Coming soon!

I have a few clients weighing in this week so check back soon for updates on their progress!

I am starting...

I am starting tomorrow...This week for sure...Starting next month fresh start...The beginning of the year...

How many of you know those words all too well?? We say them with great intention and mean it most of the time but when that time comes how many of you have actually followed through. Well all of you New Years people its been nearly 4 months how are those goals looking? Monthly, weekly, daily people did we get off the ground or keep up our fitness promises? If yes, then congrats keep up the good work!

But for many people it is very hard. If you look back at the stats only 5% of people who lose 10lbs or more are successful at keeping it off. 2 out of 3 people are overweight, 1 out of 3 are obese, there is a Mcdonalds or Starbucks within at 3 mile radius of nearly everywhere we go. Stats are against us...

So how can we be successful? I think there are 3 things that help
1. Education
2. Motivation
3. Consistency

One is having the proper knowledge to achieve our goals. There is so much garbage out there that we try to follow, its nearly impossible for one without the background to shift through all of the advertising and marketing trash.

Once one can find a reliable source for knowledge (check out www.inspiredwellness.net soon for trusted information on achieving your goal) then they need to make sure they are ready and motivated to make a change.

Motivation comes from various factors both intrinsic and extrinsic. Extrinsic motivation usually fails, that is for more superficial type rewards, such as money, fame, and vanity. We need to find motivation from within. Actually doing things you enjoy. You need to be motivated by the fact that you are doing something you like doing and want to keep it up. Finding foods you enjoy eating that are good for you, finding an exercise routine that is fun and keeps you moving. Going outside and playing with your kids an hour a day, rollerblading, playing sports, or trying a new hybrid style of training. That is the ticket that people neglect.

Most people go on calorie restricted diets, eating nothing but veggies or foods they hate. Or doing extreme exercises or the same boring ones over and over again and to no avail. They get burnt out then they fail.

So we need to make sure we find the right avenue which motivates us, we then need to find the proper tools to educate us on how to properly achieve our goals then the last one which is most important consistency. IF you have been following my blog you know this is a big one. Everything we do in life if we want to achieve, maintain or inspire we need to keep up the good habits on a consistent basis and override the bad ones we have been using for the last few years.

It takes time but before you can achieve a goal, reach that end line and finish...before you get to the end you need to start and you should start right now!

How to lose stubborn belly fat!

Question: "I was just looking at your website AND it made me wanna ask you...
what is the BEST ways to lose lower belly fat? I know its like the hardest thing for females to work off... but i really need some of your smarts :)

Answer:
I hope I do not disappoint you with my answer. There is no magical pill or exercise that will get that lower belly fat to go away. You can't "spot reduce" which means target a specific area to lose fat from.

No pill can do it without major side effects. Most of the fat burners out there attempt to speed up your metabolism by pumping the pills full of caffeine or other stimulants to get you feeling jittery like you need to move more but that will cause short and long term health effects messing with your heart and central nervous system. Any weight you lose while on the pills will only come back once you stop taking them.

Just doing a billion crunches won't do it either. Doing abdominal exercises will make the muscles stronger but you are just building stronger muscles under a layer of fat.

It takes hard work and living a healthier lifestyle through proper exercise and nutrition. In order to shed the weight you need to build muscle (through exercises), then shed the fat by doing cardio and eating healthy foods. If you exercise great! But then go and eat unhealthy food you will waste your efforts.

Now you can't just eat healthy and exercise for a few days and expect miracles, the other factor which plays a role is genetics. Look at your parents see where they store fat because that's usually where you will. When you start to exercise and eat healthy the weight will start to fly off but there is no way to predict where it will come off first. You may lose weight in your legs, hips or butt first before your tummy.

The Keys to losing that belly fat:
*Eating Healthy
*Exercising
* and.....???

The third and most important secret is CONSISTENCY!! Eventually that lower belly fat will disappear if you keep up everything consistently. This belly fat did not appear overnight, so you can't expect it to go away that quickly. You must keep up your healthy habits on a consistent basis.

