Thursday, October 27, 2011

"CHEAT DAY" IS IT WORTH IT????

Good morning my friends!  Hope you are having a fabulous one so far.  I myself just had another fantastic workout and am thrilled to get outside and enjoy this BEAUTIFUL 80 degree (finally!!) Fall day playing with my son.  But before I do that, I would like to answer one of my blog followers question and that is how do I feel about the one "cheat day" a week theory...

So as a Fitness Professional and Fitness Freak, I pride myself on getting my clients AMAZING results.  How do I do that you ask???  Well, it's by making "fitness" your lifestyle and not depriving yourself of anything.  The key is to NOT feel guilty for having something that wouldn't be considered the healthiest choice when it comes to food.  However, your body is a TEMPLE and you should treat it as such.

I don't like the word "CHEAT" period.  Here's the deal, the minute you say "Thank goodness it's Saturday...it's my CHEAT day!"  You are going to more than likely eat out of control and pretty much make yourself almost sick from all the JUNK you decide to put into your body for the day.  Plus, it concerns me when I hear people say their trainer lets them "cheat" one day a week.  The reason it concerns me is it is setting a person up to binge and that usually leads to something even more unhealthy and frankly scary...possibly causing an eating disorder.

So here's my Professional Opinion...and personal too of course!  Eat 3 to 4 servings of fruits and veggies a day.  Trust me, it's not hard I promise!  There are way too many yummy fruits and veggies to choose from.  You can't possibly hate ALL fruits and veggies!  Eat some healthy fats, such as fish (halibut, tilapia, salmon...my fav!), nuts (pistachios, peanuts, cashews, almonds), good complex carbs (whole wheat pasta, whole wheat grain bread, bananas, apples, and whole wheat tortillas, and solid proteins (skim milk, egg whites, tuna, protein shakes, lean turkey meat, chicken, etc).  If you're still feeling like that mini-chocolate bar ( that you allegedly bought for the trick or treaters, right??)....EAT IT!  But also refer to last week's blog so you know how much you need to MOVE to burn it off!

Finally, if you haven't figured it out yet...I DO NOT believe in eat "clean" for 6 days and go crazy on "cheat" day #7.  Does anyone truly eat totally clean EVERYDAY???  Unless you are training to go on stage for a bodybuilding/figure competition the answer is NO.  I pride myself on eating pretty clean because I actually love healthy food and think that most of it actually tastes good, but if I want a glass of wine...I'm having a glass of wine.  And that glass of wine isn't being saved for a specific day to eat JUNK FOOD and drink heavily.  Please make your eating habits a part of a healthy lifestyle.  If you eat healthy and MOVE 60-90 minutes a day, you FEEL GOOD.

So my friends, make EVERYDAY a good day and don't make yourself feel bad if you "slip up" and eat something that isn't exactly the best choice...just burn it off.  My most successful weight loss/maintenance clients are the ones who make a LIFESTYLE CHANGE and choose to "eat to live" not "live to eat."

This week I will not be showing a video clip (sorry!!) but please don't hesitate to scroll down and check out my past videos and get outside today with your kids and MOVE!  Remember...FITNESS IS FUN!!  I promise to have a new video next week along with a topic that you may be interested to know my opinion on....so send your questions my way! 

If you haven't done so yet, please join my blog as a follower TODAY and thanks as always for reading.  Have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN and remember...trick or treating is for the KIDS! ;-) 

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

Thursday, October 20, 2011

HOW MANY STEPS MUST YOU TAKE TO BURN OFF THAT HALLOWEEN CANDY???

Hello my friends!  Hope you're finding today to be a very productive and happy day.  I myself started today off with a fabulous 90 minute, 600 calorie BURN workout followed by a very fun afternoon with my son and now it's time to answer this week's blog question regarding SWEETS substitutes (are there really any??? ;-) and the FACT about that Halloween candy YOU may or may not have already have been consuming.

