My3Trainers.com

It has been a while since I blogged and most everyone is on Facebook these days, but I wanted to talk a little more personally about a new online fitness program. The program is a collaboration of three women, myself, Heather Bear and Lishia Dean. We have worked together before and have had great success. Let me tell you why our program is awesome....and I want to tell you why.

The program is about you. It's not about a fitness competition or a stringent diet that is impossible for your schedule. Over the years the three of us have learned from working with athletes, the obese, regular men and women who work full time and just want to lose weight.  We have all struggled with maintaining our weight and maintaing our sanity. Through our experiences we can offer you a plan that has BALANCE, ACCOUNTABILITY and FLEXIBILITY. These are the three pinnacles of our program at M3Trainers.com

Please check out our facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/pages/My3Trainerscom/244702272337781

What Is Balance?

My fitness website and mission in life is dedicated to helping women in their journey with fitness. As you can see I've had many stages in my fitness journey.  I have struggled in the past with nutrition and balance. The pictures are from 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2012.  As you can see I went from extremely fit  to very unfit to balanced and healthy. I have maintained this balance for over three years now. But believe me, it took me a long time to figure it out. I want to encourage my clients and women who struggle and give them a few tips on how to maintain a healthy balance. The biggest tip I can give you is to be the best you can be everyday. Jennifer Hudson once said of her weight loss that she wasn't really doing the best she could with respect to taking care of her body. She decided to apply the same effort she gave to her career to her health. Here are a few other tips to achieving a healthy balance:
1. No extreme dieting
2. Allow yourself to eat forbidden food in moderation
3. Do not throw in the towel and binge eat after you have blown your healthy eating habits.
4. Baby steps everyday lead to lifelong changes
5. You did not get fat in 2 weeks, most likely it took 2 years of more. Be patient with weight loss
6. Unless you are competing in a fitness show, have a realistic view of your ideal body. If you are seeking perfection you will consistently be disappointed. Trust me. This is where I went wrong. Find a healthy weight range where you feel comfortable and try to stay within 10 pounds of this.
7. Make exercising a priority, just as you take a shower, go to work, pay your bills, you also need to nurture your body, its the only one you have
8. Surround yourself with people who are positive and who embrace your fitness values.
9. Lead by example for your children and family
10. Be happy, regardless of  your stage in fitness, fat, skinny, in between, you are beautiful

                                                         HOW MUCH ARE YOU EATING?

Do you feel like you are eating too much, not enough? How often should you eat? There is some very simple math that I would like to share with you to help you understand what you need. First, if you are an athlete, child or teenager your factors will be a lot different than an adult woman or male. Also,  females and a males differ greatly as well, regardless of age, due to our genetics and hormonal make ups.  Here are a few good, sound tips to help you in determine your caloric needs.

 

1.  First, understand what your Basal Metabolic Rate is.  Your BMR is the amount of calories your body needs to function while at rest. A great way to determine this is by your weight. For instance, I currently weigh in at about 145 pounds.  This means, that when I am sleeping, my body will burn at a minimum 1,450 calories. To get your specific BMR, simply add a zero to your weight in pounds and that gives you the amount of calories your body will burn in one 24 hour period.   That means I can eat 1,450 calories a day without moving and maintain my current weight of 145.  These are the calories your body is burning automatically. The regeneration of  muscle and food breakdown, the digestion of food, the activity of our brains and all of our natural occurring body functions. In essence, this is our metabolism.

 

2.  SO, now you know how many calories a day your body needs to survive? SO if you weigh 400 pounds, you can safely eat 4,000 calories a day and not gain a pound.  Can you imagine? Makes you wonder what obese people are eating, but that is for another topic on another day. Back to my point, if you know your general BMR, you can then ask yourself about your activity level. If you move a lot, exercise every day for an hour or more, have an active lifestyle, then this is obviously the most desirable situation to be in. Plus, if you have more muscle mass than normal, you will also speed up that metabolic rate and your body will be able to burn MORE calories at work and rest.

  So, think about your activity level for the day. If you are sedentary and do not exercise much, it is probably fair to say you will burn around 500 additional calories. If you are semi active and exercise sporadically you can add about 750.  If you are exercising every day, have an active job and lifestyle, a good 1000 calories or MORE can be added for you to SAFELY maintain your weight. Again, I will use my example and EVERYONE is different. These are all estimates and approximates.  With my muscle mass and activity level I can afford about 1000 calories extra per day to maintain my weight of 145. So I eat about 2,450 calories per day and can easily maintain my weight.

 

3.  Think about your numbers. Add up your BMR, then your daily additional calories. Remember, if you aren't sedentary, your calories will NOT be as much as someone who IS active (you will need less calories).  In addition, people who are genetically leaner (men) and who have more muscle mass (like myself) will have a faster metabolism. That is why women always get upset when our husbands and boyfriends  lose weight faster than us! It is in the genetics ladies, more male hormones, less fat and more muscle mass genetically will always yield a higher metabolic rate.

