As the years go by, our body composition continually changes.  After the age of 35 we start losing 5% of lean muscle every 10 years.  After the age of 40, we lose 1% of lean muscle every year!  As the body loses lean muscle mass, it starts to increase fat stores.  This is why people start looking flabby and soft as they get older.

To top it all off, women have hormones to deal with.  Women’s hormones are constantly changing with every stage of life starting with puberty, pregnancy, and all the way to menopause.  During the menopausal years, low levels of estrogen account for the increased weight gain around the belly.  Losing weight can be extremely challenging at this time.  In general, many women notice an increased amount of belly fat as they age, even if they aren’t gaining any weight.  The natural aging process, hormones, and of course, our genetics, all play a contributing role in this shift from lean mass to fat mass.  Although these factors are all naturally occurring and we have no control over them – there is still a way to fight back! 

Exercise is one of the greatest defenses against age.  One of the reasons the body stores more fat as it ages is because the metabolism starts to slow down.  When we are young, the body has more lean muscle, and muscle requires more energy to maintain.  Muscle is our metabolism.  The more lean muscle we have, the more efficiently our metabolism runs, simple as that.  Aging replaces muscle with fat and therefore, has a halting effect on our metabolism.  The only way to fire up the metabolism is to maintain muscle mass with regular exercise and strength training.

The American Council on Exercise has published an article called, “Is it true that metabolism decreases with age?“.  Dr. Digate Muth provides an expert explanation of the effects of our metabolism on age-related weight gain.

In the end, it all boils down to one simple fact – in order to fight the effects of aging and related weight gain, we must make regular exercise and physical activity part of our lifestyle.  This is what I consider to be the “fountain of youth” and we all have access to it.

Your health is your most precious commodity – so why not protect your investment each day.

Are You Fuzzy or Focused?

It has been said that successful people are successful because they are very clear about their values.    Unsuccessful people are fuzzy or unsure.  Complete failures have no real values at all.

What’s Important to You? – What do you value?

You must begin by determining what’s important to you.  Do you value your health?  Is your future well-being and quality of life important to you?  Do you value yourself enough to make healthy lifestyle habits a priority?  These are big questions that must be addressed before you can move forward to devise a plan.

Set SMART Goals

Most of us have, at some point, made resolutions to eat better, exercise more, or lose weight.  But what happens to these resolutions as time goes on?  They usually fizzle out.  Life gets in the way, and for whatever reason, our resolution fades into the background and is no longer in the forefront of our mind.

Resolutions are often just wishful thinking, and until you put it in writing, it is simply a pipe-dream. Writing out your goal makes it concrete, now it becomes a commitment, and now it can act like a map, guiding you to your destination.  Goals are not difficult to set, however, effective goal-setting involves some thinking and planning.  The most effective type of goals are SMART goals.

SMART goals are written out so they can be reviewed regularly, and thus, are less likely to be forgotten or neglected.  To turn a simple resolution into a SMART goal, you must make it:

• Specific – State in detail exactly what you want.

• Measurable – You must be able to measure your goal in some way in order to know when you’ve achieved it.  State specific quantity, time-frame, cost, etc., anything that can be measured.

• Attainable – What are you willing to do to achieve your goal?  Goal must be within your control, in other words, you must be in control of whether it can be achieved or not.  The achievement of your goal should not be dependent on external factors.  By setting a goal outside your control, you are setting yourself up for failure.

• Relevant – You must ask yourself, “Can I do this?”  If there is any doubt in your mind that you may not be able to achieve your goal, then you probably won’t put in the required effort.  A goal is unrealistic or irrelevant unless you’re confident about achieving it and are willing to give it your 100% effort.

• Time-bound – Set a deadline for achieving your goal.  This gives you a target and creates a sense of urgency.

What is an example of a SMART goal?

Not a SMART goal:  I want to lose some weight.

SMART goal:

• Specific:  I want to lose 20 lbs.
• Measurable:  Weekly weigh in and recording body measurements.
• Attainable:  Eliminating fast food and eating more veggies; exercising 30 minutes, 3-4 times per week, reducing caloric intake and increasing physical activity
• Relevant:  Losing 1-2 lbs per week
• Time-bound:  target can be reached in 15 weeks

Achieving success is not necessarily difficult, but not easy either.  It requires discipline, focus and a clear idea of what you want to accomplish.  Simply stating, ‘I want to lose weight’ or ‘I want to be fit’ is not good enough.  If it really were that simple, then we would already have everything we want.  Whatever your goals are, plan them out thoroughly by writing them down, and review them every single day.  This will bring focus and clarity.  Clarity is the key to success.  The clearer you are about what you really want, the more successful you will be.

