Cardio

World of Melissa: Back to Work, Workouts, and Leavin’ on a Jet Plane

You ever have one of those weeks where you don’t do anything spectacular yet the weeks is ABSOLUTELY amazing and you don’t really want it to end?

That was last week for me — I had the week off from work — I didn’t go anywhere — stayed around town — went places at times I usually couldn’t go — like Starbucks at 3pm or the gym at 10 am — it was honestly AMAZING. SUPER relaxing — which was MUCH needed.

However, all that is about to change when the alarm goes off at 5 am tomorrow morning — a new week is going to begin — but this one is filled with a SUPER packed schedule – back to work, workouts and a plane ride!

What do You Wear to the Gym — Pants or Shorts?

I was getting ready for the gym yesterday morning and was trying to figure out what to wear – shorts or pants?

No its not the biggest decision in the whole entire world – but its one that WILL affect my workout.

Its January – its cold – the gym opens at 8 and I plan on being there at 8:05. There are some days when the heat isn’t on yet and the gym is FREEZING – other days when the heat is BLASTING and its SUPER warm (those days are my favorite). Not to mention the fact that my legs are WHITE. Oh yes — no tan (its winter and this girl doesn’t fake bake) – if the sun reflects off my legs I feel like you need a pair of sunglasses if you catch my legs in shorts in the winter and I don’t want to blind everyone in the gym!

Then I had to consider my workout — it was leg day — I don’t usually like having pants on when I do legs – it makes me feel constricted – I know spandex expands – but it can get awkward – ya know?

Yes – this is the ridiculous conversation I had with myself in the morning and I’m wondering if I’m the only one.

We all have reasons why we do or don’t do things. Even if its as simple as figuring out what to wear to the gym.

I know many women don’t wear shorts because they don’t like their legs and when I recently posed this question on Twitter and Facebook – I found some even more intriguing answers — no shorts = no germs – something I never even thought of.

I ended up settling for capri/leggings that day (which brings up a whole other world of issues I will save for a future post). I was SUPER hot especially doing cardio — but they made my bum look nice – hehe! This conflict will arise again as I pack my bag for the gym tomorrow – I’ll probably put both shorts + pants into the bag and figure it out when I get there – depending on my mood.

So…after all my ranting – I hope I’m not alone….ladies…

What do you wear to the gym – Pants or Shorts or Capris? Why?

Flat Stomach Workout – Amanda Seyfried’s Responsibility to Be Thin

Amanda Seyfried, star of the new film “Letters to Juliet”, feels the pressure to be thin- like every other young star in Hollywood.  Its an unfortunate trend that every rising star feels the need to be thin, however, following a healthy diet and nutrition plan is the best way to ensure healthy weight loss.

January 22, 2009

Woke up this morning and decided to step on the scale to see how my progress was going for the week. I’m usually a big advocate of not relying on the scale to determine your weight loss success and progress – as their are a variety of reasons as to why one day you have lost lots of weight and the next day you may have gained a few pounds back.

Well, I should have taken my own advice and not stepped on the scale this morning. I was only down .2 pounds since my last weigh in on Monday morning. My honest to goodness initial response – WT*!?! I have been eating really clean – proud of myself for sticking to it and saying no to the sweets that seem to be in an endless supply around me. My workouts have been good and I’m kicking my butt at cardio.

I calmed down after I told my trainer/nutrition-diet guru – Jimmy Smith – about my weight – I was definitely bummed. By no means is it the end of the road, but who doesn’t want to see continued success and see numbers drop? I know I do. Its definitely a silent way to say WOOHOO – you’re doing a great job – keep going! Seeing that weight go down is my own little cheerleader! Haha….oh well, its only week 2 – time to stay focused and keep rocking it!

Speaking of cheerleaders – the responses and comments I received from my first blog/journal entry about doing a competition was AWESOME! Thank YOU for all your support and encouraging words – you guys are AMAZING! You definitely know how to keep a girl excited and motivated to working towards a goal!! SO THANK YOU THANK YOU!!

But its time to get ready for day….I’m ready to ROCK mine – are you ready to rock yours??

Oh – and dinner last night was GREAT – and I thought I should share the recipe as anyone can use it no matter what you are trying to do.

