Mercer Health and Fitness Inc.

The Boss

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 15:50:00 +0000

"There's only one boss, the customer, and he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else."

~ Sam Walton

Recognizing The Benefits Of A Low Carb Diet

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 14:37:00 +0000

As you go about trying to select a diet plan to use, it’s important that you come to understand the pros and cons that each approach brings. It’s important that you give each type a fair consideration before hopping onto one specific plan so that you can be sure whatever choice you make is going to be ideal for you.

Let’s take a look at a few of the top benefits that a low carb diet plan can bring so that you know what you’ll be in for if you go this route.

Hunger Control

The very first benefit that you’re going to see when you go on a low carb diet plan is a good amount of hunger control. Hunger is something that many dieters do struggle with and can be what causes them to fall off their program entirely, so the hunger control benefits provided by a low carb diet are typically very welcomed.

Carbohydrates do tend to promote additional hunger levels while dietary fat calms hunger, which is why this diet tends to be so well for managing this negative side effect of being in a calorie deficit.

Rapid Weight Loss To Start
The next big benefit that you’ll see when you adopt a low carb approach is that rapid weight loss will begin to occur. While this typically isn’t fat weight you’re losing, but rather you’re losing water weight, it can really serve to be highly motivating for many people.

If you feel very excited about the amount of weight you’re losing after starting up on the low carb diet, this could be enough to ensure that you carry on with the plan.

That in turn helps you see the long term results that you’re looking for.

Stable Blood Glucose And Energy Levels
Moving along, next up on the list of benefits that the low carb diet provides is more stabilized blood glucose and energy levels. Since you won’t get the spikes to your blood sugar levels as you normally would if you were eating a high carb plan, this can help keep you on a more even keel all day long.

Since when blood sugar level falls you experience a dramatic energy low, this also means that you’ll experience stabilized energy levels all day long.

For those who often find that blood sugar lows leave them irritable, cranky, hunger, and feeling very weak and light-headed, this will, without a doubt, be a powerful benefit that you can’t afford to overlook.

So there you have some of the primary benefits that a low carb diet will bring you. If you choose to use this diet, you will manage hunger, lose weight at a good pace, and control cravings well, helping you see fat loss success.

Optimism....

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 14:52:00 +0000

Workout Tips While On Holiday

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:57:00 +0000

As you make plans to go off on holiday and relax and unwind after a few months of high-stress, it’s important that you don’t completely abandon your fitness program altogether.

Not only will maintaining some degree of a workout program while you’re away help to reduce the chances that you start to gain weight, but it’ll also make it that much easier to carry on with your program upon your return.

If you take a complete week (or longer) off your workout, you’re going to find that when you get back to it, you’re incredibly sore and just feel ‘out of it’ overall.

Let’s take a quick look at a few of the top workout tips to remember for your vacation.

Bring Some Equipment
The very first thing that you’ll want to do is make sure you go prepared. Bring a few of your own pieces of workout equipment so that at the very least, you can do a quick workout in your hotel room.

A skipping rope is the perfect option for your cardio training session and a resistance band will help you keep the strength component in place.

Both of these are incredibly lightweight and will easily fit right in your suitcase.

Call Ahead To Check On Gym Facilities
The second thing that you should do is call ahead to wherever you’re staying and see what gym facilities are available.

If you can find this out ahead of time, it’s going to be that much easier to plan a workout that you can do using the equipment there.

It’s very important that you go in with a plan. If you don’t have a plan, the chances that you skip over the workout will be that much greater. If you do, you’re one step ahead of the game.

Keep The Workouts Short But Intense
When it comes to the actual workouts you do while away on holiday, intensity should be the name of your game.

You can cut back on the volume of your standard workout by up to 2/3’s as long as you maintain the intensity of the session. This will allow you to maintain your fitness level so that you can pick right back up as soon as you return home again.

This will also make it easy to perform short workouts that don’t eat up your vacation time, making it that much easier to get them in as well.

