Complete Guide to Supplementation..What Do you Need?

With all of the information out there, supplementation can be a tricky topic.  Also keep in mind, there is a lot of MISINFORMATION that you need to avoid.  I am amazed when I go online and see some of the information I do about crazy recommendations that people make with no rhyme or reason to do so.  That being said, I am not a doctor and the information you read here you can choose or choose not to follow.  I am just sharing what has and is currently working for me, so take it for what it's worth.  I also read A LOT of peer-reviewed studies and texts about sport nutrition and supplementation and I personally would NEVER recommend any supplementation to someone that could be deemed unsafe.  On a side note, I usually don't recommend supplements that simply do nothing to your benefit either.

Realize this, just because a supplement says you get a certain amount of micronutrient from taking it, doesn't mean that it benefits you.  Some supplements may contain 1,000 mg of a given micronutrient but if you only absorb 600 mg then it isn't giving you the full benefit.  Many factors affect absorption so it is important that you utilize supplements appropriately and effectively.  Before starting any supplement, I would recommend you do some reading and consult a professional to make sure that you are safe.  In the best case scenario, you should get your blood tested to know exactly what nutrients you are deficient in and need to be supplemented.  And this could change every 6 months, so that is how often you want to get tested.  If you do not get your blood tested, know that what you supplementing is a compete GUESS at what your body needs.  So take that for what it is worth.

I always hear this:  "But I want to do it NATURALLY from food, I mean I don't want to put synthetics in my body."  Interestingly enough, the same people that say this are typically not in the best shape.  Ironic to me.  Personally, I know that it is damn near impossible to get all the micronutrients that your body needs for OPTIMAL health through food alone.  Sure, you could be healthy eating clean and consuming 8-10 cups of greens every day and timing your exercise and pre- and post-workout nutrition perfectly to include the exact balance of macronutrients to improve your health but who actually does this??  If you do, more power to you!  Supplementation can offer a great way to SUPPLEMENT your nutrition with micronutrients necessary for optimal health.  If you want to settle for average, that is fine.  But I prefer optimal.  

MY BIG 3:

1.  Protein

2.  BCAA's

3.  Fish oil

If you could only pick three supplements, these are the three I would pick.  This is assuming you take a multivitamin, which, if you don't, please step out of 1937 and join the rest of society.

This is one brand I recommend..very tasty!

Protein:  Type and quantity will depend on your goals and activity level.  As a general rule, if you are trying to lose weight (fat) and improve your body composition, you will want to stick with a whey protein isolate.  This type of protein is easily digested and utilized by the muscle.  A typical American diet is lacking in enough protein to support a lean composition leading to increased fat storage and muscle atrophy.  If you are kicking up your workouts in an attempt to lose weight, protein will help "spare" your muscle.  The LAST thing you want to do is lose muscle, as it is your body's primary mechanism for burning fat.  Check the label, make sure the FIRST ingredient is whey protein isolate.  If it is whey protein concentrate, or mixture, or anything but "whey protein isolate" then don't buy it.  These products should contain 24-30 g of protein per serving, with minimal carbohydrates or fat.  If weight gain is your goal, then carbohydrates and fat are less important.  Also, it may be advantageous to utilize a casein protein as it takes longer to digest and can stay in your system longer.  In either case, please, please, please do yourself a favor and do NOT buy your protein from Walmart.  Please, just don't. 

On a side note, with flavors like Double Rich Chocolate, Cookies N' Cream, Peanut Butter, Vanilla Bean....um hungry yet???  These can be a great whey (haha word puns) to kill a sweet tooth craving!

