Day 3: FIT in Water

Day 3:  Drink water

Everyone knows that water is essential to the human body, but even so, many people don't drink water and if they do, they don't drink enough.

I can go on and on about the benefits of water, but I'll keep it simple.  Drink more water.  You don't have to go from 0 to 100, but add a glass before or during every meal at first or drink a cup in the afternoon.  Substitute one of your sugary drink with water.  Just add more water.  Below are some pictures with information about the benefits of water that I felt more interesting to post than for me to bullet out.

Your Personal Trainer,
Coach Andi

Day 2: Show the Enemy Who's FIT

 
Q: What causes that stubborn belly fat that makes us pout when we look in the mirror?

A:  The Enemy: Refined Processed Carbohydrates (a.k.a. bad carbs, simple carbs)

If you aren't sure what foods would be considered Refined Processed Carbs, keep reading and I'll give you examples.

Since these bad carbs are the main cause of belly fat, then one can say that by limiting or eliminating them you can stop accumulating that nasty stuff hiding your fabulous ab muscles.  Ideally, you would want to replace these foods with some of the foods I listed in yesterday's blog (MUFA's & Falovonoids rich foods).

Now that you understand the cause, you may be asking "Well, what foods should I be avoiding?"

Before I get into that, I want to focus on what foods you SHOULD be eating.  This is not about deprivation but about eating smart.

Whole foods...that's what you can eat.  There is so much that you can eat that fall under whole foods, but just in case you don't know what that means, here are some high level examples

 

• Lean protein
• Fresh fruits
• Vegetables
• Whole grains (oats, barley, sweet potato, squash...)

What do I consider whole foods?  Generally speaking, foods that do not include chemicals and additives.

So now that we've covered what you CAN eat.  Let's talk about what you SHOULD NOT eat.  Why did I highlight SHOULD NOT?  Because you can eat them, but it should be strictly restricted if you are trying to get FIT abs.

• White sugar
• Foods containing corn syrup
• Sodas
• Sugary drinks (this includes sweetened fruit
  juice and tea)
• Alcohol
• Canned fruits and veggies containing added
  sugar
• Sweetened applesauce
• White flour and anything made with white
  flour; such as,bread, muffins, bagels, cakes, cookies, pasta, biscuits, donuts, etc.
• Cereals
• Potato chips/pretzels
• Pizza
• Desserts
• Boxed puddings
• Candy/toffee/sweets
• Store bought cooked meats/cold cuts (when
  they have added sugars and additives)
• Sausages/hot dog frankfurters
• Jelly/Jams (Jams that are naturally sweetened are fine in moderation)

Let's talk about some of the foods show below.  Although these foods may be considered "diet" foods, they are filled with chemicals, additives, and preservatives.   These are not considered real (whole) foods.  They may be "low" in calories, sugar, and/or fat, but your body will react negatively to many of the ingredients, therefore, causing an inflammatory response...which translates to weight gain.

 Although all the items above may be tasty, the gratification is temporary.  The long term effects of eating or drinking these items are not ones that I believe you enjoy.  Most of us are addicted to simple sugars, bad carbs, or whatever you want to call them and we will go through withdrawal symptoms if we decide to eliminate them from our diet.  You can either choose to limit them slowly or all at once.  Withdrawals symptoms usually last about 2-3 days, if giving them up "cold turkey" and symptoms primarily consist of headaches and fatigue.  Once you go through your withdrawal and keep up your clean eating, you will notice that your bad carb cravings will subside after about 3 weeks.  I, however, believe that if you are eating a balanced meal, you shouldn't have many cravings.

Am I saying you can never eat anything from the "bad" carbs list.  Of course not.  However, everything in moderation.  We shouldn't find ourselves eating them on a daily basis.  They should be an indulgence, not part of your regular diet. 

So, go show the enemy that you have control over your body and have the will power to give them up on a daily basis.  Let's work to reveal those strong abs screaming to be seen.