So there you have the most important tips to remember as you go about your hotel workouts while on vacation. If you take some time to prepare yourself for them and stay committed to leading the healthy lifestyle while you’re away, when you arrive back home it’ll feel as though you’ve never skipped a beat.

Have a Wonderful and Safe Holiday Folks!!

Eating Healthy While On Holiday

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 14:28:00 +0000

If you’re about to go on a much deserved holiday and are looking forward to all the fun activities about to come your way, one issue that may be causing a slight amount of anxiety is what you’re going to be eating while away.

Eat the wrong foods and you’ll be facing some weight gain when you return. Since this is clearly not something most people want to experience, it’s going to be vital that you put some steps into place to ensure that this doesn’t happen to you.

Let’s go over the key points to remember so that you can still maintain a decent eating plan while away on holiday and return back to your normal program after vacation ready to make progress forwards, not do damage control.

Choose One Meal To Indulge In
Chances are while on holiday you are going to want to indulge a little in the different food options available. After all, you are on holiday and holidays are meant to enjoy yourself.

As long as you practice some control and moderation, you definitely can treat yourself to the odd food that you really want without seeing weight gain result.

A good strategy to use is to select one meal in which you’ll treat yourself at each day. If you can keep the rest of the meals very clean and healthy, this will reduce the chances that you take in too many calories but instead, at the end of the day, it’ll all balance out.

Then when you eat that food that you’re choosing to indulge in, make sure to eat a reasonable portion. Don’t let yourself get out of control as how much you eat is just as important as what you’re eating.

As long as the calorie balance is correct at the end of the day, you won’t gain weight.

Stick To Lean Proteins And Vegetables
The second strategy to keep in mind as you aim to eat healthy while on holiday is for the rest of the meals during the day, stick as much as possible to just lean protein and vegetables.

Since there’s a good chance that fats will be added during the cooking process of these proteins and vegetables, you’ll want to keep carbs out of the picture as much as possible to create that ‘wiggle’ room for those added fat calories.

Again, it’s all about calorie balance.

Protein and vegetable based meals also tend to control hunger best, so this will allow you to maintain a reduced calorie intake while away.

Get A Suite With A Kitchen
Finally, the last quick tip to remember is to try, if you can, to get a suite with a kitchen. If you can eat at least one meal in your room where you’re staying, then you will have complete control over what goes into that meal.

At least then you know that one meal of the day is going to be directly in line with your normal diet plan.

So there you have a few quick tips to remember. If you’re smart in your approach, you definitely do not need to be facing a high amount of weight gain when you return back from your holiday.

Ugly Sweater Run!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:24:00 +0000

Here is a fantastic pic of one of my all time favorite clients!
Meet Super-Fit-Mom Anna Michelle Johnson getting ready for this years Ugly Christmas Sweater Run.

She told me she got a stitch in her side halfway through....

/kneeslapper

Grilled Cauliflower

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 14:03:00 +0000

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower, cut into thick slices

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons seasoned salt

Recipe makes 4 servings

Directions

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.

Sprinkle cauliflower slices on both sides with olive oil, brown sugar, and seasoned salt.

Cook cauliflower on the grill until char marks appear, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a grill-safe pan with a lid, cover, and continue cooking on grill until tender, about 20 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories - 81 cal - 4%

Carbohydrates - 11.5g - 4%

Cholesterol - l0mg - 0%

Fat - 3.6g - 5%

Fiber - 3.6g - 15%

Protein - 2.9g - 6%

Sodium - 503mg - 20%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Front Squat Grip Set Ups with Eric Cressey

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 14:09:00 +0000

Eric Cressey is one of the fitness world's go-to trainers. This video is from his latest blogpost

How to Front Squat: Everything You Need to Know
Click the link to view the full article!

Holiday Fitness Special

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 14:41:00 +0000

Holiday Special!!!