BCAA's:  This stands for branched chain amino acids.  For a quick science lesson, BCAA's are the building blocks of protein.  When you ingest protein, it must first be digested and broken down into amino acids.  When you ingest BCAA's, they are taken up directly at the muscle, to be metabolized for energy, recovery, and strength.  Essentially, BCAA's are fuel for the muscle.  They can also aid in satiety, which may be related to ingestion of more water.  BCAA's are available in capsule, liquid, and powder form.  Most people will prefer powder form (there are great fruity, sweet flavors to kill that sweet craving!) and you can sip on it.  Also, make sure that your BCAA's contribute minimal calories if you are trying to lose body fat.  Most are sweetened with artificial sweeteners so they won't have sugar content (everything in moderation).  Obviously, the more often and more intense you workout, the higher your requirements will be.  Most supplements will provide 5-10 grams of BCAA's.  The BCAA's leucine, isoleucine, and valine should be present in a 2:1:1 ratio.  So if your BCAA supplement contains 5 grams of BCAA's it should contain 2.5 g of leucine, 1.25 g of isoleucine, and 1.25 g of valine.  Without going into too much detail, know that many studies have confirmed this to be the best ratio because this is the ratio in which they are found in animal protein.  Leucine is a hot topic these days, with some of its major benefits including increased metabolic rate (fat burning), hunger blunting, and signaling the brain that amino acids are present in the blood (keeping your brain from switching to "starvation mode").  The best time to supplement BCAA's is upon waking, in between meals, pre-workout, post-workout, and just before bed.  Keep those muscles happy, they are YOUR BEST FRIEND!

Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega Oil:  3.2 g omega-3 oil per teaspoon (now that's bang for your buck!)

Fish Oil:  What I am really recommending here is Omega-3 fatty acids.  The primary omega-3 fatty acids in a fish oil supplement are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).  I understand why they abbreviate those!  These are precursors to eicosanoids, which have numerous positive health effects including decreased inflammation.  If you read any health magazine or articles, you know that inflammation is BAD.  The Western diet has become overridden with omega-6 consumption over omega-3.  An ideal diet has a higher ratio of omega-3 fatty acids over omega-6.  The benefits of omega-3 fatty acids include improved cardiovascular health, immune function, brain and cognitive function, joint mobility, healthy skin and hair, and eye health, among others.  Basically, this is my favorite supplement.  Oh, you have acne?  Take fish oil.  You have high cholesterol?  Take fish oil.  Your hair won't grow?  Take fish oil.  Trying to lose fat?  Take fish oil.  You get sick all the time?  Take fish oil.  Get the point? 

EPA and DHA are found in fatty fish such as tuna, salmon, and mackerel, but high intake of predatory fish could lead to ingestion of toxins such as mercury.  The majority of salmon consumed in the U.S. is farmed (never good in my humble opinion), hence fish oil supplementation.  Also note that fish oil supplements typically contain a much more concentrated amount of omega-3 oil than fish.  So when someone tells you, "I eat a lot of fish," this usually means they don't even know what type of fish has omega-3 oil and that they are not consuming near enough fish to equal your tiny little supplement that takes you 2 seconds to swallow so just smile and say, "Ok!"  That's what I do...

How much should you take?  You can safely consume 3 g of omega-3 oil per day.  Buyer beware:  A typical fish oil pill contains 1 g of fish oil, of which only about 300 mg of that pill is omega-3 fatty acids.  Again, I'm not a math major but it seems like I would have to take 10 pills a day to get my 3 g.  No thanks.  I prefer taking a high-quality oil.  You should find a fish oil that is at least 70% omega-3 fatty acids per dose (in prescription form this is known as Lovaza).  See the above picture for what I use.  If you absolutely can't do the oil, they also make pills. 

Other supplements:

Vitamin D3:  Benefits go waaaaay beyond bone health.  May be involved in body compositional change.  Intake is highly dependent on geography as your body produces from sun exposure.  But note this:  if you use sunscreen of SPF 8 or above, it can reduce your body's ability to synthesize vitamin D by up to 95%.  Again, blood test comes in handy here but you are safe to consume 1,000 to 4,000 IU per day.  It is a fat-soluble vitamin so it is best absorbed when consumed with fat.  Your body will also not produce vitamin D if your levels are sufficient, so no worries about "overdosing" through sun exposure (give your body some credit here, it is after all a highly evolved piece of machinery!).

Green Powder:  Most contain the nutrients equivalent to 8-10 cups of green veggies.  Not intended to replace your veggie intake, but to complement the nutrients lost through cooking.

Probiotics:  Take these to promote healthy digestion.  You can also get this through Greek yogurt, a natural source of healthy bacteria.

Magnesium:  A commonly looked over supplement, magnesium has a role in over 200 mechanisms of the body.  So you might want to consider it!  Important for bone and muscle health, it may aid in recovery.

Other supplements for training:

If you are participating in hard training more than 4 times per week, you may also consider these.

Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM:  This is for optimal joint health.  Many brands out there for this.  Reviews are mixed on results but I personally think it works.  I have had clients swear by it.

Creatine Monohydrate:  Creatine helps supply energy to the muscle by aiding in formation of the body's primary and initial source of energy, adenosine triphosphate (ATP).  Creatine monohydrate is the superior form of creatine to use over creatine ethyl ester or other forms.  Supplementing creatine will help you push out more reps during exercise, which will lead to improved lean body mass (more fat burning muscle).  Creatine is found in naturally in meat, but in no where near the amounts of a supplement.  Doses of 5-20 g daily have been demonstrated as safe.  Timing of intake is up for debate.  Personally, I would consume prior to exercise.  Creatine has a short half-life, and you will achieve peak blood concentration within 1-2 hours of consumption.  If your goal is to lift more and heavier, wouldn't you want to achieve peak concentration during your workout?  Thought to consider.  Contrary to popular (and unproven) belief, creatine supplementation does not cause water retention (or bloating).  What could cause water retention is eating more carbs after a hard workout because you were able to push harder...just sayin!

Glutamine:  Supplement for immune health.  Ever notice that when you go from not being very active to starting an exercise program, you get sick?  This may be due to the fact that your body utilizes more glutamine during exercise training.  Supplementation can aid your body in restoring glutamine levels after training.  You will not feel anything from this supplement, but you may not have as many sick days.  Some proteins include glutamine in their formulation for this reason.

Beta-alanine:  Used to increase carnosine in muscles, resulting in decreased fatigue and increased muscular work.  It is used as a pre-workout supplement.  This supplement may cause a "tingling" feeling that is desirable for some, but like any stimulant, as soon as your body adjusts it will take a higher and higher dose to achieve the feeling.

Thermogenics (AKA Fat Burners):  Use these with caution.  Most are a combination of caffeine and derivatives, green tea extract, L-Tyrosine, Yohimbe, and some used to contain ephedra.  Thermogenics are supplements intended to increase internal body temperature resulting in increased metabolic rate and heart rate so you burn more calories and lose fat.  Substances such as 1,3-dimethylamylamine (DMAA) are a hot topic right now as the FDA cracks down on what is deemed safe for use.  Originally intended for use as a nasal decongestant, it is now used as a pre-workout and in some countries as a "party drug" in extreme amounts.  Until products are taken off the shelf, these should be used with extreme caution because everyone will react uniquely to various products.  One thing we KNOW is safe, drink a cup or two of green tea every day to aid in fat burning!

Take home point:
Before you start putting anything in your body, DO YOUR RESEARCH.  Read up on what is in the product, and make sure it is safe AND effective.  The information is out there, but it may take some investigation on your part to make sure it will benefit you.

Butt Blasting Leg Workout and Thoughts on Caffeine..

The moment is finally here.  I have gotten several requests regarding specific workouts.  I decided I will do my best to let you in on at least a couple of my workouts each week.  Let's be honest, if I posted every single workout it would be exhausting and bombarding you with more information than you choose to care about!  So for this week I am posting my favorite workout of the week:  Heavy Leg Day.

Important to note:  Yes, I generally lead a low-carb lifestyle, with the source of nearly all of my carbohydrates being vegetables.  For this workout, my pre-workout meal about an hour before had some sweet potato and post-workout I had some greek yogurt and a small amount of oats.  As a rule of thumb, try not to consume fats around your workout, after all you want to BURN fat stores you already have so it wouldn't make much sense to put it in your system.

MY definition of good glutes..she is no skinny girl!

Heavy Leg Day:
Warmup - walking in the gym...hahahaha
Standing Hip Abductors - 4 sets, 20 reps (4x20)
Back Squats (rather DETAILED explanation of how I perform these) - 10 sets, 10x45 lb., 8x65, 6x85, 6x95, 6x115, 6x125, 6x125, 6x125, 6x125
Split Squats - 3 sets - 8x65, 6x75, 6x75
Side Step Ups - 3 sets, 10 reps with 30 barbell
Unilateral Leg Press - 3 sets, 8x50, 6x70, 6x90
Standing Calf Raise - 4 sets, 20 reps at 110
Glute Machine (Butt Blaster) - 3 sets, 10 reps
(45 minutes)

