The Fitness Connection

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What is HIIT?

2008-01-14T15:55:00.000-05:00

You know what amazes me? The human body. It is so complicated that sometimes it's so simple. I had a nagging pain in what I thought was one of my hip flexors on the front of my left thigh/groin area. It only hurt when I worked out and right after, but it went on for months. I went to get accupuncture for it last week and I asked my accupuncturist, Emily (who is also a physical therapist), about the pain. She did some needling, gave me ONE simple stretch to do 3-4 times a day for like 30 seconds and within 24 hours, the pain was gone. Is that amazing or what? I shake my head in amazement.

Do you know how many times I have had an injury over the years and waited it out for often up to a YEAR! Each time I finally consulted with Emily and she resolves my problem, sometimes in 24 hours. Case in point! So simple!

Accupuncture is unbelievable! I swear by it. But you have to find the right practitioner. I drive 50 miles one way, to see mine. She is totally worth it.

Anyway - did you know that you don't have to workout mega hours each week? Do you know that you only have to strength train twice a week and you only have to do your "cardio" for 30 minutes 3x a week to get the results you are looking for - stripping fat and making muscle? When I say "cardio" I mean your workout on the treadmill, eliptical, stairmaster etc. or your walk, run outside - whatever it is you do to burn fat.

The big shots in the industry hate the word "cardio". Me - I think we all know what it refers to so I use it. What they really object to is that people have been lead to believe that they need to do like 45-60 minutes of "cardio" 5-7 times a week to lose fat. THAT is so not true! I also object to that theory. The fitness industry changes their mind ALL THE TIME. But I really think we're on to something with "Interval Training" or High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).

This is what HIIT is: Warm up for 5 minutes, do 20 minutes of intervals and cooldown for 5 minutes. DONE! This is an interval - whatever you are doing, treadmill, running outside, walking, do it hard for 1 minute and easy for 2 minutes. That simple. And mix it up. Do it hard for 45 seconds, easy for 90 seconds, hard for 30 seconds, easy for 1 minute, hard for 8 seconds, easy for 12 seconds. Just DO IT for 20 minutes.

What this does is shake up your metabolism. Your body has to recover from all those intervals and that recovery can take from 24-48 hours, in which time, you are burning more calories per hour. Some refer to it as the "afterburn". If you do long slow cardio, your body adapts like a fuel efficient car. A fuel efficient car burns less gas. A fuel efficient body burns less fat. So you get fitter and fitter with long slow cardio, but your body gets more efficient and burns less fat. With intervals (HIIT) your body gets fitter and burns more calories on a daily basis. Combine that with the muscles you are laying down and the clean food you are eating and I see Fit Girl!

So cut back on the workouts if you are being a crazy person. If you do a hard and breathless strength training session for like 30-40 minutes, jump on that treadmill for another 30, that's all you need 3x a week. Just talk to me. I'll make it efficient for you! Results guaranteed - as long as you hold up the food end of the bargain!

See you back here next week!

My Goodness It's Been a Long Time

2008-01-05T14:43:00.001-05:00

I can't believe that my last post is dated November 26th. My BAD! I guess the holiday season got away from me. I have to admit, it's the "hap-happiest time of the year!" I just LOVE the holidays and this year was the best! It's all about the season for us and we really made the best of it. We spent priceless time with friends and family and just really tried to stay in the moment. Were there stressful times? Absolutely! But we pushed through it and made it all work. I hope your holidays were as peaceful and blessed.

AND, I hit goal in late November and stayed there. Until I started eating Christmas cookies about 4 days before Christmas. It was all over once the first grain of sugar hit my lips. So - I went with it. Drank some wine each day, ate some cookies, had a few donuts (aghast!) and came out the other side with about 4 pounds of FAT to get rid of. Not so bad though - already feel much better after just 4 days of CLEAN EATING.

That's what it's all about, you know. There's no magic bullet. It's about clean eating. Eating Clean is the healthy way to lose weight and keep it off forever. I am totally confident that no other diet or nutrition program works so perfectly. You don't even need to count calories. I use the following rules of thumb and it takes care of the problem:

The measure are all based on your own body size:

Protein - size of your palm
Whole Grains - 1 handful or ice cream scoop
Fruits and Vegetables - 2 handfuls

If you include these nutrients in each of your 5-6 snacks/meals everyday, you don't need a "diet".

