Amy Aspey is a Life Time Fitness member at the Parker-Aurora club in Colorado who recently committed to vastly improving her physical condition. She had a strong desire to become healthier, fitter, stronger, and to enhance the overall quality of her life. Amy is journaling her 12-week Metabolic Makeover on the Assessments & Testing page:

I've officially completed my first 6 weeks.  It's been a lot of work, but I've lost 13 lbs.  Yeah!!!  Better yet, Barry re-took all my measurements and found I've lost a significant number of inches from all over my body.  Of course, I already knew that.  My clothes have never fit better...and my jeans no longer fit at all--they are too big! I'm looking better.  I'm feeling great.  My days are infinitely more productive.  I'm loving this new lifestyle!

I'm still plugging away on my computer generated cardio workouts (which continue to be tough, but good) but I've allowed myself one class a week to keep in touch with my friends.  We've started taking a new spinning class on Tuesday nights.  The instructor, Jay, is awesome!  (His class reminds me of a Steven Covey leadership seminar...you know, the guy from the "7 Habits of Highly Effective People.")  Jay often comments on "the things we have to do, versus the things we get to do," and not to take for granted the little things in life we get to do because of our good health.  True words of wisdom.

I'm starting to feel like a new person.  For once, I'm not just wishing I was in better shape, I'm going out and making it happen!

Amy Aspey is a Life Time Fitness member at the Parker-Aurora club in Colorado who recently committed to vastly improving her physical condition. She had a strong desire to become healthier, fitter, stronger, and to enhance the overall quality of her life. Amy is journaling her 12-week Metabolic Makeover on the Assessments & Testing page every Wednesday. Read her past entries:

Intro

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

My sister and her family are in town visiting, so the fact that I still lost 1 pound this week is a major victory!  My grand total is 11 lbs lost at the start of my 6th week.  Not bad, if I do say so myself!

I was telling Jen (my Nutrition Coach) that my confidence level is at an all time high.  I really don't consider myself to be on a diet -- yet, I'm still losing weight.  I love this!!  For the first time in my adult life, I know I'm going to achieve my ideal weight.  It might take a while, but I'm going to get there and stay there.  In my nutrition sessions, Jen gave me some valuable information, but then it was up to me to absorb that information and use it.  Every week, I had homework.  And, just as in life, you get as much out of homework as you put into it.  She could have just given me a meal plan on day one and said, "Follow this and you'll lose 1.5 lbs a week."  Only that wouldn't have been any different than all the diets I've ever tried...and failed.  Instead, I had to do the work myself:

•    I had to come up with a system to track what I was eating.

•    I had to enter what I ate into an online calorie counter and confirm I was eating the correct number of calories a day.

•    I had to come up with the meal plan that followed my exchange allotment.

•    I had to measure my portion sizes to make sure I ate what I said I ate.

And I had to do this on a daily basis!  It's been a large time commitment, and as a result, I really feel I've earned my weight loss.  Thanks Jen, for being there to guide me through this lifestyle change.  Obviously, I've never been able to do this on my own, so I credit you with a lot of my success!

If you are interested in documenting your own Metabolic Makeover on the Assessments page, please contact Marissa Kristal.

Disclaimer: The health, wellness or fitness information on this site should not be considered complete, nor intended to represent or replace medical diagnosis, advice or treatment from your healthcare professionals, whom you should consult before beginning or altering any personal exercise, diet or nutritional supplement programs.  The assessment results featured in any testimonial on this site may not be typical.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month therefore the “Assessment of the Month” is dedicated to preventive testing for Breast Cancer.

Name of assessment: Breast cancer screening

What is tested: Breast tissue

Type of test: Mammogram, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), and Tissue sampling

Why do you want to do it: Breast cancer screening is important for preventive reasons before a person has any symptoms. Screening can help find cancer at an early stage. When abnormal tissue or cancer is found early, it may be easier to treat. By the time symptoms appear, cancer may have begun to spread. Research is trying to better understand which people are more likely to get certain types of cancer and what are the things we do and what in our environment may put us at greater risk for cancer. This information helps doctors recommend who should be screened for cancer, which screening tests should be used, and how often the tests should be done.

It is important to remember that your doctor does not necessarily think you have cancer if he or she suggests a screening test. Screening tests are given when you have no cancer symptoms. If a screening test result is abnormal, you may need to have more tests done to find out if you have cancer. These are called diagnostic tests. Some screening tests are used because they have been shown to be helpful both in finding cancers early and in decreasing mortality from these cancers. For some types of cancer, the chance of recovery is better if the disease is found and treated at an early stage. For more information please reference: http://www.cancer.gov/.

