Weight Loss

Weighing In – The New Trainers on the Biggest Loser

So I have to admit, part of the reason I tuned in to this season of the Biggest Loser was to find out who the new trainers were.

I know I’m not alone.

And now that they have unveiled the new trainers on Season 10 of the Biggest Loser — I thought I’d let you know who they are — give you a bit of my opinion — and find out what you think!

Biggest Loser Trainer – Brett Hoebel

Brett’s been in the fitness industry for 20 years – working as trainer and studying various forms of martial arts. And he’s done his studying….

“I’ve studied, I was a pre-med, there’s a science to training,” he said. “There’s no guesswork on anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology.” He also talked about being overweight as a teen. “It took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears,” he said. “That’s what I want to show the contestants.”

This type of knowledge will be extremely beneficial and helpful to the contestants Brett will work with. Understanding how the body works will be helpful when working with the contestants on the Biggest Loser – helping them to lose the most weight possible, while understanding the stress their body is currently under with all that weight.

Brett’s experience as an overweight teen will help him connect emotionally with the contestants — helping him understand what they are going through — which will in turn help him help the contestants deal with the hardest battle in the weight loss process — your mind. His Martial Arts experience will bring another mixture of workouts to the show that will make the show more interesting.

Biggest Loser Trainer – Cara Castronova

A number 2 ranked boxer + double golden gloves winner, new trainer Cara has dealt with her own life full of hardships. After losing her father when she was 14, and her mother just recently Cara will be ready to help the contestants on the show deal with their hardships that have lead to weight gain.

“I’m here to bring back the fighter in each and every one of them,” she said. Her certification as a personal trainer and boxing coach will help her create fighters out of each of the contestants.

The two new trainers on the Biggest Loser will bring a new dynamic to the gym of the Biggest Loser. You can guarantee they will help the contestants make huge drops on the scales (as was already proven in the last few weeks). I’m excited to see what this season will bring….

Do you think the new trainers are as good as Bob and Jillian? Would you have chosen to go with Bob and Jillian or the ‘Unknowns’ if you had to decide that first week?

Health Benefits of Potassium: 6 Foods to Help Lower Your Blood Pressure

When you are told to add salt to your diet – I’m sure you looked at the doctor like they were crazy. However, recent research has found that the health benefits of potassium in your diet can help you lower your blood pressure and in turn help you lead a healthier lifestyle.

Now – when I was little – I always thought that you get potassium from potatoes and if someone ate enough potatoes – well then they’d have enough potassium.

Flat Stomach Diet – Health Benefits of Grapefruit

I honestly love food shopping. My FAVORITE part of ANY food store is the produce section. I love walking into a food store and seeing all those fresh fruits and vegetables – SO yummy! Some days it takes me nearly 15 minutes just to get through the first part of the store – there are SO many tasty options!

Apples, bananas, broccoli, strawberries, blueberries – I could go on and on – but that’s not the point of this post today.

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.

Flat Stomach Exercise of the Week – Barbell Close Grip Chest Press

Need a new exercise for your workout this week? Still trying to get rid of those flabby arms? Well, then I have the exercise for you!

This week’s flat stomach exercise of the week is the barbell close grip chest press. Its a bit of a mouthful, but its a GREAT exercise for your upper body. The barbell close grip chest press will help to change up your workout just a bit – give your muscles a new movement that will have them guessing and continually progressing.

The barbell close grip chest press targets both your triceps and your chest muscles. Women NEED to lift weights in order to see continual weight loss improvements. Many women also tend to stay away from the chest press because

Flat Stomach Workout Video

An effective flat stomach workout is key to getting a flat stomach.  This doesn’t mean that you spend hours doing crunches to get a flat stomach.  One important part of a flat stomach workout is a body weight program. The following video is a great example of a full body workout, done three times a week, that will help you burn fat and get a flat stomach.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH0WhZe7Khc[/youtube]

Three Tips to Create a Flat Stomach Workout

With all the flat stomach workout information you see online and in magazines it’s hard to figure out what’s the best and most effective way to create a flat stomach workout that will work and get you results.  So I’m going to take the time right now to help you with some basic guidelines to follow to help you get the flat stomach you’ve always wanted.
Interval Training

Stay away from your standard steady state cardio regimen, such as walking or jogging at one speed, as it will not get you optimal fat loss results to get a flat stomach. The most effective flat stomach cardio is Interval Training.

This means you are alternating a certain time period of high intensity work (or sprinting) with a slow intensity work (like a slow jog or walk). This type of interval training will help you burn fat faster and up to 48 hours after your workout.

The best part about this type of workout – you can use it on any cardio machine in the gym – the bike, Treadmill, Elliptical, even the Stair Climber.
Here is an example of what your interval training could look like:

Week 1-3: 15 Seconds Sprint, 45 Seconds Walk/Jog (repeat for 5 minutes)

Week 4-6: 30 Second Sprint, 30 Seconds Walk/Jog (repeat for 10 minutes)

Week 7-10: 1 minute Spring, 1 minute Walk/Jog (repeat for 15-20 minutes)

Workout Program

In order to get flat abs, your workout needs to incorporate weights – not just cardio and crunches.  A full body weight workout is the most effective and efficient type of workout for a flat stomach. This type of weight workout will keep your heart rate elevated, therefore, burning more fat throughout your workout.

Also, when you lift weights you build muscle. The more muscle you have, the more fat you burn, which will get you the flat stomach that you want.

Full body workouts allow you to train every muscle group, three times a week (with a day of rest between each workout).  This type of training promotes muscle growth as well as fast fat burning, due to the increase in fat burning enzymes in your body. The more fat you burn the sooner you have the flat stomach you’ve always wanted.

