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Motivation Tips To Keep You Moving

May 31, 2011 By

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What motivates you?

What makes you want to succeed? It is different for everyone, but once you find what pushes you to be your best, you need to use it every day, so it will get you through those difficult days when you want to skip a workout or cheat when you shouldn’t.

Here are the things that motivate me.  Some days it is all of them, and some days it may be just one.

1. Visualization

There are many tricks for visualizing your success. When I was training for my body building competition, I would visualize myself on stage going through all my poses. Then I would visualize myself taking the first place trophy!

Some need to actually see it in a photo, so they cut out a picture of someone they admire or want to look like. You can even take your head off of one photo and paste it to the body of someone whose physique you want. Just make sure that if you are a Tyra Banks, you don’t visualize looking like a Kelly Ripa.

2. Competition

Many people have that competitive spirit.  I definitely do. This can work to your benefit no matter what kind of exercise program you follow.

Beating someone or achieving victory is a great feeling even if you don’t think of yourself as super competitive. On the flip side, losing and seeing others “win” drives people too.

Another way to compete is to compete against yourself. Whatever you did last week, you can try to beat this week.  This can come in the form of a faster mile, adding 5 pounds to your bench press, doing an extra push up, staying on the treadmill for an additional 10 minutes, etc.

3. Role Models

Most athletes, whether basketball players, tennis players, or bodybuilders have a person that they look up to and want to emulate.

So if there is anyone out there that has done what you want to do, they can inspire you and motivate you to achieve your goals. It doesn’t have to be someone famous, either. Maybe your mom or neighbor has achieved something that you want to achieve.

4. Positive vs. Negative

Both types of re-enforcement can motivate, and it is just a matter of what works for you. A big generalization, but men often do okay with negative re-enforcement, where as women are more drawn to positive re-enforcement.

When we were living in South Korea, we took a Tae Kwon Do class with two other women teachers.  Koreans take their Tae Kwon Do very seriously, and our “teacher” was very serious.  He didn’t speak any English, and we barely spoke Korean, but we could tell by his tone and his facial expressions of disappointment that we were not doing things right.  Almost every class had one of us girls crying by the time we left.  My husband never even flinched.  He didn’t even understand what we were talking about when we tried to describe how the “teacher” made us feel.

If you are one of those people that needs to be comfortable and positive to achieve your best, then make sure you are surrounded by coaches and people who offer that type of encouragement.

On the flip side if you respond better to proving the haters wrong, or showing your coach you are not a weak piece of poo (or whatever), then you know the type of coach or training partner to look for. You are not wrong for either tactic pushing you.

Whether it is any of these strategies or something else completely, as long as it is something that motivates you and makes you more confident in your abilities, then use it to your advantage to reach all of your goals.

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The Best Way to Exercise – Watch your Results Soar

May 4, 2011 By

Google ‘health and fitness tips’ and you will find 155,000,000 results. Talk to five health and fitness professionals and get six different opinions. Clearly there is enough information to go around.

However, with all this information, what are we supposed to believe? Have you ever started a workout routine only to read a week later that you are doing it all wrong? It can be frustrating and overwhelming.  One of my favorites is the debate as to whether you should do cardio before or after weight training.  I’m still not sure, so I alternate before and after.  I figure at least I have a 50/50 chance of getting it right.

Fortunately, there are actually a few tips that most everyone will agree on, and one of them is my favorite.

It has changed the way I work out, and my fitness results have soared!

On the surface, this may not seem like an earth shattering, OMG Kristi you are a genius type of tip, but it really is.

The tip is INTENSITY.

Whatever your exercise routine, do it with intensity. Maximum intensity.

For all of you who just said “duh”, this is really one of those tips that is easier said than done and takes some practice.

I have been weight training consistently (and fanatically) for 12 years, and not until this past year did I really understand Maximum Intensity.

I got some advice from a college football coach. He put together a three-week plan that included an all over body workout three days a week for three weeks. No cardio.