^{6 Personal Training Sessions for Only}

^$99.⁹⁹

You Save Over $80

The New Year is just around the corner, what are your resolutions going to be?

It’s a fact that the more specific your goals, the more likely you will have success achieving them.

This package will help you know exactly where you stand so you can set your goals accordingly.

The Package:

5 Full Body Workouts + 1 Fitness Evaluation

In the fitness evaluation we will look at your basic strength levels, heart rate recovery, and flexibility in addition to a body composition check and a good look at your personal goals.

The five 50-minute private training sessions will be customized to you.

Each full body workout will bring additional focus to a specific muscle group, ie upper back, shoulders, chest , Lats, and Abs. By rotating through the body we will get you up and moving for the New Year with maximum results, and minimum soreness,

Lose Fat!

Tone Up!

Look and Feel Better!

Start Liking Who You See In The Mirror!

All of this in a private setting, no waiting or competing for equipment, and no gym rat attitude!

Call to make your appointment!

702-546-6463

What will You Accomplish in 2013?

Should You Use An Electrolyte Beverage During Your Workout?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 13:43:00 +0000

One question that some people will start to ask themselves as they go about their workout program is whether or not they should be using a n electrolyte beverage (or sports drink as they’re more commonly called).

Will these help you perform better and reach new heights in your success?

Or, will they just hold you back?

There are a few things to consider when answering this question so that you can make the most informed decision for yourself.

How Long Is Your Workout?

The first thing to consider is how long your workout is. Are you going to be exercising for at least an hour or longer? If so, the chances that you lose the key electrolytes your body needs to sustain intense exercise – sodium and potassium, will be much higher.

Therefore, having that electrolyte replacing beverage in there can be a very good plan to achieve optimal success.

If you’re just doing a short workout on the other hand, say 20-30 minutes, then chances are that you don’t really need it.

What Type Of Exercise Are You Doing?

Moving along, the second thing to consider is the type of exercise you’re doing. If you’re doing endurance events, that again calls for a greater need of electrolytes than if you’re doing stop and go activities such as weight lifting.

That isn’t to say that those people doing stop and go activities won’t ever need a sports drink – in some cases it can be beneficial, but endurance athletes will need one much more frequently.

What’s The Room/Environment Temperature?

Finally, the last thing that you’ll want to take into account when deciding whether or not you should be using an electrolyte replacement beverage as you go about your workout program is what the environment or room temperature is.

The more you’re sweating, the more you’re going to be losing the key electrolytes you need, thus you’ll have a greater chance of requiring that sports drink.

If you’re exercising in the hot summer heat or you’re in a very warm exercise room, you’ll definitely want to be considering it.

If it’s a cooler day and you’re going for a light jog outside, it may not be warranted.

So there you have the most important things to keep in mind regarding whether you should be using an electrolyte replacement beverage as you go about your workout session.

Remember that some of these do contain calories and added sugar, so you’ll have to weigh the pros and cons of using one that does. On one hand, if you are doing a longer and more intense workout session, the extra energy can definitely work to your benefit.

On the other hand though, if you’re aiming to lose weight and take in 100-200 calories worth of sugar from that beverage, how well is this going to help progress?

Clearly it’s not so you’ll want to opt for a calorie free one instead.

Keep these points in mind and you should have no problem making an informed decision.

Seeds

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 15:11:00 +0000

Four Beverages To Avoid On Your Diet

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 14:46:00 +0000

Four Beverages To Avoid On Your Diet

As you go about the process of trying to lose body fat and reach your goal weight, one thing that you must be making sure that you’re paying close attention to at all times is the beverages that you’re consuming.
Many people are very good about watching the foods that they’re eating on a daily basis, but completely neglect to think about what they’re drinking as well.
If you’re taking in calories from liquids, they are definitely going to count and can add up quickly without you realizing it. A few poor beverage choices and you are definitely going to be noticing the effects.
Let’s take a quick look at four beverages that you’ll want to avoid as you go about your diet plan.

