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23 October 2010 0 Comments

Why Crash Dieting Does More Harm Than Good

When trying for weight loss in West Chester, sometimes the thing that prompts us to try and lose weight is an upcoming event, such as wanting to get into a bathing suit for summer or looking good for a wedding or reunion. The temptation is high to follow a diet that promises rapid weight loss in West Chester in a short amount of time, but often these crash diets do more harm than good and can even result in long lasting consequences. In this article, we’ll discuss why crash dieting is bad for you, the long term consequences of a cycle of long term crash dieting, and what you can do for effective weight loss in West Chester!

crash diets

What is a Crash Diet and Why is it Bad?

Crash diets are famous for promising unbelievable results with minimum effort in a short period of time, but what do they entail exactly? Most crash diets have a poor diet and questionable supplements in common. They usually involve drastically cutting back on the number of calories you consume during the day, and sometimes have complementary supplements which are nothing but diuretics. While practitioners may notice rapid weight loss at the beginning of such a diet, often the weight lost is nothing but water weight and, if continued, will result in muscle loss as well.

When you follow an extremely low calorie diet, the first thing that happens is that your body uses up its stores of carbohydrate, also known as glycogen, as well as the water that is stored with it, in the liver and muscles. This is what prompts the weight loss in the beginning. Once these carbohydrates are used up, the body starts using proteins in the muscles for energy, which can leave you feeling tired and irritable.

Soon, the metabolism slows down, putting your body into a kind of starvation mode, because it doesn’t know when it will start receiving healthy nutrients again. Then, when you go back to your previous eating habits, you’re likely to not only put back on the weight you’ve lost, but add more pounds as well, because the metabolism is still too slow to keep up with the new intake of food.

Worst Case Scenarios

Those that put themselves of a constant cycle of crash dieting and eating poorly are doing a lot of damage to their bodies which could result in potentially life threatening illnesses. Due to their restrictive natures, crash diets could prevent you from eating healthy foods with nutrients that your body needs to function properly, such as iron, B12, potassium or sodium. These could lead to deficiencies that can cause other problems, like nerve and muscle functions and heart attacks. They also cause a great deal of problems for organs like the liver and kidneys, because without the proper nutrients, the organs can’t function properly. Finally, not getting enough calcium in the diet can lead to the development of osteoporosis, which makes bones brittle and more prone to fractures.

Eat a Balanced Diet for Better Results

If you’re trying for weight loss in West Chester, resist the temptation to follow a crash diet and look for healthier alternatives instead. Gradually change your eating habits and your proportion sizes so your metabolism won’t drop too quickly, and pair your new eating habits with a fitness routine, and you’ll be losing weight in no time. Think of your new good habits as a lifestyle change instead of a temporary diet.

You may not lose weight as quickly as a crash diet can promise, but you’ll be doing it in a much safer way and the weight is more likely to stay off. For safe and effective weight loss in West Chester consider hiring a personal trainer. Personal trainers ensure that you will achieve your long term goals by changing up your routines and keeping you motivated!

Premier Personal Training with Dennis Carroll is located in West Chester, PA and serves clients in West Chester, Downingtown and Exton. Every client at Premier receives the individual training needed to successfully reach their goals. All programs come with a 100% money back guarantee, so why not get started today? Don’t hesitate! Sign up for a Free Consult now!

11 October 2010 0 Comments

Why Joining West Chester Boot Camps Helps You Shed Pounds Faster Than Working Out On Your Own

Joining West Chester boot camps helps you shed pounds faster than working out on your own, because the programs include plenty of fat burning exercises while being motivational and inspirational. Losing weight is not easy but it can be fun when you choose a boot camp program. Yes…it’s true! Losing weight can be fun when you have the right variety of exercises and share common goals with exercise classmates.

Group of people exercising

Boot Camp Intense!

An exercise that is boot camp intense is one that asks your body to be all it can be. In West Chester boot camps, you don’t have time to waste thinking about whether you do or don’t want to complete certain exercises. Once the class starts, your attention will be on reaching your target heart rate which means you are burning fat.

West Chester boot camps can help you shed pounds, because they include everything you need to turn your body into a fat burning machine. You learn what it takes to get cardio-and-muscle-fit which is how you increase your metabolism. The higher your metabolic rate, the more calories you will burn.

Many people choose a boot camp program as a “last resort”, because nothing else has worked. The quick-loss weight plans are not permanent or healthy programs and the expensive home gym equipment usually ends up in a corner collecting dust. One recent survey said that as much as 60% of home exercise equipment is not used.