Christmas Chicken

(not the real title but all the ingredients were green and red – so why not? lol)

4 oz chicken breast

Red, Green Peppers (diced up)

Spinach + Asparagus

*Put 1 tbsp olive oil and garlic in the pan – once heated add vegetables (my chicken was already pre-cooked) – sautee for a few minutes until they are warm and have a bit of a bite still – add chicken. I also added a dash of lite soy sauce for some flavor – something I will not be able to do in a few weeks – but took advantage of the ability to have flavor now! It was honestly SO tasty and beat my usual chicken and beans (which has been pretty good – but my staple of the week)

This is a great meal for anyone – you can add brown rice to it or even put it over pasta if you can have those extra carbs – it was a low carb day for me – rice was not an option.

Until next time…

Happy Training )

Melissa

From ‘Skinny Fat’ to ‘Strong and Lean’ – Inspiring Women: Lizzy Ostro

Does this sound familiar? As a high school athlete you go to every single fast food joint possible after practice – starved and no real idea about what you really should be eating in order to be better. You’re young and you’re hungry – thats all that matters.

Then you hit college. You don’t know any other way of eating so you continue to eating whatever you can, usually the bad stuff because that tastes so much better. However, you’re not nearly as active as you were before, plus your hormones start changing and your metabolism starts to slow a bit. So, instead of staying muscular and lean like before you start gaining the ‘freshman 15′.

How do you end the cycle? Ask Lizzy Ostro. Lizzy not only managed to get herself out of the freshman 15, but came out on top competing in regional bikini shows, and will be at the NPC Jr. Nationals later this year.

How’d she get there? I’ll let Lizzy tell you…

Womens Ab Workout: Tell us more about yourself. Who are you? How long have you been training and what are your goals and aspirations in the fitness industry?

Lizzy Ostro: Thanks so much for interviewing me!! My name is Lizzy Ostro aka “Fit Lizzio”. I’m 21 years old and have been training for 2 ½ years. After being an athlete throughout much of my life, I began college as a lazy freshman. I began working with a personal trainer in 2007, and my love for fitness, body building, and training became my lifestyle. I have competed in 2 regional bikini shows, and plan to hit the national scene this year in Chicago in June.

WAW: To get into great shape, for a bikini show, you must be pretty particular about your training.  How would you describe your training? Are you into body part training or full body training? Why? How much of your training is weight training and how much is cardio?

LO: Everyone’s workout style is different. I have found that if you don’t train the way you LIKE to train, you are less likely to stick to it and your results will not be as good. I do a 5 day split with 2 leg days per week. One leg day focuses on hamstrings and glutes, and the other leg day focuses on quads and plyometrics. My problem areas are my shoulders and legs as far as building muscle goes, so I take special consideration when training those areas.

After being a “cardio queen” for some time, I finally realized that the weight training is really what shapes your body. Cardio is great to get a little extra fat burning and to increase cardiovascular fitness, but your physique is built with weight training. I always put that as first priority. I still do cardio most days of the week, but I mix it up between running, boxing, hiking, and the stairmill.

WAW: One of the biggest parts of fitness, whether training for a show, as you have done, or just trying to lose weight and get a flat stomach is DIET. What does your diet look like when getting ready for a show? What is your favorite flat stomach recipe?

LO: SO many people are confused about this topic. The truth is, you CAN’T out train a bad diet (believe me, I’ve tried J). When I’m getting ready for a show, I use a much healthier approach than many people in this industry. I believe in eating for health and wellness first, and little tweaks can be made to get you your body into a “show ready” mode. Extreme dieting, although very common in the fitness industry, only leads to a big blow up after a show(also something I’ve learned first hand.) To be able to get my physique to where I want it to be, I simply start “dieting” further out from the show, in order to have plenty of time to lean out. I eat a very clean diet because it allows me to eat more food and still lean out. What’s better than that?!

A sample day of eating for me would look something like this:

Meal 1: ¼ cup wheat bran, ¼ cup rolled oats, 1 scoop protein powder, ½ TBSP Raw Almond Butter, 2 Egg Whites mixed in

Meal 2 : Protein shake(immediately after workout), 4 oz. ground turkey, ¼ avocado, ½ cup brown rice, lots of veggies.