Fruit Juice
First up on the list of beverages to avoid is fruit juice. Fruit juice is a poor choice because it’s essentially 100% sugar and will spike blood glucose just as much as a regular can of soda would. Plus, it’s also very calorie dense.
Per cup of fruit juice you’re typically looking at 100-120 calories, so this can really tack on quite the number to your day if you’re drinking two cups or more.
Instead, opt for real fruit. It’s lower in calories and will provide you with dietary fiber as well.

Gourmet Coffee
Moving along, the second beverage to avoid is gourmet coffee. While you may love the energy boosting benefits you get from having this first thing in the morning, don’t discount the calories it contains from all the added sugars along with fat from cream.
And if there’s whip cream, you might as well label it as a dessert. Stay away if weight control is the name of your game.

Fruit Smoothies

Fruit smoothies are yet another big diet offender that you want to be careful about. Fruit smoothies are often prepared with yogurt or ice cream, frozen fruit, milk or cream, and may also contain other ingredients or sugars.
All in all, they can easily pack in at least 300 or more calories per smoothie, so as you can imagine, aren’t really something that are going to provide your both with the high quality nutrition it needs for fat loss.
Plus, they’re often lacking in protein, so won’t help you reach your goals on that front either.

Alcohol
Finally, the last beverage that you’ll want to stay clear from if you hope to achieve success on your fat loss diet is alcohol. Alcohol is very problematic because as soon as it enters your system, all fat burning is going to come to a halt.
Alcohol also contains empty calories – and seven calories per gram at that, so it can quickly put you over your daily total.
So there you have four of the top beverages that you should steer clear from as you go about your fat loss diet. Are you letting any of these slip into your plan?

Keep Moving Forward

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 19:40:00 +0000

Found this on Scott Colby's Facebook. Love it!

Top Protein sources For Your Diet Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:22:00 +0000

Top Protein sources For Your Diet Plan

One of the most important components of any body transformation program is making sure that you are taking in sufficient levels of protein. Protein is the one macronutrient that you absolutely cannot do without in your diet plan so if you fall short, you are going to see very negative consequences because of it.
That said, many people still don’t know what the top sources of protein are in the human diet, and thus they fail to meet their needs.
Let’s outline some of the best choices that you could be making so there are no more questions surrounding what you should be eating.

Chicken Breasts
First up on the list of high quality protein sources are chicken breasts. Chicken breasts are great because they’re incredibly low in fat and highly versatile, so regardless of how picky you are of an eater, you should be able to find a way to include them in your plan.
Plus, chicken breasts can easily be made ahead of time and frozen for later use, so make meal planning a breeze.

Egg Whites
Next you have egg whites. The great thing about egg whites is they tend to be a very high volume food, meaning you’ll get to eat a lot of them without taking in too many calories.
For dieters who feel like their meals are ultra-tiny and unsatisfying, this is a very good thing.
Like chicken breasts, there are also many ways to prepare egg whites so you shouldn’t get bored easily. And, they’re also one of the more cost-effective sources of protein available as well.

Salmon
Moving along, don’t overlook salmon. Salmon is great because not only is it a good source of protein, but it’s also a great source of omega fatty acids as well.
Getting enough omega fatty acids is important because these will go a long way towards protecting you from diseases such as diabetes, heart attack, as well as cancer.
Furthermore, they tend to promote a leaner body composition as well, so are definitely an ideal choice for the dieter.

Venison
The last source of protein that you’ll want to be sure that you’re not overlooking in your diet as you go about it is venison. Venison earns top marks for delivering high quality lean protein along with very little fat and the important iron that you need to sustain high energy levels.
For anyone who loves red meat, venison is the best route to go – far better than opting for a fattier cut of steak for instance.
Plus, you can prepare it a number of different ways as well, so it’s just as versatile as eating beef would be.
So make sure that you aren’t missing the mark on your protein intake. Getting enough protein is critical to your success and with so many high quality protein sources available, there’s no reason that you should be falling short.