Below is a sample of a full body workout

A follow along flat stomach workout video.

Diet

The hardest part of any flat stomach workout is the diet. When you think of working out, you don’t really think about what you eat – you are most concerned with what you have to do at the gym. However, a flat stomach diet is a key element in getting the stomach of your dreams.

If you’re post workout attitude about eating sounds like this, “I just worked out so I can eat whatever I want” – will only make it harder for you to get a flat stomach.  A flat stomach diet must consist of protein, healthy fats, and ‘good’ carbohydrates.  Making sure you have the right mixture of these foods in your meals is important to getting a flat stomach.

Lose Weight and Get a Flat Stomach

You want to lose weight and get a flat stomach, but you’re not sure what to do to get there.  You’ve read magazine article after magazine article and tried every diet, without success. You’ve tried the low-carb diet, [singlepic=28,300,220,,right] to only binge on a bag of potato chips two weeks later. You’ve tried going to the gym and spent hours on the treadmill, seeing some results, but then life gets crazy and you never go back.

But you still want to lose weight and get a flat stomach – what can you do that will work?

Here are five quick tips to help you get on the road to a flat stomach:

1)  Make the commitment – nothing will work until you make the commitment to yourself to lose weight and get a flat stomach. Write down your goals – what you want to achieve and by when – then put it in a place where you can see them daily. Reminding yourself daily of your goals will keep you focused and make sure that everything you do will help you lose weight.

2)  Lift Weights – No, lifting weights will NOT make you look like a man.  Lifting weights will build muscle on your body and help you get a flat stomach. The more muscle you have on your body the more fat you will burn for longer periods of time after your workout. Try this leg workout for a start.

3)  Do Cardio – Spending hours on the treadmill walking at a slow pace is not an effective way to lose weight. To lose weight and get a flat stomach you need to use high intensity interval training. This type of cardio will increase your heart rate quickly and help you burn fat for up to 48 hours after your workout.

4)  Eat More Often – Eating smaller meals more often will help to increase your metabolism. Decreasing the time between meals will allow your body to stop storing fat. Instead your body will continue to burn fat throughout the day, allowing you to lose weight and get a flat stomach.  Making sure that these meals are healthy options is also an important part of the weight loss process.
[singlepic=27,290,200,,left]
5)  Drink Water – Water has tons of benefits. It is a great alternative to other sugar-filled drinks.  Drinking water throughout the day will also help to keep you full – making sure that you eat when you are hungry not just because you are bored or think you need to eat.

So make this time different.  Make the commitment to yourself to lose weight and get a flat stomach.  Use this five tips to help get you there.

Post Workout Nutrition – What to Eat After Your Workout

Lately I have been receiving a lot of questions about what to eat after a workout.  So, I wanted to take the time to make sure that we all understand the importance of post-workout nutrition and how it can affect how quickly you reach your fitness goals, without getting too scientific.

There are two major things to consider with your post-workout meal:
1)  How soon after your workout you have your first meal
2)  What to eat after your workout

How Soon After my Workout Should I have My First Meal?

Timing of your post-workout meal is VERY important. If you wait too long to eat after your workout your body will store the food you eat as fat, instead of feeding it right into the muscle.
Ideally, you should eat 30 minutes to 60 minutes (at most) after your workout. During this time, immediately after your workout, your muscles are in the most optimal state to absorb the nutrients, from your post workout meal, directly into the muscle.  It is also a time where glycogens, the energy reserve in your muscle, can most efficiently be refueled. Waiting too long to eat will then starve the muscles and make your workout less effective.

What to Eat after My Workout?

The best post-workout meal should consist of a proper proportion of protein and carbohydrates.  If you are working out to lose weight, you want to make sure that you have more protein in your post-workout meal than carbohydrates. However, if you want to splurge on carbs, having them post-workout is the most optimal time, as your body will not store them as fat.
Also, make sure to stay away from fat in any post-workout meal. Healthy fats are a great source of nutrition; however, during the time right after your workout, fats will slow down the digestion of the protein and carbohydrates that you have. By slowing down the digestion process you are slowing down the absorption of nutrients into the muscles.

The simplest and one of my favorite post-workout meals is a protein shake. I use a whey protein, combine it with water in a shaker cup, and sometimes have a piece of fruit to go along with it. This liquid meal absorbs into your body quickly and works immediately to restoring and rebuilding your muscle. Or, if I am not in a rush I’ll make myself a ‘fancier’ post-workout shake and combine the same ingredients in a blender.  Another option, if you have more time, you can always cook egg whites, or chicken breast for a post-workout meal. But you want to make sure that you are getting it into your system as quickly as possible.

What you eat after your workout is one of the greatest determining factors in how quickly you reach your fitness goals. Keeping in mind these simple nutrition tips will help make each workout that much more effective and keep your fitness goals a reality.

Monday’s Upper Body Workout

I switched it up this week and made Monday my Upper Body Workout day. I’m training with a friend tomorrow and we’re doing legs, so instead of skipping a day I just flip-flopped the workouts. My arms are beat after this workout today. I could still feel the leftovers from Saturday’s workout, even though I didn’t do anything yesterday. But that’s the BEST part.

What’s even more exciting is I’m starting to really notice some major changes in my arm definition and strength – which for me are my two biggest measures of the effectiveness of my workouts.

So, instead of writing down my workout for you, because I love sharing what I’m doing in the gym, and because I’m a visual learner – I made a quick video of my workout for you to check out.  Please let me know if you have any questions about the exercises, my workouts, or would like some help with your workouts – I love helping and talking about fitness – so please don’t hesitate to let me know!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWOLS56sKtQ[/youtube]