Thursday, May 23, 2013

HOW do I stay MOTIVATED???

Good morning friends!  I hope all of you are having an awesome morning so far.  I myself have mixed emotions as I begin my day because it is the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL for my "baby" as he graduates from Kindergarten and on to FIRST grade.  Where has the time gone?!  For some of you out there, you attended your son/daughter's HIGH SCHOOL graduation last night...and to that I say CONGRATULATIONS Mom/Dad!!  Job Well Done!  But I'm not here to blog about school ending today, although I could share stories of what this past year has been like as a Mommy with my kid in "big kids" school...but no worries, I won't! ;-)

I've been asked by a wonderful blog follower a very simple question.  "Famisha, how do YOU stay motivated to workout??"  Since I was asked this question and having a few clients ask me yesterday, "Yeah Famisha, how do YOU stay motivated to work out all the time?"  I thought I would speak on MOTIVATION today.

So WHAT is my motivation you ask??  Well, first of all we all have different things that motivate us to want to LOOK a certain way, FEEL a certain way and LIVE our lives a certain way.  Here's the deal, I have ALWAYS lived an ACTIVE, Fitness filled life.  It's very hard for me to imagine NOT being able to exercise because not only do you exercise your body, but you exercise your MIND.

This year, I was VERY MOTIVATED by the fact that I was approaching a new decade this year for my birthday.  20s were spent attending college, graduating from college and modeling/acting, EARLY 30s were spent "working out for a living" and CHANGING 13-15 LIVES a day through the POWER OF FITNESS a day...then adding in a 2 HOUR personal workout a day, unless I was teaching a fitness class that day then it was an HOUR personal workout in between clients along with another hour of instructing a class, mid-30s was becoming a Mommy and STILL working out just as hard because it helped DE-STRESS me and my main motivation was to get back into those EXPENSIVE, Skinny jeans that I had quite a collection of and introducing my baby into fitness while he was chilling in his Baby Bouncey watching Mommy in her home fitness studio.  Well, then late 30's came and 2013 hit and I said to myself, "I'm sick of hearing all the EXCUSES of 'Oh once you hit 40, it's all downhill, your metabolism slows down (wait didn't I hear that from people with excuses in their 30s?!) and you can't be as LEAN or FIT.  Well, I.CAN!"

So...my MOTIVATION this year was to look as FABULOUS as I could when I turned 40.  And let me tell you, I feel great!  I LOVE hearing the shock in people's voice when I tell my age...PROUDLY too.  People love to tease me about now being "older" then them...but my reply is "Ummm...I look your age if not YOUNGER and HOW do you plan to look when you hit 40?"  Then...SILENCE.  I love it!

Finally, here are some ideas to help get YOU motivated!  Something that worked for me when I modeled was to cut out a picture in a magazine of a body part...Abs, Arms, Legs, Glutes that I thought looked great on the fitness model in the picture and I would tape it to my FRIDGE.  Every time I went to open that fridge door that picture was staring me in the face which of course helped me make SMART choices in my food intake and to crush it in my personal workout at the gym.

Another way to MOTIVATE is think about what do you have coming up in the next 6 months?  Do you want to be healthy enough to get pregnant and bring a life into the world?  Do you have a big vacation planned to the Bahamas?  Hawaii?  Or any Beach city?  Do you have a family history of Heart Disease and want to break that barrier and NOT get it?  Once your waistline reaches ABOVE 35 inches, you ARE at risk for heart disease.  Do you want to RUN and PLAY with your kid(s)?  Do you want to see your kid(s) GRADUATE from high school?  Walk them down the aisle of their wedding in the future?

If any of those questions have crossed your mind, then decide TODAY that you are going to do whatever it takes to REACH YOUR GOAL!  If that means getting up an extra hour each day to start your day off right with a workout, then DO IT!  Trust me, I workout at 4am 4 days a week and I'm normal just like everyone else...some days I would rather sleep in, but then I remember how GREAT I feel after I've accomplished my workout and how I just did something positive to increase the LONGEVITY of my life!  Here's a tip:  SLEEP IN YOUR WORKOUT CLOTHES.  That's exactly what I do, so all I have to do is get up and get it done in my fitness studio.