When should I be screened? The National Cancer Institute recommends a self-breast exam as part of your monthly health care routine. You should visit your doctor if you experience breast changes. If you're over 40 or at a high risk for the disease, you should also have an annual mammogram and physical exam by a doctor.

How the test(s) is done:

Mammogram: A mammogram is an x-ray of the breast. This test may find tumors that are too small to feel. The ability of a mammogram to find breast cancer may depend on the size of the tumor, the density of the breast tissue, and the skill of the radiologist.

MRI: This procedure uses a magnet, radio waves, and a computer to make a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body. This procedure is also called nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI). MRI does not use any x-rays.

In women with a high inherited risk of breast cancer, screening trials of MRI breast scans have shown that MRI is more sensitive than mammography for finding breast tumors. It is common for MRI breast scan results to appear abnormal even though no cancer is present. MRI may be used to study breast lumps or enlarged lymph nodes found during a clinical breast exam or a breast self-exam that were not seen on mammography or ultrasound.

Tissue sampling: Breast tissue sampling is taking cells from breast tissue to examine under a microscope. Three methods of tissue sampling are under study:

•    Fine-needle aspiration: A thin needle is inserted into the breast tissue around the areola (darkened area around the nipple) to withdraw cells and fluid.

•    Nipple aspiration: The use of gentle suction to collect fluid through the nipple. This is done with a device similar to the breast pumps used by nursing women.

•    Ductal lavage: A hair-size catheter (tube) is inserted into the nipple and a small amount of salt water is released into the duct. The water picks up breast cells and is removed.

So, you’re a Life Time Fitness member and weight loss is your goal. Regardless whether your weight loss goal is a little or a lot, it’s important to know what assessments provide you with the best information needed to reach your goal. LifeLab assessments are focused on finding the most efficient way for you to shed those extra pounds. The science based assessments help take the guess work out of weight loss and provide an accurate calorie intake and expenditure plan so your workouts have a purpose and your meals make sense.

The first step with any weight loss program is to determine your overall health and fitness starting point and establish a reasonable weight loss goal. It’s pretty hard to develop a plan if you do not know how much you should lose. The FitPoint assessment would be the first assessment to start with to help set a weight loss goal if you don’t have one. The assessment measures your current weight, body fat percentage, cardiovascular, strength, and flexibility level. Based on these results your FitPoint report will identify what is the ideal weight and body composition for you. One of Life Time’s fitness professionals can administer the FitPoint and review the report with you to determine reasonable weight loss goals.

The next step is to determine what’s going on inside of your body. I’m sure that at some point in your life you have had the wonderful experience of balancing your bank account. If you don’t know how much is going into the account, balancing it becomes pretty difficult. Weight loss is not that much different. You need to know how many calories should be deposited in your account (or body) and how many need to come out of your account. This is where the resting metabolic rate (CaloriePoint) assessment comes in. A CaloriePoint assessment determines how many calories you need to take in and expend each day. This test measures the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide you use at rest which is important because your body burns 5 calories for ever liter of oxygen you consume. Comparing the amount of oxygen used to the amount of carbon dioxide produced during a resting state determines the percentage of calories coming from fat vs. carbohydrates. Typical equations to determine your caloric needs can be off by as much as 15-20%, and will not tell you what percentage of your resting calories are coming from fat, which is an important number when formulating a weight loss plan.

You also need to know how much is going out of the account to successfully balance it.  An exercise metabolic rate (CardioPoint) assessment is better than your accountant at determining what is going out and where it is coming from. This exercise assessment determines the number of calories, amount of fat and amount of carbohydrates you are using at a specific heart rate. This is important especially for weight loss.

Once you determine how many calories your body can burn while at rest and when exercising and what a healthy realistic weight goal should be you can start to create an energy deficit program.

A desirable weight loss program should meet the following guidelines established by The American College of Sports Medicine:
1)    Do not eat less than 1200 kcal/day for normal adults and allow a proper distribution of foods to meet nutritional requirements.
2)    Create a negative caloric balance (not to exceed 500 to 1000 kcal/day), resulting in gradual weight loss.
3)    Have an exercise program that promotes a daily caloric expenditure of more than 300 kcal.

