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

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

This week’s Inspiring Woman is Carmen Burk.  As a fellow Canadian (hehe) Carmen has been active her whole life, finally coming to love the gym while in college. Carmen is now a group fitness instructor, inspiring and helping women daily reach their fitness goals.

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?
Carmen Burk: My name is Carmen Burk and I am passionate about fitness!!!!   I was born in Alberta Canada but moved to Ontario Canada with my family when I was 8 years old and lived here ever since.  I have always been active growing up.  I was in gymnastics at a young age, then participating on all the sports teams all throughout my school years.

I finally joined a gym when I was in college (in 2002) and started participating in all the Les Mills classes that were offered at the gym, such as BodyFlow, BodyAttack, BodyPump, BodyCombat, and BodyStep and Awesome ABS classes.  I got into a routine of doing cardio 6-7 times per week and a weight class (BodyPump) 3x per week.

In May of 2008 I went away for BodyPump training and became a certified BP instructor, and have been teaching BodyPump for about one year, which is a 60 minute full body barbell class that strengthens & tones your entire body by challenging all your major muscle groups by using the best weight-room exercises like squats, presses, lifts and curls.   I am also planning on going for BodyAttack and BodyFlow trainings to become a certified instructor in those disciplines as well

I recently started training with a personal trainer (who is also a figure competitor) 2x per wk and training with weights with my awesome training partner (who is a bodybuilder) 2x per wk.  Through my week I train with weights 4-6x per week and do some form of cardio (a 60 min class or 30 min jog on the treadmill) 6-7x per week….I’m hooked on fitness   I am growing interested in figure competing and may start training to compete in the near future!

WAW: What was your motivation to start working out and get into fitness?

CB: I have always been active growing up and feel it is natural for me to continue in my adult years.  When I see small changes in my body after staying committed to myself and my fitness goals that is what motivates me to keep pushing forward & to work harder and set my goals higher….we are all capable of working harder and achieving more than we think, we just got to be consistant!  I LOVE the way I feel after an excellent workout!

WAW: How would you describe your training? Are you into body part splits or full body training? Why?

CB: I currently train:
Legs 2x per wk
Chest 2x pr wk
Bi’s & Tri’s 1-2x per wk
Back 1x per wk
Shoulders 1x/wk
Abs/Core 4-5x per wk

I do some form of cardio 6-7x per week, either a 60 minute class or 30 min treadmill or outdoor jog.  I take BodyFlow, which is a mix of tai-chi, yoga and pilates 2-3x per week to stretch and lengthen my muscles.  I also try to take one day each week off (away from the gym) for muscle recovery.

WAW: Diet is probably one of the most important aspects of getting a flat stomach – and the hardest part for busy women to stay true too. What does your diet look

CB: YES!!!  Diet makes a big difference in achieving a flat toned stomach.  I try to eat every 3-3.5 hrs, eating 6 mini-meals through my day.  I eat alot of lean protein sources such as skinless, boneless chicken breast, grilled white fish (talapia, cod), tuna, egg whites (for yummy veggies omletts), hard boiled eggs, protein shakes (no sugar, low fat/carb).  I also eat lots of fresh veggies such as spinach, brussel sprouts, fresh cut peppers, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts, tomatoes, mushrooms are some of my favs.  Oatmeal and split peas and lentils are also a staple in my diet.  I also love fresh berries, cherries and banana’s.

I usually start my day with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of oatmeal and a protein shake or an egg white veggie omlett.  I use natural sauces like crushed tomatoes and spices and herbs (Mrs Dash) to add flavor rather than dressings which have alot of hidden sugars

Some of my favourite meals are grilled chicken and spinach salad with split peas and sprouts, oatmeal pancake, and chocolate protein brownies….mmmmm, super yummy and all good for my body!

WAW: What are three important aspects of a diet, for busy women to keep in mind, when trying to get a flat stomach?

CB: It is important to ensure you are getting enough lean protein in your diet to assist with maintaining lean muscle tissue and muscle recovery.  Eat some lean protein (hard boiled eggs are easy to pack or protein powder in a shaker cup..just add water) every 3-3.5 hours with a complex carb source to keep your metabolism up and energy levels high & fuel your body.

I find if you pack some healthy snacks you are less likely to grab unhealthy choices and keep your body feuled with what it really needs!  It is also SUPER IMPORTANT to drink LOTS of water through the day to cleanse and keep your metabolism up.  I always make sure I consume a protein shake post workouts to assist with muscle recovery.

WAW: As a Group Fitness Instructor – what do you find as the biggest obstacle women face as they work towards getting in shape? What do you suggest to get over this obstacle?

CB: I think one of the biggest obstacles woman face is maintaining a consistant workout routine and avoiding weights all together in fear of getting “bulky”.  I think the toughest part is the “getting to the gym”, but once you are there and into your workout you feel FANTASTIC and you always feel even more FANTASTIC when you are done.

I always tell my participants that it is the small steps of progress that make BIG change in the end and tension=tone…you got to feel it (the burn) if you want to see it…they like hearing that for some reason….when I say it, I always see a little more effort and that’s what I LOVE to see !!

WAW: You mentioned that determination, passion and commitment, are an important part of getting into shape along with attainable goals – what makes an attainable goal? What are two things to keep in mind when writing your goals?

