Time for New Beginnings & Fresh Starts

January is a time for new beginnings and fresh starts.  If your new year includes starting an exercise routine or beginning a nutrition plan, your first step to achieve these goals is start fresh with my help.

My name is Lisa, and I'd like to help you reach your fitness and nutrition goals through structured exercise, proper nutrition, and consistent encouragement. Having raised three kids, I'm well aware of the difficulty associated with balancing a busy schedule and maintaining personal fitness. I am an experienced personal trainer with a passion for enabling the committed to achieve. My certifications include the American Council on Exercise (ACE) Personal Trainer, CPR and AED, as well as being one of very few female Russian Kettlebell Certified (RKC) instructors in the U.S. I hold a master of education degree in administration and supervision. My fitness experience includes owning a training facility, developing boot camps, instructing kickboxing and kettlebell classes, and training a vast array of clients ranging from weekend warriors to ultimate marathoners. I am consistently devoted to helping people achieve their fitness & nutrition goals. Let me help you!   

While exercise is essential to helping you achieve your fitness goals, it is only half the battle.  Nutrition is just as important to your overall health.  To reach the next level, we must introduce specific nutrition guidelines, specifically designed for you and your lifestyle. I can provide you with realistic and individualized nutrition and supplementation programs that are specifically designed to obtain results for you.

In just 10 sessions, I will empower you with the knowledge to make proper nutrition choices for life!

You will learn how to eat, how to shop, how to have energy throughout the day, and make proper nutrition choices to help you reach your fitness goals. During each 60-minute session, we will review your food intake, measure your body’s progress, and teach you how to properly feed your machine for life!

Battle the ill effects of exhaustion, erase the grips of physical limitations and redefine you.  Make this New Year a New You!

Let’s get started by contacting me at femaleandfit@gmail.com!!!

Does Fat Make You Fat?

Did you know that fats are essential to your health? 
Your body requires fat to build cells and manufacture vital hormones.  You must consume high-quality fats for your body to use them efficiently. The old saying “You are what you eat” is truth.

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are fats that our bodies are unable to manufacture.  We acquire them from dietary sources.  Fats come in two categories:   Omega-3 & Omega-6 EFAs. 

Omega-6 EFAs are readily available in grains, meats and common cooking oils.  Omega-3 EFAs are found in green leafy veggies, oily fish, eggs, walnuts and animal meats.  The ideal EFA-3 to EFA-6 ratio is 1:4 in your diet.

Omega-3 EFAs are vital to the development of a child’s brain and nervous system and for the maintenance and repair of the adult brain and nervous system.  The “American Diet” is considered low in Omega-3.  The lack of Omega-3 in the diet causes a number of behavioral and learning disorders.  An imbalance between EFAs 3 & 6 has been associated with health issues such as heart attacks, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, depression and inflammatory disorders.

So is it okay to eat fat?

Cholesterol build-up is the result from eating excess sugar, stimulants and/or stress not fat.  Increased insulin levels can lead to an overproduction of cholesterol by the body.  The only way to naturally turn of the cholesterol production is to eat dietary cholesterol.

 Fats to include in your diet

• Olive oil
• Coconut oil/butter
• Palm oil
• Organic, grass-fed animals
• Fish oil
• Seeds (especially flax seeds)
• Nuts
• Avocados

*Always choose organic foods for safe fats and toxins can be stored in fat.

Fats to avoid:

Processed foods even labeled as “healthy” are laden with trans-fatty acids (TFAs).  They are closer to plastic than fat in molecular structure.  TFAs are linked to heart disease and increased levels of cholesterol which impairs the body’s ability to process cholesterol.

The amount of fat an individual should eat is best determined by your Metabolic Type.  Contact your personal trainer to help you determine this amount.

FREE Yourself With Fiber!

Two most important lifestyle factors can determine which way your body weight moves more than others.

#1 Work-related physical activity. Individuals who walk and/or stay mobile as part of their jobs are less likely to be overweight.

#2  Dietary fiber.

There are two types of fiber that each in its own way affect your health. Soluble fiber – contained in foods such as oat bran, nuts, beans, and some fruits and vegetables -- prevent your body from reabsorbing bile acids in your gastrointestinal tract, which can lower your cholesterol.  The second type is insoluble fiber found in wheat bran, whole wheat bread, and many vegetables -- absorbs water in your colon and can help keep you regular. Because fiber absorbs water, it can also help you feel fuller after taking in fewer calories.

The American Heart Association suggests that we consume at least 25 grams of daily which can help you lose weight while improving your heart health.

Increase your diet with fruits and vegetables, and make a point of trying higher-fiber breads, cereals, and rice. You can also meet your fiber goals with the use of a fiber supplement, but talk to your health care provider first.