If this post leaves you with questions or doubts, feel free to leave a question in the comments section or by contacting me on my website.

Your Personal Trainer,
Coach Andi

Day 1: Belly Blaster FIT Foods

The dreaded belly fat...

Some women may refer to it as baby belly, but it's not just something that plagues mom.  Everyone can suffer from excess belly fat.  You can spend a whole hour a day doing sit ups and crunches, but may find that your abs still don't look as strong as they feel.  That's because you are only doing a fraction of the work necessary to reveal those strong abs hiding underneath that stubborn visceral fat.

All week I will be sharing easy tips that you can incorporate into your lifestyle that will help you achieve great abs that will make you proud.

Day 1:  Belly Blaster FIT Foods

There are tons of foods I could recommend, but don't want to overwhelm you, so I am going to focus on 2 categories of foods.

Monounsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFAs)

What Andi?  I think you are confused. 

No, I'm not.  Monounsaturated fats lower your cholesterol and counteract the effects of "bad" fats such as trans fats and saturated fat, which can clog your arteries and lead to heart problems.  In simple terms, MUFA's are good fats that help fight off bad fat.  Similar to bacteria in our intestines.  We need a certain level of ,what we consider, good bacteria to fight off the bad bacteria.  It's the same concept. 

Eating sources of MUFA's with your meals will help your body burn fat, specifically visceral fat which is found in the stomach area.  They help increase your metabolic rate which allow your body to burn fat quicker.

Here are some examples of foods high in MUFA's that I recommend adding to your diet. 

• Salmon
• Avocado
• Olives
• Nuts 

*Portion sizing is key because these foods can be high in calories. Limit the amounts you consume.  For example, eat only 8 almonds or 1/2 an avocado to achieve fat burning but not put on weight because high calorie consumption.  The essence of weight loss does not change.  Calories in, calories out.  However, certain foods affect your body differently and can have direct impact on your body shape.

Flavonoids

Flavonoids, an antioxidant, improves the body's metabolic profile, alters the way fats are processed through your body, and contains anti-inflammatory properties.
 
Some examples of foods high in flavonoids are:

• Apples
• Berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc)
• Pears
• Black & Pinto beans
• Cabbage
• Onion
• Parsley
• Tomatoes  

There are more foods that fall into these 2 categories, but these are just some examples to get you started.  I hope this helps and if you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments section or contact me on my website.

Your Personal Trainer,
Coach Andi  

Marathon Nutrition

The Tacoma City Marathon Running Crew is starting to increase our training mileage and I felt it critical to share the importance of nutrition during training.

As we train and prepare for a marathon, nutrition is one of the most important aspects for which we should put thought and planning into.  A carefully planned training schedule has little value if we don't properly plan to meet our nutritional requirements for a long distance run and race.

I mentioned last week before the run that water will generally suffice for runners up to 2 hours, if your glycogen stores are trained to do so, but there are some high level tips that will help make sure you have a successful race.

• Starting your long run hydrated fuled is just as important as hydrating during the run.
• Water is the drink of choice for runs anywhere between 1-2 hours
• A source of fuel containing electrolytes, such as sports drinks or GU, are recommended for runs over 60 min  
• Always sip on water during your run even if you don't feel thirsty.  Don't rely on your thirst to indicate whether or not you need to drink.  If you wait until you feel thirsty, you have waited too long and your body is well on it's way to dehydration.  
• It is virtually impossible to "catch up" on your fluid requirements once you sense that you're thirsty. It is important that you hydrate constantly during the day. The color of your urine should be relatively clear. 
• Practicing your carbohydrate and electrolyte supplements on a training run is extremely important, especially if you have a sensitive GI Tract. Gels are a great carb and electrolyte supplement, but runners must find the right balance of gel and water intake to ensure proper absorption and avoid cramping.  There are also gummies, jelly beans, etc available.  