Now if you want tips on what-how and when to eat, which exercises to do, and how to stay on track feel free to message me! I hope that helps or at least point you in the right direction and not make any common drastic mistakes =)

Random Q&A

I will keep these answers straight and to the point:

* When having a baked potato is it OK to eat the skin? Yes, if it is organic or cleaned very well before eating. That is where all the fiber is! But again, your body treats potatoes like sugar, so make sure its early in the day, before or after a workout.

* Is it OK to have light breading on fish? Its ok if you EARN IT! The light breading on the fish will add extra calories and it is probably enriched or bleached so read the ingredients. Go super light on the breading or look for a whole grain high fiber type breading, otherwise the extra calories will catch up with you. Make sure you bake the fish!

* What about Mayo, mustard, & catsup? Mayo high in saturated fat and other unhealthy fats, mustard usually excess salt, ketchup excess sugar and salt. We don't really need these items they are just extra calories or salt, we have trained ourselves to use them on everything. A little bit is ok check the serving sizes but it should not be a habit that is put on everything.


* If moderately OK, is one brand better than the other? They are all the same, just have to read labels to see which is lower in salt, and sugar.

* Parmesan cheese? 2 table spoons is nearly 50 calories and 60% of that is from fat, again anything in small moderation is fine just be careful with this one.


* Vinegar? There are no calories in vinegar (depends on which type) there have been mixed reviews on it, the only real negative would be is it is pretty acidic so if you have a sensitive stomach or high blood acidity you might want to avoid it. Its great to use with fish instead of tarter sauce.

* Gravy? Best to lay off the gravy.


* Spaghetti Sauce / Marinara Sauce? If its from a jar or can yes its bad full of preservatives, very high in salt and sugar, your best bet is to make it from scratch yourself or find a low sodium variety.


* Other than the obvious (Fiber) what’s the importance of Fruits & Vegetables? (Example: On your food list I put “builds muscle” next to Protein) Fruits and Veggies are great for overall health, very high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and enzymes. Good for digestion and can prevent a lot of diseases of the body.

* What’s you opinion of “Subway” in general? It is a better option than most places if you can make smart choices. Most deli meats are very high in sodium. The sauces and dressings very high in sugar, fat and salt. Cheeses can be additional calories. Olives, peperchinis, jalepenos usually come in a can so very high in salt. Your best bet is a whole wheat bread, chicken breast (lowest sodium content), no cheese, get spinach instead of lettuce and all the veggies you want except for the 3 I mentioned above. Only other negative would be its not organic.


* What fast foods do you eat (if any)? I try to avoid these, I would consider subway fast food, if I am in a tough spot somewhere ill get a grilled chicken option, veggies or salad with minimal dressing.


* Do you think Zig Zag dieting works to keep muscle and loose fat? I have not personally tried it, I have heard it works well for losing weight but based on the science of it I can't see it working well for preserving muscle. Unless you zig zag by eating less on the days you do not work out and eat more on the days you do. But if you have a low cal day on an intense workout day your muscles will not receive the fuel they need to grow and recover.

In order to jump start the metabolism and turn you into a fat burning machine I think you will see better results with higher intensity exercises like intervals, tabata, hiit etc and increasing your muscle mass, Muscle dictates metabolism. As opposed to doing any extremes in dieting.

Juice or soda...equal evils?

I posted a tip earlier today and received a few questions regarding it.

***Sham's Rapid Fitness tip- Juices and smoothies can contain just as much sugar as sodas if not more, make sure its made with whole fruit not juice.****

To dig a little deeper I just looked up the nutrition facts of a 16oz. jamba juice berry medley shake and it has close to 50g of sugar per serving, I just looked up a 16oz. pepsi and it has 53g of sugar. 100% orange juice 16oz has 43g of sugar.

