Hi team, I'm Fitz Kohler, your very squirmy fitness expert from Fitness fitness.com and welcome to the fitness show. Why am I squirmy? Well, because I need to exercise. That's right. I'm strength training today and I was going to do it before I recorded the podcast and then I did a flip a roof and now I'm doing the podcast before I strength train, but I need to go exercise. So that's why I'm squirmy. Welcome to my show. We'll see how it goes. Okay. So So I have a lot to share today.
The theme of this show will be answering your fitness questions. And we've got some real doozers here on body mass index and training zones and perceived rate of exertion and heart rates and so forth. So I'm excited to talk about that stuff. But before I get there, I have some nonsense to cover. Are you looking for the perfect gift for a loved one battling cancer? The Cancer Comeback Series by Fitz Kohler offers hope, inspiration,
and practical guidance. with Your Healthy Cancer Comeback, My Noisy Cancer Comeback, and The Healthy Cancer Comeback Journal. These books are a lifeline for all patients and survivors. Right now, you can order autographed copies at a special discount. Show your support and help a loved one go from sick to strong. Visit FITZNESS.com today. That's F-I-T-Z-N-E-S-S dot com. FITZNESS dot com.
I make a little list. I obviously talk off the cuff, but I make a list of topics that I'd like to address for each podcast. And I often do that in the notes section of my phone. And I got to tell you, there's something at the top of my notes section that I just don't understand. That's right. I left myself a note and it means nothing to me. And so I'm going to tell you what it says. It says, Cat, C-A-T, can, mark. Cats can mark. And I have absolutely no idea what that means.
Now, I think perhaps I was voice texting and Suri screwed me up. But yeah, cat can mark. So if anybody knows what that means, please let me know because it's driving me mad. I keep looking at these three words thinking, what could that mean? And I don't have any cat comments to make right now. And sure, cats can mark, but that's probably not something I would want to discuss on the podcast. And then I see my friend Mark's name. And of course, lots of people are named Mark.
Mark Knudsen, who is a race director for Fargo. He passed away last year, broke my heart. My friend Beth Kent, though, she just sent me two pictures of Mark and I, which I don't know if I've seen before. So those made me happy. But that is not why I put those three words at the top of my notes. So cat can mark. I'm really excited to figure out what that means. And if it comes to me while I'm recording this podcast, I will share it with
you because it will be a very exciting part of my day. Okay, if you haven't done so already, click follow, leave a review. The reviews, I believe, you can leave in the app where you're listening. So use your phone, say nice things. Can you? Can you do it for me? That would be so nice. I'm yammering on and on and on for free right now. That's right. You don't have to pay anything to hear me blah, blah, blah. But if you want to say something, that would be meaningful to Fitz Kohler.
So thanks in advance. Okay. I want to share that Patrick Bass, he has a whole episode dedicated to him just a few weeks ago. Patrick Bass showed up, wanted to lose, well, he's showed up at 508 pounds. I say showed up, showed up into my life. We, he and I connected in a grand way while I was a guest on his podcast, but yeah, 508 pounds. His goal is to lose about 300. The first month with me, with my Hottie Body Body Fitness Challenge, which is a free group on Facebook. You're all welcome to join.
And the most importantly, the exact formula for weight loss, which is not a diet. It's not a pill and not a powder. It's no garbage. There's no gimmick attached to it. It's free. It's just guidance, right? And you can find the exact formula for weight loss on the cover of fitness.com. But month one, Patrick has lost 30 pounds. Incredible, right? And that is totally safe for a man that size, right?
So if I lost 30 pounds in one month, I'd be hospitalized, but Patrick has a lot to lose and taking 30 pounds off per month is doing so much for him. I'm going to bring him on my show and let him tell you about the physical benefits he's experienced. But last week I did a show on saving money on groceries. This economy blows, right? Worst economy ever? Could it be any worse since the Great Depression? What in God's earth have we done to ourselves here?
So I did an episode talking about saving money. You should definitely go listen to it because even if you're a billionaire, you're probably feeling it at the grocery store. But Patrick reached out this week and told me that this week, not only has he He lost 30 pounds, but he has saved $1,200 on groceries. Crazy, right? He has pulled back on his eating habits. He's not eating absolutely everything in the world. He saved $1,200 on groceries. That's incredible.
Think about that. Think about at the end of the year, one year with me, with the formula, with the hotties, Patrick could be, oh gosh, I mean, he could be in the 200s. He could be down 200 pounds and he could have an extra $15,000 in the bank. That's crazy. I'm making him money. That's right. It's almost like using the formula is a job because it's bringing in added income for him and his wife, Tracy, who's also using the formula now. So lots to brag about there.
I'm very excited about that. Also, Paul Fox. Paul Fox is a hottie. Paul had a lot of success using the formula quite a few years ago. Got really fit. I mean, woo-wee, looking good. And then he gave up on the formula and he gained a lot of weight back and he'll tell you that. So I don't think you'd be mad at me for sharing, but he committed a month ago. He said, I got to get back on track. I got to get fit and the formula works.
