Eat how your Granparents Ate to Lose Weight

Think back to how your grandparents ate. I can remember going to my Memere and Pepere's farm and you would walk into an aroma of fresh bread in the oven, fresh produce being washed in the sink and most likely a pot of soup on made with only things she had in her garden. Pepere was out with the cows or the chickens and us kids were playing outside. Life was good.

Fast forward to present day. We buy anything we want from prepackaged soups and bread and ohhh you are craving what?? Well, no problem, I'll just go to this fast food joint and get that. Meanwhile we have become overweight, obese and loaded with toxins, chemicals and disease and we wonder why??

Back then, food was less processed and packaged and it was chemical free. We should use these criteria for our own food choices. Our grandparents and great-grandparents had only real, whole, nutritious food. They had no processed or plastic alternatives. No gimmicks, no imposters-just the real deal. They also had tighter budgets, and a tighter budget meant less food, smaller portions and no overeating. This is what your food intake should be-real, whole food and not too much of it.

Get in touch with your roots and eat them too! Listen to your grandparents, they have wise advice and all the best answers.

Until next time,

Live Active........Live Healthy..........Live Happy

Change, why do we Resist it??

Fall is here and it brought me to thinking about change. Fall is all about change. But why are most of us resistant to change??

We all crave change. Everyone is always wanting to change something in their lives. You might want to change your hair, change your job, change the way you look. So why is it that when it comes to change, we are always so resistant to it??

“Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.”

― Albert Einstein

If you truly want to change that way you look, if you want to lose weight or tone up or get healthy, then something has to change. Like Albert said it, you cannot keep doing the same thing and expect the changes you want to see!

My suggestion, if you want to lose weight, change one thing at a time. Say for example you don't eat breakfast, well, for one whole week, make it your weekly goal to eat breakfast. Or maybe you don't know how much salt you are consuming and it is a problem cause you have high blood pressure. Well, for one week, keep a food journal and add up all the sodium that you are consuming.

Be aware of the things you are putting into your body. The bottom line is that if you want to change that way you look or if you want to lose weight, you must change the way you eat. It is the number one thing that is holding you back from having the body you wish to have, PERIOD!

Embrace change, it is usually life's way of steering you onto the path that you should be on. 

So what you are going to change in your life right now to get the change that you want??

Until next time,

Live Active........Live Healthy..........Live Happy

Lose the Fat

It is a common fallacy that working out with weights will cause your fat to turn to muscle. 

Muscle and fat are two different kinds of tissue. When you do weight training, you will build up muscle, but that muscle will take the place of fat that you lose. When you first start a weight loss diet program, you may want to concentrate more on cardio exercise and using your body-weight exercises, along with your healthy eating. 

Your body is your gym! Use it! You can workout anywhere and anytime. All you have to do is get up and get moving. Do some push-ups, squats or pull-ups. 

Also, as you lose weight your muscles become more visible! 

Until next time,

Live Active........Live Healthy..........Live Happy

Are you trying to lose FAT and not seeing results?? 5 mistakes you are probably doing

Do you find yourself spinning your wheels when you go the gym, not really knowing what to do or maybe you are working out really hard but you can’t figure out why you are not losing the weight you want? Here are 5 common mistakes that if you are doing will cause you a lot of aggravation and time. Make sure this isn’t you.

1- Not getting stronger and increasing muscle mass. If your goal is to lose fat, then increase your muscle mass and that will increase your metabolism (burn more calories/fat throughout the day). You’ll be stronger, toned, lean, and rid of cellulite. Establish a consistent routine, ideally 3 times a week.

A) Lift heavier than you did the last time, even if it is for one repetition, and build on that.

B) Slow down. Unless you are doing power-lifting moves or kettlebell swings (both are great), you should not be using momentum.

C) Change up the workout program, the amount of repetitions, the rest periods between sets, the lifting tempo, or the amount of sets you do. Changing the demand on your muscles keeps them from adapting to the same routine.

2- Spending too much time doing ab exercises in hopes of losing belly fat. Your abs may be strong and developed even if you can’t see definition. A layer of belly fat will cover up any definition you may have. An amazing coveted 6-pack, takes amazing work. Most of the fat around your belly is a result of your nutrition. Exercises to reduce belly fat should include interval cardio training and super-sets using high intensity, full body combinations like squats, pulling and pushing exercises.

3- Thinking that you have to spend a long time doing cardio - Long slow cardio is not an effective way to burn fat faster; there are more effective ways to burn calories. 

Does this sound familiar? Suppose you start out at 20 minutes walking on the treadmill. Next, you increase it to 30 minutes and so on… until you are walking an hour or more, but you can’t understand why nothing has changed in all that time. Your body has efficiently learned to adapt to the demand you are placing on it. Now it doesn’t need to burn as many calories in order to walk longer. In fact, it becomes very efficient at storing fat and burning off muscle!