You can do the same thing for when you’re on the go.  Keep a small container or Ziploc bag of cut-up veggies in your purse, briefcase, or desk for a healthy snack anytime.  Veggies are full or vitamins, nutrients, and fiber and contain minimal calories, so there’s no harm in over-indulging, it’s all good!

By replacing a few of your usual snacks with veggies, you can shave off hundreds of calories a day!  Combine this with a consistent workout routine, and you’re on your way to seeing some real results!  Give it a try, you’ll be amazed at how easy eating healthier can be with just a little preparation.

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.”

It’s going to happen!  You might as well be ready for it!

Most people struggle with their motivation when it’s regarding exercise or eating healthier.  There may be times when your motivation will seem as far-fetched as six-pack abs.  This is completely normal and anyone striving to make lifestyle changes should have a coping strategy in place  to deal with this situation when it arises.

The key to gaining better control and mastering your motivation is to understand what motivates you.

Our natural instincts move us towards pleasure and away from pain. It’s that simple.

By human nature, we will do more to avoid pain. It’s a fact that most people react rather than act, meaning, they first need a wake-up call or some sort of “pain” (ex:  heart attack, diabetes, etc.) before moving into action.

Motivational experts skillfully associate pain and pleasure and use them in behavior modification.  Whether it’s the words they use, the thoughts they think, the images they visualize, or the actions they take … they stack up pain deliberately to discourage undesirable behaviors, and they promote pleasure to encourage new desirable behaviors, or to reinforce good habits.

Here are 8 Strategies you can use to keep yourself motivated and on the track to getting real results.

1. Find Your Reasons Why

You need to figure out a compelling purpose.  For example, if your goal is to lose 25 lbs, you need to identify WHY that’s important to you.  Is it to feel sexier for your spouse, fit into that old pair jeans, or feel more confident?  Once you identify your initial reason, keep asking “why?” to dig deeper and finally come up with true reason that will motivate you!

2. Connect to Your Core Values

This is the ultimate secret. If you can connect the process (ex. exercise and eat healthier) to your core values, even in small ways, you can change your game.  For instance, some core values might include freedom, happiness, love, connection, family, or growth.  Figure out what matters most to you and work from there.

3. Change Your Mindset

You can instantly find more enjoyment in exercising by shifting your mindset from “having to workout” to “getting to workout”.  Often, people say, “I’ve got to workout!”.  This phrase leaves the person feeling compelled and thus less empowered.  Instead, consider adopting the phrase, “I get to workout!”.  Now, all of a sudden, this puts the person in a state of gratitude instead of obligation. Big difference!

4. Find your Happy Place

Remember how good it feels after you’ve had a great workout session or you’ve eaten a healthy meal.  Find a way to anchor that feeling within yourself so that anytime the going gets tough, you can easily revert back to your “happy place” to remind yourself why you do this.

5. Use Reference Points From Past Successes

Sometimes you might feel overwhelmed or unsure of your ability to achieve a good workout or prepare a healthy meal.  However, if you can think back to similar situations in the past where you were successful, then you can realize that it’s possible to do again. For example, if you were once able to do 12 push ups in a row, then draw from that experience and reassure yourself that you can or will be able to do it again.

6. Find a Visual Reminder

A visual tool such as a photograph or a piece of clothing can serve as a reminder of your weight-loss goals and your progress.  Find something that reminds you of why you began this journey and put it somewhere you can see it everyday.  This visual reminder can be a motivational phrase written on a piece of paper, a magazine photo of your ideal body, a photo of yourself when you were in better shape, a bikini or dress or pair of jeans you’d like to eventually fit into.  Whatever you choose, the important thing to keep in mind is that this visual tool must be realistic.  When the going gets tough, use this tool to pull yourself back on track.

7. The Buddy System

Pair up with someone who shares similar fitness goals as you and together, you can support and help each other through the rough spots. This is one of the greatest advantages of partner-training.  Training with a friend can take your workouts to a whole new level and save you both $$.

8. Take Action and Reward Yourself

Here’s a secret that once you know it and apply it, can change your life.

Action comes before motivation.

Instead of waiting to feel motivated to get started, go ahead and take action, the motivation will follow, especially if you have a reward waiting yourself.  You might not always look forward to your workouts and I’m sure there are a zillion excuses you could make for skipping out, but if you can push aside those negative thoughts and just get started, not only will you feel great about getting your workout done, but you’ll feel empowered and more confident for not giving in.  Once your workout is done, reward yourself with something that makes you feel good – and preferably not a piece of chocolate cake!

Try these Motivation Strategies and see how  they can empower you to take action and stick to it!  And remember, take it one day at a time.  Good Luck!