And so he just posted today that he's down 20 pounds this month, which is phenomenal. And one of the things I really love is that Paul has been out exercising and he takes the sweaty selfie, which I request, just take a stupid picture after your workout and share it in our group. And he's been going for walks with his kids, his son and his daughter. And it just makes me so happy. It makes me so happy to know that I call it trickle down fitsness, right?
So when one person in the family starts taking better care of themselves, eating more wisely, exercising more often, quite often that passes on to the rest of the family, their spouse, their parents, their children, everybody starts doing a little better and being a little better. And that's why I'm here, folks. This is why I do what I do, because I love you so much. And I have this craving, this insatiable craving to help so many of you. I want all of you.
I want everyone to use a formula and everyone to exercise and everyone to do the four pillars of fitness. And it just satisfies me so much. So anyways, Paul, congrats and big love to you and your kids. It just delights me to see your kids out exercising and know that they are proud of you. You know that when they are exercising with you and they see you working so hard, they are feeling enormous pride.
And that means a lot. That means hopefully they will grow up and be fit grownups and they will exercise with their children. And this, this will have a ripple effect that is nothing but good for your entire family. Okay. Here's something else I want to share with you, which I love. I work out at the Gainesville Health and Fitness Center here in Gainesville, Florida. I pay a membership fee like everybody else. I don't owe them anything other than the fact that I love the gym.
I love the gym owner, Joe Cerulli, but this gym has a little bit of everything and a little bit of everyone. And the other day I was strength training in one of the options because there's three different games of health and fitness centers, but I was strict. I went into one to lift and I just love this man. He shows up in jeans and he's got cowboy boots because we are in Alachua County, Florida and a collared shirt. And he was just doing his thing, exercising.
And that's the type of thing that makes my heart sing because he's not worried about wearing the right thing. So many people avoid exercise because they feel stupid, right? They feel like, I don't know how to do it right. and I don't know if I'm wearing the right thing and oh, I'm overweight. What will people think? Well, people think you're awesome for exercising. Who cares if you're good at it or you're wearing the right thing?
As long as you're moving your body, you get all the respect, right? So I just, I love it. I love this guy and the jeans and the boots and the collared shirt. He was all F you to Under Armour and Nike and Adidas and Lululemon. He doesn't need any of that. He just needs to move his body and that he's not the only one in there.
I I've seen so many people, some women come in and full suits and, and running shoes or sneakers and they get on the treadmill and they, they do 20 minutes on the treadmill during their lunch break. Awesome. Awesome. I think they look better wearing the suit on the treadmill than I do with my little shorts and tank top. Right?
Why? Because they're setting aside all norms, all societal norms, all these expectations are saying, I need to exercise and it doesn't matter what I look like, I'm going to get it done. And so blue jeans guy, that was my new blue jeans guy. And I love that guy. And he's probably not listening to my show, which sucks. So I may have to hunt him down. He's kind of on the older side too. So I don't know if he listens to podcasts, but I might find him and tell him, Hey, yo, yo.
Cause I talk like that. Yo, I don't actually talk like that. Let's say, yo, I featured you on my podcast. Cause I like you very much. And he'll I would just probably have no idea what a podcast is, but it will fill my heart up to share that with him. Okay, next bullet on my list is I forgot to tell you about something. I did two weeks ago a show on my adventures in Colorado and that Mud Girl race and all sorts of things.
But I forgot to mention that on the way to Mud Girl on Saturday and Sunday, both mornings between my hotel and the event space, there were hot air balloons flying through the sky, which was pretty cool, right? It's this beautiful Colorado morning. There's the mountains and the sunrise and gorgeous, colorful hot air balloons, which, mind you, I have very little interest in going in a hot air balloon.
I don't care. I just don't have any interest. But I think it's wonderful for other people who want to do it. But that was delightful enough. But what I forgot to tell you is that there was an air show going on in Colorado Springs that weekend. It's the home of the Air Force. There's an Air Force base. And they have an air show. And so when leaving Mud Girl on Saturday, which I think I was leaving at about 3.15, it was a long day. All of a sudden I hear whoosh, whoosh, just big whooshing sound.
And I look up and there's the freaking blue angels flying over the rental car, just whoosh, four of them. And so we pulled over, got out of the car and just sat on the side of the road for 30 minutes watching the blue angels do all sorts of flip-a-roos and spins and artwork. They made a ribbon like the cancer ribbon with their smoke. What do we call that? Jet exhaust. Anyways, it was fantastic. The blue freaking angels.
And then there was some other plane that was rogue. It wasn't a blue angel. I think it was black. And I don't know what that one was called because I wasn't a part of the official show. I imagine if I went to the space and paid the ticket and sat in the audience, they would have told me what that extra plane was. But it was fantastic. If you are familiar with the Blue Angels show and you know what that extra plane or jet was, please just message me and say, hey, Fitz, it's a blank.