The National Weight Control Registry found that 89% of people who lost 30 or more pounds and  kept it off for at least one year accomplished their goals through a combination of diet and exercise - only 10% succeeded using diet alone and only 1% using exercise alone.

Skip Gagnon is a Metabolic Specialist at the Life Time Fitness in Westminster CO.

Feeling low? Exercise can help alleviate some of the symptoms of depression and anxiety. Though breaking a sweat may be the last thing you want to when you’re feeling blue or uneasy, getting as little as 10 to 15 minutes of physical activity a day can really improve your disposition.

Though it’s not fully understood why, researchers think it may have something do with the fact that exercise produces endorphins (chemicals produced in the brain that reduce pain and boost mood), releases muscle tension, and reduces the stress hormone, cortisol.

The psychological and physical benefits of physical activity are vast. Here are a few from MayoClinic.com:

“Confidence. Being physically active gives you a sense of accomplishment. Meeting goals or challenges, no matter how small, can boost self-confidence at times when you need it most. Exercise can also make you feel better about your appearance and your self-worth.

Distraction. When you have depression or anxiety, it's easy to dwell on how badly you feel. But dwelling interferes with your ability to problem solve and cope in a healthy way. Dwelling can also make depression more severe and longer lasting. Exercise can shift the focus away from unpleasant thoughts to something more pleasant, such as your surroundings or the music you enjoy listening to while you exercise.

Interactions. Depression and anxiety can lead to isolation. That, in turn, can worsen your condition. Exercise may give you the chance to meet or socialize with others, even if it's just exchanging a friendly smile or greeting as you walk around your neighborhood.

Healthy coping. Doing something positive to manage depression or anxiety is a healthy coping strategy. Trying to feel better by drinking alcohol excessively, dwelling on how badly you feel, or hoping depression and anxiety will go away on their own aren't helpful coping strategies.”

Ready to smile? Get moving!

Source: MayoClinic.com

I tend to get bored easily with my workout routines. I find I’m always watching people in the gym to see what kind of exercises they’re doing (so if you see some crazy girl on the fitness floor staring you down while you’re doing lunges…it’s most likely me), and I am constantly asking the Metabolic Specialists and Personal Trainers what their favorite workouts are.

From time to time everyone gets stuck in a repetitive and uninspiring fitness rut. Sick of spending so much time on the treadmill, I recently joined a boot camp class at Life Time in Chanhassen, and I’ve also been researching new cardio and strength training regimens to implement into my workouts. I came across a really informative article from Women’s Health during my investigation, and I wanted to share what I learned with you. Let's try try infusing the following four cardio routines into our workouts to see if we can kiss our fitness slumps goodbye!

“The Triathlon Trainer
A triple play that gets fast results

Do it: Pedal a bike at a moderate pace—an effort level of 5 or 6 (you're working hard but can still carry on a conversation)—for 10 minutes. Next, run either outside or on a treadmill for 10 minutes, again at an effort level of 5 or 6. Last, head to the pool or a rowing machine and put in 10 minutes at the same effort level.

The Full-Body Toner
Combines strength moves and cardio for maximum fat-blasting
Do it: Jump rope for 30 seconds and rest for 30 seconds; do 5 sets. Then perform 2 sets of this 5-minute body-weight circuit: squats, pushups, step-ups, dips, and crunches. Do as many reps of each exercise as you can in 1 minute, moving to the next without rest. Finish with a 10-minute jog at a medium pace.

The Power Booster
This interval workout builds speed, power, and lower-body tone.
Do it: Pick three cardio machines with adjustable resistance and do the following on each: Warm up for 2 minutes at a medium pace. For the first interval, raise to max effort by upping the resistance and/or incline, keeping the pace steady; go for 30 seconds, then recover at warm-up pace for 2 minutes. Do 2 intervals per machine. Finish on one machine before moving to the next.

The Calorie Scorcher
Challenges your cardiovascular system and strengthens your body
Do it: Choose any three cardio machines. On the first one, go for 10 minutes at an effort level of 5 or 6. Move immediately to the next machine and go hard, at an effort level of 9 or 10—you should just barely be able to huff out words—for another 10 minutes. Finally, switch to the last machine and do 10 minutes at a 5 or 6 effort.”

Source: Women’s Health

If you're like many, you assume high cholesterol leads to deadly heart disease. Therefore, you monitor it closely, and perhaps even take cholesterol-lowering drugs, to ensure your ticker keeps tocking regularly.

