How Many Calories Do You Burn?

You are using energy all the time, even at rest. The more vigorous the activity and the longer the time you do it, the more calories you burn. Use this link to find out how many calories you burn doing a specific activity, whether it is housecleaning, gardening, skiing, or running. This tool can help remind you of all the activities you can do to improve your fitness and health. It uses your weight to calculate calories burned, because a heavier person burns more calories during activity than a lighter person.

http://exercise.about.com/cs/fitnesstools/l/blcalorieburn.htm

What's Next?
Start adding more physical activity to your daily life. You don't have to "work out" to be active. Once you start adding some cardiovascular exercise into your routine, you'll find that a little goes a long way. If you do nothing more than take two brisk 10- to 15-minute walks a day, you can drop one or two dress sizes over the course of a year—even without dieting!

Do What You Love
The most important part is to do something you love. Remember, you're going to be doing this a couple of times a week. If it's an activity you hate, you'll get frustrated or bored and quit. The exercise you choose should be something you find enjoyable and that fits conveniently into your life.

Try Something New
Sometimes doing the same routine over and over can become monotonous. That means you will get bored and quit. So...shake things up a bit! Try a class you've never been to like tai chi, yogalates, or kickboxing. How about dance? You can take ballroom or swing dance lessons. Or, if you are feeling especially "adventurous" how about a bellydancing or strip aerobics class? Or just pick up a new active hobby like swimming or tennis!

Feel The Beat
Listening to music while on a stationary bike or treadmill can boost your calorie burn. Studies show that people who listen to fast-tempo music exercise longer before fatiguing. Even better, they feel as though the exercise is easier even when the intensity is the same. Sometimes I like to listen to music with a fast beat and make my strides go with the beat!

I hope this has helped to motivate some of you! Now...GET MOVING!!! Ha Ha! Love you guys!

Smoothie Recipes!

Hey guys! Here are the recipes some of you have asked for!
Ultimate Power Smoothie:
1 cup 1% milk
2 tablespoons low-fat vanilla yogurt
3/4 cup instant oatmeal, nuked in water
2 teaspoons peanut butter
2 teaspoons chocolate whey powder
6 ice cubes
*Makes 2 8-oz servings*
Per serving: Cal 220; Protein 12g; Carbs 29g; fat 4g; Sat Fat1.5g; Sodium 118mg; Fiber 3g

Strawberry Smoothie:
1 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
2 teaspoons peanut butter
1 cup frozen strawberries
2 teaspoons whey powder
6 ice cubes
*Makes 2 8-oz servings*
Per serving: Cal 186; Protein 11g; Carbs 26g; fat 5g; Sat Fat 2g; Sodium 151mg; Fiber 3g

Cereal Killer Smoothie:
1 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup All-Bran Extra Fiber Cereal
1/2 cup blueberries
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons whey powder
6 ice cubes
*Makes 2 8-oz servings*
Per serving: Cal 145; Protein 8g; Carbs 32g; fat 2g; Sat Fat1g; Sodium 155mg; Fiber 9g

Banana Split Smoothie:
1/2 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 banana
1/8 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
2 teaspoons whey powder
6 ice cubes
*Makes 2 8-oz servings*
Per serving: Cal 171; Protein 8g; Carbs 33g; fat 2g; Sat Fat 1g; Sodium 94mg; Fiber 2g

PB&J Smoothie:
3/4 cup 1% milk
3/4 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
2 teaspoons peanut butter
1 medium banana
1/2 cup frozen unsweetened strawberries
2 teaspoons whey powder
4 ice cubes
*Makes 2 8-oz servings*
Per serving: Cal 235; Protein 11g; Carbs 39g; fat 5g; Sat Fat 2g; Sodium 154mg; Fiber 4g

-$487 billion in gas, sweat and stretch pants...-

What if no one were fat?

Imagine a lean and healthy America: The savings on medical, fuel, food and other costs would be enough to give every U.S. household more than $4,000.

Check out the article on MSN.com (click this post's title for link)!

-All I Ever Needed To Know...-

As I see it, people fall into one of two categories when it comes to how they perceive obstacles.