It's a flipper-ooski or something cool that our Navy would, I'm sure it would come up with some cool title like the flipper-ooski. But yeah, and oh, even though it was an Air Force town, Blue Angels are pure Navy and pure awesome. It just was so wonderful. And I haven't been to an air show since I was in high school. I lived in Fort Lauderdale and they have an annual air show. I think I only went once, but I'm driven.
I am motivated to go see another air show because it was just fantastic. Just so cool. And. The talent and the courage for these pilots to go do what they do. And all the pilots, not just the military pilots, but anyone who gets up in the air and goes at those speeds. And I think it's very impressive. And of course, I cross my fingers and I hold my breath for all of them because it does look quite scary. But that was really, really fun.
And when I published the podcast, I thought, oh, I forgot to tell them about that. And does that make your life any any better to know? I don't know, but I do think it's kind of interesting. And there you have it. Now, you know, I got to see the Blue Angels for free from the side of the road. Oh, and I wasn't the only person on the side of the road. There was lots of people who had gotten the same idea and it was cool.
Okay. Next thing before we get, or I'll say this is the last thing before we get to the fitness Q&A. Hi, I recorded a podcast a few months ago called 21 Rounds. And my mission with that is, you know, I had 21 rounds of chemotherapy and that lasted for 15 months. It was every three weeks for 15 months and it was awful, right? Chemo was really, really awful. I had those six rounds of what I called mean chemo, the Taxotere, Carboplatin, Progetta, Herceptin nightmare concoction that
destroyed every ounce in my body. It was brutal. And then when I finished that. I got on 10 months of a drug called Kedsila, which they told me would be easier. You know what? It wasn't the same level of awful, but on that drug, I lost 11 pounds. I couldn't eat. It was pretty bad too. So anyways, 21 rounds of hell delivered by the big C, right? Nobody likes cancer. And so what I, I mean, I instantly jumped into life as soon as I finished treatment.
I'll backtrack. I continued doing life during treatment. No matter how sick I was, I still went and I I hosted my races and I gave the keynotes and I stayed active with my kids. So I didn't let cancer or the care take all of it away while it was going on. But as soon as I finished treatment, I was gangbusters to go have fun, right? I jumped into a triathlon. I did a Spartan race right away, did the Boston Marathon a year later.
Earlier this year, I did the Dancing with the Stars. So what I'd like to do intentionally is replace each round of miserable chemo with, a round of something freaking awesome, a round of joy and adventure and learning and being challenged and, you know, make sure I've put in an equal amount of effort. That I did with killing cancer to make me and my life way better. And so during that show a few months ago, I might've been April. I mentioned that on my list of things that I would like to do.
One of the rounds is I would like to go swim with the whale sharks at the Georgia aquarium in Atlanta. It's funny. I was there a couple of weeks, a couple of years ago with my best friend, Christy, and she had already been there before and I had never. So we were headed into the aquarium. She goes, oh, you know, they got whale sharks in here. And I said, no, they don't. She goes, yeah, they do. And I said, no, they don't. They're too big. They don't have those in captivity.
And she goes, no, I think they do. And I should have known. I mean, she's such a smarty pants. Why would I doubt her? But it just seems so outrageous. And then we went into the aquarium and lo and behold, not only do they have one whale shark, but they have two whale sharks, two of them in this tank, which is two football fields in size. It's massive. And I laid my eyes on both of those whale sharks in that little viewing spot.
So anyhow, one of the things they have at the Georgia Aquarium is an opportunity to interact with certain animals. So I said that on that podcast, I would like to go swim with those whale sharks. And for my birthday, my bestie, my, the other half of Team Noisy, if you're watching this video, oh, you see my Team Noisy shirt? Rudy Novotny got me an excursion to swim with the whale sharks for my birthday. And so that is coming up and I am so pumped. I mean, bursting with excitement. I cannot wait.
And just a little backtrack. I wanted to be a marine biologist. I know so many kids do, whatever, but I wanted to be a marine biologist. I love the sea. I love the animals. I love whales. and it was my dream to work with a Shamu, like be a Shamu trainer. I don't think you need to be a marine biologist for that. I didn't know any better, but I've always had a lifelong fascination with whales and the ocean. My career took a different turn. Thank goodness, because I love what I do.
But yeah, I said out loud what I wanted to do. And poor Rudy was trying to think of what he could get me for my birthday. And he got me that. And so this is my game plan. I go to Detroit to announce the Detroit Women's Half Marathon 10K and 5K in mid-September. So I'm going to fly there for that. And then on the way home, I'm just going to spend the night in Atlanta. I have to go to Atlanta anyways. ways.
