Get The Skinny On Gluten-Free!!!!

As the popularity of the gluten-free diet grows, so does the waistline of those who follow it. Gluten is a protein found in grains, such as wheat, rye and barley just to name a few. Many of my personal training clients have informed me that they have heard of the gluten-free diet used as a weight loss tool. However, these gluten-free foods tend to be higher in calories and fat and therefore less suitable for weight loss than regular, wheat-based foods. For instance many of the products that are gluten-free have more calories in them. Potato chips are gluten-free but are still a terrible choice for a snack.

When compared common gluten-free products such as bread, snacks, cookies and cakes generally have the same number of calories, fat and carbs as their gluten-filled counterparts. Individuals in hopes of seeing a smaller waistline must know that kicking the gluten and turning to gluten-free products is not necessarily the way to go. In some cases, gluten-free products have more calories because of the added sugar.

Consuming gluten-free products can actually result in deficiencies. Whole grains infuse much-needed fiber. Sometimes gluten-free diets result in fewer amino acids, B vitamins and iron. While gluten-free foods are essential to people suffering from Celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that damages the lining of the small intestine when gluten is consumed, there is no real health benefits for the rest of us.

Get the skinny on gluten-free diets before you fall victim of the gluten-free craze. Gluten-free doesn’t mean guilt-free and remember to always proceed with caution when you see products boast they’re free of something, whether fat-free, sugar-free or gluten-free, for they often have extras added to make them more palatable, extra sugar or even salt. Follow a balanced diet with fruits, vegetables, nuts, and lean meats, which are naturally gluten-free.

For more information on gluten-free diets or if you’re looking to improve your health, lose weight, build strength, or if you’re frustrated with your current level of fitness and looking to hire a personal trainer, contact us.

3 Exercises To Help You Build Bigger Shoulders

Round shapely shoulders are sought after by everybody nowadays.  You see actors and actresses hiring personal trainers in the months leading up to a movie role in order to look defined and fit for the camera. Broadening out up top gives you the appearance of a slimmer waistline and that sought after V-shape. However, because of all of the conflicting information out there, building bigger shoulders would seem like a bigger task than getting Donald Trump to reveal his tax returns.  Well, look no further. Here are three exercises that I have used from the beginning to help me build some coconut sized deltoids and they will definitely work for you.

1. Seated Side Laterals: The seated lateral raise particularly targets the side deltoid head of the shoulders.

A. Grab a set of dumbbells and sit upright on a flat bench. Allow your arms to hang down by your sides with your palms facing towards each other.

B. Maintaining a slight bend in your elbows, raise your arms out to the side until they are parallel with the ground. Pause, and then slowly return the weight back to the starting position.

2. Bent Over Lateral Raise: The bent over lateral raise is an isolating exercise that targets the rear deltoid head and develops strength and density throughout the shoulder region.

A. Grab a set of dumbbells and allow your arms to hang down by your sides with your palms facing towards each other. Keeping your spine flat, bend your torso over until your chest is nearly parallel with the ground.

B. Maintaining a slight bend in the elbows, raise your arms out to the side until they are parallel with the ground. Pause, and then slowly return the weight back to the starting position. (Make sure to contract the shoulder blades together at top of movement. Keep the upper torso stationary as you lift weights to the sides of upper body.)

3. Shoulder Press:

The shoulder press targets all three of the heads of the deltoid. The front, side, and rear heads.

A. Grab a pair of dumbbells, sitting on the edge of a bench, place dumbbells on your knees.

B. Raise the dumbbells to your shoulders.

C. Gripping the dumbbells firmly, press them overhead until your elbows are completely locked out. Pause, and then slowly lower the weight back to the starting position.

(Avoid lowering the dumbbells too far. Once they have reached your collarbone, press them back overhead.)

For more information on building your shoulders, strength training, improving your physique, or if you’re frustrated with your current level of fitness and looking to hire a personal trainer, contact us.

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3 Tips To Staying Fit In The Fall!!!

