5 Mistakes women make when trying to build muscle and strength

by Florence Scheepers, posted in Uncategorized

Want to get stronger and build some sexy muscles? Lifting weights is excellent for your health and overall fitness but many women make common mistakes that end up wasting their time. Read on to learn how to avoid these common errors. 

  • Under-fueling 

If your wanting to get stronger and build muscle, they say you need to eat big to get big. Sadly, although many women say they want to build muscle and strength, they also fear that weight gain is a sign of failure and losing weight means they’re getting fitter. 

Building muscle requires sufficient protein and enough overall energy from food. It’s not uncommon to have to increase your calories in order to achieve muscle growth. We women are conditioned to be afraid of gaining weight and panic when the scale goes up. However, eating enough food for your muscle building workouts not only grows muscle but gives you energy to push hard in your training, reduces soreness, and increases recovery. No need to “bulk,” eating tons of food past fullness, but a -slightly higher than you think- amount. 

  • Not lifting heavy enough

You are stronger than you think. Have you lifted a weight so many times that your muscles fail to move it another inch? If not, maybe you need to push more next time you lift. Lifting to muscle failure isn’t always necessary (or safe) but challenging yourself to lift a heavy weight that tires you out is key to building muscle. You also need to progress with each week either by adding more weight, doing more reps and sets, or increasing your range of motion, otherwise you risk stalling progress. 

  • Quantity over Quality

This might be due to not lifting heavy enough. I see many beginners spent 2 hours or more in the gym doing 100 reps of 15 different exercises and wonder why they are not improving. Likely, many of those exercises are a waste of time. Instead pick 5-10 exercises that work the largest muscles of the body and focus of delivering high effort work at a heavy weight. 

  • Constant program switches

Consistency is key and although doing the same exercises week by week may seem boring, it’s the best way to measure progress and improve. Lifting weights is a skill and only practice makes progress. Changing programs can be needed to give some areas a rest, work on new areas to improve, and keep the body challenged, but only switch every 6-8 weeks at minimum and keep the basics (squats, press, deadlift etc.) in every program. 

  • Not prioritizing recovery

Muscle doesn’t grow in the gym, but when you’re resting. It takes around 48 hours for a muscle to fully recover, depending on your fitness level, and even the top athletes take at least one rest day. Be sure to work the major muscle groups no more than twice a week, if that’s not enough, add higher intensity work next time. In addition to rest days, prioritise sleep, treat yourself to a massage, and do fun and gentle activities such as walking along the river or going dancing at your favorite bar. 

Unsure how to begin lifting or up your game? Superwomen training offers personal training, group classes, and nutrition classes for all women 

5 Ways to Stay Healthy Right Now

by Florence Scheepers, posted in Uncategorized

Hello.

The entire world is going through a massive shift and it looks like this could last for a while. Although we are in this together, how the virus impacts each of us varies. If you are struggling, don’t hesitate to reach out to someone for help.

Here are 5 ways to take care of yourself during this time.

