How to lose 100 or more pounds

Props to Heather Davis. She has lost 110 pounds. It's a story many would like to live. She didn't follow a gimmicky diet or or sign-up for a quick fix fad. She did it with a good plan, hard work and perseverance.

Here are ten tips she offered in a CNN story that you can use to help you on your journey.

I like all of these tips. I use variations of nearly all of these in my weight loss program. One that I haven't used but will incorporate immediately, Tip #8, keep an item of your "big" clothes as motivation. That's a great idea!

Congratulations Heather!

1. Never let anyone tell you "You can't." Yes, you can.
2. Get as much social support as possible. Going to the gym with others is fun and motivating.
3. You will not be the biggest person in the gym and everyone will not be staring at you.
4. Some thin people in the gym used to be really heavy and they will applaud you.
5. Lose weight for you. Not because someone else tells you to. Also, know when to stop losing.
6. If you lose your way (fall off your diet), get right back into the saddle and try again.
7. Keep a calendar. Mark off every day you exercise and eat right. You will see the days rack up, and it will make you proud.
8. When you do lose weight, save one item from your heaviest weight. Look at it when you feel discouraged and you'll see how far you've come.
9. Don't let friends or family derail you. If you don't want to eat something, it is OK to politely decline, but don't go crazy. You don't want to be "that person" at the lunch table.
10. If you want cheesecake or a sweet treat -- eat it in moderation. Don't deprive yourself of anything or you will get discouraged.

How Powerful is a Boot Camp?

First, you need to get into my boot camp. Today is the last day of the first week, but you can still register - right up until next Friday!

Second, If you're skeptical of the results you can get from a Boot Camp, read this article.

Finally, the best Boot Camps are fun, challenging, rewarding and most importantly, get results. Exactly what you get here.

Fitness Trends for 2008

January 8, 2008

The American College of Sports Medicine published it's fitness trends report for 2008 in December of last year.

A pdf version of the article is here: http://www.informz.net/acsm/data/images/worldwidetrends.pdf

In surveying nearly 2,000 fitness professionals throughout the world and corroborating with internationally known fitness experts, a list of 20 fitness trends was identified. I'm giving you the top 10 and adding my comments to each.

Take a look and let me know what you think. Are your New Year's Resolutions aligned with any of these trends? Are you a member of a health club or fitness center that offers services like these? Do you have access to these services?
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Number 1: Educated and Experienced Fitness Professionals
There is currently no regulation of Certifying agencies for fitness professionals. Anyone can offer a "Personal Trainer" cerfitication and not have standards to meet. However, more and more certifying organizations and schools are becoming accredited. This is great. Just as hiring a CPA gives confidence that certain levels of education have been obtained and demonstrated, so should it be with fitness professionals.

As a doctor, I continuously push for higher educational standards of personal trainers and you should too. After all, you literally put your life in their hands. And if a trainer you have chosen isn't educated and trained regarding contraindications, you are taking a big risk.

Number 2: Children and Obesity
This is an important one. Reports have been saying for a while that this may be the first generation that doesn't outlive their parents. And a big part of that is obesity and related lifestyle disorders. If we can keep physical education in the schools and take advantage of physically active based after school programs for our children, it will be a major step in the right direction.

Number 3: Personal Training
This will be a staple of the top 10 every year the survey is conducted. Learning to exercise properly, whether it be for health or sport, should be your number one priority. And a well-educated personal trainer is invaluable in that regard. Without proper instruction you are more likely to get injured and may never reach your goals.

Number 4: Strength Training
Personally, I'm glad this is in the top 10. The health benefits of strength training are simply too numerous and profound to ignore. You must incorporate strength training into your exercise routine.

Number 5: Core Training
At one time, people thought this was a fad. But it has certainly lasted long enough to be called a trend. Core training has been defined as training the muscles of the abdominals and lower back. Some include balance training too. Whatever the case, strength in the trunk of your body is needed for support. Strengthen your core and you'll feel better.

Number 6: Special Fitness Programs for Older Adults
As you age, health becomes more important (it really should be important from day 1). And programs tailored to older individuals are more popular. Programs like these focus on increasing strength, flexibility and performing activities of daily living. As a side benefit, all of these things significantly improve your health too.

Number 7: Pilates
A form of core training, Pilates has been a staple of the fitness scene for years.

Number 8: Functional Fitness
This is a form of exercise that improves your ability to perform activities of daily living. A well-balanced program will improve overall strength, flexibility, balance and heart fitness. As you progress, you will feel more confident when performing regular tasks as your risk of injury and adverse events decreases.

Number 9: Swiss Ball
Most people refer to them as stability balls. These are the large balls most fitness centers now have. They can be used to perform an almost limitless number of exercises, focusing on training the abdominals, improving balance and overall stabilization. Core training incorporates the use of stability balls.

