A short workout you can do at home or on the go

A Short Workout You Can Do At Home or On The Go by Certified Personal Trainer Jennifer Ledford

It’s been almost four months since I broke my foot and I’m happy to announce that the break is healed and I’m now transitioning back into strength training.  This means that I’m ready to start filming exercise videos for you again.  Whoo-hoo!

In today’s video I share a mini workout you can do in under ten minutes.  It features three exercises that work your lower and upper body all at the same time.  You can perform the exercises pretty much anywhere so there’s no need to go to the gym or make it formal.

Whether you’re someone that needs a short workout when you’re pressed for time, not yet ready to commit a whole lot of time to exercise, or not that crazy about working out but you know you can handle ten minutes, this video is perfect for you.

As always, if you have any questions for me, please leave a comment below or over on my Facebook page. I love to hear from you!

Have a great week!

Shared with love,
Jennifer Ledford

Four Important Reasons To Keep Eating Carbs

Four Important Reasons To Keep Eating Carbs by Jennifer Ledford - Certified Personal Trainer and Healthy Lifestyle Coach - www.JenniferLedford.com - http://wp.me/p5sYrK-1Jc

It’s only the second week of January and  I’ve already had several people share with me that they plan on cutting out carbs because they want to lose weight.  Hearing this always concerns me.  Cutting out carbs is a big mistake for health reasons.  It’s also a big mistake if you want to lose weight and keep it off for good.  While cutting out carbs may seem like a successful weight loss tool during the early stages of a diet, it eventually turns into an unsustainable restriction that is next to impossible to sustain for the long-term.

Diets that recommend eliminating carbohydrates have been torturing our society for years and it’s time for it to stop. They aren’t new. However, in order to sell them as something new, the diet industry likes to change the name and/or tweak the diet just a bit in order to sell it to you as the latest and greatest.   As a health and fitness professional, it’s always seemed ludicrous to me to tell people to eliminate an entire food group from their diet especially one that affects our ability to think and physically move.  The “no carb” diets are a long lasting fad that I have always chosen to ignore.

Fortunately, “no carb” diets are being promoted less and less these days.  The whole “anti-carb” thing is VERY outdated and basic metabolic science completely debunks it.  Health and fitness professionals are backing the solid science that shows consumption of carbohydrates is not only essential for long term weight loss, it’s necessary to help fuel your mind and and body properly. Fitting into those tiny skinny jeans isn’t worth it if you can’t remember your name or don’t feel like getting out of bed in the morning.

Oftentimes you may read or hear about the benefits of a low carb diet which is not the same as a no carb diet.  The types and amount of carbohydrates we need to eat is personal.  So, if someone is cutting back on carbs successfully, it means they were probably eating way more than their body needed or carbs that were not fueling their body properly like processed white flour, sweets, and/or certain snack foods.

Four reasons why you want to Keep eating carbs

They satisfy hunger and cravings.  Carbohydrates that contain resistance starch (like potatoes, grains, and beans) take longer to break down  in the body so they cause less of an insulin spike than the more “simple” carbs. When you eat the more complex carbs (even better if they are combined with protein and veggies) throughout the day, it helps you crave less of the sugary processed foods and will give your body the fuel it needs to avoid being hungry all of the time.  Basically, your body has the energy it needs so it’s less likely to ask for more until you actually need it.

Your body needs carbs to burn fat.  Here’s where I get a little scientific on you and all of the credit goes to the researchers studying metabolism.  Stay with me because it’s important to understand how carbs fuel your body if you’re going to fend off the diet voices in the media and/or your head telling you that they’re “bad” which is not the case.

Basically, carbohydrates need to be present in order for fat to be used up as energy. If a low level of carbohydrates exists or there are none to be found, a substance known as pyruvate begins to build up. Pyruvate is formed while you burn glucose (aka sugar) and if glucose is not present, pyruvate cannot do its job.  This results in the fat having nowhere to attach to in the body’s mitochondria, which in turn slows the metabolism, halting or extremely lessening the body’s ability to burn fat.  Additionally, when the body lacks carbohydrates, critical amino acids are pulled out of muscle tissues as the body turns against itself.  Once muscle tissue is decreased, the body’s metabolic rate is lowered substantially.

To summarize, if your body is lacking carbs, it will find the energy in the wrong places which in turn can sabotage your weight loss efforts, cause you to have less energy in the long run, and negatively impact your health.

They feed your brain.   Your brain needs carbohydrates to function.  Over time, cutting too many carbs in your diet can increase problems with basic mental functioning.  Have you ever found yourself having a tough time making a decision or thinking straight and then realized you haven’t eaten in hours?  You could be experiencing a lack of carbs.

When it comes to brain health, the type of carbs can make a difference.  It’s best to limit the simple carbs (like sugary cereals, sweets, and granola bars) and consume more of the complex carbs like whole grains, beans, root vegetables, and fruits in their fleshy form.