 

4. NOW, a pound equals 3,500 calories.  If you would like to LOSE weight, look at your Basal Metabolic Rate. Lets give an example of a 170 pound woman, 5'5 inches tall. She has a sports background so a lot of muscle, but has recently gained weight. Her Basal Metabolic Rate is 1,700. That means she can continue to eat 1,700 calories per day and maintain her weight by just sleeping.  She is also a teacher and is very active, so she burns off an extra 650-750 calories a day.  However,,, If she adds in one hour a day of a combination of cardio and weight training, she could easily burn off another 500 calories per day. If she does this 5x a week, plus continues to stay active at work, she will lose about 1.5 to 2 pounds or possibly more of fat per week. The problem with this client right now is that she is eating 2,500 calories per day so she is just maintaining her weight.  However SHE wants to lose weight, so The goal is to get her under that 1700 calorie mark or to burn more calories PER WEEK than what she is eating.

 

5. Finally, I am NOT one to obsess over calories, but it really does come down to science,  gender, age and muscle mass/general metabolism. My advice for you is to eat every 2-3 hours to help boost your metabolism, aim for burning 500 extra calories through exercise 4-7 times a week and keep your calorie intake around your maintenance number (BMR plus activity level number) or your BMR to lose weight. The same goes if you would like to gain weight, but only in reverse, and I myself am not that lucky to have that problem :)

 

 If you have any questions, comments or need help creating a plan to help burn those extra 500 calories per day email me at coach@betsymcnally.com or visit my website www.betsymcnally.com

                   Weight Training Your Core/ Abs and Instinctive Training for each Individual

Hi everyone, I got some not-so-great advice from a fitness expert.  She told me that abdominal training was not necessary.  She said that if I wanted abs, it was "all diet and cardio." This is what had worked for her so I decided to take her advice.....

  So I didn't train  my core, abdominals or obliques for a couple years and focused on my diet and cardio. I rarely trained my abs except for a few measly crunches and plank holds.

 Unfortunately, although her plan may have worked for her, it didn't work for me.  After a couple of years on this path, I realized I was getting weaker, my posture wasn't as great and I was having lower back pain.  I hold fat on my lower back and hips, and genetically I have small amount of muscle density in my abdominals. I decided to treat myself as I would my own client,,,what would I prescribe for myself? This plan obviously wasn't suited to my genetics, so I started to train my midsection "instinctively" or as I felt I should.....

 I started training my core, ab dominals, sides and obliques with medicine balls, dumbbells, kettle bells and bands (resistance and weight bearing exercises)  3 times  a week. I incorporated more twisting movements, and hit my midsection as I would my arms, legs and back.  Along with a clean but not perfect diet, my midsection started to get tighter, more defined and my hips and waist were shrinking!  

The lesson  learned here is that some   trainers will only train you from their own personal experience. I would encourage you to train "instinctively" if you notice that certain exercises work for you hit them hard.  I would also highly recommend that you CHANGE your workouts frequently as your body will adjust after 6 weeks of the same regime.

 Even myself, a highly educated and experienced trainer fell for taking bad advice.  It actually wasn't "bad" advice, it just wasn't what would work for my body and my genetics. I actually needed a clean diet AND weight training and cardio.  I am so happy that I decided to train instinctively as my midsection has changed dramatically in the last year or two.    Watch, listen and learn from your body and keep your trainer posted on the changes you see. Remember everyone is different so all training plans should work to accomodate your specific goals and body types! 

Why On-line Training with ME Will Work For YOU

                               Why On-line Training with ME  Will Work For YOU!
I am a tell-it-like-it-is type of person. I also have a sense of humor and am able to laugh at myself and move forward and use my wisdom to help others. Many people enjoy having me as their trainer in person, but just as many enjoy my on-line training business. I have had so much success with this program that I'd like to offer a few reasons WHY it can work for you.

1. Accountability: You send me pictures every week of you in a swimsuit or your underwear. It's that simple! I gague your progress and keep you on schedule.

2. Flexibility: Keeping an appointment with a trainer isn't always easy. With online training YOU train when YOU want, where you want and when it's convenient for you.

3. Individually Tailored and Changeable. You have access to me via text or email 24/7. I can change your meal plan, cardio or training schedule to fit your needs. If a meal plan just isn't working for you, I will create a solution.

4. Cheaper Than An IN-Person Trainer:  A personal trainer can range from 30-80 American Dollars per hour. Check out my rates on betsymcnally.com  You get workouts, daily interaction AND accountability at a much cheaper rate.

5. Non-stop Attention: I will be here to answer questions, to coach and motivate, change and enhance plans based on your schedule, progress and goals. The program is about YOU and making fitness a part of your unique lifestyle to fit your unique goals. Your program is personal. I will NEVER give the same program to two people. I take time to individualize every meal and every workout.

6. ME :) Need I say more? NOOOO I'm not cocky, I am just confident in what I do. I am an educated, experienced and passionate coach and teacher.  I am  punctual and caring. I am in this with you. I promise to get your fitness journey moving in the right direction.

