My Small Steps to ditch artificial sweeteners – By Susan Arruda

Last week I drank my first full size coffee without any sugar or sweetener. After picking up Marco from the airport in the very early morning following one of his whirlwind business trips, we found ourselves in a coffee shop upon just opening their doors. To fully appreciate this milestone, here’s a bit of background.

I was very much addicted to sweeteners in my past, especially diet pop. I recall making special trips to the grocery store specifically because I was out of pop – what a strong addiction it was! Upon making the decision to enter the world of fitness competitions in 2005, this spurred my desire to eliminate diet pop from my diet. I did it and never went back! Although I was successful in eliminating diet pop from my diet, I still relied on artificial sweenters (Splenda, which I learned was the best of the worst) to sweeten my coffee.  I know it wasn’t a healthy option but the thought of using sugar didn’t thrill me and like many, the bitter taste of pure coffee didn’t appeal to me at all.

The buildup and longterm effects of using using sweeteners is far from appealing and fitness and health is a journey of taking steps. I was finally motivated and ready to take the next step. Headaches and memory issues are a negative side effect that can plague those who consume artificial sweeteners.

At the onset of 2015, I decided I was going to commit to a 30 day challenge to break my morning coffee artificial sweeteners habit. My first challenge was to find a source of sweetener that would work for me. After experimenting with coconut sugar, date sugar, and a few others, I finally decided that organic cane sugar was the best choice; it didn’t alter the taste of my coffee and I could be ok with 15 calories per tsp. (I try not to cringe).  I started with a tsp. in my mug of coffee but I felt that calorie count just wasn’t sitting totally right with me so I went to 1/2 a tsp.  I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the taste but kept the faith and kept professing that I liked unsweetened coffee far more than sweet coffee (according to Romans 4:13).

I must admit there were days I wanted to throw in the towel and I didn’t exactly “like” it, but I stuck with it, none-the-less. Interestingly enough, I made a discovery one day when I ordered a coffee through a drive through and requested milk and a sweetener and I found it horrible tasting! I had finally gotten to the place where my taste buds were rejecting the artificial sweetener – SUCCESS at last! I’m now at slightly less than 1/2 tsp. of organic cane sugar and clearly on my way to making continual progress as evidenced by my first full sized unsweetened coffee!

I want to encourage the many of you who may be in a similar situation and are motivated by health to make a positive change, to stick with it and push through the time of discomfort to get to the other side. It really does start with making the decision and then backing it up with a plan of action. You CAN do it!

P.S.  Six months after writing this article, I went from having some sugar in my coffee, to no sugar at all with only a bit of 2% milk! – Small steps lead to success!

Fear Is Not a Motivator – Susan Arruda

Fear is not a motivator. I’ve seen it displayed in others, and yes, I’ve also experienced it enough times in my life, and it can paralyze you, it can hinder your growth and progress and worst of all, if you allow it, fear can keep you from moving forward in life. I became extremely aware of the overwhelming power of fear recently, when I found myself, along with my kids, at the thrilling attraction, CN Tower Edge Walk. Thoughts that barraged my mind included: Why do I do this to myself? This is terrifying! OMG, help me! This is self-inflicted! I don’t think I’m going to be able to take my hands off this lifesaving wire! Thank God I can do a pull-up! – As I sorted through all these fear-filled thoughts and emotions, I then began to mentally reason with myself. If I don’t walk to the edge, lean, and do all these terrifying stunts – all tested and proven to be completely safe – I’m going to be so disappointed in myself later on and feel completely jipped and so angry with myself.  

One thing’s for sure, conquering fear is empowering! The toughest part is the going through; not dwelling on the fear, but instead, focusing on the positives and the getting to the other side. As a metaphor, when compared to the many fearful experiences we go through in life, there are no shortcuts to getting around it. As scary as it often is, you’ve gotta go through or you get stuck. You conquer fear in your mind and you decide to act, even though you may feel inundated with it. Fear is an adversary designed to take you out, make you back down and scare you into not following through.  I reasoned through it, focused on the positives, decided and acted. Know what? Once you act and move beyond it, the experience gets easier, you get better, and gain confidence as a result.

A quote by Alfred Hitchcock says it best: There is no terror in the bang, only in the moments leading up to it. Life is full of these moments, be it your first job interview, a public speaking experience, etc.; trying something new can present much of the same conflicting emotion of fear. You know you should do it, but your fear is trying to convince you otherwise. Some of the seemingly smaller challenges (diving for the first time, doing a forward roll into the water – I’m drawing on the many personal experiences I witness as a swim instructor), can be a set up for the bigger things to come.  Will you rise to the challenge and overcome your fear or will you let it engulf you and hinder your future progress? Courage requires you to push past the fear and do it afraid. Repeating it enough times will annihilate and eventually, completely eliminate that fear altogether, in time. There’s something to be said for disciplining your mind and thoughts to resist yielding to fear – your progress depends on it!  Think of this acronym the next time you’re faced with FEAR; False Evidence Appearing Real! Don’t let it fool you or bully you into running away from pushing through and making progress! 