My first reaction was serious anxiety. How could I work out so little and not either lose muscle mass or gain fat or both?  However, in his plan, he said something that made me want to try it.  He told me that I had nine workouts, and I must make the most out of every rep, every set, every workout, because there are only nine. So work out at your max intensity and make it count.

My second reaction was excitement about this challenge to make it count.  It was on!  I always thought I worked out really hard until I started focusing all my attention on this make it count stuff.  Immediately, I was doing more weight and more reps than I had ever done, and I saw my muscle tone change (something I hadn’t seen in a while).

An added benefit: my workouts are much shorter now. If I really focus on the exercise and the intensity, instead of the kid’s next field trip, or what I am making for dinner, I can get a better workout doing fewer exercises and fewer sets.

4 Tips for Maximum Intensity

  1. Stop thinking about your list of 46 things you have to do today
  2. Only think about the exercise you are doing right now
  3. Make sure your last rep is as good of form as your first rep
  4. Ask yourself if you can do one more rep or one more minute, then one more, then one more

If you are going to make the effort to exercise, make it intense.

Make it count.

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Exercise for Free – The Two Best Body Weight Exercises

April 26, 2011 By

A friend of mine asked me “if you did not ave any access to weights and only got to choose two exercises what would they be?” As a weight-training fanatic, my first thought was anxiety, but as I ran through the options, there were two clear-cut winners.

1. SQUATS – I have a love hate relationship with squats. I love them because they are so effective.  I hate them because if you do them correctly with a lot of intensity, they can make your legs feel like they are on fire. I think that is called a ‘good burn’.

You don’t need a barbell, stacked with weights, bending across your back to benefit from this great lower-body exercise. The squat works your hamstrings, your glutes, and your quadriceps.
 
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and with your hands either on your hips or stretched out directly in front of you. Lower yourself slowly until your thighs are parallel to the floor, like you are sitting in a chair, hold in that position for a second, and then rise quickly back to the starting position. To get the correct form, put a chair behind you and lower into the sitting position just barely touching the chair, then raise back up.

 2. PUSH-UPS –  Push-ups are one of the best upper-body exercises you can do, even if an entire gym full of weights were available. Push-ups work your entire upper body muscles.

Use proper form and technique, which includes keeping you hands just slightly farther than shoulder-width apart. If standard push-ups are too difficult for you at this point, try modified push-ups (knees on the ground).

If you are looking to start a resistance-training program but aren’t quite ready to join a gym? No problem because your own body weight is free. And, doing these two body weight exercises will certainly get your muscles moving.

These are exercises you can do during commercials, first thing in the morning, even in your office during a break. Challenge yourself to up your count each time; by trying to do one more than you did the last time. There are also so many variations to make the squat and push-up more challenging.  Are you ready? Email me for ideas on adding intensity to both. Musclemommy@fitchicktricks.com

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The Great Carbohydrate Debate!

April 23, 2011 By

carbohydrates

To eat carbs or not to eat carbs?  Many Americans still seem confused about whether they should eat carbohydrates or not.  Years ago, some popular diet plans suggested that carbohydrates make us fat.  The reality is our bodies need carbohydrates for energy.

So why all the controversy over carbohydrates?  It may stem from the type of carbohydrates that most Americans choose.  When you think of the typical American diet (and the foods your kids beg for) which comes to mind?

Frosted flakes for steel cut oats?

Apple juice or a fresh apple?

White rice or brown rice?

A candy bar or some trail mix with dried fruit?

The American diet is filled with refined sugars and simple carbohydrates that absorb into the bloodstream quickly, resulting in sugar “highs” and “lows” throughout the day.  These types of foods are typically high in calories and low in nutrition and are associated with unhealthy weight.

Complex carbohydrates, on the other hand, are associated with a great number of health benefits.  They are high in fiber which helps with digestion and slowing absorption into the bloodstream.  Fiber also helps us to feel fuller faster, and stay satisfied longer, which can help maintain a healthy weight.