Does anyone else feel as though this summer just flew by way too quickly? All of a sudden we are approaching the last week of August and as our days get shorter and the weather turns colder, it sure is easy to get into hibernation mode. You find yourself wanting to eat heavier foods (and more of them) in the fall/winter relative to the spring/summer months. Some even find it harder to exercise, as it gets darker and colder. Do not fall victim of the fall fifteen or the winter weight gain. I tell my personal training clients to be proactive and keep their healthy behaviors of the summer consistent in the winter by following these three tips.

• Do not give in to temptation. Of course we want to eat more and exercise less during the winter compared to the summer months. Who doesn’t? However, just because you want to eat comfort foods and be a couch potato doesn’t mean you should do so. If you want to maintain good health and maintain your fitness level that you worked so hard to achieve, you really can’t just do what you feel like doing. Additionally, you can’t always depend on willpower either since it is highly unreliable. You really need to structure your environment in a positive way in order to maximize healthy eating and exercise during the most challenging times of the year. Find a personal trainer, keep problematic foods out of the house, have an exercise partner, get a large dog that needs lots of walking, and so forth.
• Be Proactive Not Reactive. When faced with exercise and diet decisions in the fall you really want to be proactive and not reactive. You really can’t just wing it. You have to think through how you are going to structure your time, working, exercising, meal planning in such a way that maximizes healthy decisions. Devise a plan, how you will exercise and eat during those challenging moments. Having a reasonable exercise game plan for rain, snow, cold, and darkness is critical. Having a reasonable game plan for wanting to eat high fat and high calorie rich foods is also imperative (especially once we get to the winter holidays).
• Don’t Do It Alone. It is a lot easier to maintain good habits if you have support and corrective feedback from others with similar goals. Maintaining a good diet and exercise plan during the fall and winter is a lot easier if you are reporting in to someone or trying to do it with others.

So, as we now enter fall don’t let your health and fitness gains made during the spring and summer atrophy. For more tips on strength training, healthy lifestyle, and eating healthy, or if you’re just frustrated with your current level of fitness, contact us.

5 Tips To Improve Your Squat

1. Keep You Weight In Your Heels!!

Make sure to keep your weight in your heels to keep you balanced. This also allows you to generate lots of force and activates the big larger posterior muscles, including your glutes, hamstrings, calves and spinal erectors. Not to mention it helps eliminate pressure on the knees.

2. Push Your Hips Back As You squat.

Pushing your hips back first, to initiate the squat, will help keep your weight on your heels as well as assist in keeping the rest of your body properly aligned. Make sure you’re pushing your hips back, not just to initiate the squat, but throughout the entire movement. If your knees are drifting forward as you get close to parallel, then this should be an area of focus.

3. Push Your Knees Slightly Outward.

When squatting with the proper form, you want your knees aligned over your toes. By pushing your knees slightly outward, you’re preventing them from collapsing inward. This protects your knees and engages more muscles in your hips.

4. Posture Up…..Don’t Slouch!!!!

Keep your chest up! Holding your chest up and out, shoulders back, will help you control the weight and prevent your lower back from bearing the weight.

5. How Low Can You Comfortably Go?

In order to get the most out of your squat, I recommend going down to the point your thighs are roughly parallel to the floor.  Although some strength training athletes prefer to squat below parallel.  When squatting below parallel, the knees are not holding the pressure of the weight and the leg muscles are engaged as they start doing the work. Aim to crease the hips below the knees when descending to the bottom of the squat.

For more information on proper form when strength training or if you’re looking to improve your physique, lose weight, build strength, or if you’re frustrated with your current level of fitness and looking to hire a personal trainer, contact us.

Avoid Vacation Weight Gain!!!

Is it possible to indulge in your favorite foods and beverages while on vacation and not return home tipping the scale in the undesired direction? It’s all too easy to abandon our healthy eating habits and let our fitness goals fall by the wayside. However, maintaining your weight while on vacation and still enjoying yourself is a realistic goal. So before you order that extra pina colada at the poolside, consider these 4 simple strategies to avoid that diet-derailing vacation.