CB: For me, an attainable goal is one that I know I will achieve.  I write down all of my goals and make a vision board with pictures of what I want to achieve (fitness model pics, etc.) & have it hanging above my computer to remind me every day of what I am set to work on.  I review my goals every day and take daily inspired action towards achieving it.

Taking those baby steps and working on it each day little by little…small steps equal BIG results!   It’s also impotant to have supportive friends who are going to motivate and ecourage you to push on when you need that little extra push.  Surround yourself around people who will help bring you closer to achieving that which you set out to achieve.

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

CB: You can find more information about me:

Add me on facebook (Carmen Burk)
www.lesmills.com/carmen-4fitness
twitter.com/Carmen4fit

I’ve changed up the workout routine yet again and it was another kick butt, fat burning, heart pumping workout. It was fun though, knowing that I was burning fat and getting another step closer to my goal.
Today’s workout was based around the idea of high intensity and little rest. I focused on no rest between exercises and 30-40 seconds rest between sets. This type of workout keeps your heart rate up and burning fat for longer.
The workout:
Warm-up: Bridges + Clams
Set 1
Single Leg Machine Leg Press (4 sets/ 10-15 reps)
Calf Raises (3 sets – Regular/Toes In/Toes Out)
Set 2
Dumbbell Chest Press (20/15/12/10 – Increased weight on 3rd set)
Supine Lat Pulldown (4 sets/8-10 reps)
Set 3
Dumbbell Shoulder Press (Heavier weight 4 sets/8-10 reps)
Resistance Band Flyes (4 sets/20 reps)
Set 4
Machine Assisted Dips (4 sets/10-12 reps)
Stiff Legged Deadlifts (4 sets/15 reps)
Set 5
Crunches (3 sets 50 reps)
Plank (hold for 30 seconds)

I ended today’s workout with 30 minutes on the treadmill – doing an incline walk – focusing on a heel toe walk to work a bit more on the hamstrings.
I made it out of the gym, but we’ll see how I’m walking tomorrow!

I saw this on a friend’s blog and I had to share because it’s great for a laugh! I know I’ve had days/weeks where I’ve felt like this! Enjoy!!
If you read this without laughing out loud, there is something wrong with you. This is dedicated to everyone who ever attempted to get into a regular workout routine.

Dear Diary,

For my birthday this year, my daughter (the dear) purchased a week of personal training at the local health club for me. Although I am still in great shape since being a high school football cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try. [singlepic=4,150,200,,right]I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Belinda, who identified herself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear. My daughter seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.
___________________________
_____
MONDAY:
Started my day at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Belinda waiting for me. She is something of a Greek goddess. Belinda gave me a tour and showed me the machines. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which she conducted her aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring! Belinda was encouraging as I did my sit- ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time she was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!
________________________________
TUESDAY:
I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Belinda made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air then she put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I
made the full mile. Belinda’s rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT! It’s a whole new life for me.
_______________________________
WEDNESDAY:
The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn’t try to steer or
stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot. Belinda was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. Her voice is a little too perky for that early in the
morning and when she scolds, she gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying. My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Belinda put me on the stair monster. Why the hell would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Belinda told me it would help me get
in shape and enjoy life. She said some other shit too.
______________________________
THURSDAY:
Belinda was waiting for me with her vampire-like teeth exposed as her thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn’t help being a half an hour late – it took me that long to tie my shoes. Belinda took me to work out with dumbbells. When she was not looking, I ran and hid in the restroom. She sent another skinny bitch to find me. Then, as punishment, she put me on the rowing machine — which I sank.
_______________________________
FRIDAY:
I hate that bitch Belinda more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic, anorexic little cheerleader. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat her with it. Belinda wanted me to work on my triceps. I don’t have any triceps! And if you don’t want dents in the floor, don’t hand me the damn barbells or
anything that weighs more than a sandwich. The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn’t it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the
choir director?
________________________________
SATURDAY:  ;
[singlepic=5,130,160,,center] Belinda left a message on my answering machine in her grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing her voice made me want to smash the machine with my planner; however, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel.
________________________________
SUNDAY:
I’m having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my daughter (the little shit) will choose a gift for me that is fun – like a root canal or a hysterectomy. I still say if God had wanted me to bend over , he would have sprinkled the floor with diamonds!!!

by Chris Taeni

Note from Melissa – Hello Ladies! This is a great article with 5 quick exercises to help you lose weight. If you are just starting out – use a light weight or no weight for these exercises. As you get stronger, or are looking for a change in your routine, you may decide to increase the weight, change the number or reps, or the tempo you do the exercises at.  As long as you are doing some type of exercise, and eating right, you will be on your way to a flat stomach.

Using weights to lose weight is like leveraging your efforts. By lifting weights correctly (and to your full potential), you will start the process of speeding up your metabolism and greatly accelerating your weight loss.

WARNING: The following weight exercises may cause fat to burn off your body more quickly than you first expected. Use only if you are serious about getting great results.

1. Bodyweight Squats - Doing correct squats will work all of your major leg muscles, which are the largest muscles in your body. By working your lower body as well as upper body, you will triple your results. To do a squat correctly, keep your feet at shoulder width apart, shoulder blades together and looking straight forward. Lower your body down as if sitting straight down until your knees make a 90 degree angle. Then stand straight up again. Read the full story