Into the Darkness and other Matters of Safety

I was driving home last night and I saw a person out for a jog.  It was after 6 so as you can imagine it was pretty dark.  I was thrilled to see that he had safety lights on his front but then as I passed him I was dismayed that he forgot all about his back.  The evening before I passed by a guy jogging that was dressed in dark colors with NO reflective gear at all, to me that is just asking for trouble.  On another occasion I saw a mom out jogging with a jogging stroller - she had lights on the back of the stroller but not the front.  I'm not sure what she was thinking with that one.....

Since winter is upon us it's super important to be safe when we are out exericsing in the dark.  You can pick up reflective safety vests at any sporting goods or running shoe store or even online.  They're pretty cheap, under $10 bucks and make ALL the difference when it comes to your safety.  It's safe to assume if you are out at night or the early morning hours dressed in dark colors people will not be able to see you.

All Addidas wear has reflective accents which helps make you visible when it's dark and now days many of the high end shoe brands have reflective accents on their shoes.  I believe in bright loud clothing at all times and I really go for broke if I'm going to be outside when it's dark.  I want very much for people to see me because if they see me the chances of them hitting me are greatly reduced.

Whenever I jog on the street or ride my bike during the day I make sure that I make eye contact with drivers and get a head nod or some sort of acknowledgement BEFORE I cross in front of them.  I feel confident that they don't want to hit me but if they don't see me then there is a good chance that they may hit me.  And quite frankly it's up to me to be safe.

So when you go out in the dark for your workout please make sure that you can easily be seen by choosing reflective clothing, adding a safety vest and even a light to help make you more visible to traffic.  Remember to make yourself visible on the back and the front.  If you are out in the dark with a dog there are some really cool collars that light up and reflective collars as well.  After all we need to keep our 4 legged workout buddies safe too.

Here's to Your Health and Wellness!

Jennifer Malocha CEO of Fun at Wuhoo Fitness

www.wuhoofitness.com

The Biggest Loser - Who's the REAL Loser?

It's funny how one subject just keeps coming up time after time - what do I think about the show The Biggest Loser?  That for me is a loaded question!  I quite honestly am surprised that no on has died yet from Jillians 'training techinques'.  I find it criminal what they do to those people who are on the show.  This is not just my opinionit goes against everything I learned while pursuing my fitness degree for safely and effectively training a client.  The key word in that sentence is SAFELY.  The health professionals colleagues that I know and trust all feel the same as I do including the registered dieticians who may feel even more strongly than I do!

Let's take a look at the different aspects of the show.

Training Techniques: Does it really make sense to make a sedentary, de-conditioned person weighing 300+ pounds to run up hills carrying their trainer?  Or asking these same people to workout for 8 hours a day everyday of the week?  How about running 4+ miles when they haven't been walked more than a block in years?

Food Challenges: Does it really make sense to make a person eat through a plate of doughnuts to get a 'prize'?  The types of food challenges that they come up with are a great way to create eating disorders.

Emotional Abuse:  These people are subjected to extreme emotional abuse to shame them into performing.  The treatment that they receive is sickening to me after all they didn't put the weight on that they carry because they like themselves and the last thing they need is someone making them feel worse about themselves.

Environment:  The contestants live in a cocoon for the entire time that they are on the show.  They do none of their menu planning, none of their cooking or shopping, they have no outside influences or stresses, no cleaning, no child care, no work - this is not a 'real world' situation.  Most of the people on the show end up gaining back all the weight they lost because it was a quick fix.

The Professionals:  Did you know that Jillian doesn't even have a certification as a personal trainer?  She had one at one time but let it lapse.  Jillian seems to believe that the way she treats the contestants is okay because her mom is a psychologist.  Huh - just because my Dad is a real estate broker does that make me qualified as an expert to help people buy and sell houses?  NO!

The greatest problem that I have with this show is it is glorifying the 'quick fix' - the people who watch the show at home are getting the message that there really is a 'magic solution' for what seems like instant weight loss.  Please understand that this is not just MY opinion but the opinion of other dedicated and CERTIFIED professionals in my industry. 

I'm including a link to an article that was published September 2009 in the IDEA Fitness Journal Volume 6 Number 9   http://www.ideafit.com/fitness-library/weighing-in-on-the-biggest-loser  It's kind of long but WELL worth the time it will take you to read it and please feel free to pass it along.

Lasting weight loss is not the work of a moment - it takes effort over time.  You've heard me say many times that small changes over time yield HUGE results well it's true!  I goal is to help my clients is to help them reclaim their lives, get them doing activities again that they used to enjoy, to have more fun, more balance in essence help them in Rediscovering Recess (TM) in their own lives.  I can promise you that YOU are worth the effort.

To Your Fitness, Health and Wellness!

