Sign up for a race and get fit! Now! Go do it!

Hopefully you read my last post about my friend Josie who is doing the Trek Across Maine this coming June. If you haven't, go ahead and take a look by clicking on the link above before reading the rest of this post...

...Ok, welcome back. Now get ready to be lectured for a bit.

I've said it before and I'll say it a million more times: The health of Americans is in a large (pun intended) amount of trouble. More than one-third of adults (37.5%) are obese and one in six children (16.7%). OBESE! Do you know what this means? Obesity is worse than being overweight, although being overweight is nothing to smile about. Obesity means that you have TOO MUCH BODY FAT that can have adverse affects on your health. I'm bolding the following because it's incredibly important that you know this:

Being obese means that you are more susceptible to heart disease, sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, stroke, certain types of cancer, high blood pressure, increased bad cholesterol (LDL) and decreased good cholesterol (HDL), infertility, fatty liver disease, asthma, gout, lower back pain, the list could go on. Don't know what some of those conditions are? Look them up.  And to think that 37.5% of Americans are more susceptible to these diseases and conditions and ultimately cost this country $147 BILLION in 2008 (2102 statistics aren't out)... WOW. I wonder if that money could help with our country's current economic state? Not to mention the medical cost of an obese person is about $1,429 dollars more per year than those of an average-weight person. 

Don't take a breath of relief if you're overweight! Being overweight makes you susceptible to all of the conditions of obesity, but to a slightly lesser extent. Still not good. But you know what? There is help, and there is plenty of it!

Of course there are gyms. At $10 a month you can't beat the price of a Planet Fitness. YMCA's are usually a little more pricey, but you usually get a swimming pool and group classes in the cost of membership. There are countless other gyms out there ranging from less expensive to more expensive. Really, there is no excuse to not be able to find a gym that works for your lifestyle and your budget.

Then there are trainers, such as myself. If you're obese, you could take that $1,429 you are spending per year on additional medical costs and pay a trainer to whoop you into shape. The price of a trainer ranges, but say you found one for $60 per session. That $1,429 will buy you about 24 training sessions, which is just about one every other week throughout the course of a year. A trainer could set you up on a plan, week-to-week, and all you'd have to do is follow the plan and meet with him or her once every other week. Doesn't that sound better than buying pills or getting surgery or whatever?

You know what's a hell of a lot cheaper than gym memberships and trainers, though? Signing up for a race. Throw down 20 bucks on a local 5k (find one near you here) and 100 bucks for a pair of running shoes and you have $120 invested in getting fit. Running isn't really your thing? That's okay, spend $35 for a bike race like the one at the Yarmouth Clam Festival here in Maine. Or maybe you want to take on a bigger challenge, like my friend Josie, and do a long-distance bike trek for a great cause. Neither biking nor running is your thing? That's okay, maybe the Peaks to Portland, a 2.4 mile ocean swim here in Portland is more your thing. Or maybe you want to pull out all the stops and do ALL THREE! Triathlons are becoming more and more common, and there are a variety of distances to choose from. You can find one near you at www.trifind.com.

Maybe you've done a few 5ks or 10ks and a triathlon or two, or more. Maybe you're ready for something else? How about an obstacle race? Those are really growing in popularity too and will test your ultimate fitness and mental fortitude, and will improve your fitness level tremendously if you train properly. The Spartan Race, Tough Mudder, or even a local event like Maine's own Raid Series could have you training like a champion.

Even though America is facing an alarming obesity rate and spending billions of dollars on obesity, there are many solutions. That doesn't necessarily mean it will be easy, but it doesn't mean that we, or you, are hopeless either. It's spring time, people. So stop reading this, get off your ass, go buy a pair of running shoes, and sign up for a local race this summer. You won't be sorry!

Guest Post: The Trek Across Maine is more than just a bike ride across Maine...

Struggling with your fitness? Need a goal to get your butt moving? How about a bike ride (not a race, a ride) across your home state to get you up and moving? That's right, A BIKE RIDE ACROSS YOUR STATE. What about a ride across your home state that gets you fit AND raises money for a great cause such as the American Lung Association?  That's exactly what my friend Josie is doing this coming June. Read her guest blog post to see how she is preparing for the Trek Across Maine and how it has improved, and is continuing to improve, her fitness as June draws near...