Cardio - 20 minute HIIT on stair master consisting of 1:20 work intervals at 1:1 ratio of work:rest. Work intervals at level 15 (of 20) and rest intervals at level 5.  Basically I gave the stair master a bath ;)
(20 minutes)

And in and out of the gym in a little over an hour.  Let me tell you it is now Thursday and I am STILL feeling Tight Tush Tuesday in my tush it IS quite the feeling.  I also have to note that this was a pretty light day for me weight wise because I had not hit legs that hard in a while so I did not want to push the weight.  That being said, when you feel like you are ready to push the weight hard for the 6-8 rep range make sure that you have built yourself up in the 10-15 rep range first.  The link I sent you to for the squat form is the Lab Gym in St. Louis, MO where I used to train.  He has a large collection of videos on You tube that you guys can check out for proper form on nearly every exercise (those worth doing at least!).  Do NOT trust the first link that pops up when you Google some random exercise.  I see some of the most ludicrous things in the gym on a daily basis and sometimes I have to cringe.

Caffeine:

Also a hot topic these days it seems.  This won't take long.  I used to be a caffeine junkie, I will admit.  I believe it is something that is WIDELY abused by the American public.  If you are using a pre-workout with caffeine in it (i.e. "fat-burner") it is not doing ANYTHING for you if you are consuming 2-3 cups of coffee a day.  And before you say, "But I only have 1 cup of coffee a day."  Let me remind you the 1 cup of coffee is defined as about 8 oz. so next time you might want to measure the amount you put in your jumbo mug.  You know who you are.  In any case, it might be wise to switch to decaffeinated so that when you utilize caffeine as a pre-workout stimulant, you actually feel the effects and it can improve your workout.  I only use caffeine when I absolutely need to and the results have been great.  I take in about 50-70 mg pre-workout and I can feel the effects now.  Before, when I was consuming 200-250 mg of caffeine a day I would have felt nothing off of 50-70 mg.  Like any stimulant, you will need to cycle it every 2-3 weeks if you want to keep feeling the effect.  Otherwise you will continue to increase more and more caffeine until it has no effect on you at all.

Tip:  Gradually lower your caffeine to reduce withdrawal effects by using "half-caf" coffee, pouring half cup of coffee and half water, or switching to green tea (usually around 20-30 mg of caffeine in one cup compared to 80-100 mg in coffee).  Comprehensive list of caffeine in various drinks here.  Also, VERY interesting to note for all you Starbucks junkies.  Pay particular attention to paragraph 3.  I mean wow!!

That's all for now, time for some cardio.  One simple YES could change your life forever..

HIIT Cardio: Maximize Your Fat Burn

Let's explore a little further...what is HIIT?  How long?  What intensity?  Why should I do it?

What is HIIT:
I have answered before what HIIT is but to refresh:  High Intensity Interval Training.  Before you scoff and say "I can't do HIGH INTENSITY I am just a beginner," hear me out.  This type of cardio can be done by anyone because it is based on your individual tolerance.  I recommend that you get yourself an inexpensive heart rate monitor and use that to track your progress unless you are one of those freaks like me who judges based on feeling like throwing up!

Duration:
You only need 20-30 minutes to perform you intervals.  They will be short in duration, with each interval lasting approximately 60-90 seconds.  You can alternate work intervals and rest periods until you reach your total time.  The rest period should be long enough for your heart rate to return to 60-75% of your max heart rate or in simple terms, you become "conversational" again.  If you still feel like you can't talk then your heart hasn't recovered enough.  TIP:  Make sure you have some motivational music on for those work intervals to get you really moving!

Mode:
Many have asked what is the best machine for me to use for cardio?  Well the answer is there is no answer.  You can perform HIIT cardio machines such as the elliptical, treadmill, spinning bike, stair mill, or stair stepper, or you can also swim or do sprints outside.  No matter your preference of mode of exercise, you should be able to perform HIIT cardio.  As long as you are taking your heart rate up for a period of time and then letting it recover, you are doing it.  Many bootcamps are run as a HIIT cardio type of routine (and you could argue P90X and Insanity are variations of HIIT).

