It’s been no surprise to most physicians, school physical education teachers, and now even the United States Army and other military branches that quite a few of those wishing to join, just are in too poor of shape, fitness-wise, to even make the cut.

According to some military publications, an average of 71% of those between the ages of 17 – 24 years old would not qualify because of reasons related to various health factors, physical appearance, educational background or as being physically fit enough to serve in the military.

That breaks down to about 7 out of 10 people within that age group would FAIL to qualify for military service, and that is after the military relaxed its guidelines for the amount of “Body Fat” a person could have in conjunction of the Iraq war.

The ineligible typically includes those who are obese, those who lack a high school diploma or a GED, convicted felons, those taking prescription drugs for ADHD, the Wall Street Journal reports, though some requirements can be waived.

Only 1% of young people are both “eligible and inclined to have a conversation with” the military about possible service, according to the Defense Department. This has been a growing concern for branches of the service like the Army. Who have stated that they are concerned that the American youth are just plain getting too far out of shape to serve and fight. For those who do make the cut, poor fitness can quickly lead to injuries during training. Each recruit lost to injury has been estimated to cost the Department of Defense approximately $31,000," says the study, published Jan. 10 by the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice.

So, what would you need to be military service ready? Below are a few recommendations and suggestions to help you prepare your body for the demands a recruit would need in order to make the cut:

Keep in mind that getting in shape for the service is a process that takes time. You will need to start well before basic training. Depending on your current fitness level, it might take months or up to a year to get in shape for the service. Becoming physically fit for the military involves cardiovascular training, strength training and maintaining a healthy diet.

In order to track your training and to make sure you're getting the best out of your workouts, you should go that extra step and get yourself an activity tracker. Today there are a variety of trackers/monitors out there, but using one that has the convenience of being able to wear it right on your wrist and its being able to track your progress and send that data off to an area that can provide you with the details you need in order to see just where you are meeting your pre-set goals and where you need work is a great benefit to you and your ultimate goal of being in the best shape you can be prior to stepping off of that bus and arriving at the military training center.

The watch that fits this kind of bill, one that comes with a list of features that will monitor all of your training progress is the Garmin Vivoactive 3 Smart Activity Tracker  It can track any kind of workout you wish to tackle, and its also tracking your activity when your engaged in some recreational sports as well, from biking, swimming to paddle boarding to running a 10K race, the Vivoactive 3 can stand up to the punishment of any sport. That being the case, its made with industry-leading Gorilla glass, so you don’t have to treat it with kid gloves. Believe me, your “D.I.” won’t be treating you that way either.

Now that you have a way to track just how you're going to be expending your energy, let's get back to the basics on how you want to get yourself into shape now, instead of struggling with the other “Dough-Boys” recruits during basic training.
1st. Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet.
To prepare yourself for exercise and basic training, eat a healthy, well-balanced diet. A healthy diet can help fuel your body -- including plenty of protein and carbohydrates for energy. To keep your body fueled, eat five to six small meals per day. Meals should include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and low-fat dairy products.
(We will do another post on just what and how much to eat to make this caloric intake work for you.)

Your starting this training with enough time to see you through to your departure date, so to train right you need to:
Build up your endurance. Cardiovascular exercise can help increase your endurance and stamina. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise, five days per week, for weight maintenance. For weight loss, you should participate in 60 to 90 minutes of exercise most days of the week, although this varies from individual to individual. Cardiovascular exercise can include swimming, running, sprinting (especially when mixed with lower intensity intervals in the same workout), cycling, aerobics, and brisk walking. Remember, the military, loves to march, but they only march correctly once they have run you into the ground. Building up your stamina levels is the key to your handling your basic training and coming out of it with your head held high.

Strength train. Strength training can help tone your body and build muscles, thus preparing you for the physical demands of joining the military. Use weight machines and free weights to strengthen your upper and lower body. Perform bodyweight exercises -- exercises that use your own body weight to build strength -- including pushups, lunges, sit-ups, pull-ups/chin-ups, crunches, planks, reverse crunches and squats.

Participate in strength training two to three days per week on nonconsecutive days to ensure muscle recovery. Note: When you’re at this point, you should seek the advice of a gym instructor. After all, not too many people have a set of weights lying around the house. If you join a gym and speak with them about your goals they can assign a trainer who can help you achieve your goals of getting your body in the right shape so that your ready for the rigors of what those DI’s are going to put you through. And you never know, that gym may just offer you a discount for your joining up with the service. It never hurts to inquire to see what kind of benefits are available to you. Remember, your looking at serving your country and many businesses are looking to provide their services for the members of the armed services at a discounted cost. Take advantage of that.

