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.

Want to keep your weight in check? Do a few Downward Dogs. New research published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, reveals that engaging in a regular yoga practice may lead to more mindful eating, which can curb one’s tendency to overindulge and, thus, become obese.

Researchers developed a Mindful Eating Questionnaire to determine more than 300 participants’ tendencies to eat even when full or emotionally stressed or sad, their awareness of how food tastes, smells and appears, and their ability to focus only on food while eating, as opposed to other external factors. Of the subjects polled, over 40 percent practiced yoga more than one hour per week, 46 percent walked at least 90 minutes per week, and more than 50 percent spent 90 minutes or more exercising moderately to strenuously each week. 

Researchers found that the participants who were aware of their eating and ate only when hungry as opposed to for emotional reasons, and who stopped eating when they became full, weighed less and had lower BMI’s than those who ate mindlessly or to counteract negative emotions. These findings suggest that mindful eating may play an important role in maintaining a healthy weight long-term. Other physical activities, such as running and walking, do not contribute to conscious eating the same that way yoga does.

If you're looking to get started with yoga, try some of the great classes offered by Life Time Fitness! For class descriptions, times and other yoga and Pilates news, check out what's going on at the Life Studio!

Remember Joe Jeppesen, the man who made a complete journey to health and fitness, transformed his entire lifestyle, and went from physically unfit to marathon runner after joining Life Time Fitness? Well, there's more to his inspirational tale. To hear his incredible story from his own mouth, check out this video interview we recently conducted with Joe.

If you have a success story you'd like to share or know a member who deserves a feature, please contact Marissa Kristal or Robert Sidenberg

Enjoy this wholly inspiring story from Chanhassen Life Time Fitness member, Joe Jeppesen:

Joe's "after" photo

I had heard the "Write Your Own Success Story" announcement many times over the loudspeaker at the Life Time gym in Chanhassen, but never did I think that I would actually have my own story.

My name is Joe Jeppesen. I am 52-years-old. A single father of one. I own a small automotive repair business in Chanhassen, servicing Volkswagen, Porsche & Audi automobiles.

I have been a member of Life Time in Chanhassen since 2007. Prior to that time, the last thing that I thought that I would ever do was join a health club. Up until then I had little concern for my level of activity, diet and nutrition, with no consideration at all for what or how much I ate. In my occupation, I am active and on my feet all day.  I really thought that was good enough.

In reality though, I knew that I was out of shape. I am 5'5" and I did my very best to avoid ever stepping on a scale. I have been self-conscious about my weight for some time. Whenever I saw myself in photographs, it was hardly pleasing to me. Just even running to the end of the driveway was difficult.

Surprisingly though, I have been a reasonably proficient downhill skier for many years., skiing locally, as well as The U.P and Duluth. In 2006, our skiing group began trips to Beaver Creek, Colorado. It had been number of years since I’d skied in the mountains. I made the mistake of telling my friends that for me skiing in the mountains was really no big deal. I made a point of telling them that the altitude didn’t at all bother me.

Well, Reality was an all-together different story. On our first trip, after the first day of skiing, I was completely worn out. I hurt, was out of breath, almost sick and just plain exhausted. During that first day of skiing I struggled to keep up with the group. No one hesitated to remind me of my boasting prior to being there either. Not wanting to hold the others up on the second day, I decided to stay back at the house while the others went skiing. I really needed a day to recuperate. The rest of the time there skiing there went a little better. But my condition, or lack thereof, was obvious.

The Colorado ski trip became an annual event. As soon as we returned, we began planning our trip for the following February. As our trip was approaching, one of my good friends in the group gave me a call. We began talking about our skiing trip plans. Then he carefully asked me if I had thought about doing anything to get myself ready for our trip. “Like what?” I asked. “Maybe you could join a gym or something. You know, get in better shape,” he suggested. Deep down, I knew he was right.

