Feel Better and More Fit Today

OK, you went overboard with too much rich foods and alchohol over the past few days, and now you feel like total shit. First, forgive yourself, I've done it, too.


Next, do the following today, and I promise you WILL feel much better:


1. Yep, WATER. Drink some more.....go fill your water bottle! GO!!


2. Eat a good breakfast like the Power Spice Pancakes, or a hot bowl of oatmeal (steel cut oats, even better), a banana, and an egg white omlette with spinach.


3. Sweat your balls off! You got to get rid of the excess sodium!! No whimpy brisk walk or pansie jog. You have to sweat a lot for at least 30 minutes by intense movement, so it can be a kickboxing class, at home DVD, jump rope, cross country skiing, biking hard, etc. Have water with you.


4. Drink some tea. Go easy on milk and add just a little honey or agave nectar if you need sweetner.

5. Steer clear of artificial sweetners which can cause bloating.

6. You must eat--starving yourself today will not make you feel better! Eat 5 -6 small meals and include any of these foods:

• bananas


• grapefruit


• blueberries


• fresh spinach


• asparagus (yeh, it makes your pee smell weird)
  
• sweet potatoes
  
• peppermint tea
  
• green tea
  
  

7. Stay FAR away from processed foods!

8. Try this Fat-Flush protein shake from the December 2009 Oxygen Magazine. Blend all the following ingredients in a blender:

• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 ripe kiwi (peeled and cut)
• 1 scoop of vanilla whey protein powder
• 1 cup non-fat or low fat milk.

8. Drink more water...more than you usually do! (I know I said this already)

Happy Fitness!

I love comments!

Tools For Motivation

ARE YOU READY? LET'S ROCK!!!!!

Sometimes lack of motivation sneaks up on an athlete of any level, and I'm not immune. While I may not skip a workout, I admit I'm just going through the motions at times. Here are a few tips that can keep you on your Fitness Track:

1. Treat recovery days as part of your routine. For shift workers, we may need more than we think to recover from a hard workout.

2. Drink plenty of water. Your performance in and out of the gym can be severely reduced if you are dehydrated. We all know this, yeh, but we still manage to skimp on water intake. DRINK WATER RIGHT NOW!

3. Set an "Event Date." Whether it's a team competition, a trip to Mexico, a figure competition, a day when you are going to meet an old friend, a race, or the like. Have a date set for your goals to heighten the sense of urgency.

4. Surround yourself with positive, fitness minded people who will kick your ass when you slack.

5. Reward yourself when you meet your objectives. Get yourself something shiny and new that you really want: something for your snowmachine, tickets to a football game, workout gear, a trip, cool gear for your motorcycle.....you get the idea. Put a picture of it on a calender to remind you to stay on track.

6. Subscribe to fitness magazines and check out fitness websites.

7. Buy a cool notebook and log your workouts and meals and track your progress. Seeing results of your hard work alone is motivation.

8. Don't beat yourself up when you slip. Immediately get back on that horse.

9. Update your iPod with new songs for good high energy workouts.

10. Add variety into your fitness routine especially if you been working out for years. Try any of these:
kettlebells,
jump rope,
Pilate's,
plyometrics,
boxing,
swimming,
calisthenics
Body Pump/Spinning classes

11. Publicly commit your fitness goals to people you know.

12. Find a fitness buddy who's at your own level. Even if you are 100% committed to your workouts, working out with someone does elevate your motivation.

13. No matter what level you're at, remember this:

*YOU ARE AN ATHLETE*

NOW GO TRAIN LIKE AN ANIMAL!

I Hate New Year's Resolutions

Why?

Because if you want to accomplish something that is very important to you, you shouldn't need to wait for a certain day. While I do know there is a special feeling attached to New Years Day, like a clean slate, a sense of renewal, a fresh start..... too many people set unrealistic fitness/workout goals for the New Year, only to become frustrated and discouraged after a few weeks, then fall back to old habits and give up.

Yet, I know people will continue to make their ill-fated resolutions.

Look, please do me a favor, start right now... THIS VERY MINUTE. Ease into better habits of becoming a better body. Working out and eating plain healthy food regularly takes a lot of effort and commitment. Here are some tips that can help you:

1. You do NOT have to live and eat perfectly ALL THE TIME. Allow yourself to slip a little bit every now and then. Be completely healthy 80 - 90% of the time. I don't like the term "cheat meal," but an OCCASSIONAL small "treat" will not set you back, if you are on track 85% of the time.

2. Understand that eating healthy, wholesome plain foods does not have the instant gratification that comes from eating comfort foods like chips, pizza, cookies, chocolate, etc. However, the rewards of eating healthy whole foods in long run are much better than consuming a high fat or sugary food. Achieving a more fit, healthy body has gratifications that goes beyond and deeper than a tasty high calorie meal. I consider this my health insurance plan.

3. If you have too much body fat, every time you want to eat something but are not hungry, jump up and down and feel your fat jiggle--it's a real motivator to stick with the plan.

4. Take photos of yourself before and after. These may be hard to look at...sometimes disturbing if you have a good amount of fat to lose, but it works. Even if you are in good shape now, you can still improve.

5. Keep a journal of EVERYTHING you eat and record the time. You don't have to figure out calories or macronutrients if you don't care to. Just write it down!

6. Set and write down attainable goals and review them regularly. In the journal above you can have a page dedicated to short term and long term goals. SET DATES of when you want to reach your goals.

7. DO NOT USE A SCALE! If you have fat to lose, keep it simple--use a tape measure and record your waist size and measure your waist every two weeks. For women, I suggest measuring your waist and hips.

8. Drink water. I drink at least 6 liters a day and sometimes that's not enough.

9. Eat WHOLE and UNPROCESSED foods; your food should not come from bags or boxes for the most part. If it's advertised on television, in magazines, etc that it's "good for you," it's probably not.

10. Eliminate all foods that contain trans fats/partially hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup. Foods that you think may be healthy, like sugar laden yogurts, are not really healthy or good for you.

11. If you haven't been working out regulary, do not jump full blast into an advanced level workout or begin running miles upon miles when your body is not ready. Work on your core--the powerhouse of your body. Core stability and functional training will help prevent injuries. Even advanced athletes train their core.

12. Please, for the love of God, NEVER, EVER "go on a diet" again. Stay committed to a healthy lifestyle and developing better nutritional habits.

Determination and persistence are OMNIPOTENT!