What's the IDEAL amount of fitness????

Happy GORGEOUS day!!  Just finished another good workout with a mix of cardio/weights followed by FOAM ROLLING and am ready to enjoy a 78 degree day...in February!  Before I head out to enjoy what this day has to offer, I want to answer an awesome blog followers question which is "what is the ideal amount of fitness?"

Now, I of course am going to give my PERSONAL opinion of what the ideal amount of fitness is.  I am a Nationally Certified Personal Trainer who has trained hundreds of clients with different fitness goals so each recommendation is catered specifically to my client's needs.  If you were to ask a doctor, most of them would tell you that you must do at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise 5 times a week (or so I've heard).

Here's what I think....the best thing for MENTAL DE-STRESSING, HEART REWARDING, RESULTS...RESULTS...AND RESULTS... to first of all, get in no less than 10,000 steps a day.  Now does that mean go out and run 5 miles 7 days a week?  Nope!  It means MOVE!  I am a true believer in 30 to 40 minutes MINIMUM of cardio 5 days a week (especially if you're weight loss).  This can be walking BRISKLY, jogging outside, elliptical (my favorite), row machine, treadmill at an incline, and stairclimber to name a few.

If you get bored easily doing cardio and just the thought of 30 minutes of non-stop cardio makes you want to scream, have no fear!  Interval training can be fun too.  This can consist of bursts of cardio in between weight resistance training.  Do 25-50 jumping jacks followed by 25 squats, 60 seconds of high knees followed by 15-20 push-ups, 60 seconds of mountain climbers followed by 30 ball crunches.  This is just an example, but if you like this example, perform it 3-4 times with 30-60 seconds of REST in between.

The bottom line is this, I personally exercise 6 days a week.  One of my six days is a fun family day which usually consists of a 8-9 mile bike ride outside with a stop in between at a park for our son to play on a slide or run and throw a frisbee back and forth to.  Anything is better than sitting on the couch "thinking" about working out.  GET UP and GET OUT and move, move, move!

As I always say, FITNESS IS FUN!  Get it in 5 days a week and you, your family, friends, co-workers and people you come into contact with will appreciate you so much more because you will feel good about what you did for yourself to help give yourself a stronger heart and a healthier YOU.

Today's video shows various ab exercises that you can do from the comfort of your home.  Pry'nce and I demonstrate ab crunches, planks, side planks and more planks...do these and you will see a tighter mid-section and a smaller waistline...have fun and enjoy!! :-)

Thanks for reading and watching today's video!  If you haven't done so yet, please join TODAY as a follower and feel free to share this with your friends and family.  Have a Healthy and Happy week!!

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

Do I NEED to be in the EXCELLENT category for Bodyfat %????

Happy fitness filled day to you!  So I had another one of my hard but FUN workouts this morning and wanted to stop by and blog real quick before we go off to enjoy another beautiful day in Paradise!  So today's blog is about a question from one of my awesome blog followers which is "Should one try to achieve the LOW end of bodyfat percentage or just stick to being in the recommended area?"

First let me say, it's so refreshing to have females actually care more about what their bodyfat percentage is rather than what the SCALE says.  Unless you're trying to model on the runways in Milan, there is absolutely no reason to want to weigh 110 lbs just so you can say you weigh 110 lbs...and frankly, high fashion runway models these days are weighing more of a healthy amount than back in the day, but I digress. 

Ranges of bodyfat percentages based on a four site (taken from the bicep area, tricep area, subscapular "bra fat" area underneath shoulder blade and illiac crest "love handle area") are determined by age range.  The one thing I can say is if you are a female of ANY age and are below 9% bodyfat, you are now in a risky area and it is not healthy to continue to live a healthy and normal lifestyle with that number...now if you're about to go on stage for a Figure or Bodybuilding Competition, you can get that low but it isn't recommended to stay at that number or below it.  If you are a male of ANY age and are below 6% bodyfat, it's the same situation as I stated above regarding a female. 

So here's the deal, focus on staying within a HEALTHY/GOOD number which can be anywhere between 21-30% bodyfat depending on age for a female and 14.9-22% bodyfat depending on age for a male.  The best way to keep yourself on track is with 3-4 days of weight resistance training for no less than 30 minutes but 60 minutes preferred.  By incorporating this into your daily exercise routine you will find yourself LEANER, with inches LOST, and a healthier, happier YOU staring back at you in the mirror!

Moms, do not be scared to lift weights!  It's not going to make you BIG and BULKY!  It's going to make you LONGER and LEANER!  Just make sure you use proper form and if you have any questions about what type of weight training to do, some great things you can do are bootcamps (mine always include FULL BODY resistance training mainly with your own body weight and some weights), weight training with a certified personal trainer (such as myself) or even a friend or a family member as your workout buddy, resistance bands, tubes and kettle bells.  All of these things can help you DROP bodyfat and make you LEANER.

So get your bodyfat checked and then start MOVING!  Speaking of moving, today's video blog takes you outside with my son Pry'nce and I playing in the greenbelt in our neighborhood....ok, he does most of the playing and exercising in this one!  But enjoy watching it today with your kid(s) and get outside today and RUN, PLAY, EXERCISE...JUST MOVE!  Enjoy!!