Number 10: Yoga
A form of mind-body exercise that focuses on flexibility, posture and meditation.

Additional thoughts by me...
I like the list and am considering posting 11-20. However, I think teasing out the differences in some of these is difficult. For example, Core Training, Functional Fitness, Pilates, Swiss Ball and Yoga aren't all that different - at least not different enough to have their own categories.

There are a couple of things I would have liked to seen in the top 10:

1. Greater focus on dealing with chronic diseases and conditions that physical activity positvely effects. For example, there is no mention of type II diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease. This might fall under the auspices of education, which is #1. In my personal opinion, fitness professionals could do themselves (and their industry by default) a lot of good by educating themselves in these areas, creating services to help more people and having a positive impact in the lives of people.


2. More focus on developing services to help businesses improve the health of their employees. All fitness centers and personal training studios have small businesses close to them. They should be developing programs to help these businesses reduce health-related costs. For example, we recently performed a healthy back seminar for two different companies with amazing results. Based on worker productivity, reduced sick time and improvement in back pain, the companies were able to realize savings of more than $40,000. That's a lot of money. Click here to read our press release.

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We are firmly into the second week of the New Year. How are you doing on your resolutions? I hope you're doing well. If you need a boost we're here to help. Take a look at some of the more specific New Year's services we're offering to help you reach those goals.

• BSFC Remote: The best way for you to get there from here! In BSFC Remote I personally develop your exercise routine based on your goals and current ability. Each workout includes a step-by-step guide on performing your workout along with illustrations and text descriptions of all activities. The illustrations show you correct body position for the beginning and ending position of each exercise and stretch. Finally, you'll get full email support throughout your time in BSFC Remote. If you ever have a question, all you will have to do is email me and I'll get back to you. Here is a sample of the photos and text descriptions for a single exercise. Remember, each exercise and stretch in your program will have this too.


• Tomorrow (Wednesday) is the free webinar on living, looking and feeling younger. Remember, you'll get all the keys to achieve this. There are only a few slots available...click here to register and learn how to live, look and feel younger.

• Don't forget. Next Monday (January 14, 2008) our 6-week Boot Camp begins. It's a program that will challenge your inner fitness soul, melt away the body fat, make you stronger, give you more energy and improve your health. As a bonus, all those that sign-up get a white Brian Sekula Fitness Center t-shirt and in the pool to win a gray version of the t-shirt. Like I said last week and again yesterday, if you live within 10 minutes of the SW Freeway and Beltway 8 (or if you drive through that intersection), you're making a mistake by not signing up. We still have slots available in both the AM and PM sessions but you better hurry. Sign-up today!

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That's all for today. Make it a great day. I'll see you soon.

Until then, break a sweat today. It will do your body good.

Brian

Sign up here to receive regular articles like this.

Links for you:
Live, Look and Feel Younger
6-week Boot Camp
BSFC Remote
Read this article at our website

Football workout video

Here is a video demo of Chris performing a quick football workout on the Pro Trainer II from Vortex. Chris is demonstrating four exercises:

• Alternating chest press/punch: note the lean of his body - this helps develop power and explosion in his arms, shoulders and chest.
• Alternating high rows: Do these as fast as you can to develop the fast-twitch muscle fibers.
• Alternating bicep curls: Same as above
• Hip explosions with the bench: really jump into the bench and develop power and explosion in your hips - if you're a linebacker, strong safety or CB this will help you become a more aggressive and powerful tackler.

Keep in mind that these are only four of a practically unlimited number of exercises you could do while training for football. Check out other videos we've recorded. There are a lot of other videos you can find too. Youtube, myspace and other sites where videos can be posted have some, like NFL players, MMA, UFC and other professional athletes using this equipment.

If getting stronger and developing more power and explosion are important to football (you know they are, right?), why aren't you training that way? Oh, that's right. You don't have equipment like this. Never fear, you can come here and train. We're the only gym in Texas that has this equipment and it's right here in Houston.

Our location (59 and SW Frwy) makes it easy to get here within 15 minutes from a lot of different places. Get down here and check us and this equipment out!

Golf Fitness Preview on the Vortex

Here it is...as promised yesterday - a video preview of a golf-fitness workout on the Vortex Equipment. Keep in mind this is only a 2-minute preview, your session at the fitness center will be an hour.

A quick description:

There are 4 different exercises. Each one was done for 1 set of 10 repetitions. The important thing(s) for you to notice are the limited amount of time it takes to switch from exercise to the next. How much work gets done with limited movement from one area to another, and how incorporating one piece of equipment (the BOSU) completely changes the exercise.