Have you ever watched someone reading a book or talking on the cell phone while on cardio equipment… sometimes for over an hour? Who will burn more calories? The steady walker or the person who is totally focused, breathing hard, sweating and giving it their all-out, either with more resistance or speed?

Just as you would increase the weight load with strength training to get stronger and build lean muscle mass, when it comes to cardio, you need to increase both intensity (how hard) AND duration (how long)… and vary the type of exercise.

4- Not having an action plan when it comes to your exercise - Without knowing what specific steps you need to take, or simply showing up at the gym mindlessly, your ability to change your body or stay consistent with your exercise will be compromised.

If you are doing the same routine, same weights, cardio workout, even if it seems you are working hard… you are probably getting the same results. This is not a plateau, this is feedback that you need to change what you do in order to improve or get to the next level.

Changing it up will also keep you inspired and motivated… and ultimately, change you.

Don't know how to change it, that is what I am here for. You will save you a lot of time and trouble in the long run. Realize you are well worth it.

5- Having an exercise plan that is not aligned with your values - If your goal is to go to the gym regularly but your time there conflicts with job, family, etc., then a gym membership might not be money well spent.

Your desire to exercise needs to be strong and compelling for you to do it. This does not mean if you have too many responsibilities that you can’t workout. On the contrary, without your health, your other responsibilities will be a moot point. You already know that some of the busiest people find time to work out!

If you hate working out at a gym, chances are you will get bored and drop out. Weight training and cardio machines are not the end all and be-all. They are efficient and get the job done, but if a gym routine is not aligned with your lifestyle or you simply hate it, you will probably quit in the end.

I just had a conversation with someone today who was getting “advice” from a marathon runner. He was trying to tell her she needed to run in order to lose fat. Of course running might indeed make her lose fat but she told me she hated to run, especially outside.

She asked me if she could get the same benefit from dancing. Well, I asked her… have you ever looked at some of the bodies of professional dancers? She immediately saw possibilities where before she only saw limitations.

So what could you do that fits in your lifestyle, burns a lot of calories and you can still have fun?

Until next time,

Live Active........Live Healthy..........Live Happy


Charis

Is Stress Making you FAT???

Have you ever gorged on chips or cookies after a stressful day? Stress can affect your diet and appetite — causing you to overeat. While a favorite comfort food may soothe stress in the moment, making this behavior a habit can lead to excessive weight gain. In addition, chronic stress causes our bodies to release cortisol, a hormone known to increase appetite and encourage cravings for sugary or fatty foods. 

Also, cortisol has been shown to store that high-fat, high-calorie food you just gorged on right to your mind section. Which is the bad place to store unwanted fat; this fat is being stored between your very important organs, and the only way to get rid of it is through exercise. No lypo suction will get rid of that belly.

You can learn to handle stressful situations without overindulging. The key is to follow the right strategies for your situation. You can break this cycle. Find ways to minimize stress in your life and focus on making better food choices.

How to Deal with your stress? This may be easier said than done, but finding ways to manage your stress is essential to your overall health. Try yoga, tai chi, or meditation. Exercise regularly. Take 5 to 10 minutes of deep breathing. Spend time with friends. Seek counseling. 

Try to reduce the number of stressors in your life. Stress may be a part of life, but it doesn't have to lead to weight gain.

Until next time,

Live Active........Live Healthy..........Live Happy


Charis

How to get rid of the 'Muffin Top'

The infamously unsightly muffin top. It's embarrassing, and quite an eye sore. Believe me, I know; I have once let my body get to this state. All I wanted to do was cover my body in big sacks of clothing. I felt unattractive and altogether, unhealthy. 

Do you suffer from muffin top syndrome? If so, you are not alone. It is estimated that 23% of Canadians, 18 years and older are obese and 36% are overweight. That about 60% of Canadians. WOW! The question is, are you one of them? If yes, second question is: what are you doing about it now??

Getting fit and healthy seems hard, but I am here to tell you: You are never too busy for yourself. Getting healthy means a better life. You will feel more confident in your clothes and more in love with your healthy body. You know you are beautiful, and you know your body is a temple; so, the best way to treat your body is to take care of it with all of your might! HANG-ON, Are you giving me the excuse that you don't have time. Seriously, if you are, then you call me cause I bet I can find time in your busy day. Cause I bet you have time to watch 2 or more hours of TV or maybe even 1/2 hour on facebook. You can integrate a healthy lifestyle into your daily activities; it would not even feel as if you are setting aside special time to pamper yourself with health! There are no excuses, everyone has time to give back to your body.

Here are 2 Rules to ditch the muffin top pronto and trust me, if you follow these 2 simple rules you will be able to see a transformation in your body: 

1. Ditch white bread, doughnuts, cakes, cookies, and anything with refined sugar! Hey, now I love sweets as much as the next girl. You don't have to necessarily forsake the goodies for the rest of your life. But definitely do not indulge in them anymore! Have a small ice cream cone once a month to satisfy your sweet tooth. Refined sugars have been linked to belly jelly in recent studies. Furthermore, huge consumption of refined sugar initiates health problems. One biggie is diabetes. For the better good of your body, no more indulging in sweets! Or least until the muffin top of yours has gone down.

