Losing Weight

How to Avoid Taking a ‘Gym-Cation’ During the Holidays

Are you on holiday gym-cation? (A vacation from the gym?) Its December — you’ve got too much to do, not enough time so the first thing you do is put a hold on your visits to the gym? Yes, taking a mini-vacation from the gym is the easiest way to find more time in your schedule, but it might not be the smartest or the healthiest.

I completely understand your necessity for more time — especially during the holiday season. Between parties, shopping, crowds, wrapping, traffic and work, any ‘extra’ time we can squeeze into our schedule becomes that much more valuable. Usually the easiest way to squeeze in some extra time is to cut your time spent in the gym. To justify your ‘gym-cation’ you tell yourself you’re too busy, you’ll try to eat better, and that as soon as the holidays are over you’ll be back in the gym.

Determined to Find What Works – Inspirational Woman: Tiffany Gaughan

After being diagnosed with a hypothyroid this inspirational woman was more determined than ever to lose weight and get into the BEST shape she could be in. Her hardwork and dedication to the gym and her workouts helped her land 5th place at her first NPC show. This accomplishment has only helped her dream bigger and work harder — giving her more reasons to stay away from the Cinnamon buns and Starbucks we all love….

Meet Tiffany Gaughan. What’s next for her? How did she do it? Read on to find out…

10 Ways I’m Changing My Workout this Winter

Changing up your workout is not only important to keep you mentally sane — who wants to do the same workout day in and day out?  It is imperative in order to continually see your body progress towards your fitness goals.

Its also important to change up your workouts in order to see changes and progression in your body – no matter how lean you are or how many pounds you want to lose there is ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS room for improvement.

Here’s how I’m changing my workout this winter:

1. Only hitting the gym 4 days a week
2. Starting with 2 exercises for each body part — 3 sets for the first exercise — 2 sets for the second exercise — increasing the sets/reps and number of exercises each week
3. Training Back with Shoulders two times a week (this is the area I’m trying to improve)
4. Legs and Biceps at the beginning of the week — making sure one of my cardio days is after my leg workout
5. Chest and Triceps once a week — in between my two shoulder/back workouts
6. Cardio is low intensity only three times a week
7. Focusing on lifting heavier weights — making sure to see some improvement each week
8. With heavier weights my reps are only going to be between 4 at the lowest and 8 at the highest
9. Focus is on building muscle not losing weight — need to keep this in mind if I don’t always like what I see in the mirror — its going to pay off in the long run
10. Spending as little time in the gym as possible with the most effective workouts
11. Going to try and incorporate Yoga at least once a week

These are only some of the changes I’m making to my workouts this winter. These changes — while some minor — are made to help me achieve my fitness goals this winter — help me to change my physique and create a better body. Now its off to the gym to make some moves!!

What are you doing to your workout to make improvements to your physique?

Your Arm Training Questions Answered

With all the my recent posts about arm training, I’ve received a ton of questions regarding different arm related topics.

How to Quit the Clean Plate Club and Start Losing Weight

I can still hear my mothers voice in my head as I sit at the dinner table trying to finish those last few mouthfuls so that I left a clean plate. This mentality of eating was fine when I was little, but now all it causes is an expanding waistline. Its time for us to quit the clean plate club and start losing weight!

It’s Over – Reflecting on the Journey to My First Two Bikini Competitions

Its over…..

A sixteen week weight loss journey of dieting and training and extreme focus have come to an end. Sixteen weeks of nerves, laughs, second guessing myself and growing have written their final chapter.

A sixteen week adventure that begun with a silly idea have ended in two spectacular shows.

Honesty is the Best Policy for Weight Loss

Have you ever been to a trainer or nutritionist and they have asked you to keep a food journal of what you eat? So you write down all the healthy stuff – the chicken, veggies, and fruit, but somehow your forget to write down the ‘bad foods’ that you are suppose to stay away from – bag of peanut M&M’s, ice cream? Well, this ‘forgetfulness’ or ‘lying’ will only prohibit you from losing weight and make it harder for you to get a flat stomach.

Luckily for you your nose won’t grow like Pinocchio if you tell a lie, however, your waist line will begin to grow or keep from shrinking instead.  Not being honest with yourself, is the biggest thing keeping you from reaching your weight loss goals.

Busy Woman Guide: 4 Ways to Get Your Workout In

Its a New Year and you’ve promised yourself a New You. You’re trying to change what you eat and get to the gym; however sometimes time is not on your side and before you know it the day is over without a workout. Its time to solve the time crunch problem and make sure that you fulfill the promise you’ve made to yourself.

If finding time to do your flat stomach workout, is an extreme issue some days, try one of these four ways to ensure that you get your heart rate elevated at some point and burn fat everyday.

#1 Walk the Dog

Walking the dog is a great way to get your heart rate elevated. Not only that, they make a pretty good workout companion and will keep you going everyday, even when you may not want too. Don’t have a dog? No problem – head out for a 15 minute walk, whether it be during the day at work, before or after work.

#2 Wake Up Earlier

If you know you aren’t going to have time to get to the gym after work – try getting there before. Wake up 30 minutes earlier and either do a quick bodyweight circuit at home, go for a walk outside, or head to the gym.  Studies have shown that people who workout in the morning are more likely to stick with their fitness routines, therefore seeing better results.

#3 Lunchtime

If its a busy day and you won’t be able to get to the gym after work, try heading to the gym at lunch. Not enough time? Instead of going out to lunch with the co-workers why don’t you all go for a walk? Heading out for some fresh air and heart rate elevation will get you feeling refreshed and ready to work again after lunch. Not to mention it’ll help you squeeze in some type of workout – which is better than no workout at all!