The four exercises demonstrated below are:

1. Squats on BOSU with overhead press
2. Trunk rotations with stability ball (right and left side)
3. Alternating high rows on BOSU
4. Swing exercise

With only these four exercises, we worked on:

• muscular strength - obviously by pushing, pulling, lifting and twisting the weights
• stability - notice, too how my feet are constantly moving when standing on the BOSU trainer
• posture - staying in correct posture is tough work when performing exercises like these
• balance - see comment on stability, the feet constantly moving really shifts your center of gravity
• core - the abdominals are almost constantly engaged and they get an extra workout when doing the rotations and swing exercise
• coordination - reaching out, twisting and pulling all while attempting to keep correct posture AND perform the exercise correctly is a tremendous challenge to your coordination.

All of these are important components of your golf-specific fitness program.

The equipment used was minimal: a stability ball, BOSU trainer, golf handle made by Gene Mitchell and, of course, the Pro Trainer II's from Vortex.



Now that you've seen it and are ready to try it for yourself, register here.

Oh...and post your comments below.

Lateral Shuffle BOSU Trainer

Below is a video demonstration of a Lateral Shuffle on a BOSU trainer. See more exercise videos demonstrated by me here.

This is a great exercise for golfers. For all the benefits, read this. If it's August 21, 2007 or later you'll have to go to the archives page and read Issue #33.

If you're a golfer and want tips like this on a regular basis, sign-up for Brian's Report. It's my FREE golf-fitness newsletter. Just by signing up you'll get three great bonus gifts: a nutrition e-book, a golf-fitness e-book and a golf-specific workout, not to mention some of the best golf-fitness tips you can find.

Try this exercise and let me know your results.

Brian

Increasing Torso Flexibility for Golf

Here is the post I promised in the newsletter on increasing torso rotation.

In the article, I said the golf swing was complex and any program needed to take this into account. The stretches below do just that.

Each stretch should be performed in two different ways. The first is a more traditional method of stretching and will improve your static flexibility. The other will improve your dynamic flexibility.

For the more traditional method, perform each stretch for 3 sets of 15 seconds. That means to perform the stretch as stated in the text description and hold it for 15 seconds. Relax and then do it two more times.

For the dynamic method, move to the point of feeling the stretch as indicated in the text description and hold for only 2 seconds. Relax and perform again. Repeat this 9 more times for a total of 10 repetitions. Each time you perform the stretch, try to move a little farther. Do this for all of the stretches.

Perform the stretches daily. On one day, perform only the traditional stretches and on the next perform only the dynamic stretches. Go back and forth this way for an entire month and see what a difference this will make.

You'll see results!

Okay, we've got four stretches here. One each for the hamstrings, back of your hips, front of your hips and your torso.

Unfortunately, you're going to have to download the file.

I tried posting the pictures and text descriptions. I really did! I simply could not get them posted short of making a long list - it was too long.

So I created a pdf file that contains them all. Right-click and select save as to download this file.

Why exercise is good!

Exercise is good. Inflammation in the body is bad! - it's significantly related to a whole host of cardiovascular diseases.

The most frequently measured biomarker of inflammation in the body is C-reactive protein (CRP). High levels of CRP indicate high levels of inflammation. Essential fatty acids (Omega 3's, for example) are known to reduce inflammation - so eat some fresh, Wild Salmon today :-). Other foods known to reduce inflammation are fresh fruits and vegetables, like berries, grapes, celery and avocadoes (there are more but that's a quick list). Green tea has some anti-inflammatory characteristics too.

Fitness has been shown to be inversely related to CRP, the more fit you are the less CRP in your bloodstream. What hasn't been very well understood, however, is the mechanism that's in play. For example, if you are highly fit and have low CRP levels, is that because you are fit or are the habits of living your daily lifestyle (ie, diet full of fresh fruits, vegetables and healthy doses of essential fatty acids) causing your low levels of CRP.

This study attempted to answer that question.

What they found was that exercise was a significant contributor to low levels of CRP. They looked at sympathetic and parasympathetic tone. The former increases heart rate, respiration, substrate utilization, etc... when you start exercising, while the latter brings these values down, back to resting levels once you stop. Their main finding was a direct relationship between parasympathetic tone and CRP, which means the longer your body takes to get back to resting levels, the higher your levels of CRP. And, conversely, the quicker your body gets back to resting levels, the lower your levels of CRP.

So exercise is good for reducing inflammation in the body. Chalk up another one for the good guys.

Understand this, exercise is good but higher intensity exercise is even better. If you want to work on your body's ability to recover, than do some interval training or other form of high intensity training. It can be cardio, weights, agility drills, anything really, the higher the intensity, the harder your body has to work to recover. Over time, it will recover more quickly and decrease your overall level of inflammation.

So, really, go out and break a sweat today! here in Houston today, that won't be too hard :-)

Dr. Brian


PS. If you need some guidance on your exercise program, sign up for one of our FREE newsletters. If you are a golfer and want to knock 4-5 strokes off your game, get a copy of the Golf Fitness Boot Camp, you can even download it to your computer right now! It will improve your game and the inflammation in your body.

