Blog

2 Secrets to Fat Loss

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 12:51:21 -0600

Here is a talk given by Sarah Eley, owner of Real Fitness Coaching on, “2 Secrets to Fat Loss”. This talk was given at the Gym’s Grand Opening in their new location on September 23, 2010.

3 exercises to sculpt your thighs, glutes, and core

Wed, 6 Oct 2010 12:39:46 -0600

Here is a 4 minute video showing 3 exercises that were referenced in the October 23rd Women’s Magazine article.

Overcoming Obstacles Part 2: summertime challenges

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 18:09:59 -0600

Summer is officially here (well, Monday the 21st to be exact), but you get what I mean, right? The weather is warm, we have afternoon thunderstorms, perhaps bathing suits are in your forecast...

Here at Real Fitness Coaching we teach our members about what to expect along the way to their goal, because we want them to be successful in keeping their weight off. That's what this "Overcoming Obstacles" series is all about. We want you to jump up and down if you're encountering obstacles! This is great! Obstacles are opportunities. If you can see it that way, then you can begin to develop new strategies that will help you stay successful in the long run.

Obstacle #2: Every season presents challenges... Summertime is just so fun!
You might initially think that summer would be one of the easiest seasons to keep in shape, but there are pitfalls that can happen to any of us. Typically this is a time for BBQ's, parties, happy hour with friends. Sometimes we lose track of our fitness & nutrition routine because we just want to play. We deserve it right?

Yes you do deserve to play! We encourage all our members to add in things like hiking, biking, or whatever outdoor activities make your heart sing during the summertime. That being said, these fun activities should be added to resistance workouts and metabolic interval classes that are crucial for strength gains and fat loss. Talk to your coach about what activities you want to do this summer and we'll look together at the whole week and plan out how many of each type of workout fit into your schedule. That way you can relax knowing you've got all your bases covered, and you're still on track with your personal fitness goals.

At Real Fitness Coaching we want you to be successful reaching your goals. We have 3 tools to share with you that will help you with summertime obstacles:

1. Try an outdoor workout that you can do without any equipment at all. Get more details plus watch a video in our recent interview on bouncebacktolife.com. My friend Mary wrote a great article called "Back to the Beach and a Better You: Boost Your Mood and Confidence with a Summertime Fitness Plan."http://www.bouncebacktolife.com/articles_details.php?id=9&article_id=218.

2. Ask yourself if you are getting at least 2 resistance workouts each week. If you're not, join us for our 4-wk Summer Shape Up Program, which starts Tuesday June 22nd. Instead of not knowing what to do, or how to do it safely, join us and get into summer shape. Find more info at http://www.realfitnesscoaching.com/Real_Fitness_Coaching/4-wk_Summer_Shape_Up.html.

3. When you go to a party or BBQ, bring a healthy dish. That way you can feel comfortable knowing there is something you'll enjoy and feel good about eating. Here are a few ideas: a green salad with grilled shrimp or chicken, turkey asparagus wraps, fruit salad served with greek yogurt or chilled gazpacho soup (see recipe at the end of this interview http://www.bouncebacktolife.com/articles_details.php?id=9&article_id=218).

Overcoming obstacles on the way to your goal is normal and to be expected. If you're feeling frustrated be sure to talk to your coach about it, because our job is to help you develop new strategies that will help you overcome your obstacles. We can also share stories of others who've been there. We don't want you to give up when things get hard.

Stay tuned for more tips on "Overcoming Obstacles." and enjoy the summer!

Overcoming Obstacles Part 1: weight plateaus

Fri, 21 May 2010 08:18:20 -0600

Setting a weight loss/fitness goal is just the first step in the process of making it a reality. When our members first begin with us at Real Fitness Coaching, we help them to get specific about their goal and why they absolutely have to achieve it. Then we map out a plan for them. This always involves exercise, healthy eating and behavioral change. We know with 100% certainty that people can get short term results pretty quickly, but its much harder to get those results to stick long term.