I like to do HIIT on the elliptical that has the arm movement incorporated so I use my total body.  In the following picture you can see my calorie burn in only 25 minutes.  I set the resistance to 10 (out of 20) and used the intervals on a program to keep track of time.  I alternated 1 minute of work with 1 minute of rest for 20 minutes with a 2.5 minute warmup and cooldown.  On the work minutes I kept the RPM around 85-90 (bustin it!) and on the rest I just tried to keep moving.

25 minute HIIT on elliptical calorie burn

Finally, I wanted to show you all my breakfast today.  I am switching things up a bit and trying organic wheat bran in the morning instead of oats.  It will take some getting used to (I love oats!) but let me give you some reasoning.

Organic Wheat Bran (1/2 cup):  20 g carb (14 g fiber), 0 g fat, 4 g protein, 60 kcal

Whole Grain Oats (1/2 cup):  27 g carb (4 g fiber), 2.5 g fat, 5 g protein, 150 kcal

You could also sub an oat bran as well.  Consider switching to an organic bran over the "whole grain." Basically you are getting the part of the grain that contains the best source of insoluble fiber.  Insoluble fiber is good for keeping the digestive system working properly and giving you the extra "roughage" you need.  I would say that most out there are not taking in enough fiber, so this is a great way to up your intake.

Here is my breakfast:

1/2 cup Organic Wheat Bran (cooked with water)

1 packet Truvia

1/2 Tbs. 100% natural cacao

1 scoop whey protein (peanut butter flavor)

Dunkin' Donuts French Vanilla roast with 1 packet Truvia...delish!

Gets my day started right and kills the chocolate craving!

Keep the comments coming because they fuel the content!  I love to hear what you guys think.  One simple YES could change your life forever..

Real Life RESULTS

Finally convinced my client Markita to give me some before photos.  She was even blown away by her transformation!  Just to give you a little background, when I first met her she was very reluctant about trusting me.  I mean what do I know I just have a couple degrees, a couple certs, and years of experience..pshhh..  Ok enough kidding around.  She followed my advice for nutrition and this is the result of working with me on NUTRITION ALONE.  I repeat, we have not trained a session together. We are going to start very soon, I just had to get some pounds off her to get her to trust me :)

But we are getting there...

Hard work pays off.  Remember one simple YES could change your life forever..

Breakfast and P90X..

I felt the need to address this little number due to increased feedback. Let me say this right up front..IF YOU EMAIL ME YOUR QUESTIONS YOU WILL SEE THESE TOPICS IN THE BLOG. I may not be able to follow up with everyone instantly on an individual basis but I do take into account your feedback and most importantly I AM LISTENING. Take note that is all a girl wants..to be listened to right?!

 Let's start with breakfast. It's in the name and it needs to happen fast, I get it. But please, don't skip it. It is true what they say about breakfast and you NEED to be eating it. I can't emphasize enough. For those of you wondering what my breakfast often consists of I will share it with you now. I have this with my green tea every morning. Don't cringe..

 All Mixed Together:
1/4 cup oats (not instant)
1 scoop isolated whey protein (peanut butter flavor)
1/4 cup blueberries

This is the chocolate version of some great-tasting whey protein

It is the perfect blend of carbs and protein. Best part is that it tastes GREAT. My favorite is the peanut butter flavor, but you could also use chocolate (duh!) or vanilla for some great tasting oats.  With the protein there is no need for artificial sweetener or sugar. One important note to consider is that you microwave the oats with water (how much depends on the consistency you desire) and then add the protein AFTER YOU HAVE MICROWAVED THE OATS. Do not microwave protein, just don't.

AKA Glorified Cardio

Moving on to P90X/P90X2/Insanity/Whatever they are calling it these days.  Many, many, many people ask me which of these programs they should be doing and which one is the best bang for the buck, etc.  I have to be honest, all these programs look exactly the same to me.  Do they work?  Of course they work, it is glorified cardio!  The truth is this:  I would seek out a local trainer running a bootcamp and sign up immediately.  Find a reputable trainer with good reviews and a solid base.  Most bootcamps run anywhere from $10-$30 per class and could be less expensive in the long run than continuously buying the newest, latest "fad workout trend."  If you could spend $150 for absolutely no results but add a DVD that is no fun to watch to your collection or $300 for results that last a lifetime what would you do?  Duh, no brainer.  I may be a little biased be it that I am a trainer but here is why you should take my advice:

ACCOUNTABILITY, ACCOUNTABILITY, ACCOUNTABILITY!!!!!!!

