Are You Suffering From SADS?

Happy Tuesday!

As you all might have noticed, it's getting darker earlier and staying dark longer. Not only that but the temps are dropping. The fall chill has begun and will soon lead into winter. On top of that the days are generally more often cloudy and rainy… all of these are less than motivating to stay or get in shape, am I right?

These external conditions can lead to a few negative symptoms this time of year. Have you been feeling sluggish, lacking motivation, feeling sad, hopeless, guilty, having food cravings, trouble falling asleep or sleeping too much?

This could mean you are suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder or SADS.

What causes this?

One of the major factors is that we get less exposure to sunlight leading to low vitamin D, low melatonin, low serotonin, and getting out of your circadian rhythm are all possible causes.

What can you do to help?

Vitamin D3 supplements, exposure to sunlight or UV lights, healthy diet, exercise, and seeking help from a professional can all help. Vitamin D3 is one of the cheapest supplements out there and is often something that we are low in this time of year due to low amounts of sun light. This is especially compounded for most of us in 2020 as we have been staying inside more this year than normal.

If you are feeling symptoms of SADS it might be worth your time to get a good vitamin D3 supplement to help get you back on your feet. It won’t be an instant fix but if you consistently take your D3 over the fall and winter you should come out this spring doing much better than you might have otherwise.

Diet and exercise not only improves overall health but also helps with improved energy, mood, and sleep. You might have noticed, during quarantine it was much harder to keep to your normal sleep patterns. Extended time in front of screens, less time moving, more time to grab snacks and eat junk. If you want to get back into a great circadian rhythm, starting a fitness routine and focusing on a healthy and balanced diet can go a long way to help you get back on track.

Need help with motivation to get into the gym? Don’t know what workouts to do? No idea where to start your new diet? We can help!

* All of the trainers at Relentless Fitness offer 2 free sessions to get you started.
* All trainers are at the minimum NCCA certified.
* Trainers can help provide nutrition guidance. Why Relentless Fitness?
* Relentless Fitness is a private training studio so that means NO MEMBERSHIPS!
* We are taking COVID seriously, and you should be too. This means:
* All entry to the facility is by appointment only.
* We require masks when entering and moving around the gym.
* We take temperatures and sanitize hands at the door.
* We required signed agreements from all clients stating that they have not had any symptoms, traveled to high risk areas, or been in contact with anyone with symptoms of COVID within the last 14 days.
* Our trainers will help keep distance with other clients.
* And our facilities are constantly cleaned and sanitized.

Don’t let 2020 keep you from crushing your goals! Relentless Fitness can help you finish out 2020 on a high note! Click the Get Set Up button in the top right to get scheduled with a personal trainer!

CRUSHING 2020

New Year, New Me?

As we all know it is that time of year where we want to get a fresh start and set our new years resolutions. Sadly, only about 8% of us actually achieve our goals that we set for our new year! There has to be a way to keep us from being in that other 92% right? Maybe trying these tools this year can put you in the successful 8%!

Start with SMART goal setting

Goal setting is the key to getting started and can make or break your success for this years goals. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time bound. See chart below:

If you aren’t setting your goals with each of these in mind you are asking for trouble. This can lead to goals that are impossible to achieve, don’t fit into your time frame or have no time limit, have no real quantifiable factor to know if you are successful or not (saying you want to tone up is not measurable), and can leave you discouraged and might even push you away from your goal.

Tactics

Aim small miss small

Set a goal that is very specific like: lose 6% body fat by April 1st.
This also means that you should focus on 1 or 2 Big Picture goals like losing 6% body fat and running a half marathon. These two goals are aligned in the same direction and will both help each other. DO NOT set 10 Big Picture goals and don’t set them in different directions. Setting goals to lose 6% body fat, place 1st in a powerlifting meet, win that eating competition you have always wanted to win, etc. pulls your goals in opposing directions and will likely lead to failure of at least 1 if not all of your goals.

Build a road map

Set small goals to lead to the big goal. If your big goal is to lose 6% body fat by April 1st, your road map can be: Drink a gallon of water every day starting with 24oz when I wake up, set a caloric limit and follow it by tracking your food (myfitnesspal is great for this) and enter the meal in before you leave the table after eating, and workout 5 times per week and do at least 30mins of cardio every day (set a specific time like before work to complete your cardio daily). Also setting a goal of losing 3% body fat by February 15th can help keep you on pace for reaching your goal on time.

Set your environment up for your success

Setting up your environment is key to success. With your body fat goal you can buy a new scale and put it in the bathroom so as soon as you use the bathroom in the morning you can weigh in. Maybe buy a scale that connects to your phone that helps you keep track of your weight and bodyfat. Carry a water bottle with you throughout the day to help you drink more water. Pack your gym bag and keep it by the door so it is ready when you leave. Buy new workout clothes and shoes to remove the excuse of not having anything to wear or having shoes that are too worn down to go on that morning walk. Set your environment up to help you remove obstacles and remind you that you have goals to hit.