We teach our members about what to expect along the way to their goal, because we want them to be successful in keeping their weight off. That's what this "Overcoming Obstacles" series is all about. We want you to jump up and down if you're encountering obstacles! This is great! Obstacles are opportunities. If you can see it that way, then you can begin to develop new strategies that will help you stay successful in the long run.

Obstacle #1: You give the number on the scale too much power, plus you obsess over weight plateaus or weight gains.
No one loses 1-2 lbs a week every week. It's an average, that's all its meant to be. We have a member that lost over 70 lbs in just about a year, and she would lose weight, stay the same, gain, then lose again, stay the same, and you see where this is going, don't you? The important point to see is this: she lost over 70 lbs, she did it in about a years time, and she did not lose every week. She did not lose weight every week. In case you missed it, here is the lesson: you are being successful when your weight drops, plateaus, goes up, but over time does go down. The scale does not tell us anything about body fat, it is critical to repeatedly try on a pair of pants that are too small, or have your body fat measured to really see what is happening. Scale fluctuations occur when people exercise and are losing fat. If you see yourself feeling frustrated about your weight, talk to your coach. Think about a piece of clothing you could use that is 1-2 sizes too small. Bring this in to your next training session and your coach will take photos, and keep the clothing for you to try on at 4-6 week intervals. Don't let the scale win! Also, check in with yourself about the number on the scale and how you feel about that emotionally. We have a member who told me today that her goal weight was 100 lbs, because she was that weight in high school. For her height, it's not a realistic or probably even healthy weight for her. We discussed that a strong body weighing about 125 was probably a better goal for her. So, instead of a 50 lb weight loss goal, her better goal, is to lose 25 lbs. There's a big difference between a goal of 50 lbs weight loss and 25 lbs. Her brain was setting herself up for failure by having such an aggressive and unrealistic weight goal. Be very careful of how you think about your weight. It is only part of the picture. Health, body composition, strength, self esteem are just as important if not more so.

Overcoming obstacles on the way to your goal is normal and to be expected. If you're feeling frustrated be sure to talk to your coach about it, because our job is to help you develop new strategies that will help you overcome your obstacles. We can also share stories of others who've been there. We don't want you to give up when things get hard.

Stay tuned for more tips on "Overcoming Obstacles."

Interval Workouts in the Press Lately

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 12:57:44 -0700

If you read the Daily Camera or Denver Post, you may have seen an article this week that talks about interval workouts.

The article isn’t that interesting to me, mostly because they don’t give you much information about how to start doing intervals. Plus, they really don’t give you the real scoop on the research that shows intervals are superior to other types of exercise for fat loss. However, it is very good to see that the media has caught onto the current research on exercise, even if they are a bit cautious.

Research has proven time and time again that interval workouts are better for fat loss than steady state exercise. Plus it takes less time. If you are short on time and need results, intervals are the way to go.

If you’re not yet doing intervals and want to get your biggest bang for your exercise time, here’s how to start:

• Choose an activity (biking, running, rowing, circuit exercises)
• Choose a ratio of work to rest (if you’re a beginner start with 30 seconds work to 1 minute rest, twice as much rest as work, if you’re want to challenge yourself more, work equal amounts of time to rest time, ex 30s:30s, or 60s:60s)
• Perform these intervals for approximately 20-30 minutes (with a warm up and cool down)

Here’s how it’ll look: If you chose rowing, start with a 5-10 minute easy warm up on the rower. Then do a work interval for 30 seconds, at a hard intensity, then rest for 60 seconds at a light intensity of rowing. Keep repeating this cycle for a total of about 20 minutes. Then do an easy 5-10 minute cool down. This is an example of a cardio interval workout.

Metabolic intervals (using bodyweight exercises, kettlebells, the TRX, etc.) are superior to cardio intervals. We offer these classes to all our members at Real Fitness Coaching, and they are free with membership. The class is only 45 minutes and it’s all about fat burning and fun! If you’re interested contact us to come in for a free evaluation. You can try the classes for yourself and see what you think!

As always, listen to your body’s signals and consult your physician before starting or changing an exercise program.