What's the best way to lose weight?

So glad you asked!

There are many ways to effectively lose weight, some better than others. But for most of us, at least according to this study, your plan should have some accountability.

The study compared formal weight loss programs (diet and exercise only) to those that had a meeting/group component included, which they referred to as dietary counseling. Weekly meetings helped participants understand what their bodies were going through, how to deal with setbacks and learning to live a new lifestyle.

Those in the counseling group lost 10-15 pounds and kept it off for approximately 1 year, significantly greater weight loss and long-term success than diet and exercise alone. Now I know what you are thinking, only 10-15 pounds? I want/need to lose 25, 50 pounds or more. That's not the point. The point is they lost weight and kept it off for a year.

If you need to lose more and participate in a program that only helps you lose 15, is that failure? I think it's a darn good success story and gives you all the confidence you need to keep going.

Again, the main point is that they lost weight!

But why?

It's the social support aspect of the dietary counseling. When you have weekly meetings, you're more likely to stick with the program. Encouragement from others within the group builds confidence. These meetings also have someone participate that's "been there, done that." Their experience alone is invaluable. Finally, should you ever miss a meeting, someone will be there to ask you why. If your excuse is lame, the guilt alone can be enough to get you over a hurdle.

Back to the title of the post. Is this the best way to lose weight? On an individual basis, maybe - maybe not. For most people, weekly meetings (counseling, inspiration, motivation - however you want to label them) work extremely well for long-term success.

Remember, losing weight and then gaining it back is not the ultimate. Keeping it off is.

Have you been in a program like this? What are your thoughts? Have you tried, tried and tried to lose weight, only to have a little success and then fall back to the old habits?

We can help. First, sign up for our fitness center newsletter BSFC Monthly. It's absolutely free and comes with nice bonus gifts for signing up. Plus, each month it's loaded with all sorts of good information on fitness, diet, health and exercise.

If you live in Houston or pass through the SW part of town on a regular basis, our Fit Heart Membership is just the ticket for you. The benefits, amenities and services associated with this membership are absolutely second to none!

Until next time, break a sweat today and eat some fruits and vegetables!

Dr. Brian

We can do this for you...

A hard-copy workout program, with a daily schedule and other physical activity related material, including instructions, photos, motivational techniques and more has been found to be more effective at increasing and maintaining physical activity levels than phone-based methods.

The results of this study are encouraging on several fronts. First, proper instruction is vitally important. I think, at least intuitively, we all know that a large part of a personal trainer's job is instruction. When it's done properly, everyone wins.

When it includes the social/psychological issues associated with starting or maintaining a physical activity program, it's even more successful. For example, developing strategies to overcome barriers, finding social support, dealing with negative thoughts, etc... are important social and psychological issues that can sabotage the best laid plans.

That is the major reason (at least in my eyes) the study found significant differences in print materials versus the phone. When you get off the phone, without something in your hand, sitting on your desk or the counter at home, it's out of sight, out of mind.

The print materials are different. They are sitting there as a constant reminder of what you intend to do. Sort of like Stephen Covey taking on exercise - that plan is your "7 Habits!"

It's also why I think the internet is a valuable resource in your quest to get better. Wheter you want to lose weight, play better golf, improve your health or simply feel better, the internet can help you do this. There are a number of trainers that will train you over the internet and the beauty of it is that you can live anywhere and use a trainer from anywhere.

Don't like the trainers at your local box-store fitness center? No problem. Get on the internet and find someone you do like. Do your homework. Make sure what they offer is what you want.

One aspect of online training that you should address is interaction. There isn't anything quite like a face-to-face meeting between a trainer and a client. For the most part, this can be alleviated with excellent support materials and access to the trainer. That can come through email, individual phone consultations or seminars via the phone or internet.

Another aspect of this is the ability to deliver materials that help you along the way. For example, are there workbooks or handouts that can help you deal with any psychological and/or social issues you may run into?

When you have satisfactory answers to these questions, you will have found a good source for online training.

In conclusion, we are in the process of developing our online training program. It will come complete with all the support you need, in the form of the Achieve! manual, which is based on social cognitive theory and transtheoretical model. It's a step-by-step guide for getting and staying physically active. Additionally, you get workouts with photos, text descriptions, videos (coming soon), monthly teleseminars and more.

For more information, check out our current online offering, if you are already a member, check out the monthly improvement programs we have.

If you'd like to stay abreast of changes, offerings and the like, sign-up for one of our newsletters.

Personal Training School in Houston

Last week the Fitness Center signed an agreement with the National Personal Training Institute (NPTI). NPTI offers a diploma program in Personal Training. The curriculum is very comprehensive, 500-hours including 300 in the classroom and 200 in the fitness center.