Let me start out by saying that I have known Nate for well over half of my life. I never would have thought that the scrawny kid that I met at age 12 would end up being such a dear friend of mine. I am quite lucky to have such an amazing person in my life and it has been really cool to see him direct his passion towards fitness for nearly the past decade. When Nate suggested that I write a guest blog, I was a little nervous about the idea but also somewhat honored that he thought my experience might be worth reading about. So here we go with the caveat that I have never blogged before in my life.

So, my name is Josie and I am a 30-year old woman who has been kind of on and off with fitness and exercise since I was about 15 years old. My weight as well as my motivation seems to go up and down. I tend to get really excited about a new form of fitness and go all out only to get bored and lose the oomph that I started with and eventually just stop altogether. As Nate can attest, I've tried much of what is out there. I've been on kicks of yoga, zumba, weight training, kickboxing, running, and have attempted P90X on two occasions, both times ending up as P30X and P45X (meaning I quit 30 days in and then 45 days in). Until recently, I’ve been a regular at one local gym or another. Nate even used me as a guinea pig for his first medicine ball class. He kicked my behind!

I've been talking for a while now about taking on some sort of challenge that I have to commit to and thus cannot lose motivation. I’ve thought about races or biathlons; however, I eventually settled on the Trek Across Maine. The Trek Across Maine is a three day 180-mile bicycle trek that starts in Newry, Maine and ends in Belfast, Maine (from west to east across the state!). In order to ride, each participant must raise at least $500 in donations to support the American Lung Association. This money goes toward efforts to make an impact in the lives of the over 35-million Americans who are living with lung disease by funding lifesaving research, education and advocacy efforts. Once learning more about this event and the American Lung Association, the decision became easy. 

For one, I love the outdoors and am constantly in search of new, positive people to spend my time with. The idea of spending three days enjoying the outdoors with a group of people who are rumored to be incredibly welcoming is very appealing to me. Second, the idea of supporting a cause dedicated to fighting lung disease and keeping our air clean really sealed the deal. Several years ago my grandmother passed away of lung cancer, which makes this event even more personal for me. I was never really able to get to know her but what I do remember of her is that she was an extremely kind and giving person. I also know that she had a big impact on her family and those close to her and hope that in some way I can honor her memory by participating in support of this cause. You can learn more about the American Lung Association at www.lung.org.

In preparation for this 180-mile ride, I started training at the end of December on an indoor setup and have been going strong ever since. Now, I am not an experienced bike rider and, up until I started training for this event, had probably not ridden a bike for more than 10 miles at a time. But this is a concrete goal that I cannot and will not allow myself to back out of.  Don't get me wrong, this does not mean that I haven't had a day or two...or three…where I have had no energy or interest in jumping on my bike but the fact that I am already registered and fully committed has done wonders for my motivation and keeping me going. I even broke my friend’s bike while visiting! That’s the kind of commitment I’m putting into this thing! Heck, I even got my mom to agree to join me on this challenge so I have no choice but to follow through. 

I guess the point that I am trying to make is that signing up for the Trek Across Maine has so far turned out to be one of the best fitness-related decisions that I have made. This focus has spread into other healthy decisions and behaviors, such as nutrition and positive choices for my mental health as well. Already at the start of March, I’m in better shape physically and mentally than I have been in a while. I would strongly encourage anyone who is struggling with motivation to challenge themselves to some form of organized event that would be difficult to back out of. 

I will keep Nate posted on my progress. If you’d like to learn more about the Trek Across Maine and see how you can help contribute to the American Lung Association and support my journey, please check out my personal Trek Across Maine page.
 

Thanks for reading!

-Josie

The Cybex Arc Trainer

Chances are your gym has a Cybex Arc Trainer. If it does, chances are you've never used it and aren't really sure what it is.

Well, here is all you really need to know about the Arc Trainer: IT'S AWESOME! A bunch of smart people from the University of Wisconsin - Lacrosse conducted a study to determine whether the Precor AMT, Precor EFX, or Cybex Arc Trainer burned more calories in relation to exercise intensity.

To cut to the nuts and bolts of the study, it was found that oxygen consumption and caloric expenditure was 9% higher on the Arc than the AMT and 16% higher on the Arc than the EFX. Now, the EFX doesn't have arms as it is a lower body exercise machine, so caloric expenditure is expected to be lower on it. One of the main differences between the AMT and the Arc, though, is that the Arc has a greater range of motion in its arms, allowing for greater activation of back muscles, which in turn would allow for greater oxygen consumption and caloric expenditure.

