most of the time, or don’t have to work much or at all like the rich and famous, then you need not to read more on this part.

Most of us follow a certain routine, and that routine almost everybody in the world follows: go to work and wait in traffic, come home from work and wait in traffic, get some dinner at a restaurant and wait in line, so by the end of the working day, no one wants to wait any more, especially to wait for an equipment behind the 3 other people waiting for the same one.

Waiting in line sucks! That is why you should ask staff when you do go visit anyone of the health clubs around your area when are the busiest times, and also, you might want to actually visit the peak hours to see if it’s decent enough for you to get a membership there.

You also have to see if parking is decent enough during the peak times, because you don’t want to wait for a parking spot and then wait again for an equipment to open up. So consider that more people means waiting in line for parking, equipment, and maybe even a line to the toilet.

Cleanliness

This one is not as important as the others but it would be a factor when considering to join a health club. It is, however, still important to consider cleanliness when choosing a health club because dirty means unsanitary, and unsanitary would cause disease. Plus, who want to use a dirty facility, especially if you were to pay for the membership, why would you tolerate a dirty facility? I sure wouldn’t.

However, I have in the past have paid for a membership to a very dirty facility, which will be un-named. The reason why is I couldn’t drive nor work at the time so I had to go with what was most convenient and available at the time. It was horrible; particularly the bathroom/lockers had mold and sometimes feces would be smeared in the bath walls.

Size

The size of the fitness facility may be the least import; however, I would still consider the size of the club a factor because usually the bigger the club, the more people would go, and the smaller the club, the least people would go.

But it also depends of the location. If its the only club in town and it’s also very small then there would be a lot of people there. And another thing to consider about the size of the club is: the bigger the club, the more equipment is would have, and so the smaller the club, the less equipment is would have. And that brings me to equipments and machines.

Equipments

Most people want to use state of the art equipment that came out a few months ago. Because who wants to use machines and equipments that had been hand-me-downs since Arnold was in the scene?  No one, or no one that I know of.

Sure I could understand that if you had no choice in the matter or some old equipment wasn’t a concern for you then go ahead. But since memberships come with paying a monthly fee, why not choose a club that have the most equipment?

And old exercise machines have been used so many times it is dangerous to use it further. Plus, it only makes sense to work on a fairly new machine than an old one, because the science of engineering exercise equipment and machines are way advanced than 10 or even 5 years ago so with new machines, it is more safer.

So you see, when choosing a heath club, there are so many things to factor in. There are, however, many more factors to also consider when choosing a health club but these are the ones that are the most important when seeking a club in my view. You have to research about the health clubs that are around your neighborhood and see what fits you. So as long as you have these few things on your list when making a purchase, you can’t go wrong.

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We exercise so we could look good and feel, and when we exercise, we want to know that we are improving on health, fitness, and looks. But we sometimes lose our motivation along the way to continue to exercising; we want to see improvements, because without improvements, there would be no point to exercise or to continue to exercise. So here are a few ways to keep track of progress in order to keep yourself motivated.

Ask people about their opinion

Asking people you know about how you look today to how you look in a few months is a good way to track progress; ask your friends, family, and associates about how you look today compared to how you would look in a few months.

Doing this is a good way to keep motivated because hearing people speak about the improvements you’ve made in your body transformation will boost your ego and give you more motivation to continue on.

And sometimes, you don’t even need to ask, because when you lost weight people around you will start to notice and will compliment you. That is what happened to me when I lost 40lbs. It took me a few months to do so and when I did, people around me started to notice and complementing me on how great I looked. For me, those complements on my physical transformation helped me continue on my journey.

Measure yourself

Use a tape measure to measure the circumference of your waist, hips, neck, arms, thighs, or neck. For men, the problem area is the waist. Men tend to carry fat in that area more so than women do. For women, the problem areas are the hips and thighs, and for some the waist but not as common as men, so women need to measure the those areas to track their progress.

Tracking your measurements on paper help with seeing the difference in numbers on where your measurements are and where they would be. Because comparing the difference is a big plus to keep yourself motivated, and it reminds you of the progress you’ve made.

I just started to do this. I would measure myself every week on Sundays and keep a record on where I was and where I am now. This helps me stay motivated because I can see the difference in numbers on where I was formerly to where I am.

Keep track of weight

Using a weight scale to measure your weight. Keep it logged on paper every week or every other week. Measure yourself in the morning and keep an account for that number, and then do it again the next week and so on. Make sure to use only the scale that you first started with because one scale might be calibrated differently than the next.

