Tag Archives: training

Diets, Fitness

You can’t outwork a bad diet

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By DAVID TEPERA | Posted: Wednesday, May 13, 2015 

I believe it was Steve Weatherford, punter for the New York Giants, who said “you can’t outwork a bad diet.” How true is this?

I’ve been training in the same gym for over 10 years. I’ve observed people who’ve been training the same amount of time and have not made any positive body changes. Obviously, the only reason is due to a bad diet.

There is one particular very overweight gentleman, who kills it on the treadmill and then plays at least an hour of competitive basketball. He is typically soaked in sweat when he leaves the gym.

Maybe, he is content with his high body fat percentage, but just a few positive tweaks of a diet would help him lose excessive weight.

How about you? Most people think if they perform lots of cardio, they can continue loading up on bad foods. Quit fooling yourself, you will stay fat.

The only plus is your legs will get strong because they have to support all that fat you’re carrying. Notice how most obese people have big strong calves. So, when they do decide to lose weight, they’ll have beautiful muscular legs.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I applaud everyone putting their bodies in motion to be healthier. But, if you’re trying to lose weight, then a proper diet is the only way.

Cardio exercise will boost metabolism, which helps the body shrink fat cells. But, loading up on greasy fried food, chips and cookies will fill them back up.

Why take the time and effort to put your body through vigorous exercise if you’re going to blow it all on bad foods?

You can lose more fat weight from dieting alone, instead of killing yourself with exercise. If you’ve been following my column, then you know you there’s no need to starve yourself to lose weight. Find my column “Eat if you want to lose weight”.

Fitness

Ready for exercise? Start at the core

By DAVID TEPERA | Posted: Wednesday, January 14, 2015

OK, it’s January 2015, and you’re ready to start exercising. You might be confused on how and what to start with. There are so many choices of exercises, fads, diets and gym memberships.

One particular body part that needs the most focus is your core. Your core affects all other body parts, including posture and well being.

So what does core training include? It’s all the muscles of the trunk which includes front, side, back, abdominals, spine, pelvic and obliques.

So how do I work these muscles? There are many fitness centers and trainers who target these muscles in their workouts.

There a several home devices that help target these muscles as well. For example – kettle bells, medicine balls, weighted hula hoops, wheel devices and others.

One true core and abdominal strengthening devices on the market is The Abdominal Reanimater. This core trainer is for people of all fitness levels, including partner and spotting techniques. Plus, it doesn’t take many repetitions or time, and you feel the effects after the first usage. Once your body has adjusted to one workout, keep advancing to other techniques.

You can be a first timer, weekend warrior or extreme athlete. Every person will feel and get results.

Go to www.abdominalreanimater.com and click on “instructional video”. It will demonstrate the variety of techniques according to your fitness level along with safety posture.

Local orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Kenneth Brooks, who uses the Abdominal Reanimater as part of his personal workout regimen, recommends core strengthening to his patients as an essential component of any fitness or training program.  The Abdominal Reanimater is one option to help you achieve your fitness goals for the new year.

Remember, slow progress is better than no progress.

Fitness

Is your Christmas going to help you get in better shape?

By DAVID TEPERA | Posted: Tuesday, December 23, 2014

How many of you are getting Christmas gifts geared toward fitness? New bikes, running shoes, gym memberships, work out apparel, treadmills and so on.

The kids and I always get a kick each year around this time, counting all the people on the side of the road cardioing with their new Christmas gifts.

It’s truly great to see everyone trying their best to start a fitness program to get in better shape with a new healthy lifestyle. The sad part is, by mid-February, the numbers rapidly dwindle.

Admit it, your in-house equipment becomes a laundry clothes rack. All the new bicycles end up taking space in the garage gathering dust.

Statistics show that most people quit and give up after about six weeks. Only 7 percent of people stay with their new program and change their lives.

There’s no secret, losing weight and getting in better shape is one of the hardest tasks to accomplish. You have to remember how long it took you to get overweight and out of shape.

First of all, get rid of your weight scale. Scales will only be frustrating because your weight will fluctuate. You see, what happens is when you’ve been sedentary for a long period of time, your muscle mass has atrophied (shrunk). Muscle is 5 times heavier than adipose tissue (fat).

When you start working out, your muscles will grow while you’re losing fat weight, and that will offset your scale.

The only true way to measure if you’re making gains, is to strip naked and look in the mirror. Of course, we all do that anyway, but do some “flex time”. Squeeze all your muscles to see which ones are starting to show up. Do some naked jumping jacks to see what’s jiggling the most, not counting reproductive parts.

Have fun with the new Christmas gifts and make 2015 the best year ever. Don’t forget to love to all people, and I’ll see you on the side of the road

Fitness

Help strengthen relationships through fitness

By DAVID TEPERA | Posted: Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Have your kids grown up and are out of the house? Do you look at your spouse and ask “Who are you?” For the last 18 plus years, your lives were focused around raising your kids. And now, there is a major void in your lives. The most important thing you had in common is gone.

This is actually an exciting time in your mature lives — you get to date again. Now, it’s time to rekindle and strengthen the love you once had for each other.

My personal thought: there’s no better way to fall in love again than through fitness. 

I’ve interviewed multiple couples in my local gym, ranging from mid 20s to almost 90 years old. Almost all of them warm up together on a variety of cardio machines, lift weights together, join a cardio class or do their own thing to end up back together before they leave the gym. Not only are you improving your health, but improving your relationships at the same time. 

You don’t always need a gym. You can take walks, bike rides and perform various core exercises together at home. Why not try something completely different and go ice or roller skating? You should get a huge laugh out of it, and who cares if you’re the oldest people there?

It gets even better. Now, you can grocery shop together to choose best diet and healthy foods. At home, share the kitchen and learn to cook heathy in a variety of ways.

The kitchen is a great place to flirt. Preparing food, cooking, setting tables, and cleaning up can be a sexy romantic environment. It’s your private time, so why not grab here, pinch there and wear loose comfy clothes, if you know what I mean? By the way, I don’t recommend olive oil for anything but cooking.

Always make sure to give daily compliments and encouragement.  Hearing a compliment from the person you love is most special. 

Put a smile on each other’s face, and enjoy being teenagers again, with a mature twist.

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.