Getting up everyday and heading to the gym is a chore for some people, but for this week’s inspiring women, Megan Moon, healthy living is a passion.

When most girls have posters of the latest teen heart throb plastered over their walls, Megan had posters of workouts. Her love for fitness started young, knowing that this had to be more than just a hobby, it had to be a lifestyle.  Since starting in the fitness industry, Megan’s success has only just begun, with a recent sponsorship by Optimum Nutrition and more competitions – both figure and endurance, plus her first book – 2010 is going to be a busy and successful year for this lady.

How does she balance all of this while raising two kids and supporting her husbands career? Read on and find out about this week’s Inspiring Woman – Megan Moon…. Read the full story

Life can be hectic at times – especially when you are trying to juggle training for a figure competition, 3 kids, a modeling career and a clean diet – just ask this week’s inspiring woman of the week Raechelle Chase.

However, no matter how busy Raechelle seems to be or how hectic life gets trying to balance everything, she continues to move forward, never faltering from reaching her goals. Raechelle’s secret? You have to read on to find THAT out!

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?

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I met Barbara Mencer through Twitter and after talking to her I realized she is truly an inspiration for women of all ages, competing in her first NPC Figure Competition at 46 and helping small business owners create successful marketing campaigns.  I had to ask Barbara for some of her secrets so I could share them with all of you and we could all be inspired.

1) 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?

I am a marketing consultant and a business development coach. My company is Business BreakThrough Institute. We work with small business owners and professional service providers to help them overcome their fear of sales and marketing so they can attract more clients and make lots more money!

Beyond that, I have a passion for fitness and I’m an NPC figure competitor.  I only started training 7 years ago and started competing 4 years ago.  I just turned 50 years old and have found that training and competing is a way to turn the clock back.  I feel more like 35 than 50.

I haven’t told many people this, but my goal is to get my pro card in Masters Figure. Who knows how long it’ll take me to turn pro, but I figure I have time. Right now I’m shooting for Masters Nationals in 2010 and may do a couple shows between now and then. Other than that, it’d be great to do a little fitness modeling for magazines that target older women. I’d like to encourage middle-aged women to get out there and get fit. I’m concerned that too many women settle for being in less than stellar shape (and less than stellar health too) just because they’re getting older and gravity is starting to do its thing. It truly doesn’t have to be that way!

(WOW – LOOK at THOSE ABS!!!)

2) You just won your Masters Division 45+ (I hope that’s okay to advertise) and you placed 6th in the Open Division at The Cal – what was your motivation to start competing and get into fitness?

I love goals and I love challenges. After I got into shape I was going to the gym about 4 days a week and just maintaining. Nothing wrong with that but I was a little bored.  Someone asked me if I ever did any physique sculpting competitions. I hadn’t heard of that and was intrigued.  Soon thereafter I saw an MTV “Made” show where a young woman was “made” into a fitness competitor.  The gymnastics/dance piece was a bit much for me (I am NOT flexible), but I soon found out about figure and that seemed just perfect for me.  It became a way to take myself to the next level in my fitness. I did my first competition in 2006 and came out of it with 3 trophies.  That’s all it took to get hooked. I’ve been doing it ever since.

3) To get into great shape like you are you must be very particular about your training. How would you describe your training? Are you into body part splits or full boy training? Why?

I’m very fortunate because I have Kim Oddo, trainer and nutritionist to many NPC and IFBB figure competitors as my coach.  Between Kim and my husband, Dan Mencer, who is also a certified personal trainer, I’ve got all the help I need to set up the best training program for me and my goals.  I typically train 5 days per week, training two body parts per day. This will switch around depending on my physique goals at the time.  For instance, right now I’m focusing on widening my v-taper and building my hamstrings.  So, I work my back by itself two days per week and add a second day of hamstrings onto, say, my chest/triceps day in addition to working hammys on legs day.  In a few months, I may switch things around if I want to focus on something else. I find this type of training helps me sculpt my body to be along the lines of what the judges are looking for in figure.  Plus I just like it!

