Inspiration

Change your thinking, change your quality of life

By DAVID TEPERA | Posted: Wednesday, November 12, 2014

There are no limits on what you can do, except for the limits you place upon yourself.

You are truly an amazing and exceptional person, and can achieve anything you want, if you’re willing to put in the time and effort. The important key is to start today and never give up.

I never thought a boy, who couldn’t make a grade higher than a C in English class, would become a columnist for a well-respected newspaper.

If you’re not satisfied with your current fitness state or life circumstances, then you must change your thinking. You must mentally train to visualize yourself as you desire to be.

When performing fitness exercises, do you visualize yourself as a professional athlete? For example — while running, what are your body mechanics? Are you running with slump shoulders, sloppy hands and feet? Or, do you visualize an Olympic athlete racing for a gold medal?

How do you walk around in daily life? Throw your shoulders back, walk with confidence, and give off the presence of the amazing person you truly are.

Take charge of your life. All successes and failures are completely in your control. Failures are learning steps towards success. It’s failures that make successes much more meaningful.

If losing weight and toning our bodies was easy, then we would all possess them. That’s why you get so much respect from others when they see your dedication to improve. It’s not easy, but the results are rewarding.

We all have an athlete within us. It’s up to you to have the discipline and desire to improve in every aspect of your life — be that physical, emotional, educational, or financial.

Today is that day you’ve been waiting for. Now, get up and scream, “Today, I’m going to kick bad habit’s butt!”

Fitness

Hit a dead end in fitness program? Mix it up

By DAVID TEPERA | Posted: Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Have you been working out a few months or more, and your body isn’t making any improvements? During the first few months, you were losing weight, getting sore muscles and dropping dress and belt sizes. Now, nothing seems to be happening. Are you stuck and getting frustrated?

This happens to all of us, and the answer is somewhat simple. Your body has adjusted to your workouts, met the demands you placed upon it, and has settled. 

You can’t keep doing the same routine over and over. You have to play tricks on your body which forces it to continually adjust. 

For cardio, find at least three different types of exercises and regularly change it up. Each week, pick a different cardio exercise like treadmill, bike, speed walk, stair climber, Precor and others. Get your heart rate up where you feel it beating in your chest.

For weightlifting, change the order of muscle groups in your routine, use different machines and free weights, use heavy weights one week and the following week use light weights with high repetition. 

Confuse your body with variety of workouts and it will continually make changes.

This will get you out of a rut, plus it’s a lot more fun. We are all creatures of habit, and making changes throws us out of our comfort zone. That’s why us older folks struggle with all the new technology in the world. By the way, when did Etch-a-Sketch turn into iPads? 

You have one life. This is no dress rehearsal. Every day needs to be a step closer to your goals, no matter your age. Don’t throw in the towel on life — use it to wipe off sweat. Challenge yourself today, step out of your comfort zone and make a difference in you and the people around you.

Fitness

Consider investing in a personal trainer

By DAVID TEPERA | Posted: Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Have you ever walked into a gym and were overwhelmed by all the fitness equipment? It can be intimidating looking at the sea of weights and cardio machines. You probably felt like a high school freshman on the first day of school.

If you haven’t worked out in quite some time or need help accomplishing fitness goals, then seek a personal trainer.

There are many qualified trainers who will help acclimate to a gym environment. You’ll learn which weight lifting equipment targets specific muscle groups and how to activate cardio machines to burn calories.

A good trainer will listen to your specific goals and set up personalized programs to accomplish them. Trainers should be highly motivating, informative and completely focused on you during the hour training sessions.

Here is my personal advice in choosing a personal trainer. First of all, when starting a program, only invest in minimal amount of training sessions. You need to make sure there is a personality connection with your trainer, and they are truly involved with your fitness goals. You’ll have a tendency to purchase larger amounts of training sessions due to overall costs being lower, but you don’t want to be stuck and disappointed if this trainer isn’t for you.

Second, if the trainer is pushing you to purchase supplements and products, then they are only interested in making money. You don’t need to purchase any products when starting a fitness program. Your body will make improvements, and energy levels will increase by just getting in motion.

After a period of time, if you feel the need, then a qualified personal trainer or nutritionist will help set up a personalized diet program.

Remember, training sessions are your “Me Time”, so make the most out of it!

Diets

Eat, if you want to lose weight

By DAVID TEPERA | Posted: Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Most people think they must skip meals or eat as little as possible in order to lose weight, but doing either of those makes you feel horrible and almost certainly fails.

The good news is, you actually should never go hungry and eat six to seven times a day. I eat all day long and have a low body fat percentage.

You’ve might had heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Guess what? It is. This is the meal you can load up on carbs like whole wheat pancakes, toast, waffles or oatmeal for the best choice.

These complex carbs give you energy to burn throughout the day. Then, every two to three hours prior to lunch, replenish energy levels with raw nuts, fruits and vegetables. Repeat process until dinner. There are other healthy snacks. I only listed a few.

Note: It’s important to reduce carbs after breakfast to very minimal by dinner. Eating carbs into the evening will only store as fat.