I told him I’d think about it, but didn’t do anything about it. About a month later we talked on the phone again. The conversation seemed to be going well. And then he asked me if I’d joined a gym yet. “No,” I said. “I’m really having a hard time getting around to that.” My big mistake was making mention of this conversation to my then17-year-old son, who was already a member of Life Time. Darn! My son thought it was a good idea too. As a matter fact, he said that he knew some of the membership advisors, and he thought he could get me a pass or something. Next thing I knew he brought me a 15-day free pass. I was having trouble getting around to calling and setting up an appointment for this. On about day 14 of that free pass, my son came in to my office and asked if I had called for an appointment yet. I said no. He then said sternly, I want you to call tomorrow! Crap, I thought. The jig was up, and now I had two people on me about this. I had no way out now! Not wanting to disappoint my son, I reluctantly called Chanhassen Life Time and made an appointment to meet with a membership advisor. I really wasn’t looking forward to doing this. But the day came, and I went in and met with Jamie Whitmas. She was very friendly. After a brief discussion, she offered to give me a tour of the facility. During the tour, I was very uncomfortable. I wasn’t all that sure that I fit in, or belonged in a place like this. I mean, a place where people are fit – because I was not. The tour ended back in Jamie’s office. And then she asked, “What would you like to do?” Right then, something just clicked. I knew that I had to do something. Before that day, the last thing that I thought that I would ever do was join a health club. But, when I left, I was a member of Life Time Fitness. Membership card and all. And, signed up to meet with a personal trainer as a part of the “Smart Start” program. I was mortified! What had I just gotten myself into?

On January 4th 2007 I came in to Life Time Chanhassen and met with Megan Buffington, my new personal trainer. The first thing we did was a Body Age Assessment. She asked if I knew how much I weighed. I did not. After getting on the scale we found out that I weight 194 pounds. Wow! That was worse than I had thought. After completing the test we looked at the results. My body fat composition was 26.4%. The final deflating number was my body age based on this test. I was 51 at that time, and my body age was 53. Clearly, I had a lot of work ahead of me. Megan spent quite a bit of time talking with me about the results, what I wanted to accomplish, and then helped me begin to develop a plan for the future. This plan included cardio-vascular exercise, strength training and nutrition. All of this was completely new to me. Prior to this, I really don’t think that I ever exercised a day in my life.

And so we began with baby steps. Working on the exercise floor and the treadmill (I had never been on a treadmill before). Megan was very patient with me, as I had so many questions. She even gave me her cell phone number just in case I thought of any questions when I wasn’t at Life Time. I have called her so many times now that she probably regrets ever having given me her number.

After our first meeting, I began working with the training program that Megan developed for me. In the first few weeks it was difficult and I felt out of place in a health club. The first few times I came to Life Time, I sat in the car debating weather I should go in or not. I tried to think of any excuse not to go inside. But, I pushed myself beyond my comfort zone, went in and started the exercises.

Much to my surprise, in time I actually began to enjoy this just a little. Coordination was just one of the many challenges I faced with the strength training. The cardio exercises were a different matter altogether. I started with an incline at a brisk walk. As I felt more comfortable with that, I thought I would try to run. That was something I had not done before. At first, I could hardly run (not all that fast either) for about one minute. Completely out of breath, I could barely reach the button to slow down the treadmill. One of the main things that I wanted to accomplish was to improve my endurance. So, I was determined to be able to run. Even if it killed me!

As I spent more time there, I began to feel more comfortable. One of the things that have stood out has been the staff. Whenever I needed help, or had a question, someone was always available. The staff is always friendly, helpful and professional. Dan comes around many times with towels. Once, He even offered to get me water.

Little by little I was steadily improving. First, one minute on the treadmill. Then two minutes, then four, and then ten. It wasn’t that long at all and before I knew it, I was able to run for almost thirty minutes. In addition to cardio on the treadmill, a friend of mine who has workout experience started coming in with me. I felt that I was really beginning to make some progress. After maybe a month or so I decided to get on the scale and see what I weight. I was astonished to see that I had dropped about 12 pounds.

In addition to workouts, I changed my diet. I stopped eating junk. Typically, I never ate breakfast. Dinners were usually steak or hamburger. I usually had a bowl of ice cream just before bed several times a week too, with an occasional beer thrown in too.

So first, I started eating breakfast. Usually a bowl of Special K cereal. I replaced the junk food snacks with fruit, nuts, yogurt and whole-wheat crackers. I started eating chicken, turkey and fish with vegetables and grains instead of the high calorie, high fat meals I would have had before. Although Megan suggested it right from the beginning, I started taking the Men’s Performance Vitamins, as well as Joint Maintenance and Fish Oil.