So, the above are just a few stats and recommendations for anyone looking to join up with a branch of the military service and be able to handle the physical demands once you get there.

It’s still not going to be a piece of cake, no matter how hard you train in advance. Remember, it’s up to the Drill Sergeants to get the new recruits in the best possible shape they can, so they are ready to defend our country.

But by hitting the weights and bricks, (running), prior to your departure, you should be a lot better off than those who take this a little too lightly and find themselves groaning themselves to sleep at night.

Anyone can go through the motions of working out, hitting that treadmill, lifting some iron and working up a sweat. But if your goal is to push your body through the fitness grind, with the goal of getting that body of yours toned up and ready for a summer beach, are you sure you're going about it the right way?

Today, most fitness trainers will tell you that in order maximize your fitness training in the amount of time that’s available to you on a regular basis you need to get the most out of what you’re asking your body to accomplish for you. And that means by monitoring your heart rate as you work out!

To achieve your fitness goals of strengthening and toning those muscles and your body, you need to find the heart-rate zone where your workout yields safe, efficient and beneficial results.

You first need to understand your maximum heart rate (MHR), or the peak amount of beats your heart has the potential to reach. Now a straightforward way to calculate this is by subtracting your age from 220. For example, if you're 45 years old, subtract 45 from 220 to get an MHR of 175.

Once you know your MHR, calculate your desired heart rate training zone, i.e. the level at which your heart is being exercised and conditioned but not overworked.

The American Heart Association recommends a general target heart rate of:

Moderate Exercise Intensity: 50 to about 70 percent of your MHR
Vigorous exercise intensity: 70 to about 85 percent of your MHR

Now if you’re just starting out with an exercise program, aim for the lower end of your target zone. Then, gradually build up the intensity. If you are healthy, and regularly take part in a fitness routine, opt for the higher end of the zone. But first, and this is important, you had better check with your family doctor to make sure you’re physically capable of starting a new exercise program. You need to be in a moderately healthy physical shape before you begin any strenuous exercise program, where you’re going to be pushing your body, and your doctor can monitor you to make sure you won’t cause yourself any problems. Usually, they are only too happy to support a person who is looking to getting back on the good side of that bathroom scale.

There are two tried and true methods to know if you're in your target heart rate zone:

The Manual Method: Stop exercising for a moment and take your pulse for 15 seconds over your carotid artery. Place your index and third fingers on your neck to the side of your windpipe. Multiply this number by four to calculate your beats per minute.

The Tech Way: Most smartwatches today have the capability of providing you with your Maximum Heart Rate and what your recommended “Target Heart Rate” should be. Most Garmin fitness watches, with the Heart Rate capability, can provide you with this information simply after you enter the necessary information regarding creating your profile. One such watch that fits the bill is the Garmin Vivoactive 3 Smart Activity Tracker  While it is an excellent runner’s watch, it also provided double duty as being an “All-Around” Activity Tracker as well, capable of monitoring your heart rate performance with the new “Elevate Heart Rate Technology! This watch comes preloaded with various sports activity programs that allow you to select the sports activity your taking part in, while your watch will be monitoring your progress.

Setting Up Those Max Heart Rate Zones: A heart rate zone is a set range of heart beats per minute. The five commonly accepted heart rate zones are numbered from 1 to 5 according to increasing intensity. Generally, heart rate zones are calculated based on percentages of your maximum heart rate. This is just some basic information provided by Garmin to show you how easy it is to set up and monitor your Max Heart Rate Zones.

The Garmin device with this capability uses your user profile information from the initial setup to determine your default heart rate zones. For the most accurate calorie data during your activity, set your maximum heart rate. You also can set each heart rate zone and enter your resting heart rate manually. You can adjust your zones manually on the device or use your Garmin Connect™ account.

Whichever method you use to determine your Maximum Heart Rate and Target Levels, using this information to monitor your progress is essential to your getting the most out of your workouts. By making use of this technology and having your watch send that data once created, up to Garmin Connect you will have access to it in order to track your progress and to see in what areas you need to improve on, especially if you want to get that toned body in time for the summer sun.

So, doesn’t it make sense to get the most out of your workouts by knowing and managing your own, Heart Rate Zone?

Brought to you by your work-out friends, here at HeartRateMonitorsUSA.com!

 

New Year, New Me? Well, maybe all the good intentions are there but every time you make it to the gym to follow through with that commitment, your focus seems to dwindle. And it seems it’s getting to the point where you just don’t feel like making the effort to get to the gym in the first place. So what’s wrong? It just may be that you’re NOT a gym person. Some people just enjoy that musky, sweat-induced smell of a closed in space with people grunting, straining and sweating as they go through their routines. Others just don’t get into that locker room type of atmosphere.

