Tag Archives: exercise

Fitness and Nutrition are Keys to a Healthy Self Image

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These photos are of Tony, a man who chronicled the changes to his body over a 3 month period. Top left was Tony at the start of his program. Top right photo was Tony mid way through. And the photo at bottom is Tony's transformed torso to date.

These photos are of Tony, a man who chronicled the changes to his body over a 3 month period. Top left was Tony at the start of his program. Top right photo was Tony mid way through. And the photo at bottom is Tony’s transformed torso to date.

My clients are always telling me that no matter how important fitness and nutrition are to their lives and to maintaining a healthy self-image, it’s not easy to keep up with.  Maybe even you are on a journey to improve strength and body shape.  Keeping fit and eating right are not spectator sports.  You can’t watch someone else do it and have the results rub off on you.  If you are concerned about enhancing your self-image by improving your fitness and nutrition, you have to do the work.

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Lose Weight Without Dropping a Pound: The Secret of Tailoring

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That’s right.  You can literally drop pounds instantly by just getting your clothing tailored.  If you look more full-bodied than you should in your clothes, it may be because of your how your clothes are fitting. When your clothes visually add pounds to your appearance, you are experiencing a situation I refer to as visual bulk.  Visual bulk can weigh down how you look, and adversely affect your non-verbal communication, including the appearance of your posture and body language.

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How to Talk to Your Man About Upping His Image

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Okay, guys, I’m letting you in on a secret. In recent months, I’ve been asked by a number of wives and girlfriends the following question: How can I get my husband/partner/boyfriend to spruce up his image?

Telling a loved one that he is looking like an unmade bed or that he is stuck somewhere in the 70’s can be a little perilous. As a woman, it’s very likely you’ve been told or made to feel this very same thing – either by your significant other or by society in general – and then you do something about it. But, when it comes to men, ‘doing something about it’ doesn’t always come so easily. I have been dressing men for twenty years and have some ideas that may help you be successful in helping your man.

[Solo guys who feel stuck on your own, this is for you, too…]

The first thing to do is assess what needs improvement. Keep the information to yourself at first. Don’t immediately needle your man with all the fine points where he can improve because this will surely overwhelm him. The full-blown approach calls for the support of a professional and should come from an objective third party.

Prioritize the top two or three solutions that would most significantly improve his image. Keep an eye to the simple and easy things. Are his clothes always wrinkled beyond belief? Suggest he take his typically wrinkled clothing items to the dry cleaners instead so that his improved clothing condition improves how he looks. Does he tend to wear his shirts untucked all the time? There’s a time and a place for this. Suggest he tuck in his shirts for a more polished look for work or for social occasions when looking like a beach bum just don’t do. He may think the untucked look hides a paunch, but the truth is that untucked shirts make men look even bulkier. Is he long overdue for a haircut? It’s just amazing what a fresh haircut does for a guy’s disposition. Just be sure he goes to a reputable place so he’s in a good mood afterward! Try to stay clear of cheap franchise “chop shops.”

Look for the least invasive options. Don’t immediately suggest plastic surgeries! Like the abovementioned, these are easy, free-to-low cost solutions that can yield big rewards, especially when you are there telling your man, “Honey, look how improved you look just because you pressed your pants, tucked in your shirt, and got your hair cut.”

The next level of assessment goes deeper. Is his personal look as current as his vehicle? If not, he’s definitely got an opportunity for improvement. Often, men who don’t maintain an updated wardrobe, eyeglasses, or accessories don’t do so out of laziness or because of a perceived lack of movement in men’s fashion styles.

Chances are your man relies on you to tell him when something is out of style. Showing him solutions is often why many women aren’t able to be as dedicated to helping their man because it’s a job – and most women all ready have one in addition to being a mother and a wife, and a life full of too many responsibilities. That’s where I can help both you and your man in my role as an image consultant.

Aside from getting an updated look, don’t forget about the great image boosting activities you can both enjoy together. Eating healthy together and exercising together is fantastically rewarding because you support each other by having healthier habits and routines. These activities are known to improve attitude, energy, behavior, focus, shininess of hair, glow of skin, and best of all an overall improvement to general health, well-being, and image.

So to the guys who read my blog but never comment, there are a million reasons to fall in love, though getting nagged on isn’t one of them. But if you look sharp you’ll not be concerned with such things!

Designing and managing your image is the secret science of your success.

Joseph Rosenfeld helps professional men and corporate workgroups create effective visual brands. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.

Improving Your Image, One Bite at a Time

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Why would an image consultant like me take the time and effort to share insights into healthy nutrition? The answer is because the results of good nutritional intake show up through an improved body figure, healthy skin, better digestion [which hopefully only you know about], and best of all you feel – and everyone sees – a significant improvement in your energy level and focus.