“Success is in the sum of small efforts repeated day in & day out” ~ Robert Collier

Consistency creates habits.  Habits make the difference between success or failure.  Habits can be positive or negative.  Did you know that “quitting” or “slacking” is a habit?  Every time you slack off or make excuses, you are creating a habit that sends a message to your subconscious that you are helpless and this could potentially damage your self-esteem.  When we quit or slack, we usually don’t feel good about it or about ourselves.  On the other hand, if you take action every time you feel like quitting, you will gain confidence and feel stronger.  This strength will help you to remain consistent.

Life happens and sometimes, the routine demands of life will overload you, or unexpected events will blow in from nowhere and threaten to drive you off track.  When such things happen, confront the urge to give up.  There may be times, you’ll be tempted to rationalize, “Well, I’ll quit for now, but I’ll get back on track tomorrow or next week”.  Don’t do it!  Instead, take immediate action by plugging away toward your goals before the temptation to quit gets too strong.

The person who takes action every single day toward the attainment of their goal will always triumph over those who do it every once in a while.

Be your own Scrooge when it comes to calories.  Try these practical tips on outsmarting your cravings and avoid over indulging this holiday season:

1. Workout Before the Event Try to sneak in a workout before the event.  Burning off some extra calories will help create ‘room’ for the calories you may end up consuming at the buffet table.  But more importantly, after a workout session, you may not want to sabotage your efforts by overeating.  A  heightened awareness in your physical well-being comes from endorphins (‘feel good’ hormones) that are released during exercise.  These hormones leave you feeling energized, optimistic, and confident.  You are in a far better position to make sensible food choices when you feel good about yourself.
2. Eat Before Arriving Never arrive on an empty stomach, it’s simply a recipe for disaster.  Instead, have a healthy snack beforehand, or if that’s not possible, a glass of water will also do the trick.  The idea is to curb your appetite.
3. Do a Walk-By Before grabbing a plate take a moment to simply walk by the buffet table and check out the offerings.  This is a form of planning, it allows you to scan the situation and narrow down your choices before deciding.  Instead of trying a little of everything (which can add up to a whole lot of calories!), you will, more likely, only choose the foods that interest you the most.
4. Step Away From the Food People naturally seem to congregate around food because food is festive.  But the party shouldn’t just be about the food.  Make it a point not to focus on the food and explore your surroundings.  You’ll find that when food is not the focal point, you’ll naturally find other distractions.  Enjoy the company of friends.  Conversation and laughter are a great distraction from mindless eating.
5. Bring Your Own Healthy Snack Offer to bring something.  Not only is it gracious, but it’s a way for  you to have a healthy backup plan just in case you don’t see anything else worth trying.
6. Wear Something Body Hugging This one is for the gals.  Wear a body hugging outfit and you’ll automatically be more conscious of how much you are eating.  This works every time!
7. Use a Smaller Plate Instead of the regular dinner size plate, opt for the smaller appetizer size plate.  Do not pile up your food, keep your selections to a single layer.

Well, the truth is, warming up can be a double-edged sword, not only can it prevent injury, but it can also be the cause of injury.

First of all, injuries can be pretty complicated and your lack of warming up may not totally be to blame, but one thing is for sure:  Warming up WILL help you reduce your risk of injury.  You need to get yourself moving and get that blood flowing to your muscles to properly prepare your body before you get all crazy with the dumbbells.

Problem is, most people have been taught that stretching is part of warming-up.  After all, isn’t that what all the fitness magazines suggest.  Well, that couldn’t be further from the truth and it’s exactly the kind of advise that initiates those senseless injuries.

Here’s why you should NEVER stretch before your workout:

#1 Stretching before your workout can increase your risk of injury:

There’s a common misconception that stretching reduces your risk of injury by “loosening” up your muscles.  Well, it’s not all wrong…static stretching can help elongate and relax your muscles, tendons, and ligaments.  But here’s the catch: static stretching reduces your muscles’ ability to contract.

And since your muscles need to be ready to contract (concentrically and eccentrically) at vigorous rates as soon as you start exercising, you want them to be ready for action — NOT in a long and relaxed state. You’re much more likely to pull a muscle when you suddenly try to exert force (like lifting weights) from a relaxed state.  This is why static stretching is not the activity of choice prior to working out.

#2 Stretching is NOT warming-up:

Your warm-up should be a lighter version of what your actual workout is going to be (I call it a “Dynamic Warm-Up”.  For example, if one of the exercises you plan on doing is lunges with dumbbells, then your warm up should be lunges without the weights.  You should do all the low-intensity versions of the exercises you’ll be doing in your workout to properly prepare your muscles, ligaments and joints.  This is why it makes all the difference to plan what you’re going to do before you go the gym.

