The client’s food log was extreme. She kept track of every bite she ate and calculated the calories in each item. In the food log, she described every workout she did and the calories she had burned. She was working out several times a day.
But the most extreme thing about her food log was that it included almost nothing but sugar: pastries, chocolate, malted milk Whoppers, fat-free muffins.
Her health issues were also somewhat extreme, at least in severity. The problems were varied. She had irregular menstrual cycles, endometriosis, breast engorgement and tenderness, chronic fatigue, and quite a bit more. Perhaps unsurprisingly, none had been diagnosed as linked with her diet.
She didn’t feel ready to quit sugar, but was willing, in her words, “to cut back.”
While I saw a drawback or two with that approach, I was convinced that her long list of health issues had a great deal to do with the sheet volume of sugar she was consuming. All day, every day. I was ready for any improvement I could encourage her to take.
Basics of Sugar Reduction
Cutting back on sugar is pretty basic; everyone knows these basics:
Skip desserts.
Avoid sodas.
Don’t snack on cookies or other sugary foods.
Don’t add sugar to coffee or tea.
Many more.
But environment matters. Especially at home, where what you have — or don’t have — in your kitchen can make a huge difference. Figuring out which foods to stop buying — and which ones would be okay to swap for them — is important. The bad news: It requires an ordeal called Reading Labels.
It’s important to know what to look for on those labels. Sugar can hide behind many names. Here are the names I’m currently aware of — but please keep in mind that the list keeps growing as new sugars are created. Some are technically not sugar, but have virtually identical effects on insulin and brain chemistry. A few are simply different names for the same thing. For example, Cane Sugar and Sugar Cane are, obviously, the same.
Overt and Covert Sugars
Agave
Alcohol
Barley Malt
Beet Sugar
Brown Sugar
Cane Juice
Cane Sugar
Corn Sweetener
Corn Syrup
Date Sugar
Dextrose
Erythritol
Fruit Juice Concentrate
Fructose
Glucose
Glycerin
Glycerol
Granulated Sugar
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Honey
Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysates (HSH, Maltitol Syrup, Lycasin)
Isomalt
Job’s Tears
Lactitol
Lactose
Lycasin
Malted Barley
Malt Extract
Maltitol
Maltodextrin
Mannitol
Maple Sugar
Maple Syrup
Molasses
Polydextrose
Powdered Sugar
Raisin Juice
Raisin Syrup
Raw Sugar
Rice Syrup
Sorbitol
Succanat
Sucralose
Sucrose
Sugar
Sugar Cane
Turbinado Sugar
Unrefined Sugar
Xylitol
Why Use the List?
What’s true is the first time or two that you shop using this list — and it’s a good idea to take it with you to the grocery store at first — you might need to spend a little extra time reading all the labels.
The good news: After a couple of trips to the store, you’ll know what you can buy and what to skip. At that point, shopping will be just as easy as it is now.
As for my sugar warrior client, she’s been working on reducing sugars for a while now. Yes, during her cutting back process, some of my fears were justified. Eating little bits of sugar made her crave more sugar. That made it tough, even impossible, for her to eliminate cravings. She still thinks of desserts as a viable option when she’s stressed, and has to tell herself “no” each time. The individual “no” doesn’t always work.
But her health has been improving. Her energy has increased a lot. And that has provided enough encouragement and motivation to get her committed to quitting sugar altogether.
Nutrition geek that I am, that’s what I live for; it is, after all, all about the client.
For me, the biggest “perk” to being a Fitness Instructor has been teaching for a week at a beautiful, all-inclusive, resort in Jamaica or some other exotic Caribbean location! Amy and I call these very special trips our “marriage enrichment weeks” and we've gone on at least one trip every winter of the past 20 years! Most years we left our two girls at home… although on occasion we brought them along too.
Feeling the need to get a teaching vacation trip on our calendar for 2016, got me thinking that I should post some information for all of the new members and visitors to ICI/PRO. I asked long time friend and President of FitBodies, Inc. Suzelle Snowden to submit a guest post to help you understand all of the wonderful opportunities available to you!
Teaching vacations are often and by far the most economical way to take a luxury, all-inclusive resort vacation.
Instructors of fitness, yoga, pilates, Zumba, indoor cycle (Spin), tennis and golf can offer their teaching specialty in exchange for the resort accommodations and amenities. The instructors and companion(s) are treated like paying guests of the hotel while offering 1-2 sessions each day, teaching to the resort guests of the hotel. It’s a pretty sweet deal for the instructor who simply loves to share fitness, and vacation.