 
Every runner is different and experimenting on a training run is the best way to ensure you don't have a lousy run on race day.  Cutting a training run short because of cramping, nausea, or a bathroom stop is definitely the way to go.  Feeling great during your race definitely helps with your success.  No one wants to feel lousy on race day or cut the run short because their body didn't agree with something they never ate before.  

We spend weeks...months training for marathon day and what we drink and eat during the run is just as important.  Think, plan, and prepare for success.  Train for the miles and train for hydration.  Trust me, a dehydrated runner is a miserable runner. (Speaking from experience)

Feel free to ask questions or request recommendations.

Happy runnings...

Detox without Starving

So my last post I mentioned that I had bought this tea.

I wanted to try it out and give it some time before I wrote a review because I wanted to see exactly how I would feel after drinking the tea consistently.

I am not one for starving myself or withholding from food in general.  The only time I will fast will be for spiritual reasons and there is lots of suffering in that for me because I love food.  With that being said, as I mentioned in the previous post, I felt I needed to detox after the holidays, but was not up for limiting my food to just fruits & veggies because I'm training for a marathon.  After hearing about dandelion tea and doing some research, I decided to give it a try. (details are in my previous post)

Side note: I discovered the tea in my local grocery store, Safeway, but have also recently seen it at Walmart.  I assume it's a pretty easy tea to find.  

The tea is made with dandelion & chicory (licorice) roots to help stimulate your liver's natural detoxification processes. It does smell and taste a lot like licorice, so be warned because I know that it's a very strong flavor and not one that may be liked by everyone.

The tea hits all the different possible taste buds with a complex blend of sweet, sour, bitter, pungent, & salty.  Now, before you cringe, it's not as bad as you may think.  You have to try it for yourself to really judge it.  I like adding some honey to my tea to sweeten it up and it helps with all the other areas you may not be fond of.


I have been drinking the tea 2 times a day (morning & evening) while continuing with my normal healthy eating habits.  Within a couple days I did feel the cleaning effects of the tea.

Not only did I hit the bathroom more than usual (I know, TMI ), but I felt lighter.  I'm not sure how to explain it, but I didn't feel as "heavy" in my stomach region.  Eventually, the bathroom resumed back to normal, but can tell I was reset and back to a normal schedule...if you know what I mean.

Side note: This tea is not a laxative.

When going through a detox, one of the primary things we are trying to accomplish is to detoxify the liver so that it performs as it should.  The liver has a few functions which include detoxification, protein synthesis, glycogen storage, decomposition of red blood cells, hormone production, and production of biochemicals which are necessary for digestion. All of these functions play a role in how our body interacts with food and in essence weight gain.  So, it makes sense that having a clean and healthy liver can only help us with our efforts in achieving a healthy lifestyle.

I believe I was able to achieve a detoxification of the liver without having to starve myself or without needing to abstain from certain foods.  I feel lighter and can honestly say...cleaner.  Now, keep in mind that I generally am a healthy eater, but the "clean" feeling only came after I started drinking the tea.

If you are looking for something you can do in addition to what you are doing now to help detox your body, I highly recommend this tea. 

Side Note: Make sure you follow the directions on how to properly brew.

Until the next time, have a great one...

Detox - Dandelion Tea

For those of you who know me pretty well, you know

1.  I don't agree with radical diets
2.  I'm not a fan of deprivation or starvation for weight loss
3.  I love food and believe you should ENJOY your food
4.  I have always hated hot tea and it would make me gag when I would drink it.

Well, recently (for health reasons) I have ACQUIRED a taste for green tea and peppermint tea.  I used this to also help with sweets cravings.

Back in early December I did a 3 day detox where I juiced and ate only raw veggies, fruits & nuts.  Honestly, it wasn't as bad as I thought and I really felt the benefits of detox on my body.  Needless to say over the holidays I indulged in large amount of desserts.  Yummy desserts made with condensed milk.  I may have over exaggerated and now feel the need to detox again.  However, I am in the middle of training and cannot afford to detox and not train, so I needed another method of detoxifying my body and wouldn't drain me of my energy.

