Happy MID-Year 2015

We all think of making healthy lifestyle changes as a New Year Resolutions, we want to start the new year fresh with changes for the better, why not in June? Now is the best time to revisit your New Year resolutions for 2015,  did you stay on track? If you did that's great, if not do not worry you can make a MID-Year resolution with new goals and remember a successful change takes time and patience to have longevity, you need to adjust to the healthy lifestyle changes and make them a part of your daily routine. Did you know that it takes an average of 20 days to create a habit and six months for it to actually become part of your everyday life, you also need to mentally prepare yourself and get motivated for a successful outcome, 20 percent of those who succeed start slow and gradually, making the necessary adjustments that it takes to succeed with their fitness goals over a period of time.

I know I have said it time and time again, PLEASE do not focus on the SCALE and the number that you see! This is often a negative experience for many people and I really believe this to be one of your worse habits and it should be the very first change that you make and keep!  Focus on your goals not the scale, remember muscle weighs more than fat and weight training increases bone density, muscle mass and strength while burning fat! You will lose fat and weight along the way but a good program will increase your muscle mass as it reduces fat.

My advice to people who really want to achieve their fitness goals is to start training with a Personal Trainer or Health Coach,  a personal trainer will keep your workouts fresh, mix it up and keep you focused and on track, schedule your training and make yourself accountable, let your coach help you make small changes one at a time, maybe cut out sugar one week, processed foods the next, learn to meditate and always start and end you day with a happy, positive mindset.

Small changes BIG results! Happy MID-Year to you all!

www.fithealthyandfabulous.com

Squats, Lunges-Get That Perky Derrière

Squats, Lunges-Get That Perky Derrière. Yes, that’s right a “Perky Derrière” that is the most popular fitness goal request that I hear with weight loss and overall toning coming in a close second and third. The reason is because it is the first area women notice sagging as they age and it is not a happy experience! The good news is we CAN fight it with a good exercise routine and diet!

So let’s fight gravity and lift up that derriere!

I am a huge advocate of strength training, lunges and squats are effective for building strength and toning your lower-body muscles. Strengthening your glutes, quad and calf muscles helps build lean muscle tissue, which increases your metabolic rate and will help you burn more calories throughout the day.

Keep in mind that lunges and squats target the muscles in these areas BUT they do not target fat tissue, you have to burn more calories to decrease fat.

You can increase the calories that you burn by adding cardiovascular activities, such as high intensity interval training, walking, jogging or swimming, into your fitness routine. It will also help to decrease your daily calorie intake, try limiting high calorie and fatty foods from your diet. Choose whole foods, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains instead. This will help you lose fat everywhere, including your legs, derrière and your belly too.

While I do decide on the specific exercises and body parts to train at the beginning of each week my workout routines always includes good old fashioned weight training, dumb bells and machines, mixed with an all body, high intensity interval training 3-4 times per week.

These are just a "few" of my favorite "booty lifting" exercises:

Walking Lunges with 10 pound dumb-bells

Squats with Kettle Bell

TRX Reverse Lunges and Jump Squats

Barre Squats and Mixed Barre Exercises

Core Ball Leg Lifts

Donkey Kicks

Bridges

If you are going to try to add these exercises into your routine, do it one at a time, be sure to do your squats and lunges correctly and never place pressure on your knees by leaning forward and exceeding your knees past your toes, push up through your heels. I advise you to ask your trainer or gym staff to help you with the correct form to assure that you are doing the exercises correctly, this will reduce your risk of injury and assure that you will get the best results.

www.fithealthyandfabulous.com

Do you Find Choosing The Right Personal Trainer Confusing?

Choosing the right fitness specialist is important to the success of your fitness goals.

Many people become frustrated with their fitness results working out on their own and decide to hire a fitness professional to guide and motivate them toward reaching their desired goals. The right personal trainer can make a big difference and take your workouts from frustrating and boring to a fun and exciting experience that will give you motivation and drive with exercise programs that will produce results and a sense of accomplishment with the added benefit of being accountable to someone to get it done!

Choosing the right personal trainer can be difficult because there are so many out there, it is up to you to carefully select the right one for you. The first thing that you want to look for is a fitness professional with reputable credentials so please ask what certification they hold, a few of the top credentials are National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) National Strength and Conditioning (NSCA) The American Council on Exercise (ACE) and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) to name a few. All personal trainers-coaches should hold a current CPR certification. These certifications all require the holder to continue their education in order to keep the certification active, which is important and it assures that your personal trainer is constantly acquiring continuing education because the field of exercise is always changing and you will want them to be on top of all the new innovative ways to help further your personal fitness results to keep your sessions interesting and ever changing with new program designs.

Now you know what to look for as far as credentials and education, you need to find the right personality to fit you. Remember it is “PERSONAL” training so the time spent with your personal trainer should be about YOU! Your personal trainer should relate to you as an individual, there is not a universal way of training clients; each person has different health issues, past injuries, personal goals and expectations. It is important to tell your personal trainer about any medical conditions, past injuries or surgeries and medications before you start a fitness program. A professional, experienced personal trainer will ask you all of these questions when you meet with them to have your initial consultation and fitness assessment, this will help to design a program for you that is safe and effective, one that will provide you with the fitness results that you are looking to achieve with no injuries or set backs.