There are so many kinds of weight scales out there and I think you should get a decently priced one because the lower priced ones aren’t as built as good as the higher priced one. And since you’ll be using it often, you want one that is of great quality. If you don’t already own a weight scale, then you should get one.

I weight myself every Sunday morning to see whether or not I should be changing up my routine on diet and exercise. If I see that there is no difference in weight or that I’ve increased in weight, then I increase my exercise intensity and decrease my calorie consumption the new week that follows. But if I do see a difference in weight, this is of course losing weight and not gaining weight, then I would maintain what I’ve been doing.

Take pictures and/or videos

Taking picture or video is another great way to track you progress. Take a picture or a video of yourself every week to see if you’ve physically improved or not. This is the best way to keep yourself motivated is by seeing the difference in photos and videos of yourself.

Because when you actually see a side by side comparison of a 3 months old photo to a present photo of you, you’ll be amazed of the difference that the camera captured of you when you had some weight on and after with some weight off.

I take a still image of myself every week nights on Sundays. I keep it on my computer so this way, I can have photos of before and compare them to photos that were recently taken. This will also help you stay motivated in the process.

And those are some things that can help us or you because starting an exercise is one thing that most people have a hard time with, but continuing to exercise is another thing that most people have a hard time with. And having motivation will help us get pass this barrier, because if there was no motivation to push us, then it would be harder to accomplish or even finish our objectives. That is why we need to hear and see progress. Doing the recommended things I’ve mentioned will help us reach our goal. And it’s not just one thing but many things or a combination of things you need to do in order to know that you are progressing. This had helped me stay motivated and I hope this will also help you.

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First and foremost- Happy Memorial Day!

Most people want to change how they look and feel so they can look better and feel better. But most people that start an exercise program or enroll at their local gym, usually quit within a few weeks. Those people quit because they find it harder than what they anticipated it to be; the exercises, the diets, and the dedication that they have to put forth and giving it their all is too much for most that can handle.

Some people that I’ve worked with want to change their physical appearance, but they don’t want it to be difficult or even a little hard. And I’ve worked with many people within the few years I’ve been working at the local gym.

It bugs the heck out of me when they enroll at our facility, thinking that all they need to do is exercise with little to no intensity and have their physical appearance change dramatically.

I hear this quite often, “The weights are too heavy.” or, “It’s too hard.” I would then try to explain to them that if they wanted to physically alter their bodies to look close to those models they see on magazine, billboards, and television, they would have to push themselves to the brink so that their bodies will have to change.

Since I’ve been working at the gym for a few years now, I do see people that do physically change. Day in and day out, I see those people, the very few, that come and are serious about changing their looks and overall, changing how they feel, inside and out.

The ones that can bear the insignificant pain that comes with exercise and sacrifice, understands the glory of what their accomplishment could bring to them. To those people, I applaud them for their will to achieve more.

They have met three things that got to where they are today, and those things that were met, everyone could also meet: exercise, diet, and dedication.

Exercise is difficult; our bodies take a lot of pounding and a lot of stress so that our bodies can change physically, if that is our objective, so just think and imagine: a few months of agony and sacrificed beats a life time of defeat and suffering. The agony of running and lifting weights, and the sacrifice of things you have to give up for a few months are better than the feeling of defeat and suffering.

Today, I had just got done with HIIT about an hour ago, and I felt like I wanted quit after the the second session. The intensity of my training got me to the point where I wanted to collapse on the floor, but I knew in my mind that if I give in now, I would never accomplish my goal. And not only did I have to exercise, but I had to eat right.

Giving up foods that we all love to eat everyday like: burgers, pizza, fried chicken, and for me, pho, are some of the food we have to sacrifice in-order for us to have a faster transformation. Sure, we can eat foods like that, but if we don’t work out like Michael Phelps, then eating all that food, or calories, will be turned into stored energy, which everyone knows as fat. So we have to give up those kinds of foods, or basically, watch how many calories we take in.

I eat a good and balance meal everyday for 6 days a week, and I feel great both physically and mentally; I get a lot of vegetables and fruits in my diet, and I get a good amount of protein in my diet. Do I still eat whatever I want? Sure! I eat what ever I want only once a week, and for me, that’s on Sundays. I don’t deprive myself of foods I love because the mistake that I’ve made in the past was, not giving myself of foods I want. And until I’ve reached my goal, I could only have a reward day, as I call it, only once a week.

Exercising and eating right is only 2 out of 3 things we have to do, but there is still another, and the other is…dedication. A lot of definitions can be said about this way of thinking or this way of feeling or both: willpower, attitude, determination, discipline,  or passion. What ever the case maybe for you, if you have this, then you have already accomplished it.

