RHWellsFitness

  As we celebrate Christmas and New Years next week, a lot of people are more than likely going to over indulge.  Here is a scale to help you get ready for the New Year and any resolution you may be thinking about. We live in a land of plenty here in the U.S.  Do you know how to tell the difference between being starving, satisfied or stuffed? It seems it should be obvious and people should know the differences.  Here is a graphic to show the Hunger Scale: At a 1, we are beyond a growling stomach.  We are weak and dizzy.  At this stage I think of how Jews were treated at POW camps by the Germans in WW2.  I also see this when there is an extended famine in Africa.   At level 2, people have a constant growling in their stomach. Not occasionally but for a few days at a time. At level 3, people are hungry with a slight growl of the stomach. People claim they are hangry at this level. Being hangry should be at a level 2, with a more constant growl...

I see a lot of people constantly looking for THE perfect workout.  Whether it is a workout to firm the glutes, build mountainous arms, or chisel your abs.  The thing is...this is a myth..sort of. The majority of people that I see looking for the perfect workout are looking for three things: Time crunch - With busy and hectic lives, people are looking for something they can do around all their busy schedules. Don't want to fail - People are afraid of looking like they don't know what they are doing or don't want to simply fail. They are not into working out - They either don't like to break into a sweat or sports/athletics is not their thing. Above, I said that THE perfect workout is a myth...sort of.  I say sort of because even though there is no perfect workout for all people, you can certainly find THE perfect workout for you. Physiologically, we all have the same body structure.  Heart muscle, skeletal muscle, central nervous system, bones, jo...

Lately, I have been seeing and hearing a lot of ads for weightloss supplements and programs.  This got me to thinking, "Are these "solutions" sustainable?".  After doing some research, here are six items that I have read about that make sense and are doable.  1.  Sustainability This goes back to my initial question, "are these 'solutions' sustainable"?  If you have to buy a product to loose weight, how long will you be able - or willing- to keep buying this product?  Can you see yourself doing this for more than two months?  Do you see yourself doing it in five years?  If the answer is no, it is not sustainable.  If the answer is yes, what will happen after you stop using said product?  Will you be able to keep it off, or will the weight come back?  This is one reason that I have a problem with "Diets" that eliminate certain foods. 2.  Exercise I know some people that are not into going to the gym and breakin...

Are you thinking about making a decision to start your fitness journey in the beginning the new year?  Most people choose to start on January 1st. Some people start a couple of weeks before to get over the newness and accustomed to new routines before the crowds get there. If life, as usual, has gotten in your way to starting your fitness journey before, don't fret. Like everything in life, there is no such thing as perfection.  Consistency is the key.  Over time, it will look like perfection.  Just ask Patrick Mahomes.  As we are now mid-December, statistics show that a lot of people sign up for gym memberships to get healthier and fitter.  By the end of January, half have stopped going to the gym.  By March/April, most will stop going to the gym or exercising. Here are my tips to starting a fitness journey that is successful for the long term. The Beginning 1.  Start with a checkup with your doctor.  Especially if you have never w...

I recently came across a plethora of questions starting with "What is the the best way to lose weight...?   The ending to this question runs the gamut from "without exercise" to "in your face" to "in three days".  Most of the questions are understood and are reasonable questions.  A few, not so much.  I say this because losing weight does not happen overnight.  It took a while to add on the weight, so it is reasonable to expect that it will take some time to lose it as well. The first group of questions I am going to group into Spot Reduction.  A lot of questions had to do with losing weight in certain parts of the body.  The message has been out there for a while that we can't spot reduce yet they are still popular questions.  Not sure how this myth keeps on living.  The truth of the matter is that we can't pick one spot on our bodies and make fat go away from just that spot.  To lose weight, it has to come off from all over th...

  Funny how the cycle of life affects us all.  We all start the same, and we all finish the same.    What I see as the two biggest issues from an aging stand point are muscle loss (sarcopenia) and loss of bone density (osteoporosis).  These two can be controlled with a healthy diet AND resistance training. I'm not saying it doesn't happen.  I'm just saying we can minimize the effects of both of these conditions. Sarcopenia begins around age 30.  Loss is gradual and starts at about 3 - 5% per decade.  It doesn't seem like much, but it is cumulative.  Once you reach age 60, it becomes more noticeable.  In your 80's, loss jumps to between 11 and 50% according to WebMD.  If you are young, you will notice this if you break your arm or leg and they are in a cast for a long time.  When the cast comes off, you will notice a big difference. This loss can be mitigated by resistance training.  Even people that exercise regularly will...