As with the Vortex Equipment, signing this agreement means we are the first in Texas once again. There are no NPTI Schools in Texas, further evidence we are leaders in the fitness field!

Offering a school for personal trainers ensures confidence amongst membership, trust within the community and consistent access to quality personal trainers. Over time this will positively impact the fitness center.

I'm excited as this is a great opportunity for the Fitness Center. It's also a great opportunity for those living in the Houston area wanting to become Personal Trainers.

The next step is to get approval from the State. Once accomplished, we'll be ready to offer our first class.

Go to the NPTI website for more information on the school.

For those of you wanting updates on our first class, we'll do our best to post those on the blog. However, we'll certainly keep subscribers to our newsletter up-to-date. BSFC Monthly is published the first of each month. It's absolutely free and when you sign up, you'll get a couple of bonus gifts, including a free workout and a copy of my nutrition Ebook, Food & You.

Feel free to also post questions here.

Dr. Brian

Why do they do this?

"Scientists in Indiana are reporting progress toward development of low glycemic and slowly digestible starch, a form of starch that would be less apt to cause the spike in blood sugar - and perhaps sharp hunger pangs - that many individuals experience after eating bread, baked goods, and other high-carbohydrate foods."

The rest of the summary can be read here.

My only question is why?

I can understand the need for people to consume healthier foods - particularly than those listed in the quote above. But what if we just ate less of that food and more fruits and vegetables, healthier meats and drank more water? What if we just ate grains as they grow in the field?

Look in your pantry. Foods in plastic bags and carboard boxes are loaded with things that used to be good, healthy foods. Take enriched white flour for example. Out in the field, its a perfectly healthy and natural food.

To end up as a cake, bread or other food, it gets processed. The problem with processing is that it removes the good stuff, mainly the fiber, vitamins and minerals. As the end-product food stuff, it's a plain-old, bland, quickly digesting starch.

Now, based on the objectives of these scientists, a new, more slowly digesting starch is being manufactured. And they're making progress. I don't know if I should jump for joy or just ask the question: "What is wrong with this picture?"

If we have a perfectly healthy food, process it and turn it into something that is not good for our digestive system, why do we want to further alter it so that it is better for our digestive system? Before you answer, think about the steps being taken to make the food better.

Is this coming full circle or am I just missing something completely obvious here? Please enlighten me!

Answering this research question

Reading this summary, I felt an urge to blurt out: "No blank, Sherlock!"

A recent study published in JAMA, a leading pillar of medical research dissemination, compared low GI diets with low-fat diets on insulin secretion in high insulin secreters.

On the surface, this appears to be a legitimate research question. Insulin is related to glucose metabolism and given the current state of obesity and type II diabetes in America, this might be something we should know.

However, most people in the medical fields should intuitively know this. The glycemic index of any food indicates the level it raises blood sugar when consumed. The higher the glycemic index, the higher the blood sugar response. For example, twinkies rate rather high on the glycemic index. Consume two or three of them and your blood sugar will spike.

At least for a while. In response, your body will release (secrete) insulin to bring it back down to normal.

If you are a high insulin secreter, you're either type II diabetic, pre-diabetic or have a non-lifestyle related condition effecting your ability to metabolize blood sugar. You have to secrete more because the insulin you do release is becoming more and more insensitive to blood sugar. When this starts happening, the amount you secrete increases just to get your blood sugar back to normal. Over time your ability to regulate blood sugar becomes difficult and you become type II diabetic. For more info, go here.

But back to the study...

All markers of cardiovascular health were improved following low GI diet when compared to a low-fat diet. Again, this makes perfect sense. You're not obese or diabetic because you eat a low-fat diet of whole, natural foods. You're obese or diabetic (even if you eat a low-fat diet) because you are consuming overly-processed foods - cardboard boxes and plastics bags. The fat they contain is not healthy (trans fat) and to increase palatability (here) and shelf-life, sugars and preservatives are added.

The end result is a low-fat food that has a high GI, which increases insulin secretion when consumed. And the cycle continues...

I'll conclude by saying that as a former academic, I'm well aware the importance peer-reviewed publications play in the tenure process. So in some ways, I understand why this paper was published. Without knowing all the details, I can only hope this paper was part of a larger study with these data points already collected, making the question easy to answer.

Until next time...

Training online!

On Monday, May 21, 2007, we'll debut the beta version of our online Golf-Fitness Boot Camp. For several reasons, this is great news for you!

First, even though it's the beta version, all features of the full-blown online Golf-Fitness Boot Camp will be fully tested and in working order before we complete beta testing. If you ever considered improving your golf game through a fitness program, this is your best opportunity to do so.