I can't emphasize enough.  If I go into your home and see P90X, P90X2, and Insanity in your DVD collection I have to wonder, why do you keep buying these workout programs if they don't work?  And why don't they work for you?  Simple. BECAUSE YOU DON'T DO IT.  Or you don't do it right, often enough, or you don't fuel right.  Come on admit it, you may think you do it...but really? REALLY?  Those working with a trainer are 200% more likely to reach their goals do to accountability and consistency.  Commit to a few months of a bootcamp over a few months of "maybe you will pop in the DVD after a long day at work but probably not."  Guarantee you that if you pay for that trainer then you are going to those bootcamps and you are getting results.

Be sure when you look for a trainer you type in a google or bing search for "personal fitness trainer" or "bootcamp" in your local area and DO YOUR RESEARCH.  Make sure the professional you choose is certified and reputable.

Put it this way, I would rather have my clients who do not live close to me anymore working with a trainer over buying a workout program from me or using P90X.  Why?  Because I know that client will continue to get results.  That is what it is all about people.  As always remember, one simple YES could change your life forever..

All About Cardioooooooo

I have some time to kill at the airport so I thought I would answer a question I often get from clients..

Liz, what should i do for cardio?

?????

There a couple different options for you.  First let me reiterate that you SHOULD BE LIFTING WEIGHTS.  Any questions about what is the best exercise for fat loss should see earlier post "Cardio or Weight Training???" but just I will save you some reading and say WEIGHT TRAINING.  But yes cardiovascular training otherwise known as moving, cardioooooo, or taking the stairs is important for cardiovascular health, endurance, and maintaining stamina as you age (hint, hint).

He needs to work on those chicken legs!

There are three main points I want to make about cardio, an emphasis on intensity, duration, and frequency.  Mode of exercise is much, much less important than many so called "fitness gurus" make it out to be.  You should perform the type of exercise that you enjoy doing, otherwise the odds of you doing it are pretty slim.  If you enjoy walking, you should walk not run.  If you enjoy a spin bike, you should spin not run.  Not that have anything against running, just that most people absolutely destroy their body by overtraining.  If you are interested in a more specific running program, message me directly.  That's all the time I will spend on that.

There are two paths you can take.  You can go low intensity or high.  If you choose low, that is fine but it will impact your duration.  I define low intensity as exercise during which you break a sweat but you are still able to have a conversation.  For most people, this will be about 50-65% of your heart rate max (220-age).  My low intensity exercise consists of walking on the treadmill at full incline and speed 2.5-3 mph for 45-60 minutes.  I do the incline to emphasize the glutes but for many beginners this incline might kick you into a moderate intensity so find a good baseline and work your way up.

My favorite image that describes why moderate training is NOT a good way to exercise:

Moderate intensity vs. HIIT

If you choose high intensity, you best bet will be high intensity interval training (otherwise known as HIIT).  HIIT consists of short, high intensity bursts of activity followed by rest periods.  You can achieve this in a number of modes of exercise.  Often people get caught up in thinking sprints are the only way you can achieve HIIT, but this is not the case.  You can perform interval training while swimming, cycling, or even performing short circuit exercises such as burpees (AKA updowns or get in push up position then stand up and jump).  For beginners, start out with a 20 second interval followed by a 1 minute rest.  You should aim for 20 minutes of interval training when you first start out and you may build up to 30 minutes.  The best part about interval training?  You can do it in your living room.  If you need a burpee tutorial call me and we will set that up!

For duration, you should perform low intensity for a minimum of 30 minutes.  The reason is that you want to get into fat-burning mode and it takes longer.  Your best bet is to build up to 45-60 minutes of low intensity cardio.  For HIIT, you can get great workouts in only 20 minutes.  HIIT should be performed no more than twice per week unless you are an athlete training for a specific event.  I know the Olympics are coming up, but don't get any crazy ideas and get hurt because that will only kill your fitness goals.