Grams of Sugar-
16oz. jamba juice 50g
16oz. pepsi 53g
16oz. 100% o.j 43g
2 Large Oranges 23g

A calorie is a calorie whether it comes from juice or soda your body handles it the same. Meaning if you have 500 extra calories from soda or jamba juice your body will gain a pound of fat a week. Juices are basically sugar water with a little bit of vitamins. However, if you take a high quality multivitamin there is no need for you to get that little bit of extra vitamin C from the juice which may pack an additional 200 calories with it. When the vitamins contain zero calories.

When people buy juice, or juice their own fruits or veggies, the actual juice part is just sugar and water. The healthy nutrient dense fiber portion of the fruit or veggie is all in the pulp and that is the part people throw away, that is the part you DO NOT get even when you drink 100% fruit juice.

You will receive more value eating the fresh fruit or vegetable whole. Instead of using a juicer I recommend using a blender. That way you mix the whole fruit or vegetable and you get all of the health benefits. Plus the whole fruit actually makes you feel fuller with less sugar and calories!! Take a look at the example below what will fill you up more, 2 cups of o.j which has 43g of sugar and almost 200 calories or 2 whole oranges which only has 23g of sugar and less than 100 calories...

Try this out to jump start your morning!

Strawberries
Blueberries
Tomato
Carrots

Put the all in a blender with a little bit of water and BAM!! A nutritious breakfast full of cancer fighting antioxidants, fresh healthy enzymes, lower in sugar than the juice version and will have you feeling satisfied and energetic!

also check out this article from health.com
http://pokedandprodded.health.com/2008/07/29/fruit-juice-worse-than-soda/

Looks can be deceiving...

It looks harmless enough, wearing a pink back pack and doing jump squats, push ups, pulls ups and 200m springs seems easy...but when the bag is filled with 40lbs it becomes hardcore! 5 rounds total workout time 19:25

You are stronger than you think...

In order to leap tall buildings in a single bound or even become more powerful than a locomotive superman had to start somewhere (well maybe he didn't because he was born with these abilities but the rest of us have to progress to that point unfortunately). The journey my clients are embarking upon is not an easy one. But the journey is gratifying and the results are rewarding.

My job is to push you, motivate you, and lead you to success. I have been trained in the art of pushing one to their limits without pushing them over the edge. Taking them to their brink and helping them realize they can go a lot further than they first thought. One of my new clients Elena during her first tough workout session looked as if she was defeated. I shouted words of encouragements like I do for all of my amazing clients and I thought perhaps it was drowned out by the thoughts of "when the heck is this over!" But it did not, the words stuck and rang true within her.

"You are stronger than you think", after she heard those words she turned into a whole other person and destroyed her workout. No longer slouching and defeated but tall and confident, a sense of accomplishment.

I see this everyday in all of my clients new and old. Even within a 45 minute span of starting off chipper, going through an intense workout, testing their limits, to feeling great an amazed by what they just accomplished. That happens on a daily basis during a 45-60 minute time frame. Imagine you multiply those feelings over a 3-6 month time period of going through the sacrifice, the anguish, but best of all the realization of knowing everything you just went through was worth it because you just achieved your goal.

If you are sitting their reading this and you have a goal in your mind...deep within your heart that you may feel is way to hard to achieve...maybe you just need a little guidance and motivation. Go for it! Get up and do it because if you have already forgotten, You are stronger than you think....

Turning it up...

Action Shot from last Frida with Shelly. We are stepping up her training to 3x per week now so make sure to keep an eye on her transformation!

My Past Transformation

This was a previous transformation of mine after ACL knee surgery. As you could tell being inactive and injured did not help my body composition at all. But once I did my rehab, fine tuned my nutrition and stepped up my workouts, the results speak for themselves.




I am attempting a completely different workout style for my new transformation so we will see how the results come out.
Stay tuned!!

Anyone Can talk...but can you walk the walk...

All of my new clients are doing an amazing job. Since I have started with many of them in January they are all on pace and achieving great results. To show this is not a fluke here are the results of some of my previous clients.