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.

YOU can avoid 80% of diseases if you ate correctly. Here is a simple equation to gives an idea of what I am talking about:

• 3.5 grams of sugar = 1 tsp or 1 packet of sugar


• Your average yogurt has 23 grams of sugar per serving. That is 6 ½ tsp of sugar in that tiny container of yogurt you buy. An alternative try Greek Plain Yogurt with only 7grams per serving. Sweeten with fruit.


• Your Gatorade drinks - they have per serving 14 grams of sugar. Not bad right? However take a look at the bottle; usually there are 2 to 4 servings per bottle. How many of you drink only 1 serving?


• Regular Soda – On an average a 12 oz soda can has 40 grams of sugar that equals 11 ½ teaspoons of sugar! How many cans do you drink in one day? Maybe you drink BigGulps? By the way if you are saying to me “Trina, I only drink diet”, that is another column I will have to write later.
  


• Cold Cereal – I picked Honey Nut Cheerios. Measure out ¾ cup, almost 3 tsp of sugar! How many of us eat ONLY ¾ cup in the morning?
  Milk – 1 cup of milk has approximately 13 grams of sugar = 4 tsp of sugar! Breakfast cost you 10 tsp of sugar. Not including the Pop Tart or glass of juice you had with your cereal.
  

Some simple advice; eat as many fresh fruits and vegetables as you can. Adults need as many as 9 servings a day. Read labels. Just because the package says whole grain or healthy is not always true. Understand what a serving is. I am a visual person so I will measure and weight my food for a few weeks to have a better understanding of portion control. Educate yourself and be a role model for your children. You can find me on Facebook for everyday healthy tips.

2 a.m. feedings, 4 a.m. feedings, and 6 a.m. feedings...I am awake for most of them. I am a early riser so when Violet goes back to sleep around 8a.m. I stay up and get my day started. With only a few hours of broken sleep - exercise and eating clean is down at the bottom of my list. However the feelings of out-a-shape-ness is at the top. So here I sit determined to form some sort of plan.

Dieting and Exercise is important while nursing but I am advising to go slow and try not to become frustrated. Here are a few tips as to shedding your baby weight while trying to continue to breastfeed.

Lose weight gradually (1-2 lbs a week). Rapid weight loss can lead to a release in toxins which can be harmful to your baby.

Limit your consumption of some fish. About 6ounces a week is adequate.

Abstain from alcohol - or at least take precautions. If you are going to enjoy a drink wait about

2hrs before nursing your baby to give the alcohol a chance to dissipate. Alcohol is not stored in the breast milk - so pumping and dumping isn't necessary.

Drink plenty of water, about 4-500ml a day. I can't stress this enough, our bodies are 90% water. Water will help your body shed fat and produce enough milk for your baby.

Get out and walk your baby. Throw on a hat and don't worry about getting out of your pajamas. Walking will trigger your happy hormones.

Continue to take a multivitamin. Transitioning into motherhood demands those nutrition levels to remain high.

During recent research it is no longer necessary for nursing mother's to eat extra calories. Your energy needs will depend on your current weight and lot on your activity level. There is no one-size-fits-all recommendation.

While holding baby: you can lunge down the hall, squat in front of the television, do a few sit-ups. Every little bit counts

Strive to eat a well-balanced varied diet and count on taking ten months to a year to return to your pre-pregnancy weight, and don't even think about trying to lose weight until at least six weeks after your baby is born.