One more point I want to make about timing.  If it is possible, perform your low intensity cardio in the morning upon waking BEFORE BREAKFAST.  The reason is this:  get your body burning fat and activate the metabolism right when you wake up.  Do NOT do HIIT before breakfast.  Your body cannot handle high intensity exercise without being properly fueled but you should be able to handle low intensity on the stores you have.  If you don't have time to go to the gym then power walk the dog for 30 minutes.  You both will benefit.  And if you don't want to wake up 30 minutes earlier than normal you should analyze how important your goals are.  Try to wait 30 minutes after you exercise to eat breakfast.  Walk the dog, get ready for work/school, then eat your healthy breakfast and you will be ready to tackle the day and be well on your way to hitting your goal.

In summary, your weekly cardio might look something like this:

Monday: Incline Treadmill 30 minutes AM
Tuesday: HIIT on the bike 20 minutes PM
Wednesday: Walking outside 30 minutes AM
Thursday: HIIT (burpees, jumping jacks, squats) PM - in the your living room
Friday: Walking stairs 30 minutes PM
Saturday: staying active
Sunday: staying active


It may not seem like a lot of cardio to some of you that have been told you need to kill it every day for hours upon hours.  If you follow a clean, healthy diet and lift weights you will not need to do obscene amounts of cardio to lose weight.


One simple YES could change your life forever..

FOR WOMEN ONLY! Men Have Been Warned...

Annnnnnnnnnndddddd I'm BACK!  Whew thanks again Apple for being the absolute best company in the world and saving my laptop :)

Men have been warned, this post pertains to women!  Although if you are smart, you might continue reading and gain some very useful insight that might save your life one day...

In light of some recent requests and speaking with women in my life, I have come to the conclusion that many sources of information regarding health and fitness ignore a topic that should be covered.  Maybe it is due to more men writing fitness articles than women, but I am going to go out on that limb and talk about all kinds of controversial topics so here we go.  Periods, menstrual cycles, mother nature, that "time of the month," or whatever you want to call it.  Let's just get it out in the open.  We (women) all have them, at least most of us do.  The reason I bring it up is that often it affects workouts with female clients and I know there are those of you out there who just can't workout for 3-5 days every month.

First, make every effort you can to continue to get moving and get your workouts in.  The key here is increasing BLOODFLOW.  Which, now that I type it, may seem counterproductive but let me explain. When you lay on the couch in the fetal position because you feel like your insides are being ripped out of your body, all you can feel is the pain.  If you can bring yourself to take the dog for a walk, your internal bloodflow will begin to redirect to working muscles, and also your uterus.  This sets off a cascade of effects resulting in released "good feeling" endorphins, reduced cramps, and elevated mood. If your mood and fatigue improve, then so will everyone else's in your life..

I do realize that some of you girls reading this may think there is no way you can exercise.  The pain is just too intense.  For this, I am going to suggest a different remedy.  There does exist a solution to the inconvenience of a heavy menstrual flow and/or cramping.  This remedy is not coming from a doctor and I recommend anyone to consult their physician before trying any new vitamins or supplements.  In other words, I am just sharing what works for me!

As most of you know, I do take a number of vitamins daily to improve my health and workouts, and supplement my diet.  However, on the first day of the month that I feel symptoms start, I start a specific vitamin cocktail that saves my butt and allows me to keep rocking my workouts.  I take this one time a day for the duration of the cycle (usually 4-6 days).

-------******** I AM NOT A DOCTOR! ******** ---------

WOMEN'S MONTHLY COCKTAIL:
200 IU Vitamin E
8000 IU Vitamin A
50 mg Zinc
18 mg Iron (note: I always take 18 mg of iron daily but I take an additional one with the cocktail)

-------******** THIS IS NOT A PRESCRIPTION! *******-----------
-------******** INSERT OTHER DISCLAIMER HERE!******------

Now, I am going to give credit where credit is due.  My client Angel gave me the tip of taking these vitamins TOGETHER.  I was taking zinc, iron, and E but not together and vitamin A only occasionally.  Please, please, please be careful with vitamin A as it is very toxic when taken for a long duration.  Vitamin E and A are both fat-soluble vitamins, meaning that the are not excreted through water-soluble means such as urine and can build up in the body quickly.  So as soon as you are done with your monthly cycle, I recommend you go back to your regularly scheduled vitamins.  I also take other vitamins and I continue with those like normal.

All things considered, I encourage you to give a shot and see if it helps you out.  The more excuses you can eliminate for getting your workouts in the better!  Remember, one simple YES could change your life forever..

For more info on VITAMINS:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/vitamins.html