Mini Workouts!!!

    Can't take credit for this, this comes courtesy of my friend and colleague Miranda Lusting via Pinterest.  If you're like me, and everyone else in this country who struggles to find time to get your fitness in, these little mini-workouts are awesome!  I found this one to be challenging yet completely appropriate even for a beginner in fitness.  Do this a few times a week and you'll feel great.  It's full body and you can turn it into cardio as well trying to get through it as quick as possible.  If you have Pinterest, follow Miranda's "Pins" in her "Work It" board!!!

Common Myths Concerning Fitness for Women......

    I've heard it all from women regarding myths regarding fitness training for women..."I don't want to lift weights, I will get to bulky"..."Cardio is better, I will burn more calories than lifting weights"...etc...

    Let's tackle some of those myths here:

1.  Strength Training, a.k.a Weight Lifting helps you strengthen and tone your body.  It's been proven that women actually don't have the adequate hormones, mainly testosterone to become really bulky.  So those really big muscular women you see that are big and bulky, you can only imagine what they are putting into their body to achieve those big bulky muscles.  Another little tidbit of information is that for every pound of lean muscle mass you have on your body, you increase your metabolism by 50 calories a day.  Strength training is important for women to prevent certain structural diseases like osteoporosis.  It will keep you toned and increase your overall strength.

2.  Cardio does in fact burn more calories than a session of weight lifting, but, strength training will lead to more lean muscle which in turn increases your resting metabolic rate.  Your body burns more at rest with more lean muscle.

3.  No, you cannot target specific areas for weight loss.  Sorry, can't be done.  Companies have made bundles of money selling items telling you that you can get rid of flab in different areas of your body. Save your money and talk to someone like myself about a full body training program.  Your body fat is genetically specific.  Incorporate everything into your fitness plan, cardio, strength training so that you can lose overall body fat.

4.  Strength training does not take to much time.  You can see results incorporating minimal strength training into your program.  Anywhere from 15-30 minutes 3 times a week is plenty.  Never skimp on the strength training.

5.  "No Pain, No Gain"???  Know the difference between pain and soreness.  Pain is usually spot specific while soreness covers a more general area and is more dull.  Knowing this difference will be something that keeps you going or stopping a fitness plan.

    I hope all this helps!!!

My favorite thing in the Kitchen?? THE NUTRIBULLET!!!!

    This is quite honestly my favorite thing in the kitchen!  Every morning, this is how I make my breakfast.  I often use many different things such as, oatmeal (raw, not cooked), carrots, frozen fruits such as strawberries and blueberries, banana's, kale or spinach.  I tend not to use cow milk because of all the hormones and stuff crammed into those cows, I use almond milk (unsweetened of course).  It's a great way to kick start your morning without reaching for a bagel or some fast food breakfast (YUCK!).  You can always throw some protein powder in as well, but make sure it's a good pure whey protein.  You don't want something with tons of fillers, ALWAYS READ THE LABELS!  One of the best places I find my nutribullet recipes and ideas is on Pinterest.  Here's a link to some great recipes on Pinterest, ENJOY!

Worst Fitness and Nutritional Trends of 2014

    I cam upon this article on AOL by Dr. Karen Latimer talking about some of the worst fitness and nutritional trends from this past year.  She seems to have some very valid points about things such as eating "paleo" and cross fit training.  She touches on so many things here including caffeine for weight loss to expensive personal training (which I always tell my students they can get from me for free).

Read the whole article here.

Clean Eating??? What is it???

    Clean eating, we've all heard of it.  Especially lately with tons of people looking to profit from the term.  There are son many different versions of clean eating out there.  Some people call it "Clean", some people call it "paleo", others call it "cave man".  Truth of the matter is, you don't need to BUY anyone's diet plan.  I consider "diet" a nasty little four letter word anyway. Why?  I don't believe diet's work with that label/stigma attached to them.
    Eating clean is just another term for eating healthy.  Fruits (but be careful with fruit with what you are trying to accomplish, lots of sugar, although natural, in there), veggies, lean meats, fishes, nuts, etc...  Basically, anything that is not processed or preserved in some factory where some company is trying to keep the food on the shelf as long as possible to turn a profit.  What do I always tell my high school student?  You've probably heard it before, when shopping, stay along the outside of the grocery store.  I call it "U" shopping.  Everything you need nutritionally is there.
    Last thing I want to tackle is the notion of only eating organic food.  I remember listening a few years ago listening to Dr. Brian Luke Seward tackle the topic of organic eating.  Himself, along with a study at Stanford University concluded there really is no true benefit eating organics.  Why you ask?  Well, the chemicals and pesticide used to grow food, it gets in the air and gets into the soil all around the earth.  There truly is nothing organic, so just make sure you are getting your fill fruits, veggies, lean meats, fishes, poultry, and good starches each day.  You will truly see a great benefit in your life.