1. Stay active and Plan Ahead to Fit in Fitness It is almost impossible to find a hotel that does not have some sort of gym or fitness center. Plan to start your day with at least 30 minutes of time well spent or plan activities that will keep you active since keeping your 5:00 AM gym routine doesn’t quite fit in to the vacation mindset. Remember, physical activity is the ticket to enjoying extra calories without weight gain.

2. Plan your indulgences It just wouldn’t be a real vacation without at least a few indulgences, right? You’re on vacation, go ahead and indulge. However, this does not entitle you to go hog wild and put anything and everything in to your mouth. Be prepared with healthy foods so you won’t have to eat whatever is available. Start the day with a nutritious breakfast followed by easy and satisfying snacks or small meals, such as a protein bars or shakes, almonds, vegetables, etc. Stick to your regular eating schedule so you are less likely to be tempted to eat high-calorie snacks and treats due to starvation from skipped meals.

3. Avoid Dining-Out Disasters When visiting those unique restaurants it can be a mystery as to how your food is prepared. To ensure it is prepared in a healthful manner, ask questions and make special requests. The key is to order simple prepared foods, such as baked, broiled, or grilled meats and fish. Avoid fried, crispy, or creamy foods. Skip extras such as cheese and mayo and top salads with low-fat dressings. Choose no calorie drinks. These are simple things that can shave calories and make room for special treats and desserts.

4. When available…. choose the Suite. When hotel hunting, select a hotel with a refrigerator and kitchenette. This will allow you to enjoy healthy meals and save not only a few bucks, but also calories for those dining out meals. Not to mention, visiting a local grocery store for healthy foods to cook up with your family can be fun.

Vacations should be an opportunity to re-energize, refresh, and relax – not an excuse to take a break from health. For more information on staving off the dreaded vacation-induced weight gain, how to lose body fat, build muscle, or if you’re frustrated with your current level of fitness contact us.

Best Diet To Banish Belly Fat??

Many of my personal training clients come to me and tell me about the latest and greatest diets they have been following, the low carb diet, the high fat diet, their friend’s sister’s mother’s diet. I’ve heard it all. If one of these diets captured your attention and you’ve fallen victim to the fad diet craze, you have plenty of company. Let me guess…you have had very little success if any at all. Well guess what! You are headed in the right direction just by reading this. Let me start by stating the facts…..

It is impossible to stay on these deprivation diets and meet your fitness goals. Now if you did actually lose some weight and were reaping the benefits of your new quick weight-loss plan, did the pounds stay off once you returned to your usual way of eating? Fad diets are not the best route to take if you are looking to keep off weight long term and have that lean healthy body. Not to mention, many fad diets fail to meet the nutritional needs of most people. Just as a car needs the proper gasoline to make it run, a body needs a healthy diet to develop properly. That means the right balance of protein, carbohydrates, fiber and fats.

So what does work? The best diet is not a diet at all but a lifestyle that can be just within your reach and, simple to follow. A regimen that includes a meal plan with foods you enjoy, exercise, and healthy habits designed specifically for you and your body will bring you the results you are looking for. Now keep in mind, your plan will also depend on your fitness goals and change depending on what exactly it is you’re trying to accomplish.

To wean yourself from fad dieting and shed those unwanted pounds and keep them off, or for more tips on fitness, health, and wellness, contact us.

Will Eating Late at Night Make You Gain Weight?

There seems to be a misconception that eating at night, say after 6:00 PM, will result in weight gain. However, the conventional wisdom today is that a calorie is a calorie, regardless of when you eat it. What causes weight gain is simply what it is that you are eating and eating more calories than you burn.

Those individuals who eat at night out of habit, boredom, or simply to satisfy cravings are more likely to pack on those extra pounds. Rather than after-dinner snacking, which has a tendency to be uncontrolled, a planned meal consisting mostly of protein should be consumed before bedtime. Consuming a source of protein prior to bedtime is intended to keep your metabolism elevated while you sleep. Protein consists of amino acids that work to prevent muscle breakdown from occurring through the night while you sleep. The nutrients that you have consumed at your 6 PM dinner have been broken down and absorbed by the time you turn in for the night. Proteins are essential for muscle development and replenishment of broken down muscle fibers during intense workouts. We all know that the more muscle we carry the faster our metabolism works and the more fat and calories we burn.

