New Year’s Resolutions Gone Sour

 

5, 4, 3, 2, 1….HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 “My New Year’s resolution is to quit smoking”.  “My resolution is to lose weight”.  “I’m going to start eating healthier”.  “I’m joining a gym”.

 Week One:  Getting Started

“I can do this, I’m pumped!”  “This is going to be cake”.  “Let’s do it”.

 Week Two: 

“Wow this is hard but I got this, I have willpower”.  “I just have to psych myself up”.

 Week Three:

“I need a cigarette!”  “I’m starving to death!”  “My body hurts!”  “I need a cheat day!”

 Week Four:

“This is for the birds!”  “I can’t do this anymore, I’m all done!”  “Oh well at least I tried”.  “There’s always next year”.

 Does this sound all too familiar year after year?  Well it doesn’t have to be!

Most New Year’s resolutions fail within the first 30 days.  Probably because some people start out with the right intentions but may be going about it all wrong.  Think about it.  Some people go from smoking for years to trying to quit cold turkey.  And for some they have been eating foods loaded with fats and sugars year after year to a diet consisting of egg whites, dried out chicken and vegetables.  Not to mention exercising.  Some go from an exercise regimen of getting off the couch to find the remote control to killing themselves on a stair master 5 days a week.  No wonder why so many people fail at their New Year’s resolution.  They try to make their resolution a quick fix instead of a lifestyle change.

 Bad habits were not created in a day, a week or even a month.  So breaking those habits (which can be done) may be a slow process for some.  Instead of looking at your goals as a resolution why not look at them as a journey, one day at a time.  With each day you get through its one step closer to winning the battle. 

Here are some ways that may help prevent your New Year’s resolution from going sour.

 If your New Year’s resolution is to:

• Quit Smoking—You may want to seek medical advice before quitting.  Your physician may suggest alternatives to just quitting cold turkey.  Alternatives such as using nicotine replacement therapy or non-nicotine medications to reduce withdrawal symptoms. Or by reducing your intake of nicotine gradually over time by decreasing the number of cigarettes you smoke.  Acupuncture or support groups could also be an alternative to just quitting cold turkey.

• Lose Weight and/or Eat Healthier—Try not to make drastic changes to your diet all at once, do it in increments.  In other words if you need to add more fiber to your diet (fruits, veggies, whole grains), do it gradually.  Start out with the first few days by adding fiber to one of your meals.  Oatmeal or fruit for breakfast or a serving of veggies or brown rice with lunch or dinner.  Then after a few days add another serving and so on until you reach your recommended daily intake (25-30 grams per day).  By adding fiber gradually you may prevent bloating and/or stomach cramps.  Another way to make gradual changes to your diet is by bringing a lunch from home instead of ordering take out or eating at a fast food restaurant.  This way you can control the fat intake associated with fast foods.  The same goes with water intake.  Water is very important for overall health & weight loss.  If you feel you don’t drink enough water or no water at all then gradually add one cup at a time.  Your ultimate goal is to take in at least half of your body weight in ounces (150 pd person = 75 ounces of water intake per day).  And the more water you take in the more water your body will crave instead of sugary drinks such as soda’s, juices etc…. Don’t like plain water?  Then try flavored water or add lemon or any kind of other fruit.
• Start an Exercise Regimen—Start out slow slow slow!!  Don’t be another statistic with failing at your New Year’s resolution.  Start out by walking on a treadmill or using a stationary bike for 15-20 minutes every other day for the first week. Then with each passing week either add more time to your cardio, more days or increase your intensity levels.  (Try not to exceed 45 minutes of cardio 5-6 days a week if your goal is weight loss). After a few weeks of doing cardio add weight training to your regimen but start at a beginner’s level. Start with a full body workout (one exercise per muscle group and 1-2 sets of each).  Train 2-3 X per week with 1-2 days rest in between.  Use light weights in the beginning then gradually increase your weight over time.  Make sure you change up your weight training programs every 4-5 weeks when you hit a plateau.  By gradually adding and making changes to your cardio and weight training regimen, you may not only prevent burnout and/or injuries but you may prevent your New Year’s resolution from going sour.

Need help getting started with an exercise program and healthy eating habits?  Visit my website at www.myaudibletrainer.com   “My Audible Trainer” is a hot new fitness product that takes the guesswork out of exercising & eating right and gets you results!

Go from Flab to Fab

With Fitness Expert Susan Ferrari

The dreaded flab!  Flabby arms, flabby legs, flabby stomach….  Who doesn’t battle with one or more of these problem areas?