Here are a few tips that will help kickstart your metabolism and get you moving toward your fat loss goals:

1. Water, water water. Hydrate yourself with water to keep your body operating smoothly and to speed up metabolism

2. 5-6 snacks/meals each day. I just read a study where 1 group of people ate 3 meals a day and 1 group ate 6 meals a day. They ate the same number of calories and the group who ate 6 meals lost significantly more weight in the same amount of time. Force it for a week and your body will be screaming for food every 3 hours. I am GIVING YOU PERMISSION TO EAT! What better gift???

3. Make sure you eat enough fiber. It will keep those lazy bowels moving and sustain you longer between meals.

4. Don't go past the point of hunger. Skipping a meal triggers a starvation response and your body will hold onto that fat for dear life!

5. Shoot for 3-5 ounces of lean protein at each snack/meal. Plan, plan, plan. That's the ticket on this one.

6. Sugar is white poisen. Stop eating it, PERIOD. It's addictive and fattening and will slow your metabolism right down.

7. Fruits and vegetables satisfy the needs of an active body. Load up, ladies.

8. Eat a big breakfast - everyday! It's a treat to be able to eat. Take advantage of it.

That's it for today. Gotta go finish making a big pot of lentil soup. Full of protein and fiber. Also making a batch of whole grain muffins. See the recipe page on my website. http://www.thefitnessconnectiononline.com/recipe_muffins.html
Awesome.

Life Lesson

2007-11-26T16:39:00.000-05:00

See that title? I learned one this month. BACK UP YOUR COMPUTER! I have been without my address book for almost 3 weeks. My computer blew up in mid November. I finally have access to my favorite places on the internet - like this blog - but still no address book. I had no access to my password list (Do you think I should print it out and hide it somewhere??? HELLO?) so I couldn't get into the many sites I am a member of. ME - the information junkie - was lost. But boy did I get a lot done around the house! No computer calling my name. Interesting study of myself...

Anyway - so how did we do over the Thanksgiving holiday? With the exception of not enough sleep, I did pretty well. Light on the wine, od'd on the desserts one night, but not like I expected, and I worked out HARD 4 times last week. I am completely mentally prepared to get through December without gaining an ounce. How? Because I did all the prep work beforehand. I went off the sugar and wine for 6 weeks with very little stray. I got through Thanksgiving and the cravings have not come back. I have exercised regularly and HARD for months and I refuse to make any Christmas cookies until the last weekend before Christmas!

I plan to go to 2-3 Christmas parties this holiday season, but I'm not worried. A glass or two of wine and if I eat well during the day, I know I can eat pretty much what I want at the party. I will just make sure that I drink plenty of water the days following the party and continue to eat clean. I have NO doubt I will do this. You can too. Make it your goal to either maintain or even lose a few pounds in December and you will be so proud of yourself and feel so good about yourself that going into the new year will be a piece of cake (no pun intended!).

I was blabbing with my friend and client Robin the other day. Robin said that she re-read my logo for my gym, The Fitness Connection and she said she really "got" it. If you aren't familiar with my gym, I have a small gym and I do one on one or small group fitness training - 8-9 women per class. This is my logo:

The Fitness Connection
Lose Weight, Be Healthy, Feel Great...Get Connected

I told her it was great that she understood the whole mind/body connection I believe in - that when you lose weight and/or get fit and healthy, you feel great about yourself. When you are doing everything you can for yourself and you look great too, you just feel great! You're connected. Simple - mind/body.

But Robin was actually looking at the logo a little differently. She thought the logo meant the connection that forms with all the women that workout together and how that connection keeps them coming back every week to workout together. That they wouldn't ever workout on their own or workout as hard as I work them. It was all about working out together and that was the motivation to keep working out (aside from my great training!!)

Having a support group is a huge thing. Success rates with weight loss and fitness rise dramatically when you surround yourself with people who think like you do. You know you should workout and watch what you eat. But it's ALOT easier if you have people to do it with, talk about it with, exchange ideas with. The workout may be wicked hard, but everyone is doing it together so it's so much better. So Robin - thanks for pointing that out. I didn't realize my logo went even deeper!! I'm just plain grateful that I have such a great group of women coming to train with me. I love you all!

So - I highly suggest you find a group to workout with. It really changes your outlook on the whole process of taking good care of yourself and it makes it so much easier. Give it a shot. You may be very surprised what you are capable of!