Replenishing your body with quality food keeps metabolism burning all day. When you starve, your metabolism shuts down and tries to hang on to as much fat as possible. Starving also forces your body to tap into muscle tissue for energy. So, when you look at the scale and are excited that you’ve lost weight, sorry to inform you but a good percentage of that weight loss is muscle. And, if you blow your diet, you’ve put more fat on top of smaller muscle. Now you look worse than ever. That’s the destruction of fad diets.

Think about it, how did our prehistoric ancestors survive through harsh winters? The body has an amazing way of surviving. It won’t burn fat if it’s needed to live. When you skip meals, the body goes into survival mode. Make sense?

Dr. Roxanne Edrington from Friendswood said it best, “It’s like building a fire. You have to keep adding a log every hour or so to keep the fire burning.” The fire is your metabolism and the logs are food energy sources.

Remember, you’re only trying to be healthier for a better quality of life. Don’t worry about a little extra fat here and there. Just as long as you feel better and have more energy.

Strive for progress, not perfection

Fitness

Weight training, cardio helps conquer depression

By DAVID TEPERA | Posted: Wednesday, October 15, 2014

This week’s article is dedicated to a couple of friends of mine battling depression due to personal tragedies. We’ve all had or will encounter adverse situations in our lives, like divorce, loss of a loved one and unemployment. I’ve experienced all three, and weight training became my medicine. My goal was to wear myself out in order to sleep at night, but it helped me to start enjoying life again. To my surprise, I was able to get into incredible shape through the process.

Duke University performed a study finding 60 percent of people who trained four months for 40 minutes four times a week overcame depression without the use of antidepressant medication.

A Harvard study found that 10 weeks of strength training reduced clinical depression more successfully than counseling.

Now, don’t misunderstand me, some people need professional help, along with support from family and friends. I’m only giving you an option to consider because it worked for me personally.

Some proven facts from weight training are — instant release of endorphins which is the “feel good” hormone, stress reduction, increased energy levels and improved immune system.

Go outside to walk, run or bike and move faster than before. Feel the fresh air filling your lungs, the sun radiating on your skin and the sweat pouring to cool your body against the wind.

Get into a weight room to take out all your anxiety and frustration against the hard cold iron. Challenge yourself and push more weight than usual. Use every force of muscle to its limits with a “take no prisoner” attitude. You’ll walk out of that gym ready to conquer whatever life throws at you.

You’re going to feel better, look better and receive plenty of attention and compliments on your new body.

Remember, you can’t always control what happens to you, but you can always control how you respond to it. Surround yourself around happy people, watch comedy shows and movies, read motivational books and put on some great music to dance around the house showing off your best moves.

Life is awesome because you’re in it with me. Through my years, I’ve found beauty and love in everyone and it’s changed my life forever.

Fitness

1st marathon a humbling experience

By DAVID TEPERA | Posted: Wednesday, October 8, 2014

First of all, if you have the desire to run a marathon, get proper shoes, train and go for it. It is quite an exhilarating experience and athletic accomplishment. Besides the physical grind it takes to complete a marathon, there’s a mental toughness component as well.

I don’t recommend training for too many marathons because the constant road pounding takes its toll on your feet, knees and hips, especially for women. Ladies, you’re not built for long distance running unless you don’t have childbearing hips. Female femur bones are torqued from hips to knees, and can cause wear and pain. Of course, there are exceptions, and I commend your dedication.

Fourteen years ago, I decided to run the Houston marathon for my 40th birthday. The race is typically in January, so I started training in August. My training was progressing very well in distance and time. Then my daughter was born in November, and all training stopped. I was the father who did all late night feedings.

January came around and I hadn’t run in over two months. I decided to go for it, since I’d already invested money into the race. The weather was sunny and cool, which made for perfect running conditions.

The race started and I felt fairly well until the 12th mile. That’s when King Kong jumped on my back and I carried him the rest of the way. I did finish the 26.2 mile race, which took me five and a half hours.

There are large crowds of people who attend these events cheering on the runners. During my last few miles, the crowd felt sorry for me and kept yelling “You’re going to make it.” That’s what happens when you look like a zombie limping down the road.

I finally crossed the finish line crying like a newborn baby. Someone snapped a picture and sent it to me. I had the picture blown up to poster size, so I could boast to all my friends and family. Well, to my humility, the oversized picture exposed my crocodile tears and large snot bubbles exploding from my nostrils. The poster never made it to the wall.

It took me two months to recover and I haven’t run since.

Diets

Don’t set yourself up for failure with diets

By DAVID TEPERA | Posted: Thursday, October 2, 2014 

Almost all of us want to lose weight. How many of you tried multiple diets, but after a short period of time, the temptation of old habits gets you? The diet fails because we set ourselves up for failure. You can’t completely stop old habits. It has to be a slow process that develops over time while becoming a lifestyle.

I’m going to teach you an optional way to cheat with diets. The goal is to help you succeed while transferring from bad eating habits to good.

I am a single parent of two teenagers, and I typically cook at least five days out of the week. Even though I’m teaching my kids healthy food choices, they still get their doughnuts and ice cream.

