Hashi Mashi

Tips for Your Mind & Body

How to Get Fit Ultimate Guide of Tools & Resources

How to Get Fit
Before and After the Fit Apprentice Program

I am regularly asked for recommendations on how to get fit.  People particularly want to know what tools I used to lose over 100 pounds, 18 inches off my waist and get fitter than I thought possible over the age of 50.

My results are not special or unique.

You can experience the same life changing results.  Whether you want to lose weight, get leaner and stronger, or reduce medications for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, thyroid or depression.

If you make the right choices in food, activity and lifestyle, you can dramatically improve your health and fitness.  Your body will transform, no matter how obese or out of shape you are right now.  This is not a one month fix, or even a six month fix.  Fit Apprentice is not a ‘diet'.  Rather, Fit Apprentice is about learning new habits and lifestyle modifications to improve your health and fitness.

This How to Get Fit Ultimate Guide is what I wish I had when my doctor told me “You need to lose weight pronto.  Your A1C level is near type 2 diabetic, your cholesterol is out of control,  and you have high blood pressure.  Or else, you need to be on medications.”  He had plenty of other bad news to give me, like abnormal thyroid and prostate numbers.

No matter how much I wanted to lose weight and get healthier, I just did not know how or what to do.

If you are a man or woman over 50, you are likely facing similar issues.  My hope is that this guide will help you learn how to get fitter faster.  Be sure to check back often as I will continue to update this guide with more tools, training, motivation strategies, services and resources that I either personally use (in most cases) or which have come highly recommended to me by people I trust.

But for now, there is more than enough here and with the recommended reading for you to get started on your journey to get fit.

 

#0. Get Conscious and Watch the Magic Show

If you are overweight, you eat too much and move too little.  Get conscious means that you have to become aware of how much food you eat in one sitting.  Your stomach does not have infinite capacity.  Once you become conscious that your stomach is only about a foot long and six inches wide, you realize that you cannot stuff yourself and expect to be lean and strong.

When you eat too much food in one shot, you will also degrade your digestion capability.

Start eating more consciously and watch the magic of your body.  The same intelligence that keeps your body running throughout the day will react to your new habits.  Breathing, digestion, assimilation, everything in your body runs on autopilot.  Your body will do the same magic to remove your excess layers of fat.  As soon as you stop overloading your body with too much food, your body will respond, guaranteed.  Even better, when you change the quality of your food,  your body will change dramatically.

Being conscious is the foundation.  Get conscious and the same body that has responded to your excess food intake by becoming fat,  will very soon become fit.

 

#1. Weight Loss Tools

Body Composition Scales

Knowing your scale weight and body fat percentage is the first step to achieve your ideal body weight and composition. Establishing a baseline and weighing yourself daily is the best way to stay conscious of your weight loss and fitness progress.

Weight Gurus or the Conair Scale will both give your scale weight, body mass index, hydration level, and your body fat percentage.  An additional feature of Weight Gurus is that you can sync your body composition data with: FitBit, Google Fit, Apple Health, and other popular fitness apps.

The Conair Scale on the other hand, is a basic body composition scale option without bluetooth connectivity.  I first purchased the Conair Scale in 2010 while I was on the way up to 275 pounds, and still use it till today at 170 pounds.

The Conair Scale is the scale that first informed me that my BMI (body mass index) was over 30 and that I was officially obese.  The fact that an estimated 160 million Americans are either obese or overweight, nearly 75 percent of all American adults over the age of 201)http://www.healthdata.org/news-release/vast-majority-american-adults-are-overweight-or-obese-and-weight-growing-problem-among, was no consolation.