  1. Spend time outside. Unless you’ve been instructed otherwise by your doctor, you are safe to go outside, provided you stay 6 feet away from those who are not in your household. Taking a 30-minute walk each day improves your mood and reduces stress. Walking is a fantastic exercise that burns energy, improves posture and blood circulation, and improves cardiovascular health. Enjoying the natural scenery is a calming and rooting experience, except it’s currently snowing here and the only thing I’m able to see is the return of the geese flying from the south, so enjoy those geese.
  2. Build and follow a routine. Whether you still leave for work, work at home, or are temporarily unemployed, you may have experienced a disruption in your day-to-day routine. However, building a routine that is practical and following it regularly allows you to complete tasks efficiently and reduces stress. For example, wake up at the same time every day, clean a portion of your home before you start work, walk the dog and/or exercise before cooking your evening meal. Routines do not have to be highly structured, especially in a time when we are unsure of the future, but some structure helps create normality.
  3. Move your body daily. There has been a surge of sales of home workout plans, equipment, challenges, and virtual classes. Although this can be useful, it can also feel overwhelming. The right home workout can be a great way to improve your fitness, especially one that’s tailored to you *hint hint*, but don’t feel pressured to take on more than you can handle. Rather, take this opportunity to include a movement to master such as the push up, pull up (if you have a pull up bar), the body weight squat, or handstand. Practice one or more of these movements a few times a day. Not feeling up for that? go for that walk with the geese.
  4. Eat healthy. Healthy eating becomes difficult under stressful times, lack of routine, and boredom, but it is important. We’ve been encouraged to reduce our grocery shopping to once a week so plan your meals and snacks for the week. Look up recipes if you are unsure what to cook. Prioritize fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains on the grocery list. Eat at the same times each day, and listen to your hunger and satiety. These are basic tips but it’s good to focus on the fundamentals at this time.
  5. Take care of your mental health. The above points are excellent for improving your mental health, but may not be enough. If you’re like me, experiencing a disruption of a job, losing face to face contact with friends and family, and losing the ability to participate in hobbies can cause a decline in mental health. Please talk to someone when you feel alone. Fill your time with books, great movies, making art, meditation, yoga and organizing your home to stay occupied. Reduce your time on social media, it’s good to be informed, but create healthy boundaries in regards to the amount of social media you expose yourself too.

Social distancing is a powerful way to keep our city and our world safe. Who knew you could save the world by being a shut in?

Take care,
Florence

Eating healthy around others: How to deal with social barriers to sticking to your goals.

by Florence Scheepers, posted in Uncategorized

Happy New Year! I hope you all had an enjoyable Christmas or at least a few days off the normal routine to reflect and recharge.

I had a conversation with my family about how our loved ones and acquaintances can make it difficult for us to stick to our commitments to eating healthy. Not only is this quite common, it can be one of the main reasons people struggle and even give up on their efforts completely.

This year I’m launching an online nutrition program for those who are ready for a fresh start and want to eat healthier, stay consistent with exercise, and heal their relationship with food. The goal of the program is to give people the tools to make and keep habits that will help them long term. A major topic in the program focuses on social barriers and finding social support to sticking to your healthy habits.

Food and eating is very connected with socializing and social events. Often, we think of examples such as family dinners, brunch with the girlfriends, wedding, birthday parties etc. In all these scenarios there are feelings of pure joy, feelings of guilt, or maybe even shame. As a person wanting to make serious changes to dietary habits in pursue of health and/or weight loss, eating in a social setting can bring anxiety. How can we keep to our goals and eat better in social settings when our friends and families are not eating healthy or want to change either? How can we choose healthy options when the only options are cake and ice cream? How can we enjoy conversation without the possibility of unwarranted comments on how we denied dessert in favour of fresh fruit. Our close friends and family can be great allies to our journey on becoming healthier. However, they can also sabotage either unknowingly or deliberately. Some can feel jealous of your progress and others may simply not understand your reasons for change. Please know that you are not alone first and foremost. Many try to change their eating secretively and might even avoid social situations where food is involved rather than talk about it. A large part is to avoid criticism but also to avoid the possibility of failing in public.

So what to do? Tell yourself that despite how many say they only comment out of their concern for you, your body is your business. If people ask, you can say you are making changes for your own health and wellbeing because it’s important to you, or that you want to be a good role model. You could also say nothing, that’s fine too. When in a situation where there is food and alcohol, decide beforehand whether or not you would have some and ask: will this bring me joy? Would this satisfy my hunger? How would I feel afterwards? Could I make a compromise and limit myself to a few things, and would this make me feel satisfied or frustrated? Focus on you and you alone. Never feel shame for your choices to eat or not eat, drink or not drink. Do what you believe is right for you.

For each day, think about a time when you felt pressured in a social setting that involved eating, what are some ways you can respond that you feel is a healthy choice? How do you feel about it? How can it affect your friends and family positively or negatively? Feel free to jot down your answers in a journal so you can refer to frequently.

Are social gatherings around food and drink give you anxiety? How have you responded to comments or actions by the people around you?

