Looking Ahead - 1 month at a Time

Looking ahead to the rest of 2010 -one month at a time....

Our theory 'S.M.A.R.T.E.R': Simple, Manageable, Attainable, Realistic, Time, Evaluate, and Reward. Here are a few simple tips that may guide you through this next month.

Daily Exercise: Start your first week with only 10 minutes of walking. Then increase only by 5 minutes the second week. By the third week increase it by 5 minutes, and by the fourth week you will increase your walks up another 5 minutes. By the end of the month you will be walking a total of 25 minutes and your body will crave that ritual.
When choosing condiments, switch to non-fat or skip it all together. This includes the cheese. You will save as much as 250 calories.
Breakfast choices: Skip the doughnut case and choose a whole grain bagel and apple, or ready to drink smoothie or yogurt. The complex carbs and protein will provide you with longer lasting energy.
If you must go to the drive through for lunch, choose a broiled chicken sandwich and skip the fries. If it is fries you crave order the kids’ meal and enjoy.
When hitting your local coffee shop, order it 'Skinny'. You will cut as many as 30 fat grams with just one word.
Your pet's exercise program has probably slowed down. Grab a coat and hit the sidewalk. Once around the block and you will feel invigorated-a double bonus- your pet will love you too.
With the colder months upon us we tend to forget about hydration. In reality water is crucial this time of year. Keep water close by, in the car, on the desk, next to your coffee table, just seeing it there will remind you to take a sip.

Take October as another month to stay on task. Don't think you need to do it all this. It took some time to get where you are today and it will take time to get where you want to go. A friend once told me that you must do what you love so that you will keep doing it.

~Trina

Obesity in Children is on the Rise

Obesity in children is on the rise. Is your child overweight? Most parents don’t see their child as being overweight. In part may be due to very young children still waddling around in what parents believe is baby fat. One study found that only 36% of parents of overweight or obese children ages 2 to 17 identified them as such, and part of it may be that, in a society in which obesity is omnipresent (everywhere), a slightly hefty child looks pretty normal, relatively speaking.

I ask out loud, “why don’t practitioners say something?” I suppose this can be a sensitive issue to discuss, and maybe they don’t know how to communicate the facts to us. However the call to action needs to happen now. Studies show that overweight children lead to overweight adults by 10%, obesity leads to 80% of diseases that can be avoidable if we made some changes. Here are a few tips to get you and your family started.

· Children should be eating five or more servings of fruits and veggies daily
· Children need breakfast. Preferably a breakfast that is low in sugar and moderate in protein. I remember when my son six-years-old and he would go to the nurses’ office feeling dizzy and tired. I realized he was only eating cold cereal before heading off to school. We added an egg or a slice of turkey bacon to balance the carbohydrates.
· At least one hour of physical activity each day. Get out with the family, take a walk, ride bikes, climb hills, roll in the grass, play ball.
· Children should be spending less than two hours in front of a TV, video or computer monitor each day.
· The entire family should be doing these things: Modeling
· Cut back on buying ‘kid’ food. Teach children that good food does not come in a package or box.

As a parent if my daily diet revolves around bologna, potato chips, soda, and ice cream then my children will crave those things too. Maybe as you are reading this you say, “But Trina, I don’t eat cold cereal or pop tarts for breakfast.” I say, “Then why are we still buying those things for our children?” If you can name every celebrity from the past five seasons of Dancing with the Stars, chances are your kids can too. Youth Training available in our garage at CrossFit Star, or check out your local gyms for other kids camps, and get up off the couch.

Resources: www.time.com/time/magazine/article

Trina K Reyes, Certified Personal Trainer. Running/walking coach, bodybuilder and a proud mom of her three children; Kayla, Kasson, and Violet Christina. With twelve years experience Trina has a drive in helping individuals find and succeed in their fitness goals. Visit my facebook page.