Are you ready?!  Here we go!  First of all, if you are someone who craves chocolate ALL THE TIME, the last thing you want to hear from me (the TRAINER) is substitute it for fruit.  So I'll tell you some good substitutes which may include some fruit...sorry!  But also some low calorie treats.  If you have a sweet tooth, then here are some SWEET tasting fruit that you can enjoy GUILT-FREE.  Strawberries are my #1 favorite sweet substitute!  You can put one scoop of Non-fat or LITE whip cream on it and call it a day!  Low in calories AND fat!  How about some kiwi...or raspberries...or pineapple??  Those are also my other top sweet tasting but good for you fruit/sweet substitutes that you can have that won't mess with your WAISTLINE!

What about chocolate??!!  Well, getting to your fitness goal doesn't mean CUT EVERYTHING OUT...you know why???  Because the minute you go back to your craving(s) after you've dropped all your weight, you will most likely gain your weight back and more.  Soooo...why not grab that low-fat chocolate pudding snack for only 100 calories OR that Skinny Cow ice cream bar that's 4grams of fat and 150 calories.  Remember, knowing how much you consume in all your macronutrients is key...most people are allotted 24-45 grams of fat in their daily food intake.  So MODERATION IS KEY!  Low on protein for the day but want some chocolate?  Have a glass of milk (very high in protein) and squeeze some fat-free chocolate syrup in it and there's your treat.  Have that one hershey kiss (instead of 20) to satisfy your chocolate craving and you just had 26 calories vs. 520 calories.  It's okay...you will survive, but do NOT eat these treats EVERYDAY. 

Now speaking of hershey kisses, let's talk about HALLOWEEN CANDY.  I am going to break it down for you my friends!  If you decide to enjoy eating your kid(s) halloween candy let me give you some FACTS.  20 pieces of candy corn equals 1 mile/2200 steps to burn it off, 2 caramels is 3/4 mile which equals 1700 steps, 2 Hershey Kisses is 1/2 mile which equals 1100 steps, 1 minature Reese's peanut butter cup is 1/3 mile which equals 750 steps, "Fun Size" chocolate candy such as Snickers, 3 Musketeers, Butterfingers, 1 regular peanut butter cup, etc is 1 mile which equals 2200 steps, FULL size chocolate candy bars such as Snickers, 2 cup pkg of Reese's peanut butter cup, etc is 2.75 miles which equals 5800 steps AND last but not least KING size chocolate candy bars like Snickers, etc is 5 miles which equals 11,000 steps needed to BURN it off! 

Take this info, write it down...print it out...tape it to your fridge but remember it as you start to go to Halloween parties and prepare yourself for the big Halloween Night.  If you just have to have that candy...then you better prepare yourself for the amount of steps you are going to need to take to BURN IT OFF.  Remember my friends...Trick or Treating for candy is for the KIDS!  And please watch your kid(s) sugar intake as well...unless you want an extremely hyper child.  If they're consuming candy, then they must MOVE...

Which leads me to today's fitness video...BOXING MY FRIENDS!  Why can't you box in the privacy of your own home without a punching bag or gloves?!  Well, you CAN!  Today's video gives you 3 quick and easy basic boxing moves that you can enjoy doing at home with your kid(s).  It will definitely get your heart rate up and get those calories burning...enjoy watching!
Please feel free to leave any comments or questions you may have.  Also, if you enjoy reading my fitness video blogs and haven't done so yet...JOIN TODAY as a follower.  Thanks for your support!

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

Thursday, October 13, 2011

HOW TO WORK OUT YOUR ABS!