To ALL My Women Friends and To Those I Have Not Met Yet

2007-11-14T14:14:00.000-05:00

My friend Karen sent me the link below. I thought you should all experience it. I am not often so touched by what circulates the net. Maybe it's the music, but it really lifted me. We women ROCK!!! Enjoy! -Joey

TheWoman.pps

I GAINED 5 POUNDS!!!! LOL!!

2007-11-07T16:00:00.001-05:00

Hello! Is anybody in there? I'm baaack. Have you been waiting with bated breath for my 9 week project results? Actually I lost about 8 pounds and gained about 5 pounds! Seriously - I was so up and down it wasn't even funny. The net is that I lost a solid 2 or 3 pounds out of the 4-6 I wanted to lose. So I am holding at about 2-3 pounds lower. Am I happy? Mmmmmmm - not THAT happy but I'm not quitting now. I'm almost there! And the holidays are here! Last Christmas I ate about 4 dozen Christmas cookies a week for 4 weeks and started the new year 5 pounds heavier! Not this year. I refuse to bake cookies this year - well, maybe some, the last weekend before Christmas - but NO EARLIER. I'll eat them all. That's the truth.

So anyway - no, I didn't make goal but I made a dent and that's what counts. It's a struggle. There is no doubt. You just keep working at it. I am pleased that I have cut WAY back on my alcohol intake and I am virtually eating no sweets. (I cheated on Halloween with 3 mini hershey bars and that was IT.) I am definately leading a healthier lifestyle than I was 9 weeks ago. I am sleeping longer and deeper (thanks to Mona Vie, I think) and I generally feel more energetic. All in all, this was a great way to get back to where I want to be. The lesson for you is that this is a lifestyle change, ladies! I'm not going to just stop doing what I'm doing because I didn't make goal. This is how I want to live my life going into my "older" years. I want to be active, I want to eat healthy, I want to feel great and I want to look as good as I can no matter what age I am. And so should you!

On to more interesting "stuff". I was thinking the other day about all the excuses I hear from women about working out. The biggest one is "I don't have the time." Guess what? I don't believe you. Time is about priorities. If you are not scheduling workout time into your week, it is because you don't want it bad enough. And if you don't want it for the weight loss benefits, you absolutely must do it for the health benefits. Do you want to live through your 60s, 70s and hopefully 80s, in a state of bad health? Do you want your week to consist of going to doctor's appointments, popping so many different pills a day that you need a suitcase to keep track of them and talking constantly about what ails you? Isn't the healthcare system in the United States overburdened enough without adding you to the pile?

You need to workout and take care of yourself. Diabetes and heart disease in this country is reaching epidemic proportions and has slithered it's way into our population of young people. It's disgusting. Stop contributing to the problem and start being pro-active. Start taking care of yourself. Stop taking the easy way out. It's the death of us!

So getting back to working out - where do you schedule it? For most people, you schedule it early in the morning. It will not kill you to get up a half an hour earlier in the morning to work out. You set out your workout clothes the night before, you set the alarm, you get up, get right into your clothes and you do what you have to do. You only need 20 minutes or so and chances are, you will go longer, once you start. Let me tell you - the best part of getting it done in the morning is that IT'S DONE! You will feel like a million dollars all day long. Trust me!

Stay tuned for some workouts you can do in 20 minutes that will kick your butt and get the job done.

Down To The Wire - SCAREY!

2007-10-22T14:54:00.000-04:00

Ok - I have 9 days left to achieve my weight/fat loss goal. I made it through SEVEN days with no sugary, sweets or treats. NONE! I even skipped the 1/2 tsp. of sugar I started putting in my coffee. I feel great about it! The first 3 days were really tough - only the after dinner hour, but what a fight to beat down the craving. I feel free and wicked in control. I even went to a huge street festival in New Hampshire Saturday night (28,000 jack-o-lanterns) and did not cave into the pumpkin whoopee pies or the apple cider donuts. I love that stuff too! BTW - the above picture is the top part of one of two 50 foot towers of Jack-o-Lanterns erected at each end of Main St. in Keene New Hampshire. Very cool!