The whole point of warming up is to get your heart rate up, get your blood flowing and pump more oxygen to your muscles so you can prepare to dive into your workout.  If you stretch during your warm-up, you’re going to let your heart rate back down and allow your muscles to relax…and “undo” what you were trying to accomplish in the first place!

When should you stretch?

Stretching is extremely important, but what’s more important is WHEN you stretch.  Never stretch before a workout, only AFTER your workout.  You want to have good flexibility because that helps reduce risk of injury, but it’s crucial that you don’t work on it until after your workout when you’re cooling down – that’s the right time to lengthen and relax your muscles.

Now, keep this in mind during your next workout and see if you experience the difference.  I can almost guarantee you won’t be getting anymore of those mysterious injuries.

Thankfully, your body has many built-in mechanisms to ensure that the pH level doesn’t ever veer too much.  However, it’s always best to keep as much strain off of your body as possible to ensure that it keeps functioning optimally.

One way to do so is by eating a well-balanced diet.  Now, all foods have an acidic or basic value.  All proteins (meats, poultry, fish and dairy) and refined carbs (ESPECIALLY grains) are acidic foods, whereas all unrefined carbs, which are your fruits and vegetables are basic and most fats are neutral.

Since proteins are essential in your diet, these are acidic foods that are necessary and it’s easy to balance them out by eating enough fruits and vegetables.

Where you can get into trouble is when you consume refined carbs – especially grains like breads, pasta, rice and all packaged snacks such as chips, cookies, crackers and so on.  These foods are highly acidic not to mention packed with sugar and calories and do nothing for your weight loss endeavors.  Another food you should try to avoid is cheese.  I know it’s delicious, but it’s also highly acidic and dense in calories.

Avoiding these highly acidic foods will give your body a break from having to use its own vital organs and bone minerals to neutralize the acidic foods.  The less your body has to expend energy and nutrients on keeping your body functioning, the more energy it has to enhance metabolic processes that helps you recover faster, burn more fat and build lean muscles quicker.

So to optimize your body’s functions stick to eating natural whole foods.  Eat plenty of protein and balance it out by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables.  You really can’t eat enough greens…ever!  This is one case where more is better.  And don’t forget to throw in some healthy fats in the mix to balance it all out.

The great thing is the way you need to eat to maintain an optimal pH level in your body also happens to be the best way to maximize your health and weight loss as well!  Coincidence?  I think not.

Here’s a pH balance chart that will help you keep the acid foods and alkaline foods in a better perspective making it easier to make better food choices.

As women, weight training is one of the best things we can do for our bodies, especially as we age.  Here are some reasons why women must consider weight training:

• Reverse the loss of muscle mass.  After the age of 35, we typically lose 5% of our muscle mass every 10 years if we do nothing.  With strength training, we can reverse the loss of muscle mass by building toned, lean muscles.
•   Stimulate fat loss.  As we age we our metabolism starts to slow down causing an increase in body fat, this typically starts around the age of 30.  How much body fat we gain depends greatly on our level of activity and lifestyle.  Weight training will increase lean muscle mass.  Lean muscle mass burns ten times more calories than fat mass and it continues to torch calories all day long.
•  Prevent osteoporosis.  Regular weight training can significantly decrease your risk of developing osteoporosis and osteopenia by increasing bone density.  In order for bone to continue to renew itself, it requires regular overloading, otherwise, bone starts to lose minerals and becomes brittle and fragile. This is one of the main reasons why older adults are so susceptible to bone fractures.  Weight training can provide the bones with necessary overload for the generation of new bone tissue.
• Prevent many chronic diseases.  Regular weight training can decrease your chances of developing heart disease by lowering your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and increasing your HDL (“good”) cholesterol.  Diabetes can be prevented or controlled with weight training by improving your body’s utilization of sugar.  The prevention and management of arthritis (osteoarthritis) is better possible by including weight training in your regular routine.  Weight training not only strengthens the muscles, but it also strengthens the connective tissues (tendons, ligaments) that surround and support the joints.  By increasing the integrity of your joints, you will also be preventing injury.
• Become physically stronger.  Stronger muscles can greatly increase your quality of life and prevent injuries.  Even strength training 2-3 times a week can increase your overall strength by 30-50%.  This will make the activities of daily life requiring bending, lifting, climbing a lot easier and safer by reducing the risk of injury.
• Stay positive and focused.  Exercise in general, has a mood altering effect.  The release of “feel good hormones” called endorphins, can help fight off depression and increase mental focus and clarity.
• Look younger longer.  The anti-aging effects of weight training has been documented in numerous research studies.  The combination of all the other positive effects of weight training gives way to a more youthful body and mind.  People that are physically fit, healthy, happy, and active always seem younger.