Let’s look at some causes of flab and ways to combat it:

• High Protein/Low Carb Diets—Low carb diets deplete the healthy glycogen (the storage form of glucose) stored in your muscle and liver.  If you eat protein without enough fuel calories coming from fats & carbs you will convert dietary protein to fuel (energy) leaving no protein for cellular needs.  This in turn will force the body to attack its own lean muscle tissue causing loose skin as well as dehydration.  That’s why people on these types of diets see a significant amount of weight loss.  It’s a combination of body fat, muscle tissue and water loss.  You might be thinking what’s wrong with that?  The problem is that most people don’t last long on these types of diets.  Because of the loss of muscle tissue your body’s metabolism will slow down in turn causing you to gain more body fat then when you started.  Instead, preserve your muscle tissue & the elasticity of your skin by eating a well balanced diet.  Include a variety of low fat protein choices, complex carbohydrates, low fat dairy, fruits & vegetables.  And don’t be hard on yourself if you cheat here and there.  Brush it off and get back on track!
• Lack of Water—Minimal water intake causes dehydration of the skin which in turn loses its elasticity.  Drink at least half your body weight in ounces.  (EX:  150 pounds = 75 ounces of water).  Don’t like plain water then try flavored water or add lemon or any kind of other fruit to your water.  Stay well hydrated daily and your skin will love you for it.
  • Smoking—Smoking damages the elasticity of the skin making it more difficult to tighten flabby skin after weight loss because it deprives the skin of oxygen & nutrients. With a good diet, skin supplements and great skin care you can do a lot to get your youthful skin back.
  • Age—Skin elasticity decreases with age.  If you lose a considerable amount of weight when you’re older it may be harder for the skins elasticity to bounce back to normal.  Give your skin that extra lift with a firming cream.  As we age our skin loses essential skin proteins such as collagen and elastin.  A good skin firming cream may increase the store of collagen & elastin thereby improving skin elasticity.
  • Lack of or Minimal Exercise—We can start to lose muscle tissue at a slow rate as early as the age of 25.  By the time were 35 though we can lose an average of 5 % of our muscle mass every 10 years.  Muscle loss due to lack of exercise will lead to flab. If your already weight training good for you!  But if you still see signs of flabby skin try increasing your weight and dropping the reps.  You may also need to change up your program to shock the muscle into new growth.  And if you have never weight trained before then it’s time to get started.  It’s never too late to build lean muscle tissue.  If your goal is weight loss then make sure you weight train along with doing cardio and eating healthy.  Don’t go with the myth that you should weight train after you lose all the weight.  If you lose weight through cardio and/or diet alone the elasticity of your skin may not go back to normal resulting in flabby skin.  Weight training also increases your metabolism adding in weight loss.  With your cardio workouts you can tone your upper and lower body.  Instead of walking try jogging or walking uphill to tone your legs.  Add some hand weights and you can tone your arms at the same time.  If you use an elliptical or cross trainer increase the incline or intensity level to shape up your legs.

If you need help getting started with an exercise program and healthy eating plan, visit my website at www.myaudibletrainer.com   “My Audible Trainer” is a hot new fitness product that takes the guesswork out of exercising & eating right and gets you results!

Quick Tip:

Tone up a flabby butt while walking up stairs.  Instead of pushing off with the ball of your foot, instead push off with your heels.  By pushing off with your heels you will activate your glute muscles (AKA:  Butt)

Lift Heavy or Light Weights for Weight Loss?

Studies show that lifting heavier weights (8 – 10 reps) creates more weight loss than lifting lighter weights (15 reps or more).  As we age we lose an average of 5 percent of our muscle mass every 10 years after the age of 35 which equates to weight gain.  The only way to offset that is by lifting heavier.

For every pound of muscle we create we burn 50 – 75 calories a day at rest.  And as the muscle increases your bodyfat automatically decreases.

An important note:  If your just starting an exercise program it’s important to start with a beginners program to avoid injuries.  Use lighter weights then gradually increase your weight overtime.

If you decide you need the help of a personal trainer then why not try my very own product it’s called My Audible Trainer, you take my workout to the gym with you, a simple to follow CD (MP3 Compatible) fitness routine that helps women workout. My Audible Trainer utilizes beats, you simply follow the beats, we also provide nutritional guidelines and so much more.  As a business owner, mother, and a personal trainer I want to help women of all ages get fit, to learn more about My Audible Trainer here’s the link.

5 ways to boost metabolism with aging.