If you are interested in working on challenges to help you take control on your efforts to become healthier, check out my program. Info is on my website or feel free to email me at contact@superwomentraining.com. All are welcome 🙂

Gym Intimidation: Should you just “suck it up”?

by Florence Scheepers, posted in Uncategorized

Tips to overcoming gym intimidation (Gymidation)

We all hear it constantly that exercise is very important. There are so many benefits of exercise from mental health, to antiaging effects. A great way for most to get their exercise is by going to a gym. Gyms are equipped with a variety of tools to get us in shape. However, going to a gym can come easier to some more than others for many reasons.

As a new comer or one who hasn’t stepped foot in a fitness facility in a while, feeling uncomfortable and intimidated is very common. But it seems that there is more to it than feeling not confident in how to use machines or proper exercise technique.

For some women, in particular, they find stepping into a gym very difficult. Some women report feeling intimidated by looks from other men and feeling judged by their appearance.

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So, what is there to do about this issue? Based on internet forums, fitness magazine articles, and chatting with fellow gym goers, here is a list of popular ways women cope with getting their workout in while managing their “gymidation”.

  1. Ignore People:

People stare, men stare at women they find attractive, sometimes people need to look at something that’s moving. Rather than being bothered by it, find strategies that would help you ignore the gazes. Put on headphones, stay at the back of the room, don’t respond to comments (you can’t hear them anyway). Soon you will find that it’ll no longer bother you.

  1. Dress in a matter that will not bring attention:

As comfortable stretchy leggings can be, wearing them might bring unwarranted attention. So, dress in baggy clothes, don’t wear any makeup, and wear a hat to cover your hair. Not only will this prevent men hitting on you, they might avoid you completely. It also helps to put on an angry frown so that no one would ever think twice about asking you how your day was. Oh, and avoid mirrors, even those most gyms are surrounded by them.

  1. Don’t attempt an exercise in which you are unsure on how to execute:

Trying something new might lead to doing it incorrectly and therefore others would mock you on your poor form. Instead, do the basics you know well. Weights and machines can be hard to use and put you at risk of looking silly. An option is to attend a class (stay at the back) in which you are not required to use any weights or machines. That way you are safe from looking foolish and you blend into the crowd. And when in doubt, just do some stretching, everyone can stretch.

  1. Don’t perform exercises that are perceived as advance (especially for a woman).

Avoiding areas in the weight room that are populated with men and don’t do lifts using the same weight as the guy beside you. You will eliminate the belief that you are intimidating. It’s good to be confident, but not too confident. If someone offers exercise advice or to be a spotter, accept it to show you don’t believe you’re “all that”.

  1. And Finally, Suck it up!

You are not the only one who feels awkward in the gym and most likely others have it worse than you. Plus, isn’t getting attention and looks a compliment? Eventually you’ll get used to it.

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Do these tips make you a bit pissed off? Yeah, me too! So, here are some tips and insights that might be more helpful.

  1. Change Gyms:

If you feel uncomfortable every time you go to your gym, it could be because it’s not the gym for you? The gym environment can be a very social one (which is great), but if you feel you don’t connect with the other members and don’t feel that you don’t belong, you don’t have to force yourself to be there. If you can, try finding a place that feels more welcoming for you. Lately, there are more options from Crossfit boxes to your local YMCA that cater to different needs and populations. But, if your current place is the only one available to you, try finding a friend who would join you.

  1. Don’t believe the advertisements:

It’s common for commercial gyms to show advertising of their services and products by displaying images of very fit models using the equipment with ease. Although it can make their product appealing, the reality is that most who exercise look like average people (maybe a bit fitter looking). Social media posts on fitness can also lower one’s confidence, but there is a lot that is hyper glamorized and sexualized, that contains distortion from reality.

  1. Know that every single person in the gym was a beginner once.

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In order to become stronger, get in shape, and more fit you need to gradually work harder and harder several times a week for many years. Those who go to the gym who look muscular, lean, and perform advance exercises and lift heavy weights weren’t that when they started. As long as you are consistent, work hard, do it safely, you can become more confident in your efforts to become fit and healthy. A key point to know is that despite how a person may look or perform in the gym, he or she may still feel unhappy with his/her progress based on his/her ideas of progress (this is very linked to point 2.).

