Tag Archives: Todd Soura

Commit to a Healthier You

HEALTH + FITNESS

In the hope that we won’t be having this conversation come this time next year, some easy-to-follow advice on how to make those New Year’s Resolutions stick.

By Todd Soura

With all due respect to your desire to improve yourself, a resolution’s only as good as your commitment to it. So my aim here is for us to avoid having this conversation come this time next year. I want to channel all of your enthusiasm toward making this not only a worthwhile experience, but an enjoyable one. After all, if leading a healthier, fitter life doesn’t hook you on some deep personal level, you’re just going through the motions, and we both know where that’ll lead.

Be the tortoise
Whether you’re coming off a long layoff or you’re starting from scratch, begin slowly and you’ll greatly enhance the likelihood that you’ll remain consistent. And consistency is the most important thing here. I know everything you’ve churned up online over the last couple of weeks has harped on intensity—and that is a close runner-up—but until you get your legs beneath you, it’s better to imagine yourself as the tortoise rather than the hare.

A big part of that is being realistic in your initial expectations. Don’t plan to workout six days a week when you hardly know what once or twice feels like. Two to three sessions a week is a safe place to start. And try to schedule them for a time you know you’ll always be available, even if it means getting up a half-hour earlier. When the enthusiasm starts to wane, and it will, the last thing you’ll want is built-in excuses, which is pretty much all of life.

Suffer with pride
Look, this is never going to be easy. And if it is, you’re not doing it right. If you’re expecting to reach a place a month from now where you’ll be able to run for miles and miles and do 100 burpees consecutively without breathing all that hard, you better check yourself before you wreck yourself.

Exercise is hard even for the fittest among us, and that would be pro athletes and Olympians. When it stops being hard, they set a new set of goals and adjust their training regimens accordingly. For the rest of us, exercise is the most unpleasant hour of our days. But, on the flipside, you’ll feel like you can get through anything else the day throws at you once you’re done. So put in the work, breathe hard, sweat profusely and suffer with pride, because you’re going to come out of that hole and meet a far sunnier day.

Subtract by addition
As far as your diet goes, I’m sure you’re already well aware of the ultimate goal: to delete as many of the bad foods on a daily basis as you can manage. Which is probably why you’ve avoided doing so until now. In drawing such a line in the sand, we tend to color our foods in extremes. What isn’t healthy is going to kill us. And that, of course, gives a really sour flavor to all the good stuff and a sweet one to everything we’re forsaking. In other words, we’re setting ourselves up to fail.

Instead, don’t be so intentional in revising your diet. Yes, of course, you’ll want to pass on that bagel smothered in half a pound of cream cheese at breakfast. But you’re only going to end up romanticizing it if you sit down tomorrow morning to a bowl of oatmeal. So try this instead: Make yourself the oatmeal, along with a hard-boiled egg and the bagel. Eat the oatmeal and the egg first and, if you still have room, eat the bagel, too. Give it some time. The better you feel and the more you see the connection between what you eat and how you move through your day, including your performance during your workouts, the less you’ll want the bagel. And when the day comes that you finally eliminate it altogether, you won’t even miss it.

The overriding theme here is patience. Be persistent in your workouts, your recovery and your nutrition, but give yourself a wide berth. Start slowly, accept the missteps with the progress and focus on what’s in front of you. That’s all you can control anyway.

Todd Soura is the owner of the Doylestown-based Action Personal Training.

Walk (Run, Preferably) This Way

A template for your first two months. —TS

Weeks 1 and 2
Workout: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Exercise: 20 minutes of resistance (weight) training and 10 minutes of interval (cardio) training
Intensity: 2 out of 5 (1 = a casual, easy-to-maintain pace; 5 = an all-out effort that you can hold only for short bursts at a time.)

Weeks 3 and 4
Workout: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Exercise: 30 minutes of resistance training and 15 minutes of intervals
Intensity: 3 out of 5

Weeks 5 and 6
Workout: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Exercise: 30 minutes of resistance training and 20 minutes of intervals
Intensity: 4 out of 5

Weeks 7 and 8
Workout: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Exercise: 30 to 40 minutes of resistance training and 10 minutes of intervals
Intensity: 5 out of 5

The Holiday Survival Guide, 2.0

HEALTH + FITNESS
This time around, what you can eat. Plus, a fresh, fast-but-effective workout you can take on the road with you.