Studies have found that people and they tend to be of the creative bent, that does well in a gym type atmosphere are naturally inclined to be more of an extroverted type of individual. An extrovert is a person who is friendly and outgoing. While that may be true, that is not the full meaning of extroversion. An extrovert is a person who is energized by being around other people. So they are more outgoing and tend to embrace that “group” environment and getting to know their fellow exercise warriors. Along with those of an objective logic, outlook we are more likely to go to a gym and adhere to a regimented workout routine.

While an introvert seems to embrace a more solitude work ethic. They tend to excel once they understand their goals of what is expected of them and they work very hard to achieve those goals while being happy in a more self-awareness existence. These creatively-minded folks, however, were much happier when doing something outside, like cycling, jogging or running compared to being in an enclosed space surrounded by iron-laden machines or free-stands, surrounded by others of the same character makeup.

The most important fact that comes out of this research is that people that find their niche of exercise, will be more likely to stick with it and achieve their goals. But they also need to have a realistic goal set that they can work towards. Once that goal has been reached, another must be created and so on and so on. Those in the gym type environment use that comradely atmosphere to help them achieve their own personal goals since they do not want to seem to be the one to fail in that group type atmosphere.

The loner, who does well challenging him/herself needs that focused mindset to stay focused on their goals since they have no one accountable but themselves. No matter which type of individual you are. One thing that you need to help you achieve your goals is keeping track of your progress. You can keep a log or by using the technology that is now available to just about everyone a smartwatch that monitors your daily activity, in as much as you want it to monitor you! One that has everything you need whether you’re a gym goer or one that likes to go it alone is the Garmin Vivosmart 3 HR Activity Tracker  From counting your reps. to the level of stress your putting yourself through this watch does it all. And there is no longer any need to carry that fitness logbook with you anymore. The Garmin Vivosmart will keep track of all of your exercises, reps and sets along with your work and rest times. That data gets pushed to Garmin Connect during your next sync so you can review your workout in even greater detail. I can definitely help you reach your goals whether inside or if your taking your training outdoors to be one with your exercise routines. You won’t miss a step with this smart watch companion with you.

So, if you find yourself not looking forward to going to that gym to get your dose of fitness in. It just may be your going against your character. Try speaking with a registered trainer to get their recommendations on going it alone. They can map out the necessary exercise routines that fit both your personality and your body makeup. They can also let you know what you need to concentrate on now and what you will need to work towards in order to achieve your goals, in a way that is suited to your body’s makeups.

Bottom line is that you continue to be physical, alone or by being part of a group, and meet and conquer your goals, inside and out!

You are into being healthy and getting in the best shape you possibly can, right? After all, you wouldn’t be reading this blog post if your nighttime favorite thing to do is “Binge Watching” TV shows on Netflix! Well, with getting healthy, besides a good regimen of physical activity and pushing your body to its limits in order to reach your true potential. Is the way to get you to that healthy, happy place.

We also know that tracking your exercise routines, so that you know exactly how your doing and when to push yourself past your old goal and onto a new one, is the key to maintaining your physical goals. Tracking correctly is important. We know, we’ve been there ourselves and we rely on accurate data to monitor our progress because we are as committed as you are to getting healthy and staying healthy! HeartRateMonitorsUSA.com is committed to providing the best Activity Monitors, GPS Trackers and Heart-Rate-Monitors that are on the market today. One of the best that is currently out there is the Vivoactive 3 Smart Activity Tracker from Garmin  This watch does it all, and keeps you connected to the world around you via being connected to your smartphone. And since it’s a multi-purpose tracker, you can use it for any sports activity your currently engaged on and it will track your progress along with keeping tabs on your heart from the wrist-based heart rate monitoring functionality.

So that’s one of our recommendations for the avid health conscious individual that we know you are. But we would be remiss if we didn’t also focus on your eating right and getting the right forms of fuel to power that engine, which your body is comprised of. And eating the right forms of Nutrition has a lot to do with it!

You may have started this road to being fit a few years ago, or maybe it was just a New Year’s resolution. And it’s a little funny but that time of year will soon be upon us again. Where does the time go? Anyway, getting back to nutrition, you may have started this exercise thing just to lose some weight. And if you’re grounded in your commitments, you made a new life out of doing everything you can in order to be fit. That means the types of foods you eat and how much you need on a daily basis. You’ve heard from us before that food, is like fuel to your car. The better the grade of fuel, the better your output, or results and the distance you travel.