Anyway - I can tell you this - removing treats and wine from my diet has made all the differnce in accomplishing my weight/fat loss goal. I stalled in the middle of my 9 weeks because I stopped paying attention and I kept giving myself permission to have a sweetie here, 5 pieces of cake there (YIKES!!) - it just doesn't work that way. This worked. Carving those empty calories completely out of my day wiped out the craving. And afterall, isn't it all about the cravings and the saiety? If you are feeling unsatisfied, you will try to fill that emptiness. If you don't crave, you don't need to worry about eating more calories because you don't ingest them.

It is very freeing, because eliminating high, empty calorie food from your diet allows you to eat more of the nutrient dense food you should be eating, which is great because if it tastes really good, you are free to have more without guilt! And guess what? I am back on target. I am down 3.5 pounds and I am happy in the new jeans I bought.

Now granted, it is only 3.5 pounds. But that's ME! I have way less to lose than some people. I still went through the same gyrations and setbacks anyone else could possibly go through. I still had to make big changes in the way I eat to get where I wanted to be. The point is, everyone experiences these ups and downs along the weight/fat loss journey. It's not a straight shot. It is sometimes painful and very often triumphant. Some weeks you lose nothing or even gain (remember my 3 pound gain in week 3?), other weeks you make great strides. Those of you who want to lose 20, 30, 50 pounds, just stay the course.

This is a lifestyle change, not a short term project. Yes - I made it into a short term project but it doesn't end on Halloween. The journey continues. Because if it didn't, you would be back where you started in no time and possibly you would be in a worse situation. Stay tuned.

Woman Must Eat Cake - NOT!

2007-10-17T13:41:00.000-04:00

I ate FIVE pieces of homemade chocolate cake this weekend! FIVE!!! And they weren't little!

There, I've said it. Are you happy? I'm just like everyone else in the battle of the bulge. Or maybe I'm not! Have YOU ever eaten 5 pieces of cake in a 24 hour period? I ate 3 in one evening! Maybe I AM an anomaly. Just not in the traditional personal trainer sense?? Whatever....

The truth is, I knew I was coming into a birthday weekend for my son and I knew I was making that out-of-this world scratch cake. I was not following my plan and I was plateaued at my 2 pound weight loss. And I was resenting all of it! So I decided to give myself permission to eat lots of cake over the weekend and then take drastic measures to stop the madness.

You see - I am a sugar addict. This is no joke. Sugar is addicting and I love treats and sweets and I build a treat into my day regularly but when I saw my own downward spiral - not following many of my planned daily goals - I knew I was in trouble. I needed to go off the sugar cold turkey. I was feeling the pressure of this blog and my upcoming weigh-in goal on Halloween. (Let's face it - am I putting myself out there with this blog or WHAT!!?) So I pigged out big time on the cake - went light on the booze at the birthday party, and vowed to kick my sugar habit starting Monday, by removing all treats and sweets from my diet until Thanksgiving. (Are you getting the idea that I am a goal setter??)

In all honesty - I truly believe that the only way to stop a sugar addiction is to stop eating sugar - period. No sweets and treats, no sugar in the coffee - none! I have done this before. It takes about 2 weeks to truly get rid of the cravings but once it is out of your system, it becomes easy to resist. In fact, I have gone months not eating sugar products except allowing myself a treat once a week after the first 2-3 weeks. The problem arises when you don't stick to the program and you start to allow 2 treats a weeks and then 3 etc. etc. Can you last forever? (My husband could! He could care less if he never had another treat in his life.) I don't know if you can go forever. I suppose you could. I have gone "off the sugar wagon" several times over 2 years of being cognizant of this addiction. When I get to my "happy" size, I tend to relax and enjoy the sugar and the wine more. But I always end up back on it (the sugar wagon) because I know what can happen. Weight gain!

By the way - experts say that if you are trying to overcome your sugar cravings, you need to look for it in everything. For example, I looked at the label on my Stonyfield Farms peach yogurt and found 23 grams of sugar listed on the nutrition label. There are 4 grams of sugar in a TEASPOON. That's almost 6 teaspoons of sugar in the yogurt. Maybe some is from the fruit? Not sure. I have been able to break my sugar addiction and still eat this yogurt. But - I try not to.

The one trick I use is this: I can go almost all day without wanting or ingesting a sweet or treat. Until dinner. For some reason, when I get up from the dinner table, it hits me like I'm a heroin addict! The first day this week, I was not prepared. I went all day with no problem until right after dinner. I had no back up plan for when the craving came. So I struggled through it, ran up to bed (I watched tv), ran down to the pantry an hour later and grabbed a handful of cashews and ran back to bed and that's where I stayed!!