Summer Time

I love this time of year, Family gatherings, outdoor cooking, watermelon, corn on the cob, and homemade desserts. Just thinking about all of it – makes me happy. If you are like me my fitness program will take a back seat, and I become un-regimented. Here are a few tips to keep your program on track and your summer fun worth it:

Schedule three days for yourself. Make an appointment and stick to it. Get someone to help with the kids so you can get your workouts in.

Plan ahead. Get the babysitter lined up, plan your route or routine and keep the commitment.

Exercise when the kids are playing. Walk, run, squat, climb, kick a ball, shoot hoops, jump rope, skate, stretch and do crunches with your kids.

Be an early riser. With the hotter weather approaching – get the work out done before the family gets up.

This is a great time to take up a new summer hobby. Learn to skate, raft, canoe, hike, or bike.

Seasonal Cleanse. Take 10 days to rid the body of unnecessary toxins.

Get the recommended amount of sleep, at least 7 hours.

Drink plenty of water. 2 glasses between each meal.

With the hotter weather who wants to be indoors cooking? Eat plenty of fruit and veggie salads.

Skip the treats. Limit yourself to one day a week of treats.

Summer time is family time. Don’t be hard on yourself if you are not keeping up with the same routine you did when the kids were in school. Keep the routine S.M.A.R.T. Simple, Manageable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time. Have plans coming up this summer; a wedding to attend, class reunion, graduation? Discovering your shorts from last year is fitting a little too tight? Do you have to move the belt over one notch? Ask me about my 24 Day Weight Loss Program. Guaranteed to melt away unwanted body fat, and create lean muscle.


SUMMER READY, SET, GO!
24-Day Weight Loss Program
Daily Menu Plan
Dietary Supplements
Personal Training
Daily Coaching
24-Day Program $275

Consistency

I continue to pursue my passion of health and nutrition, by bring “FIT” back to the community. My new business, CrossFit Star, is changing your friends’ and your neighbors’ lives. I am a fitness nut – and in the last 15 years health and nutrition really has not changed all that much. Of course there are new fades, new modalities, and new trade names….but what health and nutrition boils down to is consistency.

“You are not going to be successful if you are inconsistent.”

You can take that motto and apply it to any goal you seek in life – short or long term.
So I can hear you saying to me “but it is hard!” I can’t agree more –when you want to achieve something bad enough, when you want to beat the statistics, when you are ready to change your behaviors and become consistent you will be successful.

For example, the number #1 question that I am asked consistently, “how do I lose weight?” I think about this all the time. Bottom line, it is not easy. Several tasks must be taken; each task must be done routinely and consistently. You must be willing to change your physical behaviors, willingness to devote time, change your conversation, and work hard. Here are a few tasks to get you started.

Consistency = Success

• Journal, Journal, Journal. Do this every day. Journal your food either paper and pencil style or choose one of these websites. (www.thedailyplate.com or nutritiondata.com) Track your calories, protein, carbs, and fat. This is probably the most daunting of all tasks – however this is a task that does not have to be done forever. Every bite counts!
  


• Weight and Measure. Do this for a couple of weeks. This will guide you to an understanding of portions and what a serving actually looks like. You can buy a cheap scale from here www.iherb.com (Vitaminder, Food Scale with Portion Tray). Use the code XER367 receive $5 off the scale.
  


• Learn to Read Labels. Of course buy fresh as often as possible. When reading a label you should have the basic understandings of the portion size, Protein, Carb, Sugar, Fiber and Fat ratios. Write me if you don’t understand your labels. I’d be happy to help.
  Get moving. No gym membership required. You can do body weight exercises to start. Squats, Lunges, Sit-ups, Push-ups, Walk, Run or Slog up a SWEAT! 30 minutes of daily activity is required.
  


• Water, Water, Water. It is what our bodies are mostly made of – therefore our bodies require large amounts of water every day.
  Find a balance between life and YOU!
  

You are responsible for you. Your spouse, children, boss, friends, neighbors, and personal trainers will provide you with the support and tools you need – Only you can make success happen.

Become Leaner and Stronger - no money required

Become leaner and stronger. No money required, with the PUSH-UP!