If you are over 40 years old, you probably have a hard time keeping your weight down. Although nowadays, 40 is the new 30 and 60 can sometimes be the new 20, depending on how well you take care of yourself. Think of Cher and ponder the new laws of gravity – apparently they don’t apply to certain people. Even if you aren’t a gazillionire, you can still battle bulge through the later parts of your life. Here’s how:

1. Exercise: Muscle is the fuel that burns your metabolism’s gas tank so to speak. The more lean mass you preserve on your body, the more calories you burn at rest. For the best results, you should do strength training and aerobic exercises 3 times a week.

2. Don’t fast: fasting or starving yourself will only slow down your metabolism. Remember, our bodies are forever thinking about our ancestor’s early days – prehistorically speaking. When we starve, our bodies think we are back on the lonely plains hunting long-horn steer or a Wholly Mammoth. Eating 6 small meals a day, every 2.5 hours, keeps the metabolism elevated making it a lot easier to burn calories.

3. Add some spice to your life: Anything with a kick in its step is a much better alternative than reaching for foods that contain too much sugar, salt or artificial flavoring. Some examples are cayenne pepper, regular pepper, or any of these tasty suggestions.

4. Eat breakfast: Whether young or old, it’s still the most important meal of the day. Breakfast helps improve mood, focus and concentration. Plus it sets you up for healthy eating the entire day.

5. Water: staying hydrated can give you energy as well as cleanse your body of toxins. Drink 8 to 10 glasses (8oz) of water a day to keep your metabolism going strong. 

If you decide you need the help of a personal trainer then why not try my very own product it’s called My Audible Trainer, you take my workout to the gym with you, a simple to follow CD (MP3 Compatible) fitness routine that helps women workout. My Audible Trainer utilizes beats, you simply follow the beats, we also provide nutritional guidelines and so much more.  As a business owner, mother, and a personal trainer I want to help women of all ages get fit, to learn more about My Audible Trainer here’s the link.

The Truth About Muscle Gains

How to Build Muscle Mass Fast:

For gaining muscle mass, training programs and dietary recommendations must not put too much strain on the physical and mental health of the person and so one has to be realistic in the ambition to build muscle mass adequately. Here are some effective guidelines for building muscle mass.

Workout Routines to Build Muscle Mass:

What should be an ideal workout routine for building muscle mass? For gaining muscle mass, you have to increase the strength of your muscles as more strength means more muscles. To achieve more muscular strength, you have to start with simple weight training exercises. With strength training, your body will muscles will become strong. Learning proper techniques to do weight training is essential. If you are a beginner then your gym instructor will guide you in choosing ideal weights for you to start the workout plan. Since you are aiming to build muscle mass, your workout routines must contain a mix of complete body workouts and it should not focus on making only abs or flexing only biceps. Free weight training, squats and crunches all must be included in your workout as you gradually progress to build muscle mass.

Foods that Build Muscle Mass:

It’s imperative that people who are on training programs for building muscle mass must strictly follow a very rich diet menu. Without improving your nutrition intake and foods that help you to gain weight, it’s next to impossible to build muscle mass. Foods to build muscle must contain lots of vitamins and mineral contents. Foods that build lower body fat percentage will help you to gain muscle and not extra fats that are available on the body. Always include foods that are a rich combination of all nutrients.

Generally breakfast and post workout diets are very important as both these have great effect on your day’s metabolism rate. Proteins, carbs, veggies, fruits and fats containing foods are always best for gaining muscle mass. Generally, eating 6 meals per day is ideal for gaining muscle mass and for every meal, eat light and calorie rich food. A steady intake of proteins and vitamins boosts metabolism and is useful for muscle recovery. Proteins like red meat, poultry, fish, eggs and red meat are always useful in building and maintaining muscle mass.

If you decide you need the help of a personal trainer then why not try my very own product it’s called My Audible Trainer, you take my workout to the gym with you, a simple to follow CD (MP3 Compatible) fitness routine that helps women workout. My Audible Trainer utilizes beats, you simply follow the beats, we also provide nutritional guidelines and so much more.  As a business owner, mother, and a personal trainer I want to help women of all ages get fit, to learn more about My Audible Trainer here’s the link.

WANT TO BUILD MUSCLE TRY THIS

To Build Muscle Mass Try Theese Supplements And Drinks

1)- Creatine Ethyl Ester
2)- Protein drinks with eggs or whey
3)- Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA’s)
4)- Medium Chain Triglicerides (MCT Oil)
5)- Insulin-like growth factors (Colostrum)
6)- Arginine