For starters, do your best to keep a healthy diet during the week, and let weekends be off-limits. Your mind will take better control of a diet if it knows a reward is coming in a few days. This doesn’t mean to eat unhealthy foods on the weekend, but if you want to, you can without guilt.

Try this — don’t eat any fried foods or sweets Monday through Friday. Then celebrate with your favorite dessert on Saturday. Continue doing this each week and healthier habits will develop.

If for some reason you venture off your diet during the week, don’t beat yourself up over it. Accept it as a rough patch toward a better eating lifestyle.

If you have an uncontrollable urge to cheat during the week then cheat with a snack and not the meal. Eat a candy bar between meals and still keep meals healthy. You’ve only blown the diet with a candy bar, not on a full meal. It won’t be as depressing.

Don’t be discouraged by what you’re not able to do, but encouraged by what you’ve accomplished.

Inspiration

Your ideal weight is really a mental state

By DAVID TEPERA | Posted: Wednesday, September 24, 2014

We are all hardest on ourselves in regards to body image.

We know our own bad habits, food choices and lack of exercise.

There is no secret, dieting is one of the most challenging components of losing weight.

Every day through advertisement, we are bombarded with unhealthy food choices.

So, we mentally tell ourselves, “I don’t want to be fat, I don’t want to eat fried foods, ice cream, burgers or chips.”

We repeat this in our minds over and over.

Well, guess what happens?

All you’ve accomplished is to think about being fat and eating unhealthy foods – so, you become overweight and out of shape.

You have to change the way you think and your approach to life.

Mentally see yourself as the perfect image desired.

If you have a picture of it, tape it on the bathroom mirror.

Now, visualize yourself repeatedly as that image and create the feeling of it.

Carry yourself throughout the day with confidence as if you already possess that desired image. You’ll be amazed how life will transpire. Remember, we all look different, and it’s wonderful.

Just imagine if we all looked and dressed the same — how boring.

Now, moving forward.

Ladies, whenever you undress, say the words, “These stretch marks are really beauty marks proving that I’m an amazing beautiful mother.”

For men, say “This hair loss and extra wrinkles on my face make me look wise, distinguished and handsome.”

And, for all of us, say, “There is no person in the entire world that looks like me, and I love me.”

Fitness

Get moving and start exercising outside the box

By DAVID TEPERA | Posted: Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Several readers contacted me expressing they just don’t have time to exercise. Even though I could argue with that statement, let me help you think outside the box.

If this pertains to you, then you have to become creative within your particular lifestyle. How can you find ways of exercising throughout daily activities and work?

We’ve all heard “take the stairs, not the escalator or elevator.” This is actually true. I work in multiple hospitals throughout Houston using many parking garages. I chose to trade in my briefcase for a backpack. I strap it on tight and briskly walk using the stairs — if it’s less than four stories.

Here are some examples from people I know about how they added exercising into their lives.

My fiancé lives in a two-story home. One day, she walked up and down the stairs 18 times. The next day she was so sore she could barely walk it three times.

This is a great leg and butt-toning exercise. Try taking two stairs at a time and deep stretch with each step. If you don’t live in a two-story building, then step up and down on a sturdy chair or stool against a wall.

A friend of mine in League City bought an extra 10 bags of 40-pound mulch. He placed them in the corner of his backyard. Each evening he picks them up and transfers them to the other side of the yard.

Some other suggestions:

How many pushups, situps, squat/thrusts and jumping jacks can you perform during TV commercials?

Buy a $5 jump rope.

Fill plastic grocery bags with canned food and do arm curls while preparing meals in the kitchen.

Turn the music up on house cleaning day and dance like nobody’s watching. You’re guaranteed to work up a good sweat.

The list is endless, so send me your creative ideas.

Fitness

Selecting a gym

By DAVID TEPERA | Posted: Wednesday, September 10, 2014

A comedian once said “I like being married for two reasons: 1) I got really tired of dating, and 2) I got really tired of exercising.”

So, how many of you married people fall into that category? Do you have Dunlap disease? Your belly done lapped over your belt!

Now it’s time to get a gym membership, so you ask, “which is the best gym for me?”

First, you should find the closest gym to your residence. If the gym is too far, then you’ll find an excuse not to go. Convenience is essential.

Second, gym hours are important. Some of you are early risers and getting a workout before work or other obligations is best. A large number of Daily News readers are shift workers. There are gyms that never close except on certain holidays.

Third, what are your goals? Most of us are trying to lose weight and gain muscle. If it’s just losing weight, then almost all gyms will be accommodating because of the variety of cardio equipment. If it’s to gain muscle, the gym must have a variety of weight machines and free weights.

Note: Men, your testosterone levels are highest in the morning.

Fourth, gym costs. Select a gym that fits your budget. My advice is to stay away from long-term contracts. Only buy month-to-month memberships. Sadly, statistics show most people quit after six weeks. Some gyms add extra costs for exercise classes. Just know the person selling memberships most likely gets commission on the amount of your deposit.

Typically, there are discounts for seniors, corporate accounts and family add-ons. Most gyms offer membership specials at the end of month to meet sales quotas.

One benefit of a gym membership is the people you meet. Be friendly and enjoy. Working out should be fun, not a chore and become a lifestyle.