How To Increase Recovery After Your Workout Sessions

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 15:54:00 +0000

How To Increase Recovery After Your Workout Sessions

If you’re just started up on a brand new workout program and are making sure that you give 110% each and every time that you’re in the gym, another factor that you need to be thinking about as you go through the program is your recovery ability.
How fast you recover between workout sessions is going to play a large role in determining the rate of progress you see because if you aren’t recovered when doing a workout, you’re actually just getting weaker, not stronger.
That said, there are a few things that you can do that will really enhance your level of recovery and get you faster results than you ever thought possible. Let’s go over what you need to know.

Take A Hot Bath
The first way to boost your recovery after a hard session at the gym is to go in for a hot bath later on in the evening. This will help to increase blood flow to the impacted muslces, delivering more nutrients along with oxygen.
Plus, it’ll also help to ease the stress from the day and put you in a more relaxed state before you go to bed – which is the prime time when recovery takes place.
If you really want to up the advantages you see from this strategy, also consider adding some Epsom salts to the bathwater.

Foam Roll

Second, another popular strategy right now to boost your level of recovery between workout sessions is to foam roll. This involves placing a piece of cylindrical foam underneath certain areas of the body and rolling over it, applying light pressure as you do.
The idea is that the pressure will slowly help to relax the muscle tissue, reducing any knots or tension that is present. If you often suffer from post-workout muscle soreness, this can be an excellent way to treat this issue.

How To Get Yourself Motivated For Early Morning Workouts

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 13:14:00 +0000

How To Get Yourself Motivated For Early Morning Workouts

If you’re finding it rather difficult to keep up with your workout sessions because you just don’t seem to have the time of day for them and something always seems to come up to flood your schedule and keep you away from the gym, early morning workouts may be your solution.
The great thing about early morning workouts is that the only thing that stands in your way is the snooze button. If you can get into the habit of doing these early morning workouts, you will see far faster success with your program plan.
Let’s look at some quick tips to help get those early morning workouts into place.

Set Two Alarms
The first way to help yourself get out of bed first thing in the morning is to set two alarm clocks. Set one that’s right beside your bed and then one that’s across the room.
Have them go off 10 minutes apart, the one at the other side of the room going off second, so that by the time it goes off and you have to get out of bed to turn it off, you’ll be up and already moving around.
Once you’re up, it’s far easier to just stay up, so this strategy can work very well for keeping you from snoozing more than once.

Plan A Delicious Snack

Second, it’s also important that you’re very well fueled going into that morning workout. Many people choose to skip their pre-workout meal at this time, but that will just lead to lacklustre performance during the session.
Instead, plan a delicious pre-workout snack for yourself. Food is a big motivator for many people so if this snack is something that you’ll look forward to, it can really assist with getting you up and moving.

Do Innovative Workout Sessions
Finally, the last quick tip is to make sure, especially at the beginning, that your sessions are as interesting as possible. If you’re not enjoying your workout to begin with, it’s going to be that much harder to motivate yourself to get up and out of bed.
If you are excited about the workout you’re headed off to do, it’ll be that much easier. Consider investing in a good personal trainer to help with this, at least until you’re in the habit of getting up first thing in the morning.
So use these tricks and try to make early morning workouts a part of your weekly schedule. You’ll find you have much better workout adherence if you do and will move that much closer to seeing the results that you’re after.

Building A Great Breakfast Meal

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 13:24:00 +0000

Building A Great Breakfast Meal

You've heard it time and time again, if you want to succeed with your weight loss goals, you absolutely must be eating a good breakfast.
Breakfast really is one of the most important meals of the day because it’s going to break the fasting period, jump starting your metabolic rate while also providing you with the energy you need to get your day off and running.
That said, many people choose very poorly when it comes to their food intake for the breakfast meal and thus suffer a set-back instead of moving forward.
Let’s look at the key things to remember when building your breakfast.