Why? Because while in beta test mode, the online Golf Fitness Boot Camp will be absolutely FREE! All you will have to do is register and we'll take care of the rest. To stay abreast of the updates, sign up for Brian's Report.

Second, you can't get a workout like this anywhere else - all for FREE! So sign-up for the trial period and use it to your advantage.

Third, by the time beta testing is complete, you'll be able to hit the ground running with your workouts. In other words, the learning curve associated with getting started won't eat into your monthly (or annual) payment.

That's it. Those are three good reasons to get started. Now, sign-up for Brian's Report and don't miss this opportunity!

Finally back to posting!

It's good to be back!

I know, it's been a while but I have a good excuse - I bought a fitness center.

Unfortunately, that kept me from finishing my journey. But in case you were wondering, I've fully recovered and have no ill effects! Now, if I could just find the time to get out on the course.

I'm still deciding on how to best utilize my blog. There certainly will be fitness center updates, videos of workouts and camps and more. You can subscribe to the feed for updates - just use the Atom Syndication below and to your right. Alternatively, you can sign up for Brian's Report, my golf-fitness newsetter.

One idea I've been thinking about are health related posts. I subscribe to several medical news alert services. Nearly everyday I see a headline that makes me scratch my head or simply say "Duh!" I'm thinking about publishing these to the blog 3-4 times per week. Hopefully it will be entertaining and educational for you.

What do you think?

Any ideas?

Day 10, October 27: Workout and Food Diary

Day 10 on the journey. Here is what I did and what I ate.

Workout:
20 minutes interval training on stationary bike
1 hour Boot Camp

Unless otherwise stated, each exercise was done with 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

• Spine Extensions, Hip Extensions, Walk out pushups all on stability ball.
• Alternating DB Flys, pullovers and crunches on the stability ball.
• Rolling stability ball squats – side, straight leg dead lifts. Straight leg dead lifts were done with 10-pound medicine ball.
• Bent over DB Rows, bicep curls and shoulder shrugs.
• Russian twists for power, alternating flys and ball toss with 8-pound medicine ball.
• Roll-ins with progressives.
• Regular extended planks – 3 sets of 30 seconds, obliques on ball.
• Walking lunges (still no fancy add-ons to the walking lunges) down and down back twice. One trip down (or back) is about 20 yards.

Cool down: Golf-specific stretch focusing on hips, hamstrings, shoulders, chest and torso – about 10 minutes.

Comments:
Food Diary
I haven’t eaten dinner yet, it’s just before 4pm Friday. I was done with this post so I decided to put it up. I’ll add dinner and snack tomorrow.

Breakfast, 5:15 AM: Two pieces of whole wheat toast with organic peanut butter
Snack, 9:00 AM: 1 Pear.
Lunch, 11:30 AM: Grilled chicken salad with balsamic vinegar dressing.
Snack, 3:00 PM: 5 strawberries and handful of almonds.
Dinner, 6:00 PM:
Snack, 9:00 PM:

Fluids: Throughout the day, at least 3.0 L of water, 1 diet coke and 1 cup of green tea.

That’s day ten, your thoughts????

PHOTOS
There are 3 photos below for the Russian twists, starting position and right and left sides. You may have notices that in my workouts, I perform these in one of two ways: power development and dynamic flexibility. For power development, perform the side-to-side movements as rapidly as you can. For dynamic flexibility, slow down and little bit, lock your hips in place and allow the weight of the medicine ball to stretch your torso on both sides.

You too can get in better shape, feel better and (most importantly), play better golf by purchasing a copy of The BKS Golf Fitness Boot Camp ^TM. To see how your game will improve, read testimonials, endorsements, and to get started today – go here!

Day 9, October 26: Workout and Food Diary

Day 9 on the journey. Here is what I did and what I ate.

Workout:
20 minutes interval training on stationary bike (disclaimer: including 2 minute cool-down, this is actually 22 minutes).
1 hour Boot Camp

Unless otherwise stated, each exercise was done with 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

• Spine Extensions, Hip Extensions, Walk out pushups all on stability ball.
• Russian Twists focusing on dynamic flexibility, ball throws and crunches (center, right and left) on the stability ball with 10-pound medicine ball.
• Rolling stability ball squats – side, straight leg dead lifts. Straight leg dead lifts were done with 10-pound medicine ball.
• Alternating DB flys, nosebreakers, and shoulder shrugs.
• Bent-over alternating DB rows and bicep curls with 15-pound DBs.
• Roll-ins with progressives.
• Regular extended planks – 3 sets of 30 seconds, obliques on ball.
• Walking lunges (still no fancy add-ons to the walking lunges) down, back and down. One trip about 30 yards, so about 90 yards of walking lunges.
• Balance on the ball.

Cool down: Golf-specific stretch focusing on hips, hamstrings, shoulders, chest and torso – about 10 minutes.

