Fitness & Wellness

Be Realistic But Focused

Be Realistic But Focused

If you’ve tried to lose weight before and failed, you know it’s extremely depressing. Now, you’ve added one more reason to the list of reasons why you’ll never be fit. Maybe you weren’t realistic or maybe, your goal wasn’t focused on specifics. You need both to successfully reach any goal, whether it’s fitness or not. Consider people that go to college to attain a degree. Most of them start with a specific program that suits their interest and understanding. They follow a program with specific classes necessary as the core. If you are a genius in science, but have no musical background, getting a degree in music isn’t realistic. Neither is getting that degree in two months. However, switching to a major based in science provides a realistic goal and each individual class is one step toward it, bringing you focus.

Losing weight is a goal, but it needs to be more specific.

If you want to lose fifty pounds that’s your goal, but you also need a time frame. If it’s a month, that’s not realistic. The best way to handle a larger goal is to give yourself rewards along the way with mini goals you can accomplish. Breaking the goal down to achievable smaller goals is important. That fifty pounds could be broken down to two or three pounds a week. It’s short enough to keep you focused, yet leads to your ultimate goal and is achievable.

Keep your eye on the prize, while you follow your path to fitness.

Working hard to achieve each mini goal is important. That’s why a planned method of achieving it is necessary. It doesn’t just fall off because you decided it would or you’d never have a problem with weight! Your plan should be specific and include healthy eating and regular exercise. Whether you follow specific menus we provide on the app or choose to create your own, making changes in what you eat is top priority. Adding exercise speeds up the process and gets you looking fabulous.

Focusing on your program helps you achieve it.

Don’t jump on the scales every ten minutes. Instead, focus on the things you can easily control, like whether you worked out that day or ate a healthy snack instead of a sugary one. Have faith that you’re accomplishing what you set out to do by following your plan and maintaining focus. Things like water weight can take away the prize for one week, but not several weeks in a row. Never get discouraged. Just maintain focus and do it.

  • Learn tricks and tips, like drinking an eight ounce glass of cold water about 20 minutes before a meal. It hydrates you, fills you up and has no caloric value.
  • Get plenty of sleep. I can’t emphasize this enough. It changes your outlook and affects your success at losing weight.
  • Identify a bad eating habit often and modify it. If you’re snacking on high calorie foods, take a healthy snack with you. If you constantly do carryout, cook the week’s food ahead so all you have to do is warm it up.
  • It’s not all about what you eat, what you drink makes a difference. If you have two cans of soft drinks a day, you’re drinking enough calories to gain a pound every 12 days! Diet cola adds inches to your middle, so it’s not an option either.

Is It Better To Workout On An Empty Stomach

Is It Better To Workout On An Empty Stomach

There’s a lot of discussion about whether you should workout on an empty stomach or eat a light meal or snack before you workout. One thing is certain, if you’re going to have a full meal that contains a high amount of protein, fat and carbohydrates, you’re better off eating it at least two to three hours before the workout. If eating at that time is not possible, as you get closer to the workout, make the meal lighter and simple carbs with some protein. Otherwise, you might find that you’ll have some stomach problems at the gym. Your stomach needs some of the blood for digestion, so both your workout and stomach suffer in the process.

There’s a case for no food before you workout.

Some people workout the first thing in the morning. Some of those people don’t eat, but get right to work on their exercise program. Unless they’re sleep eaters, which do exist, they probably have used a vast amount of the glycogen stores. That’s the energy source for the body. The logic for this type of food/exercising program is that because the store of glycogen is low or absent, the body will use fat as its source of food.

There are good reasons to eat before you workout.

One reason to eat is to boost your metabolism. Starving your body is never good. It slows the metabolism. One way the body identifies that it’s starving is the rapid burning of fat for energy. In order to ensure that there’s adequate energy for the brain, heart and other vital organs, the body goes into starvation mode, slowing down the amount of calories it burns. The next time you eat, instead of burning all the calories, it stores some of them as fat. That makes it harder for you to lose weight.