Avoid Cereal Bars

First, the one thing that you’ll want to avoid as you prepare your breakfast meal is the cereal bars that so many people are fond of. These are full of simple sugars and highly processed carbs, so will only send your blood glucose level soaring and then crashing rapidly.
The end result is that you’ll feel highly irritable, exhausted, and like you could eat an entire other meal – and often you might.
These are not the best way to go as far as maintaining a healthy diet is concerned. Have a bowl of cereal – notably plain oatmeal, instead.

Consider A Smoothie
Second, also consider a smoothie if you’re in a time crunch first thing in the morning. These can be an excellent option when prepared yourself and cover all three macro-nutrients.
Mix together some whey protein powder, a bit of Greek yogurt, some frozen berries, along with some flax seeds or natural nut butters.
Add in some ice and skim milk and you've got yourself a delish shake in seconds. This is perfect for taking on the go.

Utilize Eggs Often
Finally, the last thing to keep in mind as you work to build yourself a superior fat loss focused breakfast is to make sure that you’re using eggs often. Eggs are one of the top quality protein sources that you should be consuming in your diet plan and tend to work perfectly for the morning meal.
Choose egg whites most often to keep the total calorie and fat content down and prepare them into omelettes, scramble them, or simply serve them hard boiled along with some fresh fruit.
Eggs are fast and easy to prepare, so won’t take up much time during your busy morning either.
So there you have a few of the key points to keep in mind as you go about building a healthy, fat loss oriented breakfast. As much as possible you want to stay away from packaged breakfast meals or worse, something you pick up at the drive through. Those just won’t supply you with the high quality energy you need to get your day started off properly.

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 16:36:00 +0000

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms

Ingredients

3 Portobello mushrooms
1/4 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions

Clean mushrooms and remove stems, reserve for other use. Place caps on a plate with the gills up.
In a small bowl, combine the oil, onion, garlic and vinegar. Pour mixture evenly over the mushroom caps and let stand for 1 hour.
Grill over hot grill for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories - 217 kcal - 11%
Carbohydrates - 11 g - 4%
Cholestero - l0 mg - 0%
Fat - 19 g - 29%
Fiber - 1.9 g - 8%
Protein - 3.2 g - 6%
Sodium - 13 mg - < 1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Makes 3 Servings

The One Exercise Technique That Will Help You Burn More Calories Daily

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 14:29:00 +0000

Tired of going to the gym but not seeing the best results from your workout? One of the top trends that many personal trainers are noting right now is the number of people going at their workouts alone but never seeing the progress they’re after.
They see the same individuals in the gym day after day, doing their workout routine, but they hardly ever look any different from week to week.
This is also what leads many people to sign up to work with a personal trainer in the first place.
If you can learn a few simple techniques for how you should structure your workout program however, you can get past this hurdle and back on to success.
One specific exercise technique that is extremely effective for helping you burn off more calories not only during the session but for hours after its completed as well is a superset.
Let’s look more closely at what this is all about.

What A Superset Is
A superset is essentially where you take two exercises and pair them immediately back to back with each other. So for instance, you might do a lunge and then move directly into a shoulder press.
Or, you might do a squat and then perform a bench press. Whatever your chosen mode of exercises are, you’re doing these two movements with no rest in between.
Once both are completed, then you’ll rest for 30 seconds before starting up again.

Exercises To Perform
When selecting the exercises that you’ll want to perform with your supersets, the best advice is to select compound movements as often as possible. It’s these exercises that are going to help to boost your metabolism the fastest since they’re going to be working so many muscle tissues all at once.
Top compound movements to include are the squat, deadlift, chest press, bent over row, shoulder press, lunge, split squat, or leg press.
While you can use isolation exercises such as bicep curls, tricep extensions, lateral raises, leg extensions and hamstring curls for your supersets and still see results, these tend to be slightly less effective than the former.