In other words, you no longer need to fear carbohydrates, but you do need to choose the right ones. Avoid baked goods made with white flour, processed cereals, fruit juices, table sugar, soft drinks, and candy.  Instead choose from a variety of healthier carbs including whole grains, whole grain breads and cereals, fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, and low fat Greek yogurt.

Enjoy!!

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Fit Tricks – Tips to Eating Healthy

April 20, 2011 By

So I don’t call my web site Fit Chick Tricks for nothing. Here is a list of my favorite “diet” tricks that I use almost every single day. These are easy little changes that can make a huge difference.

** Fit girls don’t drink their calories. If you want a sweet beverage, don’t go for a soda, juice, or sports drink. They are loaded with calories, usually 100-200 calories per serving. Water should be your number one choice. If you need something sweet, try a flavored sparkling water, iced tea/green tea with lemon or as a last result even a diet soda if you must.

** Fit girls don’t eat chips with their salsa. Carrots are a great alternative to the tortilla chip. Carrots add the crunch without the calories and fat, and you still get the great taste of the salsa.

** Fit girls don’t read the menu at a restaurant. Dining out can sabotage a healthy eating plan. It is good to splurge once and a while, but when eating out on a regular basis, you want to choose the healthiest option available.

(a) When you know you will be going to a specific restaurant on a specific day, plan ahead. After you have had a meal, and you are feeling full, go online and look up the restaurant’s website and menu. In the privacy of your own home, on your own time, you can really read the food options and decide on the best choices. You can take all the time you need, and since you have a full stomach, you won’t be influenced by hunger. Make your choice for the next time you are dining out… and stick with it. Don’t even open the menu when you are at the restaurant.

(b)If the restaurant doesn’t have a website, or you don’t have time to look it up, when you do have to open the menu, look to see if they have heart healthy options. Most places have a little symbol that they place next to the healthy choices. Only look at those options. Don’t read through all the yummy appetizer descriptions; don’t read through all the yummy pasta dishes, etc. Choose only from the heart healthy menu items.

** Fit girls don’t eat in their car. Stop eating major meals in your car like it’s a restaurant on wheels. Skinny girls will eat things like a health bar or some fruit, but no eating burritos, sandwiches, and pizza. How much can you really enjoy your food and pay attention to your portions if you are driving around and paying attention to 10 other things. Also, because skinny girls don’t eat meals in the car, there is no need to go through any kind of drive through which typically belongs to fast food joints.

** Fit girls stop eating before they are full. This is a big one. By taking a few minutes before you feel full, you can cut serious calories from your diet without feeling deprived. You must really pay attention to how your stomach is feeling, and stop eating before you feel full. It actually takes a few minutes for your brain to tell your body that it has had enough food, so eat slowly. (I started doing this, and it has worked every time. I am always amazed that even though I don’t feel full, if I stop eating, within a few minutes I feel full and sometimes stuffed. ) Eating just enough to satisfy your hunger will help you to feel your best, rather than stuffing yourself into a “food coma”!

** Fit girls eat a meal or snack before going to the grocery store. Grocery shopping can sabotage any healthy diet, as there are yummy temptations at every turn. If you go to the grocery while hungry, it can lead to crazy, unhealthy purchases, and in some cases, binge eating when you get home.

** Fit girls don’t eat salads at fast food restaurants. We all think of salads as being healthy, but his can be very misleading, especially at fast food joints. Most Wendy’s salads have over 600 calories each. A grilled chicken breast sandwich open face (remove one of the buns) or a bowl of chili is a much better option at less than 500 calories each. Salads can be a great choice because they are filled with veggies and fiber, but once you add the restaurant dressing (even the fat free option) it can put your calories way over the top. Don’t mistakenly make salad your “healthy” default menu option, because most times there are healthier, lower calorie, higher protein options. My favorite is a broiled chicken breast sandwich. I take off the side of the bun that has the mayo, and eat it as an open faced sandwich with a knife and fork.  Trust me, as a mom with kids who love fast food, I can tell you that almost every single fast food place has a broiled chicken breast in some form or another.