Let’s face it, our goals usually aren’t the easiest thing because if they were, we would have already just done it. Use this new year as a springboard to crush some goals but make sure you arm yourself with the best tools possible to be successful. If you have a hard time with failure, please really think deeply about whether or not setting new years resolutions are the right thing for you. If you know from previous experience that failure to reach your goals led to even worse habits then reaching out to a professional to help you stay on track and keep you accountable as well as set correct goals might be a better option.

As always if you have any questions or need any help email us here relentlessfitgym@gmail.com and we can help!

Check out the article below for more great info on goal setting.

https://jamesclear.com/goal-setting

Game Changers

Game Changers



Is it true? Should I give up on meat?

 If you haven’t seen Game Changers on Netflix I would encourage taking the time to watch it. The only thing I ask is that you keep in mind that this video is not perfect and is pushing for a certain narrative. This is not peer reviewed as scientifically proven and some if not all of the writers and filmmakers have a stake in vegan and/or vegetarian products.  Having said that I think it’s a great video to get you thinking a bit differently about the average American diet.

After doing some research for fact checking this video it has been found that there are some major discrepancies and some great truths. The biggest issues are on the Gladiators diet, plant protein is superior to meat protein, correct plants have all essential amino acids but they doesn’t include amounts and if it is enough for humans, milk lowers testosterone, and meat is as dangerous as cigarettes. Also the athletes could be seen as being “cherry picked” for this video as they are the exception and not the norm.

The video did a great job with bringing up the importance of a high veggie diet, showed how ( if done correctly) this diet can be extremely effective for some athletes, that soy is not the estrogen monster that we used to think it was, and bringing recognition to how our current farming practices are harming the planet.

I will say that after watching this it is very convincing to implement more vegetables into the diet and reduce the meat intake a bit. As a country we do eat a lot of meat and we also tend to be low in vegetable intake. I have for the last year decreased the amount of beef, pork, and chicken to about 3-5 meals a week from a previous 10+ meals per week. I will say that I do eat fish and eggs regularly in my diet. If this video makes you want to change up your diet a bit I would recommend looking into the Mediterranean diet. This diet focuses on eating plants and reducing intake of meats, especially red meats.

Eating the Mediterranean way

Interested in trying the Mediterranean diet? These tips will help you get started:

• Eat more fruits and vegetables. Aim for 7 to 10 servings a day of fruit and vegetables.

• Opt for whole grains. Switch to whole-grain bread, cereal and pasta. Experiment with other whole grains, such as bulgur and farro.

• Use healthy fats. Try olive oil as a replacement for butter when cooking. Instead of putting butter or margarine on bread, try dipping it in flavored olive oil.

• Eat more seafood. Eat fish twice a week. Fresh or water-packed tuna, salmon, trout, mackerel and herring are healthy choices. Grilled fish tastes good and requires little cleanup. Avoid deep-fried fish.

• Reduce red meat. Substitute fish, poultry or beans for meat. If you eat meat, make sure it's lean and keep portions small.

• Enjoy some dairy. Eat low-fat Greek or plain yogurt and small amounts of a variety of cheeses.

• Spice it up. Herbs and spices boost flavor and lessen the need for salt.

For more information on this diet go here: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/mediterranean-diet/art-20047801

Fact checking Game Changers. READ THESE!!!!!!

https://www.biolayne.com/articles/research/the-game-changers-review-a-scientific-analysis/

https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a29067926/the-game-changers-movie-fact-check/

https://medium.com/@tmitchelhill73/lets-talk-about-the-game-changers-1d76a0c344e5

LOSING MOTIVATION?

LOSING MOTIVATION?

Nobody is motivated 100% of the time. We have all fallen into a slump at one time or another in life and in the gym. This is the time of year when many people start to feel a lack of motivation. We begin spending less time working toward the goals we set, and we start to forget why we even started. We often just look at the end result we want without having a time frame or a plan, so we remain demotivated. Often it is very difficult to climb out of that slump and get back on track.

How can we increase motivation when our tasks seem like the last thing we want to do? The best place to start is goal setting. If you use goals correctly, they can be a great way to set your vision toward the future, even while stuck in a rut. Below you will find a few tools designed to transform that distant goal into the here-and-now motivation you need to get started. You'll also learn about the differences between motivation and determination, and why both are equally important.

Use Imagery
Imagine what it will be like when you reach your goal. What you will feel? What you be able to do? How will your self-image change?

Use Timelines
Set a timeline for yourself that is appropriate. No, you aren’t going to lose 20 lbs in 2 weeks, and you will be very unmotivated when you fail at that goal 2 weeks later. Setting the goal of losing 20 lbs in 2 months is a much more achievable timeline.

