It's Great To Be Back!

Hello all!

The Priority Fitness blog is back! Thanks for making it through the rest of the Summer without us!

I wanted to make sure that our first blog of the season is posted before October is over for a few important reasons. The first reason is that the NYC Marathon is creeping up and there are very important tips that we plan on sharing in the near future. The second reason, which we shall dive into right now, is the significance of October and your long term training routines.

October is the silence before the big storm. You may be asking "what storm?", NY just had a horrendous storm two days ago! Well, that's a valid question... The storm I'm referring to is the "Holiday Storm"- Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukah, New Years, etc. These are the holidays where so many of us (well, hopefully not us) eat and drink whatever we want, yet constantly rationalize our actions by saying "this is all going to stop at New Years!" and then gain 7-10 pounds... What a toll that puts on our bodies! To top it off, a lot of us follow this cycle but then do not even lose all of the weight later in the year. If you are trying to pack on pounds progressively through out the years, you have found the secret.

But why not avoid the unnecessary weight gain? Wouldn't it feel great to actually start the Spring season already in shape? It's very possible. For most of us, it just means to keep on doing what we are doing. If we are already working out, keep it up. The key to not getting sidetracked is to write out weekly plans for your workouts through out the holiday season. This will put so much in perspective. It will be the difference between skipping a workout to eat leftovers and going our for a long run. The key is to keep your workouts a priority and to not let the holiday meals and parties consume you (even though we are probably the ones who would be doing most of the consuming). If you want to, or are already working out 4-5 times a week, write down the days you want to do it during the holidays. Just because Thanksgiving weekend lasts 4 days, it doesn't mean that you need to skip 4 days of exercising. You can even plan to run a Turkey Trot the morning of Thanksgiving, which is a great way to fire up your metabolism for the rest of the day.

Practicing your Fall/Winter workout routine now will be a great experience for you to perfect it when the Holiday Storm hits.

Gonna Make You Sweat!

Many thanks to OVERFLOW Magazine, a fantastic local South Brooklyn magazine, for collaborating on a new Fitness article. Feel free to check out the magazine around town and click the link to read the article. Enjoy!

Gonna Make You Sweat in Park Slope – A Priority

OVERFLOW

Endurance To The Max

If I were asked to pick a few sports that challenge muscle endurance the most, it is very likely for soccer and distance cycling to be in the top 5. As I’m sure you know, the World Cup has been going on for the past couple of weeks and is now entering the final round of competition. What some of you may not know, is that the Tour De France is also currently in progress.

Both sports are incredibly inspiring to watch. One of the things that I first noticed is that none of these athletes ever stop moving! This is a true test of endurance. Preventing your body from standing still is a lot harder than it sounds. Unlike Sprinters (who run as fast as they can, stop, and then run again), endurance athletes engage specific muscle fibers that specialize in lasting longer, fatiguing slower, and constant movement. These fibers are slow twitch (type 1) muscle fibers which are a lot leaner and longer in comparison to the average fiber types of a body builder or wrestler (who mostly have fast twitch, type 2 muscle fibers).

Endurance athletes also have to eat the right ratio of nutrients (which keep them lean) to maximize performance. The typical endurance athlete follows a diet roughly comprised of 65% carbohydrates, 15% protein, and 20% fat. This is much different than a body builder’s diet which can be 55% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 20% Fat. Endurance training requires more carbohydrates and less protein than many other sports. The extra carbohydrates supply endurance athletes with a good deal of energy to assist in their long distance/duration races. The smaller doses of protein allow the athletes to move more efficiently. The more excess muscle an endurance athlete has, the more they have to work to move around. Think of the difference between a car (endurance athlete) and a truck (sprinter). Which one uses more gas? The truck uses a whole lot more! Same concept applies for endurance sports. Who wants to travel across the country in an 18-wheeler when you have a hybrid car in your garage?!?


So, if you are interested in seeing some world class endurance athletes, check out the World Cup final game this Sunday and watch the Tour De France for the next 3 weeks! Notice how those athletes are built and move differently than those who play other typically American sports such as football. And keep in mind, although it takes training and resilience, perhaps endurance training is the new sport for you!

Rob Is Back!!

And now he has his own blog. For those of you who don't remember Rob, his weight loss is a true success. Besides being a great friend, he is truly an inspiration. Rob lost 60 lbs by eating right, working out, and never giving up. He took his time (2 years) and lost weight the right way, the healthy way. He did what all fitness professionals want their clients to do. Here is a link to his story and new blog. I also pasted a recent blog that he posted. Enjoy!!

Priority Fitness Blog about Rob

Rob's Blog- Fit City

An Inspirational Sunday Run In The Park

As my seventh of nine qualifying runs for the 2011 New York City Marathon, I chose to run theAchilles International Hope & Possibility 5 Mile Run/Walk.

The run yesterday was like any other Sunday run except for one thing…

The people running the race were a lot more harcore than usual.

“Every day, in parks, gyms, and tracks all over the world, Achilles provides athletes with disabilities with a community of support.”

Except today, the community of support were the runners and onlookers in Central Park. The run inspired me and many of my fellow runners and I cant think of a better reason to get up early on a Sunday and exercise.

Check out some other awesome pics, below.

More than 6,000 runners, walkers and wheelchair racers participated in Sunday’s race.

I remember passing by this woman early in the race and saw her face light up when a few of us cheered her on, and she repaid the favor when she crossed the finish line and all of us were glowing.

Now he was working hard up the hills. Saw him in action and at the finish, as well.

Now that’s doin’ work.

¡Viva Ecuador!

This is my favorite image of the bunch. Look at the happiness and accomplishment on her face.

“The Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans program brings running programs and marathon opportunities to disabled veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.” I only had one thing to say them and that was “thank you.”