** Fit girls avoid food products that make healthy claims. Generally speaking, a health claim on a food product is a strong indication that it is not really a food but a food-like substance that has been scientifically engineered. You can find any type of junk food that will have a healthy claim tied to it, but just because a bag of potato chips has “no trans fats” doesn’t mean that it is healthy or low in calories.

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Givin’ Up the Joe

April 15, 2011 By

coffee

This was a hard one for me but several years ago coffee was the blood running through my veins. Now I know this is a touchy subject but I do think it’s worth going there.

You see I’m a working mom and my day job for over 20 years has meant long work hours and significant stress at times. When I realized how much more I could accomplish in a day while drinking coffee then  the java became a staple in my day. Not only was it a staple but it replaced all other drinks, okay there was some water in there. Then you have to consider how I drank the stuff; lots of splenda and lots of fat free hazelnut creamer. The reason you might ask? Because I didn’t like the taste of black coffee but I wanted the productivity that it gave me. It started as one cup and turned into another in the afternoon and another in the evening. My little cup of coffee quickly turned into a latte and cappuccino habit. I was seeking out every trendy coffee shop there was.  Boy did I feel great, able to work long hours, sleep only 5 hours per night, get much more done in my job and be a powerhouse wife and mom. I thought I’d figured it all out. It didn’t occur to me that I was getting false energy from my caffeine habit or that it might be contributing to my ever increasing stress level. It certainly never made me realize that all I was doing was heading down a path toward burn out. I just kept drinking the stuff and feeling pretty pleased that I could conquer it all.

My low point finally arrived. It was about 6 years ago when juggling everything got really hard. I’d lost a lot of weight (mind you I wasn’t eating or sleeping) and I wasn’t feeling too terrific. For some reason the coffee wasn’t giving me the energy I’d needed and my fuel tank seemed to be on empty. The reserves were low and I didn’t know exactly what to do about it. It wasn’t until I started having some physical symptoms did I realize that maybe I should start paying more attention to what I was eating or drinking. They weren’t big concerns but headaches, lack of energy, inability to handle stress like I had before. I didn’t feel like I needed a doctor more like I just needed more energy because I was so tired all the time.  Now I knew that work was going to still need to be a factor in my life and that I was actively raising my family but I had to make a decision, keep doing what I was doing or change gears and start taking better care of myself so that’s exactly what I did. The first thing I did was give up the coffee and then I started to clean up my diet and within time I started learning how much I could realistically handle in a day. I found out that it was all about balance and I learned how to manage my day, my priorities and my health. I gave up the “Joe” because it wasn’t allowing me to be in balance with my life. Had I been a one cup a day gal things might have turned out differently. I don’t miss the stuff now because I work off of my own natural energy.

How do you deal with coffee? Able to drink just a little or do you rely on it for an energy boost to get you through your day?

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Fiber – How much do you need and why?

April 15, 2011 By

fiber foods

Daily fiber recommendations for adults range from about 20 – 35 grams per day. Yet it is estimated that the average American consumes only 10-15 grams per day. That’s less than half of the recommendation.   Pretty scary numbers considering fiber can help lower the risk of condition such as:

  • Heart Disease, which accounts for nearly 40 % of deaths each year
  • High blood sugar
  • Constipation
  • Hemorrhoids
  • Diverticular disease

Additionally, fiber has been shown to be beneficial in weight control. High fiber foods have more bulk than low fiber foods, and can help you to feel full faster, and stay full longer.

Adding fiber to your diet can be very simple, and very tasty.  Start by choosing less convenience, processed, and refined foods. Instead, reach for these higher fiber options:

  • Whole grain cereals
  • Fresh fruits and vegetables
  • Brown rice
  • Oats
  • Dried beans and peas

When increasing fiber, do so slowly to avoid intestinal discomfort, and always drink plenty of water.  Then sit back and enjoy, knowing that you are taking care of the one body you have been given.

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Is breakfast REALLY that important??

