One of my missions as a trainer was to always help people find fitness on their own terms, and nowadays I think that also includes non-dependency on a gym.

“What?!?! A trainer saying to not go to the gym? Gasp!”

Sure, why not…heck I canceled my gym membership!

Well what I mean is that too many out there are dependent on a gym to do something, and don’t even consider other options right in front of their nose.

Have you ever said “I really want to get back into shape but just don’t have the time to get to the gym”?

Well whoever said you have to be at a gym? Do you think your muscles care where they are? Nope. In fact, would they even care if you are not using some expensive piece of equipment? Nope…again.

Why not instead consider the world as your gym, and the only equipment you need is what is already attached to you…namely your arms and legs. Doing bodyweight exercises is plenty enough to get you fit and feeling great. If you think differently then go find a gymnast and tell them how unfit they are.

Muscles do like to be challenged. With bodyweight exercises this means increasing the resistance somehow (assuming they have become too easy for you that is), aka making your bodyweight heavier. This could be from either by holding weights (barbell, dumbbells), adding to your bodyweight (weightvest) or increasing the resistance of the movement with something such as a resistance band.

OK, so how does a silly bicycle tube come into play? Recently I have been doing more bodyweight exercises and it came to me, why not find more creative (and inexpensive) ways to add resistance to my movements. Having a recent flat tire (well really the tube inside had the hole in it) with my mountain bike, I had a bike tube laying around with only a small puncture hole, and decided to see how I could use it.

Guess what, it is possible! I have used plenty of resistance bands over my years of being a personal trainer (and training myself) and the bike tube actually worked quite well.

How did I use it? Well just look at the video below and you will see how a resistance band in a loop can be used to add more tension/resistance to a pushup (and instead just use a rubber bike “tube”…not bike “tire” just to clarify). You can use the same philosophy to other bodyweight movements too like dips and squats.

So you see, something as simple as a bike tube (maybe you can find flat ones for free at your local bike shop) can help you improve your muscular strength. Note: if you can not see the video then click here for the original post.

The bike tube is just an example of how you don’t need expensive equipment specifically made for fitness (or a gym) to challenge your muscles.

Now if you really want something versatile for not only resistance but also assistance for pullups/dips then you probably do need to go with a stronger resistance band such as this one from Jumpstretch here, and they are not overly expensive.

Moral of this article, don’t use the gym as an excuse for the only place you can workout….as you can challenge your muscles (no matter what your level is) anywhere.

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The idea came to me over the weekend when focusing on the mainstream mindset when it comes to eating.

Simple weight loss fact: if we eat less overall we have the potential to lose weight. I know…so revolutionary! (sarcastically speaking) But yet this simple wisdom is overlooked by many, why is that?

Diets come out with their complex and unenjoyable (for many) eating plans to keep you eating less. That is their “secret” to success.

Whether it be from making you nibble all day long on tiny meals, take away all responsibility for you to choose how to eat, or try and prevent overeating from excess hunger (stable blood sugar, chewing all day)….it is still about eating less.

So where are the real calorie issues for many? Is it their regular meals…or everything else in between? Look around at all the sugar loaded/high calorie coffee drinks, candy bars, chips, and all the other 100s of snack items that take up rows upon rows of supermarket space.

Where are all the metabolically destructive chemicals really coming from? (such as all the HFCS in processed snacks/drinks that are compromising your liver function, which is a key fat burning organ!)

What if we just got rid of the mindless snacking all together, and ate just 3 meals a day. How many calories could we really save ourselves from overeating on?

Heck I know clients who have stalled on weight loss because of too much snacking, even on healthy foods like nuts (which are high in calories…and will take you out of a calorie deficit state very easily if not kept in check).

It is a simple answer, but could it really work? Perhaps.

What about dessert? Sure, when you have it after dinner. Chances are your portions will be much smaller anyways after a full meal (and you are not going through a pint of Ben and Jerry’s).

What to eat each meal? Your choice. Of course we want to eat “healthy” foods, but how and what you eat is up to you (how is that for flexible weight loss planning?).

Here is the built-in wisdom too, what you eat has to sustain your energy levels until the next meal (because there is NO more snacking). You have a full day and 3 meals spread out in whatever fashion you decide.

You don’t need any complex testing or blood work to determine your metabolic type,  just listen to your body and learn from it.