And so on Monday I have an appointment, not only to swim with the whale sharks, but I have a beluga whale interaction book too. So I'm really, really just counting the seconds. I'm hoping to kiss the belugas. I will be snorkeling with the whale sharks. I don't think they'll let me kiss it, kiss them. I would like to, that would be nice. But, but yeah, that adventure is coming. The only thing I'm nervous about is the icy cold water.
So I'll be wearing a wetsuit and everyone says, oh, that'll keep you warm. But those people have not lived inside of my body for one second here on earth and they don't understand. But I'm totally willing to get inside icy cold water that makes the whales feel good and be uncomfortable so I could swim with them. So that's coming. Oh, and there's all sorts of other fish and stingrays and cool things. In that tank with those whales, with those sharks. They're not even whales, they're sharks.
So and they're not the kind of sea creature that will eat me. They're not the type of shark that will eat me. So I mean, hopefully, right? I could probably fit in their mouth, but I think they'd fit me out pretty good. Anyways, that's all the stuff that was bulleted. Now we can start talking about fitness. Yes. Yes. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for listening. And then thank you for your questions. Every Monday, I've been trying to keep regular posting on Instagram.
Let me know if you have a question and then, or ask me a question. And people have been sending in great questions. I love, you know, I love talking fitness and nutrition and health. And sometimes I need your ideas, right? Because I have my own ideas and then I run out of ideas and you give me your ideas. And I think, oh, that's a fantastic topic. And I've also been asking my hotties in the Hottie Body Fitness Challenge if anyone has a question and they have.
So for starters, this question came in from Kelly Prevett. Beth, she says, do you believe BMI is an accurate measure for weight and health? So BMI is body mass index. And the answer is no. I do not subscribe to the BMI club. I don't want to be part of the newsletter. I don't really have a lot of use for it. And so what the BMI body mass index calculator does is combines your weight and your height. And it tells you if you are appropriate weight or if you are underweight or overweight. weight.
And that formula was created by a mathematician, I believe, in the 1800s. He was not a medical person at all. I don't think he had any real health knowledge. I mean, kudos to him for seeing an issue, right? Even in the 1800s, before fast food, there must have been something that inspired him to try to create a formula to give people a guide to know whether they were of the appropriate size or not, but it just doesn't work because it doesn't take into accountability,
your bone mass, your water, your muscle mass. It's just height and weight. None of those factors are incorporated in that calculation. And so quite often BMI is wrong, wrong. I think BMI has said Michael Jordan was obese back when he was an athlete. So, I mean, he's still an athlete. He's just not an active one, right? He's not the Michael Jordan that we know. So, So, you know, I, for example, I'm five foot five and a half. I would throw in that half because it matters. And I'm 116.
Nobody has to be 116. That's just my honest putting it out there. That's what I weigh. So I feel like I'm in great shape for my size. I'm lean and strong. I have the body though, mostly the way I want it to be. I have friends who are 150 pounds in the same height and they are incredibly fit, incredibly strong, incredibly healthy perfection, right? So do we look very different? Yes. Am I underweight? I don't think so. Are they overweight? Certainly not.
And so BMI takes no consideration for who you are and what your fitness level is. And so it's funny. People ask me, how do I choose my goal weight? That's a common question I receive. And the answer, instead of going to some calculator online, and boy, they're available. You could go find some calculator that tells you what you should weigh. I think you know what your fighting weight is. That's my honest professional
opinion. And Kelly actually said, I'm curious to hear your professional opinion. My expert opinion is you know what your fighting weight is. When I say fighting weight, I'm not saying I've go fight, but the one where you're best, right? The weight where you feel good, you perform well, you think you look good. You know what that weight, you know what that number is. And I don't need to tell it to you. I will never tell anybody what their ideal weight is.
Sometimes I'll agree with them If they say, I'm aiming for this, and I'll say, yeah, that's a good direction to go in. But there's no calculator online that's going to be able to come up with a better number than you. The only person that I would recommend consulting with if health is an issue when you're choosing your ideal weight is your physician. So maybe your doctor has a good idea. But I suggest that with a grain of salt, knowing that medical professionals are not fitness professionals.
Professionals, many medical professionals that I'm familiar with personally, or I've, I've been aware of, been made aware of from the folks that I guide towards fitness have said that their doctors are really limp-wristed when it comes to weight loss and talking turkey, right? Getting, getting clear with you on what you need to do because doctors, they don't want to piss you off. They want you to continue being their patient and they don't want to offend you.
And I'm more concerned with you living well or dying young. Those are the things. Those are the things that bother me. If you're very overweight and you come over to me and say, I need to lose weight, I'm not going to sugarcoat and say, oh no, you're fine. I love you the way you are. Baloney. I'm going to say, yeah, let's get that weight off. Let's get you moving better. Let's get you feeling better.
Let's get you more confidence because when you look in the mirror, you like what you see a little more. Sometimes doctors will say, well, your blood work looks fine. Okay. Well, someone who's 80 pounds overweight and their blood work is fine. Are you telling me that these people are actually in good health? The blood work is very important, but it does not tell the whole story.