YES! I overcame the fear at 356m above the ground and performed all the “activities,” as they called them:-) What’s next, I ponder.

Susan Arruda

 

Elite Water Training

Water workouts are a great way to incorporate high intensity without the high impact wear and tear on bones and joints! I believe water training is the most overlooked and underutilized environment that can offer challenge and change to your workout regime. The liquid gym benefits are two-fold; natural resistance of the water provides a muscle toning effect while minimizing the impact in the high intensity (especially in plyometrics) cardiovascular work, thanks to the buoyancy factor. Plus, water is refreshing, especially in the warmer summer months.  Another bonus; if you’re really not a fan of heavy sweating, it’s ideal for you!  Although you still do sweat during the strenuous workouts, it’s simply not noticeable and felt in the same way. While on the topic of sweating, many people forget the importance of hydration while exercising in the water.  Just because you’re immersed in it, doesn’t change the fact that you need to replenish lost fluids during exercise and that means, “don’t forget your water bottle,” as it’s equally important as in land training.
The water training pay-off is grand:

TOTAL BODY STRENGTH
You’ll see a boost in muscle power and strength. It also helps increase flexibility and range of motion, muscle tone, coordination, circulation, renews energy levels, and can enhance your sleeping patterns.

TIGHT & TONED
The hydrostatic pressure of the water provides 12% more resistance than similar movements on land, resulting in higher workout intensities, yet lower heart rates (by about 10 beats per minute) while improving muscle tone.

SYMMETRY AND MUSCLE BALANCE
Training in the water forces you to work opposing muscles concentrically and eccentrically, creating a balance in strength, flexibility and muscle symmetry.

CORE AND ABS
Training in the water provides a safe environment to challenge and improve your balance which simultaneously challenges and strengthens your core. Maintaining upright vertical alignment and good exercise posture requires a consistent abdominal challenge throughout the entire training session.

INJURY PROTECTION 
The buoyancy of the water provides protection for your joints and spine from the impact and trauma typically associated with high impact land exercise. With the buoyancy and protective properties of the water, you’ll feel more confident about taking it up a notch and increasing your intensity. For those who have sustained an injury but don’t want to give up their training, water workouts provide the perfect exercise option, especially since swimming is not a requirement, therefore eliminating this as a prerequisite skill. The only thing required for water training is your swimsuit (no goggles) and plenty of energy and enthusiasm!

When You Don’t “Feel” Like Training – Susan Arruda

Training doesn’t always come easy, but one thing’s for sure; feelings have no place in your exercise regime!

Susan Arruda is in her mid 40's and is a mother of 2. She has been training naturally for over 30 years.
Susan Arruda is in her mid 40’s and is a mother of 2. She has been training naturally for over 30 years.

Feelings are unreliable! They are fickle and can fluctuate dramatically from one day to the next, and even one moment to the next. 

Your feelings should have absolutely no place in your exercise program! When we determine whether we train (or do most things, for that matter) based on whether we feel like it, the likelihood of you actually doing it and following through is slim, to none. Consistency, which is a huge component of success, will plummet drastically if we leave it up to our feelings.  Ask anyone who wakes up before the crack of dawn if they “feel” like training.  Most would preferably choose their warm bed to fighting fatigue and getting up earlier than the rest of the world to exercise. The difference is they have made the decision and commitment to a healthier, active lifestyle, which for many, entails getting their training in prior to their workday.  

Most, myself included, would definitely agree that the wonderful feeling and positive outcome that comes from getting it done and feeling better overall, is the primary motivating factor. You feel better, stronger, it helps you manage and control your weight, it enhances your mood; just to name a few of the many motivating, positive benefits. 

Deciding ahead of time, creating a plan of action and following through is vital for success in this healthy lifestyle journey. It doesn’t always have to be a long workout. Even 15 minutes done on a daily basis goes a long way to feeling and looking better and establishing healthy lifelong habits. 

A shift in thinking is required for those who “dread” their training. Perhaps you need to change your activity of choice. Be aware that dread is discouraging and it drains your energy and negatively affects your spirit.  