More than anything else, the children that participated in the race were the stars of the show. Talk about New York’s Finest… these children give ther term a new definition.

When we think about the enormous emotional benefits from working out, they are multiplied ten fold when we can do good for others too.

Being there, cheering on and running with the members of the Achilles made the eight miles I ran on Sunday seem like a miniscule accomplishment, and that is just fine with me.

Summer Fitness!

Here are two articles that Priority Fitness just wrote for Brooklyn Exposed. A little something to keep you waiting until the next blog post!


http://www.brooklynexposed.com/index.php/articles/single/staying_in_shape_with_summer_workouts/

http://www.brooklynexposed.com/index.php/articles/single/healthy_summer_foods/

Enjoy!

Summer Drinks Aren't Here To Help!

As we approach Summer the weather begins to warm up and we all tend to stay outside more to enjoy the long sunny days. One of the first changes in how I react to the Summer is that I notice how much I yearn for fluid to keep myself hydrated.

When the body sweats more, it requires more fluids to maintain hydration. Even if you don't work out, there's no stopping sweat. From a "calorically conscious" perspective (I think I just made up a new term!) it is easy to over-ingest in calories with high sugar drinks. Summer drinks such as lemonade, iced tea, pina coladas, and even juice are examples of unnecessary drinks that are not crucial for hydration. Although it may feel refreshing to drink a large glass of lemonade, there is a potential of adding 250 calories of refined sugar carbohydrates to your diet. Drink that a couple times a week and see how many extra calories add up in a month!

A healthy alternative to high sugar drinks is water! Water is the source of life and will hydrate the body when needed. Now, if your body has depleted itself of carbohydrates (usually when you haven't eaten or drank anything in over 3 hours) then grab a piece of fruit. Fruit is superior to any type of summer drink. Fruit has natural sugars, micro-nutrients, and contains healthy fiber. Most have no natural sugars, very little micro-nutrients, and they are stripped of all their fiber.




A great rule of thumb to live by. I heard this quote in person. "Whatever is man made, isn't meant for man!" - Jack Lalane

In this case, "man made" refers to refined "over-sugared" drinks.

Is It Okay To Be Fat?

--Debut post from Priority Fitness Co-Founder, Chris Maiurro--

Recently, ABC hosted a controversial program called Face Off; a news "debate" (and I use this word lightly) about the issue of weight in America. This, in addition to fervor created by famous directors (Kevin Smith) buying dual seats on flights, Jaimie Oliver's Food Revolution, The Biggest Loser, our constant obsession with fad dieting, and the now obvious health effects that over weight Americans are experiencing makes this an idea worth considering: is it okay to be fat?

The show, which I encourage you to see for yourself (ABC News), is not exactly the best forum in which to discuss such a serious matter. The panel consists of four oppositional participants with a moderator, and in typical TV fashion the discussion deteriorates rather quickly into "clucking". A strong debate would have had more point/counter-point opportunities, and panelists with better credentials than "plus-sized super model", but they all had personal experiences with weight related issues and in all seriousness that does count for a lot. There is an actual doctor in the audience that they call on occasionally to clear up some facts. He is Dr. Richard Besser (former acting director of the Center for Disease Control - so I figure he knows a thing or two) and it's sort of fun to watch him correct the ignorance of those on stage. That being said, this post is not necessarily a critique for ABC's producers, so on to the real matters. The show does manage to touch on some of the highlights of the controversy: health, insurance costs, and personal and societal value of the fit person vs. the overweight person.

I can say, from a less strict "fitness" perspective (we are trainers, but humans also after all) that it is not a question of "okay". When a client comes to us with a goal we help them understand what is necessary to reach that objective and point out to them that their notion of a goal may be limited by their current circumstance. We take all that information and formulate a plan always with the understanding that they are the one's steering the ship..."okay" is not a factor. Our clients are almost always adults. They can do what they please. If they feel fine, physically, carrying extra body weight in the form of fat, if they aren't troubled by the potential increase in risk factors related to weight, if their personal ambitions don't extend to fitting into a certain size jeans, who are any of us to say otherwise?

However, as trainers our ultimate goal for our clients physiologically speaking, ignoring all the other pieces to the puzzle (the client's own self worth, their relationship to food, their partner's opinion, and the worst...their mother's opinion) is to make them as lean and muscular as possible. A lean, Muscular body is one that performs well, isn't limited in what it can do, and is resistant to disease and deterioration compared, on average, to a fat body (every case is different, but the statistics bear this out).

So the question then is, what isn't okay? This is one that can't be addressed without heaps of personal opinion, but as this is a blog and not a UN doctrine, I suppose I will hazard a response: If you are hurting those around you because of your weight by, for example, dying early and depriving them of that time with you, by creating an environment where they are encouraged to also over eat and not exercise (parent/child, romantic partnership, etc.), or by taking advantage of an already out of control and stressed health care system because of your weight- I would say that these circumstances are not okay. If you are starving yourself to fit into a size 2 or comfort eating because you never will, neither of those things are okay. If you are participating in over consumption on any level (food, land, personal wealth, fossil fuels, or resources of any kind) that is not okay.

We all have different sized and shaped bodies. They all have the potential to be fit and strong and beautiful....and guaranteed they will all look different. Isn't that a good thing?

Thanks for reading the rant.

Oh, and one other thing that isn't okay....if you are a multinational food conglomerate hell bent on profit at any cost, even the lives of the American Public, to the point that you will over process and corn syrup infuse anything and everything, then that also is not okay.

And one more thing: even though I shouted him out in the beginning, I adore Kevin Smith and think he is one of the best film makers/ comic writers ever (especially to come out of Jersey...hey I'm from there too)