It does not talk about the amount of weight you're putting on your joints and your spinal column with every extra pound you carry. So BMI is not a tool that I use. Now, getting your body fat percentage taken, that's actually a value. That's something you can do. Say I don't want to be 30% body fat. I'd like to be closer to 20% fat, right? Much. That's a good tool, but I do not like BMI. So there you have it. You know you're fighting weight.
And once you get there, you can tweak the number, right? Let's say you declare a fighting weight today and then you get there and you think, ah, I'm still a little soft or a little pudgy or a little whatever. You can change. You might get to what you think is your fighting weight and say, yeah, I should weigh a little more. And then you can go in the opposite direction. But BMI is not something I really have a lot of value for.
Okie dokie. Monica Farodi says, when training, how do you measure rating of perceived exertion? And so she's asking how to keep track of whether you're in the proper training zone. And so heart rate is one of the first things we think of when we're looking to see if we're in an effective training zone. And what does a training zone mean? You're in a place where you're burning calories and you're making progress, right? Your heart and your lungs are being challenged.
That's the level of exertion. Are you working hard enough? We have a measure of your heart rate. And so you can actually use a calculator online for that, where it's the number 220, you subtract your age. And so let's just say you're 40. So 220 minus 40 gives you 180. At that point, you take the number 180 and you multiply it by 65% and 80%. So that's 180 with the X, the multiplication symbol times 0.65. Five, that's how you come up with the proper heart rate or 0.80.
And I like 80 at the upper range of your heart rate. So we're looking for you to be working at 65 to 80% of your maximum heart rate. So if you are 40, your maximum heart rate should be about 180, right? If you go beyond 180, perhaps your heart just explodes into a thousand pieces like a firework. That won't happen, but good Good things don't come if you go above your maximum heart rate. So avoid that. So we want to stay within a calculated zone, which is your target heart rate.
And that's between 65 and to me, 80% of your maximum heart rate. So that's the math on heart rate. Now, checking your heart rate is a good idea. And you have to use first two fingers, your pointer and your middle finger, and you can put it on your wrist, find your pulse there. You can put it on your carotid artery and your neck, and then you can look at the clock and count, count your pulse, right? You can, you can count for 60 seconds, which is the most accurate.
Some people slice that count in half and they double the number they come up with, or they, they go in 10 seconds and then they multiply it by six, 60 seconds. It's most accurate, but then you have to do take your pulse. I mean, I don't like veins. I got to be honest with you. Touching my vein and feeling it pulse grosses me out. I know. It's not ideal. It's not ideal. I'm just being honest with you. Medical stuff creeps me out. But is it accurate?
Yes. It's an accurate way to check your heart rate and make sure you're training in your target heart rate zone. Now... There's an easier way to do this, which I'm a big fan of, and you get to choose. So I've given you the target heart rate. Now we have perceived rate of exertion. And perceived rate of exertion just says, you're sitting in bed doing nothing. You are not exerting yourself at all. You're at a one. If you are running up a hill away from a bear, you might be at a 10,
right? That's your max effort. You're running as fast as you can to get away from that bear up the hill. That's a maximum. Okay. So if we're going to exercise, we'd like you to be between six and eight. That's where I'd like you to be. If you're an athlete or you're going for something special, really boost your endurance and your stamina, you could go up to nine, right? But for small amounts, right? A sprinter goes up to nine, goes up to number nine, and then we'll back off, back off, right?
So you're going to do your hundred yard dash that puts you at a nine and then boom, it's over. That's a nine. For me, if you're going to be doing running training for a 5K or a half or a full or you're cycling or you're swimming, I would like for you to be between six and eight. That is a great measure of where you're working hard, not too hard, right? You're challenging your body. You're making your heart and your lungs more capable, but you're not overdoing it.
You're also not easy peasy loafing around, right? If I go walk the dogs and I'm chatting with a friend, I'm at a three or a four. Maybe if we're walking up the hill I live on, we get to a five, but that's not really for me having great endurance, right? I'm not trying to become a better person with that. I'm just trying to stay active. And so things like gardening and housekeeping and roaming the mall, people say, well, I'm exercising, I'm gardening.
No, gardening, unless you've got a farm and you're really lugging stuff. Gardening is not deliberate exercise. Gardening is staying active and that's a hundred percent awesome. But to be considered exercise for me, you should be in that six to eight, range of working hard. That's also working hard strength training. Is this challenging enough? Do I feel like this is a six or an eight to an eight? Yes. If you're maxing out on bench press or whatever you're at, you're nine or 10.
If you are doing yoga, right? When you start off with yoga, you're probably at a three, right? You're leaning to the side, leaning forward, nothing big. Once you get into a place where you're standing on one foot and you've got the other foot over your head and you're touching your nose with your other hand, your other pointer finger, whatever, then that might be an eight or a nine, right? So you can use the perceived rate of exertion for all areas of fitness.