So if you eat something, only to have your energy levels come crashing down a couple hours later…well then you know you ate the wrong kind of meal and can adjust for next time. Or if you eat way too much than you should have, you will know that too.

For example, if eating a carb heavy meal like pancakes can’t keep you awake between breakfast and lunch….you need to rethink your eating plan (and maybe go for eggs and fruit instead).

Imagine the wisdom you will impart on yourself just by allowing your own body to react to food and learn from it. All without ever needing more “snacks”.

Of course I don’t know the calorie loads each person is capable of eating each meal, but guess what….add in a few IF days each week and I am sure you will have a calorie deficit state long-term for steady weight loss!

Just a thought….and maybe something you will want to try in your life to just learn more about your body and the right food choices for you (and help your kids learn this lesson too!).

Bonus: think of how much money you can save too! (as snack expenses can add up very quickly day after day!)

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Some days it was whiffle ball, others kickball, maybe a little street hockey, just riding the bikes around the neighborhood or going to the neighbor’s pool to swim.

I was out playing some Frisbee golf the other day (which was actually my 2nd time), and this thought came to me:

“You know what…I have no desire to ever step foot into a gym again in my life…but I love to be outside and do things every day…so maybe I just need more ‘play’ time“.

That is my advice for most everyone out there, make more time to just go “play”.

Why are we spending so much effort running on a machine with a moving belt or pedaling away on a stationary object…when we could do all the same things outside and enjoy it more?

There is a funny saying by David Walters that goes:

An hour of basketball feels like 15 minutes.  An hour on a treadmill feels like a weekend in traffic school.

How true is that? Running on a treadmill for 10-15 minutes is torture for me…but I can go play an hour of something outside that involves running around and time just flies (or skate around playing ice hockey for 90 minutes and love every minute of it). But 5 minutes on a machine and I am already starting to think time is slowing down on purpose.

Look at the simple benefits of just going to “play”:

• Use your muscles (duh, I know), increase circulation and all the health benefits from it
• Burn some additional calories that can come from fat stores
• Relaxes and takes your mind off modern day issues stressing you out
• Social interaction with other people (and the good feeling that comes from it)
• Outside you get fresh air and Vit D from the sun (all free of charge!)
• You will enjoy doing it more often (unlike who really wants to keep going to the gym all the time?)

Don’t make being active harder than it needs to be with complicated planned exercise formats. Go improvise, relax, grab a couple friends, have some fun, break a sweat and see all the benefits it can bring.

Life can be really simple sometimes, if we just allow it to be.

So make more time to go “play”, and leave all the other stress-inducing exercise obsessions/compulsions at home.

There are many ways in which IF can work for a person, and each person may vary in approaches (believe it or not…shocking I know). I like to say that IF is a great “tool” to use in your lifestyle, and it is not some set “diet” plan that has to have a strict set of rules for everyone.

The IF lifestyle is also about being a “freeing” one.

Free from the nutritional dogma and strict diet rules of today that keep so many OCD with eating (without ever really enjoying it in the first place).

Your weight loss (or really fat loss) will be a result of using IF the right way as it fits into your life.

An athlete training hard each day with high calorie demands may not have the same path to success as a busy stay at home parent who may only exercise a couple times a week. Finding what works for you is key.

But one thing that should be constant, is keeping it intermittent at heart when you first start off (aka the IF Life Rule #1).

Overloading one’s lifestyle right out of the gate with too much IF, without realizing how your body and recovery will react from it, may be a quick way to burnout fatigue, muscle loss, and/or stubborn/rebound fat gain.

Along with eating, all the stress in one’s lifestyle must be accounted for whether it is from daily exercise, mental workload, or lack of sleep. IF can be another stress as well, especially if it keeps you from eating enough calories in the first place.

crash diet + excessive exercise + stressful lifestyle = crash and burn

So enjoy your IF lifestyle and just remember that these simple rules can work:

• The word “Intermittent” should still be a part of your “IF” lifestyle
• Eat when you are hungry, fast when it makes sense to you
• Become aware of other lifestyle stress factors, and how to keep them under control
• Anything can be changed (including how often you use IF). So don’t give up….just fine tune to make it work for you

No need to make this super complicated, or think there is only one way for everyone…just find what works and when in doubt keep it “intermittent” (like it implies in the name).