They taste good!  Let’s face it, the reason most of us like to eat carbs is because most of them taste good.  You are more likely to stick to a healthy food plan if you like the way the food tastes and feel satisfied after eating it.  Current research shows that restrictive dieting does not work so it’s important to allow yourself to eat the foods you enjoy .  If you tell yourself you can eat a tasty baguette or piece of cake whenever you want, you are way more likely to be willing to incorporate more of the complex carbs into your diet and crave the “simple” carbs less often.  So unless you have a medical condition that requires eliminating a certain food  (like wheat)  or need to closely monitor your carbohydrate consumption then allow yourself to enjoy the things you like in moderation.  Focusing on health is about eating the foods that make your body and mind feel good, not about focusing on the scale or rapid weight loss.

Most diets are rooted in fear, deprivation, and negativity.  None of that is healthy or sustainable.  You were not designed to suffer.

Just say no to diets and yes to creating a lifestyle that you love!

Shared with love,
Jennifer

How To Set New Year’s Goals That Work

How To Set New Year's Goals You'll Stick To by Certified Personal Trainer and Healthy Lifestyle Coach Jennifer Ledford

Happy New Year!

A brand new year is upon us and, for many of you, that means setting brand new goals or, in some cases, resurrecting old ones.  For some, setting New Year’s goals is exciting and for others, it can be a bit intimidating.

If you find yourself in the camp that’s hesitant to set new goals, you are not alone.  It’s a normal feeling that usually stems from fear of loss and/or failure.  Based on the statistics that  1/3 of the goal setters will have already broken their resolutions by January 7th, it’s understandable why the fear to commit to new goals exists.  Whether you are someone who is all fired up to set new goals, terrified, or somewhere in between, the good news is it’s entirely possible for anyone to set goals that they can stick to.  It just takes a little reflection and some know how.

How To Set NEW YEAR’S Goals You’ll Stick To

One of the main reasons people have a hard time keeping their resolutions after the new year is that the goals they’ve set are usually unrealistic.  Even the most disciplined person on the planet is going to have a hard time meeting a goal that is so lofty, the odds of winning the lottery are better than achieving the goals they’ve set.

For example, if you only have thirty minutes a day to exercise and it take twenty minutes to drive to the gym, setting a goal of going to the gym five days per week is a recipe for failure.

Five Tips To Set Goals That Work

1) Make it personal. Take a moment to look closely at the goals you’ve set and ask yourself whether or not they are aligned with your values and current priorities.

While looking like the model on the cover of a magazine may seem like a fantastic goal, after discovering what’s required, you may decide that’s not for you or, even more importantly, that’s not your body type and it would be extremely unhealthy for you to even attempt to get there.

It’s critical that your goals be your own. Copying someone else’s life can be like wearing shoes that are a bit too tight. It never feels quite right. It’s okay to use general guidelines but when you finally set the goals, they need to be customized to fit your life and be meaningful to you. You are an individual which makes a cookie-cutter approach  tough to stick to.

Look at your calendar and be realistic about how much time you can commit to your new goal. This is really important! Often times, we can get so caught up in the excitement of setting our New Year’s goals that we forget to think about the time involved.  Most of us have existing commitments (family, relationships, jobs, pets, etc.) that don’t go away at the end of the calendar year.

If you are struggling to find time, ask yourself if there are other commitments that you should put on hold or can delegate to someone else.  In order to create time for new goals we usually need to let go of other commitments or, in some cases, habits that are not serving us well.   Consider multi tasking when it’s appropriate, like exercising while you listen to a conference call or walking during your lunch hour. Do what you can. It’s better to get started with a smaller goal than to never begin at all.

2) Change one thing. The people that usually see the most success do so by setting one to two goals they know they can implement right away.

Start by committing to your new goal for thirty days and then evaluate whether or not it’s working for you.  Don’t be afraid to change things up and tweak things.  Adding a new “thing” to your life usually requires an adjustment period so allow yourself some time to figure out what works for you.

3) Write it down. People that commit their goals to paper have a higher success rate. So take a moment to write down your goals for each area of your life for the new year. If you are keeping your list realistic, it shouldn’t be too long. You can always add more later in the year once you’ve accomplished the first set. Keep your list posted in a place you’ll see it daily to help you stay on track.

4) Do the work. Once you’ve set your realistic goals, follow through and do your best to stick to your plan. Research shows us that once one healthy goal becomes a habit, momentum occurs which then leads to success in adding other healthy habits automatically.  This applies to every area of your life, not just health and fitness.  Goals that serve you well should all be considered healthy. 🙂

5) Don’t be afraid to change things up. From time to time circumstances may throw you off track. This is normal and happens to everyone.  Oftentimes, all you have to do is get up, shake off the dust, and get back on track.  Other times (like when I recently broke my foot) you have to pivot and make some temporary and/or permanent changes.  That doesn’t mean you are a failure.  It means you are living life and adapting to whatever comes your way.

New Year’s resolutions should advance and take you forward long-term but not be so lofty or torturous that they are completely unobtainable. Keeping this mindset will allow you to set yourself up for total success.

Have a Happy New Year!

With love,
Jennifer

P.S. Have a question or comment? Please post it below in the comment section and/or on my Facebook page. I love to hear from you!