By Todd Soura

Piggybacking off of last year’s column, where I highlighted the most notorious of the holiday dinner table mainstays, this time around, I’m going to carve a clearer path. Health-conscious as we’ve become, we cling to our traditions come the holiday feasts, and that means a whole lot of butter, a whole lot of sugar and a whole lot of booze. But there is a way to navigate those minefields without sabotaging your diet and fitness. And, really, let’s be clear: One indulgent meal is not going to break you. But the holidays are more of a month-long series of indulgent nights. So, while I’m tailoring this guide to one big meal, it can easily be applied to every other situation you’ll encounter over the next couple of weeks—parties, snacking, parties.

Proteins
Let’s start where we all naturally begin: with the protein. Turkey isn’t just the smart choice for holiday gorging, it’s the smart choice period. A three-ounce serving of breast meat contains a yuge amount of protein (26 grams) and very little carbs and fat, all in a mere 120 calories.

Beef is almost as high in protein and low in carbs as turkey, but it carries a much higher dose of fat and calories per serving. Ham, you’ll want to avoid as much as you can, but not for the reason you’re likely thinking. Pork is not inherently bad for us. A pork loin, in fact, is high in protein, low in carbs and relatively low in fat. But ham is not pork loin. Nor is it really pork. It’s a highly processed slab of factory-made fillers and chemicals. As a general rule, avoid any kind of boneless meat in an unnatural form.

Sides
Salad is a no-brainer. If there’s one on the table, consider yourself fortunate. You’ll want to heap it on your plate, not in that tiny little bowl. Those greens and all those veggies are loaded with fiber, which is going to help you feel fuller faster and longer than three helpings of sausage-spiked stuffing. Just be mindful of any potential landmines buried within that lush foliage—candied nuts, fist-size croutons, marshmallows.

Veggies, likewise, are all too frequently the casualties of some sinister doctoring in the name of bolstering their appeal or remaining true to Aunt Joanne’s tried-and-true (and 40-year-old) recipe. Don’t be scared off by a little seasoning. But if they’re drenched in butter, you’re better off passing. And if they’re embedded in a casserole, definitely pass. The casserole is a staple, but its time has come. Regardless of whatever vegetable is featured in its name, understand that there is no nutritional value whatsoever.

If you’re given the option, reach for the sweet potato or the yam over the Russet potato. Sure, they’re all technically veggies, but they’re not created equally. The sweet potato and yam are packed with nutrients. The Russet, not so much. Mind you, that rule does not hold in the case of candied yams and pretty much every other traditional variation. In fact, unless it’s naked, just let it be. Otherwise, the brown sugar and butter it was slathered in has long since drowned the nutritional value.

Dessert
It’s impossible to turn around this time of year and not walk into a plate of cookies, or brownies or a rack of cooling pies. You can navigate your day like an Olympic slalom skier only to be handed a plate of homemade truffles on your way out the door. You’re only human; go ahead and enjoy one. I would. I do. But cut yourself off at one. Dump the rest of those truffles off on your family after dinner, or just dump them. The longer they linger, the more the temptation will grow.

The same holds for dessert spreads. Pick one and move on. Whether you load up your plate or hang out within grazing distance of the table, you’re going to continue to munch without thought or reservation—until later on that night. Savor those few bites. You earned them. They bring you no ill will. But the others will haunt you.

When we’re hosting, it’s my chance to flip the script. There’s an entire corner of the Internet filled with healthy dessert recipes. My go-to is apple crisps, one, because they’re delicious, and two, because they’re simple as hell to make.

No one gets through the holiday season unscathed. Not even me. But if that’s your objective through the rest of the year, you’re probably living a very sheltered life. For these next couple of weeks, and the new year beyond that, aim simply to eat clean 80 percent of the time. You’ll feel healthier for it, and those occasional indulgences will taste even better.

