Archive for April, 2009

Be Real about your success! It would be great if you could train for a week and see magical results, but that’s not how Getting in Shape and improving your health works. Just like Getting out of shape does not happen in one day, you will not see results immediately when you start any type of fitness training program. Be Realistic, Be prepared and Set Short, Medium and Long Term Goals. When you make your fitness goals realistic and attainable you will ensure a greater success for sticking with your fitness program for life.

Never start any training session, whether you are lifting weights or doing a cardio work-out, without properly doing a 5-10 minute warm up with your body. A proper warm up that consists of jogging in place, jumping jacks, moderate cardio on a machine or just taking a quick jog, are crucial in making sure that you help warm your core and get your muscles in a flexible ready to train state.

You greatly reduce your chance for injury by warming up properly. This must be an integral part of your routine, irrelevant of your goals! Please don’t skip it.

Many people are looking for the best overall exercises and if I was to select the best single exercise if you could only pick one, it would be the Squat. Squats are an excellent lower body exercise that hit the largest muscles in your body that include glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves. Working your largest muscle groups help you begin the body composition transformation that reduces fat % and builds toned muscles. Find an Exercise ball, lean against it back and head straight looking forward. Feet should be shoulder width apart and with a smooth and steady sitting motion, bend at the hips and move your body downward till your legs are bent at a 90 degree angle. Pause for one second keeping the muscles in your lower body contracted and then move slowly back up into the standing upright position. Repeat this movement at least 12-15 times. Make sure you keep the fitness ball resting in your lower back area for support and stay very upright with your back and looking straight forward and not down at your feet.

Get off the scale and stop managing your fitness health success by your body weight. Most people measure they success or failure based on have I gained or lost weight. This is by far the worst way to measure your fitness success. Body Fat Composition should be all that you stay focused on in your measurement of success. Use a time tested simple measurement with the use of a Body Fat Caliper by Accumeasure. It is one of the most effective and quickest ways to get a true health measurement of your long term fitness goals.

Water does the body good when it comes to good health. Water helps flush out toxins and other unwanted things lingering in your body. Water also replenishes fluids that help lubricate the internal body, while keeping you hydrated, lowering your desire to eat, and also helps keep your skin looking smooth and young. I know it’s hard to drink lots of water, but find bottled water you enjoy the taste of or filter your tap water and keep it chilled in the refrigerator. You should be drinking at least 64oz per day up to 128 oz to keep your body hydrated and working properly.

Often people think by drinking fruit juices or eating low fat fruit made snacks, that they are cutting out or eliminating sugar in their diets. The facts are that some fruit juices have more sugar than a soda. Reduction of sugar is important for good quality health and weight management. Always check out the sugar content of anything you put in your mouth; even if you think it might be healthy for you.

Stress can be an incredibly powerful drag on your fitness and health and study after study has found that when a person is stressed, the body reacts. Results of stress can lead to high blood pressure, tension headaches, upset stomachs, and many other ailments. Exercise is probably the most effective defense against stress in your life. You are in the middle of a high intensity interval sprint/jog workout… Are you thinking about being stressed? NO!! You are just trying to survive this training session. So keep your stress in check with good quality well balanced fitness training.

Blueberries, Raspberries and Strawberries! Do you love your berries? Awesome, because your favorite berries are actually good for your healthy balanced meal plan. They contain plan nutrients called anthocyanidins. These are incredible antioxidants and some have high levels of resveratrol, which helps fight heart disease and cancer. The next time you want something sweet, juicy and good for you; reach for blueberries, raspberries or strawberries, just remember, moderation is key! They still have calories!

There are billions of dollars spent each year on meal and dietary supplements, from vitamins to protein bars and even those magic weight loss pills sold over the counter. The most important thing you need to understand, how is what you are taking really benefiting or supporting your overall fitness or health goals. Make sure you READ the labels and look for clean products that still support a healthy meal plan. Supplementing your daily diet through the use of the right products is an excellent choice to fill in your nutrient holes from your eating plan. Almost everyone should be using certain nutritional supplementation products to support a busy lifestyle.

If you need some direction, just ask us, we are happy to help!

Eating food that has no flavor makes it very easy to fall off your healthy meal plan. Food doesn’t have to be fattening and bad for you to taste good, so Spice it up. Here are some great flavoring alternatives that don’t add bad calories to your healthy meal plan when used with moderation.
a. Mustard
b. Salsa
c. Flavored Vinegars – Balsamic, Raspberry, Red wine, etc
d. Teriyaki or Low Sodium Soy Sauce
e. Any type of your favorite hot sauce
f. Herbs – Basil, Dill, Tarragon, Rosemary, etc.
g. Spices – Cinnamon, Cloves, Curry Powder, etc.
h. Citrus Juices – Lemon, Lime and Orange both juice and Zest
i. Low and No Salt Seasonings – Like Mrs. Dash, etc.

Caffeine can dehydrate your body so try and remove any form of caffeine intake from you daily healthy meal plan. It may not be easy at first, but when you are done, you will feel so much better.

You can replace the caffeine fix with any number of options for those who feel an absolute need for additional energy effects. We strongly suggest staying away from the Red Bull, Red Line, etc. The amount of sugar in these products is enormous and unhealthy. Many people also feel such responses as palpatations, jitters, feeling flushed, etc. We recommend an all natural source of energy instead. One that also enhances mental focus aong the way. Through a combination of amino acids and vitamins, Spark is sugar-free and provides long-lasting energy through healthy means.

Try it once and you will be hooked. Caffeine and its dehydrating properties will be a thing of your past. Guaranteed!

If you find yourself reaching for food or snacks with processed sugar faster than fruit, you probably need to give your taste buds a chance to adjust to those naturally occurring sugars in fruit. A nice ripe mango or crisp apples can satisfy you better and longer than gummy candy or hard candies that are easy to grab. Good nutrtion and candy do not go hand in hand, but fruit is packed with nutrients.

Try a Fruit & Fiber bar in a pinch!

Phytochemicals also known as phytonutrients are organic compounds found in fruits, vegetables and other plants which protect you against many life threatening conditions like heart disease, arterial damage and some forms of cancer, as well as protecting your skin against premature ageing. There are over 900 phytochemicals found in foods, and one serving of a fruit or vegetable may have as many as 100 different phytochemicals.

Although it is not important to know the names and benefits of every single phytochemicals that exist, what is important is to understand that maintaining a diet that contains a variety of fruits, nuts and vegetables will combine the benefits of the phytochemicals and vitamins to help you achieve optimal health. Some of the well-known phytochemicals are lycopene in tomatoes, isoflavones in soy and flavonoids in fruits.