Jennifer Malocha CEO of Fun at Wuhoo Fitness

www.wuhoofitness.com

Let's Talk with Jennifer Malocha CEO of Fun at Wuhoo Fitness

Did you know that every Thursday from 9-10 AM PST (12 -1 PM EST) you can listen to my live radio show?  Every week I'll be talking with guests that offer everyday easy to implement solutions for making your life happier and healthier with a focus on health, fitness and wellness.

http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=65221&cmd=tc

You can listen via your computer and you have the opportunity to ask questions of the guest during the show.  I'd love to have you join us on Thursdays from 9-10 AM PST (12-1 PM EST) after all you never know what fun and fabulous tip you could use right away.

Here's to your Health!

Jennifer Malocha CEO of Fun at Wuhoo Fitness

www.wuhoofitness.com

Sometimes we have to Recieve in order to give....

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to do something nice for someone and how good it makes you feel?  I can think of many instances in my life that I have given without thought of personal gain and how very good it made me feel inside knowing that I had helped someone.  I also can think if many times that I didn't allow someone to help me because I didn't want to bother anyone......  wow how selfish I was!  By not allowing others to give to me I withhold the opportunity for others to get that warm fuzzy feeling inside you get doing good for others.

Abundance is about Giving AND Receiving not just giving.  It's funny how receiving can make us feel uncomfortable but it's in learning how to receive that we really learn how to give.  If you think about balance from a muscle perspective in your body it may be easier to understand the importance of working both 'muscle' groups for abundance.

Picture what your arm would look like if you only ever worked your biceps (front of your arm) and never worked your triceps (back of your arm).  What would your arm look like?  Big and strong and robust on the front then you turn around and the back of your arm is all weak and spindly.  Not a pretty sight!  That is what your abundance 'muscles' look like if you don't practice receiving.

Just like working out start slow and build.  If you haven't been working your receive muscles then take it slow.  If you're at the store and they ask if you would like help out LET THEM - I know you can do it yourself, I know, but this is a great place to start after all it istheir job.  When someone says something nice to you say "thank you" then bite your tongue.  Do not under any circumstances argue with them why you think they're wrong!  If they feel strongly enough to compliment you please be gracious enough to receive their blessing.

It is when we open up ourselves to both give and to receive that we enjoy true abundance in our lives.  After some practice it won't feel so uncomfortable to receive in fact you may even realize how good it feels.  Sincere giving combined with sincere receiving will help change the world I'm sure of it.  Are you willing to help me find out?  I sure hope so!  For the next week try saying yes when people ask if you need help and say "thank you" when they give you a compliment - then come back here and post what it was like for you.

I look forward to reading about your experiences!

To You In Health!

Jennifer Malocha CEO of Fun at Wuhoo Fitness

www.wuhoofitness.com

The Tortoise and the hare

I was listening to a commercial on the radio this morning about instant, painless and permanent fat loss.  I was struck by the fact that their sales pitch was probably pretty successful which broke my heart.  It seems that nothing is worth working towards any more which is so sad to me.  Pretty soon we'll have the ability to swing by a fast food restaurant and get liposuction at the drive thru.  What people fail to realize is that unless the behavior changes that caused the fat to accumulate in the first place the fat will come back.  It's a scientific fact.  It is by changing our habits that we will be able to get rid of that unwanted fat forever.  When we become like the Tortoise and make changes over time and stay the course that we will win the race.  The hare will bounce out in front but will ultimately lose in the end. 

I know that it is hard to make changes - we feel like we're giving up our right to have fun or be comforted by old friends.  However it is by changing the old behaviors that we will literally be set free from the prisons our bodies have become.  Try focusing on moving more and increasing activity - this is the best way that I've found to fit fitness into a persons life.  If a person has to create time in their hectic life to get to the gym for a work out 2-3 times a week that can seem unachievable AND unrealistic.  However by focusing on getting your heart rate up for 10 minutes three times a day 2-3 days a week that may seems down right doable!  As I always say it's the small changes over time that will yield huge benefits.

Another example is what we chose to eat.  If you love cookies and eat a pack a week and I told you that you could never have another cookie again as long as you lived it would be almost impossible but if I asked if you could eat 1 or 2 less cookies a day you could be successful.  It is by making small gradual changes that we will be the most successful.  Anyone can do anything for a finite amount of time but in the end a person can only go to an extreme for a limited amount of time.

Two great things that you can do to get started is by making a decision to reduce the amount of those  foods that you know are unhealthy for you and get your heart rate up for an extra 10 minutes every single day.  In fact I give you permission to go for broke and get in 3 sessions of getting your heart rate up 10 minutes!

I know that within a few short weeks you will begin to notice a difference in how you look and feel and the best part is that you won't have to create extra time to go to the gym OR go on any special diet to get the benfits.  I would love to hear about your successes and the small changes that you make that others might benefit from.

Here's to You in Health!

Jennifer Malocha CEO of FUN at Wuhoo Fitness

www.wuhoofitness.com