Kari Kardio's 30 Day Challenge!

30 Day Challenge Winners!

2012-03-01T09:40:00.000-08:00

Great job 30 day Challenge Winners!

1st Place - Kellie McGonagle

2nd Place - Jo Stecher

3rd Place - Tina Keating and Laura Dieter!

Next Challenge is May 1st!

2012-02-10T13:09:00.000-08:00

It's time to weigh out!!
Please email me a good time for you to weight out! I will be available from 10 am to 11 am Saturday and Monday at 8:00 a.m. or 5:45 p.m. You can also set up a time with me personally. Email me at karikardio@gmail.com
GOOD LUCK EVERYONE! I think this has helped everyone be more accountable for their eating and learn how to make better food choices.

Portion Control

2012-02-06T11:02:00.001-08:00

Here is a great 3 minute video I got off the Eat Clean website, please watch and it and start measuring your portions!
Kari

Workout Basics!

2012-01-31T11:03:00.000-08:00

Workout Basics: Exercising to Build Muscle and Burn Fat

by TLS

Low Glycemic Impact Eating will induce fat loss and maintain lean muscle mass. And that is exactly what you want. You want to lose fat and keep muscle. Why? Because muscle is metabolically active (meaning it will help you burn calories). If you have been on endless “diets” in your life time, you have most definitely lost muscle. Studies show that with “dieting” by restricting calories you lose predominately water and muscle and it slows your metabolism down to anywhere from 10 to 15 percent. So in order to repair and increase your metabolism you have to re-build and build muscle. How do you do that? Exercise!

Using exercise as part of your weight loss program helps reshape your body, sculpting a lean, muscular look that becomes more visible as the fat comes off. Exercise also gives you the strength and endurance to manage everyday tasks more easily. But exercise offers even more benefits: It boosts your immune system, keeps your bones strong, improves your mood, reduces CVD, diabetes and other lifestyle related diseases, assists the body in processing carbohydrates like breads, potatoes and pasta and helps you stay independent as you get older.

Don't stress yourself out or fall pray to the thinking that you have to join a gym to get in shape. Anything that burns calories can count for your exercise. Not parking farther away from the door at the shopping mall! Focused time and effort for 15 to 30 minutes, and when you have time and can physically handle it, 60 minutes. Try in-home workout videos, or outdoor recreation like hiking or rock climbing, or try one of your favorite sports. You can also take up an active hobby like dance or martial arts. These classes might not focus on calorie burning as a primary goal, but you still burn calories anyway -- and getting involved in group class is a good way to find encouragement and motivation to keep going.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend aiming for a sustainable weight loss goal of 1 to 2 lbs. per week. So think of it this way, 1 lb of fat is equal to 3500 calories. Divide that by 7 and you are looking to generate a daily 500-calorie deficit. Do it though activity (exercise). Do activities that will help you burn an extra 500 calories a day you could average 1 lb of FAT loss per week.

If you want to maximize your calorie burn but don't have time for all-day workouts, make your exercise time as challenging as possible. Intersperse high-intensity intervals with normal-speed recovery bouts throughout your workout, walk, bike, run or hike uphill instead of on flat ground, or wear a weight vest during low-impact, weight-bearing activities like walking.

All physical activity contributes to better weight loss and weight management. Moreover, the best results are found in those individuals who spend time working on muscle mass, flexibility, and cardiovascular function as well as allow themselves psychological release in “play” activities. So get moving!

Ten foods that make you fat!

2012-01-29T11:24:00.000-08:00

DUMP THE FOODS THAT ARE MAKING YOU PUT ON THOSE FEW EXTRA UNWANTED POUNDS!

Mayonnaise - Swap it out: Greek Yogurt

High-fat Cheese - Swap it out: Low-fat ricotta or Parmesan Cheese

Pepperoni Pizza - Swap it out: Thin-crust multi-grain veggie pizza

Large White Bagels - Swap it out: Whole grain wraps

Fried Breaded Chicken Strips - Swap it out: Grilled Chicken or Fish

Cream Salad Dressings - Swap it out: Balsamic vinegar on the side

Deli Meats - Swap it out: Grilled Chicken Breast

Soda - Swap it out: Water with a twist of lemon

Creamed Based Soups - Swap it out: Broth-based low in sodium soup

Potato Chips - Swap it out: Air popped popcorn

Shop Smart, Save Big with Price Comparison Shopping at SHOP.COM

2012-01-25T15:05:00.000-08:00

Shop Smart, Save Big with Price Comparison Shopping at SHOP.COM

Common Myths

2012-01-25T12:21:00.000-08:00

I HAVE BEEN ASKED A FEW QUESTIONS THIS WEEK AND I AM SURE YOU ALL ARE WONDERING THE SAME THING????