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF and know that you CAN do it!  I know it's easy to get frustrated or even de-motivated if you have a lot of weight to lose and you want to see that weight off TODAY, but remember it took you a long time to put that weight on...so it's going to take you even longer to take it off.  But, CONSISTENCY is the key to success.  It shouldn't be a chore.  FITNESS IS A LIFESTYLE...NOT A FAD!

Sorry for this being so long winded today, but I wanted to get my point across that you should find what is YOUR motivation and keep it.  If it's saying to yourself every day while looking in the mirror "I am proud of myself and WILL get to my Fitness Goal."  YOU.CAN.DO. IT!!!  Yes, you can!

Thanks for taking the time to read this today!  My motivation this morning to exercise is the fact that I need to DE-STRESS.  The best way to do so is through exercise and my favorite Hot Yoga class is calling my name!  I need to de-stress about the fact that my "baby" is growing up and will be a big first grader next year...oh the life as a Mom! ;-) 

Please do something to PROMOTE your health and fitness today!  I'm off to yoga...NAMASTE...

As Always...Stay Fit and Happy!
Famisha :-)

Thursday, May 9, 2013

You CANNOT spot reduce!

Good morning friends!  Today I want to simply let all of you know who still aren't aware that unfortunately...you CANNOT spot reduce.  A friend of mine asked me if this was possible which led me to feel the need to blog real quick to let all of you know that...YES!  You can lose bodyfat, inches and weight if you work hard!  But in order to see a change in your body, you must make sure you are getting PROPER food intake.  80% of your RESULTS are based on what type of "fuel" you are putting into your body.  An example I like to use with my clients all the time is "would you put regular unleaded gas into a BENTLEY?"  NO!  You would put Premium gas into that luxury automobile.  So think of yourself as the LUXURIOUS person that you are and get in 5-6 servings of fruits/veggies a day along with 64 OUNCES minimum of water a day.

Also, CARDIO which is something I know you all LOVE is something that is very key to losing weight.  30 minutes 4-5 days a week is a MUST....do it in 10 minute intervals if you can't do it all at one time.  Remember, there are other forms of cardio besides RUNNING that can still get your heart rate up and fat burning in those 30 minutes.  I'll blog about those different forms another time.

Finally, WEIGHT RESISTANCE TRAINING IS A MUST!!!  Over the years of my career of being a Professional Life Changer (Personal Trainer), I have had so many women say to me "I don't want to get big and bulky."  Well, you can't!  Unless you're taking some sort of illegal substance...or legal that focuses on building SIZE, it's not possible.  Weight/Resistance training is the BEST!  It's the best way to sculpt your body and truly see your body transform.  Remember though...wherever you store your fat the most on your body is going to be the HARDEST and usually LAST place to come off.  So stay POSITIVE and continue to put in the work.  It WILL pay off!!  One last thing regarding weight training is that after you weight train, your body burns even MORE calories at rest.  So get in at least 3 days of weight training a week.

Hope this helps give you a better understanding of how you CANNOT spot reduce but can definitely TRANSFORM your body (which eventually includes that "problem" area).  PROPER FOOD INTAKE, CARDIO and WEIGHT RESISTANCE TRAINING!  So get up and get out there and get it done!

For all you Mommies out there, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!  I hope you are treated this Sunday extremely special while making it a Happy, Healthy Mother's Day Weekend! 

If you live in the East Valley area and want to get a jumpstart on your HIGH CALORIE BURNING weekend, come join me at my Boot camp THIS Saturday at 6:30AM.  Start your day off right!  ALL Fitness Levels are welcome!  Check out my website:  www.glistengirlsfitness.com for more details.