If you eat before a workout, you’re less likely to overeat later.

That certainly makes sense. If you aren’t starving from lack of food and a tough exercise routine, you’ll be less likely to eat everything in sight when you’ve finished your workout. One study from the journal, Appetite, showed that people who ate before a workout actually ate less and had less desire to eat than those who didn’t. If you’re working out to lose weight, a light meal beforehand or a snack might be helpful.

  • One study shows that people who worked out on an empty stomach actually lost 20 percent more fat than those that didn’t.
  • One problem with a fasted workout—one where you didn’t eat before hand—is that sometimes it’s not only fat that’s lost, it also can be muscle tissue, which slows your metabolism, too.
  • Eating some protein before you exercise helps improve muscle recovery, strength and provides more lean body mass. You’ll perform better, too.
  • If you’re involved with a long endurance style workout, having a bit to eat before you workout can help you get through it. In most cases, whether to eat or not eat is more up to personal preference than a rule locked in stone.

Transform Your Body Anywhere/Anytime

Transform Your Body Anywhere/Anytime

Whether you live in Houston, TX or another part of the country, want to come to the gym or prefer to workout at home, you can transform your body with my help and the aid of modern technology. There’s no limit to where you can be when you use the magic of today’s technology and my helpful app. It will get you fit and swimsuit ready in no time. It’s created to help you reach your fitness goals no matter what they are.

Our team will determine where you need to start.

No two people are alike. You’re special and your fitness problems are like no other person’s. While you might not need to lose weight, toning and firming your muscles might be what you hope to achieve. Other clients may have to lose large amounts of weight or just a few pounds. Everyone’s body is different and so are their goals. That’s why we ask so many questions before you begin our program.

Like working with any personal trainer, you’ll be held accountable.

One of the reasons that people do so well with trainers is that there’s someone watching their progress, holding them accountable for doing the things they have to do to achieve their goals. It’s no different when you work with my online team. There’s one-to-one accountability. That makes you think twice when you’re tired and feel like skipping a workout or want to indulge in a quart of Ben and Jerry’s.

There’s plenty of support along the ways.

Not only do you have your own account where you have to check in with our transformation team, so they can evaluate your progress, you’ll have a place to upload your pictures that show how much progress you’ve made. Most people fail to take snapshots of how they look before and after they started a program, so we make it easier for you. It’s a great way to see just how much you’ve achieved and extremely motivating.

  • Don’t worry, you won’t be left on your own when it comes to working out. We provide not only a program, but specific details to help you achieve the most from the workout.
  • No transformation program is complete without a healthy eating plan. We make it easy with our flexible meal plans that provide meal options, so there’s no guesswork. If you need more or a change, there are continual updates.
  • Watching someone do a workout is often better because you can see each and every movement that person does, right down to a turn of the wrist or whether they breathed in or out. We provide videos to help guide you through each exercise.
  • When you work with our transformation program, there’s no excuses. You can carve out the time because it’s truly a flexible plan and designed to help you achieve your goals.

Working Out When You're Sore

Working Out When You’re Sore

If you’re reluctant about working out when you’re sore, you may have reason to worry. Then again, you may actually need to workout and get through the discomfort. The immediate thought is to take a rest, but the key to whether workout or not is just how sore you are. If it’s extremely painful to move, not only do you need to set aside your workout, you need to seek medical attention. Unbearable pain is not part of the program and may indicate a serious injury that needs care.

Watch for signs of injury.

There’s a huge difference between pain and soreness. Soreness indicates discomfort and that usually decreases in two to three days. Injury requires medical attention and includes symptoms like sharp pain, swelling, constant pain with no relief, numbness, black and blue marks and tingling or numbness. It can also bring a feeling of nausea when exerting effort on the injured area. Use ice and home medication for these symptoms and don’t go back to exercise for a day or two. If the symptoms are serious, get medical treatment.

Why you may be feeling pain if there’s no major injury.

