We want to revisit some tips that Dr. Agolli share with us last year around the Holidays…

Not as your New Years resolution.  Remember, movement is medicine for your body.

Beer belly. Love handles. Fat.

Whatever you want to call it, excess weight around your middle can be the most difficult weight on your body to lose.

It is also more dangerous to your health than those extra pounds that accumulate on your hips or thighs.

The fat around your belly is an outward sign of deep, internal fat surrounding your organs. Fat in this area causes an increase of hormones that raise blood pressure and increase bad cholesterol, putting you at risk for heart disease, stroke, and premature death.

Belly fat has also been associated with an increased risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer, and metabolic syndrome.

What’s to blame for belly fat? Stress, age, poor lifestyle choices, and genetics play a role—but so does your diet.

Here’s what not to eat and what to eat if you want to banish belly fat.

Recipe for a Fat Belly
It is fair to say that weight gain around your waistline and anywhere else on your body is caused by consumption of too many calories. That being said, there do seem to be certain foods and drinks especially associated with an increase of fat cells in the abdominal area.

While you may use it playfully, the phrase “beer belly” is an accurate description of what goes on when you down too much alcohol. Drinking too much may make it difficult to fasten your jeans. Why does this happen? When you drink alcohol, your liver goes into overdrive to burn it off instead of working to burn off the high fat content. Alcohol can also make you hungrier, causing you to consume more calories than normal.

Foods containing trans fat are another contributing factor for a large waist. Trans fat is a manmade fat created with partially hydrogenated oil. This unnatural fat leads to belly fat and moves fat from other parts of the body to the abdominal area. Where can you find trans fat in your diet? Cookies, crackers, pastries, potato chips, margarine, fried foods, and packaged foods all have this unwanted intruder.

Sugar-sweetened beverages and sodas are another possible culprit for belly fat. The empty calories and high amount of high-fructose corn syrup (a manmade sweetener) cause abnormal weight gain in the midsection. High-fructose corn syrup is also found in foods such as ketchup, mayonnaise, jam, canned fruits, yogurt, bread, and even fruit juice.

Finally, refined, low-fiber grains are also responsible for belly fat. To avoid these, skip foods such as white rice, white bread, and sugary cereals.

Recipe for a Flat Belly
Whittling your waistline starts with a low-calorie, well-balanced diet and regular exercise. A recipe for a flat belly starts with a diet rich in fruits, veggies, low-fat dairy, whole grains, and lean meat. Moving toward a slimmer waistline also requires you to move away from the fatty foods and drinks listed above.

A truly flat belly comes from a combination of a consistent, challenging exercise routine coupled with clean eating.

I’m here to help you meet your fitness and weight loss goals.

Call or email today to get started on a fitness program that will have your belly flatter than ever.

Atlanta, GA 30338

770-915-1877

Stroll through any gym and you’ll notice many mistakes. Mistakes that waste time. Mistakes that put people in danger. And mistakes that are just plain crazy.

Maybe you even make a few of these mistakes yourself.

By avoiding these common blunders, you’ll put yourself on the fast track to results.

Check out the following 5 fitness mistakes and the solutions you need to avoid danger and to get fit fast.

Mistake 1: You use the wrong weight
The goal is to challenge your muscles, not to simply go through the motions. If you are able to complete 15 repetitions easily, then the weight is too light. On the flip side, if you aren’t able to perform an exercise through its full range of motion, and find yourself cheating on form, then the weight is too heavy.

The correct weights will feel challenging by your last few repetitions, but won’t force you to sacrifice form.

Mistake 2: You do the same routine
You may have noticed that most people do the same exercises each time they visit the gym. Maybe you’ve been doing the same exercise routine as long as you can remember – if it isn’t broken then don’t fix it, right?

The truth is that exercise routines have expiration dates, and that is the date that they begin to lose their effectiveness. As a rule of thumb never use the same routine for more than 4 weeks.

Mistake 3: You don’t warm up
Most people consider warm up time to be wasted time – they’d rather jump right into the heart of the routine. What they don’t realize is that a good warm up will allow you to perform at a higher intensity, which means greater results.

The point of a warm up is to increase your muscle temperature. This increases blood flow, muscle contraction and reduces muscle resistance. Your warm up should last 5-10 minutes.

Mistake 4: You use bad form
Gyms are filled with people performing exercises with bad form. The two biggest reasons are that you aren’t concentrating on the exercise, or you’re trying to lift weight that is too heavy. Lifting with improper form almost always results in injury.

Take the time to achieve proper form, by doing so you’ll avoid injury and will reap the full benefit from each exercise.

Mistake 5: You workout alone
People who exercise alone are less challenged, less accountable and typically see fewer results. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Why rush to the gym if no one is there waiting for you? Why push yourself if no one is watching? Exercising alone is a recipe for disaster.

The best way to avoid injury and to see results is to work with me, your trusted source on fitness.

I am passionate about seeing my clients achieve results – without wasting time, energy and effort on mistakes.

Don’t know where to start when it comes to exercise? That’s where I come in.

Call or email me today and we will get you started on the exercise program that is right for you.

Atlanta, GA 30338

770-915-1877

It’s normal to have days where you just don’t feel like exercising.

You feel too busy, too stressed and quite simply too tired.And you forget about all the amazing benefits that a consistent and challenging exercise routine gives you. I’m here to remind you.

Here’s a list of 15 of the top reasons to exercise. Pull out this list and read it when you’re having one of those days.

1. To Be Happier
Exercise has been shown to stimulate brain chemicals that induce relaxation and happiness. When you’re having a bad day, lace up your shoes for an invigorating workout and feel happier.

