5 Fat Loss Facts!

 If your trying to lose fat the "smart way" ALWAYS REMEMBER:

1. Fat loss will require you to eat healthy and exercise (cardio and resistance training). **What you eat will play the BIGGEST part of you reaching your goals. The "eating part" will make up about 70-80% of your gains/losses.The exercise part about 20-30%.

2 .There are 3,500 calories in one pound. In order to lose a pound its necessary to eat less calories or burn more calories by exercising. **It's a whole lot easier to eat less than it is to exercise more.  
Keep in mind that NOT eating will cause your body to store fat instead of release it. 


3. It's impossible to lose fat from one area of your body (spot reducing). Weight/fat loss will come from  all over the body. There's no such thing as losing weight only from the stomach,back, or thighs. **One can never determine where the fat will come from..... until you began to exercise and eat healthy.

4. Performing cardio at an intensity level that's 60-70% of your Max heart rate will increase your chances of burning fat.
To calculate your Max Heart rate:  220-age = Max Heart Rate x 60-85% = Target Heart Rate.
**Target Heart Rate is low/moderate intensity, so quite naturally, these type of cardio sessions take longer (30-45 min). Monitor your heart rate by using a the sensors on a treadmill, elliptical, or stair-master. Or buy a watch that measures your heart rate.


5. It takes at least 15 minutes of cardio for your body to start utilizing fat for energy instead of      carbohydrates.*In other words, performing cardio for 10-15 minutes isn't enough time to start burning fat.

20 minute exercise routine for the disabled.

Cant stand up to work out? Having issues with your back, hips, knees, and ankles? There's always some type of exercises that can be done. Perform the circuit routine below.
***If you need more ideas for working around a physical limitation, leave a message and your contact info in the comment box. I'll respond promptly with some exercise ideas.

Which one is it....."You cant"......or "You wont"

Any time someone initially starts to exercise after being sedentary for a long time; the body is guaranteed to resist. Muscles/joints will sometimes ache and sometimes results may not come as quickly as imagined. These issues or "stumbling blocks" can cause an individual to reach the point where they say...."I CANT DO THIS"!!!


Every time I hear someone say "I CANT DO THIS", I have to question whether or not the individual "CANT" or they simply "WONT"........I think it's important to know the difference between the two.

I know individuals that really CANT  exercise due to handicaps and various other physical aliments. Take for instance my good friend "Adam". This man is over 600 lbs and has no cartilage in his knees. At times his legs will bruise from simply standing up. Technically, Adam "CANT" exercise. However, Adam is a fighter and he continues to DO whatever his body will allow him to do.... And I admire him for that.......


I write this post not to criticize anyone.Yet, it is my hope that individuals will start to honestly ask themselves whether or not they "CANT" do something.....or you simply "WONT" do what needs to be done in order for you to reach your goals. A lot of times we give up too easy when something is difficult......(like exercise and eating healthy). However, anything worth having is worth fighting for.........Fight for your health! It only gets easier with time........

Core work

Our core is made up of the muscles in our- abs (six-pack muscles), obliques (side muscles), and lower back . These muscles need to be strengthened and stretched on a regular basis so that we can perform well during our daily activities (work) and of course during exercise. The 3 videos within this post include selected exercises that will assist in building core strength. **Perform these exercises 3-4 days a week.

Are you a Sweet tooth Junkie???

Do you like sweets??? I know I do. As a matter of fact, I like just about everything--cakes, cookies, pies, ice cream, etc. And there's nothing wrong with enjoying all these good things. However, if one is trying to reach a goal, such as "trimming up the waistline".......too many sweets  will stop one from reaching that goal.

As for myself, I still eat some of the (sweets things) that I like. In my opinion, its not wise to deny oneself from all the foods that are enjoyable...........I just practice "self control" and eat sweet things in "moderation".

*** The purpose of this post is to inform individuals of the major impact that our diet has when striving  for better health and fitness. I am a Certified Personal Trainer -not a Dietician. When seeking a suitable eating plan, seek the knowledge and/or services of a dietician.

15 minute workout

Even when you cant make it to the gym, there's always something you can do. Try this simple 15 minute workout that you can do from home. Trust me, its so easy that even a child can do it!!!!

Slimming Body Wraps: Do they really work???

 As a fitness professional; its my job to teach people safe and effective exercise techniques. Also, being as though I personally lost a lot of weight; I feel that it is my duty to inform individuals about diet/exercise fads, misinformation or flat out lies.

One diet/exercise fad that I'm constantly hearing about lately is the "slimming/body wrap". At dinner one evening, my cousins fiance was telling me how wonderful the body wraps are; so I thought I would do a little research for myself.......I had to see what all the hype was about!!!
 
 After researching about 3 or 4 different body wrap distributors as well as a few "homemade" body wrap methods I noticed that they all promised the same things:

• lose weight, 
• shed love handles, 
• get rid of cellulite and stretchmarks 

All the promised benefits mentioned above are supposedly accomplished by placing the "slimming wrap" around ones "problem areas" and leaving it for 45 minutes or more...........Now, I know for sure that I'm not the "sharpest knife in the drawer" and I definitely dont have all the answers.......but these claims are not possible. And this is why:

• First of all, losing weight is all about basic math. One pound is equivalent to 3,500 calories. So, for one to lose weight and/or fat, calories must burned by exercising or simply reducing calories from the diet. 

•   Secondly, it is impossible to lose weight from one part of the body or shed love handles only". When weight/fat loss occurs; it will come from all over the body. The final outcome will largely depend on your genetics and how fat is distrubuted throughout your body. This process will be different for each individual.

• And lastly, the weight and/or inches that individuals seem to lose come from water weight. If one were to check their body fat percentage before and afterwards, it would be clear that no amount of fat was ever lost. Also, according to an article posted on ABC News.com........ This technique is similar to hot yoga: "You'll put back on any weight you lose once you start drinking," says Dr. Peeke............ Your skin might appear tighter for a couple of days afterward, as the caffeine in many of these wraps temporarily constricts skin, notes Elizabeth Tanzi, MD, a dermatologist in Washington, D.C.

  
I wrote this article knowing full well that eating healthy exercising is time consuming and sometimes frustrating for a lot of people. Every week at least one individual will tell me that "they simply dont have the time". However, my answer to that is always the same......"we make time for whats important"!! And I believe that it's a waste of time using body wraps for weight loss!!!!

With all the time spent on- buying/ordering the product, using the product ( 5-20 minutes) and sitting around waiting for the product to work (45 min or more)...........One could have been to the gym and back!!!! And on top of that save a ton of $$$$.

When it all boils down to it; eating healthy and exercise is the only weight loss method that that will last. If you want to just waste $$$ and time, keep trying all the "lose weight quick" methods. However, if you want to seriously improve your health..........you know what you got to do...........and always remember that:

 "Time is the only thing that we cannot make or buy, use what time you do have wisely"!!