I'm off to HOT YOGA...Namaste... 

'Til next time friends!

Stay Fit and Happy!
Famisha :-)

Thursday, May 2, 2013

GREAT ARM EXERCISES YOU CAN DO WITHOUT A GYM MEMBERSHIP!

Good morning friends!  Hopefully you are all having a fabulous morning so far...maybe some of you have got in your early morning workout to give you that ENERGY that you need to take on the day OR you may wait until later on today to finish your day off right with a great workout.  Whichever it is, make it a productive workout!

On that note, one of my wonderful Blog Followers has asked that I give you some ideas on what exercises you can do from the comfort of your home.  What I love about fitness is the fact that you DON'T need to have a gym membership to get your body "TIGHT" and "RIGHT!"  You just need the right attitude and right exercise...so here you go!

Push ups:  These can be done Modified or Full Extension.  Start off doing 10 reps, working your way up to 30 reps.  If you keep your form, you will not only work your arms...but you will also work your back, chest AND abs!  For you beginners out there, bring your arms into a wide grip position, keep your neck straight by looking straight down to the floor.  If you are on your knees do NOT cross your ankles, squeeze your glutes (butt), engage your abs (act as though there is a string attached to your belly button and is being pulled to your spine) and push your body down to the floor and exhale as you push your body back up to starting position.  If you are more advanced, bring yourself up onto your toes and bring your elbows in to your sides as you push yourself down and back up...one of my FAVORITES to do when I'm doing yoga.

Tricep Dips:  Sit on the edge of your bed or a chair with your shoulders back, knees bent and look straight ahead.  Slowly lower your body down while bending your arms to a 90 degree angle.  As you push your body back up, EXHALE.  Start of with NO LESS than 10 reps eventually working yourself up to 30 reps.  Enjoy the BURN!

Arm Circles:  Yep!  I'm going OLD SCHOOL on you!  This is something that we've all done in PE at some point in our lives and they actually do work.  Stand tall with your arms out to your sides at shoulder height.  Roll your arms forward 50 times and keeping your arms up still rotate them backwards for 50 reps.  You WILL feel your shoulders AND arms.

Cross Punches:  Stand in a squat position with your feet hip width apart.  Bring your arms up to a "face guard" position.  Put your hands in fists, up by your face.  Punch one arm across your body and as you bring it back to position, punch your other arm across your body.  Perform 50 reps each arm and you will not only get your heart rate up...but you will get that much closer to TIGHTER, TONER arms!

Crab Walks:  Want to feel like a kid again?  Do these!  Seated on the floor with your knees bent and feet in front of you, bring your arms behind you and bring yourself gently up into a "table top" position.  Your arms should be straight and your knees bent.  Keeping your hips UP, walk yourself forward 10-15 steps and backwards 10-15 steps.  You will feel a great burn in your arms!  If you have a kid(s), do these with them and you will all be having FUN and staying ACTIVE at the same time.

Bear Crawls:  Bend from the waist and bring your arms out straight in front of you touching the floor.  Walk forward with your hands and up on your toes at least 20-30 steps.  Don't forget to BREATHE!  This is another FUN one to do with your kid(s).

I hope you enjoyed my FAVORITE 6 Arm Exercises that can be done from the comfort of your home.  Perform at least 2 sets of these exercises in the order listed.  If you do these exercises 3 times a week (24 hour rest in between) for 4 weeks, you WILL start to see AND feel a difference in your arms right on time for TANK TOP, SWIM SUIT weather!

Always remember to have FUN while working out...because it is.  Also remember...HARD WORK IS WHAT IT TAKES!  So if you feel your arms BURNING, that's a good thing.  Just keep moving!

Speaking of burn, it's time for me to get ready and head out to my FAVORITE 90 min Hot Yoga class.  So enjoy today's arm workout and have yourself a Happy, Healthy Week!  'Til next time!

As Always...Stay Fit and Happy!
Famisha :-)