The study ultimately concluded that "exercising on the Arc Trainer provides the best overall workout compared to the AMT and the EFX, and would result in the greatest increase in aerobic capacity and reduction in body weight in the shortest period of time." Isn't that what every overweight or short-on-time person wants?

Still need more proof that this machine is great? Check out this video of Seattle Seahawks Pro Bowl fullback Michael Robinson:

I was first introduced to the Arc Trainer when I went to a three day seminar at the Cybex Research Institute in Massachusetts in June 2012, but had no real reason to use it at the time because, well, it was summer.

However, the Arc Trainer intrigued me. The scientists at Cybex talked about how college football players preparing for the NFL Combine would use the Arc Trainer to get ready. They also told a story of a guy who trained for the New York City Marathon on the Arc Trainer because he had an injured knee and couldn't train on roads or treadmills. Pretty cool stuff if you ask me!

My training routines in the summer and training routines in the winter are two entirely different programs. My body takes a beating in the summer from all the running and biking, so I tend to focus a little more on lower impact exercise in the winter. However, I have HUGE aspirations for the upcoming 2013 race season, so I can't ignore training my cardio system like I have during past off seasons. With this in mind, I've taken an opportunity to play around with some of the other pieces of cardio equipment at the Casco Bay YMCA in Freeport.

One of the things I've really started exploring is the Cybex Arc Trainer, and let me tell you, this thing is really is a badass piece of equipment! My knees and ankles feel like a million bucks after a 30-minute session. I can absolutely blast my quads, glutes, and hips if I want. Or I can focus a little more on upper body resistance and burn out my chest, back, and/or shoulders. I can make it a little more cardio, or I can make it a little more resistance. Either way, I can escape the boring hell that is the dreadmill and get a MUCH better workout while giving my joints a rest. There will be plenty of time to pound my joints during the upcoming race season, but for now I don't have to worry about that one bit. Once the weather warms I'll undoubtedly be back out pounding on the roads and trails, but until then I fully plan on using the Arc Trainer at least once a week.

One of my clients, the newest Miss Maine USA, recently told me, "I think the Arc Trainer is going to be my new best friend."

Check it out at your local gym. It might become your new best friend too.

Thirty-one 3.1 mile races in my 31st year of life? Bring it on!

People who are close to me know that I like a good challenge. Most of them also know that I can be totally foolish with different things I challenge myself with. Some of these challenges don't work out for me but might for a lot of folks. Some are just completely absurd. And some might inspire other people to do something similar or to at least think outside the box when dreaming of new ways to push their body to its limits.

Well, I've got a new one for you. Because I had such a blast pushing myself to run 30 miles on my 30th birthday last summer, I just can't resist trying to up the ante for number 31. But what can I do on my 31st? It's a long ways off, but maybe I should start prepping now, just in case? But what to do? Do I run 31 miles? Nah, been there done that (pretty much). How should I incorporate 31? Something with swimming? Nope, I hate swimming. Biking? Maybe. 31. Three, one. Hmmmmm.

BINGO!! DUH!!! What is the most popular race distance there is?? The distance I ran my fastest times in during the summer of '12 since high school?? The distance that started it all WAY BACK in high school. Why, it just so happens to be the 5K, or 3 point 1 miles. Three-one. Ohhhhh, we can have some fun with this!!

But what to do with it? Well, obviously I could run a 5K on my birthday, but that would be a pretty lame follow up to last year's 30 mile effort. No, we need to go bigger. How about 31 5K's ON my birthday? Is that possible?? What's that, only 96.1 miles? Unrealistic? Probably, but I'm putting that idea on the back burner for my 96th birthday....

Ok, how about this...31 5K races AFTER my birthday? Well, looking at the logistics of this thought, that will probably be unlikely. Race season starts to wind down in September and October, and by winter runners have a relatively hard time finding 5Ks here in Maine. I'd most likely be behind the 8-ball come spring of 2014. No, this needs to be a year long event, and what better time to start it than with the turn of the New Year?

So here is the challenge: I will run 31 5K races sometime between January 1st, 2013 and December 31st, 2013. Yeah, that's it. Does this seem easy to you? Well, let's take a brief, more in depth look at what this is going to take...

-For 31 5Ks to happen in 2013, I'll have to average more than 2.5 5K races per month. Ok, not bad so far...

-I competed in a total of 11 races in 2012 (triathlons included) with a mere 7 of these being a 5K.