1. Should I eat breakfast in the morning before I workout? First of all your body's main source of energy throughout your workout is found in glycogen storage from carbohydrate storage in the liver and muscles. During your 6-8 hours of sleep the body uses up glycogen storage by up to 80%. Remember what I said yesterday our bodies need fuel just like car!

Some of you can just wake up and head straight to the gym and you are fine, I head right for the kitchen every morning because my body needs the fuel to have energy!

Try eating something that is easy to digest; oatmeal, banana, an orange, yogurt.

If you want to be able to do 10 sprints in a boot camp class or 100 squats in a flex class, I would eat something for energy!

2. Why is my weight not going down and I am working out everyday and eating clean?

You need to pay attention to your body composition, fat vs lean muscle.

As you can see this is a photo of 5 lbs of fat and 5 lbs of muscle. The fat takes up a lot more volume (space) than muscle. It's not that it weighs more, muscle is heavier by volume than fat.

Here is a good example:

Mary weighs 150 her body fat is 19% - she has 28.5 lbs of fat and 121.5 lbs of lean.

Sue weighs 150 and her body fat is 35%- she has 52.5 lbs of fat and 97.5 lbs of lean.

Remember the more lean you have the higher your metabolism, I am sure Mary looks much better in her jeans and looks like she weighs 20 lbs less than Sue. Stop being obsessed with your weight, it's lean muscle, organs, tissues, blood, bones, etc.

3. The more you sweat the more you burn.

You might see people in class dripping with sweat and you are barely sweating. According to experts, people overestimate the number of calories they burn or don't burn by their sweat. The sweat is more of a result from the body heat in the gym, the weather conditions, and how well your temperature-regulating mechanism is working along with your water intake.

4. If I lift heavy weights I will get big and bulky.

Lifting heavy weights can benefit both men and women and in fact challenging your body with heavy weights is the only way you'll really see results and get stronger. Women do not have the right amount of hormones to build huge muscles, and men have a hard time as well unless they take some type of supplementation. Of course, using supplementation and other sources of enhancements could result in large muscle growth. When you add muscle that helps you loose the fat, which takes up less volume.

5. I have heard to keep my heart rate down low in the fat burning zone.

The bottom line is how many calories did you burn at the end of your workout? How much energy did you put out? The higher the intensity the more you will burn. Interval training at high intensity followed by recovery is a great way to burn calories, along with weight training.

Change your thoughts!

2012-01-24T12:37:00.000-08:00

Hopefully everyone is starting to set some new habits with just being more conscious of eating clean foods. One thing that I think will help you is to think of food as fuel for your body. After you have finished a hard kick butt boot camp class or intense spinning or weight class there is no way you should want to feed your muscles, ligaments, bones, organs processed or junk food. I know sometimes it will give you immediate gratification but you have to change your mind set and switch your thinking to NO this crap will not make me feel good and is not good for my body and will actually make me tired and I will end up with fat around my mid riff. So let's make it our goal to start changing the way we think of food. It's just feeding our body good clean nutrients to help make us stronger, have more energy and feel good.

TRY THIS! TAKE 30 MINUTES OUT OF YOUR DAY TO DO NOTHING - NO T.V., NO BOOKS, NO MAGAZINES, NO ELECTRONICS.....JUST BE! YOU WILL FEEL ENERGIZED AND APPRECIATE LIFE MORE. YOU MIGHT WANT TO FIND A QUIET PLACE BY YOURSELF. "sorry you mom's with kids" nap time?

Portion Control

2012-01-23T12:44:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone, Hope you had a great weekend. Sounds like everyone is really cleaning up their eating habits. Try and remember what you ate last if you are still feeling hungry or lacking energy. Maybe you did not eat the right food or the combination was not good for your body?
PORTION CONTROL - This week let's all see if we can still eat clean but maybe not 6oz of chicken or a whole head of lettuce for your salad. Just cut back a little bit and I am sure you will still be satisfied if you are making the right choices. Also, remember to eat every 3-4 hours to keep your blood sugars level constant so you will not get cravings!
Here is a great chart I found on the Internet that might help you visualize your portion size. I do not have a scale at home to weigh my food or my body! I always use a small salad plate for my dinner which makes it look like I have a big meal, this seems to help. Start putting your daily snacks in small snack size baggies so they are ready to grab when you get hungry!
FOOD DIARYS FOR LAST WEEK ARE TO BE TURNED IN TO ME THIS WEEK BY WEDNESDAY! I WOULD LIKE TO SEE AT LEAST 3-4 DAYS. EITHER LEAVE AT MY FRONT DESK OR EMAIL ME AT KARIKARDIO@GMAIL.COM, if you don't feel like turning it in that's ok, maybe next week?