Calorie Account Deficit

It’s easy for marketing companies to make you feel as if their products hold magical answers to weight loss. But permanent fat loss or weight maintenance takes aerobic effort coupled with strength training and balanced nutrition. Most people get waylaid by their own lives when it comes to sticking with a weight loss program.

In other words, it’s too easy to fall off the weight-wagon without motivating support and consistent aerobic effort.

In a fitness boot camp, you will attend an exercise class that makes sure you will shed pounds because you will be burning more calories. The quickest way to lose fat is to create a calorie account deficit. By adjusting your diet and faithfully attending a fitness boot camp, you develop the commitment it takes to lose weight.

Lasting Effects

Boot camps include fun and varied aerobic exercises which force your body to burn fat in order to maintain the required level of activity. You raise your metabolism and the effects last long after the class ends. For up to 2 hours after a class, your body will continue to burn calories at a higher rate.

It is easy to see how the West Chester boot camps can help you shed pounds the right way. You watch the pounds melt away while improving your overall conditioning. You will look better and feel better and have fun getting to that point.

West Chester boot camps are growing in popularity because they are fun and challenging, but most of all, they work. There are no elaborate miracle weight loss promises made. The only promise made is this: follow the advice of the instructor and make a sincere effort when exercising and you will finally shed those pounds while learning how to keep them off for a lifetime.

Premier Personal Training with Dennis Carroll is located in West Chester, PA and serves clients in West Chester, Downingtown and Exton. Every personal training client at Premier receives the individual training needed to successfully reach their goals. All programs come with a 100% money back guarantee, so why not get started today? Don’t hesitate! Sign up for a Free Consult now!

18 July 2010 0 Comments

Weight Loss vs. Fat Loss at Our West Chester Health and Fitness Club

When many of us are in pursuit of losing weight as a West Chester Health and Fitness goal, we often rely solely on the numbers of the scale to tell us how we are doing. Unfortunately, this is not always a healthy measure of success. Losing weight without a complementary exercise regime can result in losing important muscle, which can have more dangerous effects in the long run. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at weight loss vs. fat loss, and what you can do to ensure that you’re losing weight in a healthy and safe way to make sure that you reach your West Chester Health and Fitness goals.

Weight Loss Doesn’t Mean Fat Loss

When most of us say that we want to lose weight, what we really mean is that we want to reduce to amount of fat in our bodies to create a leaner silhouette. Most of us know that the fundamental principle of losing weight is that if we burn more calories than we consume, the result will be weight loss. But where is this weight coming from? Let’s take a closer look at how our bodies process the calories that we consume.

First, the body converts what we eat into energy, which in turn gives us the power to go about our daily lives. When we consume more calories than we burn, the resulting calories are converted into fat. On the other end of the scale, when we consume less calories than we burn, we lose weight but we also lose energy. Unfortunately, the weight loss doesn’t necessarily come from the fat, but the energy stores that are depleted are made up proteins and carbohydrates, which are found in muscles. This means that the muscles get smaller, the metabolism lowers, and once the body has adapted to the lower energy levels, the body will cease to continue losing weight.

The bottom line is that simply decreasing the amount of calories consumed may result in short term weight loss, but the weight won’t necessarily come from fat. Plus, if the calories are restricted too much, the body could even start storing fat as a preventative measure, because it doesn’t know when it will start receiving normal levels of calories again.

Getting Rid of Fat Instead of Muscle

So what’s the right procedure to get rid of the unwanted fat? The answer is simple – begin a nutrition and exercise program at our West Chester Health and Fitness club. Your body still needs enough calories to keep your energy levels high, but you can eat a great deal more and keep your appetite satisfied with a healthy, balanced diet than you can with a diet full of junk or fast food. The other important factor is a balanced fitness routine comprising of both cardio and strength training. Both cardio and strength training are important for burning away fat and increasing muscle mass, not to mention increasing the metabolism.

Measure Your Body Fat

There are several ways of measuring your body fat, which is often a better gauge of your overall health than a scale. Calculate your Body Mass Index or have a West Chester Health and Fitness specialist calculate your body fat with a skinfold caliper or simply measure yourself with a tape measure and keep track of the results. The best way to gauge your body fat is to simply look in the mirror, take note of how your clothes fit, and most importantly, how you feel. Feeling great is really the best result of following a West Chester Health and Fitness program.