Meal 3: Salad made with: 1 bed of spinach/romain lettuce, 1 can no salt added tuna or 4 oz. chicken, ¼ c. no salt added black beans, tomato slices, other fresh veggies, and pico de gallo as my dressing.

Meal 4: Coconut Protein Pancake(see recipe below!)

Meal 5: Protein milkshake: 1 scoop protein, ¼ cup pasteurized egg whites, ½ TBSP natural peanut butter, and ice. Blended.

Meal 6: 1 egg, 5 whites, 1 cup spinach, lots of fresh and/or cooked veggies

As you can see, my diet is very clean, but it is plenty of food. If you choose proper foods, you are able to eat more. I rarely go to bed hungry, and I feel incredible eating this way. Many people also are against eating fruit when trying to lean out. I keep fruit in my diet, but just a piece or two every day or every other day.

WAW: In your Twitter bio, you describe yourself as a ‘hard rock loving gym rat.” What 5 songs can we find you singing along to at the gym today?

LO: Haha, the dark side comes out! Just kidding. When I picked up my guitar in 7^th grade, I got into Metallica, Pantera, and other bands in that genre. I guess that is where my love for hard rock/metal arose. These days, you can find me listening to Deftones, Incubus, Glassjaw, Killswitch Engage, and Sevendust in my headphones during a workout. I have an absolute love for music and am learning to become an audio engineer. Music takes me to a whole new level, and when combined with fitness, it is absolute bliss for me.

WAW: On your blog, you take the time to describe yourself. When doing so you say that you  used to think of yourself as ‘skinny fat’ – how have you overcome that mental barrier to allow yourself on stage to compete? What advice can you offer other women who battle with similar self image issues?

LO: In high school, if I hadn’t hit up three different fast food joints that day, something must have been wrong. I literally ate fast food for every meal, but because I was so active and young, it didn’t catch up with me. My blood flowed with Dr. Pepper, and fruits and vegetables were non-existent in my life. When I started college, the terrible eating continued, but the exercise stopped. Although I only gained a few pounds, I lost muscle and became the dreaded “skinny-fat”.

After I began working out again, I started noticing my body toning up and I absolutely loved the results. One of my biggest motivators in working out is seeing changes in my body. There is no better reward for all of the hard work. It not only changed my appearance, but it changed ME. I became more confident, and learned that through discipline, I could change many aspects of my life. This carried into my student and professional life, and I feel that the confidence I have now would not have been achieved without the dedication to this sport.

For someone battling self image issues, I can completely relate. Even now, sometimes I feel self conscious about my body. The one thing that has helped me tremendously is that there is ALWAYS room for improvement. If you feel like your workouts haven’t been great, or maybe you fell off the wagon and haven’t been eating very well, there is always tomorrow to give you the opportunity to try again. As long as you don’t give up, you will never fail. Be PROUD of who you are, as there is only ONE of you and people will love and respect you for being true to yourself.

WAW: What’s next for you?

LO: As mentioned earlier, this year I plan on taking the stage at the NPC Jr. Nationals in Chicago, IL in June. I qualified for this show back in July 2009, and am extremely excited to be able to step on the national scene and see what I can do. The possibilities are endless. Competing can be very subjective, as you never know who the judges will be on the day of the show. Someone I look up to once told me this. She said that if after the show, I feel like I brought my best package, and after looking at pictures, I liked the way I looked, then I won the show. No two judges will ever be looking for the exact same thing, and you have to be proud of what you have accomplished and accept your placing as simply an opinion.

WAW: Where can we find more information out about you?

LO: I have recently started taking on clients for affordable nutritional coaching both for shows, and just everyday life. My website, although not up yet, is coming along well. You can check out my blog at: http://fitlizzio.wordpress.com to see my daily workouts, food intake and thoughts on competing, fitness and life.  You can also e-mail me at fitlizzio@gmail.com

Need MORE inspiration? Check out These Women

Inspiring Women – Kerrie Ann Frey

Inspiring Women – Heather Frey

Inspiring Women – Tina Marie Guaglianone

Inspiring Women – Carmen Burk

How Would You Describe a Woman Who Goes to the Gym?