No doubt a lot of us aim to do the right thing when it comes to eating healthy. But over the weekend, my partner Kevin and I took in the documentary film Food, Inc. We now swear we won’t ever look at American food in the same way.

Both of us have been giving ourselves what you could call physique makeovers by changing the way we eat and revving up our workout regimens. Since taking ourselves to task, we’ve gotten in great shape, and lost significant weight relative to our proportions and ages. But even with our newfound ways of looking at food and how we eat it, we were aghast by the film’s many points about the American food system, as we know it.

Kevin and I have moved away from eating processed foods and doing so has helped us to lose weight. We avoid most starches, breads, potatoes, rice, and corn. But corn is broken down and is in so many food items, as Food, Inc. makes abundantly clear. We were shaking our heads at how many ingredients are created from corn. It’s become the centerpiece of the American diet, but it does not have to become the centerpiece of yours.

Corn, however, was practically the centerpiece of Food, Inc., because of its pervasiveness in the American food system. In fact, we really learned a lot about the corn-beef connection that will have you thinking about your diet once you read this.

Cows are meant to feed on grass, but big cattle companies are not feeding cows grass. They feed cows cheap corn to fatten them up. Cows cannot digest this corn, and as a result, corn fed cows are prone to illness. How do you suppose ecoli bacteria get into the food supply? This is how. The way to avoid this is not to avoid beef, but to buy grass-fed beef. My St. Louis friends may not like this, but the folks at Monsanto have essentially genetically engineered all American corn to be made of their seeds and have created a “cash cow” unlike no other – literally.

So even when we think we’re eating healthy and doing the right thing, we have more to learn. Here’s an illustrative story Kevin and I recently read about an American woman’s experience of going to live in Germany that makes the point:

This woman was concerned about living in a country known for its meat-and-potatoes diet and that she’d gain a significant amount of weight. She ended up living in Germany for several years, and during that time she met a man and they married. While living in Germany, she actually lost weight eating the local diet and her husband’s weight remained steady. Eventually, when the couple moved to the United States, both of them gained significant weight without altering their diets. What she learned was that the food they were eating was processed differently, highly salted, laden with sugars [high fructose corn syrup, etc.], and that is was fatty.

One of the people who really influenced Kevin and me on our journey toward personal wellness is an old neighbor and friend, Richard Nikoley. He writes a very informative blog about eating natural foods and I highly recommend reading up on his posts for more information because he’s so passionate about this topic. It’s particularly changed his life like it’s changed ours. And if you haven’t gotten the hint to get out and see Food, Inc., it’s a must.

Your personal and professional image is created by more than just how you dress. It also develops based on what you eat and how you care for yourself. You can make a difference in your image, one bite at a time.

Designing and managing your image is the secret science to your success.

Joseph Rosenfeld helps professional men and corporate workgroups create effective visual brands. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.

Workout Inspiration Leads to Weight Loss

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It’s exciting to be getting into shape and on my own terms. People who see me regularly have been noticing the subtle changes to my physique. Sure it’s my responsibility to maintain healthy nutritional standards and to hit the gym with dedication. But thanks to some iPod inspiration, 5 tunes keep me in motion for my 30-minute daily cardio workouts. Without them, the exercise might just be a lot of heavy peddling, but because of the repetition of inspirational lyrics, sounds, beats, and musicians, the whole experience becomes meditative and healing in ways beyond the physical. If you should incorporate cardio exercise into a healthy lifestyle, try finding some music that gets the blood pumping for you. It’s like letting your iPod become your motivational assistant.

Here are my five selections in playing order:

1. Silicone Soul’s “The Answer”

I have a thing for deep House music. And this piece of music really is ‘the answer.’ Actually, it’s refrain, “love is the answer” is one of the things I love to hear first thing in the morning when I drag myself down to the gym. You can’t make changes to what you don’t love. So through love comes the abandonment of fear, and the ability to improve. This is really what exercising is all about for me. So I’ll take all the help I can get from the beat and the message.

2. Massive Attack’s “What Your Soul Sings”

Sinead O’Connor is a controversial artist for many. But I am not one to let the messenger cloud a good message. By the time this tune is playing I’m sweaty and ready for its electonica vibe and for O’Connor’s clear voice to give me some more inspiration with these words:

Don’t be afraid
Open your mouth and say
Say what your soul sings to you
Your mind can never change
Unless you ask it to
Lovingly re-arrange
The thoughts that make you blue
The things that bring you down
Only do harm to you
So make your choice joy
The joy belongs to you
And when you do
You’ll find the one you love is you
You’ll find you love you

Don’t be ashamed
To open your heart and pray
Say what your soul sings
To you
So no longer pretend
That you can’t feel it near
That tickle on your head
That tingle in your ear
Oh ask it anything
Because it loves you dear
It’s your most precious king
If only you could hear
And when you do
You’ll find the one you need is you
You’ll find you love you

Now how can you argue with such words like that? And the music is fantastic and makes me want to burn calories!