Premier Personal Training with Dennis Carroll is located in West Chester, PA and serves clients in West Chester, Downingtown and Exton. Every client at Premier receives the individual training needed to successfully reach their goals. All programs come with a 100% money back guarantee, so why not get started today? Don’t hesitate! Sign up for a Free Consult now!

25 June 2010 0 Comments

A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with the First Step!

You can’t find a more cliché quote than that, yet it is remarkably powerful and true. It is especially powerful when it comes to fitness and weight loss. Why is that?

It is because the path to being lean and healthy is a long and grueling one. We all know this but why do so many quit before they achieve their ultimate goal? One word:
Excuses

We all have them but what separates those who are fit and those who are not are the amount of excuses employed. Excuses are the easy way out and they are debilitating. “I had a long day at work”, “I am having marital and family problems”, “I am under the weather”, and “It costs too much money”. Those are some of the many popular excuses we hear. Granted, life happens as they say. Sometimes things are out of our control but our health and well-being are well within our grasp. We have a client that is leaving us in a week. She lost nearly 90 pounds since starting about 15 months ago! The one thing that was certain about her is that we never heard her make an excuse for either missing a workout, not working out hard, and especially regarding her diet. Her stresses in life were never used as an excuse and that goes for anyone who is in great shape. I can speak for her by saying she is the happiest she has ever felt in her life and it all started with that first step!

We are proud to train a lot of successful individuals here at Premier. How did all these people become successful in life? I’m almost certain they didn’t make excuses along the way and they also didn’t become successful over night. To most it took many years of hard work and perseverance. Fitness works the same way. It is not an overnight success. It takes time, hard work, and a refusal to quit!

So bag the excuses and fast aspirations and take that first step on a thousand mile journey. Make every step count and make every mile the hardest one, each and every time. You do that and I guarantee you will achieve your goals and be healthy and happy.
Get It Done!

One final note: Always ask your trainer(s) for advice and guidance. That’s what we are here for. You can never ever ask too many questions. There are also no dumb questions. The dumbest question is the one not asked. Tap into our brains!

Andrew Clauser is a graduate of West Chester University and holds a bachelors degree in Kinesiology with a focus in Exercise Science. His main areas of interest involve exercise psychology and nutrition science. Andrew has been a professional fitness coach since 2006

3 March 2010 0 Comments

The Secret to Successful Weight Loss (my secrets divulged after 15 years of helping people to lose weight and get their bodies back)

So, you want to lose weight but my guess is this is not the first time you’ve tried, am I right? Most people who struggle with weight issues have tried repeatedly to lose their weight only to fail again and again. Many get to a place of resignation and stop trying falsely believing that it is difficult to lose weight.

Let me bust that myth right now. There is NOTHING difficult about losing weight! Yeah, maybe it takes some time and consistent effort but is is not difficult.

I have been helping people lose weight and reclaim their bodies since 1995.  Pay attention now because I am about to divulge my professional secrets to you for free!

First: Be proactive! I can almost hear your groans but hear me out please. What I mean is simple. You must plan your meals BEFORE you are hungry. If you wait until your blood sugar drops you are REACTIVE to the chemical changes in your body! Blood sugar dropping can cause cravings and extreme hunger that pushes your will power beyond it limits.

By planning your meals and knowing what you will eat ahead of time you take your will power out of the equation. Your good choice of what to eat has been made before your blood sugar drops.

Second:Eat 3 small meals and 2 to 3 snacks per day. By eating every few hours you again control your blood sugar levels. You will also maintain an elevated metabolic profile by eating small meals at regular intervals. Again, you should plan these ahead of time so you can make wise choices.

Third:(Normally I would talk about exercise here but this article focuses on diet only. I’m going to assume you are already getting regular exercise) What I’m going to tell you next is an absolute must for consistent weight loss.  I coach my clients and track their progress for accountability. If their progress stops I guarantee they have stopped doing this next crucial step. KEEP A FOOD JOURNAL and be accountable to someone to review it every week.

My most successful clients to date are Jamie and Kim who have lost 162 lbs between them. Every week without fail, we review their food journals.  Are they perfect? No! Not ever. But they are strict enough to get the consistent results they desire. Which brings me to my final component.

Four:Set a goal weight and a goal date. You must know how much and by what date if you are to track your progress and make the necessary adjustments along the way to reach your goals.

So that’s it. Not difficult. Time consuming for sure. Changing some bad habits no doubt. But which sucks more: doing some extra work and consistently following through to get your body back? Or, feeling like crap because your clothes don’t fit right and you hate what you see in the mirror everyday?