Change your thinking from, “I have to train,” to “I get to train.” Think of the many people confined to wheelchairs or who are sick in hospitals who cannot train because they do not have the choice or ability to do what you may be dreading. Resist discouragement and consider what you can do versus what you cannot do. Change your scene, change your activity, adjust your goals perhaps, but make the decision to enjoy the gift of movement and then, JUST DO IT!

The Importance of Stretching

The flexibility component of your workout is important in preparing your muscles for the greater workload to come when done near the beginning of your workout, and for optimizing recovery and increasing flexibility after your training when your muscles are increasingly warm.  Never stretch cold muscles; it can be the equivalent of stretching a rubber band just out of the freezer -POP! Ouch! Capitalize on stretch training when your muscles are warm and pliable, making them more conducive to increasing your range of motion (ROM). 

There are so many benefits of flexibility training so it’s important not to neglect it. It’s critical for maintaining muscle balance. Other benefits of improved flexibility include: Flexible muscles reduce the risk of injury during exercise and daily activity, reduces stress and tension in the muscles you just trained, helps to dissipate lactic acid, minimizes the occurrence of muscle cramping, reduces the risk of injury during exercise and daily activities, enhances performance in exercise and sport as well as in everyday activities of life, promotes mobility, and flexible muscles assist in good posture which minimizes stress and maximizes the strength of all joint movements. 

Flexibility techniques can provide two functions: relaxation and flexibility. There are many types of alternative methods used to promote relaxation such as: yoga, Pilates, meditation, tai chi, visualization exercises and breathing exercises. Some of the different types of flexibility techniques for stretching include:

STATIC STRETCHING, the most known and common of all techniques. The muscle and connective tissue (tendons and ligaments) are gradually lengthened and a position is held for 10-30 seconds and repeated 2-3 times.  This promotes a relaxation response, increased blood flow to the muscle and facilitates elongation of the muscle. The goal is to encourage the muscle to move to a state of increased flexibility beyond its original normal position.

DYNAMIC RANGE OF MOTION: These exercises involve dynamic movement of the muscles at each major joint. A slow and controlled active range of motion (ROM) is performed starting from a large range of motion and moving to a smaller range. This type of stretching is useful to prepare the muscles for static stretches that are more intensely targeted. This method of stretching should be performed when muscles are warm and pliable. 

PROPRIOCEPTIVE NEUROMUSCULAR FACILITATION (PNF) technique involves an initial isometric contraction of a muscle group followed by a static, lengthening stretch.  This is a more advanced technique that can help in areas that are resistant to improved flexibility.  For best results when stretching, be sure you have warm muscles and work within your personal limits and understand how to alter the difficulty of a stretch.

http://www.getfitfaster.ca/lower-body-stretch-runner-focus/?rq=stretch

Posture – long-term consequences of not have great posture

The very definition of posture means to put or place. Optimal posture requires learning to position the body in which the least amount of stress and strain is placed on supporting muscles and ligaments during sitting, standing, moving, lying and weight bearing exercise. Alignment refers to the relationship between the different body parts. Think about dropping an imaginary plumb line from your earlobes, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles. Ideally, you want these cue points to line up.

Bad posture is a lot worse for you than you may realize. Studies have revealed an association with bad posture to breathing problems, falls, depression, joint and disc degeneration, nerve compression and a decreased quality of life! Those are serious health complications that can be avoided. 

Common contributors of poor posture include: weak muscles, tight muscles, prolonged static positions, high-heeled shoes (greater than 2″), having flat feet, internal or external rotation (pigeon toed or duck walk) of the feet, excess bodyweight, carrying a heavy bag repeatedly over one shoulder, falling asleep in wrong or funny positions, etc.

Do your best to avoid prolonged static positions and do a self-analysis check regularly throughout your day. Good posture can enhance your health and provide you with increased energy and stamina, improved circulation, better breathing, a taller and slimmer looking you, and assist in having greater confidence. Don’t underestimate the seemingly small things of our everyday lives like posture, as they really do amount to a lot over the long run. Be sure to read our article written by Susan entitled, ‘The Everyday Overlooked Abdominal Workout,’ which illustrates the importance of posture as it pertains to abdominal training.

The Diet You Should Be On

The “Diet” You Should Be On

by Marco G.

The word “diet” itself has been twisted to mean so many different things. Instead of it describing one’s eating habits, it has become a term that breeds fear and deprivation. We decide to “go on a diet,” gives rise to many of the same feelings some have when they “go on” lent, or “go on” a low carb, high protein diet. It is like we are strapping on some kind of fat body armour and going to war against our impulses. No wonder the moment your mind gets a hint that deprivation is coming, it signals the rest of your body to get ready for a famine, to defend and hold on to everything it has. The result? Your cravings automatically go up and your body begins resisting weight loss/healthy choices because it is in fear of a famine. Wow, what a backfire for those who thought “diet” was their weight loss solution. It reminds me of the old adage: “tell someone they can’t have something and soon that is all they will crave.”