And the same thing goes for balance training, right? If you're standing on two feet, you're at a one. If you stand on one foot while brushing your teeth, that might be a three or four, depending on who you are. Maybe it'll be a 10 for you. If you're You're wobbly whoopsie right now. You just got done with an injury. If you are on a ice skating blade and you're trying to spin, might be a level nine or 10 for perceived rate of exertion, a perceived rate.
That might be a nine or 10 for perceived rate of exertion. So you can use this formula for any pillar of fitness. And I encourage you to do so. So you've got your target heart rate. You have perceived rate of exertion. I know we're talking about cardio. This is the main theme, but it works. It works. PRE works for all areas of fitness. And then finally, the one place that I really, really like, and this is so simple, I call it, well, it's not, I don't call it.
It's the talk test. And the talk test is as simple as it comes. It requires zero math and zero calculations. So the talk test goes like this. If you are walking those dogs and chit-chatting with your mom on the phone like I do every morning, I talk to my mom sometimes for an hour while I walk the dogs. I am not making progress with my cardio respiratory system. I'm not doing it because I'm chit-chatting. I'm comfortable, right? And if you are comfortable, you are not making progress.
On the opposite end, if I am sprinting up the hill while carrying a rucksack and I can't breathe, I'm hyperventilating and I can't even say, this sucks. I wish I hadn't done that. If I can't get that out, I'm working too hard. So walking the dogs is not hard enough. if I can't even talk about how much I hate what I just did, I'm not in the place where I'm going to be making progress with my respiratory system. That's too much.
If I am working out in a place where I am huffing and puffing, but I can keep going and I can tell my running buddy, oy, this is hard. I can't wait till we're done. Only two miles left. Yeah, you're hearing me pants right now. That is the talk test. So if you can tell a tale, tell the whole story of your rude brother growing up, you're not working hard enough. If you can't squeeze out, gee, this sucks, you're working too hard.
If you can talk about how much it sucks just a little bit and keep going, you're in the sweet spot, right? Like Goldilocks and the three bears. There's too little, it's too hot, too cold, just right, talk test. There's a place in the talk test where it's just right. You can stay a little bit, not too much. Okay. So target heart rate, perceived rate of exertion, talk test. Those, those are the tools that I like to use when I'm exercising to make sure I'm in the zone. And you know what?
Sometimes I can, I can identify that. Yeah, I need to crank it up a notch. I'm not working hard enough. This is, this is not challenging me. I want my heart to be powerful and I do, and I want my lungs to be powerful. And I do. Well, I just got to do more. And so for you, it might be adding elevation. It might be increasing your speed. It may be adding resistance to whatever you're doing, but you know how to challenge yourself.
Just turn things up a notch. And golly, if you're on the elliptical, just poke that number up to eight or nine or 30, whatever, whatever the number is. But when you start to feel uncomfortable, you're making progress. And that's the thing I want you to be focused on is being uncomfortable, not in a point where it hurts and you feel injured, but discomfort means you're challenging your body. And once you've done that, you know, you have had a successful workout and you
will go home better for it. Okay. So that's a fantastic question. Georgiana has a follow-up question, which I really like. Georgiana says, I've read various recommendations, but how many minutes of zone two training per week is most beneficial? So to explain, we're talking about zone one being that comfortable place where you're moving, but you're really not in the I'm making progress place. You're in a heart rate, you're below 65%. If we're talking perceived rate of
exertion, you're on a one to five. If we're We're talking about the talk test. This is a place where you can chat casually, right? Chat comfortably. That is zone one. Now, once we take things up a notch, you're warmed up and you want to turn on the jets and really start exercising, doing the thing that makes you hop and puff, the thing that makes you grunt, the thing that makes you red face and sweaty, that would be zone two.
And so where do I want you to be in that? Matt, I want you to be there for 60 to 70% of all of your exercise time. So if you're going to be exercising for 100 minutes, I would like you to be in level two for 60 to 70 minutes. If you're going to exercise for 200 minutes, I want you to be there for 140 to 160 minutes. I think, well, I don't think I know that being in that particular training zone is where you're going to make progress.
That's your exercise. We're talking about the exercise that is deliberate to make you better. Those 100, 200 minutes per week, or 500, whatever you're choosing as your workout. Now, mind you, if you also do some exercise because you're taking your children for a bike ride and you're not in that zone, fine, fine. That's you being active, right? That is you being active. And so that's all really good, too. The more you're moving, the better.
And so, you know, just a few minutes ago, I talked about gardening, not counting as real exercise. Again, unless it's vigorous gardening, you're lugging mulch and you are, I don't know, and you're lugging the mulch up a hill, right? And you're digging and stuff. That's really, most gardening doesn't qualify as the type of exercise that will help you be better. but it does qualify as being active. If you're painting your house, that's active.