Believe in yourself and take consistent action everyday to make your life the way you want it to be. We don’t get a second chance at life so what are you waiting for? Start now to reclaim your life!

Dennis Carroll, NSCA-CPT

All my weight loss programs are 100% money back guaranteed! Call today for a free consultation-610-429-9002

15 January 2010 0 Comments

Downington Personal Training To Help Combat Cellulite

Downington personal training experts know that cellulite is the bane of millions of women. Often appearing around the hips and thighs, cellulite has the appearance of dimples and it’s often characterized by the not very appealing name of “cottage cheese thighs”. Some people will experience this phenomenon while others may never have to worry about it. But understanding what cellulite is can help us better combat it. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what cellulite is, why you should avoid quick fixes, and how Downington personal training experts can help get rid of that cellulite forever.

What is cellulite?

When you get right down to it, cellulite is nothing more than fat. We all have connective tissue that separates fat cells into their own compartments. Men typically have crisscross or horizontal patterns to these compartments, while women usually have patterns that resemble a honeycomb, increasing the changes that the fat cells will slip through, become trapped between the tissues and the skin, and create the “cottage cheese” affect. Whether or not you have cellulite isn’t just determined by the amount of fat in your body, but genetics also plays a part. Genetics determines where your fat cells are stored in your body, so some people may never be burdened with cellulite while others will have to increase their activity levels in order to help get rid of it.

Beware of the quick fix

Everywhere you look there are commercials offering quick fixes to get rid of cellulite, but they either don’t work or only work for a short period of time. Don’t believe the hype and fall for the temptation of creams or wraps to make the cellulite instantly disappear. Cellulite creams claim to dissolve the cellulite, but no cream can penetrate the skin and rearrange fat cells. Expensive surgeries like liposuction remove deposits of fat, but it can’t change the appearance of it. Body wraps may reduce the appearance of cellulite, but this is because they work to smooth out the surface of the skin. You can expect to see the cellulite return by the next day.

Finally, beware of exercise equipment manufacturers that claim that using their machine, which targets the hips, rear end and thighs, will help improve the appearance of cellulite. These machines will certainly improve the muscles in the target area, but they do little to help you reduce your overall fat, which you can only achieve will a well rounded fitness program.

Lower your body fat

The best way to fight cellulite is to start a Downington personal training program that will help you lose your total body fat. After all, cellulite is just fat, right? The best fitness program involves eating right, getting plenty of rest, and a combination of both cardio and strength training. Improve your eating habits, not by trying out the latest crash diet fad, but making a commitment to better health and eating a well balanced diet. Rest is important to make sure you use your muscles safely and effectively. This not only means getting seven to eight hours of sleep every night, but letting a muscle group rest for forty-eight hours before exercising it again.

Finally, Downington personal training combines cardio and strength training to best fight fat. Cardio not only improves your heart and gives you energy, but it helps raise your metabolism. Your metabolism will be further raised with strength training, as the more muscles you have, the more calories you’ll burn. These three components are all you need to get on the path to better fitness and getting rid of that cellulite! Contact a Downington personal training expert to begin a fat fighting program today!

Premier Personal Training with Dennis Carroll is located in West Chester, PA and serves clients in West Chester, Downingtown and Exton. Every Downington fitness program client at Premier receives the individual training needed to successfully reach their goals. All programs come with a 100% money back guarantee, so why not get started today? Don’t hesitate! Sign up for a Free Consult now!

17 September 2009 0 Comments

Comprehensive Weight Loss Program Guaranteed at West Chester Personal Trainers

It is now easier to lose weight then ever before at West Chester Personal Trainers and Premier Personal Training in West Chester. West Chester Personal Trainers and Premier Personal Training now offers a new  comprehensive weight loss program that is 100% guaranteed.

Making it easy for customers of West Chester Personal Trainers to lose weight has created a long list of successful weight loss stories; Kim 85 lb, Andy 37lb, Cherly 26 lb, Jen S 50lb, Jamie M 56lb, Derek 28 lb, Kia 25lb, Jamie L 24 lb, Chris B 32 lb, Collen M 25 lb, Kim P 14 lb are just a few.