The Push-Up is essentially a total body workout. The primary mover of a push-up is your chest and triceps. However, if you look at the form your body takes during the push-up you are suspended from your toes to your shoulders, every muscle is engaged and active in some way or another. The Push-up works great for strengthing your core, back, legs, hips, shoulders, chest, and arms.

A push-up is considered a resistance exercise, so in addition to muscle strengthening, you also get bone-building effects. It can be as effective as working with weights.

To keep in mind while performing the push-up, engage your tummy, hips, glutes and lats. Lower yourself slow and steady without dropping the hips. Keep a nice straight line from your head to your tail.

Your push-ups can be done with modification by dropping down to your knees.

If you are telling me that you don't think you can even do one push-up well I have a 2 week challange for you. From our friends at Desert CrossFit:

THE PUSH UP CHALLENGE: On a Sunday do as many push ups as you can in one set...record the number. Monday do your push ups in one sitting using as many sets as necessary (women 50/men 100). Tuesday do your push ups over the course of the day. Wednesday in one sitting.....Thursday over the day.....Friday in one sitting....Saturday over the day. ...Sunday is rest day. Repeat the same schedule the next week and rest again on Sunday. That next Monday test to see how many push ups you can do in one set. See how far the number has improved over the first measurement!

Post your results and let us know how you did at the end of two weeks.

~Trina

Alcohol and Weight Loss "Don't Mix"

I am often asked about weight loss plans...”What is the best way to lose weight, Trina?”

I dive right in and ask all the important questions; only to find out later that my clients drink a minimum two beers or two glasses of wine a night. “It helps me relax, unwind.”

Like soda – alcohol adds calories. Calories you don’t need right now. These ‘empty’ calories will not make you feel full, in fact studies show that alcohol encourages you to eat more and slows down your metabolism. You will burn less fat with alcohol consumption.

The alcohol sends a signal to the liver – the liver recognizes it as poison and goes to work breaking down the alcohol before it deals with processing the food. In other words your body will burn off the alcohol calories first before it goes to work on the fat. Alcohol inhibits the production of your fat and muscle building hormones.

So if you are serious about weight loss – skip the alcohol for 6-weeks and bump up your water intake. Alcohol is a diuretic and your body goes into emergency mode and makes more cortisol.

Water flushes the waste from your body and helps the nutrients to your muscles; water helps digest food and proteins, and keeps the metabolism running HOT.

Stretch for Success

I know what you are thinking; 'I could never touch my toes' or 'I have been inflexible since my youth'. However with a simple plan and a short-term goal you will be bending and reaching in no time at all.

It would be wise to start with an exercise prescription:

To significantly improve flexibility, you must overload your muscles by stretching them beyond their normal limits

Stretch frequently and for long periods of time

Your intensity level would be to the point of mild discomfort, however be sure you can hold the position correctly

You need to hold the stretch for at least 10 - 60 seconds in length

Most importantly don't hold your breath, make sure you breath long and deep

I would recommend that you do 3 -5 repetitions of each stretch, at least 3 days a week

The answer to your plan is to come up with a short-term goal. Write it down and look at it every day. Tell your family and friends. If you get off track- re-evaluate your goal and start again. Its that Easy!

Here are a few stretching ideas to get you started:

Sit and Reach. Simple sit on the floor and reach forward. Don't worry about how far you reach just hold the stretch long enough so that you feel the legs start to warm up.

Single Leg Stretch. With one hand, hold onto something stable, like a table or chair, then with the other hand reach back and grab your other leg. You could start by using a belt or rope to help you lift up that back leg. Don't forget to do both legs.

Upper Body-Chest Stretch: Stand in a doorframe, stretch out both hands on opposite sides of the walls, and walk your upper body through the door. Be sure to lift your head and neck to provide a full chest stretch.

Neck Rotations: This is a great stretch to release tension in the upper back and neck area. Sit nice and tall in a chair and look to your left, then look to your right and be sure to hold each side for several seconds. Then you will look down with your chin to your chest.