Hello my friends!  One of my fabulous blog followers has asked me to write about how to work out those difficult "lower" abdominal muscles...so today's topic is:  how to work out your abs!  Now before I get into four ab exercises I absolutely live by on a daily basis, I would like to explain what your ab muscles are exactly.  So if you don't mind me educating you for a minute...here you go!   First, let me tell you what CORE means...I know most of you hear people talk about how they love doing "core" exercises or only do "core" training...well, let me tell you, your CORE is not made up of just your abdominal muscles.  Your core is made up of essentially two layers of muscle.  The deepest layer is called the "inner unit" and consists of muscles that help stabilize the spine.  Then there is the "outer unit" which are the "movers" of the body...Erector Spinae muscles.  These muscles run up and down the spine and their job is to help extend the spine.  So when you hear someone speak about their "core," they mean their abdominal/back muscles.    Contrary to belief, the abdominal muscle is one long muscle, not eight individual muscles, and it helps us flex our spine.  The muscles you see on the side of the rectus abdominis are the external obliques.  They sit on each side of the rectus abdominis, on top of the internal obliques, and they help us turn or twist our torso, among other things.  Let me explain alittle bit more of what each of those muscles do to help make up our ONE long abdominal muscle. The Transverse Abdominus is the deepest abdominal muscle which truly affects your posture, Internal Obliques are a pair of ab muscles which resides on each side of the torso which also are a big part of the rotation and lateral flexion of the spine, External Obliques are a pair of abdominal muscles which also reside on either side of the torso and are also involved in rotation and lateral flexion of the spine.  External Obliques also run in a V in front of the pelvis and function during breathing; particularly when exhaling.  Lastly is the Rectus Abdominus which is the most superficial...this is the most IMPORTANT abdominal muscle to most people because it's responsible for the SIX PACK or in some EIGHT PACK abs look in most fit people.  So...how in the world do YOU get the TIGHT...TONE...SIX PACK AB look?! 

Proper Nutrition is the first and truly REAL answer in getting the tighest and tonest abs you could ever want.  Believe me, I wish I could tell you "oh just do 200 ab crunches a day and you will have washboard abs."  Sorry it STARTS with proper nutrition...once you've got your nutrition dialed, here are some exercises that you MOMS and Non-Moms should try to do at least 4 to 5 times a week.  Lower abs are usually the hardest to tighten up (especially after having kids!!!) but here are some good ones for you to try.  #1...Prone-Iso Abs also known as the plank.  Lay down in a prone position (facing the floor) and bring both arms in front of you with your forearms down and hands in a blade, keep your neck straight as your eyes look down to the floor, slowly rise up on your toes with your back nice and straight.  Hold this position for 10 seconds...then try again for 20 seconds...then for 30 seconds...eventually I want you to hold for 60 seconds.  While holding this position, ENGAGE YOUR ABS...meaning, pull your belly button directly towards your spine and squeeze your glutes as you continue to hold this position and BREATHE!  Did you do it???  Great job!  #2...Lay down in a supine position (on your back) and gently rest your arms underneath your lower back, when you are ready...keep your legs straight and together and gently lift your legs off the ground, bring them up straight but don't lift your hips off the ground, bring them back down as low to the ground as you can but DON'T TOUCH...do 10 reps...then 20 reps...then 30 reps.  Good job!  #3...Ball Crunch.  If you have access to one, get on a physio ball and place it mid-back and crunch up with your hands gently supporting your neck and knees bent, push your belly button into the ball and exhale while you crunch up...do 15 reps...20 reps...30 reps.  Good job!  Lastly, lay in a supine position with your knees bent and hands behind your head, with your elbows OPEN, crunch up while bringing your knees to your chest at the same time...LOVE THE BURN!  Embrace it!  15 reps...20 reps...30 reps!  There are tons and tons more ab exercises that I can tell you about but for now try the 4 listed today.  If you can, do at least 3 sets of however many reps you can do with PROPER FORM.  Pick whichever set of reps work best for you that I suggested.  I hope these ideas help!  And remember EAT HEALTHY!  How important is it to you to have a nice, flat stomach?!  If you put in the work by doing these exercises, then treat yourself right by eating nutritously as well.

Okay, let's get into today's VIDEO...I'm taking you outside today!  In the video, we are working out at a basketball court, however you can use your drive way and instead of cones...use rocks.  But please, use the ideas I give you in today's video and get outside and MOVE with your kid(s)!!!  If you ain't moving...you ain't losing! :-)  Please feel free to send any comments or questions you may have my way and enjoy today's video!

Hope you enjoyed today's fitness video blog!  If you aren't a follower yet, please join TODAY.  Thanks for your support!
As Always...Stay Fit and Happy!
Famisha :-)

Thursday, October 6, 2011

GOOD NUTRITIOUS SNACK/MEAL IDEAS FOR YOU BUSY MOMS!