By customizing the individual program with a favorites food list, West Chester Personal Trainers and Premier Personal Training has created a unique and highly successful way for anyone to lose weight, safely and easily. At West Chester Personal Trainers, we know the significant negative impact being over weight will have on your physical health and emotional health. That is why we  are proud to offer our exclusive West Chester based, safe and effective weight loss program. And we back it up with a 100% money back guarantee. Call West Chester Personal Trainers and Premier Personal Training for your FREE consultation and get started on your customized weight loss program today. Conveniently located in downtown West Chester, Pa. Call today- 610-429-9002.

2 July 2009 0 Comments

Accountability in West Chester Boot Camps

Being Accountable at Boot Camps in West Chester Makes it Easier to Lose Weight
Being accountable at boot camps in West Chester makes it much easier to lose weight. One of the reasons people fail to meet their weight loss goals is they become discouraged when they don’t have a way to measure progress. When you are working on your weight loss program while others are doing the same, you get ongoing motivation and support making it much easier to reach weight loss and fitness goals.

Attitude Counts in Weight Loss Programs

Your attitude towards your weight loss efforts has a lot to do with your success. When you are trying to lose weight at home, the chances are there is plenty of temptation around making it difficult to stay on track. You begin with a gung-ho attitude which eventually erodes into an attitude that this diet isn’t going to work so you will try again on Monday.

How many diets have been started on a Monday? Think back on all the times you told yourself you will eat what you want through the weekend and will start your diet on Monday. By Friday the diet is getting very tiresome as the rest of your family eats what they want around you.

In boot camps in West Chester you will understand from day one why it works as a weight loss program. Your class will be full of other people who have the same goals as you – to get fit and lose weight while doing so. When you look around at boot camp, you will see only fellow boot campers who are motivated and determined to succeed.

Accountable to Yourself

In other words, your positive attitude towards fitness and weight loss is sustained every step of the way. You are held accountable as a participant in that you must exert your best effort in order to succeed. The instructor will educate you in the proper techniques and methods while insuring the program includes a variety of fat burning exercises.

People sharing classes in boot camps in West Chester often become supportive friends. Though you are accountable to yourself first, sharing classes with others who have the same goals makes you accountable to each other too. Who wants to go to boot camp class and confess they ate 3 donuts the night before which erased the positive effects of a whole exercise class!?

The structured nature of the programs at boot camps in West Chester holds you accountable in another way. When you attend class, you must do the exercises the instructor lays out for you. Many people trying to lose weight on their own by going to the gym end up wasting valuable time tyring to learn how to use equipment, or they don’t know how to maintain aerobic levels to reach the fat burning stage.

At fitness boot camps in West Chester, you are accountable to yourself, but you get the right instruction, the right guidance, and the right support to be successful at losing weight. Along the way you will also get fitter than you have ever been in your life.

Premier Personal Training with Dennis Carroll is located in West Chester, PA and serves clients in West Chester, Downingtown and Exton. Every client at Premier receives the individual training needed to successfully reach their goals. All fitness programs come with a 100% money back guarantee, so why not get started today? Don’t hesitate! Sign up for a Free Consult now!

19 June 2009 0 Comments

West Chester, PA Personal Trainers Declare War on Fat

West Chester, Pa.-West Chester Personal Trainers have declared all out war on fat. We are tired of all the BS and gimmicks that make fasle promises and set people up for failure when it comes to weight loss. So here at West Chester Personal Trainers in Pa., we created our own comprehensive system that provides all the tools necessary for successful weight loss. At West Chester Personal Trainers, we guarantee your personal training program with a 100% money back policy. If you are not absolutely thrilled with your results from any of the personal training programs at West Chester Personal Training, we will gladly refund your money. Call West Chester Personal Trainers in Pa. at 610-429-9002 for more information.

22 May 2009 0 Comments

Successful Weight Loss in West Chester Pa

Successful weight loss in West Chester Guaranteeed!

West Chester Personal Trainers offers the most successful and healthiest weight loss program in the area. The results are so amazing that the program is backed by a 100% money back guarantee.

Dennis Carroll is the founder of West Chester Personal Trainers and Premier Personal Training Inc. “The results we get for our clients is very gratifying to us.”, Carroll said. “To have the ability to successfully help our clients lose weight and transform their lives gives greater purpose to my own.”

The program is so successful due to the comprehensive nature of the approach according to Carroll.  “I know when someone comes through my door to lose weight, that we will be successful.  I got tired of all the rip off ads and misconceptions about weight loss, so I created my own weight loss program right here in West Chester. And it is extremely successful and duplicate-able.  If you commit to your goal of successful weight loss with West Chester Personal Trainers, you will lose weight. I guarantee it!’