Fitness
Blue Christmas?
The holidays are a bleak time for many but here are some tips that might help

I fancy myself an authority on feeling blue around the holidays.
This time of year conjures up mixed and complex emotions for me. And feeling blue just seems like something I am obliged to. While not a very uplifting topic, I decided to put a positive spin on the time of year I struggle with most as Iām sure Iām not alone. Letās all get happy together.
Days are longer and seasonal affective disorder seems to be the cause du jour. Many of us, myself included, are light sensitive and are easily affected by its absence. Couple this with one of the most stressful times of the year and you inevitably can have a recipe for feeling down or stressed.
Does it have to be this way? Can you snap yourself out of it and simply decide to rise to the occasion and have yourself a merry time? For me, itās not a matter of snapping out of it as I live with bipolar disease and those who suffer from similar diseases often have pronounced difficulties during this time of year. Thereās no magic bullet to allay these feelings.
Iām not a medical doctor nor claim to be, so as always, I encourage anyone feeling depressed or anxious or dramatically out of sorts to seek sound medical advice and talk about what youāre feeling.
And while for me thereās no substitute for the medications I take for my bipolar disease or for the talk therapy I engage in once a week, there are some additional things I can do that can add to my overall state of being. I can make a difference in my own happiness.
I came up with a list of what may seem like simple tasks, but together have a positive and uplifting effect on my psyche and generally give me a better sense of well being. I would love to hear from readers as to what little tricks you use to keep yourself in good holiday cheer and help alleviate anxiety and stress during the holidays.
Act as if you are happy. Feeling generally follows action so doing things you do when you are at peace can sometimes produce positive effects. Pretending to be happy can sometimes cause happiness to ārub offā on you.
Make your bed and do the dishes. Donāt let things pile up until they become daunting. Your physical environment affects your mental state of mind.
Surround yourself with upbeat and positive people ad nauseum ā they are sure to rub off on you. There are people who can be disgustingly chipper around the holidays and they can balance out our misery. Sitting on Santaās lap may be just what the doctor ordered.
Donāt drink excessively ā keep alcohol in moderation. Alcohol is a central nervousĀ system depressant and will interrupt sleep patterns. And it may make you do something foolish at the office holiday party.
Eat healthy. Overdoing fatty foods and innocuous sweets can lead to feelings of guilt and pack on the āholiday five.ā Have a healthy snack before the next party you go to, so you donāt overindulge.
Get to the gym. Now is not the time to let your exercise program go by the wayside. We know exercise equals stress release and those endorphins work.
Donāt over schedule. Three parties in one night is enough to stress anyone out. Decide which party is most important to you and spend the most time there.
Avoid overspending. This may not stress you out this month, but next monthās bill will.
Pamper yourself. Take time to take those hot baths, get a massage or take your spouse to a nice restaurant. While holidays are indeed a time for giving, itās just as important to give to yourself.
Ask for help. You donāt have to go it alone. Others likely share your struggles. Talk to your friends, spouse, clergy, etc. and express that this is often a difficult time of year. Talking about your emotions may make you feel better. Donāt ignore the elephant in the room.
Sleep well. Get as much sleep as you can or at least maintain your current sleep schedule.
And when in doubt, fake it until you make it. I donāt want to sound trite, but often your state of mind or attitude can affect your mood. If I decide Iām going to have a miserable month of December, I will. On the contrary and not to oversimplify, if I decide to do what I can to enjoy the holidays, I may actually have a good time.
Now is not the time to re-invent the wheel, but a time to stay close to routine and not make dramatic shifts in your schedule and to surround yourself with positive upbeat people. If youāre accustomed to being the holiday Scrooge, you can make this year different.
Fitness
NEW YEAR NEW YOU 2020: Local VIDA master trainer on trends, tips and technology at the gym
Get good technique down first; you can always add weight later


Jesse Johnson makes his living working as a master trainer at VIDA Fitness (U Street location) but he agreed to share some of his tips and advice with us for free.
The U Street location is one of five of the gay-owned chainās D.C. locations. A sixth is slated to open this spring in Ballston (Arlington, Va.). Johnson is 33, gay and left a career in corporate staffing to join the VIDA team in 2011. He averages between 50-60 clients in mostly 30-minute sessions per week. Find out more at vidafitness.com. Free introductory classes are available this month. The offerings are listed at vidafitness.com/uniqueclasses.
Johnsonās comments have been slightly edited for length.
WASHINGTON BLADE: How much does the coaching you give your clients vary from year to year as new studies and findings are made available? And how do you know if something is just another fitness fad vs. something we should really heed?
JESSE JOHNSON: There are always going to be fitness trends, thatās a given. However before we alter what we tell our clients, we look to peer-reviewed literature. One or two studies doesnāt give much evidence ā thatās not enough proof. We definitely pay attention to what is trending and we try to stay as current as possible, but we donāt incorporate it until itās been through a more rigorous review process.
BLADE: What trends have you seen of late?
JOHNSON: In the collective big picture, thereās been a big uptick in group training. The term thatās thrown around is fitness cocktails where somebody may do a couple classes back to back, some cardio, maybe some core body work, different muscle groups ā thereās been an uptick in that. And also more of what we call functional training. People want to be pain free and strong. Sure, thereās always the aesthetic benefit of lifting weights, but what people really want is to be functionally strong into their 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s.
BLADE: Anything else?
JOHNSON: I think workouts are becoming more mindful as people use technology ā apps and wearable tech to be more aware of what theyāre doing. From a metric-tracking standpoint, itās easy now to tell your heart rate, number of calories burned, number of steps taken in the course of a day with Fitbit, Myzone, the Apple watch, to the apps themselves like the Peloton apps are pretty innovative and help people be more aware of what theyāre doing, how frequently. Thereās more mindfulness in working out. Also people see going to the gym as more of a club or social space among millennials and Gen Z. They work out with friends, itās seen as more social, not punishment after a weekend of drinking.
BLADE: How much does the industry really change? For instance, would you say thereās anything significantly different youāre telling your clients today vs. what you might have said when you started at VIDA nine years ago?
JOHNSON: Well, knowledge has increased dramatically and a lot of it is due to the fact that this industry didnāt even exist 40-50 years ago. People didnāt have the same needs then they do now. But a lot of the basic fundamentals are the same ā keep moving, stay active, eat purposeful and do things you enjoy doing. If you enjoy doing it, itās easier to make it a habit. Iād say we take more the sniper approach today vs. the machine gun approach. We target more instead of just spraying a bunch of bullets hoping something hits.
BLADE: So often with nutrition it seems youāll hear one thing, then five years later the exact opposite is what experts are saying: donāt eat eggs, no eggs are good. Stuff like that. Does fitness advice change that drastically as well?
JOHNSON: Not as much. A lot of it has to do with whether people are already moving or not. We donāt take them right out of the gate to a high level of intensity. We let them work up to it. But no, I canāt think of any particular exercise we were advising a few years ago weāre saying, āNo, donāt do that one anymoreā or anything like that.
BLADE: What do you do if you see people working out on their own using improper technique? Can you really hurt yourself with bad form, like lifting with your back and that kind of thing?
JOHNSON: Well we try to be as polite as possible. Weāll only approach someone if we thinkg theyāre about to injure themselves. But knock on wood, I havenāt seen very many injuries at VIDA and I like to credit that to the large staff of personal trainers we have on the floor. There is an inherent risk to working out ā you can hurt yourself, but it doesnāt happen very often.
BLADE: Is it better to stay at a weight level at which you can maintain excellent form or push yourself out of your comfort zone with heavier weight even if your form suffers a little?
JOHNSON: Numerous studies have found if you take a lighter weight and do more reps but push yourself to your failure threshold vs. doing fewer reps of a heavier weight to failure, the outcome is the same. And thereās a higher risk of injury with heavier weights. We like to focus on form and technique before we progress, especially if somebody is just joining the gym and they may not know much about resistance training. You can always add weight later.
BLADE: How many of the New Years resolution folks really stick with it? Do you see many of those same faces by March or April?
JOHNSON: Almost all my new clients stay with me for months, sometimes years. However statistically within the industry, the number is very low. The honeymoon period on average is about six weeks and itās a shame because often you see your best results 12-16 weeks into a program. Youāll see more immediate results sooner but thatās when it starts to get really spectacular.
BLADE: How bad are the wait times for machines at VIDA? Is it pretty crazy at peak time?
JOHNSON: Iām not gonna lie, the gym is very busy and there are peak times. But the U Street location is more residential and we have between 50,000-60,000 square feet of space so thereās not a lot of wait time for many of the machines. And people tend to be pretty aware. Theyāll let you work in with them.
BLADE: How gay is it?
JOHNSON: Iād say 50-60 percent of our clientele is gay.
BLADE: Some lesbians and trans folks as well?
JOHNSON: There are lesbians. I donāt personally have any trans clients but we have 30 trainers on staff so there may be some but yeah, itās mostly gay men. Obviously everybody is welcome.
BLADE: Has that ebbed or flowed much over your years there?
JOHNSON: No, D.C. is a pretty good city to be a gay person in. I havenāt seen any major change.Ā

Fitness
Why a personalized diet can help you achieve better results
One size fits all is not the best approach when it comes to eating and fitness


From custom-designed sneakers to tailor-made sunglasses, the trend of personalization is going head to toe, and for good reason, making its way to the world of weight loss and wellness.
Specifically, researchers have been studying two converging topics in recent years. One is the importance of body type in determining the combination of fats, carbohydrates and protein that will provide the best results for a given individual. The other is the variability of results associated with a single diet ā the idea that if two people start the same diet at the same time, their results could be drastically different.
On top of that, consumer research shows that people overwhelmingly prefer personalized experiences. Sixty percent of consumers agree that personalization is essential to weight loss and overall wellness.
Hereās what to know about why personalized diets are becoming so popular and how to find the right diet for you:
The importance of body type
The places your body stores excess fat may be the single greatest predictor of health outcomes. This is the concept behind Nutrisystemās assessment of the four most common body types: āApple,ā āPear,ā āHourglassā and āRectangle.ā
āWeāre going a bit old school here, because these categories have stood the test of time for a reason. They provide crucial information on how you respond to food intake and can help you to adjust what you eat based on your goals,ā says Courtney McCormick, corporate dietitian at Nutrisystem.
Body type can also influence how macronutrients like fat, protein and carbs are processed. To fulfill your individual needs, first determine your body type, food preferences and goals, then look for a weight loss plan that takes these important factors into consideration, such as Nutrisystem.
One size does not fit all
The DIETFITS study, a large, randomized research study comparing low-fat versus low-carb dietary patterns found no difference in weight loss between them. But drilling down into the data, one can see great variability. Some dieters gained weight while others lost a lot. But itās not always about weight outcomes, as recent research has shown that factors such as body shape may play a bigger role in the determinants of health risks than body weight alone.
For instance, a woman who is apple-shaped tends to carry her extra weight in the mid-section. She would see best results on a lower-glycemic nutrition plan that is lower in refined carbs and higher in healthy fats and protein.
āResearch shows that one size does not fit all when it comes to weight loss and disease prevention,ā McCormick says. āThatās why weāve created a unique, personalized approach thatās easy to follow and designed to help participants lose weight and get healthy.ā
For more insights on how to personalize your diet and maximize results, visit leaf.nutrisystem.com.
While itās no secret that achieving oneās weight loss goals is challenging, personalizing your plan can help make things easier, ultimately providing you a greater chance of success.
Fitness
Al Roker blasts Jillian Michaels for criticizing Keto diet
The fitness trainer says the ‘personal attacks’ were ‘bizarre’


Jillian Michaels revealed she “hates” the increasingly popular Keto diet but “Today” show weatherman Al Roker slammed the fitness trainer for dissing the high-fat, low-carb diet.
Speaking with Prevention, Michaels says she doesn’t like the diet because “There’s no calorie restriction;” “You may miss out on important nutrients;” and “It could shave years off your life.”
In response, Roker, who is a fan of the diet, called out Michaels for her aggressive reputation as a fitness trainer on “The Biggest Loser” on Twitter.
“So @JillianMichaels says #Keto is a bad idea. This from a woman who promoted on camera bullying , deprivation, manipulation and more weekly in the name of weight loss. Now those sound like bad ideas,” Roker tweeted.
So @JillianMichaels says #Keto is a bad idea. This from a woman who promoted on camera bullying , deprivation, manipulation and more weekly in the name of weight loss. Now those sound like bad ideas
— Al Roker (@alroker) January 10, 2019
Roker further defended the Keto diet, which he says he has been on since Sept. 1, on “The Today Show.”
“My point is, what works for you, works for you,ā Roker explains. āThereās science on both sides that says itās not a great idea and science that says it is a good idea.ā
.@alroker explains why the #keto diet works for him, "What works for you, works for you. There's science on both sides." pic.twitter.com/d05pSjIKLE
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) January 11, 2019
Michaels responded by posting a video on Twitter saying she didn’t appreciate Roker’s “personal attacks”
“It’s bizarre, it’s unnecessary, it’s beneath both of us,” Michaels said. “Read my book, ‘The 6 Keys.’ I’ve extensively researched everything in that, and nutrition is about way more than weight loss.”
. @alroker here to chat whenever pic.twitter.com/nK1bhi8kBc
— Jillian Michaels (@JillianMichaels) January 12, 2019
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