YOU MIGHT NEED YOUR READING GLASSES TO READ THIS, BUT YOU WILL GET THE IDEA! CHECK OUT THE THUMB PORTION FOR PEANUT BUTTER AND CHEESE!

How much Protein do I need?

2012-01-20T11:46:00.000-08:00

How much protein should I be eating?

First of all the next 30 days you are eating lean, clean protein. That is white fish, white chicken breast, salmon, eggs, white turkey breast. None of this is processed or deli meat. Protein fuels muscle growth and repair, supports fat burning and keeps your metabolism revved and hunger in check. The more lean muscle you have, the more calories your body uses throughout the day. It's ok to just have a protein on it's own, but if you going to have a carb always have a protein with it, not a carb alone.
DAILY DOSE: Eat up to 0.8 - to one gram of protein per pound of body weight; If your goal is to weigh 130 you should be eating around 100-130 grams of protein per day. This is if you are pretty active, working out everyday and not sedentary.
Divide that by your 6 meals/snacks you get about 21 grams of protein per meal.

EGGS - Provide six grams of protein
FISH - Tilapia and Salmon provide 23 grams of easy to digest lean protein per 4 ounce serving.
RED MEAT -30 grams in 3 ounce serving.
CHICKEN BREAST - 28 grams per 3 ounce serving.
LOW -FAT DAIRY - greek yogurt - 16 grams per 6-ounce serving.
PROTEIN SHAKES - A good whey protein with low carbs and no fats is another way to get a good snack in the day and get your protein intake. Most of them you can get that have 25 grams per scoop and they have pretty good flavors.

2012-01-19T11:05:00.000-08:00

Here is a great recipe I found for Quinoa. Make a big bowl and keep in your fridge!

Add the power of the quinoa to your diet – it’s a great complete protein for vegetarians!

Ready in 30 minutes • Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups water
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup diced celery
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp fresh grated orange rind
1/4 tsp sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add quinoa. Return to a boil and simmer until water is absorbed, approximately 15 minutes. Remove from heat and place in a large mixing bowl to cool.
Add tomatoes, celery and parsley to the bowl. Mix together with quinoa.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients to make dressing. Pour over salad and toss well to combine.

Make this recipe healthier: Add more veggies to the salad, such as carrots, zucchini, cucumbers and red peppers to increase fiber content, decrease glycemic load and improve nutrient profile.

Nutrients per serving:

Calories: 200, Total Fats: 6 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Trans Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 161 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 30 g, Dietary Fiber: 4 g, Sugars: 1 g, Protein: 7 g, Iron: 1 mg

Be Patient with the results you want!

2012-01-18T13:03:00.000-08:00

I know this is challenging for a lot of us to give up some of our foods we are used to eating. The trick is we are making a healthy life style change for life, this is not a crash diet. Do me a favor and at least stick to my suggestions as best you can for at least the next 14 days! I am doing this too, which is hard for my family, my son said yesterday, "Mom, we don't have any real food in the house." So I bought him some frozen pizzas, tortillas and cheese, and told him to go to Subway. For my son I always buy small packaged snacks, it's more expensive but if the whole bag of chips are laying around it's more tempting, same with a package of 2 dozen oreo cookies, I also only buy individual ice cream bars for my son instead of a whole gallon of ice cream.

This will really help speed up your fat loss and shock your body.

Here are a few things that will help!

Stay away from all WHITE FOODS. Just get them out of the house for now. White pasta, bread, crackers, cereals, milk, cheese and sugar. Choose a healthy protein, fruit, veggie, and quinoa or brown rice.
NO DAIRY - come on just for 2 weeks, get your calcium from green leafy vegetables, you don't have to do this forever.
Drink water, tea and small amounts of coffee, no soda.
NO WHEAT products, read your labels, and stay away from packaged foods and snacks.

I promise you will fill better in the next week, you will be less bloated and your skin will look good! Don't blame your eating on your family, they probably could use some clean eating as well.

LAST THING FOR THE DAY... NO PEANUT BUTTER, EAT REAL NUTS INSTEAD! JUST FOR 2 WEEKS. I HAD 3 STUDENTS ASK ME TODAY ABOUT EATING PEANUT BUTTER.

So far here was my day so far. I am with you guys on this 30 day challenge, cleaning up my diet as well. I usually just work out a lot and can cheat more than you, but I already feel better.