Thanks as always for taking the time to read my blog.  If you enjoyed my blog and video, please join TODAY as a follower!

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

PROTEIN SHAKES...ARE THEY GOOD FOR YOU?

Good morning my friends!  And what a GORGEOUS one it is so far...77 degree February day and I'm ready for some fun with my son.  Before we head off into the beautiful sunny day, I will make today's blog a QUICK one!  A blog question I was sent today is "what's the deal with all these protein drinks and are they good for you?"

Well, my answer of course is going to be based on not only my PROFESSIONAL opinion but PERSONAL opinion as well.  I do like to have at least one protein shake a day and I also have most of my clients drinking at least one to two a day as well. 

There are many types of protein shakes, the ones already made and in a cooler for you to just grab and go; then there are the ones that come in a powder form that you can make yourself.  For those of you on the go, grabbing one already made is a quick smart choice but if you like to turn your protein shake into a "shake" then it's good to purchase the powders. 

Protein is best consumed AFTER a hard, weight training or full body workout.  It helps REPAIR your muscles as well as helping with muscle growth.  My suggestion is to purchase a protein powder that gives you 25 to 45 grams of protein in one serving...that's a great amount to consume after a workout.  I also suggest drinking protein shakes that contain BCAAS (branch chain amino acids).  BCAAS help alleviate the amount of soreness you will feel the next day (or TWO) after a hard workout.

Here are my 5 favorite protein powders:  APEX LITE (less calories and fat grams...taste delicious), APEX SUPREME (alittle more calories but also contains BCAAS and taste good), ISO-PURE (if you're lactose intolerant, this is the one for you!  Nice pure protein and also tastes good), NO XPLODE (great for muscle building AND repairing, plus it tastes like kool-aid) and finally Myoplex (high protein and tastes good).  Now Muscle Milk LIGHT also tastes delicious, but you have to be careful that you consume the "light" and not regular due to high calories and fat content.

So, if you find yourself putting in some serious work today at the gym, outside doing a circuit, bootcamp, weight training and/or even yoga session...drink a protein shake afterwards so you can repair your muscles.  And don't be afraid to put a scoop of peanut butter (good fat) and banana (great potassium) into it if you blend it up for a nutritious AND delicious treat!  Enjoy!

Since today is such a BEAUTIFUL day outside, I am showing last week's video in case you missed it.  Watch this video and get outside with your kid(s) and enjoy exercising TOGETHER...because Fitness is FUN! 

Thank you as always for reading and please join TODAY as a follower of my blog if you haven't done so yet, share with your friends and family.  Have a Fabulously Fitness Filled Week!

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

DOES IT MATTER IF YOUR CALORIE BURN COMES FROM EXERCISE?

Good morning everyone!  It's another BEAUTIFUL day and time to get into what today's blog topic is about.  Well, one of my blog followers asked me "does it matter if your calorie burn comes from exercise alone or is it okay if you reach your calorie burn without exercise?"

Here's my answer:  As a huge advocate for Fitness and a Certified Master Personal Trainer...I believe getting to your calorie burn via exercise is the answer.  However, if you need to reach a certain calorie burn for the day vs. your intake and you reach it without any exercise at all...then you're working towards your goal positively by being on top of your food intake.  But isn't it more fun to do it thru the power of fitness?!

If you reach your calorie burn GOAL by exercising, you are helping put a boost in your metabolism and you are also helping gain a stronger heart, more toned and tighter body and positive mental health.  If you're trying to lose weight, the best way is thru the Law of Thermodynamics; ie: Energy IN vs. Energy OUT.  Burn more than you intake putting yourself at a calorie deficit, then you WILL lose weight.  Here's the deal 3500 calories equals ONE pound of fat, put yourself at a 500 calorie deficit per day and you WILL lose 1 pound a week.  It's that SIMPLE.

Also, when exercising give 110%.  Don't be surprised if you don't reach a calorie goal that you've set for yourself if you are laughing and talking while performing exercise.  Now I do believe that exercise should be fun, however the whole point is to get your heart rate UP and push yourself to where you feel like you just pushed yourself further than you ever thought you could.  If you have an hour allotted for your workout and want to burn as many calories as possible (my magic # that I won't settle for less than is 500 calories), then WORK HARD and DON'T MAKE EXCUSES.  As a Personal Trainer, I hear excuses all the time...STOP making excuses and put in the work!  If your scale doesn't go down, ask yourself did I REALLY eat perfect this week??  Drinking a beer(s), eating JUNK food, high-fat dessert everyday, NOT eating 3-4 servings (easy!) or 4-6 servings (preferred) of fruits/vegetables a day....etc, etc, etc....

So I leave you with this my friends, if you can't get to the gym today or don't belong to the gym that's okay!  Go outside and MOVE!  Whether it be thru a bike ride, a light jog, a brisk walk, shooting hoops at the basketball court, running and playing with your kid(s)...your mind, body and soul WILL be much better off for doing so!  Now go burn some calories!

Today's video takes you OUTSIDE with some fun workouts that you can do that will definitely get your heart rate up and calories burning!  Grab your kid(s), some water and go MOVE, enjoy! :-)