  1. Hire a fitness professional/get resources

If you are unsure on going to a gym because you don’t know what to do, invest in some training, go to a beginner class, or read some great books and articles on how to start on the right path (I’ll be sending a list of recommended resources soon). If you have any medical concerns or injuries, having a trainer is highly recommended as a professional can give you the knowledge and tools on how to exercise properly to get you the best results without risk of further injury or health problems. Feeling competent in your workouts greatly increases your confidence levels and keeps you motivated, and later who knows, you might actually start to enjoy the gym.

  1. Report Harassment

Lastly, if you wanted to leave a gym because of bullying or harassment, report it. These behaviours are inappropriate in any setting, the gym is no exception. If the management at the gym is not taking you seriously or responding properly, that is the fault of the staff, not you being irrational or bothersome. Harassment is sadly a common thing, especially for women, but if we work to report it and support those who speak out, more efforts will be made to reduce it. Unfortunately, most don’t speak up.

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What are your thoughts and experiences with gym intimidation? Do any of these tips work for you?

 

 

 

 

Most of what we know about obesity is right: A Huffington post rebuttal

by Florence Scheepers, posted in Uncategorized

Huffington post published an article: “Everything we know about obesity is wrong.” The title is eye catching as obesity is viewed by the health community as an epidemic that doesn’t seem to be slowing down. There is a diet and weight loss industry making billions a year and yet nothing is really changing. Hoping to learn about a breakthrough medical finding, or just a conversation starter on educating people about health, we ended up with a confusing piece that misinterprets its sources, uses outdated and inaccurate claims, and fails to gives us a message on where to stand when it comes to our health.

Here’s the original: https://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/everything-you-know-about-obesity-is-wrong/

The article provides an account of people experiencing discrimination and hate for being obese. Not only is the shaming coming from bullies in school or from strangers on the street, but also from medical professionals. Obese people have reported being name called and humiliated by their doctor. It is documented that rapport between doctor and obese patients is lower than non-obese patients, and doctors would often place blame on the individual for their obesity.

Yet, doctors receive very little diet and nutritional advice training, and are usually too short on time to provide enough education that could help someone. The basic “move more, eat less” is not helpful for someone who’s probably tried dieting and exercise several times before with no success.

One example in the article was about a woman who admitted to her doctor that she was starving herself in order to lose weight. He replied to her “whatever you are doing, it’s working”

The ill advice the medical doctor was giving to his patient is shocking. No one, whether they have a medical degree or not, knows that the patient’s behaviour is dangerous, and a sign of an eating disorder.

Is fat shaming a real thing? Absolutely. Does bullying make a person lose weight? No. Does stigmatization prevent a group from receiving proper care? Hell, yes it does!

What the article showed that this type of behaviour reduces the likelihood of obese patients seeing a doctor or any other health professional. And feeling shame after being ridiculed by the rest of the population, brings damaging depression and less future efforts to improve health.

Here’s what the article left out. The hard truth. Obesity is highly correlated to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, certain cancers, and osteoarthritis. Obese people have a greater mortality rate than non-obese people, and live 5-20 years less than non-obese.

Reducing body fat is related to a decrease in all of these medical conditions.

So, it’s obvious that the medical community would view obesity as a health concern, and promote a reduction of body fat to reduce risk of…well dying.

The inappropriate behaviour is unacceptable and ineffective, but not addressing the risks of obesity and possible ways to reduce risk of many diseases, does nothing either.

Being obese brings a high risk of medical problems. The article mentions a OB GYN clinic in Florida turning down obese patients. The author uses this example as way to show discrimination but left out why they were turned down. It’s because it is more dangerous for obese women to carry a pregnancy than non-obese women. The clinic’s physicians felt that they were not equipped enough to work with these patients and the chance of complications was too high to be worth the risk.

The article addresses that a certain percentage of obese people are “metabolically healthy.”