I was prepared on Tuesday! Come ON craving. I am READY for ya! I planned a cup of greek fat free plain yogurt - WAY better than regular plain yogurt - with cut up fruit in it and a few drops of pomegranite juice. But don't you know - the craving didn't come! Huh??!! I don't know, but I ate the yogurt treat anyway!

So - once again - I am putting myself out there. I'm telling you my latest battle. I have 2 weeks to make my weight goal. I've pretty much eliminated alcohol from my diet and now sugar, in the form of sweets and treats. I struggle daily to make my workouts and drink my water but I am in desperation mode now. I need to make this goal! Let's see what happens. (And Chrissy and Charlene - don't you dare bring me a sweetie!).

BUILDING CATHEDRALS

2007-10-09T19:01:00.000-04:00

Wow! I have not had a minute to myself in 2 weeks! I WILL tell you, I have plateaued with my fat/weight loss goals and I need to really focus for the next 3 weeks in order to make my goal. So stay tuned for more on that - but just for today, read the following passage that was sent to me by my friend Deb. I am not often so inspired, but I wanted to share this as I know that many of my readers are mothers. So I promise to blog better in a few days but for now, I hope you find inspiration in this:

I'm invisible.....

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response,
the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone
and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see
I'm on the phone?" Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone,
or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the
corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this?
Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of
hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is
it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney
Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Pick me up right around 5:30, please."

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the
eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude
-- but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be
seen again. She's going ... she's going ... she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of
a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous
trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was
sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well.
It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down
at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was
clean.

My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I
could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty
pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package,
and said, "I brought you this."

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure
why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte,
with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one
sees."

In the days ahead I would read -- no, devour -- the book. And I would
discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after
which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great
cathedrals -- we have no record of their names. These builders gave
their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made
great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building
was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the
cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a
tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man,
"Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that
will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it."

And the workman replied, "Because God sees."

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was
almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I
see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you
does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no
cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over.
You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what
it will become."

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a
disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my
own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn
pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As
one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see
finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The
writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever
be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to
sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend
he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My Mom gets up at 4
in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand-bastes a
turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That
would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want
him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say
to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if
we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world
will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that
has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Hmmmmm - I feel better!

Ya Done Good!

2007-10-01T13:03:00.000-04:00

Well, this was a tough week and weekend! My husband runs a small wholesale business selling a line of massage pillows and our vendor that has had a booth at the Durham Fair (we are from Connecticut, for all you readers who have no clue where I am.) for the last several years, retired. So we decided to try our hand at selling retail. SIGH!!! We rented a booth in the Commercial building and the adventure began. First of all, those are some LONG hours. 9am to 11pm Friday and Saturday and 9am-7pm on Sunday!

Anyway - so we hired some people to help us in the booth and one of my clients/friend (her name is Charlene.) offered to take a few shifts. I arrived at the fair salivating, with visions of sugar plums dancing in my head - more specifically - visions of fried dough pizza, french fries and humongous donuts...get the picture? Afterall, if I had to be there standing on my feet for endless hours, wasn't I entitled?

So Charlene shows up and she's carrying this cooler bag. I'm blabbing away about fair food and she says, "Oh, I brought my own food." WHAT!!!! WHY????????? What is WRONG with you? This is what she says, "After all those lunges! Do you think I'm going to eat fair food????" I felt like she socked me in the stomach. And then it came to me. WOW - I must be a GOOD trainer! My clients are actually getting IT! Then I woke up....

What she really said was "I brought my own food because you were going to here. You're my trainer! I can't eat fair food in front of you!"

Oh, well, whatever it takes!!! See you in a few days!

Weighing Me Down

2007-09-22T09:49:00.000-04:00

I nearly choked Monday morning - when I got on the scale! I was 2 pounds HEAVIER than when I started this weight loss goal 2 weeks ago. SIGH....I could rationalize the heck out of this new number and convince myself and whoever else is listening that "Oh, I'm bloated" "It's that time of the month" "My clothes still fit, so it must be water retention" "It's not what you weigh, it's how your clothes fit." BINGO! Let me tell you, my clothes may still fit, but I don't look the same as I did 8 pounds ago! There is no rationalizing there!