But here's some news: cholesterol may not deserve the totally terrible rap it's been given. To learn more about its role in the body (here's a hint: it's not always bad!), and how you can decrease it organically, check out "Cholesterol Reconsidered", a recent article from Experience Life Magazine.

Amy Aspey is a Life Time Fitness member at the Parker-Aurora club in Colorado who recently committed to vastly improving her physical condition. She had a strong desire to become healthier, fitter, stronger, and to enhance the overall quality of her life. Amy is journaling her 12-week Metabolic Makeover on the Assessments & Testing page every Wednesday. Read about her initial decision to get healthy here.

"I had my first nutrition appointment and my metabolic testing this week. The CaloriePoint test was kind of cool.  You sit in a dark room, reclined in a comfortable chair and just simply breath for 20 minutes.  A mother's dream come true, right?  Well there's a catch -- you have to stay awake!  What Mom could resist the urge to take a snooze when faced with such a golden opportunity?  Well, not me.  I battled bravely, but was only somewhat successful.

Thankfully, Barry, the Metabolic guru that he his, was able to find five consecutive minutes when I was awake and entered in my data.  He then walked me through the math behind weight loss.  Suddenly, it's not so mysterious.  Once you know exactly how many calories it takes for your body to survive and you add in the extra calories you need to sustain your busy lifestyle, you see exactly how much your body can consume and maintain your current weight.  When you exercise, that simply bumps up the amount of calories you are allotted.  Then, if you consume less, your body goes into a deficit and you lose weight.  I'm simplifying of course, but the beauty is that Barry does all the math for you to tell you exactly how much of a deficit you need to run to lose 1.5 lbs a week and meet your weight loss goals.

If it all stopped there, then I would say, nice to know, but I kind of already knew that.  (Don't get me wrong, it is incredibly helpful to know these exact numbers--because they are specific and accurate for you.  So if you've struggled with weight loss before, it might help clarify where you went wrong in the past.  But in my case, it confirmed what I had suspected all along, so I wasn't that surprised.)  Where things start to get really cool is in the next test and the nutrition counseling.  They are eye-opening!

The CardioPoint test is the one where you get to wear the Hannibal Lecter mask smack dab in the middle of the gym.  (You wear the mask in the CaloriePoint test, too, but you're alone in a dark room, so who cares, right?)  Thankfully, enough people have done this test now that hardly anyone even looks at you.  I was walking along at a steady pace, thinking this test was easy, when Barry started fiddling around with the elevation.  At first, it was no big deal.  We got up to an incline of 10 and I thought, "OK.  No problem.  I'm still in control."  It wasn't until we hit incline 12 and 14 that I began to seriously wonder, "How many people fall off treadmills and break an ankle?"  Just then, Barry's voice chimes in, "Don't worry, you're almost there...10 seconds left."  The man is a saint!

The results of this one tells you your specific heart rates for each of the zones.  (Incredibly helpful information when you're trying to follow along in a group fitness class.)  But then, the science gets really interesting.  Barry starts to explain about how many calories are in a fat gram versus a carb and how efficient your body is at burning them in the different workout zones.  Again, this info is specific to you, so it gives you a much better picture of exactly how "fit" you really are.  The computer then generates specific cardio workouts for you to follow, to best make use of this information.  This is where the whole "Work Smarter, Not Harder" mantra comes in.  The goal is to burn the most amount of calories from stored fat, while the whole time working across all of the zones to help bump up my fat burning opportunities at each level.

Then, Jen, my Nutrition Coach, jumps in to help me customize my meal plans to help me live within the calorie deficit I mentioned in the beginning.  Unfortunately, our first meeting was interrupted when we had to take cover in the ladies locker room because of the Franktown tornado.  But we were able to go over some basic nutrition guidelines...some of which I'd been doing, some of which I hadn't.  Thankfully, I had just recently decided to keep a food journal on my own.  Jen agreed that it is one of the most powerful tools we can use to hold ourselves accountable.  It takes a bit of time, but I've found it really helpful in getting me to mentally commit to my total health make-over.

Well, that's it for now.  I'll keep you posted on my progress - check back next week for more.  Wish me luck!

If you are interested in documenting your own Metabolic Makeover on the Assessments page, please contact Marissa Kristal.

Disclaimer: The health, wellness or fitness information on this site should not be considered complete, nor intended to represent or replace medical diagnosis, advice or treatment from your healthcare professionals, whom you should consult before beginning or altering any personal exercise, diet or nutritional supplement programs.  The assessment results featured in any testimonial on this site may not be typical.