Aim for lean protein sources prior to bed such as chicken breast, egg whites, lean ground turkey or white fish. You could also do a protein shake which is easy and can assist in the stabilization of your blood sugar levels, as well as prevent overeating and cravings. I provide my personal training clients with a variety of protein options that fit their needs and help them reach their fitness goals.

There are a variety of sources when it comes to protein powder such as whey, whey-isolate and casein protein. For more information on good eating habits, proper exercise technique, losing body fat,  or if you’re just frustrated with your current level of fitness and have been thinking about hiring a personal trainer, contact us.

Strength Training Or Cardio…Which Shall I Do First???

A question commonly asked by my personal training clients is which should I do first…weights or cardio? With such diversity, different lifestyles, goals, and body types, there isn’t one universal prescription for everyone. However, in most cases I recommend you begin your workout with weights and strength training in order to get the most benefit from your time in the gym.  And these are the reasons why.

To achieve optimum results and fat loss, your body needs to utilize your stored fat as fuel. In order to do this, you must burn off your glycogen stores first(your body will always preferentially use glycogen for energy before using stored body fat). When you weight-train, your body preferentially uses glycogen as fuel. By doing weight-training first, you can burn the majority of your glycogen stores, then by the time you get to the treadmill or cardio machine of your choice,  your body will be primed to use stored body fat for energy. Another reason to do weight training before cardio is your body continues to burn calories up to 48 hours after an intense weight training session. The reason for this is your body needs energy to rebuild the muscle fibers that were broken down during strength training, which occurs at a much higher rate after intense weight-training than after cardiovascular training; that’s why it’s important not to ignore weight training and put all your effort into your cardio like many women do.

Now let’s just say you decided to do your cardio before lifting. Your muscle glycogen, the energy your body would preferentially use for strength training, gets used up during your cardio session.  Then you finish your cardio and start your workout and find out that you feel weak and do not have the strength to lift your usual poundages. And we all know, the more muscle mass you carry, the more calories and fat you burn in general. That means more calories burned, not just in the gym, but after your cool-down, too. Knocking out your cardio after strength training will burn more fat! 

For more information on the most effective way to spend your time in the gym, how to lose body fat, how to build muscle, or if you’re frustrated with your current level of fitness and have been thinking about hiring a personal trainer, contact us.

3 Reasons Women Should Strength Train

If I had a dollar for every time I heard, “I don’t want to build bulky muscles” from one of my female personal training clients, I would be richer than Donald Trump. If you avoid incorporating weights into your workout regimen because you’re afraid of getting “bulky,” then you’re dismissing one of the best fat-burning methods around.

Many women believe that the only way to lose weight and burn fat is to do cardio. Cardiovascular exercise is important for good health, but it’s only a small part of the equation No disrespect to cardio, but if you want to blast fat, and get in the best shape ever, strength training is the way to go.

• Blast More Fat…..Burn More Calories

“I don’t want to be bulky or add size.” Many women won’t even consider weightlifting for they believe it to be a means to add size. When compared to cardiovascular exercise, strength training comes out on top in the battle to burn calories and stored fat and not just through the duration of your strength training session but long after. Simple muscle contractions from a simple blink of an eye to a heavy squat contribute to how many calories you burn in a given day. The more muscle contractions you experience during a day, the more calories you’ll torch. Carrying more lean muscle mass results in muscle contractions and thus more calories burned.