As a fitness aside - weighing in every day may be a tool that keeps you on track. It definately helps me. There is controversy in the fitness industry on this subject. But, I am an advocate of getting on the scale every morning, buck naked (too much info!) before a morsel goes in my mouth. My personal and professional experience has been that weighing yourself regularly is mentally beneficial. There are some professionals out there that would scream, "run from that trainer. She knows not what she speaks!" Oh really? I wonder if THAT trainer has battled the bulge his or her entire life. Any trainer can learn the tricks of the trade through a textbook. It's first hand experience that has established my position.

So YES, weighing in every day can make you feel really crappy about yourself because a) You don't weigh any less than yesterday; or b) You weigh MORE than yesterday and that is not where you want to go. Well, to me, it's all about attitude. Was I p_ssed when I saw 3 more pounds? Absolutely. But who's fault is it? When you are honest with yourself, the answer is: It's your fault. Granted, I have told clients from time to time that it's not what you weigh, it's how your clothes fit. 'Tis true - if your clothes fit BETTER, then don't sweat the scale. But you will know if the scale is telling you to get serious or if it is telling you "you're good!"

So getting back to me (boRING!) I definately had an epiphany that morning. I had been following the "plan" fairly well but there was definate room for improvement. I also indulged all weekend so I had a cheat weekend instead of a cheat day! So I knew I needed to really be diligent for the rest of the 3rd week of the plan. I could have given up when I saw that hideous number! Instead, I became more determined to accomplish this goal. So for the next 3 days, I followed the plan to a T. Guess what the scale said this morning (Saturday), 5 days later? I was down 4 pounds from Monday! (And I had my cheat day on Friday this week!) I am actually down 2 pounds in 3 weeks. Is it an understatement to say this sure is a wiggly road getting from point A to point B?

The way I see it, 2 things happened here, 1) I followed the plan to the letter for the next 3 days which got my metabolism back on track and 2) the "cheat to lose" syndrome kicked in. This has happened to me several times over the years and it has left me scratching my head. Then I started sharing the phenomenon with clients and some said they have had the same experience! I found the scientific answer in The Cheat To Lose Diet by Joel Marion.

Studies are showing that the body needs a day of higher calories after several days of lower calories to coax the metabolism to release the fat in your cells. Essentially, a few days after a cheat, when the initial water bloat from the calorie surplus has faded, you will find that weight and body fat have measurably decreased. I won't bore you with the scientific details of why that happens (Read the book. It explains it very well) but it has been my experience both personally and professionally that this is true. Obviously, it won't happen if you give up and don't start following your plan again.

One last thing. I worked out this morning with the great ladies at Shoreline Focus on Fitness (Lori Marriott's bootcamp) and I was paired up with a woman named Margaret. We were commiserating about getting up so early to come to the bootcamp and she said, "I knew if I skipped it and slept in, I would be mad at myself all day." You know what? Margaret gets it. You need to make regular workouts a priority - so much so that you are driven to do things like get up earlier to get the job done. Do you know how fantastic it feels to workout early and not have to fight with yourself all day about setting aside the time? Or worse yet, be mad at yourself all day for not doing it at all?

BTW - isn't it great to have another reason to LOVE Cheat Day! See you next week.

20 Minutes Will Save Calories!

2007-09-13T14:32:00.000-04:00

Tuesday morning I was up at 5am for a 6am client and for some reason, I didn't get any breakfast. Usually, that early in the morning, I eat a bowl of Fiber One with fruit and skim milk and then at 10am when I am done for the morning, I make myself an egg white omellete (often with some home-made tomatillo salsa on the side - recipe courtesey of my friend Charlene) and a small amount of guacomole. It's delicious and satisfying.

At any rate, I train through my morning schedule and by noon, I am ravenous and I realize that I've only had a peach all morning. So I go out to lunch with my husband and have a great fresh tuna sandwich (are you bored with my life yet?) and a few sweet potato fries (don't like those) and I am still feeling hungry and unsatisfied. Rather than order the dessert that is screaming my name, I decide to wait it out and have a snack in about 2 hours. Why am I telling you this? Because 20 minutes later, I was no longer thinking about food.

The point being, if you don't feel satisfied and you are dying to eat a second portion or some dessert, promise yourself that if you are still wanting in 20 minutes, you will make the move. Chances are, in 20 minutes, you won't be unsatisfied anymore. The brain needs 20 minutes to record that the stomach is full. The first 10 minutes can be painful but it usually works.

