Friday, July 30, 2010

No Regrets

As I was strolling through downtown today, I saw an old lady in a wheelchair. She had a hard time moving around and doing everyday chores despite the help of the wheelchair. I couldn't help but wonder if we're all going to be in a similar state at some point in our lives. If that's true, what can we do to make the most of what we have going for us today? As a very wise man once said to me, "live your life, pursue your dreams, and have no regrets."
Seeing the old lady truly inspired me to want to live a better life, to be healthier, and to be happier. So, when I grow old and frail, I'll honestly be able to say to myself that I didn't cheat myself out of living a full life. I took risks, I enjoyed the ride, I did my very best and I have no regrets. Between the stress of everyday lives (and all the things that come along with them) it's easy for us to lose sight of the big picture and to forget that happiness is a journey and not a destination. So let's pursue our goals, enjoy life, and not transform the gift of life into a nightmare full of regrets and guilt. As one of my clients once said...when he will dies he wants to have "No regrets" written on his grave stone .

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Beware of the Tricky Scale

As a trainer, I deal with people who are concerned about their weight everyday. My advise is to focus more on their body fat percentage which is a more accurate indicator of their health and fitness level. Let me go a bit in details with that. Maybe you've heard of people who've lost weight, but still have unwanted layers of fat or they are flabby. This is because they have a very small amount of muscle and high body fat, it's what we call skinny fat.
Muscle tissues are more dense than fat, which means muscle takes up less space. So a person with low body fat percentage can be thin and fit but still weigh more than a "skinny fat" person.
For this reason, the traditional body mass index (BMI) by it self is not enough to determine our health and fitness level, because the formula only takes into account a person's body mass and height but not their body composition.
To get an accurate picture of your body fat, I recommend visiting a specialist who will use a skinfolds caliper, or an electrical impedance machine to assess your body composition.