 

 

The Holiday Express Workout
The holidays mean unyielding schedules and lots of travel. This workout can be done almost anywhere and in 15 minutes. Get your sweat on and then get on with indulging the in-laws.

Perform three rounds of the following circuit. Rest as little as possible.

15 pushups
15 plank jump-ins
15 jumping lunges
15 ground jacks*
:60 plank

(*Position yourself as you would for a pushup, only move your hands and feet together. Simultaneously—and quickly—move your hands and feet to your sides, about a shoulder-width apart. And then snap them back to the starting position. That’s one rep. If you have difficulty with the movement, just move either your hands or your feet.)

Todd Soura is the owner of the Doylestown-based Action Personal Training.

10 Minutes of Hell (Plus 60 Minutes of Restraint)

HEALTH + FITNESS

Burning through fat really is this simple. But don’t infer that simple means easy.

By Todd Soura

 

We live in an interesting time. A lot of the long-held conventional thinking about exercise and nutrition has been debunked in rapid succession over the last several years in favor of methods that are, for the most part, more conducive to our nonstop lifestyles. Never really able to make time for those 10K training runs? Good news. Turns out that 10 minutes of sprinting are more effective anyway.

A lot of what seemed radical at first glance, like the above, now feels closer to common sense. Yet, the onslaught of so-called revolutionary workouts and diets just keeps coming. Understand that it’s a business, first and foremost, and you’ll begin to see it for what it is: an attempt to profit off of misguided information.

To show you just how simple it can be, I’m going to outline a 10-minute workout that’s designed to boost your metabolic rate long after you finish, as well as a recovery plan for the hours immediately afterward. No gym’s required. Nor is a nutritionist. If you’re cramped for time, you can do the workout and leave it at that. But if you supplement your current regimen with it, save it for last. You’re not going to have anything left in the tank. For that reason, my clients have come to refer it as the “10 Minutes of Hell.”

 

10 Minutes of Hell

1 minute          Kettlebell swings
2 minutes         Step-ups
30 seconds      Mountain climbers
30 seconds      Push-ups
1 minute          Jump rope

 

Perform the circuit twice and without rest between the exercises or the rounds, unless you absolutely have to. Aim to do the maximum amount of repetitions you can within each timeframe. If you’re not thoroughly exhausted when you finish, try the advanced version next time:

1 minute          Kettlebell swings
45 seconds      Burpees
45 seconds      Mountain climbers
45 seconds      Clapping push-ups
1 minute          jumping lunges or box jumps

 

Once you pull yourself together, try not to head straight for the kitchen, unless you need to grab some more water. I know. The popular thinking is to eat within 20 to 30 minutes of finishing your workout. Your metabolism’s still raging, and anything you consume is more likely to be used as fuel rather than stored at fat. That’s all true. But it neglects the other half of that equation: You stop burning fat as soon as you eat.

In other words, you just ruined yourself for 10 minutes, and now you’re going to negate those gains in a single bite. What you should do instead is abstain for the next hour. Let your body eat into its fat stores while you go shower and prep your meal. Then, reward yourself with a palm-size portion of lean protein and all the veggies you can stomach. (Note: If you’re building muscle or trying to enhance your athletic performance, a different set of guidelines apply.)

 

Todd Soura is the owner of the Doylestown-based Action Personal Training. 

5 Habits of a Time-Crunched Personal Trainer

HEALTH + FITNESS

Motivation can wane even in the most die-hard among us. But some mild tweaking can refresh your focus and put you on personal-best pace.

By Todd Soura

I started following a workout regimen back in high school. I may not have had the sharpest sense of direction then, but I had plenty of time and energy to figure it out as I went. Twenty-five years later, neither is on my side. I’m a husband, a father of three and a business owner. If my resolve weakens, there are plenty of other priorities that’ll rush in to consume my attention. But a few simple practices prevent that from happening.