Every time you workout hard, it causes the muscle tissue to break down a little, especially if you’re working on new exercises or boosting the intensity of old ones. Those micro tears in the muscles can remind you that you worked out the day previously. It’s also how you build muscle tissue. The body responds and repairs the tears, making them even stronger against future damage.

Don’t do the same routine the next day, but use different exercises.

You won’t be doing yourself a favor by doing the same routine each day. That doesn’t give your muscle tissue time to heal. Instead, alternate your workout. If you’re sore, try stretching exercises or go for a walk. It actually can help with recovery. Active recovery, doing light strength training, stretching and low intensity cardio, like swimming, boosts circulation and can be as good as getting a massage!

  • When you’re working out, make sure you not only rest your muscles after a tough workout and work a different group, but also that you get enough protein to help rebuild any tears in the muscle tissue.
  • Delayed onset muscle soreness—DOMS—can be averted by doing workouts with resistance bands or getting a massage. Always make sure you have a warm up and cool down routine.
  • Overtraining can be dangerous and set you back. If you’re working out too much or too hard every day, it can increase the resting heart rate, change your mood, lower your resistance, cause fatigue and insomnia, lower your performance and cause overuse injuries.
  • Vary your workout and don’t work on the same muscle groups every day.

Benefits Of Green Tea

Benefits Of Green Tea

In Houston, Tx, we focus on both healthy eating and exercise. We also pay attention on what you drink, because it affects your body as much as what you eat. Of course, I highly recommend water and preach constantly to avoid sugary drinks like soft drinks. One other drink I often promote is green tea. There are benefits of green tea for both weight loss and health benefits that everyone should consider when checking for the best beverage with their meals. Some studies show that drinking green tea helps decrease body fat. It can significantly reduce not only body fat percentage and body weight, but also belly fat and waist circumference.

If heart health is a top priority, switch to green tea.

While everyone wants to look better and trimmer, there are other reasons to make green tea a drink of choice. It can help lower risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. It boosts antioxidants that help to prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol in the blood and then causing arterial disease. It lowers cholesterol, too. Several studies show that people who drink green tea live longer and have a lower risk of heart disease, as much as 31 percent lower.

What’s a great body without a great smile and good breath?

One little broadcast fact about green tea is the catechins in the tea not only help your body, but also help dental hygiene. It can kill bacteria and even slow viruses in their tracks. Not only does it have the potential for lowering the risk of infections, it may give you a better smile by fighting plaque and tooth decay. The biggest threat to your smile is Streptococcus mutons, a bacteria that promotes the formation of plaque and leads to tooth decay. The catechins in green tea can prevent their growth. It may be why studies show that people who drink green tea have better dental health and improved breath.

Your brain may improve your brain power.

Green tea contains caffeine, but not nearly as much as coffee that can cause side effects if you drink too much. Caffeine blocks adenosine in the brain, increasing the amount of dopamine and nor-epinephrine and the firing of neurons. That keeps you alert and can lead to improved mood, reaction time and memory. Green tea also contains L-theanine, which is one of the few substances can enter the brain from the blood stream it works in combination with caffeine to boost brain power.

  • Green tea is a real health booster. It has polyphenols, which reduce inflammation and the natural antioxidant catechins. Those two both protect the cells and boost the immune system.
  • If you want brain protection from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, boost your intake of green tea. The catechins have shown to be effective in early testing to protect the neurons.
  • Green tea can lower your risk of cancer. The antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties of green tea show promise in protecting against cancer. Data gathered showed green tea drinkers are less prone to cancer.
  • Green tea can help insulin sensitivity, the precursor for Type 2 diabetes.

The Importance Of Consistent Sleep

The Importance Of Consistent Sleep

One healthy behavior most people fail to achieve is get adequate, consistent sleep. In fact, many people often think it’s almost noble to work too hard and burn the candle at both ends. The candles doesn’t last nearly as long that way and neither do people! Inadequate sleep is actually a health risk. The amount of sleep necessary varies from individual to individual, but it’s between 7 and 9 hour for adults with a rare few requiring only 6 hours sleep or at the other end of the spectrum, 10 hours.