As we approach the end of 2025, and the beginning of 2026, a lot of people are contemplating improving their health but don't know where to start. Most people are too general when they meet with a personal trainer.  Too general means too vague.  You need to be more specific to know if you reached your goal. Fitness goals are different for everyone.  Some people may have similar end goals, but their journeys may be different.  A good example of this is the Olympics.  All the competitors had the same end goal...winning the coveted gold medal.  How they get to the winter Olympics is similar in that they had to win in competition.  Their individual training methods were different and geared to the individual's needs and abilities. Fitness goals also change with time as we age.  When I was a teenager, I trained for sport primarily.  How I looked and felt came in a close second once I saw the body changes.  A third reason then became attractio...

Welcome!  Thank you for stopping by.  This post is just an introduction of myself to the world at large.  Who is RH Wells?  I am a certified personal trainer through the American Council on Exercise.  I enjoy health and fitness and this is my way of sharing, and hopefully making a difference, with the world.  I have my share of health issues.  I have found that exercise has helped me cope with my condition and continues to give me a very good quality of life.  On the personal side, I am a Christian, a husband, and a dad. I grew up in west Texas, played high school sports even though I wasn't the most athletic, and spent my weekends riding horses and competing in Gym Kanas. I attended Northern AZ University (Bac. Sci.) and a few years later University of Phoenix (MBA). Took up Kajukenbo after that, earning my brown belt and doing some competitions - including Vegas. Years later, after getting married, now raising three wonderful kids with their i...

  On February 13th, Robert F Kennedy was voted and confirmed to be the 26th secretary of Health and Human Services.  Some people are scared, and others are hopeful of what he might do. This got me to thinking about what his background is.  Why is he qualified for this position?  Should we be scared, or hopeful? In researching Mr. Kennedy, here is his history.  He attended Harvard in late '70's and law school in early '80's.  Passed the Bar in 1985, which is when he began his career as an environmental attorney suing corporations for disposing of hazardous waste into waterways instead of properly disposing them.  In the '90's, he began taking private clients, instead of cities or groups, to fight against corporations with poor waste management. This is also when one of his son's was found to have peanut allergies.  After some research, he attributed this to certain vaccines that began to be used in 1989.  His fight against oil and chemical com...

Hello everyone!  Hope you and your families are in good health.  This Coronavirus is causing major havoc to our lives.  Keep up with the latest here .  A lot of industries are being affected by the Coronavirus (COVID-19).  Travel and hospitality are at a near stand still.  Restaurants are drive through/delivery only if they are open.  Bank branches, malls, shopping centers are all closed.  News shows are all going to split screens.  The fitness industry is no different.  A lot of clubs nationwide have closed their doors for the time being.  Planet fitness has come up with digital classes that they offer their members. There are some businesses that have been ahead of the curve on this.  Companies that should be doing well and see their busiensses grow, with proper precautionary steps of course, are:  Amazon, where you can buy what you need and have it delived in a few days. Door Dash, where they deliver take-ou...

Hello everyone.  Happy New Year! As 2018 came to a close, I was thinking about what I achieved in the year and where I fell short.  I realized that I had some big goals.  Some very big goals.  I also spent a lot of time reading, analyzing, and thinking about what to do next.  The problem:  too much thinking/analyzing and not enough action. To make dreams and goals a reality, you have to work and take action.  That is something I have not been very good at the last few years.  This is what I plan to change in 2019. Examples of this are: Getting in better shape.  I can not get in better shape just thinking about it.  I can not do it by simply watching a video.  I actually have to take action and move.  I started a new workout routine yesterday that I will do for the next six weeks.  Resistance three days a week, and cardio for three days with a day off to recover. Part of getting in better shape is being mindful ...

               November’s Wellness – Diabetes Awareness WHY FOCUS ON DIABETES AWARENESS? 9.4% of adults in the United States have diabetes, 2.23% don’t know they have it, and an estimated 33.9% of adults in the U.S. have pre-diabetes. Medical costs for people with diabetes average more than twice as much as the medical costs of people without diabetes.  Risk of death for adults with diabetes is 50% higher than for adults without diabetes. The total annual cost in lost productivity, wages, and medical expenses for people with diagnosed diabetes is $245 billion. Type 2 diabetes can be prevented. Losing just 5-7% of one’s body weight and exercising moderately (like brisk walking) five days a week can lower the risk of developing diabetes by 58%. RESOURCES - Find free diabetes information at: American Diabetes Association – http://www.diabetes.org/in-my-community/wellness-lives-here/stop-d-at-work/organizational-resources.html ...