Target new goals
I like to do it every three months, but even once a year has a positive effect. Be creative. But, more importantly, be realistic. Run a 5K before you register for a half-marathon. Races are good options because you’re locked into them, but they’re hardly the only ones. Aim to improve your mile time or the weight you can bench press. If losing weight is your goal, focus on your hip or waist measurements, which will give you a more accurate read on your progress than your weight.

Change pace
The less of an opportunity you give your body to adapt, the more substantial your gains will be. If you can comfortably bang out a five-mile tempo run, where you average 65 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate, try high-intensity intervals, which are designed to push you over 90 percent for very brief stretches. If you have access to a track, warm up then sprint 100 meters. Walk back to where you started and do it again. Aim for 10 sprints. Or, find a hill and run to the top at full-speed. Jog back down and do it again. Repeat five to 10 times, depending on the distance.

Every four to six weeks, change the pace of your weight training. Lift less weight and do more repetitions or lift more weight and do less reps. If your workouts are comprised of isolation exercises with long stretches of rest in between sets (60 seconds or more), replace them with combination moves and no rest.

Change the kind of exercise, too
There’s too much at our disposal to do the same things day in and day out. Plus, as proficient as you may be at cycling, it’s at the detriment to your upper body. Versatility bodes better for your health and fitness. Instead of riding for an hour, swing a 40-pound kettlebell as many times as you can in 20 minutes. Swap out a day of weights for a yoga class.

Eat consciously
I marvel at my wife. She can eat three M&M’s, fold up the bag and stuff it back in the drawer. If I have one, I’m going to devour the entire bag, so I avoid them altogether. Regardless of which of us you fall behind, learn to be aware of everything you eat. When you take a moment to think about it, you’ll start to detect whether you’re hungry or just bored. From there, you can seek out foods that nourish you and fill you up, rather than reaching for the shiniest wrapper.

Stare yourself down
If you find yourself routinely over-booking and, as a result, skimping on your workouts and eating poorly, something needs to change. You are not at the mercy of your iCal. There’s always a half-hour available for a quick workout, even if it means getting up earlier. And there are always healthier things to eat, even if it means packing a chopped salad for your son’s lacrosse game.

Todd Soura is the owner of the Doylestown-based Action Personal Training. 

The Superfoods of the Masses

HEALTH + FITNESS

While we’ve been Googling the exotic headliners, these four foods have been hiding in plain sight, over-delivering.

By Todd Soura

A new, so-called superfood emerges every day. And each time, the air seeps out a little more from the over-hyped term. That’s not to say that such foods don’t exist. They do. It’s just that a lot of them are either exaggerated or too obscure or expensive or both to realistically incorporate them into our diets on any kind of regular basis.

A true superfood not only punches above its weight, it’s also within easy reach. While we’ve been Googling spirulina and maca, these have been hiding in plain sight all along.

Kimchi  You’ll find it in the refrigerated produce section at most grocery stores. It’s a traditional Korean side comprised of fermented cabbage and some variety of shredded veggies, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes—it can have a kick. Fermented foods, and this one in particular, are loaded with good bacteria, which feed the existing flora in your gut, a critical component of our immune system. It’s even been shown to have a hand in balancing our moods. And new studies are indicating that those of us with the most diverse and greatest amounts of gut flora are also the leanest.

Broccoli sprouts  (Pictured, top) They’re three- and four-day-old broccoli plants that taste a lot like radish. There are a lot of reasons to love broccoli, but glucoraphanin may be foremost among them. It’s used to make sulforaphane, which, studies are showing, helps shield cells from potential carcinogens. Promising as that sounds, it gets even better: Broccoli sprouts contain 30 times the concentration of glucoraphanin found in broccoli. The sprouts are gaining in popularity, but they can still be a little difficult to find. If your grocery store carries them, you’ll find them in a plastic container in the refrigerated produce section. They go bad pretty quickly—three to five days if you refrigerate them. I freeze mine and add a handful to my smoothies.

Parsley  It’s packed with cancer-fighting oils and antioxidants. And all this time you thought it was just a garnish. Those oils activate an enzyme that attaches to and neutralizes potential carcinogens. One of them in particular, myristicin, has been found to inhibit tumor formation. Grow it in your garden and toss it in your smoothies and salads by the handful.