Diets seem to have been around forever, after all, we know most of us have been on one or more, who are we kidding, I know I’ve been on a score of diets in trying to seek out the easiest way to drop those pounds, on and off for probably 20 years or better!

Well, one diet that seems to be growing in popularity right now is the Ketogenic Diet, in fact, it was a segment on “Good Morning America” featuring Laura Spencer, who has adopted it as a way to help her body build itself up against illness. It has been described as the Atkins Diet on Steroids! If you would like to watch a clip, you can just click on this link: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/keto-diet-train-body-burn-fat-lose-weight-50316253

The Keto Diet approach is simple, It's all about following a low-carb diet where the focus is on eating real food, not just food low in carbs. It’s not that far away from the Atkins diet but it does have some twists. The object of the keto diet is to force your body to get into and stay in a glycogen deprived state and maintain a mild state of ketosis (burning fats for energy). In order to achieve this you need to increase the fat intake and restrict the carbs to a minimum. When the body does not have enough glucose for energy, it burns stored fats instead. It involves drastically reducing the carbohydrate intake, and replacing it with fat.

In short, you should eat REAL FOOD (meat, eggs, nuts, yogurt, vegetables and occasionally some fruits). Apart from the obvious limitation of net carb content in foods, it is also recommended to avoid processed food and any food that may contain preservatives and colorings. Hence it gets you back to basics in eating and that is why a lot of people that are into non GMO and organically grown foods seem to be able to adopt this diet than those that enjoy their daily dose of carbs. When you get right down to it, the KetoDiet is not just about losing weight at any cost; it's about adopting a healthier lifestyle.

Now just so you have an idea of what you can eat on this diet, we listed a few of the basics here below. Naturally, before you begin any structured diet program, consult with your physician.

Grass-fed and wild animal meat: grass-fed meat (beef, lamb, goat, venison), wild-caught fish & seafood (avoid farmed fish), pastured pork and poultry, pastured eggs, gelatin, ghee, butter - these are high in healthy omega 3 fatty acids (avoid sausages and meat covered in breadcrumbs, hot dogs, meat that comes with sugary or starchy sauces), offal, grass-fed (liver, heart, kidneys and other organ meats). Eating these types of naturally raised meats fall into the organic family very nicely. The key is to know who is providing the meat you purchase when you pick it up at your grocer. You can usually get a list of a grocer’s purveyors if you ask for them. You can then make sure that their products meet with the specifications you are looking for.

Healthy Fats: Saturated (lard, tallow, chicken fat, duck fat, goose fat, clarified butter / ghee, butter, coconut oil)
Monounsaturated (avocado, macadamia and olive oil)
Polyunsaturated omega 3s, especially from animal sources (fatty fish and seafood), Again, non-farm raised. Only because the fish food that they are given in the raising process usually contains GMO additives in order for them to grow to a larger size.

Non-Starchy Vegetables: Leafy greens (Swiss chard, bok-choy, spinach, lettuce, chard, chives, endive, radicchio, etc.)
Some Cruciferous vegetables like kale (dark leaf), kohlrabi, radishes, celery stalk, asparagus, cucumber, summer squash (zucchini, spaghetti squash), and bamboo shoots

Fruits: Very limited, again, you need to get to that Ketosis state So Avocados, yep, this is the one that you can eat freely. Rich in omega fat.

Non-Starchy Vegetables: Leafy greens (Swiss chard, bok choy, spinach, lettuce, chard, chives, endive, radicchio, etc.) some cruciferous vegetables like kale (dark leaf), kohlrabi, radishes celery stalk, asparagus, cucumber, summer squash (zucchini, spaghetti squash), bamboo shoots.

As with many trends in nutrition, the results come down to an athlete’s level of training and ability to follow strict diets. If you decide you want to try this new way of fueling, consult with a registered dietitian or your physician first. Remember that fat is higher in calories than carbs or protein, there are nine calories in a gram of fat while there are only four in a gram of carbs or protein, so if you increase your fat intake, you may actually need to eat less. Another fact to consider: saturated fats

Another fact to consider is that saturated fats have been linked to heart disease and high blood pressure, so it’s important to choose fats that are high in unsaturated fat, such as fish, nuts, oils, and avocados. As always, it’s a good idea to let your physician know what you are intending. He / She may want to follow your progress more closely as you embark on this new nutrition trend, just to make sure your body stay’s in balance.

Now, the above is just a rundown on what the Keto diet is all about. It’s still too early to come to a definitive answer if it’s good for everyone. Because each person is different and all you can do is to try it and see how it affects your daily routines.