If you're coaching soccer or coaching lacrosse and you're standing on the field and you're moving with those kids and you kick the ball or throw the ball, that's being active. We want you to be active. Just know that there's gonna be this deliberate exercise for you and 60 to 70% of those minutes should be in your zone too. I hope I was clear about that. I actually liked that these questions all came in together other because they interact with each other very nice.
The BMI thing, the training zones, and how long to remain in a training zone and perceived rate of exertion. I just love it. So if you have any questions on those questions, send them my way. Okie dokie. Another tip question came in. I believe this was from Valerie, but the question is, what is the best tip for getting adequate water every day. Bring a big old Yeti or thermos or mug or whatever you have, a gallon, and just keep it with you and keep drinking. Keep it cold.
I think more people are more likely to have another sip of an icy cold beverage than a warm one. If you're the weird one who likes it warm, fine. Take a warm glass of water with you or Or something else that's not filled with sugar, right? So water's the gold standard, but there's some other alternatives that are hydrating that won't do harm. And so steer clear of anything with too much sugar in it. But yeah, just keep a glass with you. I think that's the best way.
It's fine to set goals for yourself. You know, we hear that eight ounce glasses of water every day. I don't have a real problem with that, but there's going to be differences between who needs what, right? And so I just told you my size, 116. Should I have the same amount of anything that Patrick is having now that he's 480? lady. Yeah. Or 478, 30 pounds down, right? No, there should be a drastic difference between what he has and what I have and what John Cena has, right?
I'm not going to be eating or drinking the same amount as John Cena. That would be weird because he's a much larger person. And so whenever people throw these generics, oh, you should have not for your body weight, or you should have this or that. I don't agree with that. And I do think, drink and Patrick, I hope you're okay with me using you as an example, but at 478, him drinking half of his body weight in water would be 200. And what is that?
39 ounces of water. That might be too much. That might be way too much. He may suffer the consequences of drinking too much water, which is also a dangerous thing to do. And so I think we know, I think we know what we need. Some people are lackadaisical about their intake and they end up with headaches or dizziness because they're not drinking enough. Well, that's a clear sign that you're not drinking enough. And if that happens to you, you should do better.
I'm just telling you like it is. I don't know if you need the Google machine to do math for you to know whether you're drinking enough or not. Your body will tell you, hey, I'm getting enough. You can hear the sloshing around as you move. You can hear the water sloshing around in your stomach. That might make you feel like you've had a little much right there, right? Or if you have dizziness or headaches or nausea, that's dehydration.
So find your middle ground, but keep a big glass of it with you at all times. I go almost nowhere without my big glass and I take it in my Jeep and I take it in the gym and I take it on my dog walks. And you can have different types of containers, right? Maybe you have a Camelback vest or there's different brands, but you know what I'm saying? You put the water, your drink in your vest, and then you got the little straw and you sip on it.
Not so complicated. I actually keep a glass next to my bed at night too, because I get thirsty in the middle of the night and I need some water. And so I have a drink. Easy peasy. Okie dokie. This was a nice question. I think this came from George Camden. It says, how do you stay so young and beautiful? Well, that is very nice. And I don't know if that's true. But I do think there is something to taking great care of your health that makes anyone more youthful, anyone more beautiful.
I also think there's something special about pursuing joy. I am a joy addict. I will find a reason to be happy even in the most difficult situations. It's who I am. And I think joy and smiles makes people more attractive. I am far more interested in someone with a big smile than a frown on their face. And so I'm being hired to pose for any magazines. Trust me, I don't get any of that. But if you see a smile on my face and you think that's beautiful, well, then I appreciate that.
And certainly a healthy body, a healthy mind go a long way to making people more attractive, more youthful. We're actually going to do a podcast on that soon. And then skincare, folks, wear your sunscreen. I learned that too late. In fact, I didn't really start loading up sunscreen until I was about 20. So have I had some skin cancers removed? You betcha, but I'm doing my best now. I've been doing my best for a long time and hopefully.
Hopefully I'll have fewer problems than I would have if I would have kept going like a moron getting sunburns all the time. Okie dokie. This is a great question. Is counting macros important? Proteins and fiber and fat. You might be surprised by my answer, but no, I don't think you should count. I think if you're a person who eats a well-rounded variety of food, you don't have to count those things. You know, if you're a carnivore, you definitely don't need to count proteins. You're fine.
You're fine. Unless a doctor has told you you're deficient in something, I don't think you have to count that. I don't think you have to count your healthy fats. I think you know if you have nuts or seeds or avocado in your day, you're getting some healthy fats. If you have produce, fruits and vegetables, please world, tell me you're eating some of that. You're probably getting enough fiber. So I do not believe in micromanaging yourself with the macros.
I do think you should count your calories in versus out. I think as a society, weight is our greatest area of obstacle, right? It's our greatest area of failure. Most people are failing to keep an ideal weight. So the calorie management, I truly believe, and it's necessary. And if you look around, if you go outside your door and look around, you will see that issue time and time again. If you see somebody who is overweight, they are not managing their intake.