-Timing. 5Ks in Maine are most common on weekends, the occasional holiday, and during a weekly race series in Portland. The weekly series occurs on Wednesday evenings starting in late May and ending around the end of August and usually includes about 14 races. Due to my busy summer schedule, I was only able to compete in one of these in 2012. This could be a major benefit for the challenge or a major let down if my schedule becomes its usual busy self.

-Money. Races are not cheap. A 5K in Maine can run ya about 20-25 bucks per. Thirty-one of them could cost me upwards of $800. Surely I can find other things to blow 800 bucks on. The weekly series cost $20 for the entire season in 2012... definitely going to have take advantage of that. This still doesn't include the cost of the new pair of shoes I'll need.

-Injuries. One injury could derail everything. I've been extremely fortunate to have never had a serious injury during my 18 years of running (just knocked on some wood). Hopefully that trend continues.

-Other events. I'm running the Bay of Fundy Marathon at the end of June and will most likely try to reclaim my rightful crown (GRRRR!) at the The Great Adventure Challenge in August. There might be other triathlons, 10Ks, and half marathons tucked in there somewhere, too. Training for these events is different than training for a 5K (what, you didn't think I was just going to show up and run a 5K, did you? I'll be a racin', baby!).

There it is. There will probably be other unforeseen obstacles along the way, but that is my own personal challenge for 2013 and for my 31st birthday. I may get there or I may not. Either way, I will try like hell and have a ton of fun, a decent amount of pain, and a whole lot of stories to share along the way.

What are your goals for 2013?

Happy New Year!

In 2013, have a merry little fun with your workout

Here's my last post of the year. Hard to believe!

This past year was a pretty big year for me in terms of helping people get fitter, happier, and healthier. I worked with dozens of people one-on-one and in my classes, and I watched almost every single one of them (can't help the fact that there are always going to be slackers) work their tails off to become better at what they want to become better at. So I decided to have a little fun with my last couple of fitness classes of 2012.

Any trainer will tell you that you can only reinvent the wheel so many times when it comes to a specific class. I primarily teach a circuit-style class both at the YMCA of Southern Maine and Fitness Success, and have played around with different interval lengths, exercises, muscle groups, etc. all year long. With it being the Christmas holiday season and all, I decided to turn up the ole brain-power creative juices and create a Christmas themed workout for folks in my class.

Donning my Santa-style thinking cap, I developed a routine that was based on the 12 Days of Christmas song. Each exercise was Christmas related, and each one was 25 seconds long (because Christmas falls on December 25th, duh!). Granted 25 seconds is the shortest interval I've ever done for a class (with the exception of the occasional Tabata training), but people loved the fact that it tied in with Christmas and the rest of the routine.

Fitness Elf

Anyway, the routine went something like this: On the first day of Christmas, your Fitness Elf (me, of course) gave to you, "a medicine ball in a pear tree!" So the first set "station" or exercise would be Tree Pose from yoga while holding a medicine ball straight over head. Then: On the second day of Christmas, your Fitness Elf gave to you, "two legs lunging!" So the second set would be some form of lunges. This went on, around the room, for 12 exercises. My creative juices were GUSHING, but it was completely worth it as the folks in class seemed to love the fun break in normal routine. There was such good feedback, in fact, that I set up a similar routine for one of the hardest working and most dedicated one-on-one clients I have. Joy to the world!

So as we look forward to 2013 and put a good, bad, or indifferent 2012 in the rear view mirror, I challenge you this: Add a little flavor to your exercise. If you are a dedicated gym rat who has been crushing the iron for what seems like forever now, change it up. Get your bike out, put it in a low gear, and go for a ride on your next legs day. Try some yoga if you've never done it. Give your favorite gym's boot camp class a whirl (these sound scarier than they really are...there are ALWAYS modifications.) Go for a run outside instead of on the dreadmill. There are endless ways to exercise and get healthy, you just have to turn on your creative minds. If you are having trouble with finding new ways, ideas, or routines, make an appointment with a trainer at a gym and have him or her give you some advice.

Let's make 2013 the healthiest year you've ever had! Until then, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Enjoy your time with your families and I look forward to writing to you all in 2013!

Walking vs. Running: Which gives you the better "burn?"

As most of you who read my blog know, I'm an avid runner and have been for a long time. I ran my first cross-country race in 1994 at the age of 12, and haven't really let up much since. I've always preferred running to walking as it's simply a way to get you to where you need to go, faster.