HOW DID WE GET HERE?
The choices overweight people have made have been wrong from the get-go. I know, I was one. Here is the big reveal; what the nations (USA and Canada) eat, in fact the western-food industrialized world eats, started us all off on the wrong foot. Most of our readers here at GetFitFaster.ca are enlightened about the awful effects os fast/processed foods, so I am not going to spend a lot of time educating you on this, since I would be “preaching to the choir,” so to speak; but I do hope to encourage you on a couple of points that have been very important in my own journey. We got “here,” borderline epidemic obesity, diabetes, heart disease… you name it, because our “sugar daddies” hooked us on crappy food as “good for us,” and made us believe that foods like veg, fruits, seeds etc. represent a “DIET.” Our parents, look, I adore mine, led us, rather, FED us to believe that good behaviour = sugar! My near silver hair bears witness to this as I can recall the lollipop my barber gave me in Italy, after not crying during the cut. By the way, that guy snipped my ear once! There was blood, then there was another lollipop… all better. It is no different than the practice of hooking someone on a drug, a little at a time.

WE HAVE IT BACKWARDS 
The following may revolutionize the way you think about what “a diet” actually is.  To our bodies and the way they are naturally designed, NOT eating fast food, junk food and boatloads of refined sugar is NORMAL! Yes, you read that correctly; it is the NORMAL way our bodies were designed by nature – to NOT want to eat that stuff. What IS NORMAL, is eating unprocessed, unrefined foods; veg, fruit, greens, seeds etc… what is naturally ABNORMAL to our bodies is to not eat that way. However, we have taught them differently.

What is ABNORMAL is to buy diet/health related products to try and counteract the awful choices we are making. What is ABNORMAL is getting so hooked on sweets, sugars, unhealthy fats that “eating clean/right” is now considered, yup, here is that word again: ABNORMAL! Do you see how backwards we have this? Going on “a diet” now means “eating healthy!” The power of natural food is reversing disease across the planet everyday, but you won’t hear about that much because there is no  money in “health,” but there are billions of dollars to be made in despair and sickness. See just one example of how natural food eradicated disease, from Dr. Mercola here: http://goo.gl/mvHvxJ

NO, THAT IS NOT “FOOD” YOU ARE GIVING UP
If your initial thoughts run along the lines of “Marco, what are you saying? That I have to give up the foods I love?” My immediate answer is this; if what you mean by “foods you love” is Fried Chicken, Fries, Poutine, Sodas, Donuts, Chocolate Cake, fattening cookies, diet products including sodas, certain protein bars, low carb this, low fat that, fast food, most pre packaged frozen items, things in plastic wrap or shiny foil packaging, processed snacks and so on…” YOU ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT “FOOD,” you are talking about products manufactured in a lab, or that are cooked in such an unhealthy way that they defy the very meaning of the word “food” itself. If instead your thinking is “I could never give those things up,” then, as unpopular as this might make me, you have a different challenge before you, and it is that of mindset and self-imposed limitations. 

HOW I DID IT – HOW I AM STILL AT IT
I made a conscious decision that being healthy and liking the way I look, is more important to me than any momentary satisfaction junk food can offer. Was it easy? Ask me that after I tell you that I also quit 20 years plus of smoking 1+ packs of cigarettes a day. NO. IT WAS NOT EASY. But trying to go up one flight of stairs at 25 years of age and clutching my chest in pain was not easy either. When I really cleaned up my eating, I went through sugar withdrawals and headaches, but they are gone. Now I get these if I ever overload on sugar. You can train your body to do just about anything, including going through some discomfort in order to get a desired result. Nothing you eat that is “dead,” as in processed, made in a lab, or has no nutritional value has any place in your body if your goal is quality of life, or weight management. 

WHO WILL GET THE FINAL WORD?
Excuses like “I can’t, I don’t have the willpower, the discipline…” you can say all of that for a while, a long while in fact, because our bodies are capable of withstanding massive amounts of abuse. But at some point these statements will stare you dead in the face and scream at you when the doctor says “you have diabetes, your kidneys are shutting down, your blood pressure is through the roof, your pancreas is malfunctioning, you will need medication for the rest of your life” and worse. 

Don’t give your lack of willpower or your addiction to bad food the chance to say “GOTCHA,” at some point later in your life. Go through a little discomfort now to lessen the chances of massive pain and suffering later. I challenge you do rethink what “diet” means to you.

I tackled some of this in a podcast earlier this year. You can download it here for free.