Fit Bodies, Inc. has been making these teaching vacations happen for over 20 years. Their booking site, FitnessProTravel.com, offers all members the 24/7 ability to view teaching vacation opportunities based on real time availability. Approved members search when they want to teach, or where they want to go or what formats they want to teach. With over 65 resorts through five countries, Fit Bodies, Inc. offers the ability to book for last minute, or up to 14 months in advance. So there is something for everyone!
Indoor cycle and Spin instructors have some extraordinary studios to teach from! For the indoor cycle instructor who teaches additional formats there are some exceptional locations to mention:
Couples Tower Isle, in Ocho Rios and Couples Swept Away, in Negril, Jamaica. Even ground transportation is included for the instructor and their companion at this ‘no tipping allowed’ resort chain. Couples Resorts makes fitness a priority for their guests with excellent, healthy cuisine and juice bars on property.
Sticking in Jamaica for a moment, there is Hedonism II in Negril, Jamaica. The president and founder of Fit Bodies, Inc. designed this gym with a lovely indoor and air-conditioned space for the Spin or indoor cycle instructor who offers other fitness formats.
Hilton Rose Hall is a family resort accepting the instructor, an adult companion and up to two children 17 or younger! What a great deal for a family trip! Offer another land cardio format to ideally qualify for this Jamaica position. John's note: our family has vacationed here four times and the place is awesome!
Moving over to Cancun, Secrets The Vine is ideal for the Cancun bound indoor cycle instructor who also offers another format, like yoga. With a great schedule of 8:30 yoga and 9:30 A.M. indoor cycle from a studio overlooking the pool, beach and ocean. Amazing.
Dreams Riviera Cancun is another family location. Take an adult companion along and up to two kids 12 or younger to this world-class luxurious family destination. From Explorer’s Club for kids 3-12 and 24-hour room service, this family resort only requires you to teach one format and indoor cycle is perfect!
If you are not yet a member on FitnessProTravel.com, it’s time to think about teaching abroad and enjoying great benefits. Signing up never carries a travel obligation as even the Basic (free) members of the site have access to view everything available to book, and read the details for each position. When you decide to place a booking, it’s confirmed the same day so you have permission to handle your own flights. Instructor expenses include a weekly booking fee and gift fund contribution totaling $525-650 and covers instructor and included companions for Sunday-Sunday travel (teaching on non-travel days). Flights are instructors’ responsibility, as it ground transportation to and from the resort.
The biggest benefit of this program is touching resort guests in ways you cannot imagine. “You never know who you are going to impact, and empower.”
-Suzelle Snowden, President and founder of Fit Bodies, Inc.
Fit Bodies, Inc. is headquartered in Covington, KY.
Here's Amy's advice for what happens if no one shows for your class, which is common and totally OK!
Your class participants deserve congratulations for caring about their health and wellness — and for getting started now. To help them prepare, here are the 3 biggest mistakes people make when starting a health and weight-loss program — and what you might advise them to do instead.[private PRO-Platinum|PRO-Monthly|PRO-Gratis|PRO-Seasonal|Platinum-trial|Monthly-trial|PRO-Military|30-Days-of-PRO|90 Day PRO|Stages-Instructor|Schwinn-Instructor|Instructor-Bonus]
MISTAKE #1: Thinking “Diet” Instead of Health
“Diet” is an outdated term for a temporary change in eating habits. From the start, the goal of a diet is to lose the weight so you can go off the diet and get back to eating “normally.” Which is probably what caused the problem(s) in the first place.
INSTEAD, suggest that they focus on health and think long-term. Fortunately, most people have abandoned the diet concept in favor of lifestyle and lifetime changes. Change what you eat — not just your portion sizes, not just your calories (I don’t care what anyone says). Suggest that they make changes gradually so they don’t feel as if they can’t wait to get back to their old habits.
MISTAKE #2: The All-or-Nothing Approach
What’s all-or-nothing with exercise? “I don’t have time for my cycling class, so I won’t work out today.”
What’s all-or-nothing with food? “I ate a cookie, so I blew it. I’ll start again on Monday.” (That can be really bad if it’s Tuesday — and they spend the week eating bags of cookies to gear up for Monday’s diet.)
INSTEAD, with exercise, think Better Than Nothing. Do whatever time allows. Won’t 15 minutes burn more calories than skipping their workout altogether? In fact, it’s a good idea — some say a better idea — to follow current thinking on high-intensity interval training. Plan a workout of, say, 10 or 11 minutes. Start with a short warm-up, followed by intense bursts of 30-45 seconds and 15 seconds of rest. Keep repeating till you’re done. (This was covered in a previous post last holiday season.)