Lack of sleep can destroy your weight loss efforts.

When you sleep, your brain is still working and carrying on many processes, which include balancing hormones. At least, that’s why scientists believe that people who sleep less have an imbalance of hunger and satiation hormones ghrelin and leptin. Studies show that people who sleep less tend to be overweight and that could be one of the reasons. It also might be from the urge to consume high sugar products for energy, which can start the roller coaster of blood sugar spikes.

You’re brain is working while you’re sleeping.

If you feel foggy headed after skipping sleep, there’s a reason. While you sleep your brain is busy organizing thoughts and all the input of the day. Your brain is creating links so you can remember everything better, tying feelings, memories and even sensory input together to help you do that. Sleep also helps you process the events of the day.

It’s not all mental when it comes to sleep.

Getting adequate sleep is definitely important for mental functioning, but you’ll be more than just sleepy if you skip too many nights of sleep. Think of how hard it is to make it through the day when you’re ready to drop from exhaustion. That’s super stressful and with that stress comes stress hormones, such as cortisol. Those hormones are linked with inflammation that is the cause of many serious conditions, which include heart disease, diabetes and even cancer.

  • You’ll look better with adequate sleep. Not only will you look less haggard and more energetic and youthful, the inflammation that lack of sleep can cause also damages cells, leading to premature aging.
  • Napping during the day can help reduce sleep deficit. Some people that require more sleep than average do this. Albert Einstein slept ten hours a night but also napped during the day. You may be no Einstein, but you can nap like him.
  • For the best sleep, keep the room dark and turn off any electronic devices. Falling asleep in front of the television does give you the hours of sleep you need, but not the quality.
  • While lack of sleep can hurt your health, too much sleep can be just as damaging. If you’re getting more than the average hours of sleep and still feel tired, first check with your physician. If there’s no sign of illness or depression, set your clock to get up earlier and you might find you feel better or you just might be another Einstein and require a mid day nap.

How To Create A Healthy Home

How To Create A Healthy Home

Eating healthier and getting plenty of exercise is the starting point for having a healthier family and a healthier you. However, if you want to cover all bases, you need to create a healthy home, too. While Houston, Tx is still cleaning up after Harvey hit, with the flood waters hitting the petrochemical area and releasing tons of chemicals in the Houston area. While the government is investigating the full effect and steps to take on big issues like that and checking for mold and damage from the storm is part of recovery, there are things you can do to make your home healthier, even if you weren’t affected by the storm.

Switch out toxic chemicals for cleaning.

There are better ways to clean than with chemicals and actually cheaper ways, too. If you’re like most people, you want your home to be safe, clean and free from illness causing toxins. There’s a problem when the very tools and supplies you’re using actually makes the problem worse! You can use common household products to clean that don’t cost a fortune, but also won’t pollute your home environment. Distilled white vinegar can make tubs and sinks sparkle by spraying it on to help get rid of soap scum, allowing it to work and wiping the residue away. Need a little more scrubbing? Put some baking soda on a sponge after you spray the vinegar. It sizzles and bubbles, plus provides a soft scrub that helps loosen the grime.

Eliminate pesticides and use natural methods.

There’s also no need for pesticides that not only kill insects, they also affect humans in unhealthy ways. Some natural pesticides, such as neem oil, is extremely effective. However, if you purchase neem oil pesticides, make sure it doesn’t contain tea tree oil if you own a cat. For fleas, bed bugs, ants and almost all types of pests, you can’t go wrong using diatomaceous earth. It must be the food grade type, not pool type that’s toxic. It’s drying and can irritate the eyes and lungs, as any dust might if you inhale it, but safe when applied sensibly. It has no poison, but kills insects by scratching their protective coating with microscopic shards that won’t hurt small animals or people. The insects dehydrate and die.

There’s no need for fabric softeners or fabric sheets, either.

