Category: Personal Training

How To Snack And Lose Weight

Like to have your mid morning or afternoon snack? Good! Having a snack or two during your day will help you lose weight and keep it off for good.

Eating small and mid sized meals throughout the day is a great way to stabilize your blood sugar, avoid over eating, and keep your mind alert. So here’s how to snack and lose weight.

Snacking Wisely

The number of calories you will want in your snacks is going to vary depending on your weight loss goals and the amount of calories consumed during your daily meals. Pairing a carbohydrate and a protein gives your body the short and long term fuel it needs to sustain you until your next meal.

Ten healthy snacks to help you lose weight!

1)  Fruit.  Fruit is low in calories and makes a great snack when paired with a slice of cheese or a tablespoon of peanut butter.

2)  Tortilla Chips and Salsa. Yes, this can be a low-cal snack if you check the bag to determine a serving.  Since Salsa is very low in calories, I like to have 1/4 cup of yoghurt with it.  This is a great snack in the afternoon.

3)  Cheese and crackers.  Sounds fattening?  Not really when you eat a single serving. Pre-sliced cheese is a great way to control the calories.  Break it into pieces and eat with whole wheat crackers.

4)  Yogurt.  Yoghurt with fruit or a small amount of honey makes a great low-cal snack.

5)  Whole wheat toast and a tablespoon of peanut butter or slice of cheese.

6)  Leftovers.  A 1/2 serving of a low cal meal makes a great snack.

7)  Frozen Yoghurt.  Make sure it’s small and go light on the sprinkles.

8)  Shakes.  I don’t endorse meal replacement shakes as I prefer to make my own low cal smoothies. But for people on the go, shakes can be a great option for a low-cal snack.

9)  Hummus.  Whole wheat pita chips and hummus is one of my favorites! Hummus is great for satisfying hunger, and a good whole wheat pita chip will give you the complex carbs you need for energy.

10)  Cottage Cheese.  Pair  1/2 cup cottage cheese with fruit or crackers for a great snack.

While cookies, candy, and potato chips are labeled as “snack foods”, they have a high calorie count and do not keep you filled up for very long.  It’s best to think of these foods as “treats.”

Have a low cal snack you’d like to share?  Please leave a comment below.  I’d love to hear from you!

Blessings to you and yours!

Jennifer

 

 

Stop Trying To Lose Weight!

Have you been trying to lose weight and it won’t budge? Or, even worse, maybe you’ve had some success only find to yourself gaining it all back and then some? Do not be discouraged! I can help you!

Your body believes you!

First off, stop TRYING to lose weight! When you use the word “try,” you set your subconscious up for failure. The body does not recognize “try” as an action word. Replace “try” with “I’ll give it my best shot.” When you tell yourself, “I’ll give it my best shot,” you are telling your body that you BELIEVE you can and will lose weight. Your subconscious will now steer you toward activities and behaviors to accomplish your goal rather than sabotage you.

Between you and me, I used to  obsess about weight loss rather than being healthy and active. The results sent me into a negative tailspin. It’s important you lose weight being “who you are” instead of living up to someone else’s expectations of exercise and food choices. This can lead to way too much pressure — and ultimately, failure.

In order to lose weight and keep it off permanently, a few simple guidelines will serve you well as you create your plan. Any worthy goal you set must have a plan of actionable steps in order for you to succeed. The most important thing is that the plan be realistic for your life — not a copy of someone else’s plan and life.

Follow these simple steps and start losing weight right away!

1)  Stop looking for the quick fix! One of the quickest ways to hop on the roller coaster of weight loss is to participate in fad diets. Diets have a 95% failure rate for a reason. A healthy, balanced eating plan is the recipe for long term success. Read this article for tips on How To Lose Weight Without Feeling Deprived Or Hungry.

2)  Exercise Regularly! It really is that simple! My clients that lose the most weight and keep it off for good exercise most days of the week and follow their healthy eating plan. Some examples are walking, hiking, biking, swimming, indoor cardio equipment, and videos.

3)  Incorporate Lifestyle Activity! Our convenient lifestyles can make us fat if we are not careful. Technology is wonderful. However, the convenience of technology has removed much of the physical activity from our everyday lives. This convenience requires that we plan physical activity into our day on purpose!