2. Work out. Losing fat and weight requires expending more calories than you consume. Cardio is great for really blasting fat. But, hours of cardio will be fruitless if you do not incorporate a strength training routine into your workouts. Conditioning your muscles through strength and resistance training enables your body to burn more calories for longer periods of time. In other words, your body will still be burning calories hours after lifting weights as your muscles repair and recover from the workout. 

Weight loss is really that simple: eat right for your body and exercise; in the ratio of 80:20. You can have a great exercise routine, but if you fill your body with crap, you will forever have that muffin top. If you are confused about what to feed your body, give me a call in about 2 weeks and I will be a certified Specialist in Fitness Nutrition; if you need help to get your butt motivated to get off the couch, give me a call and I can kick that muffin top off.

I think this picture sums it up.

Until next time,

Live Active........Live Healthy..........Live Happy


Charis

How to lose the bulge.....FOR GOOD

Want to know how to lose the bulge and quit yo-yo-ing it back on? If you're looking into weight-loss programs, the best one is both the easiest and the hardest: Change your lifestyle. 

People should not go on a weight-loss program; they should develop healthy eating habits. The problem with a program is people feel they can go off at any time. If you instead change your lifestyle and how you approach food, then you're looking at a long-term plan for health.

Lifestyle Obstacles to Weight Loss
Begin your weight-loss journey by carefully re-examining your life and recognizing some of the habits that can block weight loss. These include:

• Skipping meals. Are you eating small, frequent meals throughout the day, or are you skipping meals and having long gaps between meals?  That only makes you hungrier, and you'll tend to overeat at your next meal, I guarantee you will.
• Eating out without thought. Do you dine out all the time and use that as an excuse not to make healthy choices at a restaurant? Even when you're dining out, you can make healthier choices. Order broiled food, not fried. Say no to desserts. Have a bowl of berries instead of pie. Order sauces or dressings on the side. Be picky and ask your server how the food is cooked and what is it cooked with.
• Keeping unhealthy foods in your house. As part of a smart weight-loss journey, you should clear out all the junk food and make sure you have a wealth of healthy options available for snacking and dining. You need to keep fruit, vegetables, low-fat dairy in the house so it's there for you to make meals out of. Simply limiting some foods, such as soft drinks, that are high in sugars may help you significantly reduce calories.
• Keep your portions small. One quick way to control weight is to cut back on the size of your portions. Many weight-loss programs fail because people ladle out way too much food for themselves and then feel compelled to clean their plates.

Make Smart Food Choices
Your food choices can also help determine the success of your weight-loss programs. Healthy and nutritious eating will include:

• Fruits and vegetables. Low in calories and rich in nutrients, fruits and vegetables can build your meal and help fill you up. Orange and dark-green vegetables contain some of the best nutrition around.
• Whole grains. The grains you eat should be whole. They contain loads of fiber and will help you feel full.
• Low-fat milk and milk products. They fill you up and ensure you get enough calcium to stay healthy.
• Lean meats, poultry, and fish. Everyone needs protein, which satisfies hunger like no other food group. So choose lean meats, poultry, and fish and prepare them by baking, broiling, or grilling — no frying.

Last but not least, remember that lifestyle-based weight loss will occur more slowly than with fad diets, but because you've changed the way you eat those pounds are far more likely to stay off and for good!

Happy healthy eating, until next time....

Live Active........Live Healthy..........Live Happy

Charis

What make you happy??

I was watching Bob Green the other day on Rachel Ray, and he gave some great advice. Watch this clip:

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/blogs/2011/01/20/bob-greenes-advice-christina/

Great advice!! I know that a lot of people feel like Christina: "I will be happy once I......." Bob's 2 outcomes are so true. This is why if you do lose the weight that you set to lose, and still do not fix what you are actually unhappy with, or what made you fat in the first place, you will just gain it all back. Fix the problem that caused you to let yourself go; find the balance in your life and then you will see the weight fly off. I love Bob's final quote: "wake up each day and look for ways to be happy now!"

I know that it is so easy to zoom in on something we perceive as a flaw and beat ourselves up over it. We women do it to ourselves all the time-we obsess over stretch marks, thigh flab, whatever. Here's an assignment: look in the mirror and identify a feature you really like about yourself. Next time you beat yourself up over a flaw, remind yourself of what you like-your sexy arms, curvy hips or maybe the fact that you can finish one of my workouts (this is something that some cannot do, so feel proud that your body can exercise).

Go look in the mirror and tell me what you love about yourself...........please post a comment here or on my fit2u:facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fit2u/152937491402257 and let me know what you love most about your body.

I love to hear comments so keep them coming :)

Until next time....

Live Active........Live Healthy..........Live Happy

Charis