Dryer sheets to soften clothes certainly are easy. Just toss them in the dryer and your clothes come out soft and smelling good. You might not love them so much if you knew all the chemicals they contain. The same is true for fabric softeners. The scent is designed to linger, which also means the chemicals do too. You’re wearing the chemical compounds linked to chronic illness and solvents linked to damage to the nervous and endocrine system. A better option is dryer balls, made from wool, aluminum balls or natural fabric softener added to the final rinse that’s a mix of white vinegar and water. The wool dryer balls are super easy and last a long time.

  • Clean your oven with baking soda. Create a paste that you put on the interior and walk away for a few hours when you wipe it off, leaving your oven sparkling.
  • Cut down on all cleaners by using antibacterial microfiber cloths and mops. You don’t have to use homemade or store bought cleaners with those, unless you’re cleaning the toilet.
  • Another great soap scum cutter for bathrooms and showers is made from one part salt, one part borax and two parts baking soda.
  • Keeping your house a healthy place to live can also keep you healthy if you turn on music and dance your way through the household tasks.

Workouts For When You're Sore

Workouts For When You’re Sore

Sometimes, everything hurts for a few days after a brutal workout or you just slept wrong, sat too long or pulled something. You don’t have to skip your exercise appointment, there are workouts for when you’re sore that won’t aggravate the problem and may even help it. Getting your body moving, your blood circulating and breathing deeply can provide a lot of relief for some of the pain. That doesn’t mean you do these workouts and skip your regular program if you’re feeling the normal twinges, but big pain is completely different.

Increase your circulation without adding to the problem.

While walking is a good exercise, it still can be painful if your legs feel like they’re going to fall off from the pressure of your weight. Is a stationary bike available? Set the tension to low and try some pedaling. You’ll be moving your legs, but without the resistance that comes from carrying your own weight and getting that blood moving to help heal the muscles. Go at a speed that’s comfortable and if your starting to feel better, ramp up the speed or increase the resistance.

Do stretches to help limber your body.

Start with a warm-up that gets blood circulating, like riding the stationary bike. Start with a simple stretch with hands over the head, then keep that position and bend forward then backward. Do it for three to seven repetitions. Follow it with the same number of low lunges that move up to a high twist, then move on to a Yoga cobra and hold. Lay flat on your stomach with your hands under your shoulders then lift your upper body to stretch your abs and upper muscles.

If you can’t even think of a leg lift, work your core muscles with a wall slide.

Put your back to the wall with your upper arms parallel to the floor, bent so the lower arms and hands are perpendicular. Slowly lower yourself keeping your back against the wall and bending at the knee, then straighten your arms upward. Keep your back, arms and the back of your legs in contact with the wall at all times. Once down, raise your body up again.

  • A kneeling hip flexor stretch can be added to your stretching efforts to help get your body back into shape and get back to your regular exercise program.
  • If you’re so sore that a light breeze against your body makes you want to crumble, take a day off. Your body definitely needs rest.
  • Try weight training—without the weights. Just going through the movements helps circulation, without adding to the damage.
  • Sometimes, the best way to get circulation going isn’t with exercise, but instead with a massage. Judge for yourself whether it’s in order.

Is Weight Training Right For You

Is Weight Training Right For You

You don’t have to be working toward the body of Adonis to get benefit from weight training. In fact, you don’t even have to be a man. Weight training has something to offer everyone who works out, which is why it’s becoming so popular. For years, women were discouraged from doing weight training, even though as mothers, they often lifted children weighing more than the weights themselves. The fear was that they’d build large muscles, but that just doesn’t happen. Hormone levels in the body dictate the how large muscles become. Instead, it tones the muscles and gives the woman a look that says fit and attractive.

Consider strength training for your bones.

Building strength and muscles also helps you build stronger bones. As you get older, muscle loss increases if you don’t workout. The muscle strength and working out actually helps maintain bone health and keeps them strong. In fact, several studies have found that weight bearing exercise has not only helped slow bone loss and osteoporosis, it may even reverse it. Studies comparing the effects of exercise with the effects of certain medicine designed to treat osteoporosis, found that weight bearing exercise actually worked better. Of course, there were side effects from both. The list of side effects comes with the prescription. The side effects of exercise are more energy and a healthier body.