On another note, if you are struggling to get your workouts in, try this little circuit. Go through the exercises without a break, and then take a 1 minute break and repeat for a total of 3-4 times. You'll get a strength and cardio workout, in less than 1/2 and hour and you don't need any equipment. Here it is:

15 Prisoner Squats
12 Pushups
8 Bulgarian split squats on each side
40 Mountain Climbers (20 each side)
30 second sideplank each side
20 reverse lunges
1 minute of jumping jacks

Kick butt ladies! See you in a few days!

1 Down, 8 To Go

2007-09-11T04:23:00.000-04:00

Well, the first week of the “new year” is under my belt. I have 8 weeks left to accomplish my ultimate goal. Ok, I confess - I wasn’t 100% with my goals – sigh. Hey – sh-t happens, right??? I didn’t drink a half gallon of water every day (I didn’t even come near THAT goal!) I didn’t count my calories, but I’ve been eating like this for a long time and I am certain I stayed within a few hundred calories of my goal each day. (That could make or break me - not too smart.) I did pretty good with eating 5x a day and I probably didn’t eat as much protein as I think I should, but I did ok. I did all the work outs I planned but I didn’t get that 30 minutes of activity in each non-workout day. BAD GIRL! It’s SO hard!!!! Isn’t it amazing how life gets in the way??

BUT - I didn’t have any alcohol!!!! Now, THAT’S progress! The truth of the matter is, it’s not like I consume huge quantities of the houch. I can barely handle more than 2 glasses of red wine in an evening. But guess what, ladies?? Two 8 ounce glasses of wine? – about 600 calories! Whoa – do you feel like I just punched you in the gut? I challenge you to pour yourself a glass of wine (if that's your poisen) and then pour it into a measuring cup to see how many ounces it is. If you’re me, and you’re wondering how you gained this weight - that could be the answer. Because I got on the scale and even though I didn’t meet ALL my goals last week, I lost more than half a pound. And I think it’s the wine. So – my advice to you, knock out the daily libations.

So - what is the point of this boring dissertation of my little life? The point is, I made a plan, I did my best to follow it. It wasn’t perfect. But I still managed to lose. And even if I didn’t, I would do it all over again this week. Just because I wasn’t perfect, just because I messed up, I refuse to buy into the negative self-talk like, “Oh, what’s the use??”, “I can’t DO this!”, “I’m never gonna lose this weight.”, “I am such a loser.” Ok – I didn’t get the whole job done this week. But that’s what's so great about being alive! Tomorrow is coming! So don’t be so hard on yourself if this happens to you. Just start anew tomorrow.

Oh – and by the way, the built-in cheat day goal? Went outstanding!! Ha! Like I was going to screw THAT up!

1,2,3 GO!

2007-09-07T12:13:00.000-04:00

So, the New Year is upon us. The time has come to get back on track. Many of you, myself included, have indulged just a tad too much this summer. My tad weighs 6 pounds. How much is your tad?

Essentially it boils down to this. If you are unhappy with the way you look, you need to change something and possibly many things. The first thing you need to change, above all else, is your attitude. If you want to change the way you look, you have to really WANT to. You have to want it bad. The second thing you need to do is make a plan for your transformation. Third? You have to follow the plan. Once you start following your plan, the transformation will begin.

As an aside, if you are overeating and not exercising, you need a lifestyle change, not just a short term plan. Going on a "diet" or planning to "do this" for a month, 2 months, etc. may get you to your goal, but the minute you go back to your old habits, you will end up where you started. Speaking of starting.....

The plan goes like this: Write down your specific goals and how you will accomplish the goals. For example, these are my goals:

Ultimate goal

Lose at least a half a pound a week totaling 4-6 pounds by Halloween.

Daily Goals

1. Drink at least 64 ounces of water daily;
2. Eat a total of 1300 calories daily;
3. Eat 5 times a day;
4. Incorporate both protein and non-starchy carbs into every meal I eat;
5. Log workouts.

Weekly Goals

1. Do a minimum of 2 strength training workouts each week;
2. Do 3, 30 minute, high intensity cardio workouts each week;
3. Do 30 minutes of some activity (like walking) every day that I don’t do a strength or cardio workout;
4. Avoid alcohol Monday through Thursday;
5. Plan a cheat meal/day.