Sip to Slim

Sip Smart: Back Off Sugar

Replace one sugary drink with water or a zero-calorie beverage and you'll save yourself from about 10 teaspoons of sugar. Think about adding lemon, lime, mint or frozen strawberries for flavor and fun.
The liquid sugar in soda appears to bypass the body's normal fullness cues. One study compared an extra 450 calories per day from jelly beans vs. soda. The candy eaters unconsciously ate fewer calories overall, but not so the soda drinkers. They gained 2.5 pounds in four weeks.

Sip Smart: Use a Tall, Thin Glass

Use a tall, skinny glass instead of a short, wide tumbler to cut liquid calories -- and your weight -- without dieting. You'll drink 25%-30% less juice, soda, wine, or any other beverage.
How can this work? Brian Wansink, PhD, says visual cues can trick us into consuming more or less. His tests at Cornell University found all kinds of people poured more into a short, wide glass -- even experienced bartenders.

Sip Smart: Limit Alcohol 

When an occasion includes alcohol order a glass of water along with it.  Sip each drink intermittently with the each other.  Alcohol has more calories per gram (7) than carbohydrates (4) or protein (4). It can also lead you to mindlessly inhale chips, nuts, and other foods you'd normally limit.

Sip Smart: Go for the Green

Drinking green tea may also be a good weight loss strategy. Some studies suggest that it can boost the body's calorie-burning engine temporarily, possibly through the action of phytochemicals called catechins.  You'll get a refreshing drink without tons of calories.

10 Ways to Avoid Being Stuffed During December

December seems to be the fattest month, meaning the most weight gain is done during the month of December. 

So let’s focus on December, and consider the New Year’s Resolutions in the New Year.

Try these 10 ideas on for size!

1. Keep a food diary during December.
2. Weigh yourself every day from now through New Year’s Day.
3. Limit television time.  Mindless eating occurs during this time.  Instead, do crunches during commercials.
4. Limit holiday snacks and treats to one a day.
5. Bring healthy food to potlucks and parties.
6. Fill your plate with veggies first.
7. Plan your alcohol intake ahead of time.
8. Don’t skip meals in anticipation of social/food events.
9. Lay off the sauces.
10. Go skinless and avoid processed meats.

Merry Fitness & A Happy New You!

Eat Chocolate at Half the Calories

A 15-minute walk can cut snacking on chocolate by half, according to research by the University of Exeter. The study showed that chocolate lovers ate only half as much chocolate as they normally would after this short spurt of physical activity.

Research suggests that employees may find short breaks away from their desks can keep their minds off snacking.  Employees were asked to take 15 minute walks away from their desks.  Upon returning, a bowl of chocolate was made available.  The employees found that they could regulate their eating by half! 

Snacking on high caloric foods like chocolate can be a mindless habit which results in weight gain.  Exercise is known to have substantial benefits for energy and mood levels and possibly used to manage addictions.  Previous research as shown that exercise can curb chocolate cravings but not consumption reduction. 

So go ahead and have chocolate ready to eat…that is after you exercise!

The 21 Day Fitness Solution

Hey there,

I’ve been getting a lot of questions asking if I have a fast solution to help with the shrinking of the waist, hips and rear area…
…while there is no quick fix (no matter what infomercials claim) I developed a new 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss Boot Camp that’s right up your alley-if you want fast results.

I have room for five (5) in my NEW 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss Boot Camp that starts Monday, January 9th and the best part is that the 21 Day Boot Camp is even more discounted than DC’s personal training programs to $10 a day and INCLUDE S a 21 Day Meal Plan Program.

The only catch is that this 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss Boot Camp has always filled up quickly.  So, if you’re ready to fit into your skinny jeans again and want to firm and tone your body while dropping inches and pounds, then make sure to register for my 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss Boot Camp.

Now, as you are reading this, you may be asking yourself how this pertains to you when you are not even within driving distance to me in Virginia.  Here's the answer:  All of this can be done on line as I also serve as an on-line personal trainer. 

The only changes are positive:
A-You can start as early as January 1st!  Start your New Year's Resolution on the very first day of the New Year!
B-You can do this in the privacy of your own home or gym. 
C-There's no limit to how many people you will have  joining you in this adventure.
D-We share plans, recipes and ideas via email, text or calls.
E-It works!  You'll be thin!

Let's get started by contacting me via email at femaleandfit@gmail.com.

I am so excited to help you achieve!

Tis' the Season to Relax (Ho Ho Ho)

Tis’ the Season to Relax  Ho…Ho…wait a minute.  Relax?!? Who, me?   I have to buy gifts, decorate the tree, make a guest list for  the work Christmas Party, reserve hotel rooms for incoming family and and…

 

On a more serious note, stress is a vital component for weight gain, poor health and depression.  Stress can cause physiological and psychological issues.  Women can experience several reasons for weight gain.  Here's our normal recipe:

Holiday Recipe for Disaster

Stress + Comfort Foods + Little or No Exercise + Family + Medication = Weight Gain

 

Instead, our psyche needs to be a Holiday Recipe for Success:

Relaxation + Exercise + Proper Nutrition (via portion size) = Weight Stability