#4 Keep the Appointment

You’ve set the goals for yourself and the only way you’re going to get there is if you keep your appointment at the gym. You can’t cancel your doctors appointments without 24 hours notice – you shouldn’t be canceling your gym time either. If working out and losing weight is important to you, canceling your sessions should not be an option.

No more excuses. The time is now. Next time time seems to be slipping away and a workout doesn’t seem likely – try one of these four tips to ensure you are burning fat no matter what.

Why Women Need to Lift Weights – Benefits of Lifting Weights for Women

Ladies – I know we’re ALL scared of something – for Dorothy it was lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!).  While for many of us, when it comes to losing weight , we are scared of failure, not working out hard enough, doing the ‘wrong thing’ and looking like a man caused by lifting weights.  Well, ladies, its time to get rid of these fears – its time to take charge – today  I’m going to tell you why you no longer need to be afraid of lifting weights and why lifting weights for women is important (heavy ones too).

For too long I have been the lone female in my gym in the free weight section.  Most of the women in the gym are spending the hour they have to work out on the elliptical or treadmill – making sure to burn the exact amount of calories they consumed for the day.  Maybe one or two trickle upstairs and join me, but for the most part it’s me and the guys – lifting the weights – building muscle and burning fat.

It’s time now for YOU to start doing the same and spend time lifting weights.

In order to get rid of our fear of lifting weights, we must look at why we are scared of lifting weights.

Reason  #1 – You think that lifting weights will make you look like a man.

I agree -  I don’t want to look like a man either! Currently I’m in the gym lifting weights 5 days a week and I don’t look like a man.  This can no longer be your excuse because well, as a woman you do not have enough testosterone in your body to bulk up like a guy does. Our levels of testosterone are so low, that we will not bulk up and look like Arnold Schwarzenegger just because you are lifting weights a few times a week.

(Side Note – also, if you don’t like the look of lean women either who have muscles, lifting weights a few times week to burn fat won’t do this too you – it takes time and dedication to building muscle and the possibility of other substances.)

Also – lifting HEAVY weights will NOT make you look like a man either – for the same reason – we don’t have enough testosterone in our body to allow us, as women, to bulk up.

If anything – lifting weights, heavy or light – will help you burn more fat and help you become stronger. When you add muscle to your body, your body in turns burns more fat, therefore helping you reach your flat stomach goals faster. (You will even burn fat while you’re not working out!).  What’s even cooler – is you will see yourself getting stronger and honestly – what woman doesn’t want to be strong? I love it when I can go in the gym one week and lift a heavier weight than I did 3 weeks ago – it shows that you are working hard.

Reason #2 – You don’t know what to do and you don’t want to make a fool of yourself by doing the wrong thing.

Okay – stop right there. There are PLENTY of people in the gym who don’t know what they are doing and many of them are guys. There are people in there with poor posture, making up exercises and some who aren’t even working out because they’re talking.  So, there is no need to worry about not knowing what exercises to do and if you are doing them right or wrong.

Plus, most people aren’t actually watching you.  Yes, you get your random people who do quickly glance over at you, but for the most part everyone in the gym is there to get their workout in and get out.  They aren’t going to be staring at you and wondering what is she doing? Unless of course you start flapping your arms like crazy like I saw some guy the other day. But I know you won’t do that.

There are so many opportunities for you to find out and learn what exercises you can do with weights in the gym that you don’t need to be nervous. You can check out the exercises on my YouTube channel, you can read workout magazines to see what other women are doing, or you can search the internet.

If you are really nervous and don’t feel comfortable just going out on your own then set up a session with a trainer at your gym.  They’ll be more than happy to show you what exercises to do, show you how to do them properly, and to give you a routine to start off with. There are so many ways for you to find WHAT to do (plus I’m going to be sharing some more with you) that this is no longer an excuse.

Reason #3 – You’re scared you are going to hurt yourself.

This is a very understandable concern. However, like I mentioned above – ask someone, research the proper form and technique and if you’ve never lifted weights before, don’t start with the heaviest weight possible. Start off light and let yourself get stronger.

Also, lifting weights properly will help you prevent injuries- now and later in life.  Research has shown that lifting weights increases bone density, therefore decreasing the risk of osteoporosis in women.  They have also found that lifting weights helps to strengthen the connective tissue between your joints, making them stronger.  When the connective tissue becomes stronger, it adds support to your joints, preventing injury. Plus, we all know that when we exercise, we are lowering our levels or body fat, therefore lowering our cholesterol and risk of diabetes and heart disease.

So, are you still scared?  There is no need to be – I know you can do it and you know you can. There are no more excuses for you to not lose body fat and get stronger – lifting weights will only help you.

However, if you are still worried about lifting weights – leave a comment below or  email me – melissa@womensabworkout.com and let me know what is preventing you from adding weight lifting to your flat stomach workout routine and together we’ll make sure that you can start lifting weights and losing fat faster!

Are You Ready for Weight Loss?

Are you ready for weight loss success?

Have you done what you need to ahead of time to guarantee you reach your weight loss goals?

What happened when you were in school and you had a big test – did you study a week in a advance? a few days? or the night of?

Working towards your weight loss goals is similar to preparing for a test, but a lot more fun! As simple as it sounds, planning ahead is a big part of losing weight.  If you aren’t prepared, its a lot easier to slip up and make choices that won’t help you in the long run.

Take a listen…its my the first podcast for Womens Ab Workout! Enjoy! Please let me know what you think and what you want to hear!