Before I knew it, it was time for our 2007 skiing trip. I was anxious to see if there was any benefit to the workouts I had been doing for only six weeks. The answer was a resounding yes! I was not nearly as out of breath as the year before. I didn’t have the same aches and pains. At the end of the day, when many of the others in the group were ready to call it a day, I was still going!

When I returned from skiing, I had recognized of the benefits of exercise and wanted to continue improving. I talked with Megan about personal training and decided to train with her two times a month. About that same time, I decided to get a heart rate monitor, which just happened to coincide with my first M.A.P test.

After the M.A.P test and my first session with Megan, I had a roadmap and the tools for strength training and cardio exercises. My motivation for fitness kicked into higher gear as I began working on the exercises.

My cardio exercises are primarily running on the treadmill. And, I actually enjoy running now. One day, I received e-mail from Life Time about upcoming events, and one of them was the Torchlight 5k in downtown Minneapolis. I thought to myself, “I nearly run that far on the treadmill three times a week.” When I mentioned my idea to Megan, She said. “Oh yeah! You can do that.” And without hesitation, She said. “I’ll run in it with you.”

I completed another M.A.P test in mid July. There was steady improvement in most every area. My V.02 and A.T were getting better showing that the cardio exercises were working.

Something else was happening that I hadn’t totally noticed. Prior to Life Time, I always had a cough, particularly during conversations. In telephone conversations with my customers it was often disruptive. So much so, that the person on the other end of the line would sometimes ask if I was OK. I had even seen a doctor for this. After many tests and X-ray tests, all I got out of it was an inhaler. And I still had a cough! After 6 months of working out at Life Time, my cough was gone!

When the Torchlight event came, it was a miserably muggy summer evening. Normally, I really hate weather like this, but on that night, it didn’t matter. I was there with my trainer, Megan, the skiing friend that had originally suggested that I join a health club, and his girlfriend. The 5k was a little easier than I had expected. I was tired at the finish, but recovered quickly. I finished well ahead of Megan too.

Later in July, I did another body age analysis test. I was shocked to find that my body fat was now about 15% - I was getting younger too.

That summer, I also ran in the Twin Cities Marathon 5k and Apple Run 5-mile orchard run in White Bear. I have received a lot of encouragement from the staff at Life Time, and astonishment from friends and customers that had not seen me for some time. By this time I had shed some 40 pounds. In addition to running, I had a bike that I used only occasionally before. Well why not, I thought. I found that I could ride farther, faster and harder than I had ever before.
Come Fall, I did another body age analysis. I was shocked again to find that my body fat was now around 11%. Weight loss of 51 pounds. Fitness level in the 89th percentile, with the estimated body age of 40. I was ecstatic!

Megan convinced me to do a Cardio02 class starting in October. To my surprise, I found that this class was not beyond my capability at all. The Cardi02 class led by Julie Amack and Sadie Knickrehm has been awesome. The class further complements my heart rate training. At the time I had started this class, I had felt that I could run. This class makes me a better runner. Additionally, I’ve learned quite a lot in Cardi02 about foods, nutrition, rest and other topics as well. The Saturday morning outdoor runs have been a lot of fun. Julie has been quite creative in coming up with a variety activities in addition to running.

Sadie and I began talking about doing a ½ marathon in the spring. With the goal of running the Twin Cities Marathon in the fall. These are things that were at one time truly beyond my imagination. Now, with the training and support I have gotten at Life Time,I can see myself doing this. I think we’re approaching miracle status now! 
2008 turned out to be quite an “eventful” year. I participated in ten different events:

Chanhassen Lifetime Fitness Indoor Triathlon
Wells Fargo “Lake Minnetonka” Half Marathon
Boston Scientific “Heart of the Summer” 10k
Lifetime Fitness “Torchlight” 5k
Team Ortho “Downtown” Half Marathon
Excelsior July 4th  “Firecracker” 10k
Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon
“Run for the Apples” White Bear Lake 5-Mile Run
Team Ortho “Monster Dash” Half Marathon
Chaska “Turkey Day” 5k

The results in each far exceeding my expectations!

Any normal person might think that I had had about enough of running. Nope!
In order to continue my endurance training, I rejoined the Cardi02 program near the end of 2008, now being led by Endurance Coach Kelly Tamm.  With Kelly’s support and encouragement, I continued to run thru the entire winter, indoors and outdoors.

