Athletic shoes, why are you breaking them in?

First off, let me say, if you aren't wearing athletic shoes to work out in I will personally find you and smack you in the head with all the love I have in my heart. Not wearing proper shoes to work out in is a quick trip to knee problems. Whether those problems come quick or later on in life depends on you but know that it will happen. So go to the shoe store and buy a pair of athletic shoes, they don't have to be expensive to be good. Brooks and Saucony make fantastic athletic shoes and they have several pairs to choose from for under $60. NOW, on to my real point of this post.
You should never have to 'break in' your athletic shoes. If you wear your shoes once and you end up with blisters or they just aren't comfortable then that is a big message they are the wrong kind of shoe for your feet. There are all types of shoes for different types of feet. You may have a foot with no arch which means you need a shoe to support that. In the reverse you may have a foot with a high arch. They make shoes for that too. Not every shoe fits every foot. Yeah that pair of Nike shoes may look pretty but they may not be right for your foot.
To find out what kind of arch you have lay down a brown bag and wet the bottom of your foot. Step on the paper bag and then lift your foot. If you see an entire foot print on the bag then you have a foot with no arch. If you see a footprint with a partial middle, then you have a foot with a 'normal' arch. If there is no middle to your print then you have a high arch. Now you know, and now you can go buy a shoe that will fit your foot. A good shoe store will also have someone on staff who can measure your foot and tell you what type of foot you have and what type of shoe you need. Again, I will say, the shoe doesn't have to be expensive to be a good shoe. Don't let them try and up-sale you on an expensive shoe.
Now go get your shoes and get back to being fit!

Any other questions or comments please e-mail me at kwxercise@gmx.com or simply leave a comment below. Thanks for reading!

Bowel habits, someone has to talk about it!

Alright let's talk about something that most people won't want to talk about but, seriously, SOMEONE has to talk about it. SO, why not let it be me? I have all kinds of conversations with my clients. As you have learned so far from reading this blog you know fitness is a very 360 degree concept. It involves much more than just working out or eating right. It takes both of them together in the right pattern for the right person for it to work. A conversation that comes up quite a bit (begrudgingly and in as low of a voice as possible might I add) is how much bathroom habits change after you start eating right and exercising. This is good! It's exactly what is supposed to happen!
I'm always shocked when I hear a client talk about how their normal habits in the bathroom are so shockingly minimal. If you aren't urinating at least twice a day it's a given you need more water. If that urine is yellow you still need more fluids throughout your day. It isn't necessary to drown yourself with water every time that you do drink fluids but just make it more of a habit to drink throughout the day. Always carry a bottle of water with you at work so it's always there and convenient. You'll find that you will drink out of it just because it's there. If you scroll through all my blog entries you will find I talk about water a lot but that is because it is so, so important.
Alright, the other bathroom habit, let's talk about it. I am floored when clients tell me they only excrete solid waste once every three days. THIS IS AWFUL! If you aren't getting rid of your solid waste at least once a day there is A LOT that needs to change. You first need to up your fiber intake which can easily be done with supplements or just eating the right whole grain foods. Second, of course, you need more fluids. This is especially true if passing solid waste is particularly difficult for you. Third, you need to start exercising regularly. This is an awesome cure for bad bowel habits. Trust me, once you start moving on a regular basis, everything inside of you will start moving as well. You know the old axiom right? Regular exercisers are just that, regular. Okay, maybe I just made that up but its true. If you have any serious questions about bad, or difficult bathroom habits your doctor is an awesome person to talk to. Any other questions you know you can always ask me. I talk about this kind of thing everyday.
Coming soon, I know I promised an article about core strength, that will come next so stay tuned!

The sport of Body Building, and remind me how it is still around?

As a trainer, I have to wonder how sports like Body Building are still around. A sport that is so infected with cheating it's known by everyone, literally, EVERYONE. We all know most body builders take steroids. It's no secret, no body looks like that without the use of them. There have been several documentaries on body builders who try to win the natural way, the real way, the way that takes real work and dedication, such as any real sport would. We all know the ending, they get beat out by the guy who is a 'roid head. My question is simply this: How in hell is body building still around? Officials know, participants know, people who go to competitions, the competitors themselves all know, its a 'sport' plagued with drugs and shortcuts. I can tell you now, no other sport would allow for that. Am I turning a blind eye to the fact that steroids are used in every major sport? Absolutely not, but when it becomes known to the public, something gets done about it. Why has body building been made to be the exception? It really does baffle me. It goes against every fiber of the basic component of any sport. Athletes train hard, it becomes what they eat, drink, sleep. They beat the sun getting up to train. They do this day in and day out, many times they pull two-a-days just to get up to par with the competition. Blood, sweat, and tears are the foundations of a sport. The use of performance enhancement drugs are severely looked down upon. It's cheating. Sports don't accept cheaters. Why does body building accept cheaters? Do you not take it offensively when someone is found to be taking steroids? Does that not discount your efforts when the winner of a Mr. Olympia competition is a known steroid abuser? All really good question which I am not asking rhetorically. I would like answers because I am generally curious. One of the many anomalies that will probably never make sense to me.

Stressing the destressor to people, being a full circle product.

I have been thinking a lot about how I can change up my routine and my selling points so that I can A) pick up new clients and B) really give my clients the results that they really want in the time that they have or, more accurately, can afford. I don't have any certain specialties and I don't really specialize my training around any certain equipment. I actually try to use as little equipment as possible. I just sell results. Plain and simple. I don't see a problem with that, it's a good selling point, I think. I have my slogan that I stick with that is posted all over my website, Facebook, etc. "I dedicate my life to creating a new body out of any body. Now, let me sculpt yours." However, all this said, I still think it is important to look at things from all different angles. My job, like any other job, is 3 Dimensional. With the new campaign from BTS (if you are in the gym business and aren't familiar with BTS, do yourself a favor and check out www.bodytrainingsystems.com) being that exercise is the "perfect way to curb stress". It got me thinking in my head and really just reiterated the fact that I'm more than just a trainer and I have to definitely appear that way to my clients and to the people around me who are, let's face it, all potential clients. KEY POINT: In this industry EVERYONE, I stress EVERYONE is a potential client. Never forget that. Some days I feel like a cheap street trick because I'm constantly selling myself. CONSTANTLY. In selling myself to people, I have to sell a full circle product. People won't buy in if they aren't convinced and they will NEVER buy in if they aren't properly educated. I can't just sell that I change peoples' bodies. I'm more than that. Just like BTS states in their new releases for group fitness; I'm most certainly an anti-stress med. I'm also a coach, a teacher. I enable people to live better, longer, fuller lives.

How do I bring home the idea of a full circle product? Well, for starters I have to act the role that I want to sell. If I want to start selling myself as a destressor, I can't be walking around as a big, wound up ball of constant tension. Second, I have to educate myself if I'm ever going to properly educate others. Believe it or not, as good as you think you may be at slinging lines of BS, people will eventually smell it and call you out on it. There is no worse feeling than being put in your place by a client, especially in this industry because we all get put on a little pedestal anyway. It's sort of a perk of the job, we all enjoy it even if just a little bit, whether you admit it or not. Clients expect us to sort of know it all so it's important to maintain and educate so we sort of do know a little bit of everything. Last point, a full circle product will inevitably sell itself. I shouldn't ever have to push it on anyone to buy it. If it is a good, well rounded product people will buy in. I just want to make sure I can back my product up when the time comes. Pushy salesmen only push people away.