Key Points To Know
Finally, last but not least, as you go about introducing the superset into your workout program to help boost your total daily calorie burn, make sure that you aren’t doing all your exercise as supersets. Choose two or three different supersets and then keep the rest as straight sets.
If you overload and do too many, you’ll just find yourself overtrained before you know and quite possibly, injured. Supersets are intense so you need to strive for balance with them in your workout routine.
So there you have the one technique that’s a must-add to your workout program for faster success. Always remember that if you are struggling, consulting with a good personal trainer will be your best bet to get your progress moving onwards as fast as possible.

The Nutritional Secrets To A Faster Metabolism

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 16:06:00 +0000

If you’ve just set the goal to start losing weight, it’s important that you stay up to date on the latest in findings in the weight loss industry. Researchers are constantly on the lookout for new improvements in the field than can help weight loss seekers realize the success they’re after and with some of the latest advancements, you can rapidly see the results you’re after with hardly any effort on your part.
The trick is to look at how you can increase your resting metabolic rate so that you burn more calories daily without having to do much extra work.
So, what nutrition secrets should you be using to boost your calorie burn? Let’s look at a few of the top nutritional strategies to consider.

Sip Green Tea

First, when it comes to your morning beverage selection, ditch the coffee and go with Green tea. It’s now being discovered that Green tea is far more effective in assisting with the fat loss process because certain compounds found in it will boost your metabolic rate, getting you burning more calories faster for hours.
Serve it with no sugar however to keep the calorie count down.

Protein Up With Dairy
Next, also make sure to get more protein in your diet, but not just any protein, dairy protein. The latest in research shows that dairy rich foods can help you lose more fat from the abdominal region, so since this is where so many people are specifically targeting their efforts, it’s one of the best strategies to help you reach your goals.
Fantastic fat loss-friendly dairy sources to include are low fat cottage cheese, low fat Greek yogurt, along with skim milk.
Eat these more often and you’ll see greater success.

Don’t Be So Fast To Go No Carb
Finally, last but not least, don’t be so fast to adopt a very low carb diet plan. While low carb diets can assist with keeping your calorie count in check and your blood sugar levels stabilized, if you go too low carb, a certain hormone in the body called Leptin begins to shift, which can cause extreme food cravings to set in.
Add slow digesting complex carbohydrates to your diet and you’ll fair far better.
So there you have some of the top nutritional secrets that you should be using to help rev your metabolic rate so that you can burn fat faster all day long. If you use these, you’ll find that progress comes almost naturally without much effort on your part at all.

Quick Lemon Dijon Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 17:18:00 +0000

Quick Lemon Dijon Chicken

Ingredients

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 2 inch pieces
1/4 lime, juiced
1/2 lemon, juiced
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
freshly ground black pepper
Creole-style seasoning to taste

Directions

Place chicken in a skillet over medium heat. Pour in lime and lemon juices, and stir in Dijon, black pepper, and Creole-seasoning. Cook, turning chicken occasionally, until the chicken pieces are done, about 15 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories 301 kcal - 15%
Carbohydrates 10.5 g - 3%
Cholesterol 137 mg - 46%
Fat 3.1 g - 5%
Fiber 1.7 g - 7%
Protein 55 g - 110%
Sodium 984 mg - 39%*

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Four Workout Mistakes

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 11:00:00 +0000

If you are seeking fat loss success, getting a good workout program in place will be a must. The workouts you do are going to help to boost your metabolic rate, improve your lean muscle mass retention, and ensure that you are looking tone and defined as you lose the weight, not soft and flabby.

Yet, many people are still making a few critical errors as they go about their workout, so it’s vital that we clear those up so that you can make sure you steer clear of them.

Let’s look at what you should know.

Doing Only Cardio Training

The very first error you might be making is focusing strictly on cardio training. Some people come to believe that cardio is the exercise to do for fat loss while weight lifting is the exercise to do for muscle building.