2009 is looking like is going to be busy as well. A few events have already taken place this year:

Marathon Sports “Valentines Day” 5k
Chanhassen Lifetime Fitness Indoor Triathlon
Marathon Sports “Irish For A Day” 5k
Gear West “Mud Run”
Chanhassen Lifetime Fitness “Healthy Way Of Life” Challenge
Wells Fargo “Lake Minnetonka” Half Marathon
Wells Fargo “Grandma’s Marathon”

(And it’s only July)

Not so surprising by now, running has become my passion. I have been encouraged and inspired by so many here at Life Time Fitness.

In closing I would like to say that Life Time Fitness has helped me make the most radical change to my life ever. And, without a doubt, it is single best thing that I have ever done for myself.

I feel healthier and look better. I even think more clearly now. I am almost certain that I am in better physical condition than when I was a teenager!

Joe before

Joe after

Food cravings. We all have them. I know I can’t live without my daily chocolate fix, and simply smelling a piece of pizza makes me want a slice of my own desperately.

While it’s okay to indulge occasionally, giving into our cravings every single time we have them (for me this is close to every hour!) would make for a pretty unhealthy diet, and, in my case, a hefty weight gain.

But, unless you have immense self-restraint, it’s nearly impossible to say no to your favorite treats. So how are we supposed to quell our cravings? A recent article from Women’s Health offers a few suggestions that you may find helpful:

Eat Smaller, More Frequent Meals
According to the article, when we go too long without eating, our blood sugar levels drop which can instigate hunger pangs. When this happens, watch out – you're liable to eat anything in sight. Obviously, it's really hard to resist tasty treats when we're ravenous!

Eat With Your Other Hand

Eating with your non-dominant hand forces you to slow down, be more mindful of how much you’re consuming, and, according to recent research, it may even boost your overall willpower!

Weigh Yourself Regularly
Shunning the scale makes it easy to ignore any extra pounds we’ve packed on – out of sight, out of mind – but when you step on it consistently, you’ll be much more apt to watch what you eat and prevent weight gain.

Lift Your Spirits
Emotional eating. I know I’m a victim of this. When I’m sad or stressed, the first thing I turn to is a chocolate bar or a bowl of ice cream. And it does make me feel better…temporarily. But shortly after, it makes me feel much worse. According to the piece, when people overindulge, approximately 75 percent of the time it’s because they’re down in the dumps. The quick fix? Start taking stock of all the great things in your life so that the next time you’re sad you can remind yourself of all the wonderful things in your world to be happy about.

This 90-minute workout will really pay off — in more ways than just good health! With the calories you burn during the workout on Saturday, July 11th from 9 a.m. to noon, you will earn poker chips you’ll need when you reconvene (after a quick shower) in the LifeCafe for a social game of Texas Hold’em.

Register at the Fitness Services desk for this FREE event!

Do you know that performing 6 30-second sprints, with a rest in between, for a total of only 3 minutes of high-intensity exercise, will improve your metabolism? It’s true!

In a recent study, 16 mostly sedentary males were asked to perform a series of sprints on stationary bikes at their maximum intensity levels. Results showed that 30-second spurts of vigorous exercise – otherwise known as High-Intensity Interval Training (HIT) – boosted metabolism, caloric burn and insulin action, as well as lowered the risks for developing heart disease and diabetes. Researchers claim that if performed regularly, you should notice an improvement in your metabolism in just two weeks.

So how can you go about implementing HIT into your workout routine? If you’re a treadmill runner, just jack up the speed and sprint at the highest level you can for 30 seconds, before lowering it back down to your comfortable jogging or walking pace. Do this 6 times. You can follow the same regimen on the bike, as the participants of the study did, the elliptical trainer, or any other piece of cardio equipment at Life Time Fitness.

Not a lover of cardio machines? No problem! Achieve the same results with a jump rope – jump fast for 30 seconds – or by challenging your kids to a race and darting to the endpoint. Take a breather in between, and repeat the race 6 times!

The point is, it’s not as difficult as you may think to get a highly effective workout each and every day. Ask your trainer, T.E.A.M leader, or group fitness instructor about other ways to incorporate HIT into your cardiovascular exercises.