Exercise Myths...

Ok so I hope everyone is feeling more alive now that Spring is in full swing :) I personally always feel much more motivated to work out even harder this time of year- we're breaking out the shorts and the tank tops and it doesn't hurt to add a little tone to our bodies right? So here are some things I've learned over the years...

1) Don't be afraid of strength training- this is basically working out with weights. Many women don't want to bulk up so they steer clear of the free weight area of the gym. Let me assure you- unless you're bench pressing 200 I can guarantee that you will only tone your muscles not bulk up.

2) When we use free weights or the weight machines at the gym we are also building strength. And I know that it's sort of a myth that men should want to build up their muscles but i'm telling you ladies- wouldn't it be nice to not struggle carrying in the heavy groceries? At Kohls i'm always lifting heavy boxes and carrying around pounds and pounds of clothing (can i hear an amen misses girls?!) I have noticed a huge improvement since i've been working out my arms. I can lift more for longer periods of time. Which is crucial when you're at work!

3) The more muscle we have the more calories we burn at rest- i've probably said that a thousand times now but it's true. Wouldn't you prefer to burn 100 calories sitting on the couch as opposed to 25? Well the more muscle on your body, the more blood has to flow to keep those muscles getting oxygen. This burns more calories than fat because fat doesn't need any oxygen. Have you ever seen those women who work out all the time with big fat veins running down their arms? That happens after a lot of strength training- the muscles need that constant blood supply and so the veins get bigger!

4) Lastly, I never want you to think that if you don't look like Jillian Michaels or some of those other trainers out there that you're not good enough. HECK NO! Can i just say that I know a lot of you out there are much stronger than you think! You have so much energy in you and the more you channel that energy into staying healthy... the better you will look and most importantly the better you will FEEL.

So keep going at it girls! Fire up that inner motivation and channel your energy into this. It is so key to living a long health filled life. Try something new this week, maybe you want to get a workout video- Pick something you're interested in. I love kickboxing LOVE IT! Maybe you'll prefer dance or a Zumba DVD. There is so much out there, but just get moving!

You guys are doing an awesome job!

I just wanted to take my time to congratulate you on your success today. You all are making some sort of effort to improve your health. Even if it's just reading my blog and educating yourself- those seeds are now in you and believe it or not, you're applying them to your lives.

On that note of praise I want to remind you to reward yourselves for your victories. Say you work out once this week- you know what? That is great! You're getting some physical activity into your hectic crazy week and that is awesome! So reward yourself... I will say that rewarding yourself with food probably isn't the best route to take. Not that having an ice cream cone will kill you! But it's the patterns we create that hurt us in the end. This really applies to children. If they do a good job and we reward them with a candy bar, when they grow up they'll eat a lot of candy bars to get that same satisfaction they felt as a child when they did a good job. So obviously you guys aren't kids but how about some alternative rewards: For you moms out there I say give yourself 30 minutes of alone time!!!!! DO IT! I know you feel guilty but seriously you deserve some time to yourself!

How about your favorite cup of tea or coffee and a good book? That is always appealing to me. For a special occasion, plan a day out! I love going to Longwood Gardens in the Spring. It is a gorgeous garden that goes on for miles and when it's tulip season there are literally millions of them everywhere!!!

So reward yourselves this week- you're doing a good job, trying to stay active and aware of your health and I am so proud. Also for you CCC ladies Zumba starts next Tuesday I believe at 5:30 and it's only $5 per class. It's a really fun way to exercise because it combines dance with cardio that will get you moving but you'll have a fun time too!!!!

Walks are a beautiful thing...

Aren't walks on a sunny, warm, Spring day a glorious gift from God! Oh my, today I took a walk and can I just describe the beautiful sensation of all of my muscles working, my heart pumping, the Spring feeling pulsing through my body! Oh I just adore Spring.

I definitely encourage you to take a walk this week- it is supposed to be a glorious week! Psych yourself up for it. The lovely thing about walks is that there is NO PRESSURE! You can walk as fast or slow as you want, pump your arms like a march or not. I mean it is totally up to you how intense you want your walk to be. Some days you just need a light happy walk. Other days a strong arm pumping walk is amazing. I am pretty sure whatever walk you choose you will be able to experience those endorphins pulsing through your body.

If you recall: endorphins are those chemicals that our body releases that make us "feel good!" They are actually a mechanism we adapted to encourage our "fight or flight" responses. Our bodies were granted with adrenaline to make sure we could escape from predators and so forth. Consider endorphins as a reward for your hard work! They are a God given motivational prize :)

So this week the goal: Get outside and take a lovely walk- feel your body getting stronger and healthier. Another little factoid is that walking involves every muscle in your body when done correctly. If you pump your arms, stand up straight, and swing those legs with power you are working your arm muscles, abs, butt, and leg muscles! So go get em girls! :)

Don't let that number determine your mood!

Today I want to address the myth that your weight determines your health. FALSE! Did you know that muscle weighs more than fat? Ok so yes, we can still be overweight and have excess fat on us which we need to try and work on, BUT please don't let this number determine your mood!

I used to weigh myself everyday, sometimes twice a day. If I gained even half of a pound I would FREAK OUT! (Did you know that you can loose up to 3 pounds after a bowl movement?!? Crazy stuff huh?) Also I want to clarify what the B.M.I calculations mean to me. Most doctors use the Body Mass Index calculations to determine whether you are overweight or not. They plug in your height and weight and come up with a number... usually it ranges from 18-40 but what it fails to consider is body type. Let's face it, we are all sooo different. Some of us literally have bigger bone structures, others are born having more muscle on them. All of these factors contribute to your overall weight. So here's my take on the BMI: If your number says that you are overweight, consider it but don't let that discourage you! Make sure that you do your best to take care of yourself- FOR YOU! Not to make the numbers on the chart say you're in the healthy range.