I have been hearing a lot about dandelion tea and how it's great to incorporate into your healthy diet to help detoxify the liver.  I figured since everyone has been talking about it, I should be able to easily find some at my local supermarket.  So, I went looking for it and had to start reading ingredients on boxes because I was not "easily" finding it.  There were 2 teas that contained dandelion root, so I chose the one where it was one of the main ingredients.  The other main ingredient in the tea I chose was licorice root (obviously listed in it's scientific name).  To most people that would be a turn off, but I do happen to enjoy black licorice.  I know, I hate tea and like licorice...I'm weird.  Not sure how I felt about the taste of licorice in hot water, but was willing to buy it and give it a try.

I honestly was expecting to gag with this tea, but decided to try some after breakfast because I'll do things that are good for me and hope to acquire a taste. I read the box and followed the instructions.  After brewing, you must let it sit for about 15 minutes to obtain it's full flavor and benefits.  I used my new Keurig to brew some hot water for me, added a touch of honey, and added the tea bag.

One of the nice things about letting the tea sit is that you do not burn your mouth when you take that first sip =)

I am amazed to tell you how much I enjoyed the tea.  It was much better than expected and wouldn't mind drinking this 2-3 times a day as recommended.  I read customer reviews and there was not 1 negative review in all the sites I researched.  People mentioned how they enjoyed it and how sweeteners are not needed (which will try next time because I believe it), they mentioned how they felt a sense of well being after, and how it really did help flush out their bodies.

I am not yet at a point to comment or review the tea in that sense, but it really was great tasting and wanted to share it with everyone because if it really helps in the way I'm thinking, it's a great addition to your diet.  I won't be able to completely give up coffee.  It's not about the caffeine...it's the taste and the experience I have when I drink it, but I will definitely be adding this tea to my daily routine.

Below is a picture of the tea I bought.  They also have one with a lemon flavor, but can't comment on the taste of that tea.  Hoping this works so I don't have to starve myself.

If you happen to try it, feel free to leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts.

Fit in Time 30 Minute Shoulder Treadmill Workout

As promised, I have put together a 30 minute fun full body treadmill workout.  30 minutes filled with 1 minute increments of shoulder exercises and speed.  Your focus will be on completing each minute and before you know it, the workout will be done.

I don't have a video for you to follow during your workout.  I wrote it down for you.  But, just in case you need a visual, I created a VERY simple video to show you exactly what the workout entails.

If you have a chance to do this workout, please give me your feedback.  Depending on how everyone likes it, I may just create more.

Let's take the dread out of the treadmill.  Get creative.  The treadmill can actually be fun.

So here you go.

Fit In Time 30 Minute Fun Treadmill Workout - Shoulders

Warm up
2 minute - 3.5 mph walk
1 minute - Treadmill pushups
1 minute - walk

Shoulders
1 minute - Lateral Raises
1 minute - 4 mph walk
1 minute - Shoulder Flexion
1 minute - walk
1 minute - Overhead press

Speed
1 minute - 5.0
1 minute - 6.0
1 minute - 3.5 (recover)
1 minute - 6.0
1 minute - 6.5
1 minute - 7.0

Shoulders
1 minute - 4.0
1 minute - Lateral Raises
1 minute - Shoulder Flexion
1 minute - Overhead Press

Speed
2 minute - 5.0
2 minute - 6.0
1 minute - 7.0
1 minute - 5.0
2 minute - 6.0

Recover
1 minute - 5.0
1 minute - 4.0
1 minute - 3.0

Here is a VERY basic homemade instructions video.  This will help clarify the different movements I cover in the training.

Feel free to leave me any questions in the comments.  If you do the workout, I would LOVE your feedback, so please leave a comment.

The Many Benefits of Kettlebell Swings

                                                
 
Are you looking to increase your

• aerobic capacity
• anaerobic capacity                                             
• Muscular endurance or
• Power

If you answered YES to any of the above, then I have a perfect exercise for you.