4) Your nickname on Twitter is 6pakgirl – Diet is a HUGE part of getting a six pack or flat stomach – what does your diet look like? If I’m trying to get a flat stomach what are three things I should be doing with my diet?

Yes, a six pack is about 70-80% nutrition based, the rest of it being training and cardio.  My diet is pretty strict, whether I’m on or off season.  I eat completely clean.  No butter, salt, sugar, mayo, sauces, etc.  I eat very little pasta and bread and even less dairy (it’s bloating).  My diet tends to be high in lean protein – grilled skinless chicken breast, turkey breast, fish, and egg whites and my carbs are yams, oatmeal, brown rice, and lots of fresh veggies.  Of course all good nutrition plans include healthy fats.  I get mine from avocado, peanut butter and almonds.

In order for a six pack to show, you must be lean.  You can do all the crunches in the world and you won’t have a six pack if there’s a layer of fat over the muscles.  Three musts for a flat stomach:  1.  Eat more lean protein and less starchy carbs;  2. Drink lots of water (I drink 1.5 gallons each day)  3.  Eat clean! Cut out salt, sugar, and alcohol from your diet.

5) Many women want a flat stomach, yet life sometimes gets in the way and makes reaching this goal that much harder. What are your top four secrets to for a tight, toned stomach?

Well, as I mentioned before, the main secret is to eat correctly and to do so in several small meals each day. That’s huge.  Beyond that, when you’re training your abs, don’t just do crunches. Focus on building and strengthening your core and also add variety to your ab training, using all the ab machines available as well as floor work and hanging ab straps. Consistent cardio at a fat burning speed is also important because, as I mentioned before, your abs won’t show if your body fat is too high. Finally, love yourself during the journey. Getting a toned stomach or six pack abs is absolutely a process.  You’ll have your ups and downs along the way.  That’s okay. Just pick yourself back up, dust yourself off, and keep moving forward.

6) Where can we find more information out about you?

You can find out more or contact me by going to my website: www.BusinessBreakThroughInstitute.com, emailing me at bmencer@san.rr.com, or following on Twitter @6PakGirl.  I’d love to hear from you!

Hope you enjoyed the 4th of July weekend – I know I did! Saw fireworks, went to the beach, went to a barbeque with friends, and just enjoyed every minute of the sunniest weekend we’ve had in a while!

But now its back to business.  I’m ready to go and I wanted to make sure that you are too! (I’ve heard through the Twitter vibe that many people need a kick in the rear to get them going!)

So, here it is.

Take charge. What you do today makes for a better tomorrow.

YOU are the one who controls YOUR future.

In the words of Michael Jackson “If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make the change”.

“If you want to shine like the sun, first you have to burn like it.”

“Make a game of finding something positive in every situation.Ninety-five percent of your emotions are determined by how you interpret events to yourself. ” ~Brian Tracy

“You already have every characteristic necessary for success if you recognize, claim, develop and use them.” ~Zig Ziglar

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no help at all.” Dale Carnegie

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Winston Churchill

What change are YOU going to make today to make tomorrow a better day?

Hi Guys!

Its my first attempt at talking on video – so be nice!

What does motivation mean to you? What motivates you?

Melissa

by Wayne Jones

Note from Melissa – Hello! Everyone has to start somewhere, no matter what you are doing. This article shows us 5 quick ways we can get started on our road to a flat, sexy stomach.

Muscle Building Tip 1: Nutrition. This has got to be one of the most important elements to muscle building. you have got to eat right to get into shape. Don’t eat a large meal an hour before a workout. If you feel that you need to eat something make it a protein shake or a couple of bananas. After the workout make sure you eat a mixture of carbohydrates and protein.
Muscle Building Tip 2: Warm Up. This muscle building tip is another important factor in building muscle. You must warm up correctly or risk injury. If you are injured you cannot train, it’s as simple as that. A quick warm up followed by 5 – 7 minutes of stretching will prevent injury and stretching after a workout will help prevent soreness, stretching will also help with flexibility.

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