abs: cynthia press
How exercise helped one woman quit smoking
from http://www.loveeshe.com/2009/01/how-exercise-helped-one-woman-quit-smoking.html
How old is the woman in this picture?
Note the shiny hair, the pop a quarter off it booty, and the athletic limbs. How old do you think she is? Take a closer look. I'll wait.
Her name is Cynthia Phillips and she is a personal trainer living in Atlanta, GA. She is a fun loving spirit who doesn't take herself too seriously. (Even though her biceps are very serious.) She makes discipline look easy and according to her it can be.
Oh, and she's 51 years old.
In this interview, Cynthia answers my tough fitness questions. She is living proof that you can change your body. You can change your destiny. You can achieve the unthinkable. Let her experience be your guide.
Explain how strength training has affected your life. Has it made a difference?
Lifting weights helped me to quit a 37 year smoking habit. In addition, understanding the difference between body fat loss and weight loss has made a tremendous difference in how I view food and how I exercise.
Some women are intimidated by the gym. They're scared people will laugh and stare. What's your advice?
We all start out not knowing what we are doing. I hired a trainer. That worked for me. I took what I was taught and built on it. During the process I became more confident and outgoing. Here's the truth: you may be scared and people might laugh at you. But what’s the worst that can happen? You get fit, look fabulous, and gain enough confidence to cease caring about the naysayers.
I have several baby boomer clients who think it's "too late" for them to change their body. Tell them how wrong they are.
Google Ernestine Shepherd who was 62 and overweight when she began training. I was 41 when I decided to get fit. Now, 10 years later, I’m loving every minute of what my training allows me to do.
If you are so sore that you can't lift your arms, bend your knees, or laugh without cringing, should you modify your next workout? Or should you skip it altogether?
Hmm. This is a good question and as individual as you and I. Some will say that working out sore muscles actually helps to decrease the soreness. Others soak and take an additional day off from exercise. The best advice I can give you is to do what keeps you in the gym and off the couch. Cardio is your friend.
Research shows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Give examples of good choices for us weight lifters.
Muscle growth and repair must be supported with good nutritional practices that happen the moment you wake up from your nightly fasting state. Here are two good choices:
Breakfast Smoothie
4 Egg Whites
½ Frozen Fruit bar orange
¼ cup plain yogurt
½ banana sliced and frozen
Calories 239.4 Protein 15.25g Carbs 44g Fat .25g
Traditional Breakfast
4 Scrambled Egg Whites with veggies
Canadian Bacon
Whole wheat Toast
Black Coffee or Green Tea
Calories 320 Protein 32 Carbs 38 Fat 5
Explain the importance of pre- and post- workout meals.
The body needs to have glucose readily available to supply continued energy for the workout, otherwise the body will utilize muscle as fuel. You should eat about an hour before a workout. A small apple with a little peanut butter or ½ of your breakfast smoothie will do. When you have completed the workout, eat within the hour. This is the optimal time for you to push protein and carbs back into your system to replenish the muscles, while you entice your body to release fat from your frame.
What is your favorite athletic accomplishment?
Last April I attempted to gain a certification as a lifeguard. The swimming was especially difficult because of an old rotator cuff injury that I sustained cleaning my backyard (another story). We started out with 14 people. I was by far the oldest; the others ranged in age from 15 to 19 years old. With the aid of hot baths and a daily prayer, I made it!
If you could only do one exercise for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
The inch worm push-up. I like this exercise because it develops the pectoral muscles and the triceps, with ancillary benefits to the deltoids, serratus anterior (muscle at the side of the chest near the ribs), and the midsection as a whole. An additional benefit is that it raises the heart rate during execution.
What's the best advice you'd give someone struggling with weight loss?
Life is ever changing and often challenging. What challenges you most is at it's worst an opportunity for growth. It is a moment to moment gift that requires effort, patience, and perseverance. Stay aware, learn to live more in the moments. Your choices will consistently improve and your goals will cease to seem so far away. Do not give up.
Need I say more? This woman is an inspiration. Now go out there and give it all you've got. You're worth it.