Accountability
Tell someone about your goals so they can help remind you and keep you accountable. Hire a professional to help! Get a workout partner to drag you to the gym when you don’t want to go. This can save you when motivation alone isn’t cutting it.

Set a road map
Setting up small goals that lead to your larger goal can work as a road map. Moving from goal to goal can progressively lead you to your major end goal, all while seeming attainable and controlled and not crushing your motivation.

Great! Your goals are set and being used as a tool for motivation, now what?

Be patient! It can take anywhere between 18-254 days to create a new habit, depending on the person. That's a big jump! In most situations, it takes at least 2 months to create a new habit and setting your expectations for a minimum of 2 months of habit building is a great place to start.

Change things up but stay consistent:
Consistency is key to creating a habit and creating a determined mindset. But with lack of variety it might cause you to lose motivation due to boredom. Avoid this in the gym by changing up your programming. Take a break from the cardio and hit some weights. Change your cardio from low intensity steady state to high intensity interval training. Run in a different park. Ride your bike around a different part of town. If your goal is working out 5 days a week, it will be much easier to stick to that goal if you change up the workouts.

Motivation versus determination:
We naturally kill our motivation by following the path of least resistance. We cheat reps and skip sets in our workout. We skip workouts and that leads to us skipping more workouts. We start thinking that maybe its not worth the effort or that maybe we just aren’t meant to reach our goal. Or we are doing great and feeling motivated, then BOOM! We sustain an injury, get sick, life happens and slows our progress. This can set us into a downward spiral that can be hard to get out of.

Our motivation got us started, but it is our determination that will see us through to the end. Determination is the relentless pursuit of our goals; it is refusing to stop until we reach the goals we set for ourselves, no matter what road blocks get in the way. Increase your determination by making decisions that are set it stone, that you will not break. Follow the plan that you set for yourself. If you fall off track, get back on track NOW. Stick to the plan! Stop worrying about things that don’t serve you well and will not matter in the long run. Deal with the immediate issues that prevent you from getting one step closer to your goal. Set a laser focus on your 'why'. Your 'why' can act as your guiding light when you feel like you can’t go on.

In summary, motivation fades but is an amazing tool to get started. When motivation fades, hold tight to that determination that you set out with. With proper set up, you can create your own driving force to reach the goals you set for yourself, no matter the obstacle.

If you need help with accountability contact us and we can help!

Have a great rest of the week and as always, Stay Relentless!

https://greatperformersacademy.com/motivation/top-15-practical-ways-to-boost-your-willpower-and-determination

https://jamesclear.com/new-habit

https://www.webmd.com/women/features/exercise-habits#1

https://health.usnews.com/wellness/articles/2016-04-01/10-ways-to-finally-make-fitness-a-habit

http://paspapt.com/motivation/

https://believeperform.com/performance/maintaining-motivation-in-exercise/

https://www.elitefts.com/education/discipline-in-training-and-life/

Is HIIT The Secret To Weight Loss?

Is HIIT The Secret To Weight Loss?

HIIT training has become a popular method for weight loss over the traditional steady state cardio. HIIT training or "High Intensity Interval Training" is a method where short bursts of high intensity exercise are mixed with lower intensity "rest periods". Often this is done with a mix of resistance training and aerobic training. It can also be done with only resistance or only aerobic training, with the most popular option being purely aerobic. A great example of this is the 4x4 method, which can be used when running, biking, swimming, rowing, etc. In the 4x4 method, you will do 4 minutes of 85-95% maximum heart rate aerobic training and 4 minutes of 60% maximum heart rate aerobic training for 4 rounds. Be sure to warm up and cool down before performing the 4x4 training method.
 

Why is HIIT so great?

The main reason why HIIT is a great tool is TIME. We feel we do not have the time it takes to burn sufficient calories through steady state cardio. HIIT allows us to burn the same amount of calories as steady state cardio but in much less time. Some other benefits of HIIT are better muscle retention than steady state cardio, longer caloric burn after HIIT, increase in speed and strength depending on the type of HIIT, lower blood pressure, and increased heart health.

Here is the issue, HIIT training isn’t magic and HIIT alone won't melt off the pounds. In the end, burning 300 calories using steady state cardio in an hour or burning 300 calories using HIIT training in 20 minutes can be undone by 1 SLICE OF PIZZA! Don’t forget that it is much harder to expend calories than it is to take them in. Use diet as your number one tool to lose fat and exercise as an assistant to help burn calories. That way, you can eat a few more calories and improve your health and performance.

For more information, take a deeper look into the resources:

• https://www.ntnu.edu/cerg/advice

• https://cergntnu.wordpress.com/2011/10/25/4x4/

• https://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/HIITvsCardio.html

• https://www.clubindustry.com/fitness-studies/new-research-highlights-benefits-risks-hiit-training

• https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/11/08/501017547/is-high-intensity-interval-training-the-fast-track-to-health

• https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/obr.12532