Hello Everyone, Failing at something is not the end...it is a learning step.  Yesterday I went to the park with my seven year old son so he could learn to ride his bicycle without training wheels.  He was doing really good.  Then...he crashed.  You all know what happened...scraped hands, scraped knee and bleeding elbow.  He was so close to getting it.  Needless to say, he was done for the day.  He will be back on the bicycle eventually when he is not upset any longer and will learn to ride his bike. It seems that everyone beats themselves up when they can't stick to their diet or workout plan.  This is a message for everyone.  People that can stick to their plans and not mess up have been doing it for a while and have had plenty of practice.  For people just starting out, you need to be able to forgive yourselves.  You just have to dust yourself off and get right back to it. To succeed, your lifestyle will eventually have t...

Our bodies generate heat at all times.  Even at rest, our bodies still generate heat.  Our bodies are incredible machines and we're always learning something new about it.  When people talk about losing weight, most people refer to calories and to reduce the amount of calories to be consumed.  To get everyone on the same page, here are some definitions everyone needs to know to understand the thermal dynamics of our wonderful bodies. Calories - A unit of measure of energy to raise the temperature of 1 liter of water by 1 degree Celsius.  Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR AKA Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)) - This is the minimum amount of energy that the body requires to support life functions and organs.  This is about 75% our total energy requirements.  Most of this is for the Liver, Brain, and muscles.  So remember to lift weights and build some muscles.   Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) - This is the energy that the body uses to break down...

Just saw this video put out by the CDC on reversing prediabetes.  Thought I'd share with you all. Let me know what you think.

Without fail, every month there is an article on "Secrets to weight loss".  Truth of the matter is that there are no secrets to weight loss.  I have seen these articles on magazine covers since the mid-'80's.  You can probably Google the subject and get a ton of hits on this.  This has been around for so long, that it should not be a surprise  when we see an article like this.  People are always looking for a quick fix.  Unfortunately, there is no quick fix.    Using common sense, here is what seems to work best according to everything I read and hear when I work on my education to maintain my certification. Behavior experts say that the best way to change habits is to work on them in small steps.  For example, don't try to change smoking habits, drinking habits and exercise habits all at once.  These are a lot of changes for your body.  Mentally we may be able to think we can change them all at once, but it is easier...

Here is a free tool to help you with your diet goals.  I like this for a number of reasons: It's free. It's easy to use. I am not a nutritionist or dietitian.  Those are roles that are out of my scope of practice.  This allows me to guide and teach what is good and what is bad. It allows you to put in your own recipes. It's faster to use once you have some foods logged in. Here is a quick video that shows what you can do with this free app.  If you're a client of mine, you can connect MyFitnessPal to my app and I can review your nutrition habits and guide you to success in meeting your goals. MyFitnessPal video

As we begin the home stretch for 2017, this is the time when a lot of people eat more than they should, drink more than they should and come January they begin their New Year's Resolutions to lose weight, get in better health...the usual annual resolutions.  Here are some tips to use to plan for the holidays and a way to get a jump start on the upcoming resolutions and how to stick to them. 1.  Eat everything - in moderation of course . These are the holidays after all.  We gather with friends and family.  We all have a plethora of items to choose from.  Turkey, ham, turducken, mac 'n' cheese, green been casserole, sweet potato souffle, corn on the cob, the list goes on and on.  For most of us, we like everything that is being served.  The trick here is not to get a full scoop of everything, especially if they are the large serving spoons.  Instead, use your utensils and serve yourself portions that are large enough to enjoy the flavor, y...

Hello there.  As I was contemplating a topic for this post, I thought about what I could write about to help you in the realm of health and fitness.  Here are some tools that you can use on your own, with your trainer, or your doctor: I hear a lot of people ask about heart rate.  Do you know what your Resting Heart Rate is?  What about Max Heart Rate?  This tool from the American Heart Association teaches you how to find your heart rate.  It then shows you where you should be training for your age. Heart Rate Tool This one is mainly for competitive lifters.  However, this is also good for everyone just to see where your at at different stages of life.  This isn't to hard when you have a crew that your working out with.  I usually don't, so it wouldn't be sound for me to attempt on my own.  This tool allows you to do what you are comfortable with and use that to determine what your 1 Rep Max is.  1 Rep Max is t...

Hello, I recently read an article regarding weightloss, especially for women over 40.  The author is a trainer from California named Jill Brown.  I don't know her.  Since I am still learning some of the intricacies of weight loss, and I don't quite fell like the expert I want to be, I figured I'd just share this article.  A lot of what the author writes makes sense.  Thank you Jill for sharing your knowledge.  Enjoy. http://www.jillbrownfitness.com/site/2017/04/how-women-can-lose-weight-after-40-especially-around-the-middle/