2.  Improved Bone Health!

As we grow older and wiser, losing both bone and muscle mass puts us at risk for osteoporosis. This raises a higher concern for women due to the fact that the body no longer secretes the same amount of estrogen. Strength training is an excellent way to defeat the loss of bone mass, which then decreases the risk of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis and osteopenia are becoming more and more common in females of all ages, which can likely be attributed to physical inactivity and a lack of load-bearing exercises. Low bone mass is a major risk factor for fractures in females, and one of the most effective ways to reverse degeneration of bones is to consistently train with weights; So ladies, time to revamp your plan and lift some weights!!!

3. Healthy Heart, Increased Insulin Sensitivity

The most important muscle in our body…..the heart! Most of my female personal training clients assume that cardio is the most effective way to train the heart and improve those blood lipid profiles. Cardio is important. However, combining cardio with weight training actually has been shown to be much more effective. Not only does incorporating strength training into your workout regimen reduce the bad cholesterol (LDL), it elevates the levels of good cholesterol. Last but not least, strength training is one of the most effective ways to increase insulin sensitivity. This means your body efficiently at utilizes carbohydrates for energy and assists the muscle-building process, as opposed to storing them and then being converted to fat.

For more information on the benefits of strength training or if you’re looking to improve your body fat composition, lose weight, build strength, or if you’re frustrated with your current level of fitness and looking to hire a personal trainer, contact us.

3 Reasons You Are NOT Losing Weight

With summer quickly approaching, many of you are looking to drop a few pounds and get into better shape. Maybe you want to get into that two piece bikini, or wear that pair of shorts you bought a year ago but have always been too insecure to wear, or maybe you want to break out that fitted tank top you recently bought.  Whatever your motivation, we all have a reason to follow our diet and keep up with our strength training and cardio routine .  However, all too often I see individuals who become frustrated with their weight loss process due to the fact that they are not seeing the expected results. You too may be making one of the following mistakes that brings your weight loss to a halt, impedes your progress, and may even lead to weight gain.

• You are taking your calories too low. The calories you consume are utilized as a source of energy. Energy then maintains body functions and sustains physical activity. When the amount of calories eaten is lower than the amount of calories burned, the extra energy is drawn from stored fat. When your body burns 3,500 calories from stored fat, the result is a weight loss of 1 pound. With this being said, reducing your caloric intake will lead to weight loss. However, cutting your calories too low will slow down your metabolism. Your metabolism is the rate at which your body burns calories. A lower metabolism results in a decrease in the amount of calories burned. Why does this happen? Your body senses that it may be in starvation mode and begins to conserve energy by slowing down your body’s processes. Be careful not to go too low!!!
• You are eating too much. Nearly two-thirds of Americans are overweight, which is one of the major effects of consuming more calories than what your body needs. Although calories are necessary for providing energy for the body, if you do not engage in physical activity to burn more calories than you take in, the energy is stored in the body as fat. Although healthy eating doesn’t require you to constantly count calories, consuming excess calories can lead to serious health issues. According to the American Dietetic Association, consuming 100 extra calories a day can cause you to gain 10 extra pounds each year. There has to be a happy median and because the number of calories differs for each individual, seeking assistance from a professional will tip the scale in the desired direction.
• Many individuals who are trying to lose weight fail to implement an exercise “routine”. When just beginning, the motivation is there. However, excuses have a tendency to find their way in and it becomes just a good intention. Following a well-balanced meal plan combined with an exercise “routine” both play a significant role in your weight loss success. You can’t do one without the other. Even if you eat a steady, healthy diet with the same amount of calories day in and day out (no significant changes), your waistline may still expand if you don’t move much. Also, if you’re not building muscle to boost your metabolism and burn calories even when you’re at rest, then you will find yourself becoming frustrated with the lack of results you see. People who don’t exercise cannot become physically fit.  It’s the exercise that stimulates change.

Eating too little, overeating, and lack of exercise are obvious reasons that you may not be losing weight. However, not having the right combination of all aspects can impede your progress and lead to frustration as you fight to tip the scale in the right direction. As individuals, we all have different body types, habits, and needs, therefore we must adjust accordingly. To get the best results possible from your diet and workout regimen, get more training tips, or if you’re frustrated with your current level of fitness and are looking for a personal trainer, contact us.