April 9, 2011 By

kids eating breakfast with mom

Yes, yes, and YES!!! Most nutritionists and dietitians agree that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  And yet studies show that Americans are becoming more inclined to skipping this morning ritual.

Some people skip breakfast in an effort to consume less calories and lose unwanted weight.  But in fact, skipping breakfast can do just the opposite.  The word breakfast literally means to break the fast.  Our bodies fast overnight as we sleep and metabolism slows down.  Eating breakfast boosts metabolism. An early morning meal can actually help you burn more calories throughout the day.

Others skip breakfast because they are just too busy.  Mornings are a busy time for everyone, but especially for moms.  Eating a healthy breakfast while attempting to get a toddler ready for the day should be recognized as a sport!! It’s easy to see why some moms opt to skip their own breakfast and sometimes even skip it for the kiddos.  While planning an extra 15 minutes for breakfast isn’t always easy, it is definitely worth it.  Eating a healthy breakfast can help mom to have more stable moods and increased energy, and can help kids to have better concentration and do better in school.

Not all breakfasts are created equal.  The best breakfasts have a mixture of good quality protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, and healthy fats.

So skip the drive-thru, and steer clear of pastries, sugary cereals, and anything fried.  Instead, opt for something healthy that will not only leave you satisfied, but give you the energy to take on anything the day may bring.

Here are some of my quick and easy favorites:

An apple with 1 tablespoon of natural almond butter

½ cup of oatmeal (preferably steel cut oats) with fresh or frozen blueberries and sliced almonds.  I love to add a tsp of cinnamon and a dash of stevia for sweetness.

Veggie scramble. Use your favorite veggies – I love spinach and onions with a tiny bit of garlic and salt & pepper – saute veggies and scramble in 2 organic eggs.

Protein shake plus. For those really fast paced mornings try a protein shake with skim milk or unsweetened almond milk, some frozen berries, and added fiber.  My favorite shakes are from Arbonne (www.dreaminc.myarbonne.com).  They are certified vegan with 20 grams of good quality protein per serving.

So pull up a chair and enjoy breakfast with your kids.  Not only will you be better equipped to handle the day, but you will have a few moments to really connect before the craziness begins!

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6 Questions to Ask Before You Start Your Next Diet

March 31, 2011 By

vegetables

Have you ever been one of those women that says “I’m going to start my diet on Monday so I’ll just enjoy myself now”? It’s come out of my mouth before. I’ve also started, stopped a diet and restarted the same one all in the same day before. It’s not uncommon, we decide we want to start a diet without really being ready. Diets don’t work, lifestyle changes do.

So, what do you need to do to get ready to lose weight?


See the tips below to determine if you’re really ready to invest in an eating or lifestyle change before you start your next diet:

1. Decisions, Decisions. Ask yourself if you’re ready to make lifestyle changes. Are you ready to do what you need to do to get where you want to go? A quick assessment will help you decide.

2. Are you ready to take it slow? Making lifestyle changes take some time. Habits take time to break. Knowing what will work for you takes time to figure out. Expecting fast results will only lead to disappointment and frustration when you don’t see the results you’re expecting.

3. Is this for REAL? Is the eating plan you’ve decide to follow realistic? Is it something you can follow in your day? Does it require a lifestyle change. How easy or difficult will the changes be? These are some things you need to consider before you jump in.

4. Ease into it. Fasting and detoxing can be tough on your body.  Be careful in choosing what you will do. Make sure the approach you are taking is appropriate for you.

5. Take Care of You. Have you been taking care of yourself? What’s your baseline? Have you had your check ups? Do you need to make significant changes or small ones? Along with looking at eating and lifestyle changes you can also look at what you need to do for further wellness.

6. Get Support. If you have been a chronic dieter or struggled with losing weight then you may need additional support. Working with a professional may be just what you need to get the ball rolling and make this the last time you need to lose weight and get back in balance.

Are you ready to start your next one or are you on one right now? What has worked for you before? Can you think of things that have gotten in the way?

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