Winter Proof Your Health!

Winter proof your health for a healthy holiday season! 

Power up your immune system with a few simple healthy lifestyle tips.

Keep your workouts consistent. Studies suggest that an on again off again routine with your dumbbells can make you feel sluggish and tired, making you more susceptible to winter colds, flu and illness. Following a steady fitness routine will help keep your immune system running smooth and full of healthy energy. Exercise is a great way to stay healthy overall and a necessity for everyone to maintain a healthy, fit lifestyle. When it comes to burning fat and those extra calories it is important to power up your immune system with exercise, good nutrition and adequate rest.

Take time to get outside and breathe in the fresh chilly air, walk the dog, take a hike, this is invigorating and an absolute must in my week. Open your windows a few times a week in the winter months to clear out the house and freshen trapped indoor air.

Get to bed early and maintain a regular time. You have heard this time and time again, lack of sleep increases the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in your body, which is a common cause of weight gain. Most people say it is impossible to get 7-8 hours sleep but it is the number needed to maintain your physical and emotional health. The first thing everyone in today's society can do to get more sleep TURN OFF the electronic devices! Your eyes need rest from the computer screens in order to power down too. Try going to sleep 15 minutes earlier every night until you reach 7-8 hours. Read an old fashioned text book and relax, you are going to be amazed at how much better you will feel after just 10 days following this advise, I promise!

Add healthy colorful food to your plate. The more color the more Vitamin C boosting antioxidants. Yellow, red and orange fruits and vegetables such as sweet potatoes, peppers, carrots, papaya and apples are great additions to your breakfast, lunch and dinner. Add a fruit as a snack daily too. I love the many websites and help available online, here is a great website to check out: www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org

Cheers to a healthy, happy winter season!

www.fithealthyandfabulous.com

Strength Training Is Back!

There is a growing trend and I LOVE IT! Strength training is back!

Strength training is finally getting the well deserved recognition it deserves as one of the BEST ways to get in shape and stay in shape with a toned, fit and healthy body!

Strength training is the most important type of exercise you can do for better overall health. Most people have the misconception that you need to run, jog or do some sort of cardio to be fit, lean and healthy. Cardiovascular training absolutely has it's place with heart pumping benefits, just not as the only exercise that you are doing in your routine.

After years of people following fitness trends with many of them stepping away from their weights and dumb bells, they are now realizing the best way to "get fit" and "stay fit" is to maintain muscle mass with a good strength training program.

The number one complaint that I hear from people about their body is loss of muscle tone, followed by physical weakness, belly fat, poor posture and balance.

We all know that weight training increases bone density which lowers the risk of osteoporosis, but it also builds muscle mass and increases your overall strength while burning fat. The best part of picking up your weights is that you will keep burning calories even after your fitness session is finished!  The ideal strength training program will increase your lean muscle mass as it reduces body fat, burns more calories, which will give you the reward of a healthy, toned, fit looking body. Of course you will need a healthy diet with protein and whole foods to fuel your body and get the most out of your workouts too.

For the ladies: The misconception that if women lift weights they will get big, bulky muscles and look like a professional body builder is simply not true. Women need not worry about looking like Mr Olympia since the ability to get huge muscles takes testosterone and women simply do not produce the amount of testosterone that men do, so in reality women cannot build the same muscle size as a man. So relax and pick up those dumb bells!

On a personal note; I once volunteered for hospice and worked with many aging adults in nursing homes and hospitals. The one thing that I noticed as I watched these people go about their daily lives was that the majority of them lacked strength and mobility. I truly believe that if they had lived more active lifestyles with strength training and daily exercise that they would not have been so immobile, stiff and arthritic in their daily lives as they aged.  Strength train now for a healthier, vibrant and more active future!

If you are looking for a fit, toned, healthy body, that will treat you well as you age, it is crucial for you to begin a fitness program with more strength training for increased strength, muscle mass and bone density along with the required amount of cardio training for cardiovascular health, stretching for flexibility and balance training too. Start light and build up your strength slowly. If you can, hire a certified personal trainer to guide you on proper form and a program designed just for you and your fitness goals in mind.

www.fithealthyandfabulous.com

Stop Making Excuses!

Stop Making Excuses! If YOU do not take responsibility for your own health no one else will.