Strength training can protect you from injury.

When you work out with weights, you’ll improve many other areas of fitness. Not only does your balance improve, just as strength does, you’ll also improve your posture. Improved posture means fewer back problems and improved balance mean fewer injuries. Weight lifting also helps strengthen the muscles, which help prevent injuries as well. When you workout with weights, you’ll be less prone to injury doing everyday types of activities.

Other illnesses and conditions can be helped by working with weights.

You might not think it possible, but the pain from arthritis is actually reduced when strength training with weights is added to the workout. In fact, many studies show it’s better than most medication. Working out with weights also helps you lose weight, which can aid in controlling diabetes and reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke and other serious problems.

  • Lifting weights builds muscle tissue and the more muscle tissue you have, the higher your metabolism. That’s because it takes more calories to maintain muscle tissue than fat tissue.
  • You’ll feel more confident when you lift weights, because you’ll look more confident. It improves your posture making you walk taller.
  • If you’re plagued with blood pressure problems, consider lifting weights. It not only helps lower blood pressure, it also helps prevent some forms of cancer, can combat PMS and even boosts your immune system.
  • Some circuit training include lifting weights. In that case, weight lifting not only builds strength, but boosts your endurance, too.

Foods To Eat And Avoid For Better Skin

Foods To Eat And Avoid For Better Skin

Whether you want to prevent pimples, wipe out wrinkles or just have a beautiful complexion, there are foods to eat and avoid for better skin. Everything you eat does make a difference on how healthy you are, your hair, your weight, the amount of body fat you have and your skin. Making sure that certain foods are part of your diet to boost the health of the skin and avoiding those that can damage it, can help your complexion be beautiful, clear and more youthful.

Choose food high in vitamin E and other antioxidants for better skin.

Nuts are a great source of vitamin E, so are avocados. Both avocados and nuts are also sources of healthy fat. The vitamin E in both of these help prevent damage at the cellular level that can lead to damage and death of cells that cause aging, wrinkles and that weathered look. Add some red peppers, oranges, guava or strawberries that are high in vitamin C to boost the antioxidant benefits, while aiding in the production of collagen.

Stop the breakouts with these foods that help prevent them, plus some foods to avoid.

If your skin isn’t at the age yet to worry about aging, but you have chronic flare ups of acne, or worse, both acne and wrinkles plague you, one Australian researcher may have an answer. In a study with male subjects that had acne, the study found that when the diet switched from one that had highly processed foods to one that was whole grains, lean meat and lots of fruit and vegetables, had a dramatic improvement in their complexion. The conclusion was that a high-protein, low-glycemic diet helped improve their condition by even more than 50 percent…higher than what occurs with topical acne cream. They recommended that cutting out foods like junk food—including fast food, milk, sugar and high glycemic food to prevent that breakout. Chocolate is also on that list.

Cut out the booze, anything deep fried and coffee for a better complexion.

Alcohol is drying. During colder climates when you drink before going out in the chilly weather, it can cause skin damaging frost bite. Coffee can dehydrate skin and fried foods are bad for the skin for a variety of reasons. Avoid sugar, foods laden with gluten and even cheese. Sugar causes collagen to stiffen and age prematurely, foods with gluten can cause outbreaks if you have an intolerance and cheese, well, cheese is a milk product that can increase oil production and clog pores.

  • Skip those cold cuts, ditch the pepperoni and swear off bologna sandwiches if you want to look younger longer. They’re loaded with sodium and that can cause eye-puffiness, water retention and facial swelling.
  • Fruit juice seems innocuous enough, but it’s high on the glycemic index. You could be inviting a face full of zits to visit.
  • Add more omega-3 fatty acids to your diet. It helps to better balance the ratio with omega-6. Omega-3 helps reduce inflammation that can cause skin conditions.
  • Go for foods that have a yellow, dark green or orange color like sweet potatoes, carrots and spinach to boost beta-carotene that helps protect your skin from the sun.