Comments:
After a 2-minute warm-up on the bike, I went straight into the 120 rpm and 100 rpm 1-minute intervals. I added a fifth interval at 130 rpm today; by tomorrow, all higher intensity intervals will be at 130 rpm. Based on today (and previous workouts), I don’t anticipate any problem with this. To view the interval training protocol I’ve been using, click here. Overall, this was an 8 on the 0-10 scale.

I didn’t do Boot Camp yesterday so I couldn’t add the progressives to the roll-ins. But I did it today. The shoulder and neck held up well – no ill effects. Overall, this was an 8 on the 0-10 scale.

Food Diary
Breakfast, 5:10 AM: 2 hard-boiled egg whites, 1 yolk and 2 pieces of whole wheat toast.
Snack, 9:30 AM: No snack this morning, I can’t remember why.
Lunch, 12:00 PM: Spaghetti with whole wheat pasta.
Snack, 3:00 PM: Power Crunch bar – chocolate.
Dinner, 6:00 PM: Roasted chicken with avocado and mixed greens salad and balsamic vinegar.
Snack, 9:00 PM: 5 strawberries and handful of almonds

Fluids: Throughout the day, at least 2.0 L of water, 1 diet coke and 1 cup of green tea.

That’s day nine, your thoughts????

PHOTOS The photos below show starting and ending positions for the alternating medicine ball flys. This is a great exercise for front shoulder development, balance (stay on the ball and in place), core training and neuromuscular control (you have to learn how to separate right and left sides). For the ending position, go down as far as you can. Allow the weight of the medicine ball to stretch your chest and the front part of your shoulder.

You too can get in better shape, feel better and (most importantly), play better golf by purchasing a copy of The BKS Golf Fitness Boot Camp TM. To see how your game will improve, read testimonials, endorsements, and to get started today – go here!

Day 8, October 25: Workout and Food Diary

Day 8 on the journey. Here is what I did and what I ate.

Workout:
No workout today. I really wanted to do at least a Boot Camp. I was looking forward to testing myself with the Roll-in progressives. But I was just beat. Hopefully the day off will do me and my body some good.

Comments:
I can’t comment on a workout that didn’t occur. But I will say this.

Looking back over the previous week I am pleased with my progress, although most of it is mental. I wasn’t quite sure how I would respond coming back from the injury. I didn’t know if my neck and shoulder could / would hold up. I didn’t know if I’d suffer a set back. While I have been held back somewhat, there certainly hasn’t been a set back. For example, my right arm and shoulder are extremely weak. Doing bicep curls with a 15-pound dumb bell is difficult. I still can’t put too much pressure on my shoulder and I still can’t lift anything with it but I feel confident that it’s getting better all the time.

So in one word, I’d say the first week back has been a success. Now if I could just cut out the margaritas and coronas, everything would be alright.

Food Diary
Breakfast, 6:00 AM: 3 egg whites (boiled) and 2 pieces of whole what toast.
Snack, 9:30 AM: Power Crunch bar – chocolate.
Lunch, 12:00 PM: Grilled chicken sandwich with lettuce (only) on whole wheat bread.
Snack, 3:00 PM: ½ organic peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread, 1 banana.
Dinner, 6:00 PM: Grilled chicken fajitas on whole grain tortillas with avocado and HOT salsa.
Snack, 9:00 PM: Just a banana.

Fluids: Throughout the day, at least 2.0 L of water, 1 diet coke and 1 cup of green tea.

That’s day eight, your thoughts????

PHOTOS
Since I didn’t do a Boot Camp workout (or any workout really), there are no photos. But, if you look through this series, you’ll see plenty of examples my Boot Camp program. You too can get in better shape, feel better and (most importantly), play better golf by purchasing a copy of The BKS Golf Fitness Boot Camp ^TM. To see how your game will improve, read testimonials, endorsements, and to get started today – go here!

Day 7, October 24: Workout and Food Diary

Day 7 on the journey. Here is what I did and what I ate.

Workout:
20 minutes interval training on stationary bike
1 hour Boot Camp

Unless otherwise stated, each exercise was done with 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

• Spine Extensions, Hip Extensions, Walk out pushups all on stability ball.
• Russian Twists focusing on dynamic flexibility, ball throws and crunches (center, right and left) on the stability ball with 10-pound medicine ball.
• Rolling stability ball squats – rear, straight leg dead lifts. Straight leg dead lifts were done with 10-pound medicine ball.
  
• Alternating DB flys, nosebreakers, and shoulder shrugs.
  
• Bent-over alternating DB rows and bicep curls with 15-pound DBs.
  
• Hip Flexions and Lower body rotations on floor.
  
• Roll-ins.
  
• Regular extended planks – 3 sets of 30 seconds, obliques on ball.
  