How do you accomplish these goals? Plan to accomplish them. Here’s an example of how I plan to accomplish my goals.

1. Fill a half gallon container with water each morning and make sure it is empty by bedtime;

(I recommend emptying it by 5pm so you aren’t up all night peeing!)

2. COUNT your calories;

I have trained hundreds of women and this is my lesson learned. If you want to lose weight/fat and you start to workout, but you don’t address your diet, you probably won’t lose. You may stop GAINING weight, but my experience has been that you won’t lose any dramatic amount. If you do both, it’s pretty much a guarantee you will lose up to 2 pounds a week. The fact of the matter is, you don’t need to work out, to lose weight. YES!!! I am a fitness trainer and I am stating that! (Read my future blogs when I address this unbelievable statement.) Back to calories - if you swear you "don't eat that much" yet you are not losing weight/fat, you need to diary what you are eating and drinking on a daily basis. Then you need to calculate the calories. I am willing to bet, you are eating way more than you think. Daunting? Try Fitday.com. Counting calories will be a breeze. And you don't have to do it forever. Just do it for a few days to start. This will give you the wake-up call I think you need. Continue to read my blogs for, amongst other things, a bigger explanation of how many calories you should eat to lose fat.

3. Plan your 5 “meals”;

Studies show that fit people eat the same foods throughout the week with the exception of dinner. Plan each meal and snack according to your calorie counts and the protein and carbs goal.

4. Schedule your workouts in your calendar;

Join a class. Get up earlier and workout before work and before the kids get up. Get a friend to workout with you. If you don’t schedule it, it’s not happening.

5. Write down your daily workouts;

I have a calendar hanging at the top of my stairs. I draw a big red heart on every date that I do a cardio workout and I make a notation on every date that I strength train or walk for 30 minutes or take a Yoga class or a bootcamp class. This way, every time I walk up those stairs, it is staring me in the face and I know exactly what needs to get done before the week is over. I have been doing this for 11 years! It keeps you honest.

6. Resist that glass of wine (or 2 or 3) after work;

Look forward to Friday’s glass or two. Did you know that a FOUR ounce glass of wine has about 150 calories? Come on - when was the last time you drank JUST a 4 ounce glass?

7. Plan to cheat!

Woman cannot live on clean food alone. WE NEED CHOCOLATE! At least, I do. It is so much easier to permanently change the way you eat if you don't feel deprived. So build a cheat meal into your week so you have it to look forward to. Plan to go out to dinner on Sat. Have dessert. Drink some wine. Have a Mojito. Just eat lighter that day. Can't go all day without a sweet or a glass of wine? Build it into your calories for the day. That's the beauty of counting calories. I am purchasing a new book that came out called "Cheat to Lose". The premise is building the cheat into the day. I'll let you know what I think when I read it!

So, there you have it. Some great ideas for a fresh start to the New Year! See you in a few days.

Happy New Year!

2007-09-04T12:36:00.000-04:00

I ask you, how is it possible that Labor Day was yesterday? I am sad that summer has passed so quickly and that my family did not get all our planned activities in, but you know what? I am ready for September.

In my life, New Year's Day is Labor Day, not January 1st! September has always been the opening month of my "New Year". I think it's from the years of school starting every September since kindergarten through college and beyond (new beginnings). Also, the last four months of the year are my favorites. I just love the Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving and the Christmas season. Could that have something to do with it? Whatever the reason, I am always ready to embark on a new "something", starting the day after Labor Day.

This year, I am ready to embark on re-claiming my body! Many of you know that my mother passed away in February and I have to say, it's effect on my life came as quite a surpise. I wouldn't say I was outwardly affected - although the 5-6 pounds I gained and cannot seem to get rid of, does fall into that category! (still blaming Mom!) But my inner self has had a subtle shift that I am unable to describe. That shift is responsible for, amongst other bad habits, out of control eating and not working out as regularly as I know I need to. Hence, an extra 5-6 pounds in places on my body, reminiscent of another chapter of my life.

So, that being said, the time has come to reclaim my former self. You are invited to follow me, through this blog, or better yet, join me, in battling back to reclaim your body or re-invent YOURSELF! Pretty heady stuff!

Afterall, it's the New Year! First thing I'm doing - starting this blog! Start date - today - the day after Labor Day of course!! What's next? Tune in later this week for my opinion on eating and how I am positive that it is the key to changing your body.