I did not want to be part of that group and I am sure neither do you.  Health risks such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and chronic kidney disease increase when a person’s BMI exceeds 232)ibid.
Obesity is one of the controllable risk factors for heart disease.  While other risk factors like your age (over 45 for a man, and over 55 for a woman) and genetics/family history, are out of your control, your weight is under your control.
You need a body composition scale for the best results.  If you do not have a body composition scale, I recommend:
Recommended Reading:  

Tape Measures and Calipers for Body Girth/Fat Measurement

A simple tape measure will help you control another risk factor for heart disease; waist size.  Another controllable risk factor for cardiovascular disease is a waist size of 40 inches or above for men, and 35 inches or above for women.3)American College of Sports Medicine  You will dramatically decrease your waist size and pot belly with the right choices in food, activity and lifestyle habits.
Two very useful tools are a simple body tape measure and set of calipers:

Recommended Reading:

The 5 Components of Fitness You Need to Know

#2. Physical Activity Tools

Cross Trainers and Weightlifting Shoes

A third controllable risk factor for heart disease is to not live a sedentary lifestyle.  This means you must get more than 30 minutes of physical activity per day, at least 5 times a week.4)2008 President's Council on Physical Fitness

Therefore, one of the best investments you can make for your health and fitness is a pair of shoes for walking, running, elliptical, treadmill and lifting.  I have worn Nike the last 5 years for long walks before I was ready to lift weights.  And once I did start to lift weights, these Nikes are just fine for squats and deadlifts as well.

Recommended Reading: 

Top 10 Benefits of Physical Activity for Your Health & Fitness

How Sitting Disease Hurts You Even If You Do Exercise

#3. Training in the Zone Tools

Fitness Wrist Band with Heart Rate Monitor

One of the most important concepts that I have learned over the years is the overload principle and S.A.I.D. Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands.  These laws of nature say that according to the demands on your body, so will be your body.

If your main demand is to sit on the couch, then, your body will respond to make you fit for couch sitting.  Or, as some say, a couch potato.  Your body does not have to change or get more fit, but rather, is quite content to do the opposite.

On the other hand, if you start walking every day for 30 minutes, your body will say, wow, I have to walk now, I better start building some muscle and fitness for these walks.  And of course, the same holds true for running, or weight lifting.

As soon as you up the intensity, your body must respond to meet the new demands that you are making.  In order to up the intensity, you must know your target heart rate for cardiorespiratory training.  Now you know the answer as to why, despite walking on the treadmill every day, your body does not change.

You are not training with sufficient intensity.  Training in the Zone technique will guide you to gradually improve your cardio intensity.  This technique can make a real difference in your ability to shred fat and transform your physique.

Read this article to get a fuller understanding of how to do the Training in the Zone Technique.  If you use a treadmill, elliptical or bike in the gym, most of these machines have a heart rate monitor.  But, if you do outdoor training, you need a way to get your heart rate.

The fitbit is an excellent way to ensure that you are hitting your target heart rate.

#5. Recommended Food Shopping (Fuel) List

REMEMBER – You Can Never Ever Out Train a Bad Diet

Food is your Friend, Food for Fuel and Weight Loss –

If you eat every day like it is Thanksgiving, or a lot of junk food, you cannot out train a bad diet.  Therefore, you need to eat real food, at regular times, in normal amounts, throughout the day.  A few nutritious meals and a snack or two are sufficient for most people.

Do not stop eating for hours at a time, do not go hungry.  If you primarily eat real food throughout the week, your body will change and get leaner than you ever thought possible, guaranteed.  The main food group that Americans have too little of is vegetables.

It is estimated that only 17 percent of Americans get enough fruits and vegetables in their diet.  The Fit Apprentice plan places primary importance on making sure that you have at least a cup of raw salad and a cup of cooked vegetables every day, and a few fruits every day.  More is fine too.

Here are some of my shopping list recommendations to choose from. This list will give you an idea of the types of food to have available in your home.  Each link should take you directly to the listed product:

Beverages

Vegetables

Fruits

Nuts & Seeds

Whole Grains

Recommended Reading:

Eat Real Food and Conquer Your Own Mount Kilimanjaro

Just Eat Real Food – The Secret Sauce for Weight Loss

Real Food Daily

#6. Recommended Resource Books:

Starting Strength

 

I got Starting Strength several years ago and keep rereading it, even in kindle format.  This book has given me the cues on how to squat safely and effectively.  I keep going back to get clarity for not only the squat, but for the deadlift, overhead press and bench press as well.