• Walking lunges (no twist or overhead press and no medicine ball – still can’t do them) down and back, three times. One trip about 20 yards.
  
• Swing holds with 6-pound medicine ball.

Cool down: Golf-specific stretch focusing on hips, hamstrings, shoulders, chest and torso – about 10 minutes.

Comments:
After a 2-minute warm-up on the bike, I went straight into the 120 rpm and 100 rpm 1-minute intervals. I jumped the 120 rpm intervals up to 130 rpm over the last four sessions. I’ll continue adding an additional 130-rpm interval each day until all are at 130-rpm. So don’t expect this to change too much over the next few days. Overall, I rate this as an 8 on the 0-10 scale.

I’m still pleased with the progress. I’ve had no ill effects regarding the nerve in my neck. I’m going to try the added progressives to the Roll-ins tomorrow. Overall, this was a 7 on the 0-10 scale.

Food Diary
Breakfast, 6:00 AM: Grilled chicken taco with two slices of avocado.
Snack, 9:30 AM: 1 handful of almonds
Lunch, 12:00 PM: Turkey sandwich with avocado on whole wheat bread.
Snack, 3:00 PM: 1 blueberry yogurt and 1 hard-boiled egg white.
Dinner, 6:00 PM: Grilled Salmon, sweet potato and mixed greens salad with Balsamic vinegar.
Snack, 9:00 PM: 1 pear.

Fluids: Throughout the day, at least 3.0 L of water. One diet coke and one cup of green tea.

That’s day seven, your thoughts????

PHOTOS

The photos below show starting position and one step for walking lunges. These work the entire lower body, promote good balance and help dynamic flexibility of the hips. You can do a couple laps in the gym (or your home) or you can use them as a cardio exercise. Try these for 5-minutes over a 30-yard stretch. I guarantee you’ll be breathing heavy and your legs will be burning!

You too can get in better shape, feel better and (most importantly), play better golf by purchasing a copy of The BKS Golf Fitness Boot Camp ^TM. To see how your game will improve, read testimonials, endorsements, and to get started today – go here!

Day 6, October 23: Workout and Food Diary

Day 6 on the journey. Here is what I did and what I ate.

Workout:
20 minutes interval training on stationary bike
1 hour Boot Camp
Unless otherwise stated, each exercise was done with 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

• Spine Extensions, Hip Extensions, Walk out pushups all on stability ball.
• Russian Twists focusing on power development, ball throws and crunches (center, right and left) on the stability ball with 10-pound medicine ball.
• Rolling stability ball squats – side, straight leg dead lifts. Straight leg dead lifts were done with 10-pound medicine ball.
• Alternating DB flys, nosebreakers, and shoulder shrugs.
• Bent-over alternating DB rows and bicep curls with 15-pound DBs.
• Hip Flexions and Lower body rotations on floor.
• Roll-ins.
• Regular extended planks – 3 sets of 30 seconds, obliques on ball.
• Walking lunges (no twist or overhead press and no medicine ball – still can’t do them) down and back, three times. One trip about 20 yards.

Cool down: Golf-specific stretch focusing on hips, hamstrings, shoulders, chest and torso – about 10 minutes.

Comments:
After a 2-minute warm-up on the bike, I went straight into the 120 rpm and 100 rpm 1-minute intervals. I jumped the 120 rpm intervals up to 130 rpm over the last three sessions. Tomorrow I’ll jump that to the last 4 intervals. Overall, this was a 7 on the 0-10 scale.

The Boot Camp continues to feel good and I continue to be pleased with how my neck and shoulder are responding. While there are exercises I still can’t do, like front and lateral raises and military press, I feel like those will come along soon.

Food Diary
Breakfast, 5:15 AM: 3 hard boiled egg whites (only one yolk).
Snack, 9:30 AM: Power crunch bar - chocolate
Lunch, 12:00 PM: grilled chicken breast and a bell pepper
Snack, 3:00 PM: No snack this afternoon.
Dinner, 6:00 PM: Turkey chili with a mixed greens salad and balsamic vinegar.
Snack, 9:00 PM: Green apple and one raspberry yogurt.

Fluids: Throughout the day, at least 3.0 L of water. 1 diet coke and 1 cup of green tea.

That’s day six, your thoughts????

PHOTOS
The photos below show side stability squats. These are great for your lower body, hips and balance. Some key points when doing these are: try to keep knee of foot on floor above your ankle, in the starting position, place foot on highest point of stability ball and try to roll the ball directly to your side – not in front of or behind you. Go down as far as you can and really stretch the groin of the leg on the ball.

You too can get in better shape, feel better and (most importantly), play better golf by purchasing a copy of The BKS Golf Fitness Boot Camp TM. To see how your game will improve, read testimonials, endorsements, and to get started today – go here!