What does this mean? Based on one meta-analysis, metabolic health means having a normal blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, triglycerides and plasma glucose levels. This means having no risk of stroke, heart disease, or diabetes.

The same meta-analysis explained that studies on the health of overweight and obese participants showed that between 6-75% of them are metabolically healthy. The range is massive and each study showed a different number. So, to say that one’s obesity isn’t going to cause a metabolic disease is hard to say based on the huge variance in the research. Plus, just because someone doesn’t have those problems yet, doesn’t mean that they won’t get them later in life. Metabolic health is also one part of overall health: osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, and fertility issues are also linked with obesity and reduce quality of life. You may not get diabetes, but you could still get cancer.

What is going on with people trying to lose weight? The article stresses that dieting and weight loss success rate is extremely low. The author mentions Dr. Stunkard’s 1959 study that showed 95% of the overweight participants in the study failed to lose any weight.

The study has been used many, many times as to prove dieting doesn’t work. The article gives more examples of failed dieting outcomes and the slowing of one’s metabolism after weight loss makes it seem an impossible feat. Along with mentioning studies that show some obese people are metabolically healthy, is the message of the article: losing weight is not possible and that the health problems associated are far overblown? Perhaps it is better to stop any efforts of weight loss.

The study from 1959 used a small sample of 100 people. It is hard to make a generalizing statement about a population. Further, what exactly was the dieting advice given to the participants? The 100 people were given a diet and were sent on their way. Every person got the same diet plan with no education about nutrition and no recommendations on exercise. Dr. Skunkard even said “we know better now.” Many new studies show much lower numbers of people gaining the weight back. Although the number is still high, it is closer to 35-50% within 5 years, not 95%.

Article mentions study that shows people are eating less. The paragraph suggests that calories are not the problem in our health. This point is misleading: though people may be eating less but that does not account for activity level (which is reducing) and aging (population is getting older). The study mentioned even notes that the change is a positive step and may result in a reduction of body weight population wise. Instead the article uses the study to show that calories do not affect weight. That is completely wrong. Being in a caloric deficit, taken in less calories than expending, leads to weight loss. We may absorb and utilize different sources of calories in different ways, but what you eat, absorb, and utilize, must equal what you expend through activity, in order to remain the same weight.

The article is right about the mistreatment of overweight and obese individuals by medical doctors, and the feelings of shame prompting people to resort to extreme measures to lose weight is horrible. We should have all learned from school that bullying is wrong, but I guess not.

But to suggest that being obese is not very unhealthy, and that reducing caloric intake does not lead to weight loss is not helpful in the slightest. People do lose weight on a caloric deficit, obesity can be deadly, and weight loss can extend life. It’s tough but it is the truth. Even a small reduction of body fat prolongs life.

Obesity and its causes should be viewed as an societal phenomenon, not a pure individual occurrence. Like the article mentions, we are exposed to a large amount of advertising of junk food and sugary drinks, many are surrounded by fast food with no grocery store in sight. Healthy food can often be more expensive than non-healthy food. The article used an example where calorie for calorie unhealthy food is cheaper than healthy food. And these factors impact our efforts to be healthier.

To place all the blame on the individual isn’t appropriate, and neither all the responsibility should be placed on the individual to drastically change his or her lifestyle. But I believe we can change for the better individually and as a society. Supporting healthy behaviours such as exercising and eating more fruits and vegetables are some examples. Even just walking a few minutes more a day helps and costs nothing.

Sources for fact checkers

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25040597/

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.175.4474&rep=rep1&type=pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3901982/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3387402/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1322866

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-05-16/health/fl-hk-no-obesity-doc-20110516_1_gyn-ob-gyn-obese-patients

http://garfield.library.upenn.edu/classics1983/A1983RP56700001.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5401682/

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/oby.20384

https://health.usnews.com/wellness/food/articles/2016-12-07/how-much-do-doctors-learn-about-nutrition

https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/25/health/95-regain-lost-weight-or-do-they.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3665513/ 

https://www.precisionnutrition.com/weight-loss-calculator