4:15 a.m.

1/3 cup stilled Oats

2 egg whites

mixed with water

1 cup coffee

soy milk

7:10 a.m.

low fat yogurt

carrots (small baggy)

9:00 a.m.

Ran 3 Miles on treadmill

10:30

15 raw almonds

1/2 grapefruit

12:30

Tilapia fish (from last night)

Salsa on top

Quinoa 1/3/ cup

2 tables spoons of Peanut Butter

Green Tea - plain

1:30

washed car

went to target

came home mopped all my floors

Tonight is my night off from class, might go out to dinner with Brian

and order something clean.

Grocery Shopping

2012-01-17T09:41:00.000-08:00

HI Everyone,
I am going to help you with your grocery shopping, but wanted to remind you that you don't have to change everything all at once!
If you still need a diet coke once in awhile then have it. Just start making as many changes as you can, remember we want this to be a new lifestyle change for you and your family.
Begin by eliminating many of the foods you have now learned are bad. There are really some foods that we are just better off without. Specifically those are foods that contain hydrogenated oil and lots of sugar (especially high fructose corn syrup). Take a look at your current food intake and see where these ingredients show up. These are the foods that should go right into the garbage can. They are just that dangerous and can completely sabotage your weight loss efforts.
Go clean out your pantry and get rid of the boxes of processed foods, I know it's like $3-$4 you spent, maybe donate it to the food shelter.
GET RID OF: butter, high-fat dairy, creamy condiments, white pastas, rice, breads and cereals, cookies, chips, soda and candy.
GROCERY LIST ESSENTIALS - Remember you want to always eat a protein and carb.
Egg whites
Lean ground turkey
Chicken
White Fish
Quinoa
Oats
Grapefruit/Apples
Veggies - lots of greens, carrots, broc, etc.
Low-sodium beans
Salt-free spices
Tuna

*Wash and chop veggies - put in baggies for your snack attack
*Cook in batches, then leave portions so you can grab and go. example: chicken breasts, hard boiled eggs.

Eating Rules from a Kari Kardio member

2012-01-16T12:23:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
I just asked one of my students that does my regular classes to share with me her rules on eating. I thought you would like some different ideas that you mind be able to follow.
She has made big changes with her body in the past years and has followed the "eat clean" diet. She is 50 years old and has 22% body fat.
These are her rules:
My eating rules:

1) Eat every 3 to 4 hours, do not let yourself become hungry and do not let your blood sugar levels fluctuate too much. Typical day: breakfast at 7:00, snack (under 200 calories) at 10:30, lunch at 1:00, snack at 4:00, dinner at 7:00. NOTHING after dinner.

Even the most vigilant person will pig out if they are hungry - do not rely on willpower alone!!! This is KEY!

2) Always eat a carb with a protein, even with a snack.

3) Eat as little refined carbs (sugar!!!) as possible - none if possible.

4) Eat as many raw fruits and vegetables as possible - will fill you up with fiber and is full of nutrients. The key is to eat all nutrient filled calories - no empty calories (sugar!!!).

5) Weight yourself EVERY MORNING.

6) Know your calories in/out each day. Know where your body's caloric equilibrium is.

7) Keep a food diary (I do this in my head, but you really are supposed to write it down!)

Typical Eating Week Day (My caloric equilibrium is approx 1,500 calories/day during the week)
After Dinner: Don't eat - go out for a walk in your neighborhood instead!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

step class shows great results.

2010-08-07T10:06:00.000-07:00

Great news all you steppers!- Women who did step aerobics three times a week for six months increased the bone density in their legs, spines, and heels more than other exercisers one study found. Weight Watchers Magazine.

What a great way to rev up your workout! Step combines, coordination, cardio, strength, along with a little mind work to get you thinking again. If you like to have fun, be mentally and physically challenged, this is a great workout for you.

Fitness Centers have been packing up their steps and replacing them with spinning bikes and pilate mats, but revolutionizing step has become very popular in Ft.Myers, Fl. At Kari Kardio's the 45 minutes class is packed with new moves, great music that is non stop to the 136 beat per minute music track! New moves are introduced every Monday and the class is repeated through out the week for a polished performance on Saturday.

Weight training for women

2010-03-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

Women that want to create leaner muscles and have more definition, it's not too late!

Reshape your body by lifting light weights with high repetitions. I have created a new program called kardioflex, that will reshape your body! This program consists of using a barbell and doing exercises for your legs, back, biceps, triceps , shoulders, chest and abs. I have seen so many women over the age of 40 reshape their bodies by following this program.

Want me information? email me at kardioflex@gmail.com