Reasonable goals with attainable fitness results should be the focus for each client. This is a key approach for me as a personal trainer and health coach to keep my clients motivated and realistic about their goals and accomplishments throughout a fitness program. Training sessions should always be positive with a sense of motivation, you should be comfortable talking to your trainer and feel confident with his or her guidance. There should never be negative enforcement or shouting of any kind and you should never be forced to do exercises or weight amounts that you are not comfortable with.

Choose a fitness professional that leads a healthy lifestyle, one that has personal experience and knowledge due to their own personal goals as well as education, one that can relate to their clients. I cannot imagine that a personal trainer, who is out of shape, does not exercise or eat well could motivate you or serve as a great role model to anyone. How can they advise someone if they are not taking care of themselves?

While each of us is built differently, we have to realize that as people we come in all shapes and sizes, we are not all going to be buff and slender but there are still healthy habits that need to be practiced by all! An important point I make to all of my clients is to be happy and comfortable in their own skin, whether they are a size 4 or a size 10, if they are exercising, eating right and living a healthy lifestyle they are ahead of the game!

When calling or meeting your prospective personal trainer for the first time have all the questions ready that you want answered and please do ask for proof of certification and references from other clients that train with them.

If cost is what is stopping you from training please keep in mind that you are making an investment in the most important part of your well being, your health! Most personal trainers offer discounts for multi-session packages, session frequency per week, and there is also the option of getting a friend or two to do a small group training session to reduce the cost per person, this is a fun, motivating approach and costs less than a night out with the girls.

Personal trainers are not a luxury they are a necessity to many people to assure that they are committed to a healthy lifestyle, many people feel they are more dedicated to their workouts because they are accountable to a professional fitness specialist.

Good luck in your search for the perfect fitness professional!

www.fithealthyandfabulous.com

Ready To Get Healthy? March is National Nutrition Month!

March is National Nutrition Month. That makes it a perfect time to kick start a healthy eating routine! The first thing you should do is hire a Health Coach to help you understand "HOW" to eat healthy and exercise right, this will help assure that you'll succeed at your personal goals.  A Health Coach can educate you on what you are eating that is not beneficial to your body and assist you with your overall health and fitness goals, however a registered nutritionist can help you with a more detailed dietary intake plan along with your physician's guidance for medical reasons and they should not be confused with one another.

Here are just a few quick tips to help you kick-start your routine. First write down your list of healthy food choices for the week and go to the grocery store, DO NOT add anything along the way that tempts you while you are there, you will also need to choose a day that you can take the time to prepare your food for the week this will help you stick to your new healthy eating plan, good preparation is a key part to succeeding with what you eat throughout the week, it will also keep you from making those last minute, poor food decisions when you are on the go and hungry! Keeping a bag of raw almonds or a whole food snack in your bag or car when you are in transit and on the go is helpful too.

While it may be the last thing on your mind in the morning, be sure to start you day with a good healthy breakfast, it refuels your body, jump-starts your day and will benefit your overall health. I always ask my clients this question: "Do you drive your car without gas?" Do not expect your body to run efficiently on empty! The way you start your day will reflect the rest of the day to follow and keep you mindful of what you eat throughout the day.

These are a few of my personal favorites for a healthy breakfast:

*Organic whole-grain toast, hot or cold whole-grain cereals, low-fat muffins.

*A lean protein, peanut butter, sometimes I like poultry or salmon in the morning, and soft or hard-boiled eggs.

*Anything dairy is always low fat, 1% milk, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese.

*I never skip fruits and vegetables in the morning! Always organic, and fresh in season or flash frozen, 100% fruit juice without added sugar. In the warmer months I love fruit smoothies, in the Winter I like to juice with veggies and fruit combinations.  I add wheat grass to drinks for added health benefits.

What are you waiting for?  Get started on your new healthy lifestyle and start to feel the benefits within a week!

Is Substance Abuse Effecting Your Fitness Goals?

Recently, I was contacted by an outreach coordinator with The Coalition Against Drug Abuse in reference to the effects of drug, alcohol abuse and weight gain; she shared a very informative resource on the implications, contraindications and their latest research regarding substance abuse, weight gain and obesity. It covers many areas that I feel are important to today’s society and the need to get people healthy, I was very happy to blog about the topic and share their page in hope of helping people learn to live cleaner healthier lives.

The Coalition Against Drug Abuse covers many important topics such as how substance abuse affects our metabolism and the way the body breaks down food for energy and nutrition, the body cannot function properly without proper diet and nutrition. They also cover liver function; most people have a few drinks with no thought of how hard the liver has to work to break down alcohol and remove it from the body. In my career, alcohol has been the most common and abused substance that I have seen with clients at the initial sit down assessment, these clients were feeling frustrated and depressed because they were having a hard time reaching their weight loss and fitness goals, once they cut back or stopped consuming alcohol entirely, they lost weight, their bodies started to look toned, they had more energy and were less depressed, and most importantly, these clients have all continued to exercise and live healthier lifestyles!.