If you are interested in learning more about my programs visit www.betsymcnally.com or email me at coach@betsymcnally.com

Dear Fat Person: The conversation your family wants to have with you

I have spent a lot of time in Europe over the past year. When I come back to America I am appalled at what I see. Living in Northern Kentucky has opened my eyes to the epidemic of obesity in America. As I look around me, I see that for every 10 people, 8 are overweight and 5 are obese. In Europe, it is the opposite. For every 10 people, 8 are at a healthy weight and 2 are slightly overweight and RARELY do you see an obese person. THIS IS NOT RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!! IT IS NOT OK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

America, we hear it all the time, but it is TRUE, We are killing ourselves with food. It is SO SAD. If you are fat, please know that I am not judging you for your choices, I am just trying to understand and HELP you understand the situation. Food is a drug, and so is inactivity. Our system is SO MESSED UP! We are in a system where the cheap food is fattening and the expensive food is healthy. WE HAVE IT ALL WRONG. I am not going to go into all the issues of WHY in this entry,,,,but true fact is that we are in a crisis! Lets stop bitching and do some work now to fix the situation. If you are fat you have to get off the food drugs and make better choices. Here are the things you need to realize, and please know that you will not like what you are about to hear:

1. You are killing yourself a slow death of heart disease, diabetes, cancer... the list goes on
2. You are setting a poor example for your children
3. It is not entirely your fault that you are fat, but at this point you have to stop pointing fingers and do something about it. It is what it is.. now take action!  If you don't you will not live to see your children and grandchildren live full lives.
4. If you are fat and living a long healthy life, you are lucky but your children who are watching you may not be so lucky. The statistics are staggering for children who have type 2 diabetes, a disease based solely on diet and normally only acquired by adults.
5. Get OFF SUGAR! Get off the fast food. Seriously, is it that hard to pack a healthy lunch and to cook dinner instead of going out every night?
6. YOU ARE KILLING YOURSELF. Yes I said it. PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR WEIGHT by adding 30 minutes of walking, joining a gym and cutting out fast food. There are hundreds of gyms and programs to help you. Get off your butt and do some research!
7. Why are you fat? Look at the real issues. If you have a psychological addiction, eating disorder or other medical problem, seek help or counseling. Get to the root of the problem. Your life depends on it
8. Do you like what you see? If you said yes but you know deep inside that you are lying then you are in serious denial. Be honest with yourself.
9. Do you have energy everyday to do simple tasks? The reason why you are so tired is because of your DIET....A poor diet makes you lethargic. YOU HAVE TO CHANGE
10. I'm writing this because your family and friends love you and care about you and know that you are struggling with your weight. You are not alone. This country is in a crisis,,,,use all of your resources to get the help you need so that you can be around for your children, your family and most importantly for yourself.

If you need help, dietary advice or a trainer, www.betsymcnally.com at your service!

Stages of Fitness

In my last entry I discussed the different stages of fitness. The all or nothing, the unmotivated and the consistent. I asked the reader to really think about which stage were they in. Now lets see if you are ready to make a step forward in your journey. Answer the following questions about yourself:

1. When was the last time you worked out?
2. When was the last time you THOUGHT about working out and did nothing about it?
3. What was the last healthy meal you ate?
4. What was the last unhealthy meal you ate that you felt guilty about?
5. When was the last time you told yourself, "I need to go on a diet?"
6. Last, but not least, what is holding you back from getting healthy?

If you have been asking yourself these questions, then I know you are THINKING about your lifestyle an you know you are not living in a healthy manner. If these questions were easy for you to answer, then you are most likely in a better, more focused phase of your fitness journey. 

I recently read a quote that said : "NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS FEELING GOOD AND LOOKING GOOD." However the lifestlye change from being unhealthy to healthy doesnt happen over night. It takes days, weeks and months to develop habits and mentality that keep you focused on your journey to fitness.

If you are one of those people in the "non excercising" part of your journey, I am challenging yourself to think of a few things today:

1. Are you getting healthier by living your current lifestyle? What is your current activity level?
2. What is holding you back from the gym? OR just simple activity like walking, biking or playing with your kids?
3. Are there small changes you can make today to increase your calorie expenditure and decrease your calorie consumption?? Example: walking the dog 10 extra minutes, cooking dinner five times this week instead of going out for five nights? Parking your car at the end of the grocery store parking lot instead of trying to get the closest spot? (Im guilty of this myself :)
4. Are you thinking about your children, spouse, parents, and family and friends when you overeat and stay sedintary. How are you sustaining your life to ensure that you will be around to see your children and grandchildren live?
5. Are you a good example for your children? Childhood obesity is on the rise and its more common to see overweight children now aday than fit children. How are you being an example to your children? If you aren't how can you change these behaviors?

You can't change your lifestyle over night. But small steps little by little help to make a change in your overall journey. Just think if you park your car at the farthest spot from your store, gym or work, how many extra calories a day you will save. Eating healthy dinners in your home not only saves money but un-needed calories. Trying to join a gym, train six days a week and diet on celery and cottage cheese will only backfire on a person in your situation. Baby steps first! Make two changes this week that will put you in a better spot to start an excercise program this month. Remember, the longest journey starts with the first step......