Your goal should be to spend as many calories as you can per day! I don’t mean training in the gym or outdoors for hours. What I mean is all the little extras that require movement. Activities like taking the stairs, parking at the back of the lot, walking across the mall, walking the dog, and walking your kids to school are all examples of lifestyle activities. Examples in a more rural environment could be walking to the mailbox, gardening, mowing, mucking stalls. You get the picture!

4)  Get proper sleep! Substantial medical evidence is telling us that a lack of sleep affects hormones in the body which is linked to an increase in appetite. Your body is less satisfied and you are tempted to eat more. Lack of sleep can cause you to reach for sugary foods in an effort to get a boost energy. The result is a temporary fix and an increase in caloric intake.

Without proper sleep, you are less motivated to be active. However, thirty  minutes of moderate activity may actually help you sleep.

If stress is keeping you up all night, take steps to reduce and manage the stress. If you have too much on your plate, see where you can cut things out. If you are suffering from anxiety and depression, you may want to seek a life coach and/or trained psychologist to help you get to the root of the issue.

The list above isn’t flashy and it doesn’t include cave man diets! It’s the formula that has worked for years and continues to work to this day. Unfortunately, the fad diet media has seriously confused the issue!

Take these simple steps and apply them consistently — and I know you will get results!

Blessings!

Jennifer

 

The Best Ab Exercise

 

Only Five Minutes a Day!

“What’s the best ab exercise?” That’s a question I’m constantly being asked. After 22 years in the fitness industry, I know that abs are the most talked about body parts. I know people want to know an easy answer so they can go do it for 1-5 minutes and be done with it. And that’s a good thing! You can accomplish a lot with a few simple ab exercises five minutes per day.

The Best Ab Exercise

In a minute I’m going to show you the best ab exercise. But first I want to share some vital information you need so you don’t injure yourself.

There’s a ton of great abdominal exercises out there that will strengthen, flatten, and tone.  I’ve got my own personal favorites. But, have you ever heard an instructor say “engage your core”  or “navel to spine” while you do the exercise and have no clue what that really means?  If so you are not alone.  After years in the fitness world and working with hundreds of clients I began to realize that few instructors, videos, and trainers take the time to show you how to engage the core properly.  It is assumed that you already know this.  It is so simple yet almost always gets skipped.

Do you know how to engage your core?

There’s a ton of great abdominal exercises out there that will strengthen, flatten, and tone. I’ve got my own personal favorites. But, have you ever heard an instructor say during a class, engage your core, or navel to spine  — yet have no clue what that really means?

If so you are not alone. After years in the fitness world and working with hundreds of clients I began to realize that few instructors, videos, and trainers take the time to show you how to engage the core properly. It is assumed that you already know this. It is so simple, yet almost always gets skipped.

If you have been taught how to engage your core properly, I applaud that trainer/instructor. However, when choosing the best abdominal workout, you still need to know what’s appropriate for your body to avoid injury.

Here are some things to think about before starting a new abdominal routine.

1)  Previous or current injuries. No exercise program should hinder the healing process. For example, if you have experienced a back or shoulder injury there are certain exercises that are not safe for you.

2)  Have you had a surgery? If you recently had any type of surgery (this includes C-section) or if you have recently given birth, there are great post-surgery ab exercises that you can do but a qualified professional should be showing you.

3)  Are you pregnant? Exercising when you are pregnant is a lot more popular now.  You definitely want clearance from your doctor first. Then, make sure you are working with a trained professional in pre-natal exercise.  Doctors recommend that you don’t start any new exercise routines while pregnant.

4)  Does your back hurt while or after you are doing the exercise? Pain is an indicator. It is your body telling you to stop and address the pain. It may be that the exercise is too advanced and should be modified. For example, if you are new to formal exercise, then a “boot camp” level workout is usually not a safe place to start. Work at your current level and advance when you feel strong enough.

Even if none of the above apply to you, always check with your doctor or medical professional before starting ANY new fitness routine.

With a whole month, and in some states several months of summer ahead of us I know you want to get started on that ab routine right away. That’s why I made a video for you .

In this video I teach you how to “engage your core” and use your abs safely. You can perform this exercise anywhere and any time to achieve a stronger, more toned abdominal area. This is the first exercise I teach my private clients and it is the foundation that all other core work is built on. It’s my gift to you. I hope it gets you on the road to the best abs ever.

Please let me know if this has helped you by commenting below. If you would like to see me release more videos with ab exercises or other strength training, please comment as well! I’m here to help you succeed!

Click here for your video link!

To your health and fitness!

Jennifer