With food, review Mistake #1. They’re in this for the long haul. What’s 1 cookie over the course of a lifetime? After a splurge, planned or not, go right back to healthful eating. Not next Monday, but now — or at the very next meal.
MISTAKE #3: Confusing Motivation and Enthusiasm
Which comes first — motivation or results? Often, people say motivation. How can you get results if you’re not motivated to start? Sure, there’s some truth in that.
But my first fitness job was to show new members how to use the equipment and begin their programs. Some were excited; others were resigned: “My doctor said I need to exercise to lower my blood pressure.” “My wife told me I have to lose weight.” Some were even resentful; they did not want to be there.
Yet once the members started to see results — lose weight, feel more energetic, sleep better, get compliments — they wouldn’t miss a day. They’d leave a pair of cross-trainers in the trunk because it messed up their plans when they forgot them one day. Sometimes results come first.
So what is motivation? Many people think it’s excitement, but that’s usually on a sliding scale.
The early A.M. gym crowd, for example, is pretty consistent. A man who’s at the gym most mornings once told me, “I didn’t want to be here today, but I said, ‘Gotta do it.’”
On any given day, many cycling class regulars probably feel exactly the same way.
INSTEAD, suggest that your participants take a more open approach:
– Accept love-it-hate-it feelings about exercise and eating better. One day, working on their health will feel great. Next day, they’ll hate it. Embrace the dichotomy.
– Prepare healthy meals while grumbling. Exercise with a scowl. Complain to anyone who’ll listen. No matter how much they didn’t want to do it, they’ll be glad they did.
– Redefine motivation as a neutral state. It’s not always enthusiasm, let alone excitement. If they did it, they were motivated.
Sometimes motivation is just planning, then getting where you have to be, doing what you need to do, and pushing through the obstacles that come up — so you can get the goal you say you want.
In keeping with that view, one of my favorite quotations comes from George Bernard Shaw, who said:
“Forget about likes and dislikes; they are of no consequence.
Just do what must be done. This may not be happiness, but it is greatness.”
Of course, I’m also partial to the short but effective Nike slogan: “Just do it.”
No one ever said, “Jump up and down with excitement first and then do it.” [/private]
My client was crying. She was upset about what she thought I had just asked her to do. She was afraid she’d have to go hungry all day and starve herself. She was afraid she’d end up over-compensating with a binge the following day — or even for several days afterward.
It wasn’t true that she’d have to starve, but her emotional reaction was genuine.
What had I asked her to do? Simply to try an exercise that I’ll share with you in a moment.
I knew the exercise would ground her in a solid awareness of her body’s signals of when to eat. I expected a bit of pushback, but not quite like this. As she cried, I addressed her concerns point by point.
So What Was The Scary Food Exercise? [private PRO-Platinum|PRO-Monthly|PRO-Gratis|PRO-Seasonal|Platinum-trial|Monthly-trial|PRO-Military|30-Days-of-PRO|90 Day PRO|Stages-Instructor|Schwinn-Instructor|Instructor-Bonus]
I won’t keep you in suspense. The client picks one day — or even half a day — to try this. Here’s what you might tell him or her to do:
The goal is to get hungry as often as possible during the day. Eat only small amounts each time you feel hungry. That will ensure as many hunger experiences as possible throughout the day.
BUT!! Every time you feel hungry, it’s time to eat! Eat only enough to take away the hunger, rather than to satiate yourself completely. But do eat.
One of the points of this exercise is to develop body awareness. Part of that is avoiding eating on autopilot. So before eating when you usually do — say, first thing in the morning or when it’s “time” for lunch or dinner — check in with your stomach first to see if you’re really hungry. Discover what hunger feels like.
Another key is to avoid “preventative eating” (eating now to prevent hunger later). Stay in the moment with your hunger and your eating. Keep the behavior logical and predictable: I’m hungry. I eat. I get hungry again. I eat.
Important suggestion: If you have a cycling participant try this, suggest that he/she do it on a day that with a light schedule — or no set schedule at all — to really tune in to the process.
I Didn’t Invent This “Mean” Food Exercise
Many years ago, I read about this process in a book. Unfortunately for me — the PhD who always cites her sources! — it was a long time ago, and I’ve forgotten whose exercise it is. I’m definitely not trying to claim it as my own; I simply can’t recall who came up with it. My apologies (and thanks) go to the author.
This Exercise Is Great Because It Works
What happens? Every client I’ve taken through this process — every single client without exception — has reported feeling grounded and aware of the hunger/eating cycle after trying it.
My clients report that they now feel confident in their ability to tune in to signals that tell them when their bodies need food — and when they don’t. They feel confident that they can trust what their bodies are telling them. They feel confident that they can respond appropriately.