Society today tells us we should be ‘skinny’. It tells us that being fat is unhealthy and the only way we should look is ‘skinny’. Well, I agree that being overweight can be unhealthy, I don’t want to be ‘skinny’. In the dictionary, the word ‘skinny’ is associated with emaciated – which puts images like the ones below in my head.

I’m nervous to sneeze around that girl because she might fall over.

To look like the girl in the picture you need to follow a diet of completely no food – well, maybe a grape or two a day. After that you will have absolutely no energy to do anything, so no cardio is required. It may sound appealing, but really – all you will be described at is – skinny.

In an effort to encourage women that being ‘skinny’ isn’t the answer and to try to change our view of what is physically appealing – I asked my friends and followers on Twitter and Facebook to answer a question for me. (You will find their answers below)

What words do you use to describe a woman who goes to the gym and takes care of her body?

Robyn Baldwin – Sexy, Fit, and Healthy

Nancy Santana – Fit, Healthy, Toned, Confident, Motivated, Sexy Powerful

Leah Tully – HOT!

Kristi Kenn – Powerful and of course HOT!

Garrett Jensen – Driven, inspiring and Awesome

Linda Paoletti Muszynski – Empowered…

Christin Cleaver – Responsible

Tanya Horn – Staying Fit for LIFE!!

Maria Wielczopolski-Petryshyn – Responsible, Role Model

Jeanvieve Chirco-Butler – Smart…build your body…build your mind

Tinamarie Guaglianone – SMART WOMAN

Amy Maley – I always think strong and tough…because I want to be a strong and tough girl

Derrick Loftus – Keeper, sexy, smart, fun

@rockroyaltyclubs – Attentive

David Sanders – Intelligent, Smart, Committed, “Can I take you to dinner?”

Scott Stransky – Hot, Awesome, My kind…

Gregg Shanefelt – A winner

Bridget Magnus – Smart and beautiful

@FitGemsNation – Inspiring, Hardworker, Respect

@Tlewis25 – FIERCE!

Gene George  – Smart

Roy Pickering – Bangin’

Diane Carroll-Nunez – Smart, Role Model

For me, any woman who takes time to workout and take care of her body is – INSPIRING…HEALTHY… – they are someone I aspire to be like – for I admire the hardwork and dedication they have to making their body what they want it to be….

Now its YOUR turn to answer the question – how would YOU describe a woman who goes to the gym and takes care of her body?

Two Ways to Change Up Your Workout and Speed Up Fat Loss

Everyone likes surprises – I know I do! In fact, your muscles need a bit of a surprise every once in a while in order to continue effective weight loss.  Ladies, since you’re already lifting weights because the benefits of lifting weights for women are endless, you need to make sure that you keep your muscles surprised and working. You can change your routine completely or you can make minor changes to your current routine.

If you’re in the middle of a flat stomach workout, I have at least two ways to surprise your muscles that don’t require a whole routine change. Try one of these two methods to keep the fat burning and your muscles growing.

1. Slow Down – Changing the tempo of exercises helps to stimulate the muscles differently.  Instead of just lifting the weight up and down – take a bit more time – push for a two count and bring the weight down for a four count.  For example – when doing a chest press – count two when pushing the barbell up towards the ceiling and then count to four as you lower the weight back down.  Or, if you are doing a squat count to four as you go down and two when you come back up. Slowing down the exercises makes your muscles work longer and therefore burn more fat.
2. Mix it Up with Cardio – Keeping your heart elevated helps you burn more fat. Doing cardio in between sets of weight exercises helps you burn even more fat calories during one workout as it keeps your heart rate up for a longer period of time. Instead of resting after a weight exercise, head to the treadmill for a one minute of sprint or if working out at home try jumping rope for 30 seconds or high knee lifts.  This quick bout of cardio will help you burn even more fat and reach your flat stomach goals even faster.

So, next time you’re in the gym, try one of these two methods to keep your muscles guessing what you’re going to do and make sure that with every workout you are burning fat and building muscle.  All to help you reach your flat stomach goals.