Caffeine Controversy
According to the AMA it suggest that one to two 8oz cups of coffee per day is a safe amount. In reality caffeine tolerance varies from person to person. In order for an individual to hear their body’s real signals, you have to remove caffeine long enough to tune in. Because caffeine is addictive, even this temporary caffeine withdrawal can be a real source of anxiety and discomfort for many people.
Ninety percent of Americans consume caffeine every day, including children. So whether you have a one-cup or one-pot-a-day habit, it may be time to look at your caffeine use. Is it time for you to take a brief holiday from caffeine? If you are having trouble with the idea of giving up your daily caffeine, you have good reason. Caffeine is addictive on many levels, not the easiest being its role in social, historical, commercial and private ritual. If you’re not sure whether or not you are addicted, take my quiz to find out.
QUIZ Answer YES or NO to the following questions:
* Do you use caffeine to facilitate a physical activity (for example: waking up, exercising, having a bowel movement, concentrating)?
*Do you have to have caffeine in the morning? Can you substitute hot water with lemon?
*Do you crash or have caffeine/sugar cravings in the afternoon or early evening?
*Do you grow irritable, have headaches, feel disembodied if you miss your caffeine fix?
*Do you have difficulty falling asleep at night?
*Do you have difficulty waking feeling refreshed?
*Do you need caffeine to heighten the effects of other substances; eg nicotine, alcohol, sugar?
*Do you feel your social routines would suffer without caffeine use?
*Does the idea of going without caffeine seem impossible to you?
If you answered yes to two or more of these questions, the time may be to examine your attachment to caffeine. Anytime a person feels that they cannot be themselves without using a substance, it raises a big red flag. In my opinion, caffeine tolerance relates largely to how well an individual detoxifies. Since we detoxify occurs mostly in our sleep, the very thing caffeine works against. Habitual or excessive caffeine ultimately sabotages the body’s defenses.
The caffeine cycle - energy boost, then the let down. Adenosine a neurotransmitter helps you feel drowsy by slowing down nerve cell activity within the brain’s center. During sleep our bodies and brain detoxify and heal, adenosine levels have a huge role within our picture of health. Caffeine fools your fatigue factor. Caffeine binds to adenosine receptors on the nerve cells and speeds them up and constricts the blood vessels in the brain. This is why caffeine is used to treat headaches. Caffeine also triggers an upswing in cortisol (a stress reliever hormone) and dopamine (a motor skill hormone), all which activates the pleasure center of our brain.
When the rush is over and adrenaline levels drop, fatigue, irritability, inability to concentrate, headache, and weariness take over, setting yourself up for a big caffeine and sugar craving. Caffeine is a habitual forming drug, and over time it takes more and more caffeine to produce the desired effect. Caffeine’s effects last up to three to four hours but will sustain in your body for as long as 8 hours. Habitual users will experience real caffeine withdrawal symptoms within hours of reducing the intake, usually headache and a drop in blood pressure, nausea, fatigue, irritability, anxiety and depression.
No one is asking you to quit caffeine completely, just move towards a healthier relationship with it. But be prepared caffeine is not an easy drug to quit. One idea is to start with a half-n-half system. You can start by brewing half caffeine and half-decaf at home or ordering it half-calf at your local coffee shop. Switch to an afternoon of green tea one that contains 50% less caffeine than coffee. While you slowly cut down on your caffeine consumption you will build a better support system for your body.
Other thoughts: Recognize that caffeine is not food or a fluid replenisher. Drinking coffee on an empty stomach increase stomach acid, which can cause peptic ulcers, heartburn and add sugar to sweeten it, upsets insulin and cortisol levels. Drink a glass of water upon rising and then eat a high protein breakfast, then if you still want your cup of coffee - remember half-calf.
Go to bed earlier. Allow yourself a strict 8 hours of sleep each night. Sleep is important to detoxify and heal the body. Guaranteed to lessen the need for that 2nd or 3rd cup of caffeine.
Increase your optimal nutrition levels with a multivitamin. Caffeine robs your body of necessary minerals so be sure to take a complete supplement. This may also help your fatigue in the afternoons.
Drink more water. Caffeine actually dehydrates you. Drink more water and this may eliminate the cravings for more caffeine, water will also assist in the detoxification process.

Examine your caffeine addiction. If you really need caffeine to feel like yourself, or the idea of going without it throws you into a state of anxiety, ask yourself what’s really going on. Is there something else that can fill that need? The goal is to have the power to choose what you ingest not to have it control you.

Looking ahead in 2009-one month at a time....

Whew! You survived another holiday season. My kids and I enjoyed baking cookies, making candy, attending many holiday functions full of delicious foods. Not to mention a few birthday parties that included cake and ice-cream. Now all I want to do is hibernate until spring. Or maybe several of you have decided that this is the time to set 'New Goals' for the new you. You have told yourself that you are going to the gym everyday, you will start to run and you will cut back on your food intake -- you will loose weight.

Wait - Hold It - Stop - before you set those standards to high - remember my 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.

If you are still trying to make that first step with exercise, join a local walking group. It is a chance to meet new folks and stay accountable. Check out my facebook and join our group Eagle Fitness Club for group walks and running events.

Now go ahead and reward yourself for a job well accomplished.

Take this time 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.