I recommend that if you get any basic barbell training book, start with the best seller Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe.  Starting Strength will teach you why barbells are the most effective tools for strength training.

Starting Strength covers the instructions for performing the basic barbell training exercises: the squat, deadlift, overhead press, bench press, power clean and the power snatch.  If you learn how to do these core compound lifts safely and effectively, you will not need much else to pack on muscle, even over the age of 50.

Learn how to program the basic barbell exercises into an effective program for long-term progress. Starting Strength is one of the most productive methods for anyone beginning a strength training program, no matter what your age.

I believe that Starting Strength maps out a clear path to learn the most effective ways to train with barbells, free weights. Stop with the machines and start using free weights.  Cut out the dainty wrist curls and start deadlifting.  Weight training can improve your strength, your health, and literally change your life, as it has mine.

Recommended Reading:

Benefits of Deadlifting after 50

How Deadlifts Change Your Body in 27 Powerful Ways

26 Remarkable Benefits of Deadlifts to Unleash Your Fitness

How to Rebuild Your Life with the Amazing Power of Deadlifts

Did You Ever Consider Deadlifts for Weight Loss?

How to Deadlift Basics – Learn to Use the 5 Step Deadlift Setup

Proper Way to Do Squats – 26 Secrets for the Perfect Squat 

Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle

 

A no-nonsense plan that has been proven and tested by more than 300,000 people in 154 countries.
Whether you want to shed 10 pounds or 100, whether you want to build muscle or just look more toned, Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle is the original “bible of fitness” that shows you how to get permanent results the safe, healthy, and natural way.

Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle: Transform Your Body Forever Using the Secrets of the Leanest People in the World by Tom Venuto has over 700 reviews, 4.7 average out of 5 stars

The 4 Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat Loss, Incredible Sex and Becoming Superhuman by Timothy Ferriss with 3,170 4+ reviews.  While I do not subscribe to all of the meal plan, for example, eliminating oatmeal, nevertheless, there are many excellent ideas presented, such as the minimum effective dose.  An excellent and fun read.

Underground Secrets to Faster Running 

Underground Secrets to Faster Running
High school phenomenon Allyson Felix used this strength training system to run the fastest 200 meters in the world in 2003.
Based upon physiology and physics, it incorporates the most recent studies in running mechanics.
This training program will dramatically increase running speed, jumping height and muscle power for all athletes.
Underground Secrets To Faster Running Paperback – November 2, 2005 by Barry Ross (Author) 3.8 out of 5 stars 15 customer reviews
If you are not familiar with Allyson Felix or her deadlifting prowess and how it helped her become an Olympic athlete, read this article.

Tools of Titans

Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Timothy Ferriss with 1,729 customer reviews 4.7 out of 5 stars

What do these people do in the first sixty minutes of each morning? What do their workout routines look like, and why? What books have they gifted most to other people? What are the biggest wastes of time for novices in their field? What supplements do they take on a daily basis?

“Everything within these pages has been vetted, explored, and applied to my own life in some fashion. I’ve used dozens of the tactics and philosophies in high-stakes negotiations, high-risk environments, or large business dealings. The lessons have made me millions of dollars and saved me years of wasted effort and frustration.

“I created this book, my ultimate notebook of high-leverage tools, for myself. It’s changed my life, and I hope the same for you.” – Tim Ferris

 

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References   [ + ]

1.↑http://www.healthdata.org/news-release/vast-majority-american-adults-are-overweight-or-obese-and-weight-growing-problem-among
2.↑ibid
3.↑American College of Sports Medicine
4.↑2008 President's Council on Physical Fitness

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