Five Tips to Help You Reach Your Flat Stomach Goals for the Week

A new week is starting – are your goals ready? Is your “to-do” list set? Are you ready to make it another successful week? I know I am!! Unfortunately for many of us – summer is over – not in my mind – but in reality – the kids are back in school! Whether that means more free time for you or less – or it really has no impact on your life whatsoever – we are all busy doing something. Sometimes those busy somethings can distract us from staying on track to our fitness goals.

So – to make sure that you are ready to make this week a successful week  – here are five quick tips to help you get to Friday while staying on track with your flat stomach goals.

1. Pre-Pack Your Food – Whether its lunch, snacks or dinner – making your meals the night before and packing them in your lunch box can help save you time in the morning and keep you on your flat stomach diet.  Especially if you wake up late – you just have to grab and go.
2. Workout Even if Your Tired – Studies have shown that sweating at the gym can help keep you energized and keep those yawns away.  Increasing your heart rate wakes up your nervous system – naturally giving you more energy. So – when those 3 o’clock yawns come – instead of grabbing a candy bar – try taking a quick walk around the office – get your heart rate up and your be recharged and ready to go.



3. Change Up Your Music – Listening to the same music week after week can make your flat stomach workout seem boring and stale.  Spend a few minutes before the week starts and add some of your new favorite songs – ones your heard on the radio or at the club over the weekend. Changing up the tempo of the music or they type of music or even the artists will help keep your energized throughout your workout.
4. Try a Different Cardio Machine – Is there a piece of cardio equipment that you look at every week but have yet to try? Make this week the week that you try it! Not only will it help spice up your cardio routine but the new/different equipment will target different muscle groups and help kick up the benefits of your cardio workout.



5. Workout at a Different Time – If possible. Our schedules won’t always allow us to work up a sweat at a different time – but if you usually go at night and can wake up a bit early to get your workout in before work – give it a try. You’ll feel great for getting the workout out of the way and give your body great energy to start the day.

Now – go make this week the best week and accomplish your goals!

What Does Your Flat Stomach Look Like?

Are you working towards getting a flat stomach? Awesome – but how will you know when you get there? What does your ideal flat stomach look like?

If you don’t know where you are going how are you going to get there? This doesn’t just apply to driving in a car or exploring a new destination – this also includes your workouts and your fitness goals. If you don’t know what your ideal flat stomach looks like, then you’ll never know if you have reached your goal!

So, I’ve included some pictures to help you figure out what you are working towards and to help figure out what type of flat stomach workout you’ll need to get there.

Flat Stomach #1 – The Six Pack

Getting this type of flat stomach (true defined six pack abs) is a dedicated process. You must make sure that you follow your flat stomach workout meticulously.  Not skipping a workout or cardio session and making sure that you are eating clean with every meal.  A woman with six pack abs like this is not something I see at the beach every weekend. It requires extreme dedication to your flat stomach workout and diet. Is this the flat stomach for you? If not, take a look at Flat Stomach #2.

Flat Stomach #2

Were six pack abs a little too much for you? How about this option – some definition of abs, but not too much.  You will still have to work hard and make the commitment in the gym to get a flat stomach like this.  Making sure that your diet is consistent with a flat stomach diet.

Flat Stomach #3

Don’t want any definition – just want a flat tummy – well then flat stomach #3 is for you.  As in the first two options you still need to be dedicated to your workout and eating habits, but you might not have to do AS many crunches. A flat stomach workout video, to follow along too, is a great place to start to get you closer to your fitness and flat stomach goals.

Which flat stomach are you working towards?

It’s a Cardio Mind Game

“If you don’t do what’s best for your body, you’re the one who comes up on the short end.” – Julias Erving

Thursday’s Trick to Flat Abs

To keep yourself interested in cardio – change up the equipment. Try out different machines at your gym and find out which ones you like.  There is no point in forcing yourself to use a piece of cardio equipment because everyone else is using it – that will only make you hate the process more.

Try a hill climb on the elliptical one day and sprints the next day on the treadmill. Or try the StairMaster for 20 minutes and then go for a bike ride along a rolling path for another 20 minutes. Keep your mind stimulated and body guessing what’s next and you’ll see your weight loss results and flat abs sooner than you expected.

What’s your favorite cardio workout?