|
|
Eliminate Liquid Calories & Lose Weight |
 Are you looking for an easy weight loss strategy? What if I told you I had a secret that could help you could lose unwanted pounds with relative ease? I know it sounds too good to be true, but I have seen it work with many of my clients and it can work for you too. Are you ready for the “secret”? Here it is: eliminate liquid calories.
This can be easily accomplished by awareness and beverage journaling. We are familiar with the concept of food journaling, but I’ve noticed that many people are not counting their liquid calories. You will be amazed what you can achieve if you stop drinking morning mochas, afternoon sodas and evening alcohol. With these small changes you can slash 300 or more calories per day. That’s a whopping 109,500 calories per year. Beverages account for about 20% of Americans daily calorie intake; the problem is that we do not reduce the amount of food we eat when we consume high calorie drinks. By switching to no calorie liquid options like water, tea & no calorie sparking waters we can dramatically reduce excess liquid calories and sugars.
According to the Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the Beverage Guidance Panel recommends that drinks should provide no more than 10% of your daily calories and that a healthy diet relies on food not fluids.
The drinks that make up the 10% should be healthy options like fresh fruit or vegetable juice.
Follow these tips to cut out liquid calories:
- Drink water, the ultimate healthy beverage.
- If you crave carbonation opt for sparkling water.
- Drink herbal teas. Hot and cold.
- Drink green tea.
- If you drink coffee, don’t add sugars or cream.
- Read beverage labels carefully. Many “health drinks” are high in calories and sugars.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Finding Your Best Within You |
 I have been thinking a lot about competition recently. With age and passing time it has become clear to me that the only true competition we have is with ourselves. When we look within we have the knowing that the best version of ourselves is waiting to be uncovered. We don’t need to compete with others to discover this best version; ultimately we need to compete with the surface self to bring this version forward. It is the old habits and mindsets of the surface self we need to beat in order to bring out our best.
This message was driven home to me from a man I have been training for the past three months (see photo at left). In the time we have worked together, he has lost over 50 pounds. He has done this by setting and achieving goals for himself and building on those successes. He is not driven by a workout buddy or a bet or dare with others, he truly has found that he feels better the more he workouts and meets his goals. He has gone from a very low cardio fitness level to running half marathons. He has inspired me and made me remember that we all are competing to be our best selves, our healthiest selves, our whole selves full of energy and vitality. There is something almost spiritual about this realization. It is the knowing that this self has always been inside and that with courage and hard work it can be realized.
This is the true competition I think we face as we go through our days, weeks, months, and years.
|
|
Read more...
|
 Have you ever heard of a “fitness test”? For many it may bring back memories of cutting gym class when it was the time of year to compare their strength and endurance to classmates during the presidential fitness test weeks. As adults, we should realize that fitness tests or assessments are a very useful way to track progress and set fitness goals. At this stage there is no pass or fail and you are only competing against yourself to transform into the healthiest version of you!
The purpose of a fitness test is to define your current strengths and areas that need improvement, assist in realistic goal setting and track progress over multiple assessments (done every 2-3 months). The information you gather from each assessment will be a useful tool in the weeks and months ahead as you see an increase in your physical strength and cardiovascular fitness.
Remember that it is challenging to move into a sustained healthy lifestyle if you do not know your starting point or the goals you want to shoot for. Read over the 6 assessments below and decide if you want to complete one or all of them. As always be sure to check with your doctor before starting any exercise program.
Fitness Assessment
The following five fitness tests help assess your current, strength, cardiovascular endurance and flexibility. The results of these assessments provide a baseline from which you can track your progress.
Push-Up Test
Measures muscular endurance of the upper body.
Equipment: Watch with a second hand.
Preparation: Warm up by doing a few light jumping jacks and arm circles.
Procedure:
- Place both hands on the floor, about shoulder-width apart, with fingers pointed forward.
- Place a 3-inch sponge or small box under your chest, or have a partner put his or her fist under your chest.
- Lift your knees, so that your weight is supported on your palms and toes. Your legs, buttocks and back should be in a straight line. (If this is too difficult, keep your knees on the floor and do a modified push-up, with your body in a straight line from knees to ears. Let your feet come up off the floor and cross them at the ankles or leave them slightly apart.)
- The push-up begins in this "up" position. Bend your arms and keep your back straight as you lower your body to the floor until it touches the sponge or your partner's fist.
- Push back up to the "up" position. This counts as one complete push-up.
- Perform as many correct push-ups as you can in one minute. Any resting should be done in the "up" position.
How many did you do? _____
|
|
Read more...
|
|
 If you didn't reach your fitness goals by the first day of summer...do not worry or beat yourself up. Regret and disappointment do nothing to serve you or your fitness goals. Be grateful to know that summer is a perfect time to jump start your health & fitness program. There really is no time like the present (today!).
The fitness advantage of longer summer days enables us to get outside for more walking, biking, swimming and running. Fresh produce is less expensive, ripe and delicious. The “hot” bonus of dieting during the summer months is that our appetite decreases as the temperature increases, so keeping hydrated and eating light is easier.
Follow these tips and have a happy, healthy summer! Summertime Trim Down - Get moving first thing in the morning!
- Avoiding the midday heat is important and studies show that people who work out in the morning are more consistent than those who exercise later in the day.
Drink Up
- You need to keep hydrated in the heat, but avoid the extra calories found in soda, fruit smoothies and ice coffee drinks.
- Save 300 to 500 calories per day by switching to refreshing sparking water mixed with a splash of lemon or lime juice.
|
|
Read more...
|
 Last week I started reading Michael Pollan’s bestselling book, In Defense of Food. Within the first few pages he sums up all he has learned regarding healthy eating with the following words: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. The simplicity of the message struck me, and I began to consider an equally simple yet effective prescription for exercise and fitness.
So here it goes: Move daily (30 minutes of exercise). Break as sweat (sustained increased heart rate). Respect your body (honor the gift of health).
Over the last 25 years, the information about what we should and shouldn’t eat and how much we should exercise has multiplied exponentially, become more complicated, and is often contradictory. The 80’s low fat, high impact (remember doing step classes with 5 risers?!?!) craze left us fatter with achy knees. But some of today’s health and fitness claims may prove to be just as empty.
Here are a few ways we can avoid the hype and get back to basics when it comes to our health and fitness:
Eating
Pollan’s advice is simple and direct:
Eat less food. Eat slowly. Cook meals from scratch. Avoid products that make health claims. Buy local, organic produce from farmers markets. Eat wild fish and wild game. Eat less food.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
|
|
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Next > End >>
|
|
Page 4 of 8 |
Ashley Marriott has been a professional in the field of fitness for more than 14 years. She is the creator of Burn ‘N Firm, a popular DVD full body cardio dance workout series. She is dedicated to using her experience and energy to educate and encourage people to reach their fitness goals. Her dedication to empower others through fitness led her to write the book, Dump Your Trainer.
Enlyten Strips are unique strips that use advanced technology to deliver nutrients to your body faster and more effectively with reduced side effects. By creating a dual layer strip, Enlyten is able to provide superior nutraceutical products to consumers. Enlyten Strips are available in a variety of formulas including Appetite Suppressant, Calorie Burner, Antioxidants, Electrolytes Plus, Energy and Melatonin Plus. 
Jump off the pounds in a snap with America’s first ropeless jump rope system! Now you can get all the benefits of jumping rope without the rope — making it ideal for any fitness level, young or old. Engage all your major muscle groups to burn 100 calories every 5 minutes! Lose weight and tone up faster with JumpSnap! 