Kettlebell Swings

How can one exercise possibly meet all of the different goals?  Easy, modifications!

Aerobic Capacity:

Use a light kettlebell and perform high repetition sets of 50 or more reps.  That will help increase your heart rate and workout your cardiovascular system.

Anaerobic Capacity:

Swing a moderate to heavy weight kettlebell for 30 to 90 seconds, rest for a moment or two and then repeat for as many sets as are desired. Your breathing and heart rate will increase dramatically and you will feel your muscles burn.  The production of lactic acid is what causes the burn you feel and is the byproduct of anaerobic exercise.

Muscular Endurance:

Use a light kettlebell and perform moderate to high rep, along with short rests.  Muscular endurance is your ability to generate sub maximal muscular contractions for extended periods of time. Your glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, lower back, shoulders, arms and core muscles are all worked effectively during kettlebell swings.

Power:

Use a heavy kettlebell for low rep sets.  You will be working your power zone because the swings are initiated with a powerful hip thrust.

Tons of Muscles

The kettlebell swing can help you achieve the ultimate goals listed above, but also actively and effectively works tons of muscles. 

             
                             Quads
           Glutes                   Core muscles

  Hamstrings          Shoulders                Back





Show Me How

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart with the kettlebell on the floor in from of you. Keep your weight spread evenly through your heels and forefoot. Bend your knees and descend into a quarter squat as you pick up the kettlebell.  Keeping your arms straight, your shoulders back and without rounding your back, come back up to a quarter squat and thrust your hips forwards swinging the kettlebell up to your preferred height. Allow gravity to pull the kettlebell back down as you push your butt back, bend your knees, and get ready for another swing.

What?????

Sometimes words are a little daunting, so I have a video to help show you how to perform a kettlebell swing with the proper form and technique.

Now that you know kettlebell swings can help you reach any of your fitness goals, are effective at working multiple muscle groups, AND you know how to properly perform them, get yourself a kettlebell and start swinging.

Please feel free to leave me any questions or comments.

ViSalus

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ViSalus is a great product.  Not only are their shakes great tasting, but they are low in calories and sugar.  Here is a chart that compares ViSalus to it's competitors.  Beachbody products are missing from this chart, but rest assured, their product is much more calorie and sugar dense than ViSalus.  ViSalus is even a great product for individuals with soy allergies.

If you are interested in purchasing or promoting ViSalus, please visit my site by clicking HERE.

Forget the Gym!

I'm still writing my blog for this past Saturday's 19 mile run, but since today's entry is shorter, I thought I'd just bang it out.  Writing and keeping a blog up to date is a lot of work and time consuming.

Mondays are usually my 3 mile easy run with strength training in the gym.  Today was just so gorgeous that I wanted to be outside.  Being cooped up in a smelly gym was not my idea of fun when I could do the same thing outdoors and enjoy the weather.

I did some research on workouts that could easily be done outdoors and couldn't wait for the end of my work day to get out there.  Finally the time came and I headed out for my 3 miler.  I started sweating right away...it was a great feeling.  My legs felt a little heavy at first, but after the first mile I started feeling better. 

Once I got home, I picked up my resistance band pack and headed to the park across the street from my house for my work out.  Between the resistance band, push ups, tricep dips, jump rope, and of course my own body weight, I got a great workout in.  30 minutes of weight training went by really quick and I was glad to be able to enjoy the 70 degree weather.

I got some pictures of what I used to workout today.  These are all things we have available without needing a gym membership.  Started off my week stronger and intend to finish stronger!  Hoping the same for you...

First, I hit the pavement to get in some miles.

Then I hit the park for my upper body strength training.

I wrapped my resistance band around this tree.

This is what I used to get in some standing push ups.

This bench was the perfect place for my tricep dips.  I also used the bench for my squats (helps make sure I'm going down far enough).

You can workout anywhere and you can use so many things around the house and outdoors as exercise equipment.  We just need to use our creativity.  There are NO EXCUSES...especially now that spring is here and the warmer weather is approaching.