During freshman year of college, I worked on one side of campus and lived on the other side. The walking distance from one end to the other was about 1 mile. More times than not, it would be bitterly cold (just ask anyone who has ever been to UMaine Orono during the winter), so I would set off running across campus after work because it got me to where I needed to go quicker than walking would have, and warmed me up nicely along the way. Now, this was waaaayyyyy before I ever got involved in all this health and fitness stuff, but I have wondered if this was one of the reasons I never gained the dreaded freshman 15. What do I mean? Well, a mile is a mile, right? Doesn't it take the same amount of energy to cover that distance regardless of whether you do it in 10, 20, or 30 minutes? I've heard both sides of the argument, with one side coming from a renowned scientist, and the other coming from the running community. Let's take a look...

The first argument (well, it wasn't even really an argument at all--it was more of a statement) came from a very respected and well-known scientist at a fitness equipment manufacturer that I visited this past summer. The statement was simple and bold: "You burn just as many calories walking as you do running when travelling an equal distance." Really? This is fantastic! So my clients can either run or walk 3 miles and they will both burn just as many calories as the other.

After sharing this exciting news with several of my clients, I decided to dig around a little bit. There is an old-school way of thinking and it goes something like this: No matter how fast you move, if travelling over level ground, you will burn about 100 calories per mile. Whether you walk, sprint, crawl, run, or do any combination thereof, you will burn about 100 calories over that distance.

Really?

Well maybe, but not really. What am I talking about? Well, a study was done by the Washington University School of Medicine that took a look at perceived exertion levels of running and walking at various speeds. The subjects of the study were asked to walk at various speeds ranging from 4 to 10.4 km/hour for 5 minutes and run for 5 minutes at 7.2 to 10.4 km/hour. The conclusion drawn was basically this: There is a point when walking becomes more difficult than running, and that you when you hit this point, you will burn more calories walking than running. This point is 5 miles per hour.

Ok, so the good doctor's statement is supported! Right?

Well, there is now a new-school train of thought that has come around.

This past spring, a group of researchers from California State University published a research paper that firmly supported the theory that running burned more calories than walking. The test was done with 30 college-aged students (15 males and 15 females) averaging 156 pounds. They were asked to run a treadmill mile in 10:00 minutes on one day and to walk a treadmill mile in 18:36 on another day. After each session, they sat quietly for 30 minutes so that their metabolic rate would slow down.  It was determined that the participants burned almost 3 times as many calories per minute (4.78 for walking versus 11.25 for running) when they ran as compared to when they walked. When taking excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC, or the "after burn") into consideration, the difference between running and walking was even greater.

Interesting, right? Well, hold on. The study does have a few caveats. For one, the study was done on an "average" of participants, with each "averaging" 156 pounds. According to the study, weight, along with age, is a huge factor in how many calories a person can burn, due to how fast one can run. To figure how many calories per mile you might burn while walking, multiply .57 by weight in pounds. For running, the calculation would  be .72 x weight in pounds. This should give you a general idea of how many calories you are burning per mile.

So which one of these schools of thought is correct? Well, they both are, really. There can't really be a definitive number given to how many calories you burn when walking or running at different speeds. There just can't. The more efficient you become at it, the fewer calories your body will burn while performing what it is that you are doing. Perhaps your preferred run-walk transition speed (PTS) can shed some light on this. That is, if you run at a slower speed than your PTS, it will feel harder and you will expend more calories. The same can be said for the opposite: If you walk at speeds higher than your PTS, it will feel harder and you will burn more calories. Intervals, anyone?

Still confused? Probably. My advice to you is that if you can run, then run. If you can't run for whatever reason (bad knees, hips, back, etc.) then walk as fast as you can at a sustainable speed. Or as I mentioned above, give intervals a shot. The most important this is getting your 30-60 minutes of activity per day.

Guest Post: Success! Wedding day readiness, achieved.

I love my job. For a variety of reasons, I get to work with people to help them better their lives. Some want to lose weight, some want to train for a sport, some want to reduce back pain, some want to just feel better. Erica, a client and friend from Fitness Success in Yarmouth, Maine, worked with me in an effort to get ready for her September 2012 wedding. She was determined to look her best for the most important day of her life, and I was determined to help her get to where she wanted to be.

After her wedding, I asked Erica if she would like to write about her journey in a guest post for my blog. Here is her story, in her own words. Enjoy, because this is truly awesome...