One of my professors (who is a Nutritionist) told me that one of her sons came home from the doctor one day and was told he was "obese". Now this kid was husky- I'm talking all muscle and had a large bone structure. My prof thought this was such an absurd thing but all that the doctor did was a BMI test- he did nothing to determine how much muscle compared to fat the kid had! So stinking annoying! So if you're curious about your BMI you can go to www.Kraft.com and under the Healthy Eating section they have a BMI calculator. Enter your height and weight but REMEMBER don't let the numbers (whether they're on the scale or on your computer) rule your life!

Another point I would like to make is this: When you begin to loose weight, hopefully you're loosing fat pounds and not muscle pounds. When this happens at first you will notice the scale going down. After a while however, if you are exercising, even somewhat regularly compared to normal, you will begin to build muscle. As i mentioned earlier, muscle weighs more than fat so if the scale starts to go up again or if you notice no change but your measurements keep shrinking this is why. Now you know what to expect. It's called the plateau stage of weight loss and all that this means is that your "weight number" eventually reaches a holding place once you start to build those muscles! So this is a GOOD thing! Be happy, the more muscle we have, the more calories we burn at rest. Which means after a while, you don't have to work sooo hard to maintain your "happy weight". So good luck girls and keep your chin up- Don't let those numbers rule your day, Remember the good choices you made today. The BABY STEPS you took to becoming a healthier you!

Exercise Video (FINALLY!!!!!)

Hey everyone here is the promised video! The first part has the warm up and arm workout. The second part has the lower body workout and cool down. So just give it a try- if you can't get through the whole thing- no worries- We start where we start and we progress! It's ok to take breaks! And most importantly have fun!!!! :) It literally helps to smile, try it. When you're out of breath and feeling tired- SMILE! It helps alot! Good luck everyone!

Power Foods!!

Ok so update on the video: it issss coming it's just being a booger but my dad is going to help me soon!

Ok on to powerhouse foods! These are some special foods with amazing qualities: they're chocked full of fiber, vitamins and lots of other "make me feel full" qualities.

#1 Oatmeal: Oatmeal has soluble fiber which means that it helps your body absorb less cholesterol... There is good cholesterol and bad, the good stuff is the kind your body makes. Our bodies will make enough cholesterol as needed which means we really shouldn't have too much going into our bodies through the foods we eat. Therefore, soluble fiber, like oatmeal, is great because it blocks that cholesterol from entering our bodies!! Also any kind of fiber helps keep us full longer which is fabulous for beating the mid morning snack attack!

#2 Berries: Berries contain various different vitamins, the most common of which is vitamin C which most of us know as the Immune System vitamin. It really does help keep our bodies strong and healthy especially during cold season! But berries have also been proven to contain many cancer fighting agents. So why not?! They are low calorie and whether you buy them frozen or fresh they are lovely with a dust of sugar or splenda and some mint!!!

#3 Beans: Ok so beans have gotten a bad rap in the past because they tend to produce gasses in our bodies... haha. BUT beans are sooooo wonderful for your body too! They are full of protein, fiber, and if you need a way to stay full- go for the beans. Now baked beans are not the best choice, they have lots of added sugar and preservatives but black beans, kidney beans, lima beans, and garbanzo beans (chick peas) are amazing choices.

#4 Salmon: You'll hear me say it again and again but salmon is just one of those foods you've gotta try. Hopefully you'll love it as much as I do because it is definitely a power food! Besides being a lean protein (no fat), salmon packs in the Omega 3's, which are healthy fatty acids. I think before I mentioned the difference between good fats and bad- Omega 3's are the BEST fats you can put into your body. They help maintain healthy skin, a good digestive system, and keep things "flowing"! So this is a definite power food to keep in the house. You can buy frozen fillets that are packaged individually (already cleaned and ready to go!) so that they keep for a while.

#5 Leafy Greens: Now this includes dark salad greens, kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and spinach. These are power house foods for sure: they are full of Vitamin A, folic acid, and vitamin C. Broccoli is special in that it contains Calcium as well. They are also full of antioxidants which is awesome! Also have you ever noticed that after eating a lot of broccoli you feel full? This is again from the fiber- like carrots- these veggies really will fill you up. Also when choosing salad greens try to find the darkest green as possible. The lighter the lettuce, the less vitamins and minerals inside. That's why iceberg is like eating water- it's not bad for you it just doesn't do anything for you!

Well those are 5 starting points for power foods! Enjoy and remember to eat stuff you like- find healthy foods you enjoy eating and stick with it! Don't force yourself to down a bowl full of spinach if you hate it- you'll only end up reaching for the bag of chips later. Go for the baby step approach, remember small, reasonable goals that YOU CAN ACHIEVE!

Ok here is your exercise video...

So this video is not super long but it includes some of my favorites. I want you all to know how much I love you that I'd do a workout in front of a camera for all to see :) But i trust you won't make fun of me! So here you go- get ready to burn some fat, rev up your metabolism and GET MOVING!!! The first video is your intro, the second is the warm up, the third is ARMS and the fourth is legs/abs/ and cooldown!