Friday, March 23, 2012

No time to go to the gym? Short on time? Want to burn calories fast?

No time to go to the gym? Short on time? Want to burn some calories? Try this...... let me know how it goes for ya!

All you need is on set of dumbbells and your own body weight!

PUSH-UPS = 100

RENEGADE ROWS = 200

BODY WEIGHT SQUATS = 300

CRUNCHES = 400

Break it up into 5 sets if you would like- just get it done!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Healthy/ Low Calorie Desserts!

Just because you "eat clean" doesn't mean you have to suffer! 

When in the mood for something sweet- try these two tasty, low calorie, low carb. desserts! 

MILK SHAKE (without the fat!) 

1 cup skim milk
3-6 ice cubes
1t vanilla extract
1t Splenda or Stevia

-mix in blender until ice cubes are crushed - drink up- for only 90 calories!


Ricotta Cheese Chocolate Mousse 

1/2 cup fat free Ricotta Cheese
1t coco powder
1t Splenda or Stevia
mix together 

top with 12 chocolate chip morsels and 1T slivered almonds

Yum!  for only 200 calories

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

10 REASONS WHY WOMEN SHOULD LIFT WEIGHTS

The majority of women steer clear of the weight room  when they start an exercise program. They head straight for the cardio machines when they enter the gym because they " don't want to get too big". If you want to loss body fat and change the shape of your body- let me give you 10 reasons to limit your cardio and pick up some dumbbells!

10 REASONS TO PUMP SOME IRON:

#1 INCREASE STRENGTH: Strength training makes every day activities easier ( lifting boxes, groceries, your toddler).

#2 LOSE FAT: Each pound of muscle you gain can burn up to 50 extra calories per day and you can gain nearly 2 pounds of muscle in just 2 months by weight training just 2 days per week. Better still, you can lose 3.5 pounds of fat at the same time.

#3 NO BULKING: Research has shown that women DO NOT  typically gain bulk from strength training like men do because women produce 10-30 times less testosterone than men. You will however, define and tone your muscles!

#4 HEALTHY BONES: Research shows that weight training can improve your bone density by as much as 13% in just 6 months. This becomes crucial as women age to minimize the risk of osteoporosis.

#5 IMPROVES PERFORMANCE: Hitting the weights on a regular basis can improve your overall performance in sport, your workout and decrease your risk of injury.

#6 KEEP YOURSELF HEALTHY: You already know that strength training builds stronger muscles, but did you know that it increases joint stability by strengthening ligaments and tendons? Well it does. And strong joints help prevent injury and eases the pain of osteoarthritis.

#7 STRENGTHENS YOUR HEART: Weight training can keep your heart healthy by increasing your HDL(good) cholesterol and lowering both your LDL (bad) cholesterol and blood pressure.

#8 WARDS OFF TYPE 2 DIABETES: Research has shown that regular weight training can improve glucose utilization ( the way the body processes sugar) in the body by 23 % in just 4 months. This may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.

#9 AGE IS IRRELEVANT!!!!!!! : It doesn't matter how old you are, strength training improvements are possible at any age! It is never too late to start!

#10 KEEPS YOU SMILING: Working out with weights has been shown to improve a woman's self-confidence and can reduces the symptoms of clinical depression.

LIFT WEIGHTS TO STAY HEALTHY!
COMMIT TO BE FIT!!!!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Does it Really matter DIET I decide to do?

The best way to decide which diet is best for you is to know what makes each diet effective. Diets work because we eat fewer calories than we burn in a day.

The key to fat loss is to get your insulin levels down. This is very important due to the fact that insulin helps your body to store fat! When your insulin levels are high , fat stays put! When insulin drops, fat begins to burn!

Eating carbs, whether it is a baked potato or a bowl full of jelly-beans, is what triggers insulin release and helps push fat into your cells. This is the primary reason low-carb diets are so effective ( they lower insulin). If you can keep your intake to 25-35 grams per day your insulin levels will stay low and stored body fat will be burned throughout the day.

 Protein also helps boost metabolic rate. You should try to get 1/2 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day.

The goal in fat loss is to create a carb deficit. By working out daily you are burning through your carb stores and forcing your body to drop insulin levels and burn stored fat!

So , cut back on the carbs!

Most women need 2-4 servings per day to see fat loss
Most men- 4-6
1/2 cup = 1 serving of carbs: potatoes, rice, pasta, cereal, corn, peas
1 slice of bread = 1 serving