However, However, most people are eating enough protein and most people are probably getting enough fiber. And if they're not going to the bathroom often enough, their body will tell them, hey, you need some more fiber. They'll figure that out pretty quickly. Oh, I need a little more fiber. I need a little more water. Right. So, yeah, I don't believe in counting macros, but know what they are and then eat. Each day, make sure you get a little bit of each. A little bit of each. Okie dokie.
Dave Beck wants to know what my favorite vacation spot is. And I got to tell you, I don't have one specific place. I mean, I always say the Keys, the Florida Keys are my happy place, but I am delighted any place where I can do water sports, anywhere I can be dragged behind a boat is one of my favorite places. And then I also love being in the mountains and it doesn't really matter what mountain it is. So the water and the mountains and a place where I can pursue
athletic adventure, all of that counts as my favorite vacation spot. All right, team. That's it for the Q&A. Next up, we're going to talk a little about speaking more gooder. You got it. Speaking more gooder. After I've yammered on for 40-something minutes in my podcast, what I'm going to suggest to you today is get fewer details. You don't need to spill all the beans to everybody all the time. And so if somebody says, how was your weekend?
You might start off with, it was great. I had a lot of fun. Thanks. You don't instantly have to go into every detail about your traffic ticket and the kids throwing up on the carpet and your dog bit the mailman and stuff. Sometimes you can just say, that was great. Thanks. And if that other person wants to know more, they'll ask, they'll say, okay, well, what was great about it? What did you do? What did you do on Saturday night?
Maybe they'll ask for more specifics, but I, but I think divulging less sometimes is great. If you show up late to an appointment, you didn't make it to your dentist and you arrive to that front desk lady or front desk guy, what you can say is, I'm so sorry I was late. And that's it. You don't have to go into a diatribe of all the things that happened or whatever got in your way. You can just say, sorry, I was late. I think that's a skill a lot of people are lacking.
And oh, also, if you're leaving a voicemail for crying out loud, be brief. Be brief. It drives me crazy when someone gets on the voicemail and just goes on and on and on. Be brief. That's it. That's my recommendation. Now, mind you, you tuned in to hear me yammer on. And so I get a free pass on my podcast. My role here is chief yammerer in charge. That's right. I am the chief yammering officer of this podcast. So this does not relate to me today.
However, I'm working on that and I can tell you what else? In business, shutting up, oh, shutting up sometimes is the best thing you can do. And whether someone's trying to hire you or you're negotiating, saying less is quite often saying so much more. And sometimes when you're angry at somebody, you can say, I'm disappointed. And maybe that's all they need to hear, right? Maybe that's a powerful enough statement for them to make change.
So what I'm going to suggest today is dial it back, say less, try that out, and then let me know how it goes. And you know what? That's a skill that I've been learning as I mature. As I become a wiser person. I know when to shut my mouth and sometimes the most valuable things I say are the things I don't say. So say less. All right. Song of the week. Are you ready for this one? I think the grownups are going to dig it. I'm going way back to 1984, but Hannah Ma by Van Halen. That's right.
Where David Lee Roth gets a little nasty halfway through that song. I think you should do it. I think you should listen to Panama. And what are you going to do while listening to Panama? Well, you might be playing volleyball. You might be playing kickball with your office friends. And you may be rock wall climbing while listening to Panama. And if you don't do any of those things, well, just download it. You can listen to it for free on YouTube, highly recommend watching the video.
In fact, you can watch the video while doing ab work, whether you're at home or at the gym, you can just get down on the ground and turn Panama on your cell phone and watch and do your crunches or your planks and it will entertain you. Yeah, that's my recommendation. Okay, folks, I love you so much. For those of you who have applied to be a fitness ambassador, thank you.
The turnout was extraordinary and it was very meaningful to me because in the submission form, I asked why was fitness valuable to you or meaningful to you? And your answers were really special. So I'm going to announce my team of ambassadors soon. But no, I'm going to have a rolling acceptance on ambassadors. I've brought in as much as I feel like I could at this moment. And then as time goes on, I'll bring in more. And if you've applied.
I may reach out to you and say, hey, are you still interested? The application is still available on Fitsness.com. If you go to the Fitsness blog section, you can go there. You can find the apply to be an ambassador application and fill that out. But I love you all so much. If you're not sticking with your exact formula, you should start today. If you haven't already gotten into your training zone, 60 to 80%, you should. should, I'm on my way to do that and get all this squirminess out.
Folks, thanks for listening. I love you. Get to work. Hi, this is Rudy Novotny, the voice of America's marathons. We all love how much running has benefited every aspect of our lives, so much so that most of us only wish we'd started sooner. Wouldn't it be wonderful to give the opportunity to children of today? Well, you can. The Morning Mile is a before-school walking and running program that gives children a chance to start each day in an active way while enjoying fun, music, and friends.
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