I've always been in what I considered to be "decent" shape. I'm naturally small-boned, and while I've always been fairly active, it's been awhile since I've been really "hardcore" about fitness. Being relatively thin for most of my life, I never worried much about what I ate, and "healthy" foods weren't usually my first choice--I am one of those people who loves carbs (grilled cheese and pizza are my favorites) and I love anything chocolate. Salad was something I'd try to eat now and then, but I never really enjoyed it, and since I didn't think I had to in order to look good, I didn't push myself to eat it too often. Same with exercise--I did it when I wanted to, because I enjoyed it, but didn't usually push myself if I didn't feel like it.

Fast forward to my early 30s. While not overweight by any means, I could sense the effects of a gradually slowing metabolism and a family history of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension threatening to creep up on me. I began to notice little things, like thigh fat and flabby triceps, that weren't there before. Although no one could call me fat, I could tell that I wasn't at my physical best, and that bothered me--especially when I got engaged and started planning my wedding. I knew I was capable of looking my best with some hard work, but I also knew I would need some help to get there. A full time job, long commute, and busy lifestyle meant that I wasn't always motivated to exercise at the end of the day. 

I had taken a few circuit-style fitness classes with Nate Priest at Fitness Success in Yarmouth. During one such class, I won a competition for most improved from the beginning to the end of the 8 week class. My prize: A gift certificate to a natural food store and 3 personal training sessions with Nate! I couldn't believe how fortunate I was to have this opportunity a few months before my wedding. Nate asked what I wanted to work on most, and I was very clear: I wanted to improve the part of me that would show in my wedding dress-- my arms! During my one-on-one sessions with Nate, he designed 3 different workouts for me, focusing mostly on arms/upper body, but also working in some lower body, core, and cardio. The workouts were fast-paced, easy to follow, and actually fun! I aimed for 3-4 workouts per week, following the routines developed by Nate. In between, I went to Zumba classes, did a bit of running, and hiked. However, my primary exercise for the last few weeks leading up to the wedding was the circuit workouts. At first I did them in the gym in my apartment building, but then realized I could do them right in my apartment using nothing more than 5 and 8 pound dumbbells, a yoga mat, and a chair for those killer but oh-so-effective triceps dips. I could even watch TV at the same time!

The key to the workouts was the timing--my favorite workouts involved doing each exercise for 30 or 35 seconds, rather than a certain number of reps. This way, I didn't have to "force" myself to do a certain number (which usually results in me stopping the exercise before I should)--instead, I just did each exercise until the alarm on my phone went off, signaling the end of the 30-second interval. The exercises weren't easy, but I had a clear goal in mind that kept me going: I wanted to look great in the wedding photos! All the while, I remembered Nate's encouragement -- "you're doing great, nice work" -- while at the same time not letting me off the hook when I was tired -- "come on, you can do this!".  I haven't met many fitness instructors who can strike that balance between motivating you to push yourself, but not making you feel inadequate if you can't do something -- but Nate definitely has that skill as a trainer, and it makes a big difference.

Oh, and about those carb cravings -- it was funny, but once I started working out more, I actually felt more motivated to eat better -- and strangely, I found myself craving salad instead of pizza! I didn't do anything radical --I just made small changes that were easy to maintain but added up to a much better diet. Instead of getting a hot dog at work, I'd get a salad. When we went out to eat, I would ask to substitute a vegetable instead of pasta. Rather than using the full-fat half-and-half in my coffee at work, I brought my own fat-free coconut milk to keep in the fridge. When I ate dessert (yes, I still ate dessert), I would put my fork down between bites so that I could really taste what I was eating. It stopped me from eating so fast, and ended up with me eating less. I didn't worry much about the number on the scale -- in total, I think I only lost the extra 4-5 pounds I had put on--but it was enough. My muscles were back. And on my wedding day, I was perfectly happy with the way I looked. 

If you're looking to go from being in "decent" shape (or even bad shape!) to being really fit, here are the steps I would recommend based on my experience: 1) Set a goal with a timeline -- whether it's a major life event, a race you sign up for, or a just-for-fun photo shoot -- something to you want to look and feel great for. 2) Make exercise fun -- try varying what you do so that you don't get bored. Mix in weight training with running, dance, hiking, or whatever you enjoy. 3) Follow a routine --treat exercise just like a doctor's appointment -- it's just as important! 4) If you need a jump-start, team up with a fitness professional who has the experience, knowledge, and personality to help set you on the right track to getting healthy. That's what Nate did for me, and I'll always be grateful.