They either focus on the problem itself, or they focus on the possible solutions to the problem.

Which do you think is the better way to handle things?

Think back to the basic math you learned way back in the day.

2 + 2 = ?

When you were given a math problem, you weren’t expected to just sit there and stare at it…you were expected to SOLVE it!

As the saying goes, “all I ever needed to know I learned in kindergarten.”

Rings true, doesn’t it?

Staring an obstacle in the face doesn’t do you any good if you just sit there!

When I meet a client for the first time, we sit down and discuss their goals and health history. I like to know what they perceive to be the biggest obstacles to their success. Once I have a better idea about this, I can form solutions to help them get past these obstacles.

See? It’s just like a math problem!

Once someone knows of the possible solutions, those obstacles don’t seem so big!

:)

-FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED-

I was sitting here with 15 minutes to spare before heading off to train a client, and decided it's been too long since I last posted. Problem? What subject should I write about? So, then I opened up my personal "articles" file, looking for something I could use as a blog post, and came across several projects which I had started in the past few months. This gave me the idea to write a little post about FINISHING WHAT YOU STARTED!

I am one of the world's biggest procrastinators. This may come as a surprise to some, because I am so driven when it comes to my career. I'll be the first to tell you that I have all sorts of ideas swimming up in my head, but most of them don't find a way out of my brain. The few "survivors" turn into random writings on spare papers in my work bag, or I jot them down in Word. The best way to describe what happens is it's a fast and furious, almost overwhelming, and at times stressful process that most often fizzles out before it gets good.

All these great ideas. All these good intentions.

But I can't get from "point A" to "point B."

Why am I sharing this with you?

Because it applies to working out. :)

Let me use one of my favorite "rules"...the "80/20 Rule."

I would venture to guess that 80% of people who begin an exercise program with the best of intentions end up quitting a month or so later.

The other 20%? They survive. They continue to exercise. Why? The reasons are varied.

But the 20%...the few and the proud...they aren't who i'm wanting to write about right now!

MY MAIN POINT?

Fitness isn't a one-shot deal. It's a journey. There is no ultimate destination. You can't just start working out and view it as a short-term "gig." You gotta be in it for the long haul, or else you will fail, plain and simple.

The hardest part is making the conscious decision to START. Once you have done that, the rest is cake!

STAY TUNED!

A Thought On "Trainers"

Trainers are a dime a dozen. Seriously...think about it. It doesn't take much to get certified...read a book, take a test and poof! There you go. It really disgusts me that so many "trainers" think that's it. That is enough for them, and they just go out and "train" people without ever thinking twice. If you are looking for a trainer, PLEASE keep a few things in mind...

What sets a good trainer apart from the rest of them? It's simple really...a true, genuine concern for their clients. It's not about the trainer at all. It's about the client and THEIR goals. We are just lucky enough to be able to help you on your journey! You have to LISTEN and really understand where your clients are coming from. I hate it when trainers just take the latest exercises from magazines, make people do them and then not even care that they are not seeing the results they wanted. Training must be FUNCTIONAL.

As a trainer, you are never done learning. There are always new "toys" coming out and new approaches to take. What works for one person isn't necessarily going to work for the other. There should never, ever be "cookie-cutter" workouts.

The most important thing..you shouldn't waste your client's time or hard earned money. Be honest and REAL. Don't promise results with just one workout a week if you know for a fact that's not gonna happen!

Luckily, Sarah and I found each other and teamed up! We share the same views on training people and I am so excited about the future of our business! We have a lot of good stuff coming!

Take Time Out For Yourself

Lately I've noticed something that seems to be a growing trend. Women don't take time for themselves. No matter what age they are...from 18 to 100...they are so worried about everyone else and don't give enough attention to themselves. And this is much more obvious in mothers.

It's almost as if women feel "guilty" about wanting to take care of themselves. They put everyone...family and friends...first. IF there is any extra energy left over, it MIGHT go towards them, but that is only in rare cases.

But think about it...if you don't take care of yourself, you can't take care of anyone else. You have to be happy, healthy and mentally strong to take on all the roles society gives you. You are only given one life and one body...take time to care for yourself!