It is common to gain a little weight during the winter. The days are shorter, it’s cold outside and we just don’t get as much activity and access to local healthy fruits and vegetables is limited. Come spring, many people get motivated to shed the winter layer and lean up for summer.
Although the principles to fat loss and healthy living are pretty simple, there can be many different approaches that can produce great results. Will you go Keto, Vegan, Gluten-free, low-carb, low-fat, high-fat or something different? We all have different bodies and will respond to different approaches so often you have to experiment with which approach provides the best results while still allowing you to feel great. The good news is that there are typically a few key principles that would be consistent with any type of program and if you focused on these, you would experience some pretty fantastic results.
Read more on Spring Tune-Up…
Many health professionals and nutritionists believe that added sugar is the single most harmful ingredient in our diet. Sugar addiction is no joke and affects the brain in a similar fashion as drug addictions. The more you consume it, the more you want it. The average American consumes 57 pounds of added sugar per year wrecking havoc on our health. Eating too much sugar is linked to weight gain, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, obesity, certain cancers, tooth decay and more. Some physiologists have suggested excessive sugar consumption can be as harmful as smoking cigarettes!
Read more on Sugar Cleanse…
Many people have great intentions and set New Year’s resolutions to get healthy and start eating better. Many will go on a diet to lose weight but we all know that most diets fail. People typically can’t stay on the diet for the long-term so as soon as they go off the diet, they gain the weight back. Statistics show that most people can stick to a diet for about a week before they fail. So instead of fighting the process, try a different approach that will enable you to stay on your nutrition plan for the long-term and experience life-changing results.
Instead of striving for a perfect diet, follow a very strict, healthy, nutrient-dense, low calorie plan 5-6 days per week and then allow for 1-2 ‘Free Days” each week.
The Free days are built into the program so you don’t have to feel guilty about it; in fact they are necessary to assure you don’t feel deprived, can indulge every once in a while and can continue on the plan forever. It’s a lot easier to say no to something today when you know you can say yes to it in a few days. Remember that stats show we can stick to a diet for about a week so don’t fight this. Understand it and set up your program to be successful for the long-term. This type of plan is feasible for most people. You are not telling yourself you are never going to eat pizza or drink wine again, but instead, just limiting how much and when you will indulge. Just make sure you do not start to make deals with yourself regarding your free days. If Saturday is your free day, make sure you stick to Saturday. Avoid indulging on say, Thursday and then promising that on Saturday, you will skip your free day. These types of compromises can lead to more regular slips.
Read more on One Free Day Is Better Than Striving To Be Perfect!…
We all just enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving Feast and in one month, we’ll be back at it during the Christmas and New Year’s dinner, get-togethers and parties. It’s easy to see why Americans gain so much weight during this time of year. The holidays can be a stressful time trying to keep up with the endless responsibilities from getting your holiday cards out, baking, cooking for friends and family, decorating the house inside and out, shopping for the perfect gifts for your loved ones and attending every social party and get-together! It’s no wonder workouts tend to get pushed to the back burner. Add in all the temptations and indulgences and the weight easily creeps up.
Here’s a list of action steps to keep your health and fitness a priority and help avoid the typical holiday weight gain.
Read more on Fitness In Between The Feasts…
Summers can be so busy with vacations, travel, sports’ clinics and camps, camping, and more. This makes it difficult to stick to a healthy eating plan.
Here’s some ideas for summers on the go:
Read more on Summer Nutrition…
We just finished a 12-week series that included cardio, muscle, nutrition and lifestyle tips to get you in great shape for summer. We are one month away from the start of summer so you’ve got 4 weeks to ramp it up and get ripped. Today, you’ll get 10 Quick-Fix Hacks for really toning and leaning up right in time for the beach.
Read more on Get Ripped for Summer…
You did it! Can you believe we’re at Week 12?! But remember with fitness, you can’t start and stop. In order to maintain results and health and fitness benefits, it’s a forever thing!
Change Things Up:
This week, change around the sequence or order that you are performing your exercises. For example, if you always do your cardio first, this week, do it after your muscle conditioning. Or if you do cardio and muscle conditioning on alternate days, this week try doing both cardio and muscle on the same day. If you have been doing your resistance exercises in the following order; Legs, Upper Body, Core – this week, try doing all your leg exercises first, then your upper body exercises next and finish with your core. By altering your workout sequence, the stimulus to your muscles will be very different and it will feel like a completely different workout.
Read more on Spring Into Shape For Summer – Week Twelve…
“People often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn’t have it in the beginning.” Mohandas Gandhi
We have two weeks left to our Spring Into Shape For Summer Program. But there is NO finish line with fitness so this is just a beginning to your Best Life!
Read more on Spring Into Shape For Summer – Week Eleven…
“W
hat you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals”.- Zig Ziglar
We’re honing in on the finish line of our Spring into Shape for Summer Program. But remember with fitness there is NEVER a finish line. Two weeks left to take everything to the next level. And just as the quote says above – taking the time to do the things necessary to be your best, says a lot about you as a person! So stick with it no matter what!
Cardio
This week, try hill training. It will develop your strength, power and overall fitness. If part of your program includes walking, running, or cycling, find a short hill (about 100 meters long) and perform 5-10 hill repeats once this week.
Read more on Spring Into Shape For Summer – Week Ten…
We’ve been at this for 2 months now and you should be in better shape and experiencing improved fitness, strength and energy! If you haven’t started yet, go back through prior weeks and start today. You deserve to look and feel your best!
Cardio
Continue what we’ve been focusing on and this week, add 1-2 really long, low intensity workouts. This type of training will really develop your aerobic fitness. For example, go for an hour plus walk, hike or bike ride.
Read more on Spring Into Shape For Summer – Week Nine…