Drug and alcohol abuse is an area in the health and fitness industry that is often ignored, yet it is an area that needs to be addressed since any substance abuse alters our metabolism, diet and eating habits and some people even start to abuse a substance to cope with the way they look and feel about their bodies. I feel this is largely due to the pressures that are placed on people in today’s “perfection” society. With that said it is important to tell your Personal Trainer-Health Coach about ALL medications, prescription drugs, recreational drugs, tobacco and alcohol that you are consuming on a daily basis because it can have a direct effect on your health as well as your fitness goals and results.

For more information on the Effects Of Drug And Alcohol Abuse On Weight Loss and Gain by Dr Karen Vieira, PhD MSM, go to The Coalition Against Drug Abuse website. 

Photo Courtesy of The CoalitionAgainst Drug Abuse

Hydrate With Cucumber Water

It is that time of the year, that time when your skin feels dry, pale and dehydrated from the Winter months, the heat and cold air take a toll on our skin and hair. One of my favorite go to remedies is Cucumber Water! It helps hydrate parched skin and hair, it hydrates and plumps skin from the inside.

I have been drinking this for years, I learned about it after going to different spa destinations such as Vail Colorado, Paris France and Lake Placid New York to name a few, while they are far away from each other they all have one thing in common, after your treatment, they give you a refreshing glass of cucumber water to sip, relax, hydrate and detox.

Not only do cucumbers keep skin hydrated and healthy, they also add a great fresh low calorie flavor to plain old water, and cucumbers are full of nutrients like vitamin C, K and A, iron, calcium and potassium, they reduce inflammation in the body because they act as a diuretic by helping to reduce excess water and bloating. Cucumbers also help build bone strength with vitamin K so it is a bonus for menopausal women too. There are so many other benefits in addition to these.

I recently purchased a really great glass decanter (pictured below) that is just the right size for my refrigerator, when I make my cucumber water I start with two to three ripe, juicy cucumbers that I slice on a cutting board that has little grooves along the edge to trap the juices that run off during cutting, I place the cucumbers and the juice in the decanter and fill it to the top with fresh chilled filtered water, I usually remove the skin and seeds but it is not necessary and a matter of preference. Depending on how much time that I have, I put the decanter in the window sill for an hour in the sun to really bring out the cucumber taste, but do not leave it for hours and let the mixture get warm and spoil. Just soaking the mixture over night is good enough to reap the nutritional benefits.

My little extra treat: when the water is gone if I do not eat all of the delicious chilled slices, I will make an eye mask for puffy eyes or just a quick pick me up, you could be reaping extra benefits like younger looking, glowing skin because the vitamin C increases collagen and elastin production.

Start being fit inside and out with cucumber water, cheers to good health and glowing skin!  

For more tips on beauty and skin care go to www.fithealthyandfabulous.com

How Are Your "New You" Resolutions Going?

It is already February; how are your fitness goals for the New Year going? 

Let's make it happen! Succeed At Your Health and Fitness Goals in 2015! Learn how to eat right and  exercise effectively.  are a few healpful tips to out you on your path to success!

The secret to a Successful New Years Resolutions is to first choose an attainable goal that will work for you. Choosing to make a fitness resolution year after year that you may have been unsuccessful at in the past only sets you up for frustration and failure.

The average success rate for New Years resolutions is a just 20 percent but do not let that discourage you, there are ways to assure that you will be in that 20 percent category. Here are a few suggestions to get you on your way to your own personal success and how to enjoy exercise and a healthier lifestyle.

First of all, fitness and a healthy lifestyle need to be a part of your everyday life and you need to give yourself a break and realize that results take time and a lot of effort on your part, most experts agree that it takes an average of 20 days to create a habit and six months for it to actually become part of your everyday life and you need to mentally prepare yourself and get motivated for your fitness success.

Most people focus on the SCALE and the number that they see for their weight, I consider this to be one of your "BAD" habits and it should be the "FIRST" resolution that you make and keep! Watching the scale will make you lose focus on your goal because you are too focused on what you consider negative, which is your weight and the number on the scale. Remember muscle weighs more than fat and weight training increases bone density, muscle mass and strength while burning fat!

My advice to people who really want to achieve their fitness goals is to start exercising with a personal trainer  before the holidays are in full swing. Try not to wait until January when you already have overdone all the extra food, holiday cheer and parties that come with the holiday season. But if you really prefer the traditional "New Year's Resolution" that is fine just plan accordingly with your goals mapped out and set your mind to succeed!

The 20 percent who succeed start slow and gradually, making the necessary adjustments that it takes to succeed with their fitness goals over time. Enjoy the holidays, your family and friends and begin your exercise program now by exercising as you go through the season’s festivities, it will help burn those extra calories and even reduce the stress of all the extra responsibilities that come with the holiday planning of the season and it has the added benefit of increasing your energy too! Give yourself the gift of a personal trainer with a health coaching background that can help you focus and achieve your goals.

Make 2015 your year for the “NEXT” level of your fitness goals!

For more Health and Fitness tips go to www.fithealthyandfabulous.com