Rosemary  (Pictured, above) Yes, that rosemary. It’s chockfull of anti-inflammatory compounds and antioxidants. It also facilitates digestion. Recent studies are indicating that it even boosts blood-flow to the brain, which aids concentration. Opt for the fresh variety found in the refrigerated produce section over the dried kind—the flavor’s more pronounced—then keep it in the refrigerator and pull it out often. Rosemary goes just as well with an omelet as it does with a roasted chicken.

Todd Soura is the owner of the Doylestown-based Action Personal Training.

 

Build a Better Home Gym

GARAGE

Forget the elliptical and the ridiculously expensive circuit trainer. All you need are these five versatile (and inexpensive) pieces of equipment.

By Todd Soura

I’ve followed an exercise regimen since I was in high school and dedicated my career to fitness, but I’m a stranger to gyms. From the beginning, I created one at home and never really strayed from it. Why would I? There’s no commute, no line, and I can use multiple pieces of equipment in a single superset without getting stared down.

If you have the space—I use our garage—don’t let the potential cost deter you. The foundation of an effective home gym is not a bunch of sophisticated machines. In fact, I can boil it down to five simple (and inexpensive) pieces of equipment.

Adjustable dumbbells. Gone are the days of a mammoth weight rack that eats up space and your checking account. The new generation is a single pair of dumbbells that can be adjusted to your desired weight. I use a set by PowerBlock. You’ll never run out of exercises, and, from shoulder presses to the farmer’s walk, dumbbells will strengthen every part of you.

Bench. Pay a little more for one that inclines. That’ll open you up to lots of variations of the bench press and chest fly. A legs extension is worth the additional cost, too. With or without it, the bench is a vital piece of equipment for lower-body exercises. Think steps-ups and box jumps.

Kettlebell. The standard kettlebell swing is about as efficient an exercise as you’ll find. It’ll tax you aerobically and anaerobically. And that’s just the start of its appeal. The kettlebell’s endlessly versatile. Beyond the tens of movements designed for it, you can swap a kettlebell for a dumbbell in lots of other exercises, like snatches and goblet squats. PowerBlock makes an adjustable one of these, too.

Suspension straps. You’re probably familiar with the TRX kind (from $200), but there are plenty of cheaper options that are just as durable and effective. I use a set by Woss that ran me about 40 bucks. It anchors to a wall or a door and packs up easily, which makes it a perfect travel companion. But, again, its versatility is what makes the straps an essential piece of home-gym equipment. Up the degree of difficulty of most bodyweight exercises, along with a slew of others designed specifically for them.

Jump rope. It’s still one of the most effective cardio exercises around. And the cheapest. I started jumping rope during the 30- to 60-second “breaks” between weightlifting sets to beef up the intensity. They’re also an integral part of my wake-up workouts. Try this one: three rounds of 20 pushups, 20 lunges, 20 crunches and 30 seconds of jumping rope.

Todd Soura is the owner of the Doylestown-based Action Personal Training (actionpersonaltraining.com).

[divider] What Goes Up Must Come Down[/divider]

I’m piecing together a modest gym in our garage—a barbell, a few sets of dumbbells, a jump rope, resistance bands, an adjustable kettlebell and a 36-inch box. (And a couple of space heaters in the winter.) About a year ago, I started gravitating to CrossFit-style workouts because they don’t require a lot of equipment. Not to mention, they’re challenging as hell. My latest addition, the Black Mountain Products Gym Rings (pictured; $35), has opened up a whole new batch of WOD’s for me, a blessing and a curse. Instability, I’m learning is the truest test of fitness. I managed to add 40 pounds to my clean-and jerks over the last few months. It’s rare that I bask in my progress, but fresh off of Grace (30 clean-and-jerks for time) one morning, I couldn’t help but let a smile slip in between gasps for breath. That pride lasted barely five minutes, because I whimpered and quivered through the next set: three—three—ring dips. It was a humbling moment. And one I’ve aimed to repeat during every workout since. —Scott Edwards