2. To Reduce Disease
Exercise has been proven to reduce the risk of pretty much every single health problem known to man, from stroke to heart disease to cancer and osteoporosis. Exercise is also a great defense against type 2 diabetes, one of the most widely growing diseases of our time.

3. To Look Amazing
Exercise firms your muscles, improves your posture and even makes your skin glow. Looking amazing is a wonderful result of regular exercise. It’s very rewarding when the people in your life start to notice your transformation.

4. To Reach Your Goal Weight
Exercise burns fat and helps you keep it off. If you want to have a leaner, healthier body, exercise is your answer.

5. To Be Energized
Remember that feeling you experience after a great workout? You’re body is buzzing with energy, you’re less easily irritated and feel more peaceful.

6. To Get Better Sleep
Exercise boosts energy levels during the day, but also wears you out. Recovering from a challenging workout will help you relax and reach a deeper level of sleep.

7. To Slow Aging
Regular exercise is one of the most effective ways to slow aging. When you age your body loses muscle and bone, and the loss of both are drastically reduced with regular exercise. You’ll also enjoy a reduction in inflammation.

8. To Lessen Back Pain
In most cases, the most effective thing that you can do for back pain is to move and strengthen those muscles. Always consult your physician or physical therapist for guidance if you have an injury.

9. To Reduce Depression
Studies have shown that exercise is able to reduce depression – sometimes even as effectively as medication. Even if you don’t feel like getting up off the couch to sweat through a workout, remember that you’ll feel happier and more alive once you’ve done it.

10. To Feel Fewer Aches and Pains
When you strengthen the muscles around your damaged joints you’re able to reduce joint pain and overall aches. Remember to always consult your physician before starting an exercise program, especially if you have chronic joint pain.

11. To Improve Memory
Exercise has been proven to improve memory and other cognitive functions, and seems to have a protective effect against dementia. A Harvard University researcher was quoted calling exercise “Miracle-Gro for the brain.”

12. To Enjoy Your Life
Whatever it is that you love in life – your kids, travel, sports, fashion – it is all more enjoyable when you experience it in a fit and healthy body. Find the motivation to exercise so that you’re able to enjoy all the great things in your life.

13. To Have Fewer Sick Days
Studies have shown that people who exercise regularly are 50% less likely to call in sick to work. With a regular exercise program you’ll experience a reduced number of colds and upper respiratory infections.

14. To Burn Calories at Rest
Building your muscles through exercise means that you’ll be burning extra calories even while at rest. You’ll be able to eat more and maintain your ideal weight with ease.

15. To Be Confident
When you are fit, feel healthy and have energy, the natural result is great confidence. There’s no better confidence booster than sticking with a regular exercise program. The results are more than worth your efforts.

Regular exercise gives you so many amazing benefits, as you’ve been reminded from the above list.

I’m here to help you meet your fitness and weight loss goals.

Call or email today to get started on a fitness program that will have you seeing results before this year’s end.

Atlanta, GA 30338

770-915-1877

You know that healthy weight loss comes as a result of regular exercise and a diet filled with plenty of fruits and vegetables.

But is anything with the word “fruit” or that contains one fruit or another a valid way to meet your fruit quota? No. Here’s proof.

Proof One: Fruity, Sweet Cereals
By now, eating bowl after bowl of fruity cereals that leave your milk pink and orange may only be a problem for your kids. But if you’re still addicted to the cereals that claim to have some semblance of fruit but are filled with added sugars and calories, it’s time for a change. Sure, they may taste good, but sugar-laden breakfast cereals are ruining your fitness results—even if they supposedly have real fruit flavors. Wean yourself from the fruity cereals by chopping some real fruit into a bowl of healthy, sugar-free, cereal.

Proof Two: Fruity Desserts
Your stomach may think strawberry ice cream, raspberry cheesecake, and cherry pie are desserts from healthy heaven, but your mind knows otherwise. Though many desserts that lean on fruit for flavor are unhealthy, there are also many healthy fruit-based desserts to enjoy. Fruit parfait and fruit sorbet are good alternatives. And if you just have to have your cake and eat it with berries too, a light angel food will do just fine. Just make sure the slice of cake is thin.

Proof Three: Fruit Smoothies
Now, now. Don’t get all up in arms. All fruit smoothies are not unhealthy. In fact, some of them are quite healthy, giving you a big boost of vitamins and minerals that help you feel energetic and ready to face the day. However, if you dabble too far beyond the healthy fruit smoothie, you can add more sugar than is found in many desserts.

To keep your smoothie nice and healthy, don’t add soft-serve ice cream or frozen yogurt, candy, or other items that are obviously high in sugar and unnecessary calories. Rather, keep your smoothie nothing but fruit, ice, juice, yogurt, and a nice scoop of protein powder to ensure it is high on the health chart.

Proof Four: (Un)Fruit Juice
Juice can be wonderful. It has great flavor, great color, and great amounts of important vitamins and minerals. At least it does when it is fruit juice. Unfortunately, many drinks claim to be fruit juice, while only containing a very low amount of fruit juice. For these low-fruit fruit juices, sugar and water make up the bulk of the contents, robbing you of the important benefits of all-natural fruit juice.

Keep fruit juice indulgences to a minimum, as even the fruit-only kind is loaded with simple sugars.

Go Natural. To clearly sidestep unhealthy fruit options, go for raw, whole fruits and avoid packaged fruit in any shape or form. These will keep you on track with your fitness and weight loss goal.

Don’t forget that true fitness success comes from a combination of a consistent, challenging exercise routine coupled with clean eating.

I’m here to help you meet your fitness and weight loss goals.

Call or email today to get started on a fitness program that will have you seeing results before this year’s end.

Atlanta, GA 30338

770-915-1877