I have never asked a client to eat this way longer than one day. But it has never been necessary. Each and every client who follows the instructions seems to have the same positive experience.
To be clear, your participants don’t have to go through life eating only a bite or two of food at a time — just the day of the process.
And What Happened To My Crying Client?
She did understand what I had really asked her to do and agreed to try it for half a day. She ended up doing the whole day — and said she “got” what I’d been trying to help her discover regarding hunger, food intake, and much more.
Anything that helps my clients feel more aware and sure of their decisions is a boon to their self-knowledge, self-esteem, self-image, and self-efficacy. This “scary” exercise makes them more effective in following my system and getting results.
The exercise is also in keeping with one of my favorite quotations. It’s from Simone de Beauvoir: “Confidence in the body is confidence in the self.” [/private]
This brief post will cover a seemingly minor point that sounds like nothing but does a lot.
If you’d like to move your students a major step closer to a lifetime of healthful eating, you can do that in a single step.
The key is to get your students to ask one question before they eat anything – pre-workout, post-workout, breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack.[private PRO-Platinum|PRO-Monthly|PRO-Gratis|PRO-Seasonal|Platinum-trial|Monthly-trial|PRO-Military|30-Days-of-PRO|90 Day PRO|Stages-Instructor|Schwinn-Instructor|Instructor-Bonus|PRO-Studio]
The question is simply this: “Will eating this stabilize me or destabilize me?”
In this context, stability refers to two things – blood glucose and brain chemistry.
Stabilizing Glucose
Stabilizing glucose refers to keeping things in a normal range with gentle and gradual “ups” after meals or snacks, and gentle and gradual dips when hunger is about to occur.
“Gradual” is the operative word.
Stable glucose levels don’t rise to a sharp peak, as they might after, say, a sugary pre-workout “breakfast” and then plummet right after that.
They might plummet in those who are susceptible. Those folks are called carb sensitive because they secrete extra insulin when they eat certain carbs.
Sugar would be one of the key triggers of that extra insulin, but it’s not the only one. Junk like white flour – and even fruit – can trigger too much insulin, as well.
Stabilizing Brain Chemistry
Stabilizing brain chemistry involves several chemicals that change with the food we eat.
The 4 chemicals are dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin and beta-endorphin (which most people call endorphins).
When those chemicals are at optimal levels, they prevent cravings and keep us feeling pretty good.
But some people have lower baseline levels of one (or more) of the 4 chemicals. That makes them feel a bit worse (sometimes a lot worse) than someone whose brain levels are even.
It also makes them more sensitive to the effects of junky foods like sugar.
When they eat those junky foods, they get an exaggerated reaction of those brain chemicals – either through an extra-high release or through extra-high production. Or both.
The exaggerated reaction might feel great for a while.
It’s also where addiction comes in, making someone who has experienced it want more junk that will give them that great feeling – and take away the blah feeling they could have day to day.
As you can probably tell, that’s almost guaranteed to cause a repeat of the whole cycle.
Which Foods Will Help?
Stabilizing foods are wholesome fats (such as nuts) and protein foods – or even protein powder.
If you can get your students to eat something from each of those categories every time they eat, you’ll help them stabilize glucose and brain chem.[/private]
At first, your students may not like having to go to a little extra trouble in this way, but – in the long run – they’ll feel great, perform better in your classes, and give you the credit you will deserve for changing their eating habits in a simple way.
I've been in my share of Indoor Cycling studios where, by the end of class, the air is so thick with humidity that you can no longer see yourself in the mirrors. The room stinks and every breath feels like you're riding at 10,000 feet – your lungs starving for oxygen.
Are your experiences similar to mine?
I'm discovering that there's a very simple cause for poor/bad indoor air quality; insufficient ventilation that is the result of a HVAC (Heating,Ventilation & Air Conditioning) system that wasn't designed for the occupancy and activity levels of the rooms inhabitants.
Typically new small/boutique fitness studios are opening in retail spaces with HVAC designed for sedentary office workers – not 30 athletes riding below/@/above threshold for 60 minutes 🙁
The lead author of the study is PhD student Carla Alexandra Ramos from the University of Lisbon, Portugal. Carla agreed to join me to discuss her findings and offer suggestions to improving the quality indoor air in your club or studio on this addition of the Podcast.
Carla has published a number of research papers on indoor air polution that you can find them here at researchgate.net
Are you committed to the health & wellness of your participants?
Then shouldn't we all be doing something to improve the air we're breathing in class?
A good start would be completing this short survey on the quality of the air in your club or studio. Create your own user feedback survey