Good afternoon my friends!  Hope you're finding it to be a very productive day so far.  One of my fantastic blog followers has asked for me to talk about heatlhy, nutritious snack and meal ideas for you BUSY MOMS out there looking for some new, fresh ideas to keep both yourself and your kid(s) fueled throughout the day.  So here you go!

First of all, EVERYONE needs to eat breakfast.  It doesn't matter how BUSY you are...I start my day at 4am and still put fuel into my body so that my metabolism starts working for me right away and I have energy.  The best type of ENERGY food if you're not really a breakfast eater is a banana.  It has a great source of potassium in it and is a very healthy carbohydrate....and carbs are ENERGY!  If a banana really isn't your favorite fruit of choice...go for an apple.  What particular apple you ask?  The type YOU like!  There's no rule...just pick your favorite and go with it!  It is another good source of carbs as well.  Now for your kids, you MUST start the habit NOW of getting them to eat breakfast.  As I've mentioned before, the childhood obesity rate is out of control and I can tell you one of the main reasons is that we let our kid(s) tell us that they're not hungry and don't want to eat breakfast...well, tough!  As moms it's our job to teach our kid(s) at a young age that we need to start our day off with FUEL so that we can function properly throughout the day and be able to focus in school, play and comprehend what is being taught to us.  Some breakfast suggestions are:  oatmeal (excellent protein AND carbs...plus fiber so you stay full longer), cereal...not the SUGARY stuff, whole wheat cheerios, slice of wheat toast with peanut butter, whole wheat waffle with sugar free syrup or peanut butter, scrambled eggs (or egg whites, which my son loves), and yogurt which is a great source of calcium.  Always top the breakfast off with a huge glass of milk (hey!  do you want to grow up to be big and strong)?!  I'm talking to the kid(s) of course.  Kids 12 yrs and under it's good for it to be 2% milk...for you Moms...non-fat is perfect OR 1% milk.

Now, I'm not going to tell you what to feed yourself and/or your kid(s) for lunch and dinner because this blog would definitely be my LONGEST one yet.  But I felt it was very important for you to at least have some suggestions for the most important meal of the day which is breakfast.  So now I'm going to list snack ideas that are quick and easy for being on the go!  Sugar snap peas, apple slices, strawberries (if you're craving something sweet), grapes (red or green), blueberries (excellent anti-oxidant), raspberries, and cherry tomatoes.  Dry nuts are also a great go-to item when you need to fuel up on some energy snack...especially around 3pm when it's getting close to picking up your child from school and running them to their after school activity or if you're still at work and the vending machine is calling your name.  Some of my favorite nuts are raw unsalted almonds, pistachios (shelled), cashews, and peanuts.  These nuts are usually in the produce section of the grocery store...portion them out into baggies so that you don't nosh on too much and defeat the purpose of a healthy, quick snack.  String cheese and thinly sliced turkey meat (portioned out in a baggie) are another good source of quick and easy energy food.  Be careful with the turkey meat and the amount of sodium it has in it...if you insist on buying the packaged turkey meat, look for one that has the least amount of sodium per serving (460mg is a good amount).  Remember, a healthy diet is allotted 2400mg of sodium, anything above that will result in you retaining water and most MOMS want to lose around their mid-sections so be aware!  Lastly, if you insist on having something sweet...LOW-FAT pudding snack is fine (only about 100 cal) and can be thrown in your bag or sugar-free jello.  If you must have ICE-CREAM, go for fro-yo (frozen yogurt) instead...it's half the fat and less sugar than ice cream.  If you don't like fro-yo, then a good ice cream with the least amount of calories and fat than normal ice cream is Skinny Cow...usually only about 100-150 calories a serving and 3-4 grams of fat, but don't have it EVERY DAY!

I hope my suggestions helped you busy Moms and Non-Moms out there today and if you still have proper food intake questions, send them my way! 

Now let's move on to today's Fitness Video Blog.  Pay attention MOMMIES and DADDIES too!  Today's video blog is about going outside and incorporating a fun, fitness routine into both your child(s) and your life.  I hope you enjoy it and take some of what I show you in the video and play with your kid(s) today!  Please feel free to comment or send me any questions you may have...enjoy!
Hope you enjoyed it!  Thanks so much for reading and watching...comments and questions are always welcome.

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