Nothing is further from the truth. Weight lifting is a far superior form of exercise for fat loss, so getting it in is a must.

Working Out Seven Days A Week

Another big mistake that many people make is working out seven days a week. Remember, your body does need time to rest and repair, especially when eating a reduced calorie diet.

At this point you aren’t providing a lot of fuel for recovery purposes, so if you aren’t providing rest either, you’ll really be in for some trouble.

You should always have at least one day off each week from all exercise, if not two.

Lifting Light Weights

The next vital mistake that some people make is turning to very light weights in their weight lifting program. The thought behind this concept is that by using light weight and high reps, they’ll take their calorie burn up higher during the workout, helping move fat burning along.

Sadly, this isn’t the case.

You should be focusing on heavy weight more often because it’s heavy weight that will help you maintain your lean muscle mass, stroking your metabolic rate in the process.

Never Changing Things Up

Finally, the last big mistake that some people make is never changing their workout around. Remember, your body is highly adaptive and if you’re doing the same workout day in and day out, you aren’t going to be making any progress forward.

Once your body can do a given workout, it’ll just maintain the status quo.

In order to move forward and see faster progress, you need to give the body a reason to do so. Add a new exercise, do more reps, or change the order of your exercises around.

Just do something to evoke change and you’ll see faster success because of it.

So there you have the top mistakes that you must make sure you’re not making in your workout program. If you are making any of these, it’s high time you changed something around.

Three Diet Mistakes

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 13:16:00 +0000

As you go about your diet plan, it’s important that you’re taking the time to get a proper structure in place. What you eat on a daily basis is going to have a tremendous influence on the rate of fat loss that takes place, so for those who are skipping over this important element, your results will be lacklustre at best.

There are some major critical diet mistakes that you need to make sure that you are aware of as you go about your program because if you commit these, success is definitely not going to be yours.

Let’s have a look at what you should know.

Just Eating Healthy

Many dieters fall into the trap of thinking that if they just eat healthy, they’ll see the natural rates of fat loss they’re looking for.

Not so. You can still gain weight eating entirely healthy foods, so it’s a must that you also track calories as well. Getting your calorie intake inline must be the first priority and then after that, you should look at where those calories are coming from in order to ensure that you are going to feel your best as you go about the diet.

Calories determine whether or not you lose weight, macronutrients determine the type of weight you lose and how you feel on the diet plan.

Being Too Strict

Moving along, the next mistake that many people make is being far too strict with their diet plan. They figure that the fewer calories they take in the better and they avoid cheating at all costs.

While a reduced calorie diet is definitely important, if you take this concept too far, your metabolism will just crash and your body will start clinging onto body fat stores.

Use a more moderate approach. Not only will you enjoy it more, but you’ll see better results as well.

Not Getting Sufficient Variety

Finally, the last big mistake that far too many people make as they go about their diet program plan is neglecting to get in enough variety. They eat the same five foods day after day after day and before they know it, they’re cheating left, right, and center.

But, is it any wonder?

Most people would get bored eating the same foods over and over, even if they were your absolute favorite foods.

Variety is key to keep yourself interested in the diet as well as to help you get all the nutrition in that you need. If you aren’t getting enough variety, you’re going to find that you lose all motivation to keep your program up.

So there you have three classic mistakes that many dieters make as they go about their approach. Are you making any of these?

Quinoa Pudding

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Quinoa Pudding

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
2 cups apple juice
1 cup raisins
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
salt to taste
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

Place quinoa in a sieve and rinse thoroughly. Allow to drain, then place quinoa in a medium saucepan with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover pan with lid, lower heat, and allow to simmer until all water is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes.
Mix in apple juice, raisins, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt. Cover pan and allow to simmer for 15 minutes longer. Stir in vanilla extract. Serve warm.

Daily Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 14:31:00 +0000