3. Swing Out Sister’s “Better Make it Better”

I’m a huge Swing Out Sister fan. They’re really a lot more popular in Japan than they are here in the United States. This is probably a risky thing to say because Naomi Campbell and Alyssa Milano have more successful recording careers in Japan, too. Except Swing Out Sister is a truly talented act, but that’s beside the point…

“Better Make it Better” inspires me to keep peddling because the music is totally upbeat, the sentiment inspiring me to live life fully and with no regrets:

Make the most of what you’ve got
For it’s better than to not have anything at all
Take each day as it’s your last
Or you’ll find the future’s passed as you’re left
With nothing at all

4. Angie Stone’s “No More Rain (In this Cloud)”

I admit it. Life hasn’t always been so peachy keen. It’s gotten a whole lot better. And Angie Stone’s neo-soul approach to life’s difficulties is nicely summed up in this song. But of all the lines, I just love it when she sings at the song’s beginning, “My sunshine has come/And I’m all cried out/And there’s no more rain in this cloud.” No matter how challenging life can be we have this choice to move out from under the clouds and to get some sun! A very good message for a Leo like me.

5. Cher’s “Love So High”

This is the song that means the most to me in my workout. It was two years ago when my mom passed away. I made a promise to her on her last birthday that I’d take care of myself. And while it has taken me all this time to make the effort to do it on my own terms, it’s finally happening. She’s the real inspiration behind this drive to get into shape. I’m sure Cher had Sonny in mind when she sang it, but when I hear it, in my own way, I think about Mom and how she loved me.

A love so high
I could reach out a touch the sky

I want my workouts to honor my mom and dad’s lives so that I can carry on their legacy and continue to do what I am on the planet to do. And in 30 minutes, I burn 360 calories, bringing this loving, meditative cardio workout to a cathartic full circle.

In just over a month, I’ve lost 8 pounds and am feeling great. As the rest of the weight loss happens, I’ll update my progress.

As an image consultant, it is very important to take this personal approach to share these anecdotal experiences, including the struggles of self-worth. The journey of self-improvement is a shared experience and should be celebrated. If you are going through such a transformative period, I honor your pathway.

Designing your image is the secret science to your success.

Joseph Rosenfeld helps professional men and corporate workgroups create effective visual brands. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.

Ashkenazic Abs

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Life is such a journey. And so much of mine has been lived in fear. Especially when it comes to health. When I was 15 my father, who was barely 43, had a sudden and massive heart attack. In 15 seconds he was gone. By the time I was 37, I became an orphan after my mother’s vigorous seven-year cancer battle finally ended. With such odds, I felt like I should do as I did as a child: protect myself from the outside in. Being an appearance expert, I was able to use this as my own personal avoidance tactic.

But I made a promise to my mom in 2006. It was not a dying wish of hers. It was a birthday wish. It took me two years to honor this wish, but it is a wish fulfilled for her — and most of all me. I finally went to visit a doctor.

Helping people as I do, and because my own imperfections may be like a microcosm of the larger world around me, I have been working with a fantastic therapist for nearly the past two years since my mother passed. This amazing journey helped me see how much my deep connectedness to cultural Jewishness had contributed to certain ‘holding patterns’ in my behavior.

I would hold on to the feelings of victimization, old aggravations, grudges, and especially fears. This year has been all about conquering deeply personal fears and visiting the doctor to get a baseline on my health was facing the final frontier of my fears.

Fortunately, the news was hopeful. The cholesterol needs to be improved, but it can be done – my doctor thinks – by continuing with my good diet, and improved exercise. In fact, all ready in just 18 days since first visiting my doctor, I dropped five pounds. He wants me to drop a total of 27 pounds. I stand just 5’4″. Losing this weight is going to be very noticeable. In fact, just losing the five pounds has all ready made a physical difference.

My (Jewish) doctor told me I had an ‘Ashkenazic belly’. I think he probably didn’t realize just how much those words affected me given all the personal work I’ve done over these last two years. No longer did I want to feel like I was waiting for my personal Holocaust to begin. When would my heart attack happen? When would my bad news come? This is simply no way to live. So Ashkenazic belly be gone.

