Month: August 2016

How to Perform Mountain Climbers

How To Perform Mountain Climbers by Jennifer LedfordMy hope is that you’ve never had to recover from an injury. However, if you have had to recover from an injury you may know that it can hinder your weight loss and strength training efforts. It can even take time away from your professional and/or personal life.

It’s no secret that in order to build strength and tone the body it’s important to challenge your muscles. It’s also important to challenge your body with proper progression and to create a routine that is appropriate for you personally. Proper and safe progression is one of the best ways to prevent injuries while exercising.

Over the years I’ve helped clients build strength and tone their bodies in a way that is safe for them. Sometimes that means I need to teach a modified version of an exercise. Especially the higher intensity or high impact exercises.

In today’s video I demonstrate how to perform a popular exercise called “Mountain Climbers” without all of the impact. The modification in this video makes the exercise more accessible without removing the benefit. It’s still a challenging and advanced move that will give you great results.

I realize that you may not be ready to jump into “Mountain Climbers” just yet so I’ve included a second video. It was done for my live audience on Facebook and demonstrates how to perform a proper plank. If you are a beginner and planks are new for you, I recommend you watch the second video first. Once you can hold the plank for thirty seconds you should be ready to advance to Mountain Climbers.

I recommend watching both videos even if you are a seasoned exerciser.  It never hurts to get a refresher on good form.

Enjoy the video and make it a great week!

With Love,
Jennifer

Trainer tips for protecting your wrists

Trainer Tips - Take pressure off your wrists

Body weight exercises (like push ups or plank) are a great way to strengthen and tone your body without needing a gym or a whole lot of equipment. However, discomfort in the wrists while performing these exercises can cause you to want to avoid them. While I do not recommend you continue any exercise that causes sharp pain, sometimes a minor adjustment or prop is all it takes to turn an uncomfortable exercise into one you can manage.

Three different ways to take pressure off your wrists

In today’s video I share three different ways to take pressure off your wrists while performing body weight exercises. I recommend you watch the video even if you haven’t experienced discomfort in the wrists while performing your body weight exercises. The tips I share are useful for all exercisers. The more comfortable it is for you to strength train, the more likely you are to stick to it. 🙂

Here’s to a happy, healthy, and fit week!

With Love,
Jennifer

There is mention in this video of equipment you could use if you would like that you can find at Power Systems and Amazon. Links are provided for your convenience. Disclaimer: As an affiliate partner of these companies, I earn  small commission if you order through my links. Twenty percent of all commissions are donated to charity.  It’s a pleasure to serve you! 

Ten Tips To Cooking Easy Healthy Meals

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Eating at home is one of the key ingredients to maintaining a healthy diet. When you know what’s in your food, you have more control over the portion sizes and the quality of the food you consume. However, with today’s fast-paced lifestyles, it can be difficult to carve out the time to cook.

HERE ARE TEN QUICK AND EASY COOKING SHORTCUTS FOR HEALTHY EATING

These tips come straight to you from my personal kitchen.

As a wife, homemaker, fitness coach, and doggie mom, I have a limited amount of time I can spend in the kitchen. Here are some shortcuts I use to help streamline the meal preparation process.

1) Use cookers that need no supervision.  I use my rice cooker all week long.  I make rice, quinoa and steamed vegetables in it.  While one part of the meal is cooking, you can prepare the rest.  Slow cookers and crock pots are perfect appliances for the  busy person that wants to cook healthy meals.   The food is cooking while you are doing other things like working, running errands, exercising, or spending quality time with friends and family.

2)  Choose recipes that take twenty minutes or less.  I recommend choosing simple recipes for busy weeknights.  Save the longer “project” meals for nights you can take your time.

3) Use pre-made sauces.  I usually make my own pasta sauces and salad dressings but there are times that I will substitute healthy pre-made sauces in recipes instead of making them all from scratch.

For example, I make lamb burgers that call for a “raita” sauce. The recipe isn’t hard. However, Trader Joe’s sells a yogurt cilantro sauce that works well in place of it. If you add up the time and cost of buying the ingredients and making the sauce, it is worth the few dollars I paid for Joe’s version. Just be sure to check labels when buying pre-made sauces. Make sure you recognize each ingredient and avoid things like partially hydrogenated oils, soybean oil, and high fructose corn syrup.

4)  Become a great assembler.  Years ago I complimented one of my friends on what a great entertainer and cook she is.  Her response to me was “I don’t really cook, I just know how to assemble food well.”  That stuck with me.  If cooking seems like too daunting of a task, try grilling a piece of meat or buying a pre-cooked chicken and add some healthy sides like a salad made with pre-washed lettuce, frozen veggie combos,  or precooked organic grains.

5) Speed up the veggies.  Pre-washed and pre-cut organic vegetables are a great way to save time.  Check the frozen section for a great variety as well. Frozen veggies are better than canned because they preserve more of the nutrients without preservatives.

6) Prep well. Do all of your cutting, chopping, and mixing before you start cooking, including a side salad. This will save you time, and your meals will come together seamlessly.

7) Recruit in-house.  My husband and I have a lot of fun cooking together. We open a nice bottle of wine, turn on some music and enjoy quality time. The families I work with turn cooking into family time. The kids look forward to working in the kitchen, and mom and dad get to teach their children while getting a little help.

8) Create a meal plan.  Plan your meals one week in advance with the groceries in the house. If you have to stop at the store multiple times per week, you will lose a lot of time shopping. And this can tempt you to eat out. If you are not sure how to meal plan, check out Meal Planning Helps You Lose Weight for detailed steps.

9) Have a back up.  I always keep a few easy meals in our freezer and pantry just in case the day does not go as planned. Frozen organic pizzas and a fresh salad make a great last minute dinner. By making your own pizza, you have more control over the ingredients than if you went to the local pizzeria. Dry pasta and minced canned clams make an amazing linguini and clams dish. Add a salad on the side and your family will think it’s gourmet all the way!

10) Buy freeze dried herbs.  Freeze dried herbs become “like fresh” when they are moistened. Use these to avoid all of the chopping without sacrificing flavor. They are great in the winter when your herb garden isn’t producing, and it saves having to buy an entire bunch of herbs just for a couple tablespoons.

Please let me know which strategies are the most helpful, or share your own time-saving tip below.  I love to hear from you!

With Love,
Jennifer