To me, there is only one life, and we should do everything that is possible, but not illegal or dangerous, to get to where most of us dream of. The first thing anyone has to do to change themselves physically is exercise; exercise promotes health benefits like prolonged health. The second thing is diet; exercising but without having the right diet is disastrous to your goal. And the last thing is: dedication. This is the most important one because it doesn’t matter if you exercise and diet right, if you lose the will power to continue on, then you never began in the first place, in my view. Now quit complaining about little things that are so insignificant and start to think and imagine where you would be physically and mentally a few months from now. Let’s get this!

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I’ve been working at the local gym for a little over two years now, and it had occurred to me just the other day, that the majority of members that exercise, have little to no idea what exercises they need to perform in-order for them to burn calories more effectively and efficiently. But with a sense of knowledge and some logic, anyone can understand the best way for us to exercise more effectively and efficiently.

I’ve been asked a lot questions since I’ve been working as a fitness trainer, but one of the most asked is, “Which machines or exercises would burn the most calories with the minimal amount of time?” and my response to that is, “You should do a variety of exercises and machines that will make your body harder to adapt and thus, you would burn more calories more effectively and efficiently.”

Most of them look at me confused at times and continue on their way; I think most of them either didn’t understand what I said or they were confused and didn’t bother to ask me what I meant and just left it at that.

I can see why they didn’t understand but I usually see them again after their query and ask them if they understood what I meant? Some of them do, but most of them would then commit to me that they had no idea what I had said, and didn’t want to ask what I meant because it would make them look like an idiot.

Whatever it may be, I would try to explain what I meant by giving an example like:

Let’s say, you started to exercise again. It has been a long time since you’ve done anything that would exert a lot of force. Let’s use running. So you started to run, after you’ve finished a mile, if you were capable enough, you felt tired, some of you might puke. That was you first day of running, but after 4 weeks of running for 5 times a week, you feel stronger and are capable of running longer and faster. Well, that is your body adapting to the stress you have put on it. Therefore, if your body has gotten stronger and you don’t feel fatigued as fast, you don’t burn as much calories as you did in the beginning.

That is why I stress to my members to change up the exercises and routines they do because if they don’t, their bodies will adapt to the environment and thus, you would not burn calories as effective as before.

So the best way to burn calories effectively and efficiently is always changing up your exercises and machines. But you also have to remember, exercising alone cannot help you lose weight by itself. You have to exercise and eat healthy too in-order for you to lose weight. Basically, have a calorie deficit.

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These days, a lot of people are going to gyms and eating more healthier because they want to look and feel better about themselves. It is natural to do this, but it seems like in these modern times, our society is more obsessed about how much they weigh rather than focusing on health. It is because I believe that most people associate with how much they weigh with how fat they are. And also, most people think that if they weigh more than what charts or others say, then they would believe that they are fat and should lose weight.

All of us do this: we go to the gym, and before we start to exercise, we jump on the scale to see where we are at. After we’re done, we jump on the scale again to see how much we weigh. I have worked at a gym a little over two years now and have witnessed so many people weigh themselves before and after and sometimes during their work out.

I’ve heard from people that say they feel like they are fat if they weight a certain amount or more. Most of it the the thought process that goes behind this are charts they’ve seen, magazines they’ve read, and people that are close to them say.

And also, I believe a lot of people think this way is because they have been conditioned, ever since they were young, that weight and fat are associated with each other; every now and then, we see the media portray fat people, so we get this idea of how weight is related to fat.

As well as in grade school, where there was always a fat kid in class, everyone would make fun of him because he was fat and he was the heaviest one in class, which or course he was the heaviest, and in turn, we viewed them on how fat they were by their weight.

So this whole issue about weight really came from conditioning the mind over a course of time to where we are at today. And now, we see weight as fat, and fat, as unattractive. So the real issue here is being attractive or not.

Look, how much we weigh isn’t necessarily associate with fat. For example: if you look at a bodybuilder and see how ripped he is, he probably has less than 8 percent body fat on him. But if you compared him to a medical chart on what healthy should be,  using his height and weight, you’ll find that he is obese. He would weight more than what the medical chart says because of how much muscles he has.

It seems most of us are obsessed with our weight rather than our health. It also seems that how much a person weighs has a relation to our health, but not all of it is true, as you’ve read my example above.

A lean and muscular person can weight more than what medical charts recommends. So now we need to move away from the scale and focus on how lean we are rather than how much we weigh if you don’t want fat on your body. We also need to recondition ourselves that how much we weight doesn’t necessarily reflect on how fat we are.

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