One of the top excuses a personal trainer constantly hears “ I just cannot find the time to exercise” Trust me on this one, you have to make the time, what happens if you get sick from living an unhealthy lifestyle or you get hurt due to lack of exercise, poor circulation, stiffness and restricted flexibility. This is something that I see all the time, overweight or unfit people that have knee, hip and back injuries, not to mention all the other medical conditions that come with unhealthy living, such as diabetes, heart disease, the list goes on. These same people who do not find time to take care of themselves have to find time for the downtime that is takes to recover from injury, illness, surgery, rehabilitation and being out of commission from not living a healthy lifestyle in the first place! Why not start now and avoid the inevitable?

You have to make the "time" not the "excuses" to stay fit and healthy! I too had to learn to eat clean, and make sure that I fit exercise into my weekly schedule. I am just as busy as the next person, I work, manage a business and client schedules, volunteer with several dog rescue groups, travel to Mexico to work at sterilization clinics for population control of dogs, maintain a Facebook page called "Rescue Me" for dogs in need of homes and I also write two monthly articles about all things dog and fitness! I get it, time management is hard, but if I want to stay healthy and fit I have to schedule time for myself. I know it is not easy, but we all need to consider what is best for our bodies and just do it without all the excuses that are stopping us!

Here are a few tips to help you on your way to a healthier lifestyle.

I cannot say this enough, you need to be consistent in your exercise routines! You cannot work out only when feel like it. You will not get results, which will lead to frustration and you will most likely quit all together. Schedule your sessions and keep them, you need to work around the most important person in your life: YOU! I can only do so much with a client if they do not show up to an appointment on a regular basis. I am committed to them, they too need to be committed to themselves to reach their goals and be healthy and fit.

Friends and family are a big part of our lives. Do your friends call you to take a walk, an exercise class or are they more likely to ask to meet for a drink or dinner dates that include food, alcoholic beverages and desserts? Here is where you can take the lead, you can suggest healthier options; all it takes is one friend to suggest something new amongst the group! Work out with friends who are motivated and challenge you to get to the next level and want to be pushed just as hard by you during your workouts. Throughout my career I have witnessed people purposely sabotage their friends and partners health and fitness plans by offering poor lifestyle choices such as going to bars with more alcohol and unhealthy food choices and even trying to get them to skip their personal training sessions, sadly the list goes on but let's not focus on the negative and remember to focus on our own health should these situations arise in our lives.

Families can learn to exercise together too, Schedule time to exercise, walk, bike ride, go on a hike, or toss a Frisbee, There are also a lot of outdoor games and sports that you can all do together that are really a lot of fun. Remember years ago when we actually spent time together and laughed, spoke to one another and actually had fun? Laughter is a great way to stay healthy, put your phones down and really connect with each other, it is becoming a lost past time. Cell phones are taking up too much of our personal space, studies show that it is a very negative, disconnected habit with a future outcome that is only going to get worse.

Do any of these following excuses sound familiar?

The plumber, contractor or some other person has to come at your scheduled time; did you really have to schedule right at the same time? You hire them and you can tell them to come before or after your scheduled session time, most personal training sessions are 30 or 60 minutes in duration, scheduling around that window of time is possible, I do it when I have an appointment and so can you. You are in charge of your schedule more than you realize, give this a try. You will be amazed at how much less frazzled and stressed you will feel if you take control of your schedule.

I am too tired today; I stayed out late, I just got home from work. The fact is, exercise will boost your energy and help you get through the day in a positive, more relaxed way and that night you will get a great night's sleep. If you think you just feel tired or sluggish and not like you are coming down with something, you should try to exercise, once you start to exercise it will actually improve your energy, mood and focus. Always drink plenty of water, dehydration causes fatigue, reach for a glass of water not coffee when you feel tired!

I can only come once per week, I feel too sore after I work out; Obviously the more you exercise, the better the results. Your body will adapt to exercise and once you start feeling energized and healthy you will start to look forward to exercise and having that "feel good" feeling every time. A good exercise program progresses until you reach your goals and then is maintained accordingly. Figure out what times work best for you and your schedule to assure that you get your workouts in. If you keep missing your afternoon or lunchtime workouts, try exercising earlier in the morning. I find that morning clients stick to their times best because they get it done and can get on with their day without the potential of something coming up. Do what works for you NO EXCUSES!

Hire a certified fitness trainer to teach you the best direction to go for scheduling your personal training sessions, by assessing your health and lifestyle habits they can suggest the best times for you that will keep you on track and accountable. An experienced, certified personal trainer will awaken your mind and body to that healthy feeling that keeps you going, they will make you want to exercise and live a better lifestyle with a bright, healthy future.

Set your mind to succeed, no excuses! Good Luck! FitHealthyandFabulous.com