Several years ago, while living in Dallas, I faithfully worked out with a fantastic personal trainer named Rod Hensley. Rod always wanted me to keep up on cardio exercise, which I always felt was boring. I just wanted to train with weights. But now I see the value of cardio training more than ever. I remember having a conversation with a Jewish guy who knew I was working out with a trainer. He was a lawyer and was an avid golfer, as I recall. He made a comment then I never forgot. He said, “Jews aren’t supposed to have abs”.

And this brings me to the moral of this post. No matter what negative stuff you’ve been told in the past, let it go. If you’ve stored this kind of information for any reason, it should now be used for some positive purpose. I truly do believe in a holistic approach to self image improvement. But this approach does involve the entire body, inside and out. So I’m following my own advice, and hope you’ll do just the same. I’m going to get some Ashkenazic abs!

Designing your image is the secret science to your success.

Joseph Rosenfeld helps professional men and corporate workgroups create effective visual brands. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.

Exercise from the Inside Out

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I wrote a recent column that concluded with a suggestion to accept yourself as you are and that you reject trendy notions that don’t work for you. It’s a lofty resolution to kick off a new year. That may have been the end of that column, but it is only the beginning of a holistic approach to self-improvement. As gym memberships and sign-ups for diets spike at this time of the year, you may do well to heed some expert advice to prevent good intentions from morphing into a cliché.

Shane Esposito owns CORE Definitions in San Jose. As a private personal trainer, Shane puts an emphasis onnutrition counseling. He’s very fit, has a great smile and an unpretentious personality. If you’re serious about physical wellness, you may benefit from an enlightening conversation we recently had that made me see how there is a better way to care for the body.

Take a five-part approach to redefining your body. Combine smart nutrition with resistance training, flexibility development, cardio, and what he refers to as recovery.

“The word diet is a bad word because a diet is something you will eventually go off. You need to go from the diet idea to daily discipline.” He says that many people don’t eat enough of the right foods at each meal, and that people need to know how to properly portion their meals. The 1970’s ushered in the era of larger portions served with a side order of greater inactivity. Combine that with misinformation about what’s really healthy to eat, and you’ve got a recipe for nutritional chaos.

As an example, carrots, tomatoes and potatoes are high on the glycemic index, and as a result, each got a bad rap. However, they are actually very good foods because they are very low in calories and provide the body with glucose, which feeds brain function. Shane claims that “nothing is going to replace hard working good food” that comes from the earth and is filled with healthy nutrients, and cautions his clients on the use of expensive supplements.

Improving flexibility is important because it positively affects your overall good health. “If you can’t move it you can’t use it,” he says. If your hips and upper legs are stiff, you’re prone to having lower back pain. If your shoulders and neck are stiff, you’re likely to get nasty headaches. Forget for a moment about wanting to look hot. How good would it be to consistently have a tension-free body?

As for recovery, if you’re not getting seven to eight hours of sleep nightly, you’re body is not being given enough of a chance to eliminate waste. Also, your brain is not getting enough of an opportunity to produce serotonin and norepinephrine, both of which affect mood and energy levels, as well as to produce growth hormones and replenish cells. Esposito assures that, “the best energy drink is your bed.” Yum (or yawn).

Since clothing tends to fit tightest around the stomach, we tend to focus on wanting the elusive 6-pack abs. Shane insists that no diet or cardio program can give you what every fitness magazine promises on every single cover. Ah, those pesky fantasy moments! However, with a good exercise program you’ll first notice slenderizing along your cheekbones and neck. Moreover, you’ll lose weight from all areas of the body, especially from the inner thigh; upper chest; mid and lower back; and stomach; all of which are areas where most fat is stored.

It’s so important to remember that your body type dictates its potential physique. If your body type can yield the six-pack, more power to you and to your abdominal muscles. Whether you covet the covers of Self or Men’s Fitness magazines, or if you want those firm abs, sculpted calves, or pumped biceps, your personal trainer will be worth his or her weight in gold when they help you set realistic goals about what you can successfully achieve with a healthy nutritional and exercise program.

Shane advises that, “it’s better to have three mediocre workouts than one super hard workout,” and advocates slow, gradual changes to developing a successful exercise routine. He also points out that two types of goals go into devising a regimen that works for you. First there is a body goal that is all about making physical improvement, like increasing flexibility. The second goal is fitness, or performance, based, such as being able to bench-press a certain weight. But both goals have a very special component in common: they are about more than how you look; they are about how you feel physically and emotionally.

Your body is your temple. Be kind to yourself from the inside out.

Designing and managing your image is the secret science of your success.

Joseph Rosenfeld helps professional men, women, and corporate workgroups create effective visual brands. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.