Camille Tuutti-Winkler Bio
Print journalism major at American University in Washington, D.C.
myProfile
- Home Town:
- Washington, D.C.
- Favorite Sport:
- Does Pilates count?
- Favorite Band:
- Shiny Toy Guns
- Major:
- Print journalism
recentPosts
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From Flab To Fab: Getting Started
2009-01-06 01:36:28
Regardless of your fitness goals for the new year, the key to success in anything is planning ahead-- and expecting failure of some sort. Some may say I am the greatest pessimist in the world (I claim I am a realist), but I always plan for the worst. For example, I have a backup plan for days when I feel like I would rather cut off my finger than work out, or stuff my face with Ben & Jerry's than eat my brown rice and tofu.
So, to help you get started with your new, healthy year and go from flab to fab, here are some useful tips I have gotten throughout the years:
1. Prepare mentally. I am a big fan of to-do lists (and yes, a little OCD) because why? THEY WORK! Write down your goals and how you are going to achieve them. For example: WHAT: I want to gain 5 pounds of muscle by March 1. HOW: I am going to weight train three times a week and up my protein intake.
Think about what kind of fitness program you want to participate in, and make sure it is something you like. For me, an aerobics class will never work, simply because my coordination is off and I never remember the routines. However, do not be afraid of trying something new because you may end up loving it. Point in case: I always thought Pilates was boring until I tried it and got hooked.
Some people may think visualization is a little too New Age-y for them, but I think it is an important tool in achieving your goals: Think about your current you and your future, improved you. Keep that image in mind for those days when motivation hits an all-time low and you want to stay under the covers, or when that last mile on the treadmill feels like 10.
If mental visualization is not enough, find pictures of people whose bodies you admire or people who have achieved what you are hoping to achieve. Put those pictures on the fridge or in other areas you frequent often as a constant reminder of what you can do. Yes, I will go Nike on you: Just do it.
2. Go shopping. With the exception of good running shoes, you really do not need much to work out. However, if you are anything like me, fitness gadgets are not only fun but sometimes also very motivational. I may be a gadget geek with all the stuff I own, but it truly keeps me on track. For me, an MP3 player, a heart rate monitor and an online program to track my progress are essential. I do, however, also have a Bodybugg to keep tabs on calories consumed and burned, and a Nike+ iPod Sport Kit that tells me how I am running, how far and how many calories I have burned.
You do not need any special clothes to work out in, but looking great has never killed anyone. There is a plethora of workout clothes, and your imagination and budget decide whether you go for college store sweats or hi-tech moisture-wicking sports apparel.
3. Seek support. Behind every great athlete is a great coach, so get your own! Whether it is Mom or your best friend, tell them about your goals and if there is anything they can do to help and support you (get rid of the junk food in the house or join you on your morning run). If you feel working out is more of a one-man show, you may still want to get sporadic support or advice from forums found on fitness and weight loss sites such as peertrainer.com, sparkpeople.com and bodybuilding.com.
If you are thinking about getting a personal trainer, he or she will be your best to-go-to person for support. Getting tired of doing the same workout routine or falling off the fitness wagon? Tell your trainer about your struggles and he or she will find a solution to your problem and give you that extra encouragement you so desperately need.
4. Track progress. Most of us start working out because we want to improve our physiques, so taking measurements when you start and throughout your journey will help you realize if you need to adjust your program. But before you hop on that bathroom scale, remember that it may not be the most accurate way to find out whether your long hours at the gym have paid off. For example, measuring body-fat percentage is a more accurate way of gauge your fitness. While a scale will tell you how much you weigh, it will not tell you how much fat you have. And fat is what we are trying to decrease, right? Good, we are on the same page.
There are different ways of measuring your body-fat percentage, including Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis scales, body mass index, calipers and hydrostatic weighing. For someone just starting out, a BIA scale, which sends an electrical impulse through the body to determine what is fat, muscle and water, is a good way to see if you are doing enough to decrease your body fat; hydrostatic weighing, which submerges a person under water to measure the density of the body, may be more for the serious athlete.
In addition to tracking your measurements, keeping a training journal is useful, too. I have one where I log my food and write down what improvements I have made in my cardio, weight training and group-exercise classes. That way, I can tell how long I have been doing one routine and when I need to switch it up.
5. Reward yourself (this is the best part!) No, this is not an excuse to eat everything in sight or take a day off from being healthy, but it is an opportunity to reward yourself with something nice for the hard work you have done. New gym clothes, spa visits, tattoos, fitness gadgets and books include some of the rewards I have given myself after achieving a smaller goal I set up for myself. According to an article by Mike Kramer on sparkpeople.com: "Rewards create a feeling of doing something you want to do, not just what you’re forcing yourself to do. Even the smallest of rewards can work wonders as you travel from milestone to milestone, pound to pound, and mile to mile."
Fret not if you are on a tight budget: A reward does not have to cost anything. Remember, the best things in life are free! Spend some quality time with your friends, have a spa day at home, download (legal) free music, or take advantage of those free movie nights on campus.
Now that I have given you all this information, what are you waiting for? Lace up those sneakers and hit play on your iPod and get going!
Next time, I will be talking about some of the worst and widely believed fitness myths.
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2009: From couch potato to cardio queen
2009-01-01 22:36:16
2009- a new year, a new you... or is it? Every December 31, many vow to lose weight, start working out and eating well in the new year, but only a few keep their resolutions longer than a month.
While losing weight should be an easy equation (eat less+move more= weight loss), truth is that most are clueless about fitness and nutrition. But fear no more: Camille Tuutti-Winkler is here to guide you through the myriad of fitness misconceptions and nutrition myths in a twice-weekly blog starting next week.
Perhaps this will be the year you actually keep your resolutions and go from couch potato to cardio queen (or king).
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Heading to Honky Tonk Highway
2008-08-05 00:19:08
I would have updated this blog several days ago, but surprise, surprise, my laptop broke. I went to flip open the computer and turn it on and nothing happened. The screen was black as the asphalt on which we had traveled for almost two weeks.
Remember I brought a second laptop in case something would happen to the first one? Well, while it did work and I could type stuff up, the wireless card stopped working. Sigh.
Eventually, and out of the blue, my first laptop started working, so I did not have to resort to buying a new one and totally blowing my travel budget.
Arriving in Nashville, I notice how similar it looks to Memphis. We walk around in the downtown area, visiting the gift stores along the Honky Tonk Highway, and finally, stopping at one of the many busy restaurants that has live music.
Nashville is truly a meat eater's paradise, so I have little luck finding anything but fries and side salads that I can eat.
I do, however, order a local favorite: a Lynchburg Lemonade. Named after Lynchburg, Tenn., home of the Jack Daniel's distillery, it contains Jack Daniels, triple sec, sour mix and Sprite.
I manage to get through half of the drink before I apologize to the bartender and ask her to take it away from me. More of a rum drinker than anything, whiskey tends to hit me like a sledge hammer, and that is something I really want to avoid. Waking up with a hangover and having to be on the road for seemingly endless hours is so not the best idea.
